Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[HalFET]

Perhaps I should look at eBay in Europe too

Yeah, eBay has this annoying habit of not taking the whole of the Schengen zone automatically, you got to manually select it in the search settings.

[Cerebus]

I put starting amount bids on a couple of things to get rid of the buy it now because they were stupidly high and that is about it.

[does doubletake] That sounds --- strange. "I don't really want that, but I'll put a bid in to tidy up the listings a bit." That smacks of stage 4 TEA. Y'know, where people start talking about staging interventions. 

[bd139]

It’s called pricing injustice. It’s got a 0.99 starting price and a £120 buy it now and it’s worth £20.  I like blowing the additional fee they spent to add that pointless buy it now price 

If I win it,  bonus

(I don’t do this on anything I’m not curious or interested in at least slightly)

[Cerebus]

Yup, definitely stage 4. [Checks diagnostic manual]

• ...
• Normalizes their own behaviour by undertaking actions that facilitate TEA in others while offering rationalisations for those actions. e.g. Making the market fairer for other TE users by price manipulation.
• ...
• Rationalises their acquisition behaviour as serving some abstract or social utility.

[bd139]

Ok it appears I have a terminal case of TEA

[Rbastler]

I think I´ve gone up a stage in TEA. I`m considering buying equipment from Murica, despite high shipping and custom fees.

[Fungus]

There is depressingly nothing very interesting on eBay at the moment. 

You noticed that as well?

I put starting amount bids on a couple of things to get rid of the buy it now because they were stupidly high and that is about it.

You're weird.

[bd139]

Not totally. I put low bids on stuff all the time. Sometimes I get a bargain. At one point I had bid on 40 items. Won a fluke 8024b for £3!

[Specmaster]

Not totally. I put low bids on stuff all the time. Sometimes I get a bargain. At one point I had bid on 40 items. Won a fluke 8024b for £3!

Hmm, not so sure I'd want a old fluke 8024B even at £3 but I can see your logic and it can just sometimes pay off, it did in the case of your 40" TV for instance 

[German_EE]

OK, not really test equipment but I had a bad attack of GAS last night. When a radio amateur dies there is often something called a 'Silent Key' sale where their gear is disposed off in a suitable manner relieving the relatives of what could be a problem (and bringing them some much needed cash). Well, last night I picked up one of these:

http://www.wb4hfn.com/HEATHKIT/Articles/Inside-104/SB104-6.jpg

It's a ham radio transceiver from about thirty years ago and it came with the power supply and extension speaker. This is a piece of equipment with problems and getting it going will be my Winter project. My first issue is finding space on either the test bench or the ham radio desk, it's kinda large.

[Specmaster]

It still looks the part though and I dare say, like other Heathkit stuff is still capable of keeping up with some more modern stuff today, well done you.

[bd139]

SB104 is proper nice bit of kit. Modular construction. They don’t make anything like that now!

Not totally. I put low bids on stuff all the time. Sometimes I get a bargain. At one point I had bid on 40 items. Won a fluke 8024b for £3!

Hmm, not so sure I'd want a old fluke 8024B even at £3 but I can see your logic and it can just sometimes pay off, it did in the case of your 40" TV for instance 

That old fluke is remarkably good for the age. Was quite happy. Still own it. It is likely being replaced soon with another new meter. TV was a big winner though - very happy with that. Also won an HP5315A for a silly price which was stacked with options.

Humming and hawing over power supplies still. The financial sector has gifted me with a new zero interest for 26 months card with a ridiculously large balance so I’m trying to decide between a Keysight E3620A, E3630A, a TTi EL302RT and a Rigol DP832. Intent is to spread cost over 12 months.

The E3630A has triple outputs and tracking at enough current for my requirements. The E3620A has some headroom but only two outputs. They have service manuals available, are small, silent and reliable and a straightforward interface. But they have hard current limits. You can also get spares.

The DP832 is chinesium and a number of known problems, no service manual, noisy, habit of exploding bits.

EL302RT is entirely unknown territory. Much cheaper than both but TTi make good and shit supplies.

This new supply will replace a TTi 3022S which I’ve fallen out of love with because the metering is shit, you can’t see the LCD displays and it is absolutely huge.

Ugh dilemmas.

[Specmaster]

Well, it strikes me that you only really have 2 choices if you need 3 supplies, the Keysight or the TTi, personally I think I'd opt for the TTi as its British for a kickoff, fairly local to us so if need be you can always present yourself in their reception area and it is the most likely one of the bunch to get spares for should you need any so what are you waiting for, FLEX that plastic 

[bd139]

Managed to get hold of the service manual for the TTi EL supplies. Smack bang in the middle is a PIC with firmware. Fired! Only the meter on the Keysight ones is a  TC14433 which is easy enough to source. Rest is discrete/analogue off shelf parts.

E3620 discounted as I need a tracking supply. E3630 it is. Now to find a cheap one. Really don’t fancy paying 528+VAT for one.

[mnementh]

OK, not really test equipment but I had a bad attack of GAS last night. When a radio amateur dies there is often something called a 'Silent Key' sale where their gear is disposed off in a suitable manner relieving the relatives of what could be a problem (and bringing them some much needed cash). Well, last night I picked up one of these:

http://www.wb4hfn.com/HEATHKIT/Articles/Inside-104/SB104-6.jpg

It's a ham radio transceiver from about thirty years ago and it came with the power supply and extension speaker. This is a piece of equipment with problems and getting it going will be my Winter project. My first issue is finding space on either the test bench or the ham radio desk, it's kinda large.

*Sigh*

Makes me think back on my grand-dad's old FT-101EX... I was such an idiot for letting it go at the estate sale...

(SNIP)

Humming and hawing over power supplies still. The financial sector has gifted me with a new zero interest for 26 months card with a ridiculously large balance so I’m trying to decide between a Keysight E3620A, E3630A, a TTi EL302RT and a Rigol DP832. Intent is to spread cost over 12 months.

The E3630A has triple outputs and tracking at enough current for my requirements. The E3620A has some headroom but only two outputs. They have service manuals available, are small, silent and reliable and a straightforward interface. But they have hard current limits. You can also get spares.

The DP832 is chinesium and a number of known problems, no service manual, noisy, habit of exploding bits.

EL302RT is entirely unknown territory. Much cheaper than both but TTi make good and shit supplies.

This new supply will replace a TTi 3022S which I’ve fallen out of love with because the metering is shit, you can’t see the LCD displays and it is absolutely huge.

Ugh dilemmas.

I just looked up the 3022S; I quite like the layout... maybe your distaste for it could be alleviated with the addition of some aftermarket LED or OLED panel meters? Or are you just looking for something with more oomph given the size?


mnem
I am MOOP.

[bd139]

Unfortunately it’s not possible to mod it like that. The entire control board is only 9mm from the front of the chassis. Plus I can’t be bothered. I have a buyer lined up for it.

I don’t need as much oomph to be honest. I have another big ass 30A 12V switcher which is fine for that. Need something smaller and with tracking and LEDs.

[Rbastler]

I got the version of this Thandar PSU with Led Display and tracking capability rebranded as Racal Dana 9231 Q.

[bd139]

I looked at one of them but it’s even bigger than my 3022!

Found one. Just arguing with the purchasing department now. 

[Specmaster]

I looked at one of them but it’s even bigger than my 3022!

Found one. Just arguing with the purchasing department now.

Conrad?

[URI]

I looked at one of them but it’s even bigger than my 3022!

Found one. Just arguing with the purchasing department now.

Conrad?

SWMBO? 

[bd139]

Hahaha. No. We've issued MAD here (mututally assured destruction) so I'm taking her to Westfield tomorrow to go to the MAC cosmetics counter for some expensive small pots of shit.

Can from an ebay from a seller I've used before. This supply has a long history going back to Hewlett Packard, through Agilent and now Keysight. So I scored an HP branded one (late rev) for £255 inc delivery, cleaned, tested, 3 month warranty, printed manual and SMM on CD. Better than £633 inc VAT for a new Keysight branded one from RS/Farnell!  Only downside is that it is coming from Italy and the postage was £35 of that. Sucks!  They're going for approx £225 at auction from joe random so that's about right for something with some more credibility behind it.

I'll keep an eye out for an E3611A as well and my "actually doing some work" bench is sorted. TEA will surround this still. Got my eye on a couple of cool things I found earlier when I was bored.

[Specmaster]

Cool, I tell you what though, I can see a few more trips to Westfield and other such expensive shopping malls for shitty little pots of smelly stuff that will more then likely never get used but it will give that 0% interest plastic card a thorough working out for you, no problems. In fact I really don't know what you'd do without SWMBO showing you how its done thats for sure 

[bd139]

Yeah true. I have two teenage daughters too so I'm screwed.

The funny thing is I never buy anything I can't afford and religiously pay off my card. Only use a card because it allows shifting of cash flow. Free money I can throw at investments.  Hers was toast in a week a few years back and they won't let her have another one. I run a detailed double entry fully budgeted spreadsheet. She runs on luck. 

And I'm the one who has a "spending problem" 

[neo]

To whoever might find it interesting, i went to another reasonably local hamfest and came back with another Hickok 209A and my first bit of heathkit gear, a model O-12 oscilloscope in great condition only without a graticule and the power switch/intensity control is stuck.

I had to pay an extra 5 bucks on the hickok to stave off an argument with an old man who i think may have been slightly senile. He saw me again 5 minutes later and didn't remember that i was the one to buy it.

The former owner of the Heathkit said he assembled it himself all those years ago, not entirely sure what use i have for it i just like looking at it.

I paid $25 each on them

[Specmaster]

Shame on you, you ought to know by now that whatever the problem is, its a mans fault so naturally your the one with the spending problem because SWMBO decrees it so