Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[Cerebus]

... but I've also got a Hugin, ie. the swedish COOP whitegoods brand of yesteryear.

Did they make PCs under the Munin brand? 

[worsthorse]

So this isn't mine.  It's just a random photo that came through my Twitter feed but I thought you guys might see it:



From: https://twitter.com/petmar0/status/1199368877538459648

Damn. That has been rode hard and put away wet.

[Cerebus]

Damn. That has been rode hard and put away wet.

Yes, but does she still chooch?

Actually, knowing those Harrison/HP supplies well, she probably does.

[Carl_Smith]

There is a sticker on it that says "AXE-MAN $19.95."  Google says that's a surplus store and they have three locations around the Minneapolis area.  That's still like a 250 mile drive for me but it's probably the closest surplus store to where I live.  But still far enough away that I won't go there and blow a lot of cash on impulse buys.

[Brumby]

Vacuum cleaner are now a part of TEA? 

Absolutely.  You need it to vacuum up the small IC chips before you step on them barefoot.

... or the sand in the carpet.  (aka SMD)   

[mnementh]

@Brumby:

So this isn't mine.  It's just a random photo that came through my Twitter feed but I thought you guys might see it:      From: https://twitter.com/petmar0/status/1199368877538459648

Damn. That has been rode hard and put away wet.

Doesn't look like it was ever put away at all; more like it was abandoned in the south 40 to graze & fend for itself...

It has that "lived in" look...

Did I hear my face mentioned?

Wrong end, buddy. 

mnem
*chupa chooch*

[Neomys Sapiens]

My daughter got a Nilfisk industrial vacuum cleaner cheaply, and likes it.

It has bags, I prefer bagless.

Back in the day, there were bagless Nilfisks:
(Attachment Link)

Ah, the good old days, when it was perfectly acceptable to have a women with the words "fantastic suction" above her head in an advert and nobody blinked an eyelid.

McBryce.

When I worked at a company belonging to a large US aerospace conglomerate, I found in the EMail-directory a 'Betsy Swallows'. There were bets whether this is a HR sting op or not.

[Neomys Sapiens]

There is a sticker on it that says "AXE-MAN $19.95."  Google says that's a surplus store and they have three locations around the Minneapolis area.  That's still like a 250 mile drive for me but it's probably the closest surplus store to where I live.  But still far enough away that I won't go there and blow a lot of cash on impulse buys.

I think I have encountered that name on Ebay US, also with TE.

[Cerebus]

Wrong end, buddy. 

 SwordDraw.wav (247.86 kB - downloaded 64 times.)

[rhb]

When you have three 5 ft stacks of early 90's and later HP & Tek T&M gear on mover's dollies in your dining room that won't fit in your current work space.

Time to build a 16' x 12' screen room in my shop building.

Cost of screen room: ~$3000 w/ HVAC
EMI suppression: Priceless

Have Fun!
Reg

[Cubdriver]

So this isn't mine.  It's just a random photo that came through my Twitter feed but I thought you guys might see it:



From: https://twitter.com/petmar0/status/1199368877538459648

That'd probably clean up nice-nice.  The knobs and terminals look to be intact, and I don't see any real scratches in the paint on the panel.  Hell, it's even still got the emblem!  Some windex and elbow grease and it'll look like new again.

-Pat

[mnementh]

Pat, I certainly wouldn't hesitate to buy it at the sticker price if it came within snatching distance of my scaly paws.

Wrong end, buddy. 

[.attach=drawsword.wav]

Are you going to deny that your arse has that "lived in" look? I know MINE sure as hell does. 

mnem
Hmmm... more like "died in" look, if I'm honest with m'self...

[BravoV]

TEA moment , yet another moving coil seduction ...   

Working but with cracked corner, used as leverage in bargaining, and the result ... less than 10 bucks, won't tell the number as its embarrassing cheap.   

[mnementh]

  Just getting it down to single digits is shameful enough for all intents and purposes. 

mnem
*toddles off to ded*

[BravoV]

  Just getting it down to single digits is shameful enough for all intents and purposes. 

mnem
*toddles off to ded*

Worst part ... good part is, avg Joes in this part of the world are still praising the greatness of digital multimeter (the seller was bragging by waiving the 2 bucks DMM) and compared to this so called "low tech" analog meter that can do only AC volt measuring, not even DC volt and resistance ... yeah .. right ...   

[beanflying]

Nice score and also the $3 scope on the equipment thread. Nothing like that around here 

One of todays projects from back in the day when you could be 'Educated' in the corporal sense  Tempted to Laser engrave Wilderiser back on the faces when the cleanup is done 

[bitseeker]

Why oh why do people write their name on their test gear in permanent marker? Why?   

To remove the permanent marker on your equipment, get a Dry White wall Marker and scribble over the permanent marker and you will see it begin to lift off. Wipe it off with a suitable dry cloth and repeat if necessary, this method works for me nicely. 

Dried Sharpie is 100% IPA soluble. However, some materials people write on have a chemical reaction with the carrier which makes the dye more or less permanent.

A lot of people don't know this; one assembly line gig I worked doing QC & rework, the soda machine was just plain horrible. It stole your money about every 3rd time; and of course it was the only source of non-water refreshment anywhere near the work floor. I noticed immediately (being still pretty much a Mountain Dew powered teenage punk even in my twenties at the time) and politely requested through the usual chain of command that they call their vendor & have it serviced. One day about 3 weeks later, when it stole my last pocketful of change, I got fed up and wrote across the textured metal above the coin slot with Sharpie "This machine steals your money. Please fix it."

Good lord, you'd have thought I kicked the owner in the balls... an hour later, they called me into the big boss's office, having a shit-fit about the "permanent marker" on the machine. The floor foreman said he tried everything to get it off; Zep, Windex, even Brillo pad.

"Good. Your vendor will know how to clean it. Hopefully nobody on the factory floor will be ripped off in the meantime. I've asked nicely 6 times that you call them out."

"We don't have a vendor; we own the machine and stock it."

"So... you've known about this machine stealing from your employees for how long? It was effed-up when I got here almost a month ago." *Long uncomfortable silence*

"I don't care about that; I care about the vandalism on my soda machine."

"You don't care...? Then you are a thief. I'll fix the vending machine; follow me."

I open the First-Aid cabinet right in the same room, take out one alcohol prep-pad, and wipe the offending warning from the front of the machine. I turn to the shop foreman: "You're an idiot." Then to both of them: "I don't work for idiots and thieves. Fuck both of you, and I will describe in great detail these events as well as the obscene hours with no breaks you expect of your workers in my closing paperwork with Hawkins Personnel. I doubt they will continue funneling hapless workers into your meat grinder for very much longer."

10 minutes later I was rolling my toolcart down the hall with the floor foreman as an escort. I'd like to be able to say assembly line 2 went down just then (as it did approximately every 36 hours due to the boss's refusal to replace the ASIC panel with something that could handle the abuse); but alas it waited until I was well off the property. I just let the phone ring and continued to fill out my paperwork.

That was a fun read, mnem.

[0culus]

When you have three 5 ft stacks of early 90's and later HP & Tek T&M gear on mover's dollies in your dining room that won't fit in your current work space.

Time to build a 16' x 12' screen room in my shop building.

Cost of screen room: ~$3000 w/ HVAC
EMI suppression: Priceless

Have Fun!
Reg

Send it over to me, I’ll be happy to help you with that problem. 

[bitseeker]

Vacuum cleaner are now a part of TEA? 

Yep, a vacuum cleaner is an important tool in the workshop and so is in most peoples opinion, while not technically TEA, is close enough but is also part of what we call "water cooler" chatter and as such might just be of interest to others and as always, it was. That's why this particular thread is now I believe the most popular thread of the forum, we are relaxed to an extent about we chat about here.

Yep, just about. #1 on replies and #3 on views.

[Specmaster]

Vacuum cleaner are now a part of TEA? 

Yep, a vacuum cleaner is an important tool in the workshop and so is in most peoples opinion, while not technically TEA, is close enough but is also part of what we call "water cooler" chatter and as such might just be of interest to others and as always, it was. That's why this particular thread is now I believe the most popular thread of the forum, we are relaxed to an extent about we chat about here.

Yep, just about. #1 on replies and #3 on views.

Little did you realise just how big a monster you unleashed when set the thread up    Long may it continue.

I believe that it sets the gold standard for all forums / threads, setting just the right balance between on topic and off topic activity and it is entirely self policing or at least I'm unaware of anyone ever falling foul of any moderators discipline 

[Specmaster]

Its a bit cold today in the specmasters lab, thanks to the bloody boiler packing up day after having a new wireless room thermostat fitted to replace one that had failed, currently awaiting the arrival of engineers to come and fix the dammed thing which could be anytime up to 9.00pm tonight.   

[Cerebus]

Pat, I certainly wouldn't hesitate to buy it at the sticker price if it came within snatching distance of my scaly paws.

Wrong end, buddy. 

[.attach=drawsword.wav]

Are you going to deny that your arse has that "lived in" look? I know MINE sure as hell does. 

mnem
Hmmm... more like "died in" look, if I'm honest with m'self...

Strangely, yes. It's one of my few good features and one of the few that has retained any of its former glory. It still garners admiring looks from the ladies and even the occasional grope. As I'm turning 60 in the near future I regard that as a "result".

[Alfons]

Vacuum cleaner are now a part of TEA? 

Yep, a vacuum cleaner is an important tool in the workshop and so is in most peoples opinion, while not technically TEA, is close enough but is also part of what we call "water cooler" chatter and as such might just be of interest to others and as always, it was. That's why this particular thread is now I believe the most popular thread of the forum, we are relaxed to an extent about we chat about here.

Exactly so! Mine is a 30+ year old Philips cylinder unit and is essential for sucking the yucky fuzz out of old TE and desktop PCs alike. Sometimes I even vac the floor with it...

Oh, and if anyone is interested in setting up a group buy for some of those Fischer connectors, let me know, I'll be in for a couple.

I think even more important is a good compressor, oil free of course. Or did we already have it here? The thread is very long. In addition, I do not know where to put the whole thing yet.

Now the old Agilent Infiniium has finished. The device would have a few buttons dirty and did not work. After a cleaning everything is like new again. Now I will take a break and continue to enjoy that I never have to work anymore. But now I have to make room ...

[Messtechniker]

Now I will take a break and continue to enjoy that I never have to work anymore.

Welcome to the club

[med6753]

For those who care  made into Denver safely yesterday. We were one of the few flights to make it in. Nearly 75% of the flights out and a good percentage of flights in were cancelled. On our first attempt at landing the pilots suddenly had to firewall the throttles and go around. Something about an obstruction on the runway. I thought the lady next to me was gonna shit herself.  Second attempt at landing as soon as the 737 touched down we skidded left, then right. Holy shit.  But the pilots were good...got it straighten out and then full reverse thrust and we stopped...after a LONG roll. Good times. 

My brother was waiting for me and then the 70 mile drive. Roads were mostly snow covered and luckily, empty of traffic. The Jeep had no issues getting here. Supposed to have more snow tomorrow. So far over a foot on the ground.