Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[Neomys Sapiens]

Been giving the Type 106 Square Wave Generator a good check out and have come up with a list of repairs required.

I thought at first the Fast Rise – Output was not working. It is indeed working. The issue is the GR connector. I need to take apart that complicated assembly to find out what's wrong with it. It's the top one in this pix.

When I hear that now I have to relate a very strange fault which I encountered. A friend of mine had bought a matching set of wideband preamplifier and bias tee for use with his scanner.
But he could not get them to work properly. He even installed a new, second cable from the basement to the roof and re-terminated both cables with new connectors. Without the preamplifier, function was normal. With the unpowered preamplifier connected at the antenna, function was worse but there was still some signal. With the bias tee connected at the receiver end and powered, there was no function at all. With the unpowered bias tee, there was a tiny signal from a very strong signal.
What happened? The N jack at the output of the Bias tee (signal+DC side) had a internal break and did not show galvanic continuity. The unpowered preamp was passing some signal as intended. The defective connector was able to pass some RF, but no DC. When the power was connected, the bias tee's attenuation did just rise so slightly that this, non-galvanically passed RF was negated.

[bd139]

I calculated the average speed of my package from Australia to be around 8.5 miles per hour.

Wow. That fast.

I've repeatedly had letters from one company in Crawley take >1 week to get the 122 miles to Avon. According to google, it would take 40 hours to walk that journey. Given a 40 hour week, ...

Looks like the stagecoach is still competitive, LOL! 

Steam locomotives is another technology that we should let the courier companies know about.  The fastest locomotives could go over 120mph, imagine how fast packages could get delivered if they started using this kind of technology?

The Mallard reached 126 mph (203 km/h) on 3 July 1938.

(Attachment Link)

The Mallard was the most technically advanced steam engine ever made using pistons. It was also slightly fragile because of that.
I'd love to poke around in an engine like that...   

In a sense, modern mail services are a victim of their own success. Back in the days of Pony Express and Mail Stages, few people were sending mail or parcels, and the cost was proportionally quite a bit higher than we'd put up with these days.

I think the SR Leader class takes the technical superiority crown, even if it didn't work properly 



Yes that's a kettle. Anyway anorak off now.

Edit: minor bucket list item: drive a class 37.

[SilverSolder]

[...]
 
I think the SR Leader class takes the technical superiority crown, even if it didn't work properly 



Yes that's a kettle. Anyway anorak off now.

Edit: minor bucket list item: drive a class 37.

With so much good stuff to choose from, there really isn't any excuse for deliveries taking weeks, LOL!

As a perhaps slightly more serious question, I don't actually understand why it is cheaper for the couriers to leave mail sitting around for up to a week (i.e. they aren't literally walking these items, hopefully, so the delays / slow service really doesn't have anything to do with slow transportation...) 

When all is said and done, even if they wait a week with every mail item...  the volume per day will still be the same, just with a delay of 7 days.   How does that benefit them or make their lives easier?   Not getting that at all... 

[Neomys Sapiens]

From now, my personal translation of R&S will be Raeuber und Stehler. (Robbers and Stealers).
For the repair of a VNA, whose power supply was gone (removable/exchangeable as a block inside), they charged 7000.-€. They even admitted that they have another standard price for 'small repairs' at 1700.-, but they would not consider this to fall under those.

[xrunner]

Good news - the switch parts are fixed and put back together, and the unit works as it should.

Bad news - the overspray or mucky coating that was all over the front parts would only come off with alcohol. While cleaning the parts I turned to the main dial. I was cleaning the front and some alcohol ran under to the back of the dial where the markings were. It just obliterated the ink where it landed. I tried to mop it up where it landed but the damage was done. I've worked with these units before and never seen the ink become so delicate as this. I think the environment it was in may have deteriorated the ink.

But, I do have a recovery plan. I'm going to re-create the dial markings from a picture. I have to buy a pack of clear adhesive sticky paper for my laser printer (the pack I have is for ink jet and I threw away my ink jet printer). I'll flip the image so the sticker will be able to be attached to the back of the dial, this will make it easier to work with at the center and will look a lot better. The picture I got is OK (a bit off-center but not too bad), but if anyone has an FG503 that would be willing to remove the dial and take a clear close up centered, with white paper behind it, I'd appreciate it. I scaled a quick test print on paper and it looks like it'll work.

And again, to those wanting to attempt vintage repair/restoration, this is one of the accidents that can happen, so watch out! Have a recovery plan. 

[bd139]

With so much good stuff to choose from, there really isn't any excuse for deliveries taking weeks, LOL!

As a perhaps slightly more serious question, I don't actually understand why it is cheaper for the couriers to leave mail sitting around for up to a week (i.e. they aren't literally walking these items, hopefully, so the delays / slow service really doesn't have anything to do with slow transportation...) 

When all is said and done, even if they wait a week with every mail item...  the volume per day will still be the same, just with a delay of 7 days.   How does that benefit them or make their lives easier?   Not getting that at all...

Lazy fuckers setting expectations low.

I've got a parcel force delayed by a day and a UPS that is 2 days late here. Parcel force not an issue as it's got something non-volatile in it. However the UPS is full of chocolate brownies which are going to be knackered by the time they get here 

[Cerebus]

As a perhaps slightly more serious question, I don't actually understand why it is cheaper for the couriers to leave mail sitting around for up to a week (i.e. they aren't literally walking these items, hopefully, so the delays / slow service really doesn't have anything to do with slow transportation...) 

When all is said and done, even if they wait a week with every mail item...  the volume per day will still be the same, just with a delay of 7 days.   How does that benefit them or make their lives easier?   Not getting that at all...

Perhaps it's down to batching. Make one journey a week (perhaps with a larger vehicle) instead of 7 daily journeys. If people are having coronavirus related staffing issues  this might actually be a legitimate workaround. Or they may just be greedy because it's cheaper to do.

[tggzzz]

Bad news - the overspray or mucky coating that was all over the front parts would only come off with alcohol. While cleaning the parts I turned to the main dial. I was cleaning the front and some alcohol ran under to the back of the dial where the markings were. It just obliterated the ink where it landed. I tried to mop it up where it landed but the damage was done. I've worked with these units before and never seen the ink become so delicate as this. I think the environment it was in may have deteriorated the ink.

But, I do have a recovery plan. I'm going to re-create the dial markings from a picture. I have to buy a pack of clear adhesive sticky paper for my laser printer (the pack I have is for ink jet and I threw away my ink jet printer). I'll flip the image so the sticker will be able to be attached to the back of the dial, this will make it easier to work with at the center and will look a lot better. The picture I got is OK (a bit off-center but not too bad), but if anyone has an FG503 that would be willing to remove the dial and take a clear close up centered, with white paper behind it, I'd appreciate it. I scaled a quick test print on paper and it looks like it'll work.

I've had similar problems with Tek vertical sensitivity dials.

My solution was to create a suitable scale, print it on transparent plastic[1], use UHU rubber solution glue to glue the centre of the plastic scale behind the existing (now unmarked) knob. The plastic scale is only attached loosely to the knob, but there isn't much space for it to flap around.

[1] I can't remember whether it was HP pigmented inkjet, or laser printed. If the latter, I would have got that done at a local printshop for a trivial amount of money.

[Specmaster]

This is the first time i am happy, someone overbid me...
i almost bought a maybe working AVCOM spectrum analizer....hoping i can fix it anyway..
just 30 minutes before the close of the bid someone overbit me...yeah!!
thank you lucky buyer i realy hope it is a working unit for you........
during this 2 days i am the best bidder, i found nothing about this device and contacting customersupport it became clear to me, they never release a service manual,
as part of the company policy..also there is no service centre in NL and i can not sent it there becouse they dont repair its to old..
why this old machine needs to be secret still...is a mistery..
AVCOM i don't understand you guys....

If they never released a service manual, then that's not too bad as long as they are willing to repair it at a reasonable cost. Once its so old that they are no longer willing to support it, then they should be made to release service manuals to the trade so that third party repairers and hobbyists can stand a chance of repairing the items.

There's no gain for them in doing that apart from maybe some goodwill from the hobbyists, and they could lose some new equipment sales. If they are primarily looking at business customers it makes no sense for them to do so, as much as we regret that they don't.

This issue has been discussed before and is one that I don't agree with. Everything evolves, get faster, smarter, smaller etc, so there is no reason why a business customer would want to keep patching up an old less reliable bit of kit when they can effectively write off the cost of a nice new shiny one against tax. I don't know of a single business that wouldn't rather spend the money on new equipment rather than write a cheque to the taxman. There are not that many hobbyists around who can afford to buy all of their kit new, so they are not really going to be missing on that many sales are they?

[mnementh]

This is the first time i am happy, someone overbid me...
i almost bought a maybe working AVCOM spectrum analizer....hoping i can fix it anyway..
just 30 minutes before the close of the bid someone overbit me...yeah!!
thank you lucky buyer i realy hope it is a working unit for you........
during this 2 days i am the best bidder, i found nothing about this device and contacting customersupport it became clear to me, they never release a service manual,
as part of the company policy..also there is no service centre in NL and i can not sent it there becouse they dont repair its to old..
why this old machine needs to be secret still...is a mistery..
AVCOM i don't understand you guys....

Oh, that's because of [REDACTED] and [REDACTED] playing around with [REDACTED]; it became a [REDACTED] secret back in the [REDACTED] Administration.

mnem


CAUTION: NSFW and a little sanctimonious. May cause conservatives' heads to explode. 

[mnementh]

Good news - the switch parts are fixed and put back together, and the unit works as it should.

Bad news - the overspray or mucky coating that was all over the front parts would only come off with alcohol. While cleaning the parts I turned to the main dial. I was cleaning the front and some alcohol ran under to the back of the dial where the markings were. It just obliterated the ink where it landed. I tried to mop it up where it landed but the damage was done. I've worked with these units before and never seen the ink become so delicate as this. I think the environment it was in may have deteriorated the ink.

But, I do have a recovery plan. I'm going to re-create the dial markings from a picture. I have to buy a pack of clear adhesive sticky paper for my laser printer (the pack I have is for ink jet and I threw away my ink jet printer). I'll flip the image so the sticker will be able to be attached to the back of the dial, this will make it easier to work with at the center and will look a lot better. The picture I got is OK (a bit off-center but not too bad), but if anyone has an FG503 that would be willing to remove the dial and take a clear close up centered, with white paper behind it, I'd appreciate it. I scaled a quick test print on paper and it looks like it'll work.

And again, to those wanting to attempt vintage repair/restoration, this is one of the accidents that can happen, so watch out! Have a recovery plan. 

Another option is to scan the knob with a flatbed scanner at high DPI. I've made a number of replacement meter scales this way.

Also, another option for making the scale itself is your local FEDEX/KINKOs/Office Depot, etc... It is now pretty much an industry standard capability to be able to laser print directly on transparency/report cover plastic sheet. Just make sure you have your original image file scaled correctly by printing it yourself on paper (at 100% scale or no scaling; you can still do this from MS Paint), and ask them to print at 100% scale/no rescaling.

[EDIT] Here's a high-res example of just such a transparency print done for me recently by STAPLES for use on my Aorus Black Dragon build:   

Good luck!

mnem
 

[mnementh]

There's no gain for them in doing that apart from maybe some goodwill from the hobbyists, and they could lose some new equipment sales. If they are primarily looking at business customers it makes no sense for them to do so, as much as we regret that they don't.

This issue has been discussed before and is one that I don't agree with. Everything evolves, get faster, smarter, smaller etc, so there is no reason why a business customer would want to keep patching up an old less reliable bit of kit when they can effectively write off the cost of a nice new shiny one against tax. I don't know of a single business that wouldn't rather spend the money on new equipment rather than write a cheque to the taxman. There are not that many hobbyists around who can afford to buy all of their kit new, so they are not really going to be missing on that many sales are they?

While I tend to agree with you in this aspect of the "right to repair" wars... You do realize that you are attempting to apply common sense to the decision-making process of ad-men, marketeers and pointy-haired management-types, right...?

You see where this train of thought derails, mmmhmmm...?

Yes... that's right. Not only before it leaves the station, but before the locomotive is even manufactured and delivered unto service.

mnem
This way lies madness... 

[beanflying]

Nearly a month to leave the !@#$'ing USA  OSHPark PCB's BTW,,,,,

[0culus]

Wow, so it got handed off to USPS for international shipping. No wonder it went into a black hole. If it had gotten on UPS Airlines it would have been much faster (but presumably a lot more expensive?). [edit] I guess I'm spoiled. Where I live, during the week we usually get 6-7 UPS Airlines arrivals daily. There will be 2 from Louisville (SDF) and one coming from the west coast in the wee hours largely bringing the stuff that will be delivered that morning, and usually another 2 coming in the late afternoon with the next day air stuff. The remainder are flights from the other cities making stops to pick up outbound before heading back to the hub. Aircraft are usually 767, 757, and A300. We don't get the 747s, which are all doing international routes and/or Alaska.

[mansaxel]

I think the SR Leader class takes the technical superiority crown, even if it didn't work properly 



Yes that's a kettle. Anyway anorak off now.

Edit: minor bucket list item: drive a class 37.

If you're looking for innovation (as in "innovate, at any price, and upset people thoroughly with what you've done") within rail traction, chances are that Oliver Bulleid will be involved.  I've traveled behind 34027 Taw Valley which is one of his, but on my bucket list is to travel behind an unmolested Merchant Navy Class engine, still in its "Spam Can" configuration. There are some in preservation that are running.



As to diesels, I'm 100% with you that the Class 37 is something very special. Was hauled by double 37s on the transport legs of a steam special 2 years ago. The sound is positively marvellous.

I've driven Swedish T21, T43 and T44, as well as the shunter V5. T4* are GE diesel-electrics, straight EMD 12-cyl 2-stroke diesel, etc. T21 were built by MAK in Germany, and is a submarine on wheels, straight 8-cyl ex-marine diesel engine, 2-speed Voith hydraulic transmission, and very, very German. V5 is a Henschel shunter, more or less.

Driving a Class 37? Well, yes, that's something I'd not turn down, not at all.

[med6753]

How about the old EMD "F" Series? Back then the individual units were only about 1500 - 2000hp each so if you needed serious grunt simply string together a bunch of "A" and "B" units as shown. Then you have roughly the equivalent pull power of a large single steamer but still more economical to operate.

[tggzzz]

Quite a few of us complain when we seen meters "repurposed" into lights/clocks/etc.

Here's the reverse: a clock repurposed as a voltmeter: https://hackaday.com/2013/01/21/award-clock-put-to-good-use-as-a-bench-meter/

[nfmax]

A British stagecoach was actually faster in 1836 than my package managed in 2020! 

The scheduled coach left London at 19:30 and arrived in Liverpool at 16:50 the next day, a distance of about 220 miles (350 km), at an average speed to about 10 miles per hour (16 km/h), including stops to change horses!

That is actually pretty impressive...

(Attachment Link)

The Comet shown actually ran on the London to Exeter route. The GPO mail coaches, which were not usually named, were the fastest, achieving around 10mph, inclusive of stops to change horses. By 1836, a team of 4 horses could be changed in about 90 seconds. Each stage was about 10 miles, and each horse worked a 1 hour 'shift' each day for 4 days and then rested on the 5th. To work one mail coach in each direction each day required about one horse per mile of route to actually pull the coaches - plus many others to haul fodder and dung (and produce more horses).

Mail coach timing was strictly regulated. Even in the 1790's, stage timings were given to the nearest 5 minutes, and checked and recorded by the postmasters at each stage, using a clock carried by the mail guard on the coach (along with his blunderbus). Since local solar time was used, the clocks were adjusted to gain or lose time according to the longitudes of the starting & ending towns.

Mail coaches didn't carry parcels though.

All this and much more transport nerdery in: P.J.G. Ransom, The Archaeology of the Transport Revolution, World's Work Ltd, Kingswood 1984, ISBN 0-437-14335-X

[mansaxel]

How about the old EMD "F" Series?

The T43 and T44 are basically a slightly smaller classic EMD drivetrain, but with a steeple cab. Hood units were also built, mostly for track maintenance, and NOHAB built boxcabs for Danish state railways (the MY series) on roughly the same motive power concept.

[VK5RC]

Good news - the switch parts are fixed and put back together, and the unit works as it should.

Bad news - the overspray or mucky coating that was all over the front parts would only come off with alcohol. While cleaning the parts I turned to the main dial. I was cleaning the front and some alcohol ran under to the back of the dial where the markings were. It just obliterated the ink where it landed. I tried to mop it up where it landed but the damage was done. I've worked with these units before and never seen the ink become so delicate as this. I think the environment it was in may have deteriorated the ink.

But, I do have a recovery plan. I'm going to re-create the dial markings from a picture. I have to buy a pack of clear adhesive sticky paper for my laser printer (the pack I have is for ink jet and I threw away my ink jet printer). I'll flip the image so the sticker will be able to be attached to the back of the dial, this will make it easier to work with at the center and will look a lot better. The picture I got is OK (a bit off-center but not too bad), but if anyone has an FG503 that would be willing to remove the dial and take a clear close up centered, with white paper behind it, I'd appreciate it. I scaled a quick test print on paper and it looks like it'll work.

And again, to those wanting to attempt vintage repair/restoration, this is one of the accidents that can happen, so watch out! Have a recovery plan. 

I watch with baited breath! Will add to the vintage restoration etc etc page. 👍

[VK5RC]

Re Pony express vs modern postage services, one of the crappy 'gotcha' type current affairs TV programs did a comparison of AusPost and a horse-rider combo over a couple of hundred kms. The horse won but the post guy when interviewed had the best come back, ' We delivered the letter for $1 in the agreed time and made a profit - I think the horse rider would have cost a bit more'.

[med6753]

How about this bad boy? EMD DDA40X. Twin diesels in one loco. 6600hp. Only 47 made, all for Union Pacific. All retired except one kept operational in their heritage fleet (This one).

[BU508A]

I'm scanning regularly this seller on ebay (I don't have any affiliations with him),
because from time to time he is offering some nice TE and interesting electronic parts.
So I did this morning and found this:


A 200MHz counter from HP, the HP 5335A:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/402299562727



A strange device, a HP frequency counter divider and clock, model II3BR:   
https://www.ebay.com/itm/402300377712





A HP 8754A Network Analyzer, goes up to 1300MHz:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/402300409496



And a HP 3456A DMM:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/133443075454


Edit: typos

[med6753]

I'm scanning regularly this seller on ebay (I don't have any affiliations with him),
because from time to time he is offering some nice TE and interesting electronic parts.
So I did this morning and found this:


A strange device, a HP frequency counder and clock, model II3BR:   
https://www.ebay.com/itm/402300377712

Quick Google shows it to be some sort of lab clock. Not as precise as an atomic clock but not your average alarm clock either. 

[bd139]

Transformers pocket watch