Author Topic: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread (Read 18657575 times)

tautech · « **Reply #9700 on:** April 25, 2018, 09:59:27 am »

Quote from: bd139 on April 25, 2018, 09:53:13 am

No still using the Weller as I can't find a stand I like for the T12 yet. One day!

One battery pack with built in diode!

Going for a wee before I start this one

Ah, the nervous pee.......never thought you'd need one Mr Fixit !
You must be

Specmaster · « **Reply #9701 on:** April 25, 2018, 10:02:19 am »

There's always a risk with soldering battery's of them exploding on you. Still not convinced the diode is completely necessary given that your soldering with a grounded tip on a meter that 100% disconnected from the mains supply, so I fail to see what damage could happen without the diode being there?

Here's my solution to the battery problem and really doubt that I'm going to get a bad connection, I'll be testing it thoroughly before using and the switch can be tapped over or even removed from the circuit.

tautech · « **Reply #9702 on:** April 25, 2018, 10:07:57 am »

Quote from: Specmaster on April 25, 2018, 10:02:19 am

There's always a risk with soldering battery's of them exploding on you.

Where's your sense of adventure ?

Hot, hot iron...in,out...done.
Good test for the T12 and a 3+mm tip.

Specmaster · « **Reply #9703 on:** April 25, 2018, 10:10:31 am »

Quote from: tautech on April 25, 2018, 10:07:57 am

Quote from: Specmaster on April 25, 2018, 10:02:19 am
There's always a risk with soldering battery's of them exploding on you.
Where's your sense of adventure ?

Hot, hot iron...in,out...done.
Good test for the T12 and a 3+mm tip.

You forgot the damp sponge or cloth to dab on the battery after removing the iron to soak away the heat, Mr Carlson style.

BravoV · « **Reply #9704 on:** April 25, 2018, 10:11:37 am »

Grounded tip vs floating tip ...

tautech · « **Reply #9705 on:** April 25, 2018, 10:14:44 am »

Quote from: Specmaster on April 25, 2018, 10:10:31 am

Quote from: tautech on April 25, 2018, 10:07:57 am
Quote from: Specmaster on April 25, 2018, 10:02:19 am
There's always a risk with soldering battery's of them exploding on you.
Where's your sense of adventure ?

Hot, hot iron...in,out...done.
Good test for the T12 and a 3+mm tip.
You forgot the damp sponge or cloth to dab on the battery after removing the iron to soak away the heat, Mr Carlson style.

Nah, that stuff's for sissy's.

Man up.

bd139 · « **Reply #9706 on:** April 25, 2018, 10:19:52 am »

I killed the cal data lol.

Annoyingly I got it all the way there and then shorted the fucker out momentarily when I was snipping the leads off. Big doh!

Oh well

time to pay up

Specmaster · « **Reply #9707 on:** April 25, 2018, 10:20:14 am »

Quote from: tautech on April 25, 2018, 10:14:44 am

Quote from: Specmaster on April 25, 2018, 10:10:31 am
Quote from: tautech on April 25, 2018, 10:07:57 am
Quote from: Specmaster on April 25, 2018, 10:02:19 am
There's always a risk with soldering battery's of them exploding on you.
Where's your sense of adventure ?

Hot, hot iron...in,out...done.
Good test for the T12 and a 3+mm tip.
You forgot the damp sponge or cloth to dab on the battery after removing the iron to soak away the heat, Mr Carlson style.
Nah, that stuff's for sissy's.
Man up.

Yes thats OK, but I get to use the battery holder for other things like replacement holders for Xmas LED displays etc. so thats make me more of a Scot than the man who is proud to say that he is 1/4 Scot, who will be throwing away his concoction afterwards, I'm saving the planet like a true hero

Specmaster · « **Reply #9708 on:** April 25, 2018, 10:22:01 am »

Quote from: bd139 on April 25, 2018, 10:19:52 am

I killed the cal data lol.

Annoyingly I got it all the way there and then shorted the fucker out momentarily when I was snipping the leads off. Big doh!

Oh well time to pay up

Oh No

Why oh why didn't you desolder the leads?

bd139 · « **Reply #9709 on:** April 25, 2018, 10:24:07 am »

Quote from: Specmaster on April 25, 2018, 10:22:01 am

Quote from: bd139 on April 25, 2018, 10:19:52 am
I killed the cal data lol.

Annoyingly I got it all the way there and then shorted the fucker out momentarily when I was snipping the leads off. Big doh!

Oh well time to pay up
Oh No Why oh why didn't you desolder the leads?

I did. This was the leads on the new battery I was snipping off after I replaced it.

I did account for a recal so not end of the world. Proceeding with evicting RIFAs

tautech · « **Reply #9710 on:** April 25, 2018, 10:26:19 am »

Quote from: bd139 on April 25, 2018, 10:19:52 am

I killed the cal data lol.

Annoyingly I got it all the way there and then shorted the fucker out momentarily when I was snipping the leads off. Big doh!

Oh well time to pay up

Oh shit I feel your $ pain.
Oh well, we'll all learn from your simple error.

tautech · « **Reply #9711 on:** April 25, 2018, 10:29:40 am »

Quote from: Specmaster on April 25, 2018, 10:20:14 am

Quote from: tautech on April 25, 2018, 10:14:44 am
Quote from: Specmaster on April 25, 2018, 10:10:31 am
Quote from: tautech on April 25, 2018, 10:07:57 am
Quote from: Specmaster on April 25, 2018, 10:02:19 am
There's always a risk with soldering battery's of them exploding on you.
Where's your sense of adventure ?

Hot, hot iron...in,out...done.
Good test for the T12 and a 3+mm tip.
You forgot the damp sponge or cloth to dab on the battery after removing the iron to soak away the heat, Mr Carlson style.
Nah, that stuff's for sissy's.
Man up.
Yes thats OK, but I get to use the battery holder for other things like replacement holders for Xmas LED displays etc. so thats make me more of a Scot than the man who is proud to say that he is 1/4 Scot, who will be throwing away his concoction afterwards, I'm saving the planet like a true hero

<back pats coming your way>
Green party voter ?

Specmaster · « **Reply #9712 on:** April 25, 2018, 10:33:36 am »

Oh good grief what a bummer. In that case when I do mine, I'll be snipping them of slightly proud from PCB and hopefully avoid that trap.

Specmaster · « **Reply #9713 on:** April 25, 2018, 10:44:34 am »

I'm guessing it happened when you was clipping the lead from the positive terminal yes? So does that mean that the adjacent negative rail has not got the solder mask on it?

I'm watching this guy do the same with his 3478A and he's working with the power supply on and a back up battery and he even uses solderwick

bd139 · « **Reply #9714 on:** April 25, 2018, 11:16:53 am »

I touched the snippers on the chassis when snipping the positive wire I think.

On a positive note, I've been RTFM and I have found out how to calibrate it. Not rocket science. I just did the 10V range against my voltage ref.

However I need 10 minutes with a real proper voltage and resistance standard. Unfortunately I don't have one of them that reads 1/3 scale on all ranges so off it goes for a week.

As my good friend who works for a standards laboratory has disappeared after I asked him if he'll slide a 3478A in, I did some quotes.

Calmet Teddington: £84 inc VAT (drop off, pick up, 10 mins up the road from me)
Pass/Calibrate: £101 inc VAT (collection and delivery included)
"Test Meter": fucking idiots don't even know that HP made DMMs

Calmet is looking likely as they are up the road.

So total BOM is looking like £156 for a 5.5 digit multimeter with traceable calibration which is still pretty damn good

Specmaster · « **Reply #9715 on:** April 25, 2018, 11:18:28 am »

Tracking info has been updated, the meter is on its way, its shown as out for delivery today, yay, so excited because I've after one of these beauties for ages now

Specmaster · « **Reply #9716 on:** April 25, 2018, 11:22:14 am »

Quote from: bd139 on April 25, 2018, 11:16:53 am

I touched the snippers on the chassis when snipping the positive wire I think.

On a positive note, I've been RTFM and I have found out how to calibrate it. Not rocket science. I just did the 10V range against my voltage ref.

However I need 10 minutes with a real proper voltage and resistance standard. Unfortunately I don't have one of them that reads 1/3 scale on all ranges so off it goes for a week.

As my good friend who works for a standards laboratory has disappeared after I asked him if he'll slide a 3478A in, I did some quotes.

Calmet Teddington: £70.06 + VAT (drop off, pick up, 10 mins up the road from me)
Pass/Calibrate: awaiting email quote.
"Test Meter": fucking idiots don't even know that HP made DMMs

Calmet is looking likely as they are up the road.

So total BOM is looking like £156 for a 5.5 digit multimeter with traceable calibration which is still pretty damn good

Yeah, thats to bad then after all, but you'd better get yourself a pair of cutters with some insulation on the bloody handles then it won't happen again.

Specmaster · « **Reply #9717 on:** April 25, 2018, 11:32:05 am »

There is at least 2 versions of these 3478A's, I see yours has isolation transformers between the measurement and digital display sections but Dave's has opto couplers. What version will mine be?

bd139 · « **Reply #9718 on:** April 25, 2018, 11:49:21 am »

Probably transformers. Reckon they come from the same batch.

Ok all cleaned up. Ready for cal. Looking good.

Despite the fuck up on my part, I'm still pleased with this one

Specmaster · « **Reply #9719 on:** April 25, 2018, 11:56:15 am »

Looks really nice, is this one a keeper or a revenue raiser?

bd139 · « **Reply #9720 on:** April 25, 2018, 12:05:44 pm »

Keeper. GDM-8341 is going however. I either had to pay cal for that or get something better and get it cal'ed. I end up with more cash and more digits at the end of this

Specmaster · « **Reply #9721 on:** April 25, 2018, 12:09:36 pm »

That's what I guessed you'd do even though the GDM-8341 was a purchased new, but I suspect that it was also purchased because of the display was easier to read in your old lab corner? I wonder if the display on 3478A could be backlit at all?

bd139 · « **Reply #9722 on:** April 25, 2018, 12:13:53 pm »

It can indeed: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/projects/hp-3457a-lcd-backlight-mod-(also-for-3478a)/

It's pretty bright in my corner now. Ordered some LED strips as well.

Specmaster · « **Reply #9723 on:** April 25, 2018, 12:14:17 pm »

Just spotted this on Ebay, nothing at all like the one I used to have years ago.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Poldhu-5-band-Crystal-valve-Tube-Radio-with-Earpiece-DIY-KIT/253567436176?_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIM.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D37313%26meid%3Deb8ea76f00d6472487bb80cb7d59bb89%26pid%3D100022%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D4%26sd%3D273161272853%26itm%3D253567436176&_trksid=p2055119.c100022.m2048

Specmaster · « **Reply #9724 on:** April 25, 2018, 12:18:45 pm »

Quote from: bd139 on April 25, 2018, 12:13:53 pm

It can indeed: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/projects/hp-3457a-lcd-backlight-mod-(also-for-3478a)/

It's pretty bright in my corner now. Ordered some LED strips as well.

I might have a go at this mod, I'll see how easy to read it on my bench first though.


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Author Topic: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread (Read 18657575 times)

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