Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[Ero-Shan]

If you can find the part number for the knobs you require and then do some google magic you might just get lucky and find that someone has already produced a file  for the printing of such knobs and then you can find a local printer hub to do them for you. I did that recently for knob for a Tektronix TDS210 and it only cost £4.25 a knob.

That would make around 60 € just for the knobs ...

No way this is going to happen. The switches are fairly standard, I don't care putting anything on it that fits. Or just leave it as it is. I'm not trying a restoration. Also I don't want to sell it, so what?
However, with 'higher class' instruments I try to keep the appearance neat, but also not necessarily original.

[bd139]

Anyone in the US after an 8050A ... https://www.ebay.com/itm/132817872374

Can't see US pricing for postage but the meter is $20.

[med6753]

Anyone in the US after an 8050A ... https://www.ebay.com/itm/132817872374

Can't see US pricing for postage but the meter is $20.

That ad makes no sense. It says "does not ship to the U.S." but they are located in Rochester, NY which is about 200 miles from me. 

[bd139]

I do believe the auction is fecked. Worth contacting them at that price. Almost considered buying it from over here.

[med6753]

Yea, at that price it does look tempting but I already have a fully functional and calibrated 8050A.

[med6753]

Obviously this clown never heard of $1 USD/MHz maximum. 

[xrunner]

Recent talk of hp 3478As caused me to go back and do what I should have done a while back - replace the RIFA caps. I took the 0.022 uF caps out just now (will do the others tomorrow and order replacements.) and you can see the cracks. I can clearly see inside to the metal foil inside from the side cracks. 

[Cerebus]

Ugly. I do hate RIFA with a passion for those caps. Leaky 20 year old electrolytics I can forgive, but anything that has an age related failure mode where it explodes loudly and with a pervasive stink that hangs around for days just because you had the temerity to apply its rated voltage is asking for some extreme percussive maintenance - on the bastards that sold them in the first place.

[GreyWoolfe]

Recent talk of hp 3478As caused me to go back and do what I should have done a while back - replace the RIFA caps. I took the 0.022 uF caps out just now (will do the others tomorrow and order replacements.) and you can see the cracks. I can clearly see inside to the metal foil inside from the side cracks. 

Yours look better than the ones I took out of mine.  Thankfully, they didn't explode when I powered it up.

[xrunner]

Ugly. I do hate RIFA with a passion for those caps. Leaky 20 year old electrolytics I can forgive, but anything that has an age related failure mode where it explodes loudly and with a pervasive stink that hangs around for days just because you had the temerity to apply its rated voltage is asking for some extreme percussive maintenance - on the bastards that sold them in the first place.

I wonder what the formulation of that plastic was/is and how they came to decide on using it. 

Yours look better than the ones I took out of mine.  Thankfully, they didn't explode when I powered it up.

Really. I am using the part numbers you provided in your other thread. You know I live about 45 minute drive away from Mouser? Yep, I've driven there in the past to pick up some parts. but in this case I'll let them ship it.

[mnementh]

   Recent talk of hp 3478As caused me to go back and do what I should have done a while back - replace the RIFA caps. I took the 0.022 uF caps out just now (will do the others tomorrow and order replacements.) and you can see the cracks. I can clearly see inside to the metal foil inside from the side cracks. 

The ones in my 3478A aren't that bad, they're just starting to show lines below the surface. Got several in the SMPS for my NASA 2465 look like that, though.

Ugly. I do hate RIFA with a passion for those caps. Leaky 20 year old electrolytics I can forgive, but anything that has an age related failure mode where it explodes loudly and with a pervasive stink that hangs around for days just because you had the temerity to apply its rated voltage is asking for some extreme percussive maintenance - on the bastards that sold them in the first place.

Whenever you guys say "RIFAs!!!" in thread that way... with loathing visibly dripping from every keystroke... I imagine gear infested with Domo-Kun. It makes me smile. 

mnem
 

[Ero-Shan]

Ugly. I do hate RIFA with a passion for those caps. Leaky 20 year old electrolytics I can forgive, but anything that has an age related failure mode where it explodes loudly and with a pervasive stink that hangs around for days just because you had the temerity to apply its rated voltage is asking for some extreme percussive maintenance - on the bastards that sold them in the first place.

I wonder what the formulation of that plastic was/is and how they came to decide on using it. 

Which makes me wonder whether its really RIFA that is to blame. Maybe the specs for the plastic promised that exactly this could not happen? And their tests might have confirmed that. Accelerated aging mustn't always work as intended.
Nah, at least part of the blame belongs to them.

Hazardous caps are nothing new - in the seventies it was the ITT firecrackers (they were in almost all TVs): https://www.radiomuseum.org/forumdata/upload/itt-abbildung.jpg
(Don't know if embedding the image is allowed.)

[bitseeker]

I wouldn't fault the plastic, per se. The capacitor has already gone bad inside and started bulging, which cracks the plastic housing. Later, the capacitor short circuits, resulting in fireworks and smoke screen.

[bd139]

As much as I hate the same things I’m not sure RIFA is to blame either. One function of these capacitors is to break down and absorb the transients off the line. To do this the things take a bit of damage inside. Eventually this causes them to fail permanently and in a smelly and destructive fashion. To be fair the amount of electrons rushing in and out on a mains cycle is pretty amazing.

Now the design life of most equipment is way under what we’re expecting out of it so in normal use this is fine. 20+ years past that, maybe not.

As much as it sounds abhorrent, I replace RIFAs with RIFAs. Kemet currently sell them. They work but have a lifespan of 10 years max for me. When I crack something open I assume that lifespan has well expired. Gets a sticker on the back with a check date on it and I’ll replace them in ten years (not that kit stays around that long usually )

[bd139]

Keeping in line with random diversions on aviation, lol: https://www.aviation24.be/military-aircraft/belgian-air-component/air-force-f-16-destroyed-maintenance-collateral-damage-second/

Edit: and some more fail http://www.airforcemag.com/Features/Pages/2018/October%202018/Tyndall-F-22s-Left-Behind-Before-Michael-Hit-Possibly-Damaged-Beyond-Repair.aspx

[Specmaster]

Keeping in line with random diversions on aviation, lol: https://www.aviation24.be/military-aircraft/belgian-air-component/air-force-f-16-destroyed-maintenance-collateral-damage-second/

Edit: and some more fail http://www.airforcemag.com/Features/Pages/2018/October%202018/Tyndall-F-22s-Left-Behind-Before-Michael-Hit-Possibly-Damaged-Beyond-Repair.aspx

Yeah, I knew about that a couple days ago, it was on my Sons Web site and forum. Surely though, isn't there a main switch somewhere to deactivate everything till the pilot is in his seat and in control of the plane?

[SeanB]

Nope, most systems are available once power is turned on, and you have ground power connected.

Remember of a case of airframe with engine removed, and tanks part full. Power applied, with the LP cock switch inadvertently turned on, and the motor operated valve turned to the open position to comply, and dumped all 6kl of fuel into the inside of the airframe.  Turn power off and still fuel flow, because the design is such that the engines will keep running even with total loss of power, thus the motorised valving. 10cm diameter pipe and valve does flow very rapidly, even without the LP pump operating, as it is in the lowest part of the airframe to make it self priming, and is just below the bottom of the wing tanks. inside and floor was very clean afterwards.

Armaments systems are available with power applied only, only thing with safety interlocks are ejection system, because it is not power operated but pyrotechnic, and thus needs the mechanical interrupts to prevent operation by accident. Vulcan cannon might not have run properly without hydraulic power, but the firing circuits for the 20mm shells are electric, and mechanically applied to the cartridge when in position and ready to fire. It would have fired, though possibly not at full speed.

[med6753]

I've never had a RIFA let loose so I haven't had the pleasure of the smell. Nor do I want to but now that I've said it Murphy will probably strike....as he has in other ways....

Back in July when I re-capped the PSU in the vanilla Tek 2465 I didn't do any maintenance on the fan motor because it was as quiet as a church mouse. Well Murphy had something to say about that. In the last few days it has developed an annoying rattle for about 10-15 minutes after power on. And of course it's only gonna get worse. So now I have to pull that PSU again and fix it. Luckily pulling that supply is an easy 15 minute job...as opposed to the 2465 DMS which is time consuming and peppered with obscenities. 

That Vulcan 20mm gun did exactly what it's supposed to do. I'd say the maintenance crew somehow had the safety's off. Someone is gonna be in deep shit. 

I thought they had evacuated all the F-22's off that base. Apparently not. That is a big loss considering not many were built which was a dumb move.

In other news. It's currently 41 degrees F (5 degrees C) here. Won't be long before the first frost. Guess I should pull the A/C out of the window and stash it in the closet until next year. Just last week I had to use it one afternoon when the temp soared to 80 F with high humidity.  The landlord hasn't yet turned on the furnace to provide heat. He isn't required to by law until October 15th which is tomorrow. So far it's still comfortable in here and I do have a space heater just in case.

 

[factory]

Anyone in the US after an 8050A ... https://www.ebay.com/itm/132817872374

Can't see US pricing for postage but the meter is $20.

That ad makes no sense. It says "does not ship to the U.S." but they are located in Rochester, NY which is about 200 miles from me. 

I think I've just worked out why sellers sometimes have the same items listed twice, so they can add different international shipping rates, must be a PITA if they both sell though.

Fluke 8050A with US shipping rates (same item);
https://www.ebay.com/itm/132817412734

David

[med6753]

Anyone in the US after an 8050A ... https://www.ebay.com/itm/132817872374

Can't see US pricing for postage but the meter is $20.

That ad makes no sense. It says "does not ship to the U.S." but they are located in Rochester, NY which is about 200 miles from me. 

I think I've just worked out why sellers sometimes have the same items listed twice, so they can add different international shipping rates, must be a PITA if they both sell though.

Fluke 8050A with US shipping rates (same item);
https://www.ebay.com/itm/132817412734

David

Now that makes more sense. That's a decent price (read: cheap  ). It's very tempting but having a hard time justifying it when I already have one plus 4 other Fluke bench DMM's. 

Edit.....someone buy it before I do! 

[Cerebus]

I wonder what the formulation of that plastic was/is and how they came to decide on using it. 

I've never had one in the condition shown to examine and try and determine what material it was - mine have all self destructed and become too unpleasant to examine closely.

As they are safety related components with lots of approval markings I'd not be surprised to find a material composition mark for the casing. Perhaps someone could look for a moulding on one - it'll be initials such as PC, PP, PA, PMMA, PET, PETG etc.

Don't ask me why I think I know this or where I heard it (perhaps someone dug this out before and I've forgotten that), but for some reason Polycarbonate comes to mind. It seems a plausible material - optically clear, relatively strong (explosion resistance), prone to stress corrosion cracking (a plausile failure mechanism), good fire resistance, self extinguishing.

[Cerebus]

Keeping in line with random diversions on aviation, lol: https://www.aviation24.be/military-aircraft/belgian-air-component/air-force-f-16-destroyed-maintenance-collateral-damage-second/

As I started reading the article at the link I was annoyed by the use of the of the weasel-word euphemism "collateral damage*" in the headline, until I read far enough to garner that it was a friendly fire** incident between aircraft inside a maintenance hangar.  Someone's not getting their Christmas bonus...

Edit: and some more fail http://www.airforcemag.com/Features/Pages/2018/October%202018/Tyndall-F-22s-Left-Behind-Before-Michael-Hit-Possibly-Damaged-Beyond-Repair.aspx

The disadvantage of having a military airfield so far from any realistic action zone is the belief that it's OK to build your hangers out of cardboard as they won't ever have to resist enemy action. (*cough*) Pearl Harbour (*cough*) like incidents aside, wouldn't it be wise to keep prevailing weather in mind, even if you aren't expecting enemy action? Ah, yes, "Military Intelligence".

*Military/police jargon for "we murdered or maimed innocent bystanders"
**Nothing friendly about it at all. If your 'friend' is shooting at you, they ain't yer friend no more.

[GreyWoolfe]

In other news. It's currently 41 degrees F (5 degrees C) here. Won't be long before the first frost. Guess I should pull the A/C out of the window and stash it in the closet until next year. Just last week I had to use it one afternoon when the temp soared to 80 F with high humidity.  The landlord hasn't yet turned on the furnace to provide heat. He isn't required to by law until October 15th which is tomorrow. So far it's still comfortable in here and I do have a space heater just in case.

Very jealous.  67 degrees on the way to 85 today.  As the saying goes, 'fall is in the air' said no one in Florida ever.

[Cerebus]

Very jealous.  67 degrees on the way to 85 today.  As the saying goes, 'fall is in the air' said no one in Florida ever.

London has been unseasonably warm for several days. As I went to bed at 1:30AM last night the temperature outside was still 21˚C (70˚F).

Remember, all you 'merkins (except for Alaskans) are Southerners from the perspective of London at 51˚ 32' north. (For those who don't immediately know it, the US/Canada border is essentially the 49th Parallel (49˚N)). That always seems weird to me, having once briefly experienced a New York State winter and also having stood looking at snow in Whistler, BC, Canada (50°7′15″N) in midsummer. I know all the technical reasons for it, but it still seems weird - northern hemispheric instinct says "Go north, get colder; go south, get warmer".

[med6753]

Very jealous.  67 degrees on the way to 85 today.  As the saying goes, 'fall is in the air' said no one in Florida ever.

London has been unseasonably warm for several days. As I went to bed at 1:30AM last night the temperature outside was still 21˚C (70˚F).

Remember, all you 'merkins (except for Alaskans) are Southerners from the perspective of London at 51˚ 32' north. (For those who don't immediately know it, the US/Canada border is essentially the 49th Parallel (49˚N)). That always seems weird to me, having once briefly experienced a New York State winter and also having stood looking at snow in Whistler, BC, Canada (50°7′15″N) in midsummer. I know all the technical reasons for it, but it still seems weird - northern hemispheric instinct says "Go north, get colder; go south, get warmer".

If it weren't for the influence of the Gulf Stream in the Atlantic,  Ireland...and you...would be in a deep freeze right now.