Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[Cubdriver]

Great news, my 8400A is here and intact! It turns on without error just doesn't display anything other than range indicator or +-

Details here, https://www.eevblog.com/forum/repair/fluke-8400a-no-display/

Blast you, neo -  now I've bought an 8400A!   

-Pat

[bitseeker]

Do I sense a collaboration is afoot?

[neo]

Cubdriver, are you the one who got that 82 dollar one? Well if it' is you i don't mind now we can explore them together.

[Cubdriver]

Do I sense a collaboration is afoot?

LOL - no.  I first learned of the 8400A when neo bought his and posted about it (I, thankfully, don't have a collection of Fluke catalogs, so haven't been able to scour them for interesting things as I have the collection of HP tomes that I have here, so there's potentially a lot I don't know of that originated years ago in Seattle...) and did a search for it that night.  I found the one I just bought and tossed out an offer that was not accepted.  Since then I've been cogitating on it, and when I saw his had arrived decided to pull the trigger and just order the damned thing since the listing was ending tomorrow.

Because as I'm sure everyone here knows, I definitely need another meter, right?   

-Pat

[neo]

Do I sense a collaboration is afoot?

LOL - no.  I first learned of the 8400A when neo bought his and posted about it (I, thankfully, don't have a collection of Fluke catalogs, so haven't been able to scour them for interesting things as I have the collection of HP tomes that I have here, so there's potentially a lot I don't know of that originated years ago in Seattle...) and did a search for it that night.  I found the one I just bought and tossed out an offer that was not accepted.  Since then I've been cogitating on it, and when I saw his had arrived decided to pull the trigger and just order the damned thing since the listing was ending tomorrow.

Because as I'm sure everyone here knows, I definitely need another meter, right?   

-Pat

I don't have a fluke catalog either, i just type random numbers into ebay and get lucky one out of ten times.

[Cubdriver]

Cubdriver, are you the one who got that 82 dollar one? Well if it' is you i don't mind now we can explore them together.

Yeah, it was me.  I then read your other thread and thought "Oh, crap."

Working on getting a hardcopy manual now, too.

Fingers crossed that they're similar enough that we can do some comparative troubleshooting.

-Pat

[neo]

Cubdriver, are you the one who got that 82 dollar one? Well if it' is you i don't mind now we can explore them together.

Yeah, it was me.  I then read your other thread and thought "Oh, crap."

Working on getting a hardcopy manual now, too.

Fingers crossed that they're similar enough that we can do some comparative troubleshooting.

-Pat

Quite the meter aren't they? not 6.5 digit just 6 but still awesome for 1972.

[Cubdriver]

I still need to get back to the 5340A counter, too.  It got pushed back in the queue because I need a higher frequency source than I had available to test it, so I snagged an 8662A sig gen a while back, and that's currently holding the bench down.  I have at least one shorted axial tantalum to replace on that, and of course have already misplaced the new ones I ordered a few weeks ago.   

-Pat

[neo]

I still need to get back to the 5340A counter, too.  It got pushed back in the queue because I need a higher frequency source than I had available to test it, so I snagged an 8662A sig gen a while back, and that's currently holding the bench down.  I have at least one shorted axial tantalum to replace on that, and of course have already misplaced the new ones I ordered a few weeks ago.   

-Pat

You remind me alot of myself, i have a literal repair que consuming a corner the size of a broom closet.

[Specmaster]

I think this might confirm that i am, in fact, in the right place. I bought one 8400A to have, i got it with problems so i am now vying for a second to keep it company. 

I may also try an organ donation between the two if i get two.

You already confirmed that you are in the right place, no worries about that.

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[Specmaster]

Do I sense a collaboration is afoot?

I'm not sure about that, but it seem that nixies could be infectious and that a lot of will be joining them, I've already got my ticket to the ball, might have to add something else to keep it company [emoji2]

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[bd139]

I’m humming and hawing over another once in a lifetime test gear purchase today. No risk but means going and getting the damn thing. A not for profit item this one - one I’ll use.  I also have man flu and am in no mood to go out. Also the “change engine oil” notification has popped up in the car so I need to do that (it does need changing!) . And I’m really busy this week so finding 4 hours is going to be difficult. Hmm. What shall I do 

[Specmaster]

I’m humming and hawing over another once in a lifetime test gear purchase today. No risk but means going and getting the damn thing. A not for profit item this one - one I’ll use.  I also have man flu and am in no mood to go out. Also the “change engine oil” notification has popped up in the car so I need to do that (it does need changing!) . And I’m really busy this week so finding 4 hours is going to be difficult. Hmm. What shall I do 

Go and get it first, it will go if you don't get it, oil light is not a critical situation that requires immediate attention, it's like a service due warning advising you that it needs doing soon, as long as it has oil it's fine for a while.

Man flu, dose yourself up with day nurse or similar and tonight make yourself a hot toddy drink it all down and go to bed and sweat it out. In the morning it should be gone[emoji6]

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[bd139]

This is why I come here. I have had sense talked into me

[Specmaster]

This is why I come here. I have had sense talked into me

That's what I find with you HF guys, you always think that things happen rapidly and need a equally rapid response. Sometimes it good to be a LF person cos you can see things clearer cos you have longer to study at kHz speed than at gHz speed[emoji23]

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[bd139]

 

[Specmaster]

I still need to get back to the 5340A counter, too.  It got pushed back in the queue because I need a higher frequency source than I had available to test it, so I snagged an 8662A sig gen a while back, and that's currently holding the bench down.  I have at least one shorted axial tantalum to replace on that, and of course have already misplaced the new ones I ordered a few weeks ago.   

-Pat

Haha, like a true TEA member, thats me all over that is 

[bd139]

FML got outbid in the end: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/292340206936

Put £161.53 in. Check out the bid history. Everyone sniped it.

If anyone here won it, congratulations

[Specmaster]

That was a bummer then, you tend to build your hopes as well when nobody's bid on it and then 4 of you snipers all snipe at once and out snipe each other 

A bit of a trek though to Swindon to collect said beast though?

[bd139]

Yeah I admire it really. Some fast bidding going on there.

Swindon is 75mi from me so not terrible. 1.5 hours up the M4. Would have been worth it for that particular piece of kit. A untested/dead E3631 can go for £150. A working one, £500 or so.

Plan B being executed now though, which was a cheaper fallback. Make the E3630A into a precision power supply. Annoyingly the 20v adjustment is not a multi-turn pot so it's difficult to set a precise voltage. The E3630A is fundamentally the same as the E3631A (and the same as HP power supplies about 30 years older!) but a bit less beefy and not computer controlled. So £13.22 plonked on an RS order for a 10 turn bourns 3590S pot.

And a much worse mission begins as well. Hunt down a Keysight 5041-8621 knob. They sell them for £1.54 apparently but you have to invoke a sales drone to get one which usually means the price escalates to at least £15. At that price I might just gouge the flange out of the one that's already in it with the Dremel and hope I don't screw up the job too badly

I am slightly tempted to build my own E3631A! Would be a good project.

[Specmaster]

Even at £15 and the £30 with RS, its still quids compared to the lost one plus there's a bonus here, you don't lose anymore precious bench space. Hows the man flu by the way?

[bd139]

The lost one was SCPI programmable however and has programmable current limits and all sorts of niceties

Man flu is getting better. Enough that I’ll be able to do some soldering tonight without covering the board in snot

[Specmaster]

Oh I see, but did you really need those niceties then? Glad to hear that the board will escape the ultimate degradation of being snodded on 

Don't forget the hot toddy, I always do that and 9 times out of 10 the following day its all gone, especially if you make sweet and strong enough to knock you out for a good nights counting E3631's jumping over that fence 

I'm doing some dremeling at the moment cutting the slot for decade switch 

[bd139]

There’s need and convenience

I make something similar to that. I’ve got some large bottles of laphroaig stashed which come out for sickness and special occasions. I scored a crate of the stuff as a contract bonus. Such is the crazy world of software startups.

I hate doing panel work. My tools are minimal and I don’t have enough space for a pillar drill and/or mill (yet). Everything comes out shit. Really want one of those Unimats that we’re  popular in the 1980s.

[Specmaster]

Like this one?