Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[Specmaster]

If Mr Johnson gets his way, we might have to resort to eating that Merkin bacon and Trabants white walls 

Edit: Just a thought, but I wonder if that Merkin Cheese is anything like the processed cheese slices that we slap on top of a burger over here?

We'll kill him first the flappy haired cunt. This shows you how fucked up the whole thing is: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tufton_Street

Yes it's that cheese shaped crap. I've had both and compared

Major gear clear out here. This I assure you is temporary. Firstly to fund an IC-7300 as I've decided I'm going to be a good boy and save up first rather than whack it on a card. Secondly due to a recent family illness discovery which will result in me emptying out a house in the next 9 months  . Going to have too much to deal with on my hands.

Oh dear, that last bit of news sounds like its inevitable the 9 months, not good news, I feel for you as I've been in that position and it's a thankless heart breaking task.   

[bd139]

Indeed.

On a positive note I'm going to able over to the CATS Bazaar [1] tomorrow and see if I can get myself more stuff to have to clear out 

[1] http://www.sthost.co.uk/webspace/cats/bazaar.html

[Carl_Smith]

   

Up on the bench this morning... a ORANGE CHEF Prep Pad. This was a kickstarter turned failure mode turned abandonware; I picked it up thrifting the other day for $4 not knowing its checkered past, only that it appears ridiculously over-engineered (machined from 2 slabs of aluminum and a food-grade phenolic surface... even a machined AL magnetic battery cover) and was pretty sure it was BT connected.

All the info I could find on it is in this github; it uses accelerometer data instead of a piezo transducer and appears that most of the important stuff is open datastream. Alas, my Kung-Fu is weak; I could understand about half of the gatt BT protocol stuff the guy is talking about and no idea if or how this thing can be made useful again even as a sideload app on android.

Considering it cost me $4, I'm down with it just being a nice, heavy, non-skid cutting board that happens to have some useless electronics inside; I was just wondering if any of you guys knew better than me. 

mnem
*drops back & punts*

It appears to be a scale?  If you do an FCC lookup of the FCC ID, you can get a nearly 50 page document on how they did the emmissions testing, which is rather useless to anybody but the FCC, pictures of the inside that show nothing you wouldn't see by opening it up yourself, and a three page user manual that only has info on how to pair it with your i-devices:

1.Download the Countertop™ app from the App Store™. Prep Pad is compatible with devices running iOS 6 and newer, including: iPad 3+, iPad Air, iPad mini
2.Launch Countertop and press the power button on Prep Pad.
3.Prep Pad and Countertop will automatically being the pairing process and notify you when the connection is successful.
4.After setting up your Countertop account, you’ll be ready to start using Prep Pad.

https://apps.fcc.gov/oetcf/eas/reports/ViewExhibitReport.cfm?mode=Exhibits&RequestTimeout=500&calledFromFrame=Y&application_id=IFkHlE9fnxSRB5T%2F%2FxfI2g%3D%3D&fcc_id=2AA7T-PREPPAD

[Cerebus]

This shows you how fucked up the whole thing is: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tufton_Street

What someone in a nasty frame of mind might call a "target rich environment". 

[AVGresponding]

As I understand it, high grade craft-cheese is becoming quite fashionable in the US. Given the size of the place, I suppose it'll take some time to diffuse out through all the states.

My Solartron 7065 arrived, eventually, and omg why did no-one tell me how big these things are? Full depth 19" rack mount, 2U height, wtf...
Bizarrely, the seller has clearly replaced more than just a couple of TTL chips, including the CPU, though his soldering on the non-socketed chips is not the greatest. Some of the chips he's used are even vintage   
It took a bit of coaxing to get it to come to life, no doubt due to temperature/humidity variations, but the end result is worth the effort, it's so close to the 8840 it's not worth quibbling about the difference.

Now I'm just left needing a rack to mount it in...


Also the Iso-Tech LCR819 is here, seems to be a rebranded Instek? In any case, another wtf?!? moment when I unpacked it, the thing is bloody HUGE! It's as big as my Hameg 203 scope      why do I keep buying these ridiculously large lumps?
On the plus side, it's a serious piece of kit, way over the spec I'll ever need, proper low end lab grade stuff. Now I just need to make up a set of leads...   


The semi-accidental HP 1631D requires a cover off inspection before any power is applied; there's a huge dent in the underside, so big and deep it's actually broken through the metal. NOT caused in transit, unless they repacked it afterwards, then redamaged the packing in other areas...


I better not buy any more until I at least repair the several items in the queue (PM3218, Fluke 1953A (had a brainfart, then a brainwave on that one, stay tuned...), HP 3784A) and maybe even make some money by selling some of them some non-essential stuff like a 22kW 3-phase motor inverter I still have, about 5 years after "salvaging" it   

[Cerebus]

• best hard cheese: British
• <snip>...

Yes, but with Comte (French-ish, it's from the Jura mountains, the sort of area where the people are French and the buildings are German/Schweizerdeutsch) an honourable mention, along with Fontina and of course the inimitable Parmesan (Reggio please, not Gran Padano) from Italy.

[Wolfgang]

• best hard cheese: British
• <snip>...

Yes, but with Comte (French-ish, it's from the Jura mountains, the sort of area where the people are French and the buildings are German/Schweizerdeutsch) an honourable mention, along with Fontina and of course the inimitable Parmesan (Reggio please, not Gran Padano) from Italy.

What about the three pillars of the swiss economy : Chocolate, Cheese and Money Laundry ? Their cheeses are remarkable too !

[GreyWoolfe]

• best hard cheese: British
• <snip>...

the inimitable Parmesan (Reggio please, not Gran Padano) from Italy.

Parmesan is good cheese but I much prefer Pecorino Romano or Asiago.  This triumvirate is the basis of my 7 cheese stuffed shells supported by home made marinara sauce.  By the way, it's actually Reggiano.  Just pointing it out as my last name ends in a vowel.

[bd139]

This shows you how fucked up the whole thing is: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tufton_Street

What someone in a nasty frame of mind might call a "target rich environment". 

Indeed. 60+ million people here and all we need is one nutcase with nothing to lose

[Cerebus]

This shows you how fucked up the whole thing is: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tufton_Street

What someone in a nasty frame of mind might call a "target rich environment". 

Indeed. 60+ million people here and all we need is one nutcase with nothing to lose

It's so helpful of Wikipedia to have the target coordinates of the place with a CEP of 15m. And the RAF have been having terrible problems with their drones. "Just sayin'", as Bill Hicks would have said.   

[bd139]

Ah but they’d know who did it because you have to register your drones now and put a label on them   

[Cerebus]

A little sticker with a French flag on it over the top and "She'll be right". 

[tggzzz]

• best hard cheese: British
• <snip>...

Yes, but with Comte (French-ish, it's from the Jura mountains, the sort of area where the people are French and the buildings are German/Schweizerdeutsch) an honourable mention, along with Fontina and of course the inimitable Parmesan (Reggio please, not Gran Padano) from Italy.

Or a nice piece of Gorgonzola that is so ripe it dribbles between the fork's tines. Yum.

But a good flaky truckle cheddar or double Gloucester are unbeatable. But don't look for them in a supermarket.

Hint: the best supermarket cheese and fruit is in the reduced section, because it is properly ripened. Ditto avocados and good quality meat.

[mnementh]

Ah but they’d know who did it because you have to register your drones now and put a label on them   

This is WHY...

mnem
*back to the bench*

[mnementh]

      Up on the bench this morning... a ORANGE CHEF Prep Pad. This was a kickstarter turned failure mode turned abandonware; I picked it up thrifting the other day for $4 not knowing its checkered past, only that it appears ridiculously over-engineered (machined from 2 slabs of aluminum and a food-grade phenolic surface... even a machined AL magnetic battery cover) and was pretty sure it was BT connected.

All the info I could find on it is in this github; it uses accelerometer data instead of a piezo transducer and appears that most of the important stuff is open datastream. Alas, my Kung-Fu is weak; I could understand about half of the gatt BT protocol stuff the guy is talking about and no idea if or how this thing can be made useful again even as a sideload app on android.

Considering it cost me $4, I'm down with it just being a nice, heavy, non-skid cutting board that happens to have some useless electronics inside; I was just wondering if any of you guys knew better than me. 

mnem
*drops back & punts*

It appears to be a scale?  If you do an FCC lookup of the FCC ID, you can get a nearly 50 page document on how they did the emmissions testing, which is rather useless to anybody but the FCC, pictures of the inside that show nothing you wouldn't see by opening it up yourself, and a three page user manual that only has info on how to pair it with your i-devices:

1.Download the Countertop™ app from the App Store™. Prep Pad is compatible with devices running iOS 6 and newer, including: iPad 3+, iPad Air, iPad mini
2.Launch Countertop and press the power button on Prep Pad.
3.Prep Pad and Countertop will automatically being the pairing process and notify you when the connection is successful.
4.After setting up your Countertop account, you’ll be ready to start using Prep Pad.

https://apps.fcc.gov/oetcf/eas/reports/ViewExhibitReport.cfm?mode=Exhibits&RequestTimeout=500&calledFromFrame=Y&application_id=IFkHlE9fnxSRB5T%2F%2FxfI2g%3D%3D&fcc_id=2AA7T-PREPPAD

Ummm.... yeah, I thought the "It's a scale" part was totes obvi; that's why I went directly into the part about it using accelerometer data rather than a peizo transducer. Sorry. 

I looked up the FCC ID first; it's the only useful thing on the bottom aside from the model # P1. As you say, not a lot of info except for emissions testing and fundamental assembly. 

What I was looking for was if anybody knew more about the Kung-Fu side of things, particularly re: android; the github I linked talks about the BT LE protocol it uses and it being open/unencrypted but I could only understand about half of it. Just trying to figure out if it's a huge assache or if, with the info on that github, it might be relatively simple to build something useful with one of the many modular android devkits out there. Bottom line is I don't know enough about android dev to know if I could even do it at ALL.

mnem
*currently reverse-engineering a $180 crock-pot*

[tautech]

HOLY FUCKING ASSCRACKERS!!! That actually WORKS...? Is there some form of pheromone you use to get them to shift to 'bugging out" mode or something...?

Like a charm mnem if they're really looking for a new home. The swarm scouts will survey their new digs and if approved will pass the word it's a good place to habitat and shortly they all start tramping in.
Get it right and the job's all done in 10 minutes.

[mnementh]

Oh... so in this case they were already in "bugging out mode"...? I sortof thought they would be in "home-making mode", having found this nice wooden wall to move into. 

mnem
*obviously not well-versed in bee-think*

[tautech]

Oh... so in this case they were already in "bugging out mode"...?

Nope, Bean said they were a new lot so they were still settling in and then got offered a better option.
Ripping off wall boards might've convinced them to move on too. 

[mnementh]

Ahhh... so... more a case of "The new apartment looks okay, but bad neighborhood; we got broke into on our third night.  Lets keep looking...  OOOOH! SHINY-Y-Y-Y-Y...!"

mnem

"And then you wake up one morning passed out on the lawn in your underwear... No, wait; somebody ELSE'S underwear... on somebody ELSES'S lawn... in a different COUNTY..." ~tales of a misspent youth

[Cerebus]

/albums/x462/mnemennth/GeezelMorningAfter.jpg[/img]
"And then you wake up one morning passed out on the lawn in your underwear... No, wait; somebody ELSE'S underwear... on somebody ELSES'S lawn... in a different COUNTY..." ~tales of a misspent youth

Yes, but whether the underwear is "La perla" or "C&A^*" tells you quite how good a night you had.

^*A defunct, low end, high-street chain from the UK.

"Why do Essex girls buy their knickers from C&A?"
"I don't know, Why do Essex girls buy their knickers from C&A?"
"So they can tell they have them on the right way around."

[mnementh]

*Looks* Ummmm... both...?

mnem
*dirty ol' reptile*

[ArthurDent]

• best hard cheese: British
• <snip>...

Yes, but with Comte (French-ish, it's from the Jura mountains, the sort of area where the people are French and the buildings are German/Schweizerdeutsch) an honourable mention, along with Fontina and of course the inimitable Parmesan (Reggio please, not Gran Padano) from Italy.

[beanflying]

Oh... so in this case they were already in "bugging out mode"...?

Nope, Bean said they were a new lot so they were still settling in and then got offered a better option.
Ripping off wall boards might've convinced them to move on too. 

Take the combs from the wall they had started and move a chunk of the bees into the hive to start the march of the rest.

Double smoked actual Bacon and Eggs on the lunch menu today and maybe even a slice of crumbly sharp Mersey Valley 'real' cheese too

http://merseyvalley.com.au/
http://new.bertocchi.com.au/product-category/bertocchi/bertocchi-bacon/

[mnementh]

...Double smoked actual Bacon and Eggs on the lunch menu today and maybe even a slice of crumbly sharp Mersey Valley 'real' cheese too

http://merseyvalley.com.au/
http://new.bertocchi.com.au/product-category/bertocchi/bertocchi-bacon/

*COUGHHamSteaks&DirtySockCheeseCOUGH*

mnem
*psssst...* biscuits.

[beanflying]

CrusTEA plug in at significant risk  eBay auction: #153731656961





Aussie Classic Flavoured TEA eBay auction: #264539151446 I actually have one of these tucked away in the container my Uncle gave me 40'ish years ago.