Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[Mr. Scram]

Everything is ephemeral. Even Dave.

The point is that when the pictures are hosted on the forums the threads they're part of will cease to exist along with the pictures themselves, rather than the lack of either making the whole useless.

[med6753]

well... though i am on the time nuts and volts nuts reflectors, i've resisted the six plus digit DMMs so far, along with Gigahurtz oscilloscopes.  I just keep saying to myself...

they used slide rules to get apollo 11 to the moon and back. they used slide rules to get apollo 11 to the moon and back. they used slide rules...

 

They also used huge computers and F-1 rocket engines.

Most likely one of these. The console for the IBM S/360 Model 65. Back in those days it was all idiot lights.....no CRT console. That didn't come along until S/370.

 

[mansaxel]

Yes, keeping pics and texts together has value. If I reach any limits that are annoying, I'll just self-host; there are so many Mbits and MHz to spare in my colo, that the Mibibytes of storage can be exploited there, too. Not that I think I'll upload anything I have no local copy of as well. So, I can serve it just as easily.

[Mr. Scram]

Most likely one of these. The console for the IBM S/360 Model 65. Back in those days it was all idiot lights.....no CRT console. That didn't come along until S/370.

 

Some background linked below.

https://history.nasa.gov/computers/Ch8-2.html

[worsthorse]

well... though i am on the time nuts and volts nuts reflectors, i've resisted the six plus digit DMMs so far, along with Gigahurtz oscilloscopes.  I just keep saying to myself...

they used slide rules to get apollo 11 to the moon and back. they used slide rules to get apollo 11 to the moon and back. they used slide rules...

 

They also used huge computers and F-1 rocket engines.

Most likely one of these. The console for the IBM S/360 Model 65. Back in those days it was all idiot lights.....no CRT console. That didn't come along until S/370.

 

All this is making me do is become nostalgic for all the eight bit microprocessor and bit slice stuff I built in the late 70s and early 80s...



Slide rules and bit slice microcode. It just doesn't get any better than that.   

[med6753]

Most likely one of these. The console for the IBM S/360 Model 65. Back in those days it was all idiot lights.....no CRT console. That didn't come along until S/370.

 

Some background linked below.

https://history.nasa.gov/computers/Ch8-2.html

Yep, the first computer NASA purchased was an IBM 7090. A little known fact is that when NASA got the computer no one knew how to operate it or what to do with it. It sat for a long time doing nothing. NASA had women, mainly African-American, who were math whizzes called "computers" who did all the calculations by hand. THEY were the ones who figured out how to program it and do their math calculations. And to this day they get almost no credit for it. The movie "Hidden Figures" is a fact based account of their accomplishments.

[bd139]

well... though i am on the time nuts and volts nuts reflectors, i've resisted the six plus digit DMMs so far, along with Gigahurtz oscilloscopes.  I just keep saying to myself...

they used slide rules to get apollo 11 to the moon and back. they used slide rules to get apollo 11 to the moon and back. they used slide rules...

 

They also used huge computers and F-1 rocket engines.

Most likely one of these. The console for the IBM S/360 Model 65. Back in those days it was all idiot lights.....no CRT console. That didn't come along until S/370.

 

All this is making me do is become nostalgic for all the eight bit microprocessor and bit slice stuff I built in the late 70s and early 80s...

(Attachment Link)

Slide rules and bit slice microcode. It just doesn't get any better than that.   

Inspiration drop:

https://www.homebrewcpuring.org/

[tautech]

Most likely one of these. The console for the IBM S/360 Model 65. Back in those days it was all idiot lights.....no CRT console. That didn't come along until S/370.

 

Some background linked below.

https://history.nasa.gov/computers/Ch8-2.html

Yep, the first computer NASA purchased was an IBM 7090. A little known fact is that when NASA got the computer no one knew how to operate it or what to do with it. It sat for a long time doing nothing. NASA had women, mainly African-American, who were math whizzes called "computers" who did all the calculations by hand. THEY were the ones who figured out how to program it and do their math calculations. And to this day they get almost no credit for it. The movie "Hidden Figures" is a fact based account of their accomplishments.

Yep, fascinating movie watched just a few months back.
Since then I've seen mention of the girls in a couple of articles.

[worsthorse]

well... though i am on the time nuts and volts nuts reflectors, i've resisted the six plus digit DMMs so far, along with Gigahurtz oscilloscopes.  I just keep saying to myself...

they used slide rules to get apollo 11 to the moon and back. they used slide rules to get apollo 11 to the moon and back. they used slide rules...

 

They also used huge computers and F-1 rocket engines.

Most likely one of these. The console for the IBM S/360 Model 65. Back in those days it was all idiot lights.....no CRT console. That didn't come along until S/370.

 

All this is making me do is become nostalgic for all the eight bit microprocessor and bit slice stuff I built in the late 70s and early 80s...

(Attachment Link)

Slide rules and bit slice microcode. It just doesn't get any better than that.   

Inspiration drop:

https://www.homebrewcpuring.org/

that's awesome. and terrible rabbit hole, too! 

i was in grad school while working more-than-full time for a startup way back when, so i was building/debugging memory and graphics boards during the day and building and programming bit slice processors for fun at night. the AMD 29000 stuff was all the rage as were wire wrap boards. really big wire wrap boards...

[bsfeechannel]

(Attachment Link)

Nope... Redneck BBQs always start out as a wheelbarrow or a 1/2 or full keg. That's definitely "SPAM-Sucking Trailer Trash" haute cuisine, right they-arrre… If it's cooked on a stolen shopping cart, it's Alabammy Brisket.

mnem
Traveling up & down the Eastern Seaboard doing the snowbird thing, you get to see all kinds...

This thread is awesome. Never learned and laughed out loud so much at the same time. The only problem is to keep up with fast pace of the postings. But I'm starting to get good at speed reading.

[bsfeechannel]

Hello,

yesterday I've vistied the HAM fest "UKW Tagung Weinheim 2019"

Here are some impressions, hope, you'll enjoy them.

[Neomys Sapiens]

Hello,

yesterday I've vistied the HAM fest "UKW Tagung Weinheim 2019"

Here are some impressions, hope, you'll enjoy them.

Hi, at which time did you visit?

[xrunner]

This thread is awesome. Never learned and laughed out loud so much at the same time. The only problem is to keep up with fast pace of the postings. But I'm starting to get good at speed reading.

Good group here, a little crazy but I think you'll fit in. 

[tggzzz]

All this is making me do is become nostalgic for all the eight bit microprocessor and bit slice stuff I built in the late 70s and early 80s...

Slide rules and bit slice microcode. It just doesn't get any better than that.   

I should have a Mick and Brick and the 2900 series datasheets around somewhere.

[tggzzz]

i was in grad school while working more-than-full time for a startup way back when, so i was building/debugging memory and graphics boards during the day and building and programming bit slice processors for fun at night. the AMD 29000 stuff was all the rage as were wire wrap boards. really big wire wrap boards...

The 29000 was very different from the 2900!

[worsthorse]

i was in grad school while working more-than-full time for a startup way back when, so i was building/debugging memory and graphics boards during the day and building and programming bit slice processors for fun at night. the AMD 29000 stuff was all the rage as were wire wrap boards. really big wire wrap boards...

The 29000 was very different from the 2900!

Stuttered and added a zero!  Yikes! Yeah, the 29000 was RISC stuff, wasn't it? Time to do a little interwebbing.

[worsthorse]

This is how it begins. First you get a decent DMM. I dunno, like four maybe five and half digits. Not crazy but pretty damn good. Then you decide to build some kelvin leads for it. Then you figure you'd like to know that it is reasonably accurate, and someone says, for that you should get yourself a DMMCheck and before you know it...



You are spending your evenings figuring out the difference between RN55C and RN55D resistors, sorting 0.1% parts and checking to see if you have any new messages from the volt-nuts reflector. 

[worsthorse]

All this is making me do is become nostalgic for all the eight bit microprocessor and bit slice stuff I built in the late 70s and early 80s...

Slide rules and bit slice microcode. It just doesn't get any better than that.   

I should have a Mick and Brick and the 2900 series datasheets around somewhere.

It took me fifteen minutes to remember Mick and Brick. I can't believe you still have a copy! That's awesome.

This was the first post-university design project I worked on, based on the AMD 2900 series:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PERQ

It was the first commercial computer with a graphical user interface. Unfortunately, we made enough bad marketing choices to lose the market to Sun and Apollo.

[bd139]

This is how it begins. First you get a decent DMM. I dunno, like four maybe five and half digits. Not crazy but pretty damn good. Then you decide to build some kelvin leads for it. Then you figure you'd like to know that it is reasonably accurate, and someone says, for that you should get yourself a DMMCheck and before you know it...

(Attachment Link)

You are spending your evenings figuring out the difference between RN55C and RN55D resistors, sorting 0.1% parts and checking to see if you have any new messages from the volt-nuts reflector. 

Hahaha.

Then you learn there are RN55E’s

I actually just spent £20 on those damn resistors (RN55C). I’m trying to build a band gap reference from scratch with those and a CA3096 transistor array.

[tggzzz]

This is how it begins. First you get a decent DMM. I dunno, like four maybe five and half digits. Not crazy but pretty damn good. Then you decide to build some kelvin leads for it. Then you figure you'd like to know that it is reasonably accurate, and someone says, for that you should get yourself a DMMCheck and before you know it...

(Attachment Link)

You are spending your evenings figuring out the difference between RN55C and RN55D resistors, sorting 0.1% parts and checking to see if you have any new messages from the volt-nuts reflector. 

Hahaha.

Then you learn there are RN55E’s

I actually just spent £20 on those damn resistors (RN55C). I’m trying to build a band gap reference from scratch with those and a CA3096 transistor array.

And then you feel the urge to move onto real resistors, like Vishay VHP202 "Hermetically Sealed High Precision Bulk Metal® Foil Technology Resistors with TCR of ± 2 ppm/°C, Tolerance of ± 0.001 % and Load Life Stability of ± 0.005 %".

Note the plural in "resistors" 

(BTW, what's that "(Attachment Link)" crap?)

[tggzzz]

All this is making me do is become nostalgic for all the eight bit microprocessor and bit slice stuff I built in the late 70s and early 80s...

Slide rules and bit slice microcode. It just doesn't get any better than that.   

I should have a Mick and Brick and the 2900 series datasheets around somewhere.

It took me fifteen minutes to remember Mick and Brick. I can't believe you still have a copy! That's awesome.

This was the first post-university design project I worked on, based on the AMD 2900 series:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PERQ

It was the first commercial computer with a graphical user interface. Unfortunately, we made enough bad marketing choices to lose the market to Sun and Apollo.

(Attachment Link)

I was aware of the PERQ, but didn't realise it was a Pascal machine.

I have a deep and abiding hatred of the Appalling Domain machines. I was once playing around in the guts of a DN10K, and was the only person who had any knowledge of it. Not enough knowledge, since I restored a mag tape to the disk with the wrong permissions, and nobody could delete it thereafter - by design. That was a safety feature in a hardcore distributed filing system, designed to prevent you deleting other people's files.

[bd139]

Hating Apollo Domain was a hobby of mine for 3 months. Then I got a Sun Ultra 1 on my desk. Life was good. It had a CD player!

Edit: our resident unix supremo picked an HPUX box, model of which I can’t remember, a decision she regrets to this day I suspect.

This is how it begins. First you get a decent DMM. I dunno, like four maybe five and half digits. Not crazy but pretty damn good. Then you decide to build some kelvin leads for it. Then you figure you'd like to know that it is reasonably accurate, and someone says, for that you should get yourself a DMMCheck and before you know it...

(Attachment Link)

You are spending your evenings figuring out the difference between RN55C and RN55D resistors, sorting 0.1% parts and checking to see if you have any new messages from the volt-nuts reflector. 

Hahaha.

Then you learn there are RN55E’s

I actually just spent £20 on those damn resistors (RN55C). I’m trying to build a band gap reference from scratch with those and a CA3096 transistor array.

And then you feel the urge to move onto real resistors, like Vishay VHP202 "Hermetically Sealed High Precision Bulk Metal® Foil Technology Resistors with TCR of ± 2 ppm/°C, Tolerance of ± 0.001 % and Load Life Stability of ± 0.005 %".

Note the plural in "resistors" 

(BTW, what's that "(Attachment Link)" crap?)

No no no no no I won’t go down that hole 

Attachment link is where there’s some attachment markup in the page to display an image inline but the quoted post doesn’t have any attachments and the forum engine is too dumb to infer which post had the attachment.

aka typical PHP development quality. They should use a GUID or something

[tggzzz]

Hating Apollo Domain was a hobby of mine for 3 months. Then I got a Sun Ultra 1 on my desk. Life was good. It had a CD player!

Edit: our resident unix supremo picked an HPUX box, model of which I can’t remember, a decision she regrets to this day I suspect.

This is how it begins. First you get a decent DMM. I dunno, like four maybe five and half digits. Not crazy but pretty damn good. Then you decide to build some kelvin leads for it. Then you figure you'd like to know that it is reasonably accurate, and someone says, for that you should get yourself a DMMCheck and before you know it...

(Attachment Link)

You are spending your evenings figuring out the difference between RN55C and RN55D resistors, sorting 0.1% parts and checking to see if you have any new messages from the volt-nuts reflector. 

Hahaha.

Then you learn there are RN55E’s

I actually just spent £20 on those damn resistors (RN55C). I’m trying to build a band gap reference from scratch with those and a CA3096 transistor array.

And then you feel the urge to move onto real resistors, like Vishay VHP202 "Hermetically Sealed High Precision Bulk Metal® Foil Technology Resistors with TCR of ± 2 ppm/°C, Tolerance of ± 0.001 % and Load Life Stability of ± 0.005 %".

Note the plural in "resistors" 

(BTW, what's that "(Attachment Link)" crap?)

No no no no no I won’t go down that hole 

Attachment link is where there’s some attachment markup in the page to display an image inline but the quoted post doesn’t have any attachments and the forum engine is too dumb to infer which post had the attachment.

aka typical PHP development quality. They should use a GUID or something

Here's some pron, including each resistor marked for tracability. You know you want to fondle these (with latex gloves to avoid contamination, natch).

[bd139]

Ouch. That’s going to sting. I’ve seen those resistors around the £25 a go mark.

[tggzzz]

Ouch. That’s going to sting. I’ve seen those resistors around the £25 a go mark.

Yup Even if I part them out, I'd make a profit

Plus the others in the second of the three 19" boxes - but I've already shown these: