Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[factory]

...and ping goes the counter up there---^

Isn't numerology silly

15000 replies 



David

[bd139]

...and ping goes the counter up there---^

Isn't numerology silly

It depends if you're charging when the number goes up or not

[mnementh]

I was actually just sitting there, sipping my coffee and enjoying all those 9s in my last post.

Then I noticed how my wife went to work and left the last turnover to tempt and taunt me.

It just sits there, mocking me with its golden flaky layers and delectable cherry filling...


It mocks me, and I am mocked. 


mnem
Number nine, number nine, number nine, number nine, number nine, number nine, number nine, number nine, number nine, number nine, number nine, number nine, number nine...

[Specmaster]

If I put the back seats down I can get a Tek 7k in there on a scopemobile. I checked 

What, put the seats down, did you get a Peugeot 205 then? 

[bd139]

Hahaha. Close. Citroen C3. Rationale is I can drive it around the city, which I do regularly, without getting buggered for ULEZ charge. Unfortunately it can only gobble up a few bits of kit.

[factory]

Dayum, I have subscribers now!  I'll have to make more glowy videos...   

That's right. TEA channel #1. We're anxiously awaiting the next notification.

Just watched the next episode. That was cool that the 5248M has an always-on oscillator output so you could feed it back in via the external clock input.

  I didn't even get to link my own video!   

Please pardon the mess - house under reconstruction.  That damned video camera has the opposite issue to the iPhone - it has TOO much depth-of-field, and shows stuff TOO clearly!!

It seems that the oscillator is doing its thing, but the signal is getting lost somewhere along the way.  A service manual has been ordered (a 'preliminary' version; the only paper one available currently - hopefully it will be close to what I have).  Depending on differences, I may wind up ordering Dave at Artek's scanned version, too, but want to see the paper one first.  I prefer the paper versions as I don't need to print them out.

It looks like I've painted myself into a corner here and will have to document this one, huh?   

-Pat

Not got very far with mine yet, it seems to be stuck counting at one rate (very fast) & none of the controls have any effect on the display apart from the reset. Many of the waveforms on the A21 function control board are wrong or dead around one of the tunnel diodes (why are they on the back?), also someone has done a lot of work here (did they ever fix it  , I will never find out as the second last owner stored it for a very long time & lost the power cord).

David

[Specmaster]

Hahaha. Close. Citroen C3. Rationale is I can drive it around the city, which I do regularly, without getting buggered for ULEZ charge. Unfortunately it can only gobble up a few bits of kit.

I hope that it goes a lot better than a crappy Citroen Saxo I had as a loan car a while back, it took an hour longer to get to Birmingham then it would in my normal car, that sucked like a lemon a piece of garbish it was and did I mention uncomfortable?, 6ft 4inch man driving a car that felt a backpack and had to sit far too close to the steering wheel than was good for me because even with the seat all the way back, it still too close to the wheel and pedals and there zero chance of a passenger sitting behind me.  Jam city.

[bd139]

Not got very far with mine yet, it seems to be stuck counting at one rate (very fast) & none of the controls have any effect on the display apart from the reset. Many of the waveforms on the A21 function control board are wrong or dead around one of the tunnel diodes (why are they on the back?), also someone has done a lot of work here (did they ever fix it  , I will never find out as the second last owner stored it for a very long time & lost the power cord).

Oh that looks pretty grim. Pull and refurb job.

I really wish when they did modular assemblies like that they gave standalone black box test plans so you could knock up some stimuli from an AWG / function generator and do some measurements.

I hope that it goes a lot better than a crappy Citroen Saxo I had as a loan car a while back, it took an hour longer to get to Birmingham then it would in my normal car, that sucked like a lemon a piece of garbish it was and did I mention uncomfortable?, 6ft 4inch man driving a car that felt a backpack and had to sit far too close to the steering wheel than was good for me because even with the seat all the way back, it still too close to the wheel and pedals and there zero chance of a passenger sitting behind me.  Jam city.

Ugh feck no. Saxo was horrid boy racer crap. Also discontinued about 14 years ago now. C3 has lots and lots of space in it compared to them, much better ride and a hell of a lot quieter. Plus it runs on ant's farts of petrol. Not exactly quick but it gets you round and is pretty damn comfortable. Only 3 years old, got 20k miles on it, dealer service history, all the extras and the dealer selling it wanted it off the forecourt ASAP because they're another brand dealer and it looks bad so took a stupid low offer I even cringed at myself for putting on the table 

[nixiefreqq]

ballantine?  my old man drank their beer up until they stopped brewing the swill.

I want it, BUT...…….my hp counters might revolt.


https://www.ebay.com/itm/Ballantine-Laboratories-Digital-Frequency-Counter-Model-5700A/183383140011?hash=item2ab27ca6ab:g:dEUAAOSwcWpbdfqG

LOL - that's sorely tempting.     Must resist - I have too damned much stuff now!!

-Pat

you would be doing a good deed, and stop me jonesing for the damn ugly thing.

its got 9 (count 'em 9) digits.  none of my orange glowing hp units have 9.

come on man.....have pity.  buy it and stop me from going back to look again and again.

its making me itch all over!

You need to find a 5360A counter (11 or 12 orange glowy digits?), I regret not bidding on one a few years ago that made very little, having said that it looks very complex if it goes wrong and has a special rats-nest wiring loom inside;

https://pmanning.smugmug.com/Electronics/HP-5360A-Computing-Counter

David

always lusted for a 5360a because of all the glowing goodness.  BUT after reading the "the emperors" horror story about the multiple units he acquired.....no way.

apparently the problem is the massive parts count.  he reports over 500 ttl ic's that just constantly decide that their time has come.

don't really need a reason to up the dosage on my bp meds right now.

http://emperoroftestequipment.weebly.com/

There are certainly north of 300 of them, IIRC - there are individual photos of each of the boards on the SmugMug link above.  That's part of why the bloody thing weighs 55 pounds - the massive 5V supply for all those little black caterpillars living inside it!

-Pat

wow!  you sure have a boatload of great stuff.

only some of it made me cringe.  like the hp1980b.  when it worked mine made me proud to be a member of the human race.  but you had to light a candle and say a prayer every time you hit the on switch.  elastomeric contact strips, unobtanium hybrids, wonky old roms.  finally took it to a fest and sold it for 10 bucks to a guy who had the crazed tea look in his eye.  (my buddy wanted me to part it out for the good crt and working front plug in modules, which included the freq counter.  he really went nuts when I told him what those plugs ins go for online.)

ok, you have a tracking generator.  but no hp141t/8555 to go with it?  count yourself lucky.   never thought i would live long enough to own such a fine instrument.  after fighting constant battles with arcing hv ribbons and toasty resistors in the power supply it got donated to a guy who has half a dozen of them already.  he manages to keep a couple of them lit up at any given time.  and they are wonderful when working.


will rant about one more unit.  the hp5345a.  amazing counter. really amazing.  but i bet the even the guy who designed it could not keep one working so that you could depend on it.  the 5335a however is boring as dirt, but as reliable as gravity.

get that 5360a working and you have my vote to be king.  keep it working and we will nominate you for deification.

[bd139]

Relapse already. Just snagged another 465 for £55 including probes, manual, case 

[Specmaster]

Yes, but it's a doer upper and move on, right?

[bd139]

That’s what I told SWMBO 

As advertised. Focus knob is cracked which is suspect and missing bezel around beam finder switch but that's it and it comes with three probes and a bag of shite.

[Specmaster]

Congrats on falling off the wagon already 

That is a super buy, not too many around with the cover and it could be worth the money just for those probes alone if they work. Somehow though I suspect SWMBO was expecting this to happen just as much as we all were, as you once said, if this was AA, we'd be holding our meeting in the pub 

[factory]

Not got very far with mine yet, it seems to be stuck counting at one rate (very fast) & none of the controls have any effect on the display apart from the reset. Many of the waveforms on the A21 function control board are wrong or dead around one of the tunnel diodes (why are they on the back?), also someone has done a lot of work here (did they ever fix it  , I will never find out as the second last owner stored it for a very long time & lost the power cord).

Oh that looks pretty grim. Pull and refurb job.

I really wish when they did modular assemblies like that they gave standalone black box test plans so you could knock up some stimuli from an AWG / function generator and do some measurements.

It would be very handy if they had something like that for each board.

Ignoring the function non-control board for the moment, I have found out the A17 high speed decade counter board has become an oscillator and I think is responsible for the continuous display counting. Interestingly I just had a look at the newer manual (around 2 years later) and they redesigned this board to use some IC's instead of all transistors.

David

[factory]

That’s what I told SWMBO 

As advertised. Focus knob is cracked which is suspect and missing bezel around beam finder switch but that's it and it comes with three probes and a bag of shite.

Looks alright for the money, hopefully a straightforward repair, is it a keeper this time?

David

[bd139]

Congrats on falling off the wagon already 

That is a super buy, not too many around with the cover and it could be worth the money just for those probes alone if they work. Somehow though I suspect SWMBO was expecting this to happen just as much as we all were, as you once said, if this was AA, we'd be holding our meeting in the pub 

I've seen the probes go for that each if they are working (!).

Looks alright for the money, hopefully a straightforward repair, is it a keeper this time?

Could be working. Time will tell. Usually they go. It'll get a good once over and refurb either way.  This is actually the 12th 4xx I've owned (I need help!). Only lost two as parts mules so far 

Previous four refurbs:







more to come!

[Specmaster]

One thing that is pretty much a certainty, and that is I doubt that in the future many people doing the same thing DSO's as we do with CRO's currently. 

[bd139]

I will be if they’re cheap enough, like that TDS210

[Specmaster]

Yeh, mine wasn't quite the deal that you got though but still sweet enough I thought

[bd139]

Indeed. I’d probably have paid that for it as well. Really nice little scopes.

[tautech]

That’s what I told SWMBO 

As advertised. Focus knob is cracked which is suspect and missing bezel around beam finder switch but that's it and it comes with three probes and a bag of shite.

Hope there's some real goodies like a current probe in there for you. 
Looks pretty straight so hope there's a buck in it for you.

Congrats on the new wheels, things like that normally gain a few brownie points with 'er indoors.

[bd139]

Indeed. Don’t think there’s a current probe in there. I’d rather like a current probe actually. Missed a good deal about a year ago actually. Someone was selling a working 2225 with tek current probe and two actual tek probes for £150. But I just couldn’t be arsed to go and get it. I could have kept the current probe and got the asking price back easy.

[mnementh]

Hahaha. Close. Citroen C3. Rationale is I can drive it around the city, which I do regularly, without getting buggered for ULEZ charge. Unfortunately it can only gobble up a few bits of kit.

Wow... that thing looks like the illegitimate love child of a Fiat 500 and a Toyota Rav4. What's that unsightly rash on the doors? Does it need some cortizone cream? 


mnem

[Specmaster]

I hope that plastic door panel is not a rust trap, never realised that a C3 was a Citroen Cactus, that door panel puts me off them I must say, but then as I always say, the outside of a car is everyone else to look at, while you enjoy the car and what it does for you from the inside 

[bd139]

It's 2014 model pre-cactus WTF which is better IMHO. Also cheaper as someone else paid for the instant depreciation and worked all the bugs out.



Plate obscured due to google's text recognition on images.

Did I just see a Toyota with eyelashes?