Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[kj7e]

Looking real nice! 

How goes the HP modulation domain scope repairs?

Not had a chance to pull the supply out of the second one yet.  Should have time to pull it apart and get caps ordered this weekend.

[bitseeker]

The 2247A looks great! I'm always amused by the arrangement of letters in the MHz on-screen label.

[kj7e]

Just because its whats on the inside that counts, took a few photos while the cover was off.

[beanflying]

Bring down the Scope Tech a little.

Time to descope by one due to the recent Tek addition. The cheapy Protek / Hang Chang 3502 (20MHz) needs to find a new home after a quick clean and calibration tweak. Seems I could have skipped the clean bit nearly zero dust anywhere 

If anyone in Oz on this thread has or knows of a worthy home for it let me know? $50 with a pair of new Hantek probes plus postage or it will hit evilbay in a week or so. If it is a community/hackerspace feel free to give me a lowball offer 

[0culus]

Looking at the interior of that scope really gives you perspective on the engineering that went into Tek CROs.

[bitseeker]

Yeah, especially when they're posted in succession like that.

The colors of the Hantek are rather Philips-like.

[worsthorse]

Spent the evening with the guy who saved a workshop of electronics from a real estate agent's dumpster. Tested scopes, service monitors, power supplies and meters. I came away with a Fluke 8800 (working),  HP3400A (not working), HP PSU (not working, don't remember the number) and he has three scopes, two service monitors, and a power supply to sell on ebay.

The find of the evening came while we were sorting through boxes of printer switches, random power cords, etc:



Damn if it didn't have the AC adapter still attached and lit up when I hit the power switch.  Do you want it? I was just going to throw it in with a bunch of computers going to ecycle.  I allowed as I would find it useful and set it aside.

An HP45! Yes, the very same model my vo-tech instructor used to flaunt while checking our (slide-rule-calculated) quiz and test answers. I haven't seen one in more than forty years.  It cost 395USD in 1973 and was the first calculator to have a shift key

Happily, the battery (last changed in 1986) didn't leak. Tomorrow I will figure out how to build a replacement battery pack and put it back into daily use.

[tggzzz]

And yet more equipment in, um, strange condition and with optimistic pricing:

  Tektronix 1503 TDR Cable Tester
  Condition: Used
  “Used, sold as pictured, un able to test and will be sold in working order as shown”   
  US $379.99

No picture of a trace, naturally.
One of the pictures shows it has clearly been bodged by adding unnecessarily crude terminals on the back. That, if nothing else, means you can never use it in the rain, nor store it underwater. Hence it cannot be to full spec

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Tektronix-1503-TDR-Cable-Tester/264251751929

[tggzzz]

An HP45! Yes, the very same model my vo-tech instructor used to flaunt while checking our (slide-rule-calculated) quiz and test answers. I haven't seen one in more than forty years.  It cost 395USD in 1973 and was the first calculator to have a shift key

Happily, the battery (last changed in 1986) didn't leak. Tomorrow I will figure out how to build a replacement battery pack and put it back into daily use.

You can buy replacement HP35 battery packs on fleabay, quite cheaply.

[nfmax]

An HP45! Yes, the very same model my vo-tech instructor used to flaunt while checking our (slide-rule-calculated) quiz and test answers. I haven't seen one in more than forty years.  It cost 395USD in 1973 and was the first calculator to have a shift key

Happily, the battery (last changed in 1986) didn't leak. Tomorrow I will figure out how to build a replacement battery pack and put it back into daily use.

You can buy replacement HP35 battery packs on fleabay, quite cheaply.

All the 'classics' series calculators use the same battery pack. I have an HP 45 with one of the eBay specials and it works OK

[beanflying]

What sort of a !@##ing ^&&hole puts Time base Adjustment Caps under a lump of non removable Steel 

My tongue angle and swizzle sticks don't do curves 

Scotch Break ......

[bd139]

LOL.

Try Telequipment. Yes we'll do that but at the same time we'll assemble a two board sandwich with a rat's nest of wires between them so you can't actually get into the middle either without resorting to MacGuyver bomb disposal techniques.  On their stuff I have taken to snipping the iffy components off as close to the body as possible, bending the remaining leads up and soldering the new component to the old leads.

[tggzzz]

LOL.

Try Telequipment. Yes we'll do that but at the same time we'll assemble a two board sandwich with a rat's nest of wires between them so you can't actually get into the middle either without resorting to MacGuyver bomb disposal techniques.  On their stuff I have taken to snipping the iffy components off as close to the body as possible, bending the remaining leads up and soldering the new component to the old leads.

I've never ever ever done that. Neither have I heated the topside component lead and pulled, then sucked, then reinserted and soldered. Nor tack soldered a new electrolytic in parallel with a suspect decoupler.

Oh no. Never ever.

[PA0PBZ]

What sort of a !@##ing ^&&hole puts Time base Adjustment Caps under a lump of non removable Steel 

That's probably why there's a hole in the steel?

[med6753]

I've never ever ever done that.

Despite your sarcasm I'm still going to call you out on this. Of course you have. I have too. We ALL have done it. 

Neither have I heated the topside component lead and pulled, then sucked, then reinserted and soldered.

Again....Please.  I do that all the time when changing the beaded tants on the 465/475.

 Nor tack soldered a new electrolytic in parallel with a suspect decoupler.

Now that I have not done. So you got me beat there. 

[beanflying]

What sort of a !@##ing ^&&hole puts Time base Adjustment Caps under a lump of non removable Steel 

That's probably why there's a hole in the steel?

Which don't align with the trimmers 

Issue resolved I now have a double recurved swizzle stick  and a good bit of kit ready for a new owner.

I should have done the flyover with a drone but CBF'd 

https://youtu.be/COm-N4Zfoa8

[Specmaster]

And yet more equipment in, um, strange condition and with optimistic pricing:

  Tektronix 1503 TDR Cable Tester
  Condition: Used
  “Used, sold as pictured, un able to test and will be sold in working order as shown”   
  US $379.99

No picture of a trace, naturally.
One of the pictures shows it has clearly been bodged by adding unnecessarily crude terminals on the back. That, if nothing else, means you can never use it in the rain, nor store it underwater. Hence it cannot be to full spec

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Tektronix-1503-TDR-Cable-Tester/264251751929

Yep, there some really wonderful sellers out there that really fill you with confidence. If a seller states its working, I always ask to see photos of it working first 

[Specmaster]

LOL.

Try Telequipment. Yes we'll do that but at the same time we'll assemble a two board sandwich with a rat's nest of wires between them so you can't actually get into the middle either without resorting to MacGuyver bomb disposal techniques.  On their stuff I have taken to snipping the iffy components off as close to the body as possible, bending the remaining leads up and soldering the new component to the old leads.

I've never ever ever done that. Neither have I heated the topside component lead and pulled, then sucked, then reinserted and soldered. Nor tack soldered a new electrolytic in parallel with a suspect decoupler.

Oh no. Never ever.

Hmm I wonder why when I read this, I keep getting this image appear in my Brain 

[Specmaster]

Yeah, especially when they're posted in succession like that.

The colors of the Hantek are rather Philips-like.

Or of course it could be that the Hantek is much newer and uses advanced chipset so complexity is reduced 

[beanflying]

Yeah, especially when they're posted in succession like that.

The colors of the Hantek are rather Philips-like.

Or of course it could be that the Hantek is much newer and uses advanced chipset so complexity is reduced 

Protek / Hang Chang not Hantek

[Specmaster]

Just had confirmation from Digikey that my mains filter units should be with on Tuesday, thats good, I'll be able to use newly acquired 7150's then and post some photos of them performing along side my other meters against some known references, early indications are that it should be within about 10 microvolts on some measurements and others spot on. If thats correct then I think you could call a win as it falls within its specification ratings, especially for an instrument of its age. 

[bd139]

Cool stuff. I hate Easter weekend. I'm hoping an RS order turns up today so I can actually get on with something, else it's shelve until Tuesday 

[tggzzz]

LOL.

Try Telequipment. Yes we'll do that but at the same time we'll assemble a two board sandwich with a rat's nest of wires between them so you can't actually get into the middle either without resorting to MacGuyver bomb disposal techniques.  On their stuff I have taken to snipping the iffy components off as close to the body as possible, bending the remaining leads up and soldering the new component to the old leads.

I've never ever ever done that. Neither have I heated the topside component lead and pulled, then sucked, then reinserted and soldered. Nor tack soldered a new electrolytic in parallel with a suspect decoupler.

Oh no. Never ever.

Hmm I wonder why when I read this, I keep getting this image appear in my Brain 

Being more kultchered, I was thinking of "The lady doth protest too much, methinks"
https://www.enotes.com/shakespeare-quotes/lady-doth-protest-too-much-methinks

[tggzzz]

I've never ever ever done that.

Despite your sarcasm I'm still going to call you out on this. Of course you have. I have too. We ALL have done it. 

Neither have I heated the topside component lead and pulled, then sucked, then reinserted and soldered.

Again....Please.  I do that all the time when changing the beaded tants on the 465/475.

 Nor tack soldered a new electrolytic in parallel with a suspect decoupler.

Now that I have not done. So you got me beat there. 

Drat. Spotted.

In my defense, the tacked in parallel caps were only on a 1kHz LCR meter, and are sufficient.

[grizewald]

Don't these morons understand that not everyone who fixes electronic equipment is a business

Is not possible register as a small business in Sweden, to get around this?

In the UK you can get set up with an officially registered company ID for almost no money.

To register a company in the simplest form costs about 175 GBP. The biggest problem is that as someone who is registered as owning a business, the yearly tax declaration is way more complicated and takes a lot longer to get processed. Plus you have to file yearly accounts. Both of these things apply regardless of turnover or profits.

It's simply not worth the hassle.