Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[mnementh]

Aaaannnd of course the forum software cannot resist the urge to give a parting shot...

mnem
Hmmm... I think maybe I'm beginning to like it... 

[med6753]

Yes... Already looked at EVERY ONE OF THOSE. All those little bottles are like $16 EACH to get them to me.   

Even if they combined shipping, it would be 4 or 5 of them at $7-8 EACH... plus shipping AND Import Duty of ~10-12%.

mnem

A just reward for your treasonous behavior. 

Have you been practicing your eh's?

Going to celebrate Canada Day on Wednesday to avoid suspicion?

Or wait until Saturday and light off fireworks to the puzzlement and annoyance of your neighbors?

Eh? 

[Vgkid]

@ mnementh
If you need pure mineral oil go to your local supermarket/pharmacy. It is used as a laxative.

[med6753]

@ mnementh
If you need pure mineral oil go to your local supermarket/pharmacy. It is used as a laxative.

OMFG, nothing worse than a dragon with the shits. 

[Vgkid]

@ mnementh
If you need pure mineral oil go to your local supermarket/pharmacy. It is used as a laxative.

OMFG, nothing worse than a dragon with the shits. 

Heh.
 

[SilverSolder]

Spent the morning being repeatedly kicked in the balls by the internet... you'd think "sewing machine oil" would be a pretty UN-ambiguous search term; but I keep getting page after page of everything but that. (iPwn cases...? SERIOUSLY...?) Or something that could work, only ridiculously priced or an eyedropperful of product when I need a pint.

I think I'm just going to say "fuck it" and go with some light hydraulic oil; viscosity will be a bit high, but at least I can get a quart at Princess Auto without killing myself. 



mnem

   
  5 seconds on amazon.com:  https://www.amazon.com/Singer-2131E-All-Purpose-Machine/dp/B000YZ1Y06/

Yes, the above-mentioned "eyedropperful when I need a pint"; I'd need 4 or 5 of that little bottle as this is a wet-sump machine with oil pump. Also, Singer oil is full of some damned thing that reeks to high heaven; it's worse than transmission fluid.  Light mineral oil is odorless.

mnem
moo. or don't.

So... Princess Auto was a bitch; the ISO32 Hydraulic Oil they have is "Anti-Wear", which has the same kind of phosphate detergents as ATF. Cracked the cap on one; not enough to break the seal, but enough to catch a whiff. Reeks like a workbench at AAMCO. 

I give up; I'm gonna place an online order with the sewing supply shop downtown which has generic Lily White Sewing Machine Oil $17/liter. The question now is: Do I spend the 2 hours there and back, or pay Canada Post $11 and take the gamble that it gets here any faster than the parcel above... 

Well, the leftovers SHOULD be a lifetime supply of refills for the micro-oiler I use on my whirry little flying things...

mnem
"Oh.... I beat my knee with a monkey wrench, cuz it feels so good when I stop..."

Do you have Amazon?www.amazon.com/Sewing-Machine-Zoom-Spout-Oiler/dp/B079RMRZ8D/

Yes... Already looked at EVERY ONE OF THOSE. All those little bottles are like $16 EACH to get them to me.   

Even if they combined shipping, it would be 4 or 5 of them at $7-8 EACH... plus shipping AND Import Duty of ~10-12%.

mnem

How about this stuff - the same thing as sewing machine oil as far as I can see, and only CDN 5.99

https://www.amazon.ca/WAHL-53315-Wahl-Clipper-Clear/dp/B008EY4KSM/

EDIT:  The pharmacy is the way to go...  pure mineral oil is all it is.

[SilverSolder]

@ mnementh
If you need pure mineral oil go to your local supermarket/pharmacy. It is used as a laxative.

That is a brilliant idea, it is only like $2 at Target...

[bitseeker]

Doesn't Ebay have a banning process and should this clown be invited to join the band with choice of instrument? 

Clearly he's committing fraud. 

Somehow he gets a lot of positive votes.. i think he has 95% ... only a few buyers really are in pure rage! if you read the comments..
i will pass next time, what ever the outcome

To minimize poor outcomes, evaluate the seller before and more stringently than the item being sold. For seller ratings, my general minimum threshold is 99.8% (North America), 99% (Europe), 95% (Asia). I haven't purchased from other locations, yet. I also read the Neutral and Negative feedback (As Seller) to gauge how reliable the seller rating is and if a low score might be an exception (e.g., low-volume seller who had one bad review by a boneheaded buyer could result in a lower than fair overall rating).

The reason for the different minimum ratings by region is due to the frequency of miscommunication and/or shipping issues that tend to occur with sales outside, in my case, the US (other thresholds may make more sense for buyers in other locations). Reading the seller's feedback will provide some insights to determine if the seller deserves a pass on a rating that's below threshold.

Hope the situation with your order turns out well, Tony!

[0culus]

Knock on wood, so far I've only encountered one real butthead ebay seller. He thought his HP-15C was worth hundreds of dollars more than it is, and was a complete dickhead about taking an offer. Needless to say I did not buy from him. Most sellers, at least those purveyors of test equipment and such, seem to care about their reputation and will bend over backwards to make you happy.

[bitseeker]

Ok maybe 6-1/2d meters are not as expensive as I thought, but it was only a few years ago I was thinking a $50 DMM as a good idea.

The price curve gets pretty steep. But if I can afford the Keysight 34465A, is that really their 2nd best DMM (at least thats 2-ch??) The 33470A is 7-1/2d. And Fluke doesn't really have much at that level, but they own Keithley?, and just have them make them ??

So if you had the money, what are the actual best 6-1/2d meters ? If my budget is that close to the top level DMMs already, that's great.

I used to buy the 2nd-3rd best gaming CPU/GPU's. So I should not worry about getting a top level DMM

So, what are your usual use cases MathWizard? As others have said, the best choice for you may be completely different than for me or others.

Of course, if you just want to get the coolest, most feature-filled DMM for your budget, that's OK, too. But it's a different discussion.

Let us know what you have in mind. And don't forget that there are oodles of threads about DMM on the forum. Be sure to check them out as well. I believe there's a spreadsheet in one of the big DMM threads to compare features.

[bitseeker]

Knock on wood, so far I've only encountered one real butthead ebay seller. He thought his HP-15C was worth hundreds of dollars more than it is, and was a complete dickhead about taking an offer. Needless to say I did not buy from him. Most sellers, at least those purveyors of test equipment and such, seem to care about their reputation and will bend over backwards to make you happy.

Yes, good point about buying from experienced sellers. That definitely helps, too. I don't think I've had an issue with that class of seller either. Even the surplus/recycler sellers tend to be fine, if their rating is high enough. Individuals, especially ones who don't even sell things that use batteries or plug into the wall, let alone test equipment, are the highest risk, but can be the source of the jammiest Jammy Git scores.

Also, unless someone blatantly tries to pull a fast one on me (like that seller did to Tony), if there's a problem with an item, I usually use "Ask seller a question" to initiate contact since it's the least in-your-face option and doesn't impact their seller rating. Some, as you said, will bend over backward to resolve the situation. Most will at least reply politely. But for the few who don't take the olive branch, then the return case is open with lots of pics.

[0culus]

Knock on wood, so far I've only encountered one real butthead ebay seller. He thought his HP-15C was worth hundreds of dollars more than it is, and was a complete dickhead about taking an offer. Needless to say I did not buy from him. Most sellers, at least those purveyors of test equipment and such, seem to care about their reputation and will bend over backwards to make you happy.

Yes, good point about buying from experienced sellers. That definitely helps, too. I don't think I've had an issue with that class of seller either. Even the surplus/recycler sellers tend to be fine, if their rating is high enough. Individuals, especially ones who don't even sell things that use batteries or plug into the wall, let alone test equipment, are the highest risk, but can be the source of the jammiest Jammy Git scores.

Also, unless someone blatantly tries to pull a fast one on me (like that seller did to Tony), if there's a problem with an item, I usually use "Ask seller a question" to initiate contact since it's the least in-your-face option and doesn't impact their seller rating. Some, as you said, will bend over backward to resolve the situation. Most will at least reply politely. But for the few who don't take the olive branch, then the return case is open with lots of pics.

Yeah, I always get in contact with a seller anyway even if I have only a small request. In some cases, it works out great such as the local guy I got this 585A from. I original had bought a little HP test oscillator from him with local pickup. He contacted me directly when he wanted to sell the 585A. In the case of the Tek 184 I got, it was listed as working, clearly was not, and the seller just refunded me part of the purchase no questions asked.

[cyclin_al]

I have two choices for shipping from some unknown warehouse in the US to here in Calgary, Alberta, Canada...
I need these parts before the weekend, Thursday would be nice but by Friday is imperative.
Canada Day is Wednesday, which might screw things up and of course Saturday is July 4th so many will be gearing up for the weekend. 

Anyone been having particularly good luck or bad luck with either of these?

DHL International Express supposedly Thursday July 2 $38.25
FedEx Economy supposedly Friday July 3 $21.85

I haven't shipped anything express from the US for ages.... 
DHL was usually spotty, FedEX is normally good to me but they are only offering the Economy rate not full express from this place right now......  sooo...

Which do I chose?   

My latest experience with DHL Express was rather terrible.  Delivery was supposed to take 5 days from Washington state to the Pontiac region, QC (just outside of our nation's capital Ottawa).
DHL provided a brokerage (dis-)service of holding the package for customs for 2 weeks and charged me a fee of $85 US in order to collect $17 CAN in GST tax and for the difficult task of confirming that no duties were applicable.  On top of that, no description or receipt was provided for those fees.  I have heard similar things from others.

*download of latest Raspbian should be done soon...*

[cyclin_al]

So... Princess Auto was a bitch; the ISO32 Hydraulic Oil they have is "Anti-Wear", which has the same kind of phosphate detergents as ATF. Cracked the cap on one; not enough to break the seal, but enough to catch a whiff. Reeks like a workbench at AAMCO. 

I give up; I'm gonna place an online order with the sewing supply shop downtown which has generic Lily White Sewing Machine Oil $17/liter. The question now is: Do I spend the 2 hours there and back, or pay Canada Post $11 and take the gamble that it gets here any faster than the parcel above... 

What about looking the opposite direction of T.O.?  I am not sure how far you are from Newmarket, but last time I was there that town city was punching above its size.  You might be surprised at what can be found there.  I imagine the driving time might be a bit less, if not much more scenic.

[mnementh]

I looked - no sewing supply stores actually open except IN TO.

Mineral oil from the Px WAS considered; as it is typically about ISO60-80 viscosity and I need ISO10 non-detergent mineral oil, not a good choice. Probably grenade the plastic impeller. Again; the small bottles are just too small, guys... I'd need 4-5 of them. Then there's Shipping & Duty. And clipper oil typically has silicone additives, and NO IDEA what the viscosity is.

The guy downtown is the way to go by far... if I wasn't already walkin' around bowlegged from the fuckery of Canada Post, I'd actually consider paying the $9 for Express Delivery. Except that is EXACTLY the service that has taken 18 days (and counting - plugholes DID NOT deliver today either) to get my package of parts from Mississauga to "not quite delivered yet". It took 11 days to get picked, packed, over here on a boat from China, passed through customs and handed off to them.

   

I DID get back to the 2KVA Step-Up XFMR... and things got ugly quick. Blood was spilled and there was a decapitation... I'll update tomorrow as I'm about to fall over. 

mnem
 

[bitseeker]

Cliff hanger!

[Zucca]

ON THE BENCH: 2KVA CURB SCORE!

See Y'all in a few!

mnem
 

And the dragon broke the pics preview again...
Never user SIMPLE MACHINE FORUM .

BTW: When somebody calls a final product "Simple", "Easy", "Friendly" I heard voices in my head telling me to run away.

[Specmaster]

@ mnementh
If you need pure mineral oil go to your local supermarket/pharmacy. It is used as a laxative.

OMFG, nothing worse than a dragon with the shits. 

Yep, its like an electric toaster, browns both sides at once, one is scorch marks, the other is shite 

[bluey]

Standard domestic sewing machine oil is meant to be thin and clear nonstaining when traces end up on the fabric. Little oil squirt bottles nearly anywhere that sewers go - Supermarket, walmart, sewing shop, etc. heavy duty industrial machines have sumps and need larger quantities. More likely from industrial sewing machine retailers. (Really keen people can get synthetic sewing machine oil from Japan. AZ oil has a great range.)

The other major option for a thin oil is “spindle oil” as used in high speed machining spindles or air tools. Air tool oil is available from air tool retailers. Spindle oil msy not be non-staining.

[med6753]

Here's a weird one. Local skydiver club this past Sunday.

Jumps out plane at 14K feet with chute. It never opens nor does the reserve. Lands in parking lot of local firehouse. Once they pick up what's left they discover there is no parachute. 

They still haven't found the parachute. 

[Saskia]

https://youtu.be/LXeG0aC_F68

[tggzzz]

It's quarter to seven right now; I suppose as it's still daylight out, not TECHNICALLY end of day YET...   

In some parts of Canada you really wouldn't want to have to wait until the next day.

[Saskia]

@med

https://youtu.be/VWgsdexkv18

it may sound cynical, but is not meant as such.

RIP.

[McBryce]

Here's a weird one. Local skydiver club this past Sunday.

Jumps out plane at 14K feet with chute. It never opens nor does the reserve. Lands in parking lot of local firehouse. Once they pick up what's left they discover there is no parachute. 

They still haven't found the parachute. 

There have been cases of people being so buzzed up or nervous, that they forgot the parachute. It's also happened with budgie-jumpers who jumped before the cord had been connected. Or maybe it wasn't buckled properly and they lost it on the way down? Of course they may have also wanted it to end that way?

McBryce.

[xrunner]

I have no problems with drowning the whole lot. 

We’re already chucking their statues in the sea at the moment 

Oh my! -

People are defecating outside the Queen's vacation home

Published 29th June 2020


London (CNN) — Walkers are relieving themselves in the grounds of Queen Elizabeth's Scottish residence, staff have said.
Employees at Balmoral Castle, which the Queen frequently visits for holidays throughout the year, have complained about wet wipes being left on the estate and urged people not to use the spot as an outdoor toilet.

Most public facilities are closed in the United Kingdom due to the country's lockdown, but people are allowed to exercise and socialize outside, leading many to seek quiet public places if nature calls during a day out.
"Disappointed to see so many wipes discarded on the Estate today. Next to paths and monuments. Please remember there are no public toilets open for miles around at the moment," staff at Balmoral wrote.
"Part of the problem is that we are seeing a lot of non biodegradable wipes being discarded in the countryside," they added. "Also, people are choosing to relieve themselves right next to busy paths or monuments rather than move a little bit further away to avoid contamination."

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/balmoral-outdoor-toilet-scli-gbr-intl/index.html