Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[bd139]

I’ve bought case parts, jacks etc from them before

[mansaxel]

It is antenna weather, and moving the GPS receiver was the order of the day.

I need to do the same thing. Any recommendation in term of antenna / cable ?

My Gpsdo is 15V, I need to find a antenna supporting that voltage, or add a DC block and reinject 5V with a bias T 

This is Meinberg stuff, so they downmix the signal in the antenna, ship it across RG58/U (up to 80m I think they deem allowable) and then upmix in the receiver again. It is also possible to convert the signal to optical signals and ship it through an EMP or TEMPEST barrier. I believe it and the somewhat simpler coax solution both are specific to their receivers.

[Mr. Scram]

You guys dead?

[bd139]

Nope. I am currently cleaning up my computers and F5'ing ebay searches constantly 

edit: also just been paid so looking at new shiny toys 

[Specmaster]

And I'm watching a video of the recovery of an excavator from a river on YouTube.

[bd139]

That reminds me of this cock up which turned up on my YT feed the other day 

[mansaxel]

I'm currently on a ferry crossing the Baltic sea on my way to Gotland.



I'm going there to get the Solartron 7061 calibrated. It's very nice sailing weather with a relatively mild 7m/s wind, clear blue skies and about 4°C outside.

It'll be nice to explore Visby without the normal crowds of tourists that there are in the summer!

It can be VERY cold. There's not much stopping the baltic winds. But it is very beautiful. I've not been over since 2011 or so, should really try to, soon.

[Specmaster]

That reminds me of this cock up which turned up on my YT feed the other day 

Ouch.

[GreyWoolfe]

I do have a mat but it proved not to be heavy enough and was getting mangled so I have to run "bare back" and take the risks. 

Med, you're a bit of a woodworking guy.  Why don't you just get a nice 1,000 pound lazy susan and build it up so you don't have to drop the boys on the floor lifting it more than necessary and damaging your nice woodwork.

https://www.amazon.com/Capacity-Bearing-Turntable-Bearings-VXB/dp/B0045DV04I/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=heavy+duty+lazy+susan+hardware&qid=1582580672&sr=8-4

I got myself one of these and some other hardware to make one to service a piece of equipment we deploy.  Makes my life easier when I have to keep going between front and back.  It's a ghetto build, not like your work but no one sees it but me and I am more concerned about function over form and it works perfectly for the task intended.

[angrybird]

Been lurking on the backside of this tree for a while, thought I'd pop around the front and ask a question.

Do you guys ever talk about stock of electrical components?

I find that for every piece of test equipment I have, I must have at a minimum triple or quadruple that volume (and weight!) in parts. 

I have 3 48" wide, 6 feet tall, 18" deep shelves full of snap top containers, design kits, you name it, parts acquired over time from projects, samples, experimentation, curiosity.  And that's just the stuff that fits in small containers.  As an example, I have inadvertently ended up with nearly every value of 1% resistor in 0402, 0603, 0805, and 1206 from both KOA speer as well as this "Analog Technologies" company from santa clara.  I have ended up with nearly every design kit from Wurth, Murata, you name it, over the years.

When does it end?  How did I get here?  What will my relatives do with this stuff when I die?  Please help? 

[Mr. Scram]

They'll unceremoniously toss it in the tip while grumbling about the old sod who converted their money into a chore.

[Specmaster]

Welcome to the front of the tree for change 

I think that we all have built up collections of parts over the period of years, the longer your involved in electronics, the more parts your going to amass.

To answer your question, unless you are one of these very organized guys, and I doubt that you are, it doesnt get better and yes I think your relatives will have to deal with it in due course. Is it any different to any other hobby, I don't think it is. SWMBO is very much into cake decorating, making sugar craft flowers etc for cakes, also various forms of needle crafts and has boxes and cupboards full of all the gear that those hobbies entail and I have zero ideas as to the what half of them do or their value.

[med6753]

Been lurking on the backside of this tree for a while, thought I'd pop around the front and ask a question.

Do you guys ever talk about stock of electrical components?

I find that for every piece of test equipment I have, I must have at a minimum triple or quadruple that volume (and weight!) in parts. 

I have 3 48" wide, 6 feet tall, 18" deep shelves full of snap top containers, design kits, you name it, parts acquired over time from projects, samples, experimentation, curiosity.  And that's just the stuff that fits in small containers.  As an example, I have inadvertently ended up with nearly every value of 1% resistor in 0402, 0603, 0805, and 1206 from both KOA speer as well as this "Analog Technologies" company from santa clara.  I have ended up with nearly every design kit from Wurth, Murata, you name it, over the years.

When does it end?  How did I get here?  What will my relatives do with this stuff when I die?  Please help?

It doesn't end. I have a whole closet full of stuff including several parts mules. And I seem to keep adding to it. 

[med6753]

That reminds me of this cock up which turned up on my YT feed the other day 

No big deal, it will buff out. 

[mnementh]

They'll unceremoniously toss it in the tip while grumbling about the old sod who converted their money into a chore.

I live in perpetual terror that when I die, my wife will sell all my TE and RC radio gear for what I told her it cost. 

mnem
Also, pants.

[med6753]

I do have a mat but it proved not to be heavy enough and was getting mangled so I have to run "bare back" and take the risks. 

Med, you're a bit of a woodworking guy.  Why don't you just get a nice 1,000 pound lazy susan and build it up so you don't have to drop the boys on the floor lifting it more than necessary and damaging your nice woodwork.

https://www.amazon.com/Capacity-Bearing-Turntable-Bearings-VXB/dp/B0045DV04I/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=heavy+duty+lazy+susan+hardware&qid=1582580672&sr=8-4

I got myself one of these and some other hardware to make one to service a piece of equipment we deploy.  Makes my life easier when I have to keep going between front and back.  It's a ghetto build, not like your work but no one sees it but me and I am more concerned about function over form and it works perfectly for the task intended.

A turntable would only be a partial solution. The biggest issue is I must place the scope on it's side to gain access underneath. That's when the bench surface damage occurs.

[bd139]

On parts stock I've been downsizing here after I had a crapalanche about 5 years ago. Most of it went on ebay in lots. Thus cupboard of doom is looking more organised these days:





The cardboard boxes are mostly rammed with loose parts and misc junk. There are 3 wham boxes of capacitors and inductors in the living room I'm sorting at the moment. Granted a few items are living under the bed of doom now and in the corner of the living room of doom as well.

I still have the loft at my mothers to go through as well. That has at least 6 large crates of parts in it I inherited and got at hamfests in the 1990s.

Edit: I do actually admit to occasionally thinking I should just literally sell every damn last thing and start again 

[bd139]

A turntable would only be a partial solution. The biggest issue is I must place the scope on it's side to gain access underneath. That's when the bench surface damage occurs.

I colleague of mine had a great solution to this once. He gaffer taped about 5 layers of cardboard box to the surface 

I've still got a hole in my bench surface after my Baofeng decided to jump off the top shelf  . Nothing more annoying than destroyed surfaces. I can't understand how those people work who have burned and chipped benches.

[angrybird]

They'll unceremoniously toss it in the tip while grumbling about the old sod who converted their money into a chore.

I live in perpetual terror that when I die, my wife will sell all my TE and RC radio gear for what I told her it cost. 

mnem
Also, pants.

Holy crap, I laughed so hard at this.  I don't lie to my wife, ever.... But I sometimes underestimate how much I paid for test equipment...  Out of necessity in order to preserve my life and manhood...  LOL!

[beanflying]

I do have a mat but it proved not to be heavy enough and was getting mangled so I have to run "bare back" and take the risks. 

Med, you're a bit of a woodworking guy.  Why don't you just get a nice 1,000 pound lazy susan and build it up so you don't have to drop the boys on the floor lifting it more than necessary and damaging your nice woodwork.

https://www.amazon.com/Capacity-Bearing-Turntable-Bearings-VXB/dp/B0045DV04I/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=heavy+duty+lazy+susan+hardware&qid=1582580672&sr=8-4

I got myself one of these and some other hardware to make one to service a piece of equipment we deploy.  Makes my life easier when I have to keep going between front and back.  It's a ghetto build, not like your work but no one sees it but me and I am more concerned about function over form and it works perfectly for the task intended.

A turntable would only be a partial solution. The biggest issue is I must place the scope on it's side to gain access underneath. That's when the bench surface damage occurs.

Chase up some cork gasket/packing material. This is even more hard wearing and dense than the 1/4" used for flooring panels. I used to have a lump for pushing pins into for building Balsa Aircraft back when I actually made then from scratch.

[Cerebus]

I do have a mat but it proved not to be heavy enough and was getting mangled so I have to run "bare back" and take the risks. 

Med, you're a bit of a woodworking guy.  Why don't you just get a nice 1,000 pound lazy susan and build it up so you don't have to drop the boys on the floor lifting it more than necessary and damaging your nice woodwork.

https://www.amazon.com/Capacity-Bearing-Turntable-Bearings-VXB/dp/B0045DV04I/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=heavy+duty+lazy+susan+hardware&qid=1582580672&sr=8-4

I got myself one of these and some other hardware to make one to service a piece of equipment we deploy.  Makes my life easier when I have to keep going between front and back.  It's a ghetto build, not like your work but no one sees it but me and I am more concerned about function over form and it works perfectly for the task intended.

A turntable would only be a partial solution. The biggest issue is I must place the scope on it's side to gain access underneath. That's when the bench surface damage occurs.

Chase up some cork gasket/packing material. This is even more hard wearing and dense than the 1/4" used for flooring panels. I used to have a lump for pushing pins into for building Balsa Aircraft back when I actually made then from scratch.

One of the things I've found useful for handling things that either easily cause damage or are easily damaged themselves is that high density polythene foam that you frequently see used to make 'frames' inside packing boxes of electronics. As well as the chunky stuff you see in packaging this comes in thinner sheets, typically 1/4", 1/2" and 1". Depending on the weight, I've used 1/4" or 1/2" sheets on the bench for hefty stuff that's liable to dig and gouge when it's turned over. It also provides decent protection from the edges of metalwork that are sharper than they should be.

The best thing is that a lot of the stuff I've used has come free as packaging for something else. I have also bought some for making my own packaging and it's not the cheapest material in smaller quantities but it's not what I'd call expensive either.

[med6753]

They'll unceremoniously toss it in the tip while grumbling about the old sod who converted their money into a chore.

I live in perpetual terror that when I die, my wife will sell all my TE and RC radio gear for what I told her it cost. 

mnem
Also, pants.

Holy crap, I laughed so hard at this.  I don't lie to my wife, ever.... But I sometimes underestimate how much I paid for test equipment...  Out of necessity in order to preserve my life and manhood...  LOL!

The simplest solution here is to NOT be married, as I am now and couldn't be happier. 

And I noticed you are from Puerto Rico. I was, at one time, married to a Puerto Rican Princesa and if you are I warn you. If you value life and limb don't ever lie to them. Don't ask me how I know this. 

[med6753]

I do have a mat but it proved not to be heavy enough and was getting mangled so I have to run "bare back" and take the risks. 

Med, you're a bit of a woodworking guy.  Why don't you just get a nice 1,000 pound lazy susan and build it up so you don't have to drop the boys on the floor lifting it more than necessary and damaging your nice woodwork.

https://www.amazon.com/Capacity-Bearing-Turntable-Bearings-VXB/dp/B0045DV04I/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=heavy+duty+lazy+susan+hardware&qid=1582580672&sr=8-4

I got myself one of these and some other hardware to make one to service a piece of equipment we deploy.  Makes my life easier when I have to keep going between front and back.  It's a ghetto build, not like your work but no one sees it but me and I am more concerned about function over form and it works perfectly for the task intended.

A turntable would only be a partial solution. The biggest issue is I must place the scope on it's side to gain access underneath. That's when the bench surface damage occurs.

Chase up some cork gasket/packing material. This is even more hard wearing and dense than the 1/4" used for flooring panels. I used to have a lump for pushing pins into for building Balsa Aircraft back when I actually made then from scratch.

Luckily I only have to go thru this happy horseshit one more time to change out the last capacitor. Once that's done never again unless something decides to crap out.

[xrunner]

The simplest solution here is to NOT be married, as I am now and couldn't be happier. 

I only answer to one female these days -

[med6753]

The simplest solution here is to NOT be married, as I am now and couldn't be happier. 

I only answer to one female these days -

(Attachment Link)

Siamese cats can be very demanding and vocal. Have had several years ago. You traded one demanding female for another.