Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[Housedad]

Xrunner, you have gone so far down the TEA rabbit hole, you are now a singularity sucking in all that the Ebay void has to offfer.   I can't even imagine the amount of fun you are having!   Wish I was there!   

[xrunner]

Luckily the last two things I bought from Ebay (FG501A & FG502) needed to be repaired. One was listed as not working but the other one was supposed to work but didn't. So I've had a lot of fun with those for several weeks. I did manage to get $20 back for the FG502 from the seller which paid for some of the parts. 

The latest one I got last week was a DC503A which arrived in good working condition. I was like - this sucks what am I supposed to do with it? 

[cdev]

I just made a working desoldering tool out of a foot pump, when you lift your foot off of it it sucks.

[xrunner]

I just made a working desoldering tool out of a foot pump, when you lift your foot off of it it sucks.

Got pics?

[Housedad]

The latest one I got last week was a DC503A which arrived in good working condition. I was like - this sucks what am I supposed to do with it? 

Now that's funny, right there!!   

[mtdoc]

The latest one I got last week was a DC503A which arrived in good working condition. I was like - this sucks what am I supposed to do with it? 

Now that's funny, right there!!   

Ha!  That is funny.

I find there's a happy medium to be reached. An interesting but easy fix is nice and a challenging fix is also good.  On the other hand, I have a few pieces of TE sitting around because I'm not smart enough to fix them (yet!). 

[xwarp]

I have an addiction to test equipment.........

I happened to pick up a really nice server rack that I have mounted my most used t.e. into.

Is it bad that I consider it a piece of furniture?

If a dresser can be a piece of furniture why couldn't a 42U server rack be one. Sometimes i wish i had a bigger lab so i could put in another rack.

Oh and do take a photo of your fancy new rack once the equipment is in it.

It's not much and it ain't fancy as all I pretty much work on at home on the side is AM/FM audio from the 30's to the early 80's.

[smurph]

So I got my hands on a DC508 counter about a year ago.  It suffered the dreaded DL883A display problem with dead segments.  Being pretty new at this stuff, I needed to learn a bit more about electronics in general.  I can diagnose a lot of things now, but I would still consider myself as a bit of a novice for sure.  But I felt like I was ready to tackle the DC508 display issue.  Since finding parts to fix the original board was out of the question, I though building a new board was the only way it was going to happen. 

Rewind to back when I got the DC508 and I was searching for displays.  I saw a few posts on the Tek Scopes group about a replacement display board that someone from the UK made up.  Unfortunately, the guy that did the board just fell off the group.  He used modern parts, so I knew it could be done.  The BIG challenge (for me) was that the original display digits had a left hand decimal and all of the modern parts mostly have right hand decimals.  Fortunately, I have a buddy that helped me out.  Plus the clues from the Tek Scope group.  In the end, success!  One resurrected DC508.  I fear all this has done is add fuel to the addiction though.

I LOVE this DC508 counter.  It has an OCXO and it is very stable as compared to my DC504A.  Plus, it goes to 1GHz. 

Steve

[xrunner]

Hello smurph, thanks for posting in the TEA group. 

So I got my hands on a DC508 counter about a year ago.  It suffered the dreaded DL883A display problem with dead segments.  Being pretty new at this stuff, I needed to learn a bit more about electronics in general.  I can diagnose a lot of things now, but I would still consider myself as a bit of a novice for sure.  But I felt like I was ready to tackle the DC508 display issue.  Since finding parts to fix the original board was out of the question, I though building a new board was the only way it was going to happen.  ...

In the end, success!  One resurrected DC508.  I fear all this has done is add fuel to the addiction though.

I LOVE this DC508 counter.  It has an OCXO and it is very stable as compared to my DC504A.  Plus, it goes to 1GHz. 

Steve

Man that's a really nice outcome! I'm not familiar with that "dreaded" issue, what is it that fails - only the board? Why does it fail?

I have a lot of test equipment but just recently started the Tek TM500 series journey myself. I actually used that stuff in industry in my career, so I wanted to get some of the same items that I used on a daily basis. I don't have that particular counter but I do have the DC 504. I'll have to keep an eye out for the DC 508.

You can see my collection in the pic, I don't think I've posted a shot of it all yet. Well, one is missing that's on the bench - an FG 502 that's been a little bit of a project to get going but we're nearing the end of the repair.

Look forward to more of your repairs, and remember we love pics! 

[smurph]

Man that's a really nice outcome! I'm not familiar with that "dreaded" issue, what is it that fails - only the board? Why does it fail?

I have a lot of test equipment but just recently started the Tek TM500 series journey myself. I actually used that stuff in industry in my career, so I wanted to get some of the same items that I used on a daily basis. I don't have that particular counter but I do have the DC 504. I'll have to keep an eye out for the DC 508.

You can see my collection in the pic, I don't think I've posted a shot of it all yet. Well, one is missing that's on the bench - an FG 502 that's been a little bit of a project to get going but we're nearing the end of the repair.

Look forward to more of your repairs, and remember we love pics! 

Ok, the original 3 digit 7 segment display part is the weak link.  Eventually, all of them will fail.  It is a time thing, I guess.  But the board itself is ok.  The Tek engineers decided to socket the 4 status LEDs on the board.  I guess thinking that they would be the weak links.  Funny how the opposite happens sometimes. 

Anyway, the DL883A part (I forget the Tek part number) does have a NSN number assigned to it.  So you actually CAN get them.  I got a quote of ~$600.00 each.  So yeah, I still consider that part as made of unobtainium.  There are quite a few pieces of TM500 modules that used this part.  Your DC504, for example.  It has 2 DL882A 2 digit displays paired with 1 DL883A 3 digit displays.  A lot of people bought DC504s to repair their DC508s.  However, the DL882/3A parts are VERY sensitive to heat and I lot of them were destroyed in the removal/replacement process.    Not to mention it ends the life of the poor DC504.  In my DC508's case, there was a dead segment in each of the 3 display parts.  So I would have to find 3 DC504s with good DL883As in them and pray to the gods of 7 segment displays that I didn't tear them up in the scavenging process. 

The later DC504As don't have these displays and use something more like a modern display.  However, I don't know if there are any drop in replacements for these at all, as the pin outs / footprints may be strange by today's standards. 

So, if you are looking on auction sights, beware of sellers offering a DC508(A) if they don't show them powered up.  Pressing the reset button doubles as a display test function where it lights up every segment on the display.  I say this even knowing that a lot of guys on this thread might prefer a DOA challenge.  But for those that want a functional DC508(A), caveat emptor! 

DC508(A)s used to be on eBay all of the time.  Now, not so much. 

I just tested this DC508 against my Racal Dana 1992's 10MHz standard.  Seems to be spot on.  It is nice when all of your equipment's time bases seem to agree. 

Now I need to take a look at my DC504A and figure out why it is so deaf.  It takes max rated input signal strength to get it to work. 

Steve

[bitseeker]

LOL - I've managed to by and large stay away from the 'bay for the past few weeks.  Surprised I haven't gotten a wellness check from the UPS/FedEx guys...

Likewise. Work's been kind of crazy, so my wallet has been spared.

I find there's a happy medium to be reached. An interesting but easy fix is nice and a challenging fix is also good.  On the other hand, I have a few pieces of TE sitting around because I'm not smart enough to fix them (yet!). 

And the occasional used-but-works or brand-spanking-new item is a nice change where you can start right off using the thing. Amazing!

[Berni]

It's not much and it ain't fancy as all I pretty much work on at home on the side is AM/FM audio from the 30's to the early 80's.

I can take a guess that that spectrum analyzer was part of the motivation to get a equipment rack. I have one of them and quickly figured out how NOT fun it is to move that thing around with its huge size and weight (I think its 50kg for the whole thing).

Tho i see you have a similar issue of not having rack mount kits for most of the gear. Then again i prefer to have the heavy stuff sit on shelves

[Cubdriver]

LOL - I've managed to by and large stay away from the 'bay for the past few weeks.  Surprised I haven't gotten a wellness check from the UPS/FedEx guys...

Likewise. Work's been kind of crazy, so my wallet has been spared.

    Mine hasn't.  Spring has finally come to New England (at least in fits and starts, anyway), and now that I've had it for just over 3-1/2 years, my Jeep is starting live up to the acronym applied to them in the Wrangler forums - Just Empty Every Pocket.  In the past two weeks I've installed delrin door hinge bushings, gotten tube doors for it, put up a hard top hoist in the garage and pulled the HT, added a mesh sunshade and installed a short shifter.  A metal security console is on the way.

Lord help me I'm contemplating replacement bumpers now, too... 



(And of course the forecast calls for rain here for the next few days...    )

On a TEA note, I did grab a pair of those little HP 6216A & 18A supplies that I like; they were listed for parts or repair but seemed worth the roll of the dice.

-Pat

[VK5RC]

Pat!
Where have your doors gone? Some bu**er has pinched them!   HiHi
Rob
PS Have snuck in a little HP 8011 old pulse gen into the shack. Main limits are room inside my shack and finances after 3 weeks OS ( Alaskan cruise and Canadian Rockies - so gorgeous)
Rob

[Cubdriver]

Hi Rob!

LOL - they're safely squirreled away in the garage, though if I want to go anywhere over the next 4 days or so they're going to be going back on.  They're rather like schlepping old HP boat anchors around (weigh somewhere north of 50 lbs ea), but with the added 'bonus' of being awkward and difficult to get a grip on.  I was hoping to have them and the top off for a bit, but it seems the weather gods are out to thwart my foolish plans.

Further pain to my CC - just ordered a 0 mile OEM 'take off' Rubicon Hard Rock front bumper from the 'bay.   

Now I suffer from JEEP syndrome to go along with my TEA!

 

That cruise and visit to the Rockies must have been an amazing trip. Sounds like you enjoyed it!  Very cool.

Congrats on the HP 8011, too.   

-Pat

[VK5RC]

Hi Pat,
Cars are a bigger $ sinkhole than test gear - almost as bad as women!
I used the pulse generator (HP 8011)to test an audio spring reverb unit I built - some great noises!
North America has some drop dead gorgeous places - you lucky buggers!
Rob

[AF6LJ]

Hi Pat,
Cars are a bigger $ sinkhole than test gear - almost as bad as women!
I used the pulse generator (HP 8011)to test an audio spring reverb unit I built - some great noises!
North America has some drop dead gorgeous places - you lucky buggers!
Rob

Yes some of us are higher maintenance than cars.

[bitseeker]

I used the pulse generator (HP 8011)to test an audio spring reverb unit I built - some great noises!

Cool. I was recently prototyping a boost circuit for a guitar pedal for a friend who wanted to build one. He's also got a big ol' spring reverb tank in need of driver and recovery stages. Having never worked with them before, it should be a fun project too.

[VK5RC]

Sue, you may be the exception but women are WAY more expensive than cars! HiHi.
@bitseeker  I built the spring reverb circuit recently published in Silicon Chip Magazine, a kit (K5350) is available from Altronics for AUD45.
Regards Rob

[Cubdriver]

Sue, you may be the exception but women are WAY more expensive than cars! HiHi.
@bitseeker  I built the spring reverb circuit recently published in Silicon Chip Magazine, a kit (K5350) is available from Altronics for AUD45.
Regards Rob

LOL - Sue is the exception in that she's of the female persuasion and has TEA!! (And is a ham to boot!)  That could be a very $$ combination!!

And so much for my evilBay TEA hiatus...  I just ordered two TM 5006 mainframes - one a tabletop and one rack mount. 
Friggin' xrunner!!      Now I'll need to fill them!!

 

 

-Pat

[xrunner]

And so much for my evilBay TEA hiatus...  I just ordered two TM 5006 mainframes - one a tabletop and one rack mount.
 
Friggin' xrunner!! 

    Now I'll need to fill them!!

[MarkL]

And so much for my evilBay TEA hiatus...  I just ordered two TM 5006 mainframes - one a tabletop and one rack mount. 
Friggin' xrunner!!      Now I'll need to fill them!!

AND... Don't forget those TM5006 have GPIB interfaces.

Now you need a GPIB interface for your computer, and every other piece of equipment that's not connected yet.

It spreads easily.

[VK5RC]

I recognise that photo xrunner - until then the banjo never appeared a sinister instrument!

[xwarp]

It's not much and it ain't fancy as all I pretty much work on at home on the side is AM/FM audio from the 30's to the early 80's.

I can take a guess that that spectrum analyzer was part of the motivation to get a equipment rack. I have one of them and quickly figured out how NOT fun it is to move that thing around with its huge size and weight (I think its 50kg for the whole thing).

Tho i see you have a similar issue of not having rack mount kits for most of the gear. Then again i prefer to have the heavy stuff sit on shelves

Yeah, I'll be keeping a look out for those brackets for the lighter stuff, but prefer the shelves also. The rack came with 3, but will have to make some in the future.

[Cubdriver]

AND... Don't forget those TM5006 have GPIB interfaces.

Now you need a GPIB interface for your computer, and every other piece of equipment that's not connected yet.

It spreads easily.

Not helping!!   

 

-Pat