Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[med6753]

Unfortunately bread is a big no-no if you are diabetic. 

[worsthorse]

I should have also said, and I don't want to make one or use my spectrum analyzer... You are right, I should just build one. The article you included is the one I considered.   two questions for you... the AD8307s you bought turned out okay? that's quite a discount from the digikey price.    and did you build the 40dB tap described in the article? 

edit: I could probably fit the whole circuit into one of the tektronix "accessory" boxes I just picked up. and, version three looks pretty good!

Buying one where someone hasnt blown up the power sensor for a reasonable price is nigh on impossible so building one worked out cheaper and easier in the end. The AD8307s I got were perfectly fine. Worked as per the spec sheet. They're usually around $10 each so 10 for $5 was worth a punt and it played out nicely.

I didn't build the 40dB tap as per the article. I built a 20dB attenuator in another pomona box and used a couple of 10dB attenuators from aliexpress (150W flange attenuators - working pulls) for the next stage.

Most of the time I use a "piece of shit meter" for higher powers which is some 3W metal oxide resistors and diode and a resistor in a box connected to an old 100uA panel meter. Only good to about 30MHz that though.

Hadn't thought about the power sensor being trashed. Okay, guess I will buy myself of pile of AD8307s and have at it.  Thanks!

... and I will probably build the power tap just because it looks like of cool and I love s--t that makes capacitors out of little hunks of wire; reminds me of the old days. 

[Mr. Scram]

Unfortunately bread is a big no-no if you are diabetic. 

Even the ones with lots of fibres and all the other goodness that slows the sugar spiking? What do you eat instead?

[Neomys Sapiens]

Random question ... anyone got any experience with Panavise?

Maybe take another look?

https://www.bernstein-werkzeuge.de/en/products/clamping-equipment/

[Neomys Sapiens]

It has certainly crystallised the (lack of) options; that's what prompted me to rush out and buy the freezer that I had been looking at. Fortunately one of my local Currys had one in stock. Now all I've got to do is decide where to put it. I made sure it worked to -15C, so while I'd rather not put it in my unpowered asbestos sheeting "garage", I can put it underneath my kitchen.

I had a big chest freezer in a similar garage in my old house. Got rather warm in there in the summer which caused some serious problems with it and it gave out eventually. I'd keep it indoors if you can. The only thing in my current freezer is about £50 of Greggs industrial sausage rolls which "fell off back of a lorry" My investment is mostly canned and bulk bagged stuff.

Edit: one thing I used to do a lot, but alas no longer really is make bread. Can't beat it. Plus there's something scientificy and engineeringy about it. Last attempt a couple of years back:

Let me guess - the one closest to the viewer is a toadbread, opposed to the plain frogbread behind?

[Specmaster]

Bread!  I Love making bread.

Yep, and of course, you just have no option but to eat it while its still hot with the butter dripping from it, hmmmm I'm hungry give me bread...............

[0culus]

Well, it had to happen eventually. The 8664A sig gen I bought arrived with severe damage. The unit had to have been dropped from some height, because the right rack handle is destroyed and the RF output is bent severely.

The obvious damage. The other rack handle is bent too. The instrument seems functional, but it had a message "hardware failure 8" which is now gone, that I am trying to find a definition of.

[bd139]

Bread!  I Love making bread.

That looks really nice. Do you have a spare room? 

Let me guess - the one closest to the viewer is a toadbread, opposed to the plain frogbread behind?

 

Yep, and of course, you just have no option but to eat it while its still hot with the butter dripping from it, hmmmm I'm hungry give me bread...............

I am now eating toast

Unfortunately bread is a big no-no if you are diabetic. 

SWMNLBO is diabetic. Bread + metformin is the solution 

I know how you feel, my nearside front keep going down every 2 to 3 weeks, new tyre 8,000 miles ago, no sign of damage to the tyre so I'm hoping that I haven't got a cracked alloy from the steaming great potholes round here, if so than thats going to cost heaps of bleeding money as they are special ones only available on my particular model ffs. 

Mine might be the alloy. I've got a spare mint one lined up for £60 from the local scrapper (rear end of vehicle was squashed by a reversing truck). Phew!

Random question ... anyone got any experience with Panavise?

Maybe take another look?

https://www.bernstein-werkzeuge.de/en/products/clamping-equipment/

Looking at that now. Thank you 

[Neomys Sapiens]

Yeah the axial tants (solid) are nasty. They tend to explode I find. They burn up before they explode so you can replace them if you keep an eye out. Also damn expensive to replace so they just get electrolytics in there.

If I limited myself to the in-stock items, I would have needed a couple of these: were https://www.digikey.co.uk/product-detail/en/vishay-sprague/M39006-22-0554/1012-1009-ND/2773715 At a mere £45 each, I think damn expensive is an understatement.

Even such axial electrolytics are a pain to find.

Sorry, understocked. 33µ, 47µ, or 100µ/10V I could have helped with.
(At least as long as 'a couple' is closer to two that to something like 'pack' or 'tribe')

The only good tant is a hermeric tant!

[Neomys Sapiens]

Nearly into the Top 10 Topics (by Views) but languishing near the bottom of most thanked threads. 

Who hasn't thanked the OP bitseeker ?     Get onto it ! 

Anyone not see their names here 

The following users thanked this post: all_repair, TiN, videobruce, StuUK, hammy, xrunner, JoeO, AF6LJ, tautech, saposoft, zucca, RJFreeman, blueskull, Brumby, nugglix, sixtimesseven, gnavigator1007, jakeisprobably, mnementh, neo, Daruosha, AlanS, CalMachine, bjcuizon, frozenfrogz, Jacon, Electro Detective, cosenmarco, bd139, CNe7532294, beanflying, imo, Manuauto, tardsat, Kosmic, umbro, slbender, + the formally recalcitrant ones Oculus,  Specmaster

Well, before the local bullies turn to the second tier...
(even Electro Detective, that ole' Multimeter Molester is there - fuh)

[tggzzz]

Edit: one thing I used to do a lot, but alas no longer really is make bread. Can't beat it. Plus there's something scientificy and engineeringy about it.

The smell of baking bread hits the hindbrain hard - to the extent it is reckoned to be useful when selling a house

Nowadays I just use a Panasonic breadmaker. If I foolishly take it out when still warm, 200g bread instantly disappears along with lashings of melted butter.

When I get my next breadmaker, I'll fork out the extra for the little compartment used to contain goodies added at the final stage of mixing.

Does it leave a buggery hole in the side of the loaf? The last bread maker I did which annoyed me. End up using a kenwood chef with dough hook (ebay £20!) which ironically for this thread blew a RIFA and scared the original owner away from using it. That and leaving it next to the dryer to rise with a wet tea towel over it.

Slot rather than a round hole, yes. My hindbrain doesn't care.

[Neomys Sapiens]

For those in search of ancient counters: yet unbidden HP5300A and HP5304A on Ebay.de!

[med6753]

Unfortunately bread is a big no-no if you are diabetic. 

Even the ones with lots of fibres and all the other goodness that slows the sugar spiking? What do you eat instead?

Other grains or perhaps 1 slice if it's under 30 grams of carbs which is what a diabetic should limit at a meal. Which means if you have one slice of bread @ 30 grams of carbs you technically aren't allowed any additional carbs at that meal. Try it....and find out how damn difficult it is. So basically for the most part I avoid bread.

[beanflying]

Edit: one thing I used to do a lot, but alas no longer really is make bread. Can't beat it. Plus there's something scientificy and engineeringy about it.

The smell of baking bread hits the hindbrain hard - to the extent it is reckoned to be useful when selling a house

Nowadays I just use a Panasonic breadmaker. If I foolishly take it out when still warm, 200g bread instantly disappears along with lashings of melted butter.

When I get my next breadmaker, I'll fork out the extra for the little compartment used to contain goodies added at the final stage of mixing.

On a list of things to do with an old breadmaker. - ROAST COFFEE  Enter what has become known as the Coretto http://coffeechannel.blogspot.com/2013/01/how-to-convert-bread-maker-in-to-home.html

[Mr. Scram]

On a list of things to do with an old breadmaker. - ROAST COFFEE  Enter what has become known as the Coretto http://coffeechannel.blogspot.com/2013/01/how-to-convert-bread-maker-in-to-home.html

That's pretty ghetto. I like it.

[mnementh]

Certainly worth every penny as a diag aid but NOT rigid enough for proto work, especially if you need to cut/drill/route wires.
As bd says, the whole thing just turns too easily in the pivots, and being made of plastic, you can only tighten things up so much.  Another case of "The right tool for the job".

mnem
*back out into garage-hell*

Made of plastic?? not the one I have I can assure you it's made out of steel and solid enough, but as the board is only held in 2 locations, it can pivot easy enough.[/quote]



Yeah, the 3 base pieces are made of square metal tube and the pivot pins are metal, but the uprights are all plastic. If you've got one where the uprights are metal, please let us know where it came from. But even made of plastic, for $12 from slAmazon it's a good deal as long as you don't expect it to be industrial-grade. 

mnem

Random question ... anyone got any experience with Panavise?

Maybe take another look?

https://www.bernstein-werkzeuge.de/en/products/clamping-equipmentE/

Screw-on base on the ball-socket? Eeeewww... And the prices! *heart attack* 



$250-550 for a cast aluminum TOY shop vise? Good lord... you can buy Yost or Global Industrial for that kind of money. Shit, you can buy Brown & Sharpe for that. That is fucking batshit insane. 

mnem
No way in 'ell.

[Cubdriver]

Well, it had to happen eventually. The 8664A sig gen I bought arrived with severe damage. The unit had to have been dropped from some height, because the right rack handle is destroyed and the RF output is bent severely.

The obvious damage. The other rack handle is bent too. The instrument seems functional, but it had a message "hardware failure 8" which is now gone, that I am trying to find a definition of.

I have an 8644B, which appears to use similar construction.  I just saw your post on the HPAK mailing list, but figure I'll answer here too as it's easier to go back and forth IMO.  One of the options you mention is for low emission; those instruments get a one-piece sleeve case, rather than the more common top and bottom, easily removable panels.  If you peel the vinyl trim from the collar just behind the front panel, you'll discover a bunch of torx screws.  Remove them, and you should then be able to get the cabinet off.  (You'll need to remove back bumpers from the instrument, too, if they're present.)

Here are some photos of mine; unfortunately I didn't have reason to take many of the case but you can see the sleeve enclosure retaining screws and the clamping bars.

Screws across top of instrument:


Full complement of screws and clamping bars:


Instrument with cover removed:


Good luck with it, it's a fine piece of hardware!

-Pat

[tautech]

Nearly into the Top 10 Topics (by Views) but languishing near the bottom of most thanked threads. 

Who hasn't thanked the OP bitseeker ?     Get onto it ! 

Anyone not see their names here 

The following users thanked this post: all_repair, TiN, videobruce, StuUK, hammy, xrunner, JoeO, AF6LJ, tautech, saposoft, zucca, RJFreeman, blueskull, Brumby, nugglix, sixtimesseven, gnavigator1007, jakeisprobably, mnementh, neo, Daruosha, AlanS, CalMachine, bjcuizon, frozenfrogz, Jacon, Electro Detective, cosenmarco, bd139, CNe7532294, beanflying, imo, Manuauto, tardsat, Kosmic, umbro, slbender, + the formally recalcitrant ones Oculus,  Specmaster

Well, before the local bullies turn to the second tier...
(even Electro Detective, that ole' Multimeter Molester is there - fuh)

Well we've jumped up a couple of places but could still be better yet and now very nearly in the Top 10 Topics (by Views) .

[0culus]

Got the front panel off the 8664 (took some finesse with the bent output connector), and the good news is the N connector itself and the hardline SMA coax behind it are not damaged. Just had to bend back the thick steel bracket it's mounted to with some scrap leather and linemans pliers.

Well, it had to happen eventually. The 8664A sig gen I bought arrived with severe damage. The unit had to have been dropped from some height, because the right rack handle is destroyed and the RF output is bent severely.

The obvious damage. The other rack handle is bent too. The instrument seems functional, but it had a message "hardware failure 8" which is now gone, that I am trying to find a definition of.

I have an 8644B, which appears to use similar construction.  I just saw your post on the HPAK mailing list, but figure I'll answer here too as it's easier to go back and forth IMO.  One of the options you mention is for low emission; those instruments get a one-piece sleeve case, rather than the more common top and bottom, easily removable panels.  If you peel the vinyl trim from the collar just behind the front panel, you'll discover a bunch of torx screws.  Remove them, and you should then be able to get the cabinet off.  (You'll need to remove back bumpers from the instrument, too, if they're present.)

Here are some photos of mine; unfortunately I didn't have reason to take many of the case but you can see the sleeve enclosure retaining screws and the clamping bars.

Screws across top of instrument:


Full complement of screws and clamping bars:


Instrument with cover removed:


Good luck with it, it's a fine piece of hardware!

-Pat

Thank you!! This looks frustrating. 

Functionally, the instrument seems to be working just fine.

[Neomys Sapiens]

Could anyone show this inside-out-and-exploding trick with a LARGER lizard, please?

(Rifling through the Phonebook under St. G....)

[beanflying]

Bread makers for making bread are to limiting in particular if you like proper bread. When I had a Cafe and less than Zero life I used to make the all the Bread and Dough we used. Loaf 1 is actually a Gluten Free one of mine. The Triple loaves are my take on an English Bloomer light Rye Loaf, slow rise overnight the middle one is loaded with 300g of rough chopped dried fruits. And the last one is one of the 'proper' uses of Fresh Turkish Breads 

Still make Bread at home and for markets.

Edit added some more just because  Bit of Crumpet for the Pom's, Danish Pastries because Fruit is Healthy and a Cutaway of the Fruit Loaf.

[bd139]

That’s some nice looking baking that 

[mnementh]

Well, it had to happen eventually. The 8664A sig gen I bought arrived with severe damage. The unit had to have been dropped from some height, because the right rack handle is destroyed and the RF output is bent severely.

   The obvious damage. The other rack handle is bent too. The instrument seems functional, but it had a message "hardware failure 8" which is now gone, that I am trying to find a definition of.

Hoo booy... that blows. Hope you get lots of money back on the shipping claim.

Good luck!!!

mnem
Needs more cowbell.

[Mr. Scram]

It's a busted up precision instrument. I'd say it's a total loss and any use you get out of it beyond that is luck.

[mnementh]

Unfortunately bread is a big no-no if you are diabetic. 

Even the ones with lots of fibres and all the other goodness that slows the sugar spiking? What do you eat instead?

Other grains or perhaps 1 slice if it's under 30 grams of carbs which is what a diabetic should limit at a meal. Which means if you have one slice of bread @ 30 grams of carbs you technically aren't allowed any additional carbs at that meal. Try it....and find out how damn difficult it is. So basically for the most part I avoid bread.

Half a Thomas' Everything bagel, half an inch of Philly cream cheese, bacon, eggs & coffee with Splenda & Heavy Whipping Cream. 28 grams. Done. And that's adding a gram just in case of BS from the info tags.

Try doing 10-20 grams a DAY.    But yeah, real low-carb is HARD for a breadetarian/pastafarian like myself. 

mnem

Have YOU been touched by his noodly appendage?