Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[SeanB]

Heat up the hex grubscrew with a soldering iron for a minute or two, then a drop of freezer spray on it. That way thermal shock, and expansion, will loosen the screw threads, and the heat will denature any thread locker in there.  As well, for those that are stuck, use a Torx bit instead, as those have 6 flutes, and generally you will find one that will fit in there, though you might have to do some file work to get the fit right, but at least that works even for a wallowed out hex hole. I use the bits that come in boxes of security drivers, then toss them away when finished and they have bent a little, though there the softer material helps to conform to the grubscrew.

[bitseeker]

Hmm, a Torx bit. That's a nifty idea. I'll have to keep that in mind for future use.

[SeanB]

Hmm, a Torx bit. That's a nifty idea. I'll have to keep that in mind for future use.

I work on machinery with hex drive fasteners, and this often is something I do to get damaged screws out. I have bought the Torx variant for those that generally get damaged the most in use, as that is a lot more resistant to damage unlike the hex, though the variety in hex drive is a lot larger than torx, I can get a lot larger range of head types, lengths and materials than Torx, which is limited locally to around 5 lengths of 308 stainless dome heads and a few cap head type black hardened screws, though bizarrely the most common M5 dome head is only available in the Securitorx version with a pip in the middle, I guess they are a retrofit for some application that used a regular M5 dome head, and these were being vandalised or opened.

[VK5RC]

Some dot-matrix LED display 'porn', for cubdriver et al.
And another HP 5245L ! A "unique renovators delight" 

[Specmaster]

The event timer cleaned up nicely

[bd139]

Indeed. That's looking rather good! I love dot matrix LED displays.

New toy arrived today: Heathkit V7AU. Have just inspected it. Someone has replaced the selenium rectifier but not the main filter cap which is dated 1962. Previous owner replaced the old battery holder with an AA plastic one and has done a neat job. Good show. Trying to work out if I should wait for the new capacitor to turn up or just let Jesus take the wheel and see if it explodes. Had to go out and get a plug for it. This has lead to the wife tagging along and ending up in a retail park buying makeup

[bd139]

Turned it on. No explosion. I'd forgotten it takes a minute or so for vacuum tube based kit to warm up so I had a momentary panic.

Scarily enough, calibration is bang on in both the volts DC and ohms scales. I think we have a winner. Measuring an 0.1% Dale RN55D 1K resistor:



Plan is to actually tidy it up (remove the hot snot holding the meter cover and polish it is step one!) and use it as it's pretty immune to RF unlike my Flukes. I have no intention of restoring it to original condition, just turn it into a useful instrument again.

£23 well spent.

[Specmaster]

You did well with that V-7AU, I recently got one but I paid £36, and it was the 3rd time of trying to get one, 1st one got with drawn from sale, 2nd had an open circuit meter coil, but the 3rd is almost in mint condition, well chuffed with it.

[bd139]

Ouch I am indeed lucky. To be honest I've been trying to get my hands on one for about two years now and this is the first one I've actually managed to win and only because it was a buy it now and I saw it 4 minutes after it was listed

I was a little worried about the meter being open circuit. Back in the distant past I rewound a Micronta meter which I had blown up with  wire from a transistor radio speaker and it was a bastard. Took an entire day to do it! And what did I go and do? Blew the damn thing up a week later. I was only 11 and had a total of zero pounds to my name so it was whatever I could buy from jumble sales from change I found in the sofa.

[Cubdriver]

Some dot-matrix LED display 'porn', for cubdriver et al.
And another HP 5245L ! A "unique renovators delight" 

Nice!!  And, of course, there's yet another HP badge that's out there, swirling about in the maelstrom with all those missing socks and dropped screws that vanished into the aether.

-Pat

[Specmaster]

Ouch I am indeed lucky. To be honest I've been trying to get my hands on one for about two years now and this is the first one I've actually managed to win and only because it was a buy it now and I saw it 4 minutes after it was listed

I was a little worried about the meter being open circuit. Back in the distant past I rewound a Micronta meter which I had blown up with  wire from a transistor radio speaker and it was a bastard. Took an entire day to do it! And what did I go and do? Blew the damn thing up a week later. I was only 11 and had a total of zero pounds to my name so it was whatever I could buy from jumble sales from change I found in the sofa.

I think you must've trodden in something to have that much luck bagging it, never seen one on a buy it now sale, I always have slog it out with the others in auction to win, one went the other day for over £50 and at that I backed out, but it did look mint. Mind you the so was the one with the open meter coil, however good things come to them what waits, my one is also in mind condition apart from the probes. Good job I have a few sets of leads.

[neo]

Chris, I think most of us in this thread have at best a rather tenuous grasp on sanity. 

-Pat

I can personally attest to the fact that i, if no one else here, am completely beyond all hope irrevocably insane.
I bought this today http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fluke-8200A-Digital-Voltimeter/301847051330?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649 because of a ten dollar coupon, but bought it on the wrong account so i didn't get the discount, oops.  Pretty high up there on my wish list though lets just hope it doesn't have the type of weird glitch that i seem to attract...

[Specmaster]

Chris, I think most of us in this thread have at best a rather tenuous grasp on sanity. 

-Pat

I can personally attest to the fact that i, if no one else here, am completely beyond all hope irrevocably insane.
I bought this today http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fluke-8200A-Digital-Voltimeter/301847051330?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649 because of a ten dollar coupon, but bought it on the wrong account so i didn't get the discount, oops.  Pretty high up there on my wish list though lets just hope it doesn't have the type of weird glitch that i seem to attract...

Hmm looks like its had a fire in the ohms and volts buttons area, hope its repairable.

[neo]

Chris, I think most of us in this thread have at best a rather tenuous grasp on sanity. 

-Pat

I can personally attest to the fact that i, if no one else here, am completely beyond all hope irrevocably insane.
I bought this today http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fluke-8200A-Digital-Voltimeter/301847051330?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649 because of a ten dollar coupon, but bought it on the wrong account so i didn't get the discount, oops.  Pretty high up there on my wish list though lets just hope it doesn't have the type of weird glitch that i seem to attract...

Hmm looks like its had a fire in the ohms and volts buttons area, hope its repairable.

I looked at that long and hard before i decided it looked like a soldering iron burn. Even if it was a full out fire then only the ohms key is melty so fingers crossed.

[bd139]

Ouch I am indeed lucky. To be honest I've been trying to get my hands on one for about two years now and this is the first one I've actually managed to win and only because it was a buy it now and I saw it 4 minutes after it was listed

I was a little worried about the meter being open circuit. Back in the distant past I rewound a Micronta meter which I had blown up with  wire from a transistor radio speaker and it was a bastard. Took an entire day to do it! And what did I go and do? Blew the damn thing up a week later. I was only 11 and had a total of zero pounds to my name so it was whatever I could buy from jumble sales from change I found in the sofa.

I think you must've trodden in something to have that much luck bagging it, never seen one on a buy it now sale, I always have slog it out with the others in auction to win, one went the other day for over £50 and at that I backed out, but it did look mint. Mind you the so was the one with the open meter coil, however good things come to them what waits, my one is also in mind condition apart from the probes. Good job I have a few sets of leads.

There's no luck involved really. I have some software I've written that scans eBay and gumtree every three minutes for certain things including variations of misspellings and sends me an email. It runs on a raspberry pi zero that hangs off the back of my Tv.  It has scored me most of my gear cheap!

Yes I'm a sneaky eBay cheater

[Specmaster]

Thats a really useful piece of software, wish it was available for windows 10 though 

[bd139]

It's actually a big python script. It will probably run on windows. Never tried.

[Cubdriver]

Chris, I think most of us in this thread have at best a rather tenuous grasp on sanity. 

-Pat

I can personally attest to the fact that i, if no one else here, am completely beyond all hope irrevocably insane.
I bought this today http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fluke-8200A-Digital-Voltimeter/301847051330?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649 because of a ten dollar coupon, but bought it on the wrong account so i didn't get the discount, oops.  Pretty high up there on my wish list though lets just hope it doesn't have the type of weird glitch that i seem to attract...

LOL - I've had that one in my watch list for a month or more, but hadn't pulled the trigger on it.  Thank you for saving me from myself...   

-Pat

[bd139]

I have an eBay watch list full of stuff like that. I'd pull the trigger but the process of having to explain it to the wife keeps me in check

Just found out my Heath V7 is running at around 170V DC internally. The main filter cap is rated 150V DC and is dated June 1962! I am very surprised that a 55 year old electrolytic cap running 15% over spec hasn't exploded!

[SeanB]

The forming voltage for that 150V capacitor is likely to have been 200V or so, so all that you have done is use up more of the electrolyte life, but as it likely had a lot more liquid in it than needed you still have plenty left. older capacitors were designed very conservatively, especially older quality ones, as they did not want to chance a failure early on by skimping on the electrolyte, even if it was right at the edge of the desired properties and the foil was very contaminated at the same time, which would reach up a lot of the electrolyte in generating the film on the foils.

Probably best though to drop the voltage a little and replace the capacitor though some time or the other.

[bd139]

It's running quite hot so it's going as a precaution anyway. It's a 16uF 150v part. I didn't catch the manufacturer.

I ordered a 20uF 200v Sprague Atom (luxury capacitor). I was just being impatient as it's going to take until Tuesday for it to arrive

[Mr. Scram]

Has anyone ever found himself talking to his equipment? I'm asking for a friend.

Oh, and I see we've reached the a page number that will remind of a certain multimeter.

[AF6LJ]

Himself???
I am not equipped to answer that question....

[Mr. Scram]

Himself???
I am not equipped to answer that question....

You are free to read any reference to "him" in any of my posts as "her" or "one". "Oneself" just doesn't roll off the tongue as nicely and might cause some people to need a second take, so I take some liberties.

Whatever the case, anyone frequenting this forum is certainly included in my query

[jjoonathan]

> Oh, and I see we've reached the a page number that will remind of a certain multimeter.

The fifth post is mine!