Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[SingedFingers]

Sounds like a fun adventure anyway. And now you know how to configure obsolete servers.

You would have probably needed this guy back then: https://www.youtube.com/user/SirNetrom1/videos
He would happily carry off the huge pile of servers for you. That youtube channel of his sure proves that TEA also exists in a IT variant. At least our test gear does not take as much electricity to run.

Scarily enough it was still supported hardware then by Sun!

I'm not so sure about power. Some of those old Tek vacuum tube scopes can suck up 500W or so

[rrinker]

 Got my GDM-8251A over the weekend. All working, except amps. Hmm, LO terminal with the fuse holder seems loose - look at that, not a dead fuse, but NO fuse. Luckily I had 4 left over from the 5 pack I bought to repair the 8060A. All checks good. Did not even get a comment from SWMBO even though it was sitting right there in plain sight in the middle of my bench.

[xrunner]

Got my GDM-8251A over the weekend. All working, except amps. Hmm, LO terminal with the fuse holder seems loose - look at that, not a dead fuse, but NO fuse. Luckily I had 4 left over from the 5 pack I bought to repair the 8060A. All checks good.

Good deal. Check the firmware - the latest is v2.3 you can get it from GW Instek by writing them -

services@goodwill.com.tw

Did not even get a comment from SWMBO even though it was sitting right there in plain sight in the middle of my bench.

That's a plus. 


PS - I just made post #2000 ! 

[rrinker]

 I was just about to go check the other thread in Test Equipment to see if I had the latest firmware. Mine boots up and says 2.30, so I guess I do    Bummer, I was going to build a homemade cal key and all. Next adventure I guess is getting the software to work with USB, I need to order another USB cable though.  doh, I just placed a small order with Amazon this morning and forgot to order a cable.
 The rate I am acquiring equipment I may need another USB expansion card. Some stuff just doesn't seem to want to work through either of the hubs I tried but works fine on the mobo ports and on the 4 port card I installed. It's not just electronics, I have to finish the other wing of my bench and I have like 3 or 4 model railroad devices that use USB to attach.

[bitseeker]

Hopefully that smaller piece of equipment was occupying some of the lower spots of the rack because lifting a 25kg piece of boatanchor above your head while trying to wrestle it in to the rack is quite the work. So don't tell me TEA is not healthy, it gives you plenty of exercise carrying the boatanchors, more exercise to lift them in to racks. Also as bonus exercise some equipment has components on both top and bottom side so when you are fixing it you get to constantly flip the heavy bastard around and on its sides.

Oh, no. Say you didn't just offer another rationalization for getting into boat anchors. Exercise? Oh, my. And I've been doing so well predominantly sticking with half-rack width gear (with Nixies, even). Of course, I can always make use of the HP 6032A and PD 3650-S for a little weight lifting.

[Berni]

Hopefully that smaller piece of equipment was occupying some of the lower spots of the rack because lifting a 25kg piece of boatanchor above your head while trying to wrestle it in to the rack is quite the work. So don't tell me TEA is not healthy, it gives you plenty of exercise carrying the boatanchors, more exercise to lift them in to racks. Also as bonus exercise some equipment has components on both top and bottom side so when you are fixing it you get to constantly flip the heavy bastard around and on its sides.

Oh, no. Say you didn't just offer another rationalization for getting into boat anchors. Exercise? Oh, my. And I've been doing so well predominantly sticking with half-rack width gear (with Nixies, even). Of course, I can always make use of the HP 6032A and PD 3650-S for a little weight lifting.

Well doesn't mean that nice things don't also come in half rack width packages. Like my two Keithley DMMs that i like a lot, giving company to a Agilent DMM that i don't like as much, also my favorite analog PSUs (Agilent E3610A) that i got 4 of.

Tho it is rather satisfying to get a box delivered to your door that the delivery guy doesn't even want to lift off the truck by himself. But the adrenaline gives you plenty of strength to carry it to the lab yourself 

The HP 6032A does indeed have some gravity to it as i have found on mine.  But if you want to get in to some serious heavy lifting get a HP 8566 spectrum analyzer, all 50kg of it. Just careful about other TEA related sympetons because it goes to 22GHz, so you will also want a signal generator to go with it, oh and one of them fancy high frequency RF cables to connect it up(hint: they cost 100 bucks each), oh and the cables you bought are SMA/3.5mm so now you also need 20GHz rated adapters for SMA to N....etc

[SingedFingers]

So about 50 times today I've looked at this and gone "it's only £49 - why the hell not" but there's something else on the watch list I actually need. My brain hurts 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/332146464761

I've posted it here so someone else can go Oooh Ahh and absolve me of the decision

[Cubdriver]

Oooh Ahh.     Now go for it    - I can't as he doesn't ship to the US. 

-Pat

[SingedFingers]

If I don't win the other thing in the next few hours I will have it

The big problem is that I really would need a 60's era Tektronix scope to go with it.

[bitseeker]

The HP 6032A does indeed have some gravity to it as i have found on mine.  But if you want to get in to some serious heavy lifting get a HP 8566 spectrum analyzer, all 50kg of it. Just careful about other TEA related sympetons because it goes to 22GHz, so you will also want a signal generator to go with it, oh and one of them fancy high frequency RF cables to connect it up(hint: they cost 100 bucks each), oh and the cables you bought are SMA/3.5mm so now you also need 20GHz rated adapters for SMA to N....etc

Yeah, the 8566 is pretty nice. Its mass, power consumption, noise and usually excessive pricing have kept a lid on acquisition thus far. The 859x spectrum analyzers are nothing to sneeze at either when it comes to heft. Portable, ha!

[Cubdriver]

If I don't win the other thing in the next few hours I will have it

The big problem is that I really would need a 60's era Tektronix scope to go with it.

Yes.  That's known as an "excuse".  That is a good thing.  We like those around here as they serve as justification to acquire things.   

-Pat

[rachaelp]

If I don't win the other thing in the next few hours I will have it

The big problem is that I really would need a 60's era Tektronix scope to go with it.

Yes.  That's known as an "excuse".  That is a good thing.  We like those around here as they serve as justification to acquire things.

-Pat

More TEA anybody? 

[tautech]

So about 50 times today I've looked at this and gone "it's only £49 - why the hell not" but there's something else on the watch list I actually need. My brain hurts 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/332146464761

I've posted it here so someone else can go Oooh Ahh and absolve me of the decision

You MUST have it, what else would you use to calibrate a CRO with. 
I'd grab it in a blink if it was in NZ. 

[Cubdriver]

More TEA anybody? 

I'm thirsty!   <waves>   

-Pat

[MarkL]

My self-diagnosis:

  ESD - Empty Slot Disorder
  SMD - Slot Mismatch Disorder

I'm sure there something in there too about never wanting to throw anything out, even if it's broken.  And then it becomes a time sink.  Beyond economic repair?  What's that.

Yep, you've definitely been bit by the bug. Welcome aboard. It sounds like you've been having quite the adventure with that HP gear. I can see how that'd become quite the rabbit hole. But to put together a four (or more) channel scope with logic analyzer in the process? That's pretty compelling!

Added your new terms to the glossary.

Compelling, yes, but it also morphed into a major, dare I say "obsessive", repair challenge.

It's a total of 8 channels, but I think I discovered a reprieve to my addiction:  The SW doesn't support anymore than 8!

[Brumby]

If I don't win the other thing in the next few hours I will have it

The big problem is that I really would need a 60's era Tektronix scope to go with it.

A classic example of EMI - and a classic response:

Yes.  That's known as an "excuse".  That is a good thing.  We like those around here as they serve as justification to acquire things.   

Don't worry.  I'm not judging, just observing ... with a warm, fuzzy feeling.   

[bitseeker]

Compelling, yes, but it also morphed into a major, dare I say "obsessive", repair challenge.

That's just the other form of OCD: OK, can do. Repeat ad infinitum.

It's a total of 8 channels, but I think I discovered a reprieve to my addiction:  The SW doesn't support anymore than 8!

Phew! Saved by the software.

[xrunner]

Man I'm getting the shakes. I just spent 2 weeks on a radio repair project for a ham friend, who paid me more than I thought he would (I only wanted reimbursement for parts). Now I have no project and cash to spend.

I'm being drawn by an invisible force towards Ebay with search terms in my mind like "Agilent" and "Tektronix". 

I do not think I can resist it much longer.

[Housedad]

Stop and say "Dinner with my wife" over and over and over for an hour.   Then say it once in front of her.   Your problems of where to spend that money will vanish and you will have missed the horrible parts of the withdrawal.

[xrunner]

Stop and say "Dinner with my wife" over and over and over for an hour.   Then say it once in front of her.   Your problems of where to spend that money will vanish and you will have missed the horrible parts of the withdrawal.

Wife? Wife? i see no "wife" anywhere in this house. 

[rrinker]

 I think I need some TEA after that incident - see my DOH! moment post. I need a greater consensus in reading than 1 scope and 1 new DMM vs one older DMM. Or maybe more sources to measure. Like say 3 from a triple output power supply.

[bitseeker]

You mean this one (for anyone else hunting for it): https://www.eevblog.com/forum/chat/here's-a-real-doh!-moment-for-you/

Yeah, some TEA should help wash away that moment and provide you with more DMMs. Perhaps an Agilent U1252B? I don't remember if you got one of the $200 deals on those already. If not, it's a sweet DMM. It's also handy as a sort of pocket workbench for checking out test equipment during preview days at the local equipment auctions (the usual dual display functions plus ad hoc fixed low-voltage sources, frequency counter, and square wave generator).

[bitseeker]

Man I'm getting the shakes. I just spent 2 weeks on a radio repair project for a ham friend, who paid me more than I thought he would (I only wanted reimbursement for parts). Now I have no project and cash to spend.

I'm being drawn by an invisible force towards Ebay with search terms in my mind like "Agilent" and "Tektronix". 

I do not think I can resist it much longer.

Surely there's stuff you need other than test equipment. If it'll help, I can PM you an account number where you can stash your cash to stop it from bothering you.

You know, I've found that eBay's Collections feature is an inexpensive way to collect interesting, neat, etc. things with no impact to the wallet and no precious space taken up. I know, I know, that's anti-TEA, but this was supposed to be a therapy thread.

[Brumby]

.... but this was supposed to be a therapy thread.

I thought is was being therapeutic.  It has helped me a lot with the guilt.

[bitseeker]

I thought is was being therapeutic.  It has helped me a lot with the guilt.

Excellent! Carry on.