Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[xrunner]

Warning to TEA members!

Facebook's plan to tap into our brains, fact-checked by a neuroscientist

Facebook wants a direct line into your brain.

As Recode reports, the company’s secretive R&D lab — known as Building 8 — is creating a “‘brain-computer speech-to-text interface,’ technology that’s supposed to translate your thoughts directly from your brain to a computer screen without any need for speech or fingertips.” It’s also interested in developing a “brain mouse,” where people could use their attention to move a cursor across the screen.

...

Facebook says the technology to turn thoughts to text will only pick up on the words you want to type, by detecting “activity in a very specific region of the brain where thoughts are translated into speech,” as Recode explains.

http://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2017/4/20/15332210/facebook-brain-interface

This is going in a dangerous direction. What if Ebay starts using this technology?  That would mean I could simply look at test equipment on Ebay and the slightest thought about wanting something would place it in my cart! We have enough trouble with this addiction already! 

[VK5RC]

I thought this had been tried before - for controlling jet fighter aircraft and it was all undone but the fact that people daydream / go off at a mental tangent all the time - apparently even in a dogfight !! 

[AF6LJ]

Warning to TEA members!

Facebook's plan to tap into our brains, fact-checked by a neuroscientist

Facebook wants a direct line into your brain.

As Recode reports, the company’s secretive R&D lab — known as Building 8 — is creating a “‘brain-computer speech-to-text interface,’ technology that’s supposed to translate your thoughts directly from your brain to a computer screen without any need for speech or fingertips.” It’s also interested in developing a “brain mouse,” where people could use their attention to move a cursor across the screen.

...

Facebook says the technology to turn thoughts to text will only pick up on the words you want to type, by detecting “activity in a very specific region of the brain where thoughts are translated into speech,” as Recode explains.

http://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2017/4/20/15332210/facebook-brain-interface

This is going in a dangerous direction. What if Ebay starts using this technology?  That would mean I could simply look at test equipment on Ebay and the slightest thought about wanting something would place it in my cart! We have enough trouble with this addiction already! 

You just imagine you have seven hundred million in your bank account....
Problem solved. ...

[xrunner]

Vintage equipment FAIL - vintage equipment FAIL - we have a problem!

Plug-ins are working but ...

Just discovered this AM. See pic, no explanation needed at this time - will advise as to solution in due time ... 

Where's my hammer ...

[bitseeker]

Thinks to self: "Aw, this power supply that arrived from eBay is missing some parts. I guess I need to find a parts mule, same model."

Computer: "A 'for parts, not working' one has been located for half the price of your current item, which aligns with your buying history for parts units. Your order has been placed. You're welcome."

[mtdoc]

Vintage equipment FAIL - vintage equipment FAIL - we have a problem!

Plug-ins are working but ...

Just discovered this AM. See pic, no explanation needed at this time - will advise as to solution in due time ... 

Where's my hammer ...

It's a MAD, MAD world xrunner.   And the recent posts in this thread have cause a relapse of my latent MAD.

Pic below is on its way to me now.  I want need covet a TM501 for portable use of single modules but they're hard to find at a decent price. I have one now I got for $25 but it has a shorted transformer that I haven't gotten around to replacing yet.  This one showed up on my eBay watch list. It just happens to come with an AM503 module.  I guess, I have no choice except to start looking for suitable current probes now.. 

[guido]

Good luck with that. They are hard to find as they are easy to break. Enough amplifiers around, but usually without probe. I have one with an AM503B. Nice to have available.

Got a TM503B today, thinking i would receive a TM5003. Bummer. Now i still need to do the conversion myself. Has the GPIB option which is handy. Easy to see why the seller made the mistake; no TM503B on the case anywhere and e.g. the tekwiki shows the wrong picture http://w140.com/tekwiki/wiki/TM5003 

So now i have TM502A, TM503, TM503B, TM504 with a number of plugins. The nice ones are FG5010, TG501 and this AM503B. The others are the standard stuff. Still no mainframe for the FG5010...

I'm using a 7612D digitizer as table and or foot rest (it's on a crate). Takes the term boat anchor to a whole new level 

[mtdoc]

Good luck with that. They are hard to find as they are easy to break.

Yeah, i realize that. I'm in no hurry. As i said, the reason I bought it was for the TM501.

The reason I got into the 500 series module thing was because I wanted an AM502 differential amplifier. I have 3 of those now..

[xrunner]

Thinks to self: "Aw, this power supply that arrived from eBay is missing some parts. I guess I need to find a parts mule, same model."

Computer: "A 'for parts, not working' one has been located for half the price of your current item, which aligns with your buying history for parts units. Your order has been placed. You're welcome."

Yea I should have known what was coming ... parts mule just purchased. 

Oh and I've now torn off most of the panels and I can insert a module in parallel to the bent backplane. Oh gee, now look how far in the connector goes! Who would have thought it would work that nicely if all the parts were in alignment? Bonus: We now understand why the PS503 switch wasn't being pressed in all the way ... 

How far down the rabbit hole will this go. I think we know the answer to that question. The entire thing will be a pile of individual parts before this all ends. 

[AF6LJ]

You have your work cut out for you....

A little fender and body work is good for the soul....

[mtdoc]

A little fender and body work is good for the soul....

Just don't resort to the Widlar-izer.

[Cubdriver]

Vintage equipment FAIL - vintage equipment FAIL - we have a problem!

Plug-ins are working but ...

Just discovered this AM. See pic, no explanation needed at this time - will advise as to solution in due time ... 

Where's my hammer ...

 . See my sig...

-Pat

[bitseeker]

Oh and I've now torn off most of the panels and I can insert a module in parallel to the bent backplane. Oh gee, now look how far in the connector goes! Who would have thought it would work that nicely if all the parts were in alignment? Bonus: We now understand why the PS503 switch wasn't being pressed in all the way ... 

Does that mean you don't need the little rubber cap hack anymore?

[xrunner]

. See my sig...

-Pat

Ya I've seen it before.  And literally to fix the backplane brace I will hammer the dented part on my vise. 

Now what was I saying before about a rabbit hole? Look at the attachment. Now I need to replace the connector which is the one for the high power compartment. After an afternoon of research it appears that "JAMMA" connectors (Japan Arcade Machine Manufacturers' Association) are essentially the same dimensional connector which Tektronix used. In fact, I've seen people who made extenders using these same JAMMA connectors.

Also, I found a cool extender solution on Ebay that are made for people who fix arcade games which will extend the TM500 series boards - check it out - 



The cool thing about that is it's a flexible solution and better than a hard extender.

I ordered two JAMMA connectors which if I trim off the extended parts which are meant for screws I believe will be a drop-in replacement. But now I have to tear it apart even more because it is all wired up and isn't going to be a whole lot of fun to be able to get to that connector to unsolder.

Does that mean you don't need the little rubber cap hack anymore?

I believe that you will be correct, but it's gonna be just a little while before we will be able to say for sure ...

[SeanB]

Just break the contacts out and use a donor as contact material supply. A lot easier than unsoldering all those pins at the rear, just snap off the contacts or straighten them to match again.

[xrunner]

Just break the contacts out and use a donor as contact material supply. A lot easier than unsoldering all those pins at the rear, just snap off the contacts or straighten them to match again.

Too much current went through them. Some are damaged, plus they aren't just going to come out of the green plastic even if unsoldered. Those pins will have been embedded in the plastic in the manufacturing process. To even have a chance of doing what you say you'd have to take the connector out and work on it, which, at that time, would be better to just replace it anyway.

Besides Sean, the point is, for me, to fix it properly, not to get it done fast. See, the thing you gotta understand is that I have all day to tinker with this stuff. Time is of no consequence whatsoever. 

[Housedad]

Time?  You have Time?   No WAY!!  I'm retired and never have time.

[mtdoc]

I have all day to tinker with this stuff. Time is of no consequence whatsoever. 

Oh man, what I would give to be able to say that!

[SeanB]

OK, so replace the whole thing it is. Your time rather than part cost is a driver. Those pins IIRc in there are a clip in device, not a moulded in part, so they do come out with difficulty, which is why I suggested getting the pins out and not damaging the socket mount area, and then take a donor part and whip the BERG contact assemblies out of there by dastroying the plastic housing. Most I ever saw with them was a drop of epoxy used to hold the base in, never a moulded pin in there, they were always loose in the housing slightly.

Remember these were made in a mould, and either were injection moulded or powder pressed and cured, so they had to get the base flat to hold the pins, and there is no way with doing this in a mould with pins as part of the assembly.

[xrunner]

OK, so replace the whole thing it is. Your time rather than part cost is a driver. Those pins IIRc in there are a clip in device, not a moulded in part, so they do come out with difficulty, which is why I suggested getting the pins out and not damaging the socket mount area, and then take a donor part and whip the BERG contact assemblies out of there by dastroying the plastic housing.

I was able to remove the socket after a few hours of work. Had to remove a lot more hardware and wiring to get to it than I anticipated (but remember time is of little consequence to me  ). After I removed it I was able to take out some of the damaged pins. It is true they were not molded in, but there would have been no way to remove them in any case because of the way they were crimped at the bottom. Even with the connector completely removed, after pressing the crimp flat it was very difficult to remove the pins.

But I was able to get them out after removal. They were damaged by a lot of current. Some time in the distant past somebody did a no-no. In fact, if you look at the far right pin, you can see a pad from a plug-in pcb actually welded to the pin (neither of the two units that came with it were contributors to the spot welding).

In any case, it was a successful surgery. I have ordered several JAMMA 56p pcb connectors and from all the research it looks like they will fit. All I have to do is cut off the two ends with the screw holes.

[bitseeker]

Wow, that's quite a welding job someone did there. I wonder what module was involved in that overload. Other than a power supply, is there something else that might pull so much current?

[xrunner]

Wow, that's quite a welding job someone did there. I wonder what module was involved in that overload. Other than a power supply, is there something else that might pull so much current?

Clue #1 - it's the High Power compartment. It's the High Power compartment because, well, it can furnish more. It's hard to say what someone did - you know people can do some really dumb things (I know because I've done plenty myself). It also could have been a failed plug-in. Any plug in can go in the High Power slot, but of course it won't draw more power just because it's there.

The PS503 et. al. is designed to take advantage of extra pins on the back plane - I'd have to check the drawings to see what is furnished. There are fuses as well behind that backplane but all are OK ...

I do remember using these for years in industry that we had a lot of issues with the pads on the plug-ins getting dirty. We'd pull them out and push them back in (well I saw others slam them back in  ) till the connections were made. I do remember cleaning the pads on the units, but I do not remember that we ever cleaned the backplane connector. Unfortunately, for the components, when you can just go to the test equipment room and get another one, little care is given to them out there in the field. You had better things to do like performing the testing.

It's possible that a plug in had some dirty contacts and presented a high resistance connection, while at the same time drawing a lot of current through it. Some plug-in may have been in that slot for years, had some abuse, and when finally removed took out all those pins. We'll never know I suppose... 

[Housedad]

Xrunner- Would this be a suitable replacement for those card edge connectors?  It looks like it may be.    Take a look at the data sheet and the order codes on it and see if it would work.  At least it is the right manufacturer and color.  Digikey has them in stock.

https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/edac-inc/305-056-520-201/151-1268-ND/1291599

[xrunner]

Xrunner- Would this be a suitable replacement for those card edge connectors?  It looks like it may be.    Take a look at the data sheet and the order codes on it and see if it would work.  At least it is the right manufacturer and color.  Digikey has them in stock.

https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/edac-inc/305-056-520-201/151-1268-ND/1291599

Thanks, I'm intrigued. I did a lot of research and nobody ever indicated the same EDAC connector was still made.

The part number on the connector I removed is:

303-056-520-301

I'm looking at the codes here -

http://www.edac.net/dat/files/96.pdf

the last 3 digits are of concern (301 vs 201) mainly the card depth dimension, and the first 3 are not listed on that data sheet (303). But, I commend you for that find, and I will devote time in the morning to see if I can justify an order, meaning I'll see if what Digikey offers can be a viable substitute.

Many thanks! 

Edit: When I search for my part - 303-056-520-301 Digikey does not find it. But that does not mean something can come close.

[Rerouter]

I would imagine a blown tantalum on a module input power rail, still i would check the fuse to make sure its not way over rated,