Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[BU508A]

My Ryzen 3700X and 5700XT cope with Doom (original) and Hexen 'just' but I am a little concerned the 32Gb of memory might need an upgrade 

this reminds me that I wanted to build my Pacman Server.

We had joints we had fun, we had PacMan for the Sun ...

https://youtu.be/-tPcc1ftj8E

Edit:
The original song from Jacques Brel (Le Moribond)
https://youtu.be/MB58PuNYO8o

[Specmaster]

Bought a 7 dollar AliExpress electronic load.......... no qlue why... but it gets you off the streets for  few hours.
can not find an other reason then to unload batteries, its useless for other proper load stuff.
needs still a housing and a digital A/V meter......... but could do some tests.

Review LM324 Electronic Load 150W 10A 72V Xiaolin



Tony

Yep, I've looked at those electronic loads before and TBH I just could not really think of any use that I could have for one, now power supplies or meters is a different thing, never really have to many meters and power supplies are handy to help calibrate them.

[xrunner]

Got this today from a ham friend that wants it looked at. It's a Heathkit IG-18 Sine - Square generator. Seems the meter will only display amplitudes up to half scale and never above that. I haven't looked at that yet but I did start to clean it a bit in the garage. The guy is a pipe smoker and you can see the difference between the left and right sides on top.

I can't repair something like that unless it's clean. 

[Specmaster]

I know exactly what you mean but just removing the gooey gunk from the case is only part of it, theres also the smell and gunge inside, rather you than me pal.

[xrunner]

I know exactly what you mean but just removing the gooey gunk from the case is only part of it, theres also the smell and gunge inside, rather you than me pal.

You wouldn't believe the brown gunk that came off the knobs ... 

So it's a simple generator, looking to have an accurate meter reading with a 600 ohm load impedance (on all but the 3 and 10 volt ranges). If your load impedance is high you switch in the internal 600 ohm termination (as I have done for this initial checkout).

The panel settings are for a 1 V rms sine wave @ 1 kHz.

Correct me if I'm wrong guys, but that top trace ain't no sine wave is it? 

The square wave is supposed to be 1 V p-p same frequency, it's OK for the time being ...

Time to open her up boys! 

[Specmaster]

Its 4503 update time again, the MAX134 arrived today, a day after the maximum expected delivery date, not to bad I guess. Anyway, after the last update when I said that it had been on a soak test, well after I posted that, it started to give me all kinds of readings and became impossible recalibate even on the DCV ranges, so I kind of figured that maybe the MAX134 had finally expired and waited for the new one to arrive. Tonight I fitted it and the meter is just as it was before I fitted the new one, so Its not the IC at all, so its back into the rabbit hole I must fall again. The readings are negatives this time and when calibrating, you input a high value as near to the scale fsd as possible, alter the negative sign to a positive and then tell it what the value is, remove the voltage and short the input leads and enter all zeros, and changing the negative sign over and enter that value and is supposed to display DONE and then GOOD, instead it displays BAD 

Anyone experienced anything like this before at all I wonder, nothing looking like a bad solder joint is visible, no resistors or anything looking distressed 

[bd139]

I would check Vref pin to make sure it's not wrong (assume it's 2.5V). Then use a 3478A or something in 3V range very high impedance mode to measure differential voltage across the inputs of the MAX134 while the actual input terminals of the 4503 are shorted and make sure that is zero. That will isolate either the ADC support or the input circuitry. Then divide and conquer!

[Cerebus]

Yep, I've looked at those electronic loads before and TBH I just could not really think of any use that I could have for one, now power supplies or meters is a different thing, never really have to many meters and power supplies are handy to help calibrate them.

Read the service manual for any decent power supply and somewhere in the 'verification' section (or whatever that manufacturer calls it) you'll find a setup that uses an electronic load to inject a load step into the supply to check the supply's load regulation recovery. That's one use.

[mnementh]

@mnementh get 2 GV100 then, that should suffice for your rendering applications ...

Oh, thanks no... I think I'll stick with my  US$840 AORUS WATERFORCE  RTX 2080 SUPER "budget solution". 

Just 32GB at my desktop Ryzen, but ECC and B-die. 

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/general-computing/do-you-feel-sinful-overclocking-an-ecc-ram/

Yeah... mine is 32GB of the the Ballistix Elite 3600 that set a land speed record almost a year ago now with a prerelease Ryzen 3900. As a result, it's STILL effing crazy expensive, except when NudeEgg had them on a ShellShocker...  ...even tho it has now been beaten by the next revision Ballistix Elite 4000. 

Still, no regrets... Beat Saber on OdysseyPlus goggles is quite addictive, and my DRL/Liftoff sims almost feel like the real thing. 

...Well, now I'm out of anything to clean electronics: wife took all of the IPA, I used my last can of contact cleaner on Jr's bicycle, and I just used up the last of my DI H20. I'm going to have to leave the house now.

Go to your local hardware store. Buy methyl hydrate.  Research the difference in plastics/paints that are methanol safe vs those that are isopropyl safe. Find SMDS, refresh yourself on safe handling & avoid direct dermal contact as methanol has a certain atavism.

Rejoice that you are smarter than all the 1d10ts who make face masks out of coffee filters stolen from med's Amazon delivery driver.    I just got a gallon for $11 to replenish my bench; they had oodles.

mnem
 

Methyl hydrate? A methyl group plus water: CH₃-<nothing> • H₂O? Does not compute, contains free radical. One presumes you mean methanol, CH₃-OH, which you could just about call Methyl Hydroxide if  you're not scared of the IUPAC naming hit squad. There are lots of alternative and traditional names for methanol but "methyl hydrate" is just plain wrong.

   I knew you'd be along to bust my balls if I dared open my mouth about anything chemistry-related... here's a picture.   

My suspicion is that this this particular appellation is due to the fact it is commonly sold as a gas-line de-icer or "gas dryer" all over the Frost Belt due to methanol's hydrophilic nature. I don't care WHY they call it that; I'm just glad I can get 99.9% pure alcohol this way thanks to the ignorance of the general populace, and I figured it would be a good thing to share that discovery with the rest of my TEA brethren. But really... a quick Google for methyl hydrate will take you straight to... you guessed it... methanol. 

mnem
Fun fact: Another well-known word for rabies is "hydrophobia".

[bd139]

Yep, I've looked at those electronic loads before and TBH I just could not really think of any use that I could have for one, now power supplies or meters is a different thing, never really have to many meters and power supplies are handy to help calibrate them.

Read the service manual for any decent power supply and somewhere in the 'verification' section (or whatever that manufacturer calls it) you'll find a setup that uses an electronic load to inject a load step into the supply to check the supply's load regulation recovery. That's one use.

6236B manual? Buy some power resistors 

My kind (cheap arse) of power supply

[Brumby]

According to Wikipedia, other names for methanol include:

... ... ... MeOH ... ... ...

The others are something I can deal with (sort of) - but this?  You've got to be kidding.   

[beanflying]

Still on the UPS endless conveyor belt  I finally got a reply from UPS (insert your random Asian call center here) today claiming that they will arrange for my parcel to be forwarded onto Melbourne. Seriously all manner of  Held up for two weeks with no actual reason in this country. 

[0culus]

Welp, I made an offer on a pretty nice looking Tek 184 and the seller accepted it...so more TEA incoming. 

[bitseeker]

Bought a 7 dollar AliExpress electronic load.......... no qlue why... but it gets you off the streets for  few hours.
can not find an other reason then to unload batteries, its useless for other proper load stuff.
needs still a housing and a digital A/V meter......... but could do some tests.

Agreed, it's built for discharging batteries. I like your heatsink...nice copper.

[tonyalbus]

Got this today from a ham friend that wants it looked at. It's a Heathkit IG-18 Sine - Square generator. Seems the meter will only display amplitudes up to half scale and never above that. I haven't looked at that yet but I did start to clean it a bit in the garage. The guy is a pipe smoker and you can see the difference between the left and right sides on top.

I can't repair something like that unless it's clean. 

very satisfying cleaning old stuff to make it look a lot better....

Tony

[tonyalbus]

The heatsink is from an old Dell 1H server.. R200 or SC1425, the fan also... so the housing does not have to be that high... and still has good cooling...
but also ,it was just what i had in the basement ;-)
 

[med6753]

If I ever have to wonder where all my money is going all I have to do is look at my e-mail in box. 

[Cubdriver]

I can certainly relate to that.  I'll stay away from the 'bay for a while, then I fall off the wagon and it parks on top of me.   

-Pat

[BU508A]

If I ever have to wonder where all my money is going all I have to do is look at my e-mail in box. 

And this at 03:54 AM in the morning ... 

[med6753]

If I ever have to wonder where all my money is going all I have to do is look at my e-mail in box. 

And this at 03:54 AM in the morning ... 

Yes, the day is young. 

[tautech]

If I ever have to wonder where all my money is going all I have to do is look at my e-mail in box. 

And this at 03:54 AM in the morning ... 

Yes, the day is young. 

Yours maybe but mine is done ! 
 

[Ice-Tea]

If I ever have to wonder where all my money is going all I have to do is look at my e-mail in box. 

 

[Cubdriver]

If I ever have to wonder where all my money is going all I have to do is look at my e-mail in box. 

And this at 03:54 AM in the morning ... 

Yes, the day is young. 

Yours maybe but mine is done ! 
 

Right?  Time to hit the sack.

-Pat

[Zucca]

If I ever have to wonder where all my money is going all I have to do is look at my e-mail in box. 

I can't stand them in my Inbox, I have a temp folder for all the temp email that need to be deleted.

[tautech]

If I ever have to wonder where all my money is going all I have to do is look at my e-mail in box. 

And this at 03:54 AM in the morning ... 

Yes, the day is young. 

Yours maybe but mine is done ! 
 

Right?  Time to hit the sack.

-Pat

Off to ded as mnem would say. 

Nutthing sold today  but some painting done to keep her indoors a bit happy. 
Been a crazy few days with stuff going out flat out so all out of DSO's like BD has are gone until my turn in the production queue in mid-June.   
Then it still takes ~4 weeks for them to arrive. 

In the quiet today with the forum was down after GNIF busted it  was scanning the evilbay for my weakness...Tek current probes ......and there were some fairly priced ones too....but I resisted.