Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[bd139]

My problem with Radio, HAM or CB is, I enjoy how it works more than talking to the people you often find there.  Been licensed as an Extra since I was 13, 30 years ago now, but not been very active for the last 10.  I miss the technical discussion and could not care less for the arguing and mindless banter.

Same situation. I mistook this for wanting to do something else a few months ago and shifted a lot of my stuff. This left me with a bare bones CW setup in the end. This turned out to be the glove that fits. If you stay out of the contests, down on CW QRP there are a lot of real decent people out there who still want to make stuff and talk about it rather than ailments or politics. Most of what is done is cheap and achievable as well, pushing the boundary of "less is more". I have made a few contacts to totally homebrew stations in the last year.

There's also FT8 but that is so utterly boring. I like to use this graphic to describe it:



Edit: mini FT8 rant. You can't really say you got an award for working all states / countries on FT8 as you could easily be replaced by a three line python script that could have done it for you.

[bd139]

"Acquired from a reliable source"

Of what ... e-Waste?  Road kill?

That is painful to look at.

That's "clearance attack force" where they basically take everything and throw it into a van then drive it around like it's a police car in Smokey and the Bandit... then try and shift it on ebay.

[Specmaster]

Yep aware of that. You can also test the fuses without taking it to bits as well.

Yes and I think that is the test it does.

Sent from my POT-LX1 using Tapatalk

[tggzzz]

"Acquired from a reliable source"

Of what ... e-Waste?  Road kill?

That is painful to look at.

That's "clearance attack force" where they basically take everything and throw it into a van then drive it around like it's a police car in Smokey and the Bandit... then try and shift it on ebay.

Could have been run over by a Patriot missiles battery[1], which could be regarded as a form of "clearance attack force".

[1] one of the military 1502 manuals indicates that's where they were used.

[bd139]

Yep aware of that. You can also test the fuses without taking it to bits as well.

Yes and I think that is the test it does.

Gotcha think you are right. I usually have to look it up in the manual every time I do that 

"Acquired from a reliable source"

Of what ... e-Waste?  Road kill?

That is painful to look at.

That's "clearance attack force" where they basically take everything and throw it into a van then drive it around like it's a police car in Smokey and the Bandit... then try and shift it on ebay.

Could have been run over by a Patriot missiles battery[1], which could be regarded as a form of "clearance attack force".

[1] one of the military 1502 manuals indicates that's where they were used.

Yes they were definitely used on that. Look up Patriot AMG. OSA forbids me saying more

Edit: I will say that I suspect not many got damaged in service as field maintenance was relatively rare. It’s the disposal cycle that is the violent one ironically.

[beanflying]

My problem with Radio, HAM or CB is, I enjoy how it works more than talking to the people you often find there.  Been licensed as an Extra since I was 13, 30 years ago now, but not been very active for the last 10.  I miss the technical discussion and could not care less for the arguing and mindless banter.

Same situation. I mistook this for wanting to do something else a few months ago and shifted a lot of my stuff. This left me with a bare bones CW setup in the end. This turned out to be the glove that fits. If you stay out of the contests, down on CW QRP there are a lot of real decent people out there who still want to make stuff and talk about it rather than ailments or politics. Most of what is done is cheap and achievable as well, pushing the boundary of "less is more". I have made a few contacts to totally homebrew stations in the last year.

There's also FT8 but that is so utterly boring. I like to use this graphic to describe it:



Edit: mini FT8 rant. You can't really say you got an award for working all states / countries on FT8 as you could easily be replaced by a three line python script that could have done it for you.

Have you ever watched the full version of Metropolis? If not worth chasing it up for a look.

End of Lasering for a bit until the new batch of plastic gets in. Whippy came out fairly well and well due to the original image contrast and I am just a Pirate and have the matching T-Shirt

[Mr. Scram]

Could have been run over by a Patriot missiles battery[1], which could be regarded as a form of "clearance attack force".

[1] one of the military 1502 manuals indicates that's where they were used.

Is that a 12V or 24V battery?

[Specmaster]

A big tea leaf with logos inside?

I am leaning more toward Slave to TEA with a Rack if Gear in front

SWMBO is standing to left out of sight and is cracking the whipp [emoji83][emoji83][emoji83]

Sent from my POT-LX1 using Tapatalk

[tggzzz]

Have you ever watched the full version of Metropolis? If not worth chasing it up for a look.

Personally I prefer "The Cabinet of Dr Caligari": shorter, snappier, better visuals. Seen it several times.

Last saw Metropolis (the new full version) in one of the oldest continually operating cinemas. It was opened on 20th April, 1912 A few of the visuals were groundbreaking, but there's a lot of repetition.

[tggzzz]

"Acquired from a reliable source"

Of what ... e-Waste?  Road kill?

That is painful to look at.

That's "clearance attack force" where they basically take everything and throw it into a van then drive it around like it's a police car in Smokey and the Bandit... then try and shift it on ebay.

Could have been run over by a Patriot missiles battery[1], which could be regarded as a form of "clearance attack force".

[1] one of the military 1502 manuals indicates that's where they were used.

Yes they were definitely used on that. Look up Patriot AMG. OSA forbids me saying more

Edit: I will say that I suspect not many got damaged in service as field maintenance was relatively rare. It’s the disposal cycle that is the violent one ironically.

They were pretty squaddy-proof.

Shock mounted CRT (even that CRT might have survived), could be stored under 1ft of water, and operated in the driving rain (with 2kV on one of the pots mounted on the front panel )

[bd139]

Cabinet of Dr Caligari with the 1996 soundtrack by In The Nursery is good 

Metropolis is excellent for the time.

[Specmaster]

Yeah it's called "bank holiday Monday" here and means SFA

Busy day here!

What make and type of computer is it? Thats unusual as most sound cards have dedicated sockets for microphones, aux inputs etc.

Lenovo T440. I found an HP Elitebook in the cupboard I forgot I had and that had a mic input and a windows 10 build on it (woohoo) so I used that in the end. It works. Post alignment, this is one hell of a radio:




And now for something, completely different and more TEA related.

Between all that and cooking a roast dinner I have been soaking the Fluke 87 holster which I have been ignoring for several weeks now in the kitchen sink. Just scrubbed it up and we're done. Shown next to its 25 year newer brother.



Quick reminder of the state of the one on the left when it arrived. Dirty, broken input jack, knackered display.



Now to enjoy my roast 

I do like that K2, it's neat and very functional, maybe I'll look at getting a receiver of some sort and explore the air waves a bit more one day. Is the speaker integral to the K2 or external? Good work on that Fluke bumper it looks as good as the other one now

[bd139]

It’s really nicely designed. Very easy to use. The engineering is top notch. It’s the diametric opposite of the QRP Labs kits. Speaker is internal.

Definitely worth getting a receiver at least. You can pick up decent general coverage ones for bugger all on eBay. The K2 isn’t a general coverage RX covering only amateur bands unfortunately. I am actually in the market for an old Heathkit general coverage receiver as well as this one. Interesting short wave stations out there still believe it or not.

Not totally happy with the fluke holster. There’s some permanent marker on the back where someone wrote their name. I got it down to light green though with some isopropyl alcohol.

Edit: my neighbour when I was a kid had one of these and I really wanted it:

https://youtu.be/SIPM1xjtDcY

[nixiefreqq]

well it was not my proudest moment.

had been at the hamfest yesterday and picked up a modern iec power socket to replace the non standard one on a b&k counter.  it had flying leads and could be adapted to fit in place with out a lot of bodge.

drilled the rivets and removed the old one.  had the new one loosely fitted and got the brilliant idea to plug a cord in to make sure everything was aligned before tightening the screws and soldering the leads. 

that's when things took a turn.  see attached picture for the situation on the bench.  the intended cord is right there within easy reach.  so are some others.

was fiddling with it hot for about 5 seconds before getting jolted.  as I flung the mess down it shorted and the basement breaker left me sitting in the dark. 

do some of my best thinkin' in the dark.   and so it only took a couple of milliseconds to realize what had happened.

fortunately swmbo and the rotten kid were over at the outlet mall and were spared hearing my shout in the dark.

"STUPID MOTHER FUCKER!!!"

 

[VK5RC]

Having a bit of a RF power meter check up, I have (HP) 436A which uses the cheaper diode power heads 848x,
And a  432A which uses 478a thermistor type, I have one 478 that works another appears superficially dead.
I have just discovered that the 478a is a current part from KS - FOR  AUS $8800!!!   WOW, 
That is ok, you can buy the 4 thermistors all bound up - in an insert for just $3300!
These thermistors are less than 1mm in diameter. I think I will list the working 478a in my final will and testament!

(ok you can buy 'probably' working ones for USD $270)
Rob

[med6753]

It’s really nicely designed. Very easy to use. The engineering is top notch. It’s the diametric opposite of the QRP Labs kits. Speaker is internal.

Definitely worth getting a receiver at least. You can pick up decent general coverage ones for bugger all on eBay. The K2 isn’t a general coverage RX covering only amateur bands unfortunately. I am actually in the market for an old Heathkit general coverage receiver as well as this one. Interesting short wave stations out there still believe it or not.

Not totally happy with the fluke holster. There’s some permanent marker on the back where someone wrote their name. I got it down to light green though with some isopropyl alcohol.

If you do shop around for a SWL receiver stay away from this one. Heath SW-7800. It's a piece of shit. I have one that I built years ago. I've always been disappointed at it's overall performance. I thought there was something wrong with mine but research has shown it is indeed a POS. Unfortunately it shows clearly that in the early 1990's Heathkit was going down the tubes.

You think it has digital tuning? Wrong Sherlock. Analog tuning with a built in frequency counter to display the tuned frequency. Freaking lame.



 

[med6753]

well it was not my proudest moment.

had been at the hamfest yesterday and picked up a modern iec power socket to replace the non standard one on a b&k counter.  it had flying leads and could be adapted to fit in place with out a lot of bodge.

drilled the rivets and removed the old one.  had the new one loosely fitted and got the brilliant idea to plug a cord in to make sure everything was aligned before tightening the screws and soldering the leads. 

that's when things took a turn.  see attached picture for the situation on the bench.  the intended cord is right there within easy reach.  so are some others.

was fiddling with it hot for about 5 seconds before getting jolted.  as I flung the mess down it shorted and the basement breaker left me sitting in the dark. 

do some of my best thinkin' in the dark.   and so it only took a couple of milliseconds to realize what had happened.

fortunately swmbo and the rotten kid were over at the outlet mall and were spared hearing my shout in the dark.

"STUPID MOTHER FUCKER!!!"

Ouch!  I'm glad you're OK. 

[nixiefreqq]

[/quote]

Ouch!  I'm glad you're OK. 
[/quote]

thanks.

but the important thing is that the counter is ok.

maybe it is time to check myself into someplace safe and spend my time listening to talk radio while drooling facedown in the oatmeal?

[Brumby]

but the important thing is that the counter is ok.

Good to hear.

... and it's good that you are still around (to tell us).

Once bitten - twice shy?

[xrunner]

If you do shop around for a SWL receiver stay away from this one. Heath SW-7800. It's a piece of shit.

Oh yea, DO NOT GET.


Here's some of mine. On the bottom we have Kenwood R-1000 and R-2000, and Yeasu FRG-7700. All good radios.

On the top a Drake SSR-1 (so-so) and a Realistic DX-160 (Meh).


Still waiting on the Drake SPR-4 to be delivered. 

[Specmaster]

well it was not my proudest moment.

had been at the hamfest yesterday and picked up a modern iec power socket to replace the non standard one on a b&k counter.  it had flying leads and could be adapted to fit in place with out a lot of bodge.

drilled the rivets and removed the old one.  had the new one loosely fitted and got the brilliant idea to plug a cord in to make sure everything was aligned before tightening the screws and soldering the leads. 

that's when things took a turn.  see attached picture for the situation on the bench.  the intended cord is right there within easy reach.  so are some others.

was fiddling with it hot for about 5 seconds before getting jolted.  as I flung the mess down it shorted and the basement breaker left me sitting in the dark. 

do some of my best thinkin' in the dark.   and so it only took a couple of milliseconds to realize what had happened.

fortunately swmbo and the rotten kid were over at the outlet mall and were spared hearing my shout in the dark.

"STUPID MOTHER FUCKER!!!"

Glad that your OK and thankful it was only 120v, if it was 240v the outcome might have been different. Get yourself a RCD on the circuit quick so that if happens again it disconnects before you do yourself any damage.

Sent from my POT-LX1 using Tapatalk

[0culus]

well it was not my proudest moment.

had been at the hamfest yesterday and picked up a modern iec power socket to replace the non standard one on a b&k counter.  it had flying leads and could be adapted to fit in place with out a lot of bodge.

drilled the rivets and removed the old one.  had the new one loosely fitted and got the brilliant idea to plug a cord in to make sure everything was aligned before tightening the screws and soldering the leads. 

that's when things took a turn.  see attached picture for the situation on the bench.  the intended cord is right there within easy reach.  so are some others.

was fiddling with it hot for about 5 seconds before getting jolted.  as I flung the mess down it shorted and the basement breaker left me sitting in the dark. 

do some of my best thinkin' in the dark.   and so it only took a couple of milliseconds to realize what had happened.

fortunately swmbo and the rotten kid were over at the outlet mall and were spared hearing my shout in the dark.

"STUPID MOTHER FUCKER!!!"

Yikes...I got but by a wall outlet with the cover plate off while painting once. 120Vac hurts.

[URI]

Don't you just love fleabay condition statements, e.g. "Acquired from a reliable source" in auction

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SS-TEKTRONIX-1502-METALLIC-TDR-CABLE-TESTER-HB2/192902737588

Ah, yes, one of my favourite ebay-sellers. NOT
Almost everything is offered as being from a reliable source, no matter how badly beaten up it is. 
Combined with fairly high prices with the opportunity to make an offer and counter offers going $3-$5 down from their originally offered price I've decided to just ignore those. Can't expect anything else from this seller. 

[0culus]

What the hell....that thing needs to be mercifully put out to pasture...

[0culus]

Not strictly Test Equipment, but certainly related to TEA repairs, I purchased this Hitachi/Metabo power screwdriver on Shahriar's endorsement in one of the recent Signal Path episodes: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07L78Y72J/

Looking forward to trying it. Unlike a lot of others, it has a very large selection of clutch settings down to very low torque so it should make disassembly and reassembly of test gear much easier.

   That thing is a effing abortion... I can see at least 6 glaring noob engineer "I'm an imbecile who doesn't actually use tools" design mistakes... and why the FUCK is the motor/gearhead portion so big/long? It could literally be HALF that size and do the job. 

mnem
*running away before the yuckyputz gets all over me*

It's honestly not as big as the pictures make it seem. Feels pretty nice in the hand.

meh. I’ve bought and got rid of dozens just like it; the whole design is a recycled clusterfuck from years gone by.

Black & Decker tried the flip-out grip decades ago; they abandoned it because they got reamed by the customers over the built-in pinch points that make the design a blood-blister factory.

The rocker paddle on the side means it’s only really good in screwdriver mode; in pistol mode for righties it’s inconvenient, for lefties it’s unusable.

Proprietary single-cell packs in this day & age? 18650 cells and chargers are cheap and more common than D cells anymore.

And single-cell means slow as flurp; probably 450-550 RPM.

That pregnant motor/gearbox section tells me that even though they’re charging “real tool” prices, they couldn’t be arsed to actually design a new tool; they just made a flip-out shell for some discontinued drill gearbox and 1S-voltage motor.

That thing is no more than a Versa-Pack B&D electric screwdriver in Hitachi green.   

mnem
meh and a half.

OK, so I have to disagree with you, because I didn't buy it to replace my other tools. I bought this specifically because it IS slower and has a lot of control over torque, compared to my Makita cordless impact driver. That thing will hammer screws in for days, but it's way overkill for delicate stuff. The power screwdriver is specifically for dealing with test equipment that has a lot of screws (e.g. my 8664A with it's optional low leakage case...don't ask how many screws it takes to get into it).