Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[Berni]

Not helping!!   

 

-Pat

With most of my equipment being so old i quickly found i need a GPIB interface. The GPIB to USB dongles are reasonably cheap. But i eventually scored a Agilent GPIB Ethernet gateway. Chained it around to all my old test gear and now its all LAN acessable.

The only thing to be careful about these things is to make sure you get one that is new enugh. There are old 10Mbit ethernet ones out there that don't play well in modern LAN networks and have no software support anymore. And no software means no worky because they use proprietary protocols.

[VK5RC]

I have had a 'little ' splurge - it is really just an Arduino Shield ( not really), the TAPR TICC, its a time stamping two input with clock input Time Interval Counter with about 70pS resolution, can get to about 100 readings per second apparently. Comes with free Arduino!
It interfaces with the lovely KE5FX time nut suite of software - again thanks John +++++.
73 Robert

[bitseeker]

A Mega2560 counter. Interesting. Never seen one before.

[orin]

A Mega2560 counter. Interesting. Never seen one before.

You need to be on the time-nuts (@febo.com) list...

Then you'll need an HP 5335A or 5370A, SR 620 or similar as well.  Oh, so much more gear to acquire!

[VK5RC]

TAPR produce some seriously interesting gear - often a bit 'quirky' to use, but often cutting edge for great price. eg their HPSDR atlas, mercury etc system.

[bitseeker]

You need to be on the time-nuts (@febo.com) list...

Oh, so much more gear to acquire!

Oh, no!

[Vgkid]

I have had a 'little ' splurge - it is really just an Arduino Shield ( not really), the TAPR TICC, its a time stamping two input with clock input Time Interval Counter with about 70pS resolution, can get to about 100 readings per second apparently. Comes with free Arduino!
It interfaces with the lovely KE5FX time nut suite of software - again thanks John +++++.
73 Robert

Nice, I have been following that on the TN list for quite a while. Kind of tempting...
 

[xrunner]

Check this one out - a ramp generator, LOL I guess they made plug-ins to do everything. Guy says it's "rare". I don't need this do I?

I know I know wrong crowd to ask ... 

RG 501 Ramp Generator

[JPortici]

check the insides! maybe it was built from a blank module

meanwhile, i relapsed. I bought a P6046 + amplifier that should be on my desk monday/tuesday

[Cubdriver]

Check this one out - a ramp generator, LOL I guess they made plug-ins to do everything. Guy says it's "rare". I don't need this do I?

I know I know wrong crowd to ask ... 

RG 501 Ramp Generator

No, not unless it's 'vintage', too.  Is it vintage?   

It looks like one of my TM 5006s is due to arrive tomorrow.  (And no worries, I'm not going to try to buy your ramp generator from out from under you.  )

-Pat

[mtdoc]

My classic Tek scope probe acquisition affliction continues.  Just picked up an A6303 current probe for $150 shipped on eBay.

Item arrived and is in perfect cosmetic condition but unfortunately completely non-functional.  I paid $100 + $50 shipping from Singapore. It was listed as "Used" so I'm entitled to a full refund including shipping.

Right now the  seller is offering to refund the $100 and let me keep it - so I would have to eat the $50.  I'm tempted to take it and try to repair it but I have no idea it it's repairable.  Opening it up the circuit board and components appear intact - no obvious damage - it's all passives - a few caps, resistors, inductors and several toroids. I think the magic is in the potted Hall element and current transformer which are likely unobtanium.

Before I did into it to I thought I'd ask here -- Does anyone have any experience repairing one of these?  Are the Hall sensor or CT prone to failure?

[capt bullshot]

Before I did into it to I thought I'd ask here -- Does anyone have any experience repairing one of these?  Are the Hall sensor or CT prone to failure?

First, check all the wires inside the connector that goes to the AM503, sometime they just break. If the hall element is broken, this thing should still measure AC, if the ferrite core is broke you'll get some problems with the frequency response at lower frequencies - but all dead looks like a broken wire to me.

[mtdoc]

Before I did into it to I thought I'd ask here -- Does anyone have any experience repairing one of these?  Are the Hall sensor or CT prone to failure?

First, check all the wires inside the connector that goes to the AM503, sometime they just break. If the hall element is broken, this thing should still measure AC, if the ferrite core is broke you'll get some problems with the frequency response at lower frequencies - but all dead looks like a broken wire to me.

Thanks. I'll check the continuity of those wires.   And FWIW, it is not completely dead.  When connected via the AM503 it registers a large DC offset and lights up the input overload light (that cannot be compensated away with the AM503 DC level adjustment). The AM503 "probe unlocked" light responds to the probe lock as well.

BTW, the AM503 works fine with my A6302 probe so it's not the amplifier.

Anyways - I'll probably take it for $50. I feel bad for the seller because I have a feeling that they did not know it was broken. They said it was bought at an auction and could not test it. They would have to eat the expensive shipping cost to send it back to Singapore and worse case I can probably sell it as a "Parts unit" for $50 on the Bay.

[capt bullshot]

Before I did into it to I thought I'd ask here -- Does anyone have any experience repairing one of these?  Are the Hall sensor or CT prone to failure?

First, check all the wires inside the connector that goes to the AM503, sometime they just break. If the hall element is broken, this thing should still measure AC, if the ferrite core is broke you'll get some problems with the frequency response at lower frequencies - but all dead looks like a broken wire to me.

Thanks. I'll check the continuity of those wires.   And FWIW, it is not completely dead.  When connected via the AM503 it registers a large DC offset and lights up the input overload light (that cannot be compensated away with the AM503 DC level adjustment). The AM503 "probe unlocked" light responds to the probe lock as well.

This is clearly related to the hall element - either a single broken wire or the element itself. My guess would be a broken wire, look inside the plug, there is the weak link - thin wires soldered to the contacts. Be careful when opening the plug to avoid breaking more wires. Judging with my eyes, the plug construction does not do the best job in fixing the wires against movement and torsion of the cable. Depending on the age of the A6303, either no wire colors are mentioned in the service manual, or they don't match the cable - if you need help, I can look up the wire colors routing to the pin numbers on a working A6303 tomorrow.
If the hall sensor is broken, you can still completely disconnect it and use the A6303 as an AC current clamp with the AM503.

[mtdoc]

Before I did into it to I thought I'd ask here -- Does anyone have any experience repairing one of these?  Are the Hall sensor or CT prone to failure?

First, check all the wires inside the connector that goes to the AM503, sometime they just break. If the hall element is broken, this thing should still measure AC, if the ferrite core is broke you'll get some problems with the frequency response at lower frequencies - but all dead looks like a broken wire to me.

Thanks. I'll check the continuity of those wires.   And FWIW, it is not completely dead.  When connected via the AM503 it registers a large DC offset and lights up the input overload light (that cannot be compensated away with the AM503 DC level adjustment). The AM503 "probe unlocked" light responds to the probe lock as well.

This is clearly related to the hall element - either a single broken wire or the element itself. My guess would be a broken wire, look inside the plug, there is the weak link - thin wires soldered to the contacts. Be careful when opening the plug to avoid breaking more wires. Judging with my eyes, the plug construction does not do the best job in fixing the wires against movement and torsion of the cable. Depending on the age of the A6303, either no wire colors are mentioned in the service manual, or they don't match the cable - if you need help, I can look up the wire colors routing to the pin numbers on a working A6303 tomorrow.
If the hall sensor is broken, you can still completely disconnect it and use the A6303 as an AC current clamp with the AM503.

Thanks again. The plug contacts all look ok and continuity to the pcb is ok. So I supose it's the Hall sensor?

The thing that is frustrating is that it is such good condition otherwise. 1996 build date.

When i have more time I will check each component and connection on the PCB more carefully. AC only mode would be better than nothing but I really wanted this to look at some high DC currents from my home solar PV batttery backup system.

[capt bullshot]

Thanks again. The plug contacts all look ok and continuity to the pcb is ok. So I supose it's the Hall sensor?

The thing that is frustrating is that it is such good condition otherwise. 1996 build date.

When i have more time I will check each component and connection on the PCB more carefully. AC only mode would be better than nothing but I really wanted this to look at some high DC currents from my home solar PV batttery backup system.

Do you have the service manual? There's near to nothing in the DC signal path, a few resistors and a pot. To be sure, you could disconnect the PCB from the CT element and test the components, then do some resistance measurements on the hall elements connections - they all should be somewhat resistive to each other (speaking of the "four sides" of the hall element, not the apparently kelvin connections to two sides). If you open the supply pins (left and right), short the output (top and bottom) AC mode should work (I haven't tested this).

[xrunner]

Greetings fellow TEA humans.

I had a contest on the forum a couple of years ago for a beginner to win a Tektronix bench DMM. To win they had to be a beginner (duh) and post up a reason that they needed the DMM. I shipped free to the winner.

I have a couple of units to give away as a pair now for a beginner (no, youse guys and gals don't qualify  ) that lives in the CONUS. A GW Instek GDM-8135 DMM and a C&C 150U frequency counter. These came from the bankrupt tech school selloff on Ebay. My question is - do you have an idea for a good type of contest? I'd rather do something different than last time, but not like picking a number between 1 and 1000. Any ideas for a different kind of contest? I wouldn't mind leaving the judging to a few of you if you want to, and I'll ship them when you give me the winner's name. I also need to check and make sure it's OK with our Dear Leader.

 

[EEVblog]

Sure, giveaways are always welcome.

[bitseeker]

I have a couple of units to give away as a pair now for a beginner ... that lives in the CONUS.

That's awesome!

(no, youse guys and gals don't qualify  )

D'oh!

My question is - do you have an idea for a good type of contest? I'd rather do something different than last time, but not like picking a number between 1 and 1000. Any ideas for a different kind of contest?

The beginner with the best idea for a different kind of contest wins? (You can use the idea for your next contest.)

[xrunner]

The beginner with the best idea for a different kind of contest wins? (You can use the idea for your next contest.)

Yea ... or the contest question for today is: How does a person prove beyond a doubt they are a beginner in electronics on an internet forum? 




(that is actually a very difficult problem)

[smurph]

Yeah, how do you define a beginner?  Someone that is taking their first EE class but not finished?  I took my first EE class 30 or so years ago and promptly went and did something else when I got out of school.  So basically, I had to re-learn a lot.  I don't know what happened to those brain cells.   

I'm a computer programmer and I would have a hard time defining what a beginner is as far as programming goes too.  But I have 30 years of experience so I kind think in terms of experience and not in terms of accomplishments.  I consider a guy that has only been programming for 5 years a beginner.  But is he? 

Anyway, I don't consider myself an EE beginner even though I haven't been at it that long in earnest.  I can fix things but I can't create things yet.  While my skill may be at the beginner level, I certainly have been exposed to this world for quite some time.  I would definitely defer to a youngster where it is all brand new for him.  No matter how shiny the giveaway units are!  Or am I learning to control my addiction?  Let's hope not!

Steve

[Brumby]

I'm a beginner in microwave wave guide design .... Does that count?

[mtdoc]

Kudos for doing a contest xrunner.  i have no good ideas though.

Thanks again. The plug contacts all look ok and continuity to the pcb is ok. So I supose it's the Hall sensor?

The thing that is frustrating is that it is such good condition otherwise. 1996 build date.

When i have more time I will check each component and connection on the PCB more carefully. AC only mode would be better than nothing but I really wanted this to look at some high DC currents from my home solar PV batttery backup system.

Do you have the service manual? There's near to nothing in the DC signal path, a few resistors and a pot. To be sure, you could disconnect the PCB from the CT element and test the components, then do some resistance measurements on the hall elements connections - they all should be somewhat resistive to each other (speaking of the "four sides" of the hall element, not the apparently kelvin connections to two sides). If you open the supply pins (left and right), short the output (top and bottom) AC mode should work (I haven't tested this).

Just saw this post now. Yes, I have the service manual. I've been too busy - working 7 days of 12 hour shifts this week to dig into this - hopefully next week. Thanks once again for the input and ideas.

[JPortici]

I did it again.



reuploaded image

[Brumby]

Looks like a taser.