Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[med6753]

Believe it or not TP isn't on my list so really don't care if that shelf is bare or stocked to the ceiling.  I'm only interested in the stuff you need to survive....like something to eat. If my arse winds up being neglected so be it. 

[tautech]

Nabbed an early B'day pressie for yours truly.
Couldn't resist......current probes are a sickness weakness. 
https://www.ebay.com/itm/362914149137

And it arrived today. 
Thanks Bill in NC for forwarding it on.

[mnementh]

It's just after 4 AM here and I'm drinking my coffee and soon to shower in preparation to hit my local grocery right at 6 AM opening. I've got my list prepared and quite frankly I don't know what to expect. Sheer lunacy like you guys have seen or just another shopping day. Latest from my grocer's website is that they are limiting quantities on the items that the idiots want to hoard. And they have put on extra staff dedicated to stocking the shelves. I'll report what happens. 
....

This mornings local TP report (immediate neighbor) was 5 people lined up at 7.30am for an 8am opening and a total of FOUR packs available at the largest Supermarket in the area 

Thing of Random from Evilbay Dwagon in Drag     

Neat! Gonna mount that on your Ender 3? 

mnem
balls.

[tautech]

It's just after 4 AM here and I'm drinking my coffee and soon to shower in preparation to hit my local grocery right at 6 AM opening. I've got my list prepared and quite frankly I don't know what to expect. Sheer lunacy like you guys have seen or just another shopping day. Latest from my grocer's website is that they are limiting quantities on the items that the idiots want to hoard. And they have put on extra staff dedicated to stocking the shelves. I'll report what happens. 
....

This mornings local TP report (immediate neighbor) was 5 people lined up at 7.30am for an 8am opening and a total of FOUR packs available at the largest Supermarket in the area 

Thing of Random from Evilbay Dwagon in Drag     

Neat! Gonna mount that on your Ender 3? 

mnem
balls.

The bed won't like being superheated ! 

[Brumby]

Use a pin table.   

[bd139]

Morning all. Still alive  . No extra flukes bought

Did sell a couple of things overnight. Now I need to shift 'em which is a pain in the arse at the moment. Wondering if I should shut sales down.

[beanflying]

It's just after 4 AM here and I'm drinking my coffee and soon to shower in preparation to hit my local grocery right at 6 AM opening. I've got my list prepared and quite frankly I don't know what to expect. Sheer lunacy like you guys have seen or just another shopping day. Latest from my grocer's website is that they are limiting quantities on the items that the idiots want to hoard. And they have put on extra staff dedicated to stocking the shelves. I'll report what happens. 
....

This mornings local TP report (immediate neighbor) was 5 people lined up at 7.30am for an 8am opening and a total of FOUR packs available at the largest Supermarket in the area 

Thing of Random from Evilbay Dwagon in Drag     

Neat! Gonna mount that on your Ender 3? 

mnem
balls.

Nope but I have had a casual look at adding a water table and one to my CNC Router when it is up and going.  Big boy Laser is the next job after the Roof restoration.

[beanflying]

Morning all. Still alive  . No extra flukes bought

Did sell a couple of things overnight. Now I need to shift 'em which is a pain in the arse at the moment. Wondering if I should shut sales down.

Bored Housebound customers with spare money from the lack of TP or Restaurants to go to, perfect online sales conditions providing you can get the gear out the door 

[mnementh]

...Sadly the tips supplied with the Metcal are all fooked, having to try and resurrect them (nasty flux oxidation so they won't wet)...[/color][/b]

Try restoring them with an ammonium phosphate-based  tip tinner/tip activator.   https://www.amazon.com/Thermaltronics-FBA_TMT-TC-2-Lead-Tinner-Container/dp/B00NS4J6BY/

This stuff can be pretty aggressive; once it has tinned a tip for me, I immediately tin/wipe/tin/wipe several times with a rosin/lead-based solder to get rid of any of the flux residue from the tinner tablet.

Do NOT attack your MetCal/ThermalTronics tips with a file! Also, dump the wet sponge and get you one of these brass or SS scrubber pots:   

Good luck,

mnem
*knocks self unconscious with a printer mallet*

[BU508A]

I know, a lot of you don't speak or understand German, but I think, the transcriptions of the podcasts from Prof. Dr. Christian Droste (the inventor of the Corona Virus testings) are available here and can be easily translated with the help of the usual suspects. It is a rational voice in these times of hysteria and madness.

https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/info/Coronavirus-Update-Die-Podcast-Folgen-als-Skript,podcastcoronavirus102.html

This is the link to all podcasts on Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkKON9te6p3OpxqDskVsxXOmhfW0uPi1H

[BU508A]

Morning all. Still alive  . No extra flukes bought

Did sell a couple of things overnight. Now I need to shift 'em which is a pain in the arse at the moment. Wondering if I should shut sales down.

Do you really want to ship them NOW? And probably spreading the virus?   

[bd139]

Exactly. I have issued apologies and refunded.  . Both buyers happy. Am pulling rest of stuff down now.

[AVGresponding]

...Sadly the tips supplied with the Metcal are all fooked, having to try and resurrect them (nasty flux oxidation so they won't wet)...[/color][/b]

Try restoring them with an ammonium phosphate-based  tip tinner/tip activator.   https://www.amazon.com/Thermaltronics-FBA_TMT-TC-2-Lead-Tinner-Container/dp/B00NS4J6BY/

This stuff can be pretty aggressive; once it has tinned a tip for me, I immediately tin/wipe/tin/wipe several times with a rosin/lead-based solder to get rid of any of the flux residue from the tinner tablet.

Do NOT attack your MetCal/ThermalTronics tips with a file! Also, dump the wet sponge and get you one of these brass or SS scrubber pots:   

Good luck,

mnem
*knocks self unconscious with a printer mallet*

Yeah I have a scrubber, but the oxide layer is too stubborn for that.

I'm going to stick a brass wheel in the Dremel and have at it on a low speed setting. *dons safety squints*

[bd139]

I'd buy a new tip https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/soldering-iron-tips/0420996/

Wet sponge is fine. Mine is on original tip and I've had the iron two years. Second cartridge though!

[Cerebus]

Thing of Random from Evilbay Dwagon in Drag 

You've stolen Mnem's toe-nail cutter? Man, is he going to be pissed.

[Specmaster]

Morning all. Still alive  . No extra flukes bought

Did sell a couple of things overnight. Now I need to shift 'em which is a pain in the arse at the moment. Wondering if I should shut sales down.

Glad to know that you're still with us, so no SK sale just yet then. How the bloody hell are you feeling this morning, better I hope?

Just heard the end of the news on the radio and there was something about London shops being shut down apart from chemists and food shops, so it looks my information does have some substance after all.

Just got back from shopping again, went to Farmfoods for milk and was going into Lidls (next door). Had to queue waiting for them to open the doors, Farmfoods had almost completely empty everything, freezers and the racks above them were also bare, no milk but had TR, they were 3 packs of 18, for £11, 3 per customer, so thats what I got there, just 3 packs of TR. Lidls were still queuing as I came out and the crowd noticed that we all had TR and the cry went up "They have TR" and a good few people went from Lidl's queue to Farmfoods. I locked mine in the boot and said Fuck this and drove to Aldi, about a Mile away.

There I was greeted with yet another queue and no trolleys and someone on door control counting people in once  a set number had entered, they prevented anyone else entering until someone left. Eventually I did get a trolley as they were slowly being returned after loading their shopping into their cars. Restricted to just 4 items the same per customer. Once inside, t seemed like the stocks were quite good on the fruit and veg section but as you got further in, you came across empty box after empty box in most places, no TR though and no flour of any description. I was after doing my normal weekly shop but it was evident that was not possible, so I got as close to normal what I could get. While going round, you could see people from the same family, each with their own trolley and when I got outside again, these people were all unloading their trolleys into the same car so my theory was correct.

Need to go out yet again to get some more milk and cat food so will see what its like then, now I'm beginning to get some appreciation what it must have been like during the war, queueing for just a loaf of bread. 

[med6753]

I'm back. The store was not really any more crowded than normal. Mostly old farts like me who have the intelligence and prudence to get out there early before the lazy millennials even roll over in bed. So I was in and out without any fuss.

The store itself is a mess. The TP/paper towel aisle was OK. Not great but stocked with purchase limits in place. The frozen prepared foods was essentially empty. I don't eat that stuff anyway because it's all salt, carbs, and crap. The frozen veggies weren't much better. But apparently the hoarders don't like spinach. I do. Just call me Popeye Smurf. 

The meat. Holy shit. Decimated. Absolutely NO poultry. And that's a big part of my diabetic diet. Luckily I have some in the freezer. The beef was almost gone. The pork wasn't bad. The vegan stuff? No one eats that crap unless they are starving. 

So that's it. Basically uneventful other than empty shelves.

[SilverSolder]

Exactly. I have issued apologies and refunded.  . Both buyers happy. Am pulling rest of stuff down now.

I recently received a "Not as described" item from an eBay seller.  - the response was:  "Your money has been refunded - don't send anything back under any circumstances!!" 

[Brumby]

Get in, if you can!!

[Specmaster]

Buttcoin, LMAO 

[med6753]

After this mess is over some of the world's currencies will probably be as valuable as sheets of toilet paper.

[Zucca]

Also, dump the wet sponge and get you one of these brass or SS scrubber pots

Why? I have both. Do not use wet kitchen sponge for your solder, I did it once and it was a mess.... stupid me.

[Addicted2AnalogTek]

I'm curious as to why no other countries besides South Korea has been or plans to use the containment method China deployed. There, everyone was forced to download a tracking app that was used to track the infected and contact with others. They used drones to increase their GPS accuracy, police monitored entrances to apartment complexes and allowed people 2-3 trips out per week for essential outings and signed them in/out via their app. Checkpoints were put in place and people were screened religiously.  Streets were disinfected on an industrial scale - convoys of tankers full of disinfectant were dispatched regularly.   I realize it's impractical to do this nationwide, but why isn't it being done in cities like NYC and LA? We're not being aggressive enough in our effort to contain.  Typing this, I've remembered that the majority of our Republican leaders think that the media is exaggerating the whole thing, and also 23% of Democrat leaders. 

My city and university just told all students to GTFO of town and not come back. 

Another bit of info I found that everyone needs to be aware of:  Individuals are able to obtain "private testing" if they've got the funds to do so, and those that test positive privately are not being reported and added to the counters (CDC, Johns Hopkins, Covid.info, etc).  I've discovered there are several cases at my local hospital that have not been reported and two nurses in a southern WV county, also unreported. I've only been able to get the info from nurses and medical staff that I know.

Maybe I'll end up with a couple of weeks to dedicate to TEA.... which is perfectly fine with me if I'm able to order the parts I'll need for repairs and projects. My current customer that has no kitchen or finish flooring in his house might feel differently, though.

[Brumby]

... but why isn't it being done in cities like NYC and LA?

Louis Rossmann going for a ride through NYC yesterday...

[bd139]

After this mess is over some of the world's currencies will probably be as valuable as sheets of toilet paper.

Yeah we'll finally get the point that "economists" are not scientists

Morning all. Still alive  . No extra flukes bought

Did sell a couple of things overnight. Now I need to shift 'em which is a pain in the arse at the moment. Wondering if I should shut sales down.

Glad to know that you're still with us, so no SK sale just yet then. How the bloody hell are you feeling this morning, better I hope?

Just heard the end of the news on the radio and there was something about London shops being shut down apart from chemists and food shops, so it looks my information does have some substance after all.

Just got back from shopping again, went to Farmfoods for milk and was going into Lidls (next door). Had to queue waiting for them to open the doors, Farmfoods had almost completely empty everything, freezers and the racks above them were also bare, no milk but had TR, they were 3 packs of 18, for £11, 3 per customer, so thats what I got there, just 3 packs of TR. Lidls were still queuing as I came out and the crowd noticed that we all had TR and the cry went up "They have TR" and a good few people went from Lidl's queue to Farmfoods. I locked mine in the boot and said Fuck this and drove to Aldi, about a Mile away.

There I was greeted with yet another queue and no trolleys and someone on door control counting people in once  a set number had entered, they prevented anyone else entering until someone left. Eventually I did get a trolley as they were slowly being returned after loading their shopping into their cars. Restricted to just 4 items the same per customer. Once inside, t seemed like the stocks were quite good on the fruit and veg section but as you got further in, you came across empty box after empty box in most places, no TR though and no flour of any description. I was after doing my normal weekly shop but it was evident that was not possible, so I got as close to normal what I could get. While going round, you could see people from the same family, each with their own trolley and when I got outside again, these people were all unloading their trolleys into the same car so my theory was correct.

Need to go out yet again to get some more milk and cat food so will see what its like then, now I'm beginning to get some appreciation what it must have been like during the war, queueing for just a loaf of bread. 

Feel fine so far. Bed was soaking wet this morning so probably had a burn out in the middle of the night. I did check it didn't smell of piss 

Waiting on Ocado delivery. I think this might be the next shit show. It's due at 16:30-17:30 but there are some problems:

1. They took their web site down
2. They took their phone line down
3. They have stopped posting on twitter
4. They haven't taken any money yet from my account.

I suspect they have collapsed and keeping quiet on gov order so not to kick off more panic.

I've planned two weeks ahead anyway so this isn't end of the world yet. However supermarkets are fucking empty everywhere. Eldest went earlier. No bread, milk, potatoes, vegetables, meat here.

Keep the cat well fed. You might need to eat it.

I'm curious as to why no other countries besides South Korea has been or plans to use the containment method China deployed. There, everyone was forced to download a tracking app that was used to track the infected and contact with others. They used drones to increase their GPS accuracy, police monitored entrances to apartment complexes and allowed people 2-3 trips out per week for essential outings and signed them in/out via their app. Checkpoints were put in place and people were screened religiously.  Streets were disinfected on an industrial scale - convoys of tankers full of disinfectant were dispatched regularly.   I realize it's impractical to do this nationwide, but why isn't it being done in cities like NYC and LA? We're not being aggressive enough in our effort to contain.  Typing this, I've remembered that the majority of our Republican leaders think that the media is exaggerating the whole thing, and also 23% of Democrat leaders. 

China are up shit creek and full containment is a really bad outcome as well. The moment containment drops again there will be mass infection of those who are not immune. If it's anything like the 1918 Spanish Flu, wave two will be 3x as devastating as the first. People are hanging onto a reliable tested vaccination which is ~6 months off easily. Watch it over the next few months. We've got some of the best people in the world in the UK on this and as much as it's a Tory government, they are taking the right approach IMHO here which is controlled rates of infection, curve flattening and developing tests for asymptomatic cases to get more data.