Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[bd139]

Yep. Hamfest bingo: http://n5dux.com/bingo/hamfest/

[bd139]

Been playing around with the C3U a bit today, not as much as I hoped I'd be able to do, still got give the outside a bit of spruce up but I was able on and off to compare the results I got from with my other means of testing capacitors (excluding DMMs) and all 4 of them agreed pretty closely for the values and also gave remarkably similar reading for the ESR (C3U cannot do this).

What I have learnt from it all is that there is some mileage with the C3U and its ability to be able to test the leakage of a electrolytic capacitor. I have been through a reasonable amount of my stock capacitors and for use in mission critical areas such as power supplies, need to select ones with a low leakage result otherwise you will revisiting the same problem sooner rather later. Many had high leakage, even from the same batch while others did not, so I think the C3U will be staying.

Something else I noticed while working on it was the shortcomings of my HP bench meters (3468A and 3478A) both of these shut down to O/L readout with voltage of 303V which had me thinking that had both developed faults. Checking the manuals confirms this  I suppose you just get a bit lazy with an auto ranger, especially with 5.5 digit meter that it would be good for up to 700V at least, so I might bounce these 2, both fine meters in exceptional condition otherwise. 

The really low voltage ceiling of some of the bench meters is bloody annoying. I’ve been bit by that a couple of times. I think this is one of the reasons I only ever reach for the F87 these days. It just does everything without complaining 100% flawlessly and within expectations. Once I’m done I just chuck it in the drawer.

[tggzzz]

I fear the tech changes of the next 20 years aren't going to be all warm and fuzzy.

Actually, they will be warm wet and fuzzy.

Bioengineering with CRISPR is now at the stage that computing was in the 70s. Computers -> hackers took 30 years. Genetic manipulation -> hackers ? years.

[tggzzz]

Yep. Hamfest bingo: http://n5dux.com/bingo/hamfest/

Hey! I won't use anything other than a flipphone. And yesterday my right arm was workng well enough for me to be able to, at last, remove my salt-and-pepper beard. That took quite some scrubbing with the razor!

[Martin.M]

Nice

Do you have some decent resistors you could take over for calibration at the same time?

I didn't take my 7081 for calibration, but I did take a bit ltage source to the Hannover Maker Faire and the PTB stand

Yeah, I'm hoping that this little bunch of Vishay and Caddock goodness will suffice.



I just have to get the 0.005% ones mounted in a nice metal box before I make my trip. I might even manage to get the Caddock resistors boxed. I have some nice PTFE mounting posts, but doubt if I have anything in the way of jacks or sockets that have a high enough resistance.

I have older LTZ1000, they need also some trustful resistors to build a little reference box

[tggzzz]

Nice

Do you have some decent resistors you could take over for calibration at the same time?

I didn't take my 7081 for calibration, but I did take a bit ltage source to the Hannover Maker Faire and the PTB stand

Yeah, I'm hoping that this little bunch of Vishay and Caddock goodness will suffice.



I just have to get the 0.005% ones mounted in a nice metal box before I make my trip. I might even manage to get the Caddock resistors boxed. I have some nice PTFE mounting posts, but doubt if I have anything in the way of jacks or sockets that have a high enough resistance.

OK, those are a little more transportable than mine! Not shown is my 7-decade KVD, which is big and heavy, nor my couple of hundred Vishay foil resistors already mounted on PCBs.

[grizewald]

Now that's a collection of standard resistors to kill for!

I keep looking at eBay for some genuine standard resistors, but the Ukranian guys seem to have sewn that market up and I'm not paying their mafia prices.

[grizewald]

I have older LTZ1000, they need also some trustful resistors to build a little reference box

I have been trying to hold off on building an LTZ1000 reference, as the overall BOM cost is going to exceed $300, but I can see that sooner or later, I will have to.

[bd139]

Now that's a collection of standard resistors to kill for!

I keep looking at eBay for some genuine standard resistors, but the Ukranian guys seem to have sewn that market up and I'm not paying their mafia prices.

[tggzzz]

Now that's a collection of standard resistors to kill for!

A couple of those are mica capacitors, marked 0.49979uF (in 1972) and 1006.75pF (in 1988).

As for resistors, I think I could arrange for just about any other value by combining these in series and parallel (not that I intend to!). The serried ranks are all 20K 0.005% Vishay VHP202K resistors, probably a couple of hundred in total (more on another PCB). I believe the handwritten number are the serial numbers. A quick google indicates they are oil-filled bulk metal foil resistors, and if you have to ask the price, you can't afford them

[BU508A]

Now that's a collection of standard resistors to kill for!

A couple of those are mica capacitors, marked 0.49979uF (in 1972) and 1006.75pF (in 1988).

As for resistors, I think I could arrange for just about any other value by combining these in series and parallel (not that I intend to!). The serried ranks are all 20K 0.005% Vishay VHP202K resistors, probably a couple of hundred in total (more on another PCB). I believe the handwritten number are the serial numbers. A quick google indicates they are oil-filled bulk metal foil resistors, and if you have to ask the price, you can't afford them

You should put this behind a glass window in a red-light establishement for nerds and metrological nuts and ask a price for 1 Euro per minute or so. 

[tggzzz]

Now that's a collection of standard resistors to kill for!

A couple of those are mica capacitors, marked 0.49979uF (in 1972) and 1006.75pF (in 1988).

As for resistors, I think I could arrange for just about any other value by combining these in series and parallel (not that I intend to!). The serried ranks are all 20K 0.005% Vishay VHP202K resistors, probably a couple of hundred in total (more on another PCB). I believe the handwritten number are the serial numbers. A quick google indicates they are oil-filled bulk metal foil resistors, and if you have to ask the price, you can't afford them

You should put this behind a glass window in a red-light establishement for nerds and metrological nuts and ask a price for 1 Euro per minute or so. 

Pssst. Over here... Want to see some "Vishay VHP202 "Hermetically Sealed High Precision Bulk Metal® Foil Technology Resistors with TCR of ± 2 ppm/°C, Tolerance of ± 0.001 % and Load Life Stability of ± 0.005 %"?

And if you pay more you can look in the other box....

[beanflying]

Nearly 10pm and a very pleasant 24.5C 

Seems my little VRef has moved up a touch in the last year. I ran it for an hour or so on the 34461A from a cold start and the stability is good. For what it is worth there is some aging effect to consider with them.

Even with the bump up good for 4 1/2 digits for not much spend.

[med6753]

Nearly 10pm and a very pleasant 24.5C 

Seems my little VRef has moved up a touch in the last year. I ran it for an hour or so on the 34461A from a cold start and the stability is good. For what it is worth there is some aging effect to consider with them.

Even with the bump up good for 4 1/2 digits for not much spend.

Do you think it's exposure to high heat that caused the drift or perhaps that and normal aging? I haven't seen that with mine but with 5.5 digit max I may not see it and mine have only been exposed to "normal" room temperatures.

[beanflying]

It's only maybe 1-2 counts on your 5 1/2 (without checking the Siglents counts?) so I doubt it would be an issue which is why YOU NEED A 6 1/2 Digit meter 

[McBryce]

Possibly interesting for someone here in Germany?

https://www.ebay.de/itm/324055497568


McBryce.

[Martin.M]

you can also do jokes with accuracy.

By example:

Fluke 883A have at the rear an output 0-1V to drive analog plotters.
Connect that to a 3456A to readout the DIFF with 6 1/2 digits 
set the Differential to 0.0001 before..

The different of 0.0001 amplified to 1V will be readout 6 1/2, so it is (0,000-) 000-000-1 

[grizewald]

I guess I'm going to have to improve my German skills as ebay.co.uk will be largely useless to me in just a few days.

 

[tggzzz]

I guess I'm going to have to improve my German skills as ebay.co.uk will be largely useless to me in just a few days.

My understanding is the problems may can be expected to arise at the end of the year, not month.

[grizewald]

I guess I'm going to have to improve my German skills as ebay.co.uk will be largely useless to me in just a few days.

My understanding is the problems may can be expected to arise at the end of the year, not month.

My problem is that as soon as the UK leaves the EU, anything posted to me here in Sweden will disappear into Postnord's ransom system. If the item's value is <= 1700 SEK, the handling charges are 75 SEK plus VAT at 25%. For anything > 1700 SEK, handling charges are 125 SEK + 25% VAT + import duty. The entire import process adds a delay of 3 - 4 weeks in delivery. There is also no lower limit, so if I buy (for example) two end caps for the knobs on my PL320 for £5, they would still be subject to 25% VAT and the 75 SEK handling charge. The expression "daylight robbery" comes to mind.

This will make small value items uneconomical to order from the UK, and I'm sure will seriously hurt many UK based eBay sellers. Who wants customs problems when the same items may be available in the EU?

[WastelandTek]

Mic&Key

I'm the guy with the anemometers

I will have a table there this year. I'll be the guy with the random collection of RTTY gear, piles of test equipment, and hunks of old coax. Yes, I will look exactly like thirty or forty other old white guys there. 

You been to the M&K before?  more like 300-400 old white guys.  You loading in Friday night or Saturday morning?

[SilverSolder]

I guess I'm going to have to improve my German skills as ebay.co.uk will be largely useless to me in just a few days.

My understanding is the problems may can be expected to arise at the end of the year, not month.

My problem is that as soon as the UK leaves the EU, anything posted to me here in Sweden will disappear into Postnord's ransom system. If the item's value is <= 1700 SEK, the handling charges are 75 SEK plus VAT at 25%. For anything > 1700 SEK, handling charges are 125 SEK + 25% VAT + import duty. The entire import process adds a delay of 3 - 4 weeks in delivery. There is also no lower limit, so if I buy (for example) two end caps for the knobs on my PL320 for £5, they would still be subject to 25% VAT and the 75 SEK handling charge. The expression "daylight robbery" comes to mind.

This will make small value items uneconomical to order from the UK, and I'm sure will seriously hurt many UK based eBay sellers. Who wants customs problems when the same items may be available in the EU?

So if you are going to go through the import process, might as well import straight from China, USA, etc.?   Who would have thunk it.

[WastelandTek]

My problem is that as soon as the UK leaves the EU, anything posted to me here in Sweden will disappear into Postnord's ransom system. If the item's value is <= 1700 SEK, the handling charges are 75 SEK plus VAT at 25%. For anything > 1700 SEK, handling charges are 125 SEK + 25% VAT + import duty. The entire import process adds a delay of 3 - 4 weeks in delivery. There is also no lower limit, so if I buy (for example) two end caps for the knobs on my PL320 for £5, they would still be subject to 25% VAT and the 75 SEK handling charge. The expression "daylight robbery" comes to mind.

This will make small value items uneconomical to order from the UK, and I'm sure will seriously hurt many UK based eBay sellers. Who wants customs problems when the same items may be available in the EU?

sounds to me like y'all have entirely too much government

[tggzzz]

I guess I'm going to have to improve my German skills as ebay.co.uk will be largely useless to me in just a few days.

My understanding is the problems may can be expected to arise at the end of the year, not month.

My problem is that as soon as the UK leaves the EU, anything posted to me here in Sweden will disappear into Postnord's ransom system. If the item's value is <= 1700 SEK, the handling charges are 75 SEK plus VAT at 25%. For anything > 1700 SEK, handling charges are 125 SEK + 25% VAT + import duty. The entire import process adds a delay of 3 - 4 weeks in delivery. There is also no lower limit, so if I buy (for example) two end caps for the knobs on my PL320 for £5, they would still be subject to 25% VAT and the 75 SEK handling charge. The expression "daylight robbery" comes to mind.

This will make small value items uneconomical to order from the UK, and I'm sure will seriously hurt many UK based eBay sellers. Who wants customs problems when the same items may be available in the EU?

I've just put that to my fragrant MP, Dr Liam Fox, Secretary of State for International Trade. He is responsible for helping to secure trade deals with other countries following Brexit.

I am holding my breath, but not because I am waiting for a useful response.

[mansaxel]

So if you are going to go through the import process, might as well import straight from China, USA, etc.?   Who would have thunk it.

...and the wonderfully competitive and self-sufficient UK businesses will do just fine compared -- on equal terms -- with China. Or we'll all buy our stuff from Germany instead and do away with the tariffs.  Smart move, Boris.