Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[bd139]

Oooh China have started on the spare parts business now:

Fluke 18x etc replacement battery contacts!

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/For-FLUKE187-87-4-Generation-89-4-Generation-189-Multimeter-Battery-Compartment/153693921308?hash=item23c8df201c:g:tiIAAOSwi1ZdyTOz

[xrunner]

RE: HP 53310A FM deviation measurements.

HP 8920A signal gen set to 5.0KHz deviation, HP 53310A measuring 9.933KHz P-P. Tigger says, measuring deviation is what the 53310A does best!

Great thanks. 

[bitseeker]

So, after kj7e and I went through the calibrations in parallel, it appears that a switch in mine may be stuck or something. The B jack goes to the A input and even calibrates successfully that way. A jack is no workey. So, it's current a one-channel device (not including the C channel).

I need to "enhance" my DG831 above 50 MHz so I can check the C input.

Thanks for the confirmation, kj!

[worsthorse]

So, after kj7e and I went through the calibrations in parallel, it appears that a switch in mine may be stuck or something. The B jack goes to the A input and even calibrates successfully that way. A jack is no workey. So, it's current a one-channel device (not including the C channel).

I need to "enhance" my DG831 above 50 MHz so I can check the C input.

Thanks for the confirmation, kj!

The DG831 upgrade is pretty easy to do, as long as you don't have the latest firmware.  Then it is a bit more difficult. I highly recommend it. The added functionality is well worth it.

[exor]

This is the IEC filter, a Schaffner FN326-01/07 which is, of course, discontinued.
Date code is saying 9005 so it is a good idea to replace it.



I'm going to replace it with a Schaffner FN9222-1-07 which I ordered @ Mouser

https://www.mouser.de/ProductDetail/Schaffner/FN9222-1-07?qs=%2Fha2pyFadugBZovmQ3il68%2FGWJCK2LSscwnWd%2FocMdD%2Fu7LiSP7smQ%3D%3D

I dig out filter from my Fluke PM6685, looks promising  I have to find replacement that has connectors/cable exit underneath, there is not enough space for Schaffner FN9222-1-07.

[mnementh]

If it's a really long split like this one, apply a little wad of cotton from a Q-tip about the size of a match-head to the wet CA; add another drop and press the excess out with a flat of a knife. The fibers will reinforce the CA enough that the nail can grow out before the CA "blowout patch" fails.

Those without experience of this beware - the reaction between cotton and cyanoacrylate can be highly exothermic. It's one thing for it to get hot, it's another for it to get too hot when it's firmly glued to your person!

Fibreglass tissue is a better choice than cotton, if you have some handy. (I keep small quantities of fibreglass tissue, carbon fibre fabric and Kevlar felt in my 'gluing things' box precisely so that I do have such things handy. Small quantities can be picked up for a very little money from the EvilBay and the usual scumbags.)

Oh, FFS... There's a reason why I specified a bit the size of a match-head. That small amount will not generate any appreciable amount of heat. Also why I specified "from a Q-tip"; as it will be 100% cotton, not cotton-poly blend or other synthethic fibers. Even the entirety of a Q-tip saturated in CA is not going to be thermally hazardous (though the vapor thereof can do a number on your mucous membranes & eyeballs if they get too close), unless there's some reaction with the stick.

Fiberglas, in contrast, is considered a hazardous material for many reasons; particularly in loose-strand or bundled into a tow as is commonly used the way you suggest. I prefer to NOT use it to patch myself up. My boats, cars, aircraft and even my home, yes. But NOT my person.

mnem
"Better living through chemistry."

[SilverSolder]

[...] When it's just you and the airflow and the much lighter handle, you get tactile feedback from the backpressure (or lack thereof) against the work. You can actually feel it as you pass the airflow over higher and lower surfaces. Also, having the air source remotely located allows you to use your hearing better as well; listening for the faint crackle as the solder liquefies and the part pops loose becomes second nature.

You, Sir, are an artist.

I don't know about that... but I do consider myself a craftsman. Last of a dying breed, I fear... people who actually enjoy working with their hands.



Craftsman lifehack # 327B:

While unboxing our new king-size mattress from Amazon, I split a fingernail well up into the quick. Fold it back down, a drop of CA. If it's a really long split like this one, apply a little wad of cotton from a Q-tip about the size of a match-head to the wet CA; add another drop and press the excess out with a flat of a knife. The fibers will reinforce the CA enough that the nail can grow out before the CA "blowout patch" fails.

mnem
*Not just another pretty face*

I also like working with my hands, I sensed a kindred spirit.  If you play a musical instrument, the same kind of thinking/feeling goes into doing it well.

While I was fixing a door lock at the office the other day, the lady in reception came over and said, "It's good to see someone who knows how to actually do things without phoning for help.  The youngsters nowadays don't know how to handle a screwdriver."   Who knew women found screwdriver handling attractive, but there you go! 

[mnementh]

Now that you've beaten it into submission... time to put it out of its misery with a TASER across the ATX & SATA ports.  Core2 Duo is literally XP generation hardware; let the fucking thing die with dignity.

In contrast, the $8 i3 HP p7-1243 was a absolutely painless upgrade; like 10 minutes to install and then allow it to do its updates overnight. When I re-installed Win10 with a cheap SSD in it, took like 5 min then another 30 minute for updates and all because I was at the bench doing other stuff and could tell it to reboot when needed.

mnem
 

It has “designed for vista” sticker on it so close  .

Yeah I can get a better PC for £40 here but the fucking owner is a total miser. Literally complained about having to replace the damn WiFi card with a £10 TP link USB piece of shit because the old one had no windows 10 drivers.

Next time:

What do you do for a living bd139?

Ah I’m a rent boy!

Conversation and obligations all ended, favours never asked!

How much RAM has it got? 4GB is the max on that motherboard and W10 works better with 6 to 8GB as the minimum, I'm running 32GB and sometimes it can shit slow on that depending on what else I have open.

4Gb maxed out in that. Classic BSPM (basic spec porn machine) build ... mine has 32gb. Basic spec for software dev box. My old laptop had 4Gb of Ram but that was a portable terminal for AWS and i wanted to keep the juice use low.

"Designed for Vista" means it was still VERY MUCH XP-era; it was made in that 10-month period between the ANNOUNCEMENT of Vista and the point when MS actually delivered something that the major PC manufacturers were willing to put up with. Even a year after that, they were STILL shipping a majority of PCs with XP because shockingly... they would actually RUN on XP while Vista was still blowing up every 6 hours runtime.

There's a reason I stuck with XP/64 until the release of Win7...  even considering the abysmally tiny list of hardware with compatible drivers, it still ran rings around a 4GB Vista box even with half the RAM.

mnem
But hey... at least it's not WINme...

[WastelandTek]

Who knew women found screwdriver handling attractive, but there you go! 

Do NOT put a new timing belt in her car thinking you're getting laid out of the deal.

[SilverSolder]

Latest TEA project:  found a nice Gertsch ratio transformer with 8 dials - winner!  These things have a terminal accuracy of 1ppm, so this is still very viable test equipment.

As far as I can tell, it is still to spec (as measured with another RatioTran, there is really no other way to test these since ratio transformers are far more precise than any DMM AC range).

It cleaned up nicely:




The switches were a little noisy, but responded well to a dose of De-Oxit:

[Specmaster]

Now that you've beaten it into submission... time to put it out of its misery with a TASER across the ATX & SATA ports.  Core2 Duo is literally XP generation hardware; let the fucking thing die with dignity.

In contrast, the $8 i3 HP p7-1243 was a absolutely painless upgrade; like 10 minutes to install and then allow it to do its updates overnight. When I re-installed Win10 with a cheap SSD in it, took like 5 min then another 30 minute for updates and all because I was at the bench doing other stuff and could tell it to reboot when needed.

mnem
 

It has “designed for vista” sticker on it so close  .

Yeah I can get a better PC for £40 here but the fucking owner is a total miser. Literally complained about having to replace the damn WiFi card with a £10 TP link USB piece of shit because the old one had no windows 10 drivers.

Next time:

What do you do for a living bd139?

Ah I’m a rent boy!

Conversation and obligations all ended, favours never asked!

How much RAM has it got? 4GB is the max on that motherboard and W10 works better with 6 to 8GB as the minimum, I'm running 32GB and sometimes it can shit slow on that depending on what else I have open.

4Gb maxed out in that. Classic BSPM (basic spec porn machine) build ... mine has 32gb. Basic spec for software dev box. My old laptop had 4Gb of Ram but that was a portable terminal for AWS and i wanted to keep the juice use low.

"Designed for Vista" means it was still VERY MUCH XP-era; it was made in that 10-month period between the ANNOUNCEMENT of Vista and the point when MS actually delivered something that the major PC manufacturers were willing to put up with. Even a year after that, they were STILL shipping a majority of PCs with XP because shockingly... they would actually RUN on XP while Vista was still blowing up every 6 hours runtime.

There's a reason I stuck with XP/64 until the release of Win7...  even considering the abysmally tiny list of hardware with compatible drivers, it still ran rings around a 4GB Vista box even with half the RAM.

mnem
But hey... at least it's not WINme...

I still have an Acer laptop running XPpro with 2GB of ram that still puts in a reasonable performance on software of the day (obviously). It would just about run AutoCad 16 on it if you had the patience for the screen updates that is.

[bitseeker]

Latest TEA project:  found a nice Gertsch ratio transformer with 8 dials - winner!  These things have a terminal accuracy of 1ppm, so this is still very viable test equipment.

As far as I can tell, it is still to spec (as measured with another RatioTran, there is really no other way to test these since ratio transformers are far more precise than any DMM AC range).

It cleaned up nicely:
...

It sure did clean up nicely. Added to POI.

[bitseeker]

I still have an Acer laptop running XPpro with 2GB of ram that still puts in a reasonable performance on software of the day (obviously). It would just about run AutoCad 16 on it if you had the patience for the screen updates that is.

AutoCAD. I remember using that on an AT&T 6300 (8086 CPU with monochrome CGA CRT monitor) running DOS 2.1. Ah, the good ol' days.

[beanflying]

Latest TEA project:  found a nice Gertsch ratio transformer with 8 dials - winner!  These things have a terminal accuracy of 1ppm, so this is still very viable test equipment.

As far as I can tell, it is still to spec (as measured with another RatioTran, there is really no other way to test these since ratio transformers are far more precise than any DMM AC range).

It cleaned up nicely:

(Attachment Link)


The switches were a little noisy, but responded well to a dose of De-Oxit:

(Attachment Link)

I have dial envy mine only has 6  I didn't particularly 'need' one as I have an AC Calibrator that is likely as good or better linearly than the Gertsch but on cross checking one against the other to my 6 1/2 digit meters both are very close. A good sanity check or potentially a good poor mans calibration tool against a known source with a better meter.

[beanflying]

I still have an Acer laptop running XPpro with 2GB of ram that still puts in a reasonable performance on software of the day (obviously). It would just about run AutoCad 16 on it if you had the patience for the screen updates that is.

AutoCAD. I remember using that on an AT&T 6300 (8086 CPU with monochrome CGA CRT monitor) running DOS 2.1. Ah, the good ol' days.

The first time I used Autocad it was on a series of networked terminals with a HP 'mini' Computer driving them. Version 2 I think.

I was until recently running an Atom based box (2Gb Ram) in the bedroom and at a pinch would run the Arduino compiler, browse the net with 2 or 3 tabs open without being a complete slug. NFW would I go back to it now after dropping in the Ryzen 2400G APU system. I haven't loaded up Fusion 360 on it as CAD with a touchpad keyboard sux but it should cope fairly well.

[bitseeker]

Wow, AutoCAD on a terminal. How many could one mini support?

[SilverSolder]

Latest TEA project:  found a nice Gertsch ratio transformer with 8 dials - winner!  These things have a terminal accuracy of 1ppm, so this is still very viable test equipment.

As far as I can tell, it is still to spec (as measured with another RatioTran, there is really no other way to test these since ratio transformers are far more precise than any DMM AC range).

It cleaned up nicely:

(Attachment Link)


The switches were a little noisy, but responded well to a dose of De-Oxit:

(Attachment Link)

I have dial envy mine only has 6  I didn't particularly 'need' one as I have an AC Calibrator that is likely as good or better linearly than the Gertsch but on cross checking one against the other to my 6 1/2 digit meters both are very close. A good sanity check or potentially a good poor mans calibration tool against a known source with a better meter.

I use them for AC bridge measurements, for example you can get a very accurate ratio of two resistances this way.  Using AC is of course both good and bad:  good because you avoid thermal EMF etc. issues, bad because you have to deal with capacitance when balancing the bridge.

[beanflying]

Wow, AutoCAD on a terminal. How many could one mini support?

8 super modern colour terminals on this system At the same time Uni had a scattering of AT based boxes scattered around while the bulk of what we used were HP 3000 or 9000 linked terminals. I feel no urge to prop up old hardware for some reason 

[bitseeker]

Someone had asked a few weeks back about how to buy overseas such as via Yahoo Auctions in Japan. Techmoan has a recent video on it:

[beanflying]

Some of the Sawdust and Shavings are starting to pay off. Still some Dog Holes to drill but a very flat, true and square 40mm thick second bench has emerged from the work. It will double as extra TEA Bench space as needed but it is primarily designed for accurate 90 degree cuts using the Track Saw.

Planing up the Oak to the match the MDF top was satisfying with sharp blades. The MDF is the reference edge while the Oak is just protection for me from the sharp edges and bumps and bruises in use.

Gratuitous FUSION 360 screenshot just for @bd139 

[VK5RC]

Me and computer upgrades and networking are usually associated with me losing the plot and threatening to murder someone / something.

My shack /lab has too much metal (TE you know!) and quite a distance from the run-of-the-mill router/modem/wifi etc - a tp link ac 1750 type. For 150 aussie pesos - I got an extender and FFS it was actually easier to get going than they said!

[Martin.M]

This is the IEC filter, a Schaffner FN326-01/07 which is, of course, discontinued.
Date code is saying 9005 so it is a good idea to replace it.



I'm going to replace it with a Schaffner FN9222-1-07 which I ordered @ Mouser

https://www.mouser.de/ProductDetail/Schaffner/FN9222-1-07?qs=%2Fha2pyFadugBZovmQ3il68%2FGWJCK2LSscwnWd%2FocMdD%2Fu7LiSP7smQ%3D%3D

I dig out filter from my Fluke PM6685, looks promising  I have to find replacement that has connectors/cable exit underneath, there is not enough space for Schaffner FN9222-1-07.

better is to use a seperate filter bec. this all in one plugs are in front of the fuse, when they begin to burn like a RIFA you will have a lot of smoke on the bench.

[BU508A]

Someone had asked a few weeks back about how to buy overseas such as via Yahoo Auctions in Japan. Techmoan has a recent video on it:

That was me. Thanks for the video. 

[BU508A]

I dig out filter from my Fluke PM6685, looks promising  I have to find replacement that has connectors/cable exit underneath, there is not enough space for Schaffner FN9222-1-07.

That's not very much space. Perhaps you can use a FN9226-1/02. You can solder the old wires to it.
it's length is 35.15mm as per datasheet (I have attached it here).

This is a finding on ebay:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/322644207169

[Specmaster]

Someone had asked a few weeks back about how to buy overseas such as via Yahoo Auctions in Japan. Techmoan has a recent video on it:

Funny this should come up, I was only watching this a couple of days ago.