Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[med6753]

You guys seem to having a love fest with your BM867's. Might I suggest you 2 get a room?? 

Even though this 465 still needs more work on channel 2 I wanted to get some “case on” burn-in cycles done in an attempt to shake out any other additional weak components. So it's gonna sit as shown for a few hours and probably do several more cycles. Now my equipment not only has to function well but it also has to look decent too. The case on this 465 looked like shit. But no more. Sprayed the entire case. You can see the contrast between old dull paint and new in the 2nd photo. It really turned out looking good.

[Specmaster]

Yep, the probes is an issue that I'm not entirely happy with either and the only bench meter I have with that ability is the 8840A. Having said that, as I'm of the generation that was trained on meters that never had that feature, I don't miss it. The early Avos only had spades on their leads but I take your point, it is a nuisance having to keep swapping leads over from meter to meter.

The 8840A would be OK for you as the 3.3v range for the logic circuits falls within the 20V range on the meter and it next changes range at 2V so you wouldn't suffer the switching issues. It would be a long time to get a 34401A down into the pricing arena of that 3478A I fancy.

[Specmaster]

You guys seem to having a love fest with your BM867's. Might I suggest you 2 get a room?? 

Even though this 465 still needs more work on channel 2 I wanted to get some “case on” burn-in cycles done in an attempt to shake out any other additional weak components. So it's gonna sit as shown for a few hours and probably do several more cycles. Now my equipment no only has to function well but it also has to look decent too. The case on this 465 looked like shit. But no more. Sprayed the entire case. You can see the contrast between old dull paint and new in the 2nd photo. It really turned out looking good.

Nah, we don't need a room, were only playing with our latest toy, nothing to see

Tell you what though, I think we all agree that the gear has to look good as well and one of the first things I do on a new piece of gear is to give it a good cleaning, never know where its been before 

I've certainly sprayed some of my cases before today, is wonderful what a fresh lick of paint can do for the image as well.  Your paint job has taken years off your 465B, its looking almost as good as it did when it was taken out of its box.

Good job done there.

[mtdoc]

3478A missed three things for me: non GPIB interface

The HP3478a does have a GPIB interface.

no safety banana plug ports meaning I could reuse my probes.

Just get a pair of these.

Or better yet buy a pair of Probemasters with the retractable shrouds.

No backlight is a bummer but others on this forum have added one without much difficulty.

[Mr. Scram]

It is excellent. Totally happy with mine too. Know what you mean about the backlight but the fluke is wishy washy too. Was a bit worried about the small knob because I have banana fingers but seems fine. Very very solid bit of kit.

I did some comparisons between my Keysight jobby and that this morning on a 2200uF cap and the Keysight took 23 seconds to range to it. BM867 took 7. Smaller caps are instant. Will do a whole series of these tests over the next few days if I get some time.

No. Not "banana" fingers. Similarly shaped object, though.

[Specmaster]

It is excellent. Totally happy with mine too. Know what you mean about the backlight but the fluke is wishy washy too. Was a bit worried about the small knob because I have banana fingers but seems fine. Very very solid bit of kit.

I did some comparisons between my Keysight jobby and that this morning on a 2200uF cap and the Keysight took 23 seconds to range to it. BM867 took 7. Smaller caps are instant. Will do a whole series of these tests over the next few days if I get some time.

No. Not "banana" fingers. Similarly shaped object, though.

Speak for yourself, shouldn't be bent like that 

[mnementh]

The 800 is 35W EDP, the 900 is 50W EDP. Mind you, with the SmartHeat setup, 35W is equivalent to 60-70W resistive. The 800 has a plastic housing and cheaper build on the handset; which means of course that it's still like filet mignon compared to the China T-12 clones.

yep, 35W Metcal is perfect and it gives me more soldering time with batteries. Also the magnetic energy saving stand will save me battery juice I hope.

Sorry about your buddy, when God took us something away we should think how much He gave us.

I got up this morning in a introspective mood (after waking up a couple times, looking around, and just going back to bed) and decided to engage in some busy work; spent over an hour salvaging components from the main PCB of an old Coats Wheel Balancing machine that has been bouncing around in my junk box for over a decade. Grabbed some vintage 74xx, LM3xx, and MC14XXX series too. All genuine Tejas Idiots and Moldy-rola.

I collected that board when I was working as a mechanic at my first job here in Texas; the Bear distributor gave my boss a $2000 discount for destroying the old wheel balancer rather than reselling it. He watched while I cut the chassis apart apart with an air chisel and Sawzall; wouldn't let me take the main board without breaking it up into quarters first. 

Guess it's time to get some of my old computer junk out nad triage that; almost have enough for a trip to the Goodwill.


mnem
*Namaste*

[bd139]

8051 FTW. That was the first microcontroller I ever got to use. Had to blow bloody EPROMs back then

Been playing Metcal + cheapo aliexpress SMD practice boards this evening. Annoyingly the 0402’s were wired in series and were capacitors. Also a whole strip of 620 ohm resistors was missing. Fortunately I dealt with this the proper way which is to buy everything from China in twos. The other kit was ok.

Flashy LED fun. I have overcome my fear of 0402s. I did this board with no magnification 

https://youtu.be/0n3dkB6kuLw

[mnementh]

FUUUU**!!!



I just checked on my Fluke 189; turns out it has already been delivered and is in my mailbox. 

Problem is... we're right now having torrential rains and the street is flooding. AGAIN. 


mnem
Is it worth drowning for...

[Specmaster]

Yes it is, stick a mac on or grab a umbrella and make a dash to the post box or you might find it missing later or water damaged.

[tautech]

FUUUU**!!!



I just checked on my Fluke 189; turns out it has already been delivered and is in my mailbox. 

Problem is... we're right now having torrential rains and the street is flooding. AGAIN. 


mnem
Is it worth drowning for...

WTF, you gunna melt if you get wet or something ? 
Harden up man !

[Specmaster]

8051 FTW. That was the first microcontroller I ever got to use. Had to blow bloody EPROMs back then

Been playing Metcal + cheapo aliexpress SMD practice boards this evening. Annoyingly the 0402’s were wired in series and were capacitors. Also a whole strip of 620 ohm resistors was missing. Fortunately I dealt with this the proper way which is to buy everything from China in twos. The other kit was ok.

Flashy LED fun. I have overcome my fear of 0402s. I did this board with no magnification 

https://youtu.be/0n3dkB6kuLw

Nice work, is there a real purpose to the flashing leds at the end of it all or is just a circuit that you have to build and they only flash if you have it correctly connected? Those 0402's look bloody scary, only have to breathe on them and they move before you tack them down.

I reckon it would be easier and quicker to use solder paste and a hot airgun, have you got a hot airgun?

[bitseeker]

3478A missed three things for me: non GPIB interface

The HP3478a does have a GPIB interface.

If I'm not mistaken, bd wanted there to be an interface other than GPIB. e.g., 34401A has RS-232 as an alternative I/O port.

no safety banana plug ports meaning I could reuse my probes.

Or better yet buy a pair of Probemasters with the retractable shrouds.

+1. That was my solution to the jack compatibility problem.

[Specmaster]

3478A missed three things for me: non GPIB interface

The HP3478a does have a GPIB interface.

If I'm not mistaken, bd wanted there to be an interface other than GPIB. e.g., 34401A has RS-232 as an alternative I/O port.

no safety banana plug ports meaning I could reuse my probes.

Or better yet buy a pair of Probemasters with the retractable shrouds.

+1. That was my solution to the jack compatibility problem.

You are correct, bd139 wanted a RJ45 ethernet port and or a USB interface which most of the newer meters have.

[bd139]

8051 FTW. That was the first microcontroller I ever got to use. Had to blow bloody EPROMs back then

Been playing Metcal + cheapo aliexpress SMD practice boards this evening. Annoyingly the 0402’s were wired in series and were capacitors. Also a whole strip of 620 ohm resistors was missing. Fortunately I dealt with this the proper way which is to buy everything from China in twos. The other kit was ok.

Flashy LED fun. I have overcome my fear of 0402s. I did this board with no magnification 

https://youtu.be/0n3dkB6kuLw

Nice work, is there a real purpose to the flashing leds at the end of it all or is just a circuit that you have to build and they only flash if you have it correctly connected? Those 0402's look bloody scary, only have to breathe on them and they move before you tack them down.

I reckon it would be easier and quicker to use solder paste and a hot airgun, have you got a hot airgun?

That’s the first 0402s I’ve done and it wasn’t that bad. Only lost one on the floor 

Flashing is just to test it works.

Not sure I like the idea of hot air for this. Reckon everything will just blow away instead

3478A missed three things for me: non GPIB interface

The HP3478a does have a GPIB interface.

If I'm not mistaken, bd wanted there to be an interface other than GPIB. e.g., 34401A has RS-232 as an alternative I/O port.

no safety banana plug ports meaning I could reuse my probes.

Or better yet buy a pair of Probemasters with the retractable shrouds.

+1. That was my solution to the jack compatibility problem.

Yes I wanted RS232 or some bastardised version of it over USB. Or LXI.

I’ve got some super duper nice Keysight and Pomona probes already so I didn’t want to fish out any more. I’ve only got one pair of hands

[Specmaster]

3478A missed three things for me: non GPIB interface

The HP3478a does have a GPIB interface.

no safety banana plug ports meaning I could reuse my probes.

Just get a pair of these.

Or better yet buy a pair of Probemasters with the retractable shrouds.

No backlight is a bummer but others on this forum have added one without much difficulty.

Those adaptors are an idea, problem being that I'd need 4 sets and they stick out quite a way from the meter, but its an idea. I may invest in a set and try them out first.

I found that thread about the backlight, thanks for the info. Last time I looked however it did not show up in the search, this time I did the search from within a topic board rather than the home page and it worked, here is a photo of one done using el tape and an inverter. I'll have to explore this a bit more as I'm concerned about introducing a switcher into a sterile area and maybe noise to upset the stability of the meter.

[Specmaster]

That’s the first 0402s I’ve done and it wasn’t that bad. Only lost one on the floor 

Flashing is just to test it works.

Not sure I like the idea of hot air for this. Reckon everything will just blow away instead

Hmm, I reckon you could turn down the air flow enough to stop them blowing away. The past would hold them in place and as soon as the paste flowed, they would all self align nicely as well without any fear of bridging.

I might give it try one day, need to get to grips more with SMD myself as I've always done THT in the past and that is dying out 

[tggzzz]

That’s the first 0402s I’ve done and it wasn’t that bad. Only lost one on the floor 

Flashing is just to test it works.

Not sure I like the idea of hot air for this. Reckon everything will just blow away instead

Hmm, I reckon you could turn down the air flow enough to stop them blowing away. The past would hold them in place and as soon as the paste flowed, they would all self align nicely as well without any fear of bridging.

I might give it try one day, need to get to grips more with SMD myself as I've always done THT in the past and that is dying out 

SMD is surprisingly easy. My reflow oven is a saucepan on a gas ring, with a few mm of sand in the bottom acting as a heat buffer/spreader. I create the temperature profile using a non-contact thermometer and the  gas control knob.

[Cerebus]

I just found out one of my old RC Model flying buddies from San Antonio passed away this morning; I was just talking with a mutual friend of ours yesterday and intended to call him this afternoon.

My condolences.

Weird thing... I contacted that mutual friend out of the blue after not speaking with him for over a year because I'd found some old analog camera lenses and thought of him; guess I should've been thinking of ol' Rick. I've spent all afternoon looking through my videos from the time; it's crazy but all I could find of him was a few off-screen comments and a brief blurry pan where he's on screen for half a second. 

Only finding that little may be a good thing. It means that when you were with him, you were with him, not the other side of a viewfinder. Personally I made the decision years ago to make good memories of events with friends rather than take good photographs of events with friends.

lor]FUUUU**!!![/co



I just checked on my Fluke 189; turns out it has already been delivered and is in my mailbox. 

Problem is... we're right now having torrential rains and the street is flooding. AGAIN. 

You call that rain? Anywhere elevated on the west coast of Britain like Snowdonia ("Wales - where the men are men and the sheep are nervous.") or the West Highlands they'd call that drizzle. Judging from the weather forecast we can expect more than that in London tomorrow (20mm/hr), and frankly it'll be welcome unless it turns out to be a fizzle that just puts the humidity up - the place is getting as dry and dusty as Paris.

[tautech]

That’s the first 0402s I’ve done and it wasn’t that bad. Only lost one on the floor 

Flashing is just to test it works.

Not sure I like the idea of hot air for this. Reckon everything will just blow away instead

Hmm, I reckon you could turn down the air flow enough to stop them blowing away. The past would hold them in place and as soon as the paste flowed, they would all self align nicely as well without any fear of bridging.

I might give it try one day, need to get to grips more with SMD myself as I've always done THT in the past and that is dying out 

Hot air on small components requires a soft airflow and a bit of practice but most bake them on.
Just whipping through and tinning one pad with an iron then holding the part with tweezers and a quick touch with an iron tacks them down good ready for final touches.
Down to SOIC is not hard at all.

[Specmaster]

That’s the first 0402s I’ve done and it wasn’t that bad. Only lost one on the floor 

Flashing is just to test it works.

Not sure I like the idea of hot air for this. Reckon everything will just blow away instead

Hmm, I reckon you could turn down the air flow enough to stop them blowing away. The past would hold them in place and as soon as the paste flowed, they would all self align nicely as well without any fear of bridging.

I might give it try one day, need to get to grips more with SMD myself as I've always done THT in the past and that is dying out 

Hot air on small components requires a soft airflow and a bit of practice but most bake them on.
Just whipping through and tinning one pad with an iron then holding the part with tweezers and a quick touch with an iron tacks them down good ready for final touches.
Down to SOIC is not hard at all.

Yep, my hot air gun has a air flow control that can turn down the flow to almost that of an asthmatic gnat so should be just fine for that. 

[Specmaster]

It is excellent. Totally happy with mine too. Know what you mean about the backlight but the fluke is wishy washy too. Was a bit worried about the small knob because I have banana fingers but seems fine. Very very solid bit of kit.

I did some comparisons between my Keysight jobby and that this morning on a 2200uF cap and the Keysight took 23 seconds to range to it. BM867 took 7. Smaller caps are instant. Will do a whole series of these tests over the next few days if I get some time.

Did some tests with caps tonight and it is much faster than most meters. I need to grab a couple of precision caps so I can see which of my devices is the most accurate. I tried a few caps on the BM867, the XLW01 and the cheap one hung low component testers and they were all with in a few uF of each other and the caps I was using were all of 20% tolerance I think.

[mnementh]

DOUBLE FUUUU**!!!

 

Changed clothes, went out with a umbrella and returned with this. Clearly somebody has been inside it since the photos in the listing were taken; and he shorted me the alligators. Already have a dispute open with that yoyo who sold me a POS screen for my phone; now I have this to contend with. 

Oh, and for those who were wondering what I was on about "a little rain"... the water was only up to my shins and rain blowing sideways, just like every other day this week. Lick me.

mnem
Where's the "SMITE" button on my keyboard? 

[Specmaster]

Did you see a photo of this thing actually working or what? If you did, then depending on what range it was, ie., volts or ohms, then if its anything like the Fluke 25/27 series then it will work without the fuses as they are only required for the current ranges.

Either way, I feel a claim coming on here sharpish.

Glad I was not one of them who mentioned the rain, I could see the way it was shooting off your roof above the window it was a bit more than normal rain 

[med6753]

I R confused.  What is missing?