Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[tautech]

A long time ago. Haven't seen it around in particular either in the local hardware stores. Will add another few coats to the coaster before I decide on a finish for the other bits under construction in the Jarrah.

I’d reckon if you asked for Tung oil at HW stores these days they’d look at ya funny.
It’s an old product but most should still be able to get it.
I use it on rifle stocks but it takes some time to dry.
A thinned base coat gives a bit of depth and it rubs up ok.

[beanflying]

Actually just checked and Bunnings (large Oz Hardware chain for those non locals) still carry it $43/L https://www.bunnings.com.au/feast-watson-1l-tung-oil_p1571723

Plenty of options out there, if I had gone with a lighter colour ply Shellac and even a modern top coat comes up well. Most likely stick with what I have providing it look good after another application and buff.

[bd139]

1740A feet all done now. Had to wait for some funny ass gun totin' 6-32 screws to turn up before I could attach the last one.

Before:



After:



Also got some 1/4" 6-32 contersunk heads so I can fill all the missing ones on my 400E

[beanflying]

Grabbed a small stash of HP type screws a while back too. It is getting harder to get anything non metric or Whitworth. We still get some UNF and UNC's turn up on gear so with pain some can be sourced locally but the pain level is rising.

Looking at the feet I made them a bit chunky but it will make it stable if you are floating it I guess.

[bd139]

They're pretty solid feet. Don't think they are too chunky at all. I've never seen an authentic one before that isn't smashed to bits and I don't think anyone has so they look fine  . Thing is rock solid on them.

As for American screws, we have these guys who do not insane quantities of screws of all sorts: https://www.spaldingfasteners.co.uk/ ... For 10x 6-32 washers, 5x 6-32 7/8" pan head screws and 5x 6-32 1/4" countersunk it was £2.76 including delivery and arrived in 2 days

Edit: boring one but my TG210 arrived. Perfect condition. Nothing wrong with it at all. £35 well spent.

[med6753]

Between 2 working 465B's, 1 working 475A, and a duff 465 and 465B I was able to scrounge enough decent, but not perfect, feet but eventually I'll either have to buy some or......not going there. 

[bd139]

You could always print some 

[mnementh]

Tiny TEA item 6 channel PIC based datalogger came from Malaysia via one of it's Northern provinces Germany to Oz eBay auction: #391932720671 Surely DHL does enough traffic to have an Asian hub  Software is simple and functional -thread to follow when I clear away the Plywood.

Also a Decade Ratio Transformer in a Box at the local Post Office but that can be tomorrows toy as I am to lazy to walk the 200m to get it due to low caffeine and high CBF to put shoes on .... (Attachment Link)

Am I missing something here? This doesn't appear to have any onboard storage; so more of an ADC with software-specific output rather than simple timed or CSV serial format, right?

Interesting as it does greatly simplify importing data into more powerful processing tools, I guess... but you still have to connect it directly to some computing device that can store the data until retrieved, correct?

mnem

   Things to do with the inner scrap bits of Laser Cutting Extractors. New Bench Coaster, single application of Beeswax and Oil so far

Ahhh, bean... you're a h00t! You'll have me buying a laser cutter yet... *starts shopping used LightForges just to make bean's nose wrinkle up in disgust*

They're pretty solid feet. Don't think they are too chunky at all. I've never seen an authentic one before that isn't smashed to bits and I don't think anyone has so they look fine  . Thing is rock solid on them.

As for American screws, we have these guys who do not insane quantities of screws of all sorts: https://www.spaldingfasteners.co.uk/ ... For 10x 6-32 washers, 5x 6-32 7/8" pan head screws and 5x 6-32 1/4" countersunk it was £2.76 including delivery and arrived in 2 days

bd... just... get screwed already!!!

mnem

[beanflying]

Between 2 working 465B's, 1 working 475A, and a duff 465 and 465B I was able to scrounge enough decent, but not perfect, feet but eventually I'll either have to buy some or......not going there. 

you need to buy a 3d printer you need to buy a 3d printer you need to buy a 3d printer you need to buy a 3d printer

  Or you just need to get a design that works and farm them out 

[med6753]

You could always print some 

NOT GOING THERE

 

[med6753]

Between 2 working 465B's, 1 working 475A, and a duff 465 and 465B I was able to scrounge enough decent, but not perfect, feet but eventually I'll either have to buy some or......not going there. 

you need to buy a 3d printer you need to buy a 3d printer you need to buy a 3d printer you need to buy a 3d printer

  Or you just need to get a design that works and farm them out 

 

[bd139]

But think of what you could do with this roll of BLUE PLA? 

[med6753]

But think of what you could do with this roll of BLUE PLA? 

LMAO.....nice try. 

[beanflying]

Tiny TEA item 6 channel PIC based datalogger came from Malaysia via one of it's Northern provinces Germany to Oz eBay auction: #391932720671 Surely DHL does enough traffic to have an Asian hub  Software is simple and functional -thread to follow when I clear away the Plywood.

Also a Decade Ratio Transformer in a Box at the local Post Office but that can be tomorrows toy as I am to lazy to walk the 200m to get it due to low caffeine and high CBF to put shoes on .... (Attachment Link)

Am I missing something here? This doesn't appear to have any onboard storage; so more of an ADC with software-specific output rather than simple timed or CSV serial format, right?

Interesting as it does greatly simplify importing data into more powerful processing tools, I guess... but you still have to connect it directly to some computing device that can store the data until retrieved, correct?

Yep PC based multi channel ADC interface more or less. There is also software for PI's as well. I will get a thread rolling with it at some stage with some use cases. Better than hacking a dodgy Arduino I think but will see.

[tggzzz]

Edit: boring one but my TG210 arrived. Perfect condition. Nothing wrong with it at all. £35 well spent.

To keep or resell? Maybe I ought to ask in a month's time 

Out of curiosity, do the sine wave peaks look as clean as this 1kHz HP3310A output? Or is there a sharp peak due to the triangle->sine shaping circuit?

[xrunner]

NOT GOING THERE

[mnementh]

Tiny TEA item 6 channel PIC based datalogger came from Malaysia via one of it's Northern provinces Germany to Oz eBay auction: #391932720671 Surely DHL does enough traffic to have an Asian hub  Software is simple and functional -thread to follow when I clear away the Plywood.

Also a Decade Ratio Transformer in a Box at the local Post Office but that can be tomorrows toy as I am to lazy to walk the 200m to get it due to low caffeine and high CBF to put shoes on .... (Attachment Link)

Am I missing something here? This doesn't appear to have any onboard storage; so more of an ADC with software-specific output rather than simple timed or CSV serial format, right?

Interesting as it does greatly simplify importing data into more powerful processing tools, I guess... but you still have to connect it directly to some computing device that can store the data until retrieved, correct?

Yep PC based multi channel ADC interface more or less. There is also software for PI's as well. I will get a thread rolling with it at some stage with some use cases. Better than hacking a dodgy Arduino I think but will see.

Okay... I was wondering if it was lack of caffeine causing me to miss something important. Thanks for confirming.

   But think of what you could do with this roll of BLUE PLA? 

   He could print himself a life-size Smurf Buddha army!!! 

mnem
I really need to get some sleep...

[bd139]

Edit: boring one but my TG210 arrived. Perfect condition. Nothing wrong with it at all. £35 well spent.

To keep or resell? Maybe I ought to ask in a month's time 

Out of curiosity, do the sine wave peaks look as clean as this 1kHz HP3310A output? Or is there a sharp peak due to the triangle->sine shaping circuit?

They're pretty good, but tend to turn up poorly adjusted like this one. Here's a 1KHz one.



I'll stick it on the DS1054Z later when I get some time and calibrate and tune the harmonics down with FFT and re-post a picture. The fundamental circuit it uses is a diff amp set up with matched transistors to kick out a hyperbolic tangent of the input voltage. At low voltages this is a "close enough" approximation to the taylor series approximation of a sine. But it needs tuning via tail current and whoever does that in the factory is a drunk ass. It's orders of magnitude better than the diode clipped sines (run one through an integrator - much fun!)

Edit: my ownership of test gear is like Emperor Ming's wedding vows:

https://youtu.be/87z7mjxolc0?t=59

[mnementh]

*hires impossibly thin man in a charcoal grey suit and bowler hat to follow bd around (from a discrete distance, of course ) with a clipboard, occasionally taking notes which he furiously scribbles out whenever he is most likely to be noticed*

mnem
 

[tggzzz]

I'll stick {TG210} on the DS1054Z later when I get some time and calibrate and tune the harmonics down with FFT and re-post a picture. The fundamental circuit it uses is a diff amp set up with matched transistors to kick out a hyperbolic tangent of the input voltage. At low voltages this is a "close enough" approximation to the taylor series approximation of a sine. But it needs tuning via tail current and whoever does that in the factory is a drunk ass. It's orders of magnitude better than the diode clipped sines (run one through an integrator - much fun!)

Yup diode clipped sines are indeed, um, suboptimum.

I don't know what the ENOB of the DS1054's DACs are, but will they be sufficient to see harmonics below -50dBc? That's one area where my Analog Discovery is probably better, with a 14bit DAC.

Edit: my ownership of test gear is like Emperor Ming's wedding vows:

https://youtu.be/87z7mjxolc0?t=59

We've noticed

[nixiefreqq]

GORDON'S ALIVE!

can't watch brian blessed ass grabbing without cracking up.

[bd139]

I'll stick {TG210} on the DS1054Z later when I get some time and calibrate and tune the harmonics down with FFT and re-post a picture. The fundamental circuit it uses is a diff amp set up with matched transistors to kick out a hyperbolic tangent of the input voltage. At low voltages this is a "close enough" approximation to the taylor series approximation of a sine. But it needs tuning via tail current and whoever does that in the factory is a drunk ass. It's orders of magnitude better than the diode clipped sines (run one through an integrator - much fun!)

Yup diode clipped sines are indeed, um, suboptimum.

I don't know what the ENOB of the DS1054's DACs are, but will they be sufficient to see harmonics below -50dBc? That's one area where my Analog Discovery is probably better, with a 14bit DAC.

ENOB depends on signal level on this as the noise at some input attenuator settings is terrible. It's only a cheapy. However I can measure down to about 45dB down on a large signal which is good enough to anti-peak the harmonics. Anyway I just did this quickly as it's lunch time and it's looking much better. So harmonics are down 30dB on this which isn't terrible for an analogue function generator. The sine is looking much better now too.



Sorry forgot to take an FFT screenshot. Will go through rest of cal later.

I'd say performance is about the same as a 3310A. Edit: but cheaper and easier to fix!

Edit 2: interestingly I just tried eyeballing a good sine shape and it came out as good as the FFT result. Was quite surprised.

[Specmaster]

You could always print some 

NOT GOING THERE

 

Well not for a while yet, never say never!

[med6753]

You could always print some 

NOT GOING THERE

 

Well not for a while yet, never say never!

And you'll be right there with me. 

[Specmaster]

Edit: boring one but my TG210 arrived. Perfect condition. Nothing wrong with it at all. £35 well spent.

That's the thing with TTi gear, so far I've 4 items from their range, all 4 worked flawlessly and I still 3 of them, the other great thing with them is that are so light that you safely stack up without fear of the shelves bowing under the weight