Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[Specmaster]

Ramco goodies alert: https://auctions.ramco.uk/auctions/7316/ramco-10194

At least Ramco are better than the equipnet turkeys; I still haven't got full info from them as to when/where stuff can be collected.

Collection is from Skegness

[Cerebus]

Ramco goodies alert: https://auctions.ramco.uk/auctions/7316/ramco-10194

At least Ramco are better than the equipnet turkeys; I still haven't got full info from them as to when/where stuff can be collected.

Collection is from Skegness

[PA0PBZ]

The patient and the Rifa's of shame. 133 hours seems... well, not much?

[bd139]

Ramco goodies alert: https://auctions.ramco.uk/auctions/7316/ramco-10194

At least Ramco are better than the equipnet turkeys; I still haven't got full info from them as to when/where stuff can be collected.

Collection is from Skegness

The Viz version is more accurate

[tautech]

The patient and the Rifa's of shame. 133 hours seems... well, not much?

(Attachment Link)

3198 hrs + 21 minutes. 

[BU508A]

The patient and the Rifa's of shame. 133 hours seems... well, not much?

Are you sure? I'm reading 133 days and 6 hours.     
But I would say, 3198 hours isn't that bad for a scope like this.   

[tautech]

The patient and the Rifa's of shame. 133 hours seems... well, not much?

Are you sure? I'm reading 133 days and 6 hours.     
But I would say, 3198 hours isn't that bad for a scope like this.   

Yes but in reality it's just 18 months of use if ON for 8hrs each day.
That's only 1/2 way through warranty for modern offerings. 

[PA0PBZ]

The patient and the Rifa's of shame. 133 hours seems... well, not much?

Are you sure? I'm reading 133 days and 6 hours.     
But I would say, 3198 hours isn't that bad for a scope like this.   

Oops... 133 Days, not Hours 

[tggzzz]

Ramco goodies alert: https://auctions.ramco.uk/auctions/7316/ramco-10194

At least Ramco are better than the equipnet turkeys; I still haven't got full info from them as to when/where stuff can be collected.

Collection is from Skegness

Sorry, I wasn't sufficiently explicit. The equipnet auction has stuff to be collected from Telford.

Ramco pack and send stuff, but I would be wary about a 465/24x5 class scope or similar fragile equipment.

[tggzzz]

That poster is accurate in that he is running away from Skegness. But the poster misspelt "BORING".

[beanflying]

Hahaha

Random question for the 3d printing lot on here. How do I cut a butcher a large STL into bits to print? I've got something relatively complex I want to print in several detail sections. In fact I might have to do 40+ individual prints to get the detail I need for this.

Depends on if you want the parts to fit 'accurately' or not. In my case import the STL into Fusion and convert it to a body then create some sketches with what become cut lines. You can do this like a simple knife or more complex 2 or 3D squiggles. I have done this in some cases to get completed interlocking parts with layer lines orientated for more strength.

With you 40 part break up tolerances are likely to need some fudging or a post print tweak to make them fit back together. Check out some of the youtubers making cosplay suits or masks like Uncle Jessie and others on this sort of thing.

[BU508A]

That poster is accurate in that he is running away from Skegness. But the poster misspelt "BORING".

Perhaps he is running away from that bracing boring place. But why does he want to step onto this poor little starfish? 

[McBryce]

Hahaha

Random question for the 3d printing lot on here. How do I cut a butcher a large STL into bits to print? I've got something relatively complex I want to print in several detail sections. In fact I might have to do 40+ individual prints to get the detail I need for this.

Import it into Blender and slice the model.

McBryce.

[mnementh]

   Same bed here works great. I'm using different clips. They are used to hold the glass in a picture frame to a picture and backer. I like them because they are a lot lower profile above the bed.

I made similar clips from the spring steel bar out of an old Pendaflex folder. I was actually looking for the pic of them just now on my 6TB BU drive, but you saved me the trouble. 

mnem
*couch tuber time widda kidzz*

[Kosmic]

Hahaha

Random question for the 3d printing lot on here. How do I cut a butcher a large STL into bits to print? I've got something relatively complex I want to print in several detail sections. In fact I might have to do 40+ individual prints to get the detail I need for this.

Depends on if you want the parts to fit 'accurately' or not. In my case import the STL into Fusion and convert it to a body then create some sketches with what become cut lines. You can do this like a simple knife or more complex 2 or 3D squiggles. I have done this in some cases to get completed interlocking parts with layer lines orientated for more strength.

With you 40 part break up tolerances are likely to need some fudging or a post print tweak to make them fit back together. Check out some of the youtubers making cosplay suits or masks like Uncle Jessie and others on this sort of thing.

I'm currently doing exactly that for the lecroy front panel. You probably don't want to hear that but Fusion 360 is really good at converting simple mesh in data he can actually manipulate. You just need to select bunch of mesh and tell Fusion to merge them.

Somehow tinkercad can also do that. But it's lacking in precision.

[bitseeker]

3a.) the current limiter of the NGPE was set to 1A
3b.) power...

result: a short peak, then no current.
power OFF, connect cables to 8500A: R
result: not 10 Ohm, 166M

remove all cables, insert 7441,
8300A RUN
result:
allredy working 

this is what a Dr. called burn out 

It's like cauterizing a wound to stop the bleeding (leaking). I'll have to remember that "non-engineering" fix.

[worsthorse]

Thanks to an assist from @Kosmic I upgraded my DG831 to a DG992 this evening: from one channel and 35MHz to two and 100MHz plus other goodies. 

And to be honest, for the stuff I do, 100MHz is almost always way more hertz than I need.  I guess I should sit down and RTFM to learn what it does...

Question... if one wanted to learn more about accessing the innards of Rigol and Siglent stuff like this, who are the eevblog folks to track down and read? And are there any other good places to learn about Rigol/Siglent hacking?

[beanflying]

Hahaha

Random question for the 3d printing lot on here. How do I cut a butcher a large STL into bits to print? I've got something relatively complex I want to print in several detail sections. In fact I might have to do 40+ individual prints to get the detail I need for this.

Depends on if you want the parts to fit 'accurately' or not. In my case import the STL into Fusion and convert it to a body then create some sketches with what become cut lines. You can do this like a simple knife or more complex 2 or 3D squiggles. I have done this in some cases to get completed interlocking parts with layer lines orientated for more strength.

With you 40 part break up tolerances are likely to need some fudging or a post print tweak to make them fit back together. Check out some of the youtubers making cosplay suits or masks like Uncle Jessie and others on this sort of thing.

I'm currently doing exactly that for the lecroy front panel. You probably don't want to hear that but Fusion 360 is really good at converting simple mesh in data he can actually manipulate. You just need to select bunch of mesh and tell Fusion to merge them.

Somehow tinkercad can also do that. But it's lacking in precision.

Had a brief look at Tinkercad a while back and decided it wasn't what I needed.

Now I am vertical and coffee'd up this was an item I split some time ago for putting a direct drive extruder on one of my Enders. The original part would have needed lots of supports and turned out very weak in one plane so a terrible print. So by splitting it along a lap joint profile as shown it printed with no supports and was a much stronger part. ** stripped down at present for mk2 direct drive system to be fitted.

The sketch was as simple as it looks just three lines then use the split body command to create the splitting plane.

[Kosmic]

(Just to add to what bean was saying)

If you are importing a STL in Fusion, normally the flow is:

1- Import the STL as a mesh
2- Edit the Mesh as needed (you can cut, fill, do bunch of modifications)
3- You can export as a stl if you have nothing else to do.
4- For more advance modifications, you convert the mesh to a body (Mesh to BRep)
5- Merge bunch of triangles to get uniform surfaces.
6- Modify the body with more advanced tools to get what you are looking for.

Example:

I got the stl for a probe holder



Now there is something written on the handle and I want to remove it.



I simply select the text by painting over it.



Use the remove/fill tool and completely delete the text.



Now I convert the mesh to a body (Mesh to BRep).



I use merge to get rid of some triangles.



Now it's trivial to split the body in multiple one.

[tautech]

Question... if one wanted to learn more about accessing the innards of Rigol and Siglent stuff like this, who are the eevblog folks to track down and read? And are there any other good places to learn about Rigol/Siglent hacking?

There's a lot of general pointers in this thread:
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/siglent-ads-firmware-file-format/

Otherwise seek out the hacking threads for each particular model/series and ask for help/guidance as to how to get the job done.

[mnementh]

Ramco goodies alert: https://auctions.ramco.uk/auctions/7316/ramco-10194

At least Ramco are better than the equipnet turkeys; I still haven't got full info from them as to when/where stuff can be collected.

Collection is from Skegness

The Viz version is more accurate

WHAT THE  FUCK are you wing-dingles all talking about...? It sounds like some narcotic snuff or essential-oil-infused personal lubricant, or maybe a particularly noxious venereal disease of some sort...

mnem
smeg.

[bitseeker]

Question... if one wanted to learn more about accessing the innards of Rigol and Siglent stuff like this, who are the eevblog folks to track down and read? And are there any other good places to learn about Rigol/Siglent hacking?

There's a lot of general pointers in this thread:
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/siglent-ads-firmware-file-format/

Otherwise seek out the hacking threads for each particular model/series and ask for help/guidance as to how to get the job done.

Yep, peruse the Test Equipment forum (What? There are other threads besides this one? Oh, my!) or use Google to search the name/model of the equipment and append "hack site:www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/" to focus the search to posts in the Test Equipment forum.

[bitseeker]

Thanks to an assist from @Kosmic I upgraded my DG831 to a DG992 this evening: from one channel and 35MHz to two and 100MHz plus other goodies. 

And to be honest, for the stuff I do, 100MHz is almost always way more hertz than I need.  I guess I should sit down and RTFM to learn what it does...

From what I recall reading previously, these lesser models need adjustment to work properly at max frequency (may have been the amplitude accuracy or something), but the method to perform such an adjustment isn't yet known. So, it's good that you don't actually need it to be perfect or even reach 100 MHz. For me, even getting the second channel is already a nice bonus.

[VK5RC]

Some retro TEA, but a bit tense making when you have 200V at up to a few hundred mA around the place.
Testing the finals (6JS6C) of the yaesu ft101 with a uTracer 'tube' tester. All ok with the tubes but there are other gremlins. Bizarrely I needed to replace one of the 12 valve sockets female pin-socket as some ham-fisted SOB managed to bend it US. Fortunately I could remove the one effected pin-socket (one of 12) 'compactron' as I had a spare 12 pin tube socket - replacing just that single pin. Replacing the whole 12 pin socket would have been a major pull apart exercise.
Photo of the setup and results

[tggzzz]

Ramco goodies alert: https://auctions.ramco.uk/auctions/7316/ramco-10194

At least Ramco are better than the equipnet turkeys; I still haven't got full info from them as to when/where stuff can be collected.

Collection is from Skegness

The Viz version is more accurate

WHAT THE  FUCK are you wing-dingles all talking about...? It sounds like some narcotic snuff or essential-oil-infused personal lubricant, or maybe a particularly noxious venereal disease of some sort...

mnem
smeg.

Skegness is a traditional seaside holiday town, that hasn't adapted to cheap flights to Spain.

Think of a US town pop. 20k, in the middle of a prarie, surrounded by trailer parks, only occupied in summer and by the lomg term unemployed. Coney island writ small. Google streetview shows it in all its glory.

It is bracing (the best that can be said about it) because easterly winds come straight fom Moscow.

The first poster was one of many produced by train companies, and fondly remembered. https://railwayposters.co.uk/