Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[bd139]

Hahaha

I'm impatient so have poked it. Had last cal sticker dated 1986 over the rear screw so hasn't been touched for 32 years!

First inspection (I have removed the shield here BTW - it was present!) shows absolutely nothing untoward inside it. Absolutely pristine. Latest date code is 1984.



Initial power up and test. Well done Fluke again. Spot on cal after 32 years!



Going to clean this up and use it. Got my eye on another one as well. In fact I might start building the "tower of flukes" I was going to build before I went into TEA rehab a while back.

Edit: I need to test current, AC and ohms ranges yet however to note...

[Specmaster]

Yeah, Flukes and HP meters certainly seem to hold their calibrations well, good score but I'm a little surprised that you went for a 3.5 banger though?

[med6753]

Hahaha

I'm impatient so have poked it. Had last cal sticker dated 1986 over the rear screw so hasn't been touched for 32 years!

First inspection (I have removed the shield here BTW - it was present!) shows absolutely nothing untoward inside it. Absolutely pristine. Latest date code is 1984.


Initial power up and test. Well done Fluke again. Spot on cal after 32 years!


Going to clean this up and use it. Got my eye on another one as well. In fact I might start building the "tower of flukes" I was going to build before I went into TEA rehab a while back.

Edit: I need to test current, AC and ohms ranges yet however to note...

On my 8010A that thin film resistor network just below the switch deck was fubar and I had to replace it with 0.1% discretes.

Tower of Flukes you say? (With a Mastech thrown in) 

[bd139]

Now that's a tower of flukes to aspire to! 


@Specmaster: TBF 90% of my measurements are fine at 3.5 digits. Having enough meters is sometimes more of a problem.


Had some time at lunch so "scope screensaver" playfield generator is working. Had to tweak some caps as the original design was slightly too perfect on the integration front which didn't make interesting patterns. I know it's not aligned properly as well - this is on the 465 with the dicky attenuators so I couldn't get it spot on



I will add the summing amps and quadrature oscillator later if I get the time and hopefully this will result in a ball.

This has, perhaps unfortunately, reminded me how much fun analogue computing is

[med6753]

That's cool. Will you publish the schematic with your final design?

Almost forgot. The AC volts on my 8010A didn't work either. Was stuck in over range. I changed C8, C10, C18, and C33 and all fixed. One of those caps (forget which) was a bastard tant.

[Specmaster]

Now that's a tower of flukes to aspire to! 


@Specmaster: TBF 90% of my measurements are fine at 3.5 digits. Having enough meters is sometimes more of a problem.


Had some time at lunch so "scope screensaver" playfield generator is working. Had to tweak some caps as the original design was slightly too perfect on the integration front which didn't make interesting patterns. I know it's not aligned properly as well - this is on the 465 with the dicky attenuators so I couldn't get it spot on



I will add the summing amps and quadrature oscillator later if I get the time and hopefully this will result in a ball.

This has, perhaps unfortunately, reminded me how much fun analogue computing is

Now that looks to be just fine, making circles is just gilding the lily because you can [emoji41]

[bd139]

The ball is the fun bit

That's cool. Will you publish the schematic with your final design?

Almost forgot. The AC volts on my 8010A didn't work either. Was stuck in over range. I changed C8, C10, C18, and C33 and all fixed. One of those caps (forget which) was a bastard tant.

I will indeed. Prelim schematic is here: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/test-equipment-anonymous-(tea)-group-therapy-thread/msg1931791/#msg1931791

Bloody tants! Say that way too much.

[med6753]

Landlord finally poured the slab in the 3 bay barn and I will be taking this bay for one of my cars. And how is this TEA related? I will also be able to install shelves and move the lumber, power tools, automotive stuff such as ramps out of the back bedroom walk in closet which will allow me to put the scope cart in there plus tons of room for more TEA! 

[mnementh]

    I scored a Tek P6201 FET probe very cheap on ebay. It has it's case with only one compensating tip, a slip on spring tip, and an IC tip. I opened it up and examined the PCBs and there's no outward sign of any magic smoke escaping despite having an equipment deviation sticker, so I'm optimistic it might work (or can be made to work) once I have a power supply for these probes. I have another one on the way that is the complete kit.  and hopefully not 

Ooooh... that is an excellent specimen of Tektronix TEA with a delicious side of NSA right there... *drool*   

Yeah... be careful. Had a neighbor got sued and ticketed for "Endangering the public safety" for a similar gag because some yo-yo bint knocking on doors for the HOA SWORE he tried to electrocute her.    He had to hire experts and defend himself and explain to a courtroom and a less-than-brilliant judge that it was a harmless vibrator, that there was ZERO electrocution potential involved.

I could say "party pooper" - but your point is well taken.

The truth of the matter is that I would likely get vetoed by SWMBO - if I were to dare suggest it.  It is much safer to share such ideas within the confines of a group who can appreciate the potential.

Absolutely!  This is the only proper place for such discussion!

Just as I can sit here and lovingly caress the little hand-rubbed oaken plaque with buttons labeled "Intercom", "Trap Door", "Lasers", "Sharks", and "Laser Sharks"... but I don't dare connect them to anything... or even post a picture. 

Well, this Rigol DM3058E DMM is defective right out of the box. The LCD display flashed once and then went dark. Both backlight and display. Looks like something blew in the power supply. I bought from Amazon and 3rd party seller Tequipment. Sent them an e-mail that it's defective and I want a replacement. We'll see what happens.

And then my coffeemaker overflowed this morning.  Not a good day so far. 

Could it be something as stupid as being accidentally set to 220V? 

On the subject of DMMs a £20 8010A just landed in my lap this morning. Will test it later. Too busy now    Display looks good though for once.

Only 3.5 digits... but for 20 clams, how can you say no. 

   Landlord finally poured the slab in the 3 bay barn and I will be taking this bay for one of my cars. And how is this TEA related? I will also be able to install shelves and move the lumber, power tools, automotive stuff such as ramps out of the back bedroom walk in closet which will allow me to put the scope cart in there plus tons of room for more TEA! 

https://youtu.be/3qYbVQu7YAQ

And so... it begins. The final epic battle with JENGA in all its 5 aspects, each more horrifying than the last... 

mnem
*Says a prayer to Ifni for med's soul*

[0culus]

    I scored a Tek P6201 FET probe very cheap on ebay. It has it's case with only one compensating tip, a slip on spring tip, and an IC tip. I opened it up and examined the PCBs and there's no outward sign of any magic smoke escaping despite having an equipment deviation sticker, so I'm optimistic it might work (or can be made to work) once I have a power supply for these probes. I have another one on the way that is the complete kit.  and hopefully not 

Ooooh... that is an excellent specimen of Tektronix TEA with a delicious side of NSA right there... *drool*   

*snip*

Haha, yeah! I am really kicking myself though because I got beaten by another local ham at our local hamfest a few weeks ago on a guy who was selling a minty looking Tek 485 and one of these probes and wanted $200 for the whole kit and kaboodle. If I had gotten there first I'd have bought it in a heartbeat!

[med6753]

Could it be something as stupid as being accidentally set to 220V? 

Nope. I checked that. I did receive a return authorization and I'll be sending it back. Looks like the process will be they will refund then I will have to reorder.

[bd139]

That's a bummer. Takes a few days to get a refund through usually as well.

Never know, a tidy 34401A might appear then for less with cal cert

[mnementh]

In Other News...

   

While hunting a cheap bedframe for separating my kids to their own rooms recently cleared of JENGA, I stumbled across this Circa 1980 Canon L813 II in the Good/Badwill for the princely sum of $1.98, all the main parts and no alkali crusties in the battery bay. Sure, not a classic HP or Burroughs, but I'll tell you, at tax time a couple weeks ago I was WISHING for a little desktop 4-banger w/mem like this and all I had were my collection of pocket-format scientific and graphing calcs. I glommed onto it without hesitation just like i did my Fluke 189.   

After wiping the whole thing down with 50% alcohol and an old towel, then scrubbing the keys with a toothbrush moistened in the same, it was looking pretty fair overall with just rotted battery foam and feet which died a black marshmallowy death decades ago.

A little silicone-carne on a scrap of foam from my "Random Bits o' Plastic" bin, and a little more to lock down some Futaba servo grommets as replacements for the feet and I was ready to detail the top. A quick blast with my favorite CRC 03040 Food-grade Silicone Spray and all the keys were like-new silky smooth again, with the oversized [ 0 ] and [  =  ] just a little rattly as they always are.

It's old enough to still have decent hard keys over silicone membrane and the action is medium-firm with no detent, but action is smooth and no flaky keys. Keys are overmolded in high relief such that you can sense the symbol under your fingertips, and the slightly rattly action is comfortingly familiar. Actually, that's the feel of the whole thing; from the visibly low-mileage VFD to the slightly-red beige of the ABS shell, it's all comfortingly familiar. And that's just awesome to me.   

It has algebraic logic with Float, AVG 0/2/4, and Force 2 decimal place logic, plus tabulation with Auto-Memory. While the VFD does have the combi-comma built in, unfortunately I couldn't find any way to enable the warm fuzzy old-fashioned thousands count; I guess that was something they omitted to modernize when they facelifted it for the II model revision.

Added bonus it is designed to run on NiCds, so I can be green with no "Dim Display Syndrome" or "5-Minute Functional Use Disorder". 

Anyhoo... This little arithmetic beast will now be proudly stationed on my desk til doomsday; y'all can TRY and pry it from my cold dead claws!   

mnem
"Muahahahaha!!!"

[med6753]

Miscellaneous rambling. This guy is nearly 45 years old and still going strong. Other than occasional cleaning of the controls last year was the first time it needed any repair. The audio started getting loud clicking noises. I've never been able to find a schematic for this Sony but I did manage to find a non working parts unit on Ebay for $25 USD. Using that parts unit plus careful checking I found the problem. A bad tant....which figures. Bastard tants, kill them all!

These old Sonys demand a high price if working so I was lucky to find that parts unit cheap. And as I recall I paid $110 USD for this radio back in 1974 which in today's dollars is nearly $590 USD! 

 

[Specmaster]

In Other News...

   

While hunting a cheap bedframe for separating my kids to their own rooms recently cleared of JENGA, I stumbled across this Circa 1980 Canon L813 II in the Good/Badwill for the princely sum of $1.98. Sure, not a classic HP or Burroughs, but I'll tell you, at tax time a couple weeks ago I was WISHING for a little desktop 4-banger w/mem like this and all I had were my collection of pocket-format scientific and graphing calcs. I glommed onto it without hesitation just like i did my Fluke 189.   

After wiping the whole thing down with 50% alcohol and an old towel, then scrubbing the keys with a toothbrush moistened in the same, it was looking pretty fair overall with just rotted battery foam and feet which died a black marshmallowy death decades ago.

A little silicone-carne on a scrap of foam from my "Random Bits o' Plastic" bin, and a little more to lock down some Futaba servo grommets as replacements for the feet and I was ready to detail the top. A quick blast with my favorite CRC 03040 Food-grade Silicone Spray and all the keys were like-new silky smooth again, with the oversized [ 0 ] and [  =  ] just a little rattly as they always are.

It's old enough to still have decent hard keys over silicone membrane and the action is medium-firm with no detent, but action is smooth and no flaky keys. Keys are overmolded in high relief such that you can feel the symbol under your fingertips, and the slightly rattly action is comfortingly familiar. Actually, that's the feeling of the whole thing; from the visibly low-mileage VFD to the slightly-red beige of the ABS shell, it's all comfortingly familiar. And that's just awesome to me.   

It has algebraic logic with Float, AVG 0/2/4, and Force 2 decimal place logic, plus tabulation with Auto-Memory. While the VFD does have the combi-comma built in, unfortunately I couldn't find any way to enable the warm fuzzy old-fashioned thousands count; I guess that was something they omitted to modernize when they facelifted it for the II model revision.

Added bonus it is designed to run on NiCds, so I can be green with no "Dim Display Syndrome" or "5-Minute Functional Use Disorder". 

Anyhoo... This little arithmetic beast will be proudly stationed on my desk til doomsday; y'all can TRY and pry it from my cold dead claws!   

mnem
"Muahahahaha!!!"

I love calculators of that type and the green display is both restful and highly readable.

[mnementh]

I love calculators of that type and the green display is both restful and highly readable.

Yup; there's a reason VFDs STILL survive in POS and Industrial applications... they have known excellent readability even under adverse conditions and long, actuarial-stable lifespans. I think very soon though, that OLED (or other printable LED tech) will be proven stable enough to supplant VFD.

mnem
*Toddles off to be mauled by his children*

[bd139]

Backlit green Hitachi chipset murky LCDs still win out for me. Good in all lighting conditions.

[tautech]

I'm back from Colorado and when I got home my pre-retirement gift to myself had been delivered! ............

And one with this big bright display didn't even get a look in ? 

[Mr. Scram]

And one with this big bright display didn't even get a look in ? 

I know you're a dealer, but constantly reminding people of "your" brand only serves to annoy.

[tautech]

I know you're a dealer, but constantly reminding people of "your" brand only serves to annoy.

Oh yes, right. 
Did you even look at the foot of this pic to see what other gear Med has ?

[Specmaster]

I know you're a dealer, but constantly reminding people of "your" brand only serves to annoy.

Oh yes, right. 
Did you even look at the foot of this pic to see what other gear Med has ?

Flukes and more Flukes

[Mr. Scram]

Oh yes, right. 
Did you even look at the foot of this pic to see what other gear Med has ?

We both know exactly what you're doing, so let's not belittle each other. Providing functional information to people who are looking for are have purchased devices is fine and sometimes even very welcome, but the insistent pushing of a brand is just spam. What use is it questioning someone's choice when he already has something he's obviously very happy with on his desk? You could argue "just curiosity" if the brand you're pushing wasn't so obviously injected into any and every conversation, whether it's suitable or not.

Don't get me wrong, you're occasionally helpful. It'd just be nice if you could tone down the sales pitch. You seem to be hurting the brand more than you're helping it anyway.

[tautech]

Oh yes, right. 
Did you even look at the foot of this pic to see what other gear Med has ?

We both know exactly what you're doing, so let's not belittle each other. Providing functional information to people who are looking for are have purchased devices is fine and sometimes even very welcome, but the insistent pushing of a brand is just spam.

And if I didn't have a dealer signature it would have been just another valid members question.
Get off your high horse !

[Mr. Scram]

And if I didn't have a dealer signature it would have been just another valid members question.
Get off your high horse !

As I said, that'd be just another valid member's question if you didn't have a history of injecting the brand into any discussion you can. Instead of me getting off my high horse, how about you owning up to what you do? I'm not even saying you can't push your boxes, it's just the going at it at every opportunity and then some which becomes grating over time.

Not to mention the stupid and predictable brand war discussions in every thread where someone asks for advice. Two people who happen to sell the brand for a living will push Siglent, one will push GW-Instek and a few others will push Rigol. It's so predictable it's a bit laughable, but it adds an incredible amount of noise to an otherwise nice forum. It's what I've come to expect from young folks discussing video card brands, but not TE. We're better than that and that includes you.

[bd139]

To everybody ...