Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[nixiefreqq]

Let's send it to that hydraulic press channel guy on youtube. 

you sir are a philistine.

(may have overstepped and might retract that remark.  did i just offend a large group of people in philistia?  is there such a place?  will get back to you after searching the googles)


edit  "philistine......a person who is hostile or indifferent to culture and the arts, or who has no understanding of them".

i stand by my previous comment.

[0culus]

Let's send it to that hydraulic press channel guy on youtube. 

you sir are a philistine.

(may have overstepped and might retract that remark.  did i just offend a large group of people in philistia?  is there such a place?  will get back to you after searching the googles)

Looks over med's photo carefully....nope no enter key in sight. I'm safe from being a philistine. 

 

[xrunner]

Nixiefreqq marking his territory. I found this in the box of spare parts he gave me. 

Eww. That color reminds me of a jar of Gerbers squash baby food. 

[nixiefreqq]

And because gratuitous scope pr0n...and man I forgot to get @nixiefreqq's favorite calculator in this shot. Silly me.   

my fortress of solitude is a tek free zone.

but damn.....those traces are sharp!

[Specmaster]

@med: 585A is one step closer to fixed. I installed one of the new trimmer caps in place of the broken C348 and I've run through the time base cal procedure twice. Everything looks pretty good. Still a little bit of nagging nonlinearity on time base A in the .5, .2, and .1ms/cm settings. R160Z (which is used to adjust the 1ms/cm setting) is out of range to lengthen the sweep any further. These sweep speeds are technically in spec (the manual quotes +/-2.4mm when using the 1cm and 9cm graticules as measuring points), but I think it should be better. I did replace V161 with a NOS 6CL6 which improved the situation here compared to the tube that was in there.

You are probably going to wind up beating your head against the wall getting it any better. Typical specs for linearity are +/- 3 %.

BTW....does your friend what the 560 extender?

I don't think it's worth nitpicking either...it's now damn near spot on everywhere else. Don't want to mess that up with interacting adjustments.

I haven't heard from him...I'll ping him again.

And if he doesn't want it, I'll take it - I have some 560 scopes here, too.

-Pat

How many, strewth 

[Specmaster]

Nixiefreqq marking his territory. I found this in the box of spare parts he gave me. 

Oh, that one is little wee baby still, I added this to growing collection of calculators with an = key but not a 4 banger sordid box.

[Neomys Sapiens]

Ugh yeah those things are cancer. Also the instruments and the hole tends not to be designed to support the deeper IEC sockets either. I have considered just making a plate with a strain relief and adding a captive mains cable to any HP stuff that comes in like that but that’s just as horrid.

What’s particularly horrible I find though is the early IEC sockets in early fluke bench meters. They are really crappy and moulded into the enclosure.

On that subject my 8050a is on the way via Hermes today. Slightly excited. Haven’t bought any TE for months 

One Solution is to refit them with MIL-C-5015 10SL3 connectors, which are sort of a standard for small devices power entry too. If one is very concerned, Amphenol Taiwan makes a compatible derivate of the 5015ers with the PE pin connected to the shell, additionally secured and preceding the others slightly.

And 10SL2 should fit with a blind plate. If not in normal orientation, then diagonally with 2 screws.

[tggzzz]

Looks over med's photo carefully....nope no enter key in sight. I'm safe from being a philistine. 

Look more carefully - it is the first honest calculator like that which I have seen.

The early algebraic calculators were half-RPN, even though they tried to hide it. For example if you wanted to calculate sin(30+5) you entered 30+5=sin.

Med's calculator "=" key is also marked "enter"

[cyclin_al]

<SNIP>

Well sometimes they have the help of the police. Show on UK TV this week had air ambulance landing in area thoughtfully taped off by police right next to incident. Only problem was that the taped off area was a crime scene not a landing area. Pilot - was that FOD? - doctor no, I think it was evidence 

Over here all medivac landings are pre-determined and agreed to by all involved to insure safety. And it may or may not be directly near the actual incident depending on terrain/location. Typically the closest parking lot or open field.

I think the mode of operation is different in the USA, to UK. In the UK the helicopter is used as a fast response critical care service carrying skilled doctors and advanced parmedics. They often perform advanced treatments, even up to opening the chest to carry out direct heart massage, at the scene. The helicoptor carries advanced equipment. Thus it is important to get them on scene ASAP. Pre-arranging a landing site would cause too much delay resulting in loss of life. 
Many medical flights in the USA are just patient transfers with a nurse or paramedic.
Oh and in the UK they are free, so they can't sort out a landing site while waiting for the insurance company to authorise payment. 

Yes that is quite true, I didn't like to stick my neck out about the USA ones in case I was wrong about them. The other thing to note about UK mercy flights is that they fly the direct route and ATC give them the green light and priority if their route takes them through any controlled airspace. I use airband scanner when I'm out photographing aircraft at my local airfield, or major airports and airshows and they can be frequently heard on the radio informing the ATC of their intention minutes before appearing on scene. The ATC then instantly tell all aircraft to give way and even planes doing air displays are told to halt their display with immediate effect to stand down and vacate the area until further notice. Whats is even more amazing is that these air ambulances are all run by charities, UK Government will not fund them   

Here in Canada is a bit of a hybrid.  Most of the air ambulance flights are for patient transfers.  It is possible to recognize the pattern if you live along a flight path.  I usually see a helicopter pass over a few times a week just after supper time and before bedtime of the garcon.  However, anything outside of that pattern is an emergency flight; I am close enough to one of the destination hospitals that I see the helicopters performing this role as well.

Here, they do carry advanced paramedics, but they do not perform those medical procedures as you describe in the UK, at least as much as I am aware.  The goal is rapid transportation to a hospital with advanced care/trauma/emergency departments.  In these cases, generally the regular EMS services arrive first for initial care.  They will set things up for the air transport.  If you watch the ambulance/police/fire crews carefully, you may notice some have light blue helmets instead of the regular colour.  Those are the personnel trained to guide the aircraft and setup landing zones.

Back in the day, not so long ago as some here, I was heavily involved in the car rally, mountain biking and similar scenes.  Those were fun activities to participate in, but I frequently wound up running some of the events as well.  Yep, for that reason, I had my blue helmet for a short time.  According to some of the stories here lately, maybe I would have been better off chasing the fair maidens, or at least trying to learn how to ... 

Back on topic, the Fluke 8842A looks interesting, but I need to find a Canadian source.  That would be a useful instrument for me to actually use.  However, I have convinced myself that the 8000A is what I used back in highschool, although not entirely sure, so maybe acquisition of a 8000A takes higher priority?

EDIT:  It is much the same here as med described for the US:

Sorry, but that is incorrect....at least in these parts. The medivac is used for the same purposes as you indicated. A safe landing zone as close the incident as possible is set up prior to take off from base or while the helicopter is in the air. And the patient brought to the landing zone as quick as possible via ambulance if a significant distance away. Which can happen because we have large forested areas where a landing isn't possible. And the EMT's on the scene determine the need for a medivac, not the insurance companies.

[Zucca]

Some solder from Felder:
2x 500g 1.0mm Sn60Pb39Cu1
1x 500g 0.5mm Sn60Pb39Cu1
1x 250g 0.75mm Sn62Pb36Ag2
1x 250g 0.5mm Sn62Pb36Ag2

Can you tell me for what you use all of them?
I only one solder with Pb don't even remember the number, now I feel like I need to spend more money again.

[mansaxel]

Thanks! At least it is obtainable new which is a lot better than the crap connector =hp= used; you know the one that's gone except it's available from some crazy guy who bought a giant stockpile NOS and now tries to make them his pension fund..

You mean this one (it is the type PH-163)?

That's the one. I've got ONE of those, in good condition, and one instrument, a  =hp= 5221A, for it. I intend to keep it that way, possibly adding another cable if opportunity arises.

I've considered doing some modification to possible new old instruments in my pile, but not concluded anything yet.  A possible candidate has been found, to deal with internal space issues, but it does leave some room for improvement, with PCB pins instead of Faston or solder lugs, etc.

[bd139]

Nixiefreqq marking his territory. I found this in the box of spare parts he gave me. 

I don’t know if I’m offended by the nature or the colour of it most 

[AVGresponding]

It'll look better once med has repainted it Smurf Blue

[tggzzz]

So, bd139, are you off to Stonehouse this weekend to pick up the Solartron DVMs?
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Solartron-Digital-Voltmeters-A203-A202/153999947342

I would have gone to £5 because I don't need them, but fortunately somebody was prepared to pay >£50.

As for Stonehouse, I've only driven along the main road so all I can say it is looks a reasonable place. The only reason I did that was because a local "shared space guru" was pitching to introduce one in my village. He was touting that his introduction of a shared space in Stonehouse had significantly reduced the speed along the main road. Knowing he was a charming bullshitter, I went and had a look. The shared space was only 50m long and was preceded by 9(!) speed ramps.

The nearby Stroud centre isn't bad, has an excellent farmers' market, and lots of Artistes including Damian Hurst's factory. It has a reputation that the aggies from the surrounding 5 valleys descend there on Saturday night.

[tggzzz]

Nixiefreqq marking his territory. I found this in the box of spare parts he gave me. 

I don’t know if I’m offended by the nature or the colour of it most 

What's wrong with luverrly 1970s beige/brown/tan? My first (£100) Austin Allegro grannymobile car was that colour!

[mansaxel]

edit  "philistine......a person who is hostile or indifferent to culture and the arts, or who has no understanding of them".

I prefer "некультурный" ^* to characterize my opponents in these battles of taste and culture.

Now, on the matter of calculator preferences, I've got a Sharp EL-506P, which is of the = crowd. I (or my mother, to be precise; she's the maths/science side of my parents, my father being more bent on language and crafts) bought it for senior high / Gymnasium 1984, and still on its original set of batteries. It works, and is fast and almost in pristine condition.   

Having said that, I recognise the utility of RPN entry, and am moving towards it; I run Free42 on the phone, dc gets more time on the computer as opposed to bc and I've put one of the SwissMicros calculators on my wish list, mostly because =hp= has shat on its calculator business, too. And the vintage ones command insane prices.

/M

* Nekulturny, a russian way to call someone a philistine. Very popular in Soviet Russia, but still common. Most powerful.

[bd139]

So, bd139, are you off to Stonehouse this weekend to pick up the Solartron DVMs?
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Solartron-Digital-Voltmeters-A203-A202/153999947342

I would have gone to £5 because I don't need them, but fortunately somebody was prepared to pay >£50.

As for Stonehouse, I've only driven along the main road so all I can say it is looks a reasonable place. The only reason I did that was because a local "shared space guru" was pitching to introduce one in my village. He was touting that his introduction of a shared space in Stonehouse had significantly reduced the speed along the main road. Knowing he was a charming bullshitter, I went and had a look. The shared space was only 50m long and was preceded by 9(!) speed ramps.

The nearby Stroud centre isn't bad, has an excellent farmers' market, and lots of Artistes including Damian Hurst's factory. It has a reputation that the aggies from the surrounding 5 valleys descend there on Saturday night.

Unfortunately not me. I had to cancel as my car is going in for service today and the air con is bust so I’m probably going to lose it over the weekend

Oh god a town planning cult. Don’t put me off the place  . It’s pretty nice particularly the north side. I was looking at this which is sufficient for my needs https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-93276722.html .

Best bit is all the hills 



Edit: a point I’m sure will be made about lab space but I’ll rent a local office for that and work. By the time I’ve finished working the kids will have buggered off so I’ll move the TE back into the house

[mansaxel]

A point I’m sure will be made about lab space but I’ll rent a local office for that and work. By the time I’ve finished working the kids will have buggered off so I’ll move the TE back into the house

I'm more concerned about the lack of space for a moat. And you can see other houses around, implying people. I was led to believe avoiding them was the core of the plan?

[AVGresponding]

Took a big UPS to bits, here's most of the haul. Hard to bring the scale across, that big ferrite core is 5cm (2in) in diameter.
Also had the biggest relay (I have seen bigger contactors as an electrician but as far as PCB mount goes) I ever came across.

Size is a very subjective thing... that looks like it could be from something around 5kVA, which is small to medium for me.
Medium goes up to around 30kVA, like one of these Meissner units,


and big is when you get above that, say like one of these 100kVA APC jobbies:


Of course, those are just the biggest I ever worked on, they come bigger than that too...

https://new.abb.com/ups/systems/industrial-ups/pcs100-ups-i

[bd139]

A point I’m sure will be made about lab space but I’ll rent a local office for that and work. By the time I’ve finished working the kids will have buggered off so I’ll move the TE back into the house

I'm more concerned about the lack of space for a moat. And you can see other houses around, implying people. I was led to believe avoiding them was the core of the plan?

Yes indeed. However if I buy a moat it means I have to work for another decade. I figured there was a compromise somewhere 

[sokoloff]

I think the mode of operation is different in the USA, to UK. In the UK the helicopter is used as a fast response critical care service carrying skilled doctors and advanced parmedics. They often perform advanced treatments, even up to opening the chest to carry out direct heart massage, at the scene. The helicoptor carries advanced equipment. Thus it is important to get them on scene ASAP. Pre-arranging a landing site would cause too much delay resulting in loss of life. 
Many medical flights in the USA are just patient transfers with a nurse or paramedic.
Oh and in the UK they are free, so they can't sort out a landing site while waiting for the insurance company to authorise payment. 

Yes that is quite true, I didn't like to stick my neck out about the USA ones in case I was wrong about them. The other thing to note about UK mercy flights is that they fly the direct route and ATC give them the green light and priority if their route takes them through any controlled airspace. I use airband scanner when I'm out photographing aircraft at my local airfield, or major airports and airshows and they can be frequently heard on the radio informing the ATC of their intention minutes before appearing on scene. The ATC then instantly tell all aircraft to give way and even planes doing air displays are told to halt their display with immediate effect to stand down and vacate the area until further notice. Whats is even more amazing is that these air ambulances are all run by charities, UK Government will not fund them   

Interesting. US ATC has instructions/job orders to prioritize air ambulance flights above all flights other than aircraft in distress. Flights using call sign "Medevac" (civilian) or "Lifeguard" (now deprecated in favor of Medevac, but old habits die hard with some) are prioritized above all non-emergency (think "non-Mayday") traffic, including over Presidential traffic. Flights using "AirEvac" or "Hosp" which request priority are prioritized the same as "Medevac" above. It's intended to be used when responding to medical emergencies (first call to an accident scene,
carrying patients, organ donors, organs, or other urgently needed lifesaving medical material). We've got an air ambulance station on the field I'm based at and those crews, without being jerks, get whatever what they need. They will sometimes specifically indicate to ATC that they're on a positioning or training flight (to clarify when they don't need any priority).

The other type of medically-related transport are our networks of charitable transport (Angel Flight, Air Care Alliance, and similar organizations). Those flights use a Compassion call sign on mission and will generally receive no special priority over other civilian flights. (However, special priority for airspace access seems to be much less frequently needed in the US as I am rarely denied airspace access even as a normal civilian flight.)

[tggzzz]

So, bd139, are you off to Stonehouse this weekend to pick up the Solartron DVMs?
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Solartron-Digital-Voltmeters-A203-A202/153999947342

I would have gone to £5 because I don't need them, but fortunately somebody was prepared to pay >£50.

As for Stonehouse, I've only driven along the main road so all I can say it is looks a reasonable place. The only reason I did that was because a local "shared space guru" was pitching to introduce one in my village. He was touting that his introduction of a shared space in Stonehouse had significantly reduced the speed along the main road. Knowing he was a charming bullshitter, I went and had a look. The shared space was only 50m long and was preceded by 9(!) speed ramps.

The nearby Stroud centre isn't bad, has an excellent farmers' market, and lots of Artistes including Damian Hurst's factory. It has a reputation that the aggies from the surrounding 5 valleys descend there on Saturday night.

Unfortunately not me. I had to cancel as my car is going in for service today and the air con is bust so I’m probably going to lose it over the weekend

Oh god a town planning cult. Don’t put me off the place  . It’s pretty nice particularly the north side. I was looking at this which is sufficient for my needs https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-93276722.html .

Best bit is all the hills 

Edit: a point I’m sure will be made about lab space but I’ll rent a local office for that and work. By the time I’ve finished working the kids will have buggered off so I’ll move the TE back into the house

Drat: beat me to making that point. So I'll just sit here with a somewhat smug/knowing expression on my face and note that it doesn't work like that. Cassandra is my second name. I'm mildly surprised you are still committed to commuting, though

Personally I'd want to verify broadband speed there, and would want to know what's under any floortiles!

I certainly appreciat the contours, and the views such as from Rodborough Common. Yes, I know that's from a drone, but it is a good representation of the view from Rodborough Common.

The views from my back window:

[tggzzz]

A point I’m sure will be made about lab space but I’ll rent a local office for that and work. By the time I’ve finished working the kids will have buggered off so I’ll move the TE back into the house

I'm more concerned about the lack of space for a moat. And you can see other houses around, implying people. I was led to believe avoiding them was the core of the plan?

It is worse than that. That shares house walls with two neighbours, just like sitting on the train while commuting.

But you're lucky in Sweden. If you can see your neighbours house you think it is getting crowded. (Not so lucky w.r.t. the contours, though!)

[mansaxel]

Of course, those are just the biggest I ever worked on, they come bigger than that too...

https://new.abb.com/ups/systems/industrial-ups/pcs100-ups-i

I've been around to look at the aftermath of one in that size finding an uninterrupted arc (i.e. continuous) on its load terminals and trying to supply it.  It decided it could'nt, and switched to internal bypass, melting its solid-state "contactors" to crap and blowing the 315A mains fuses but only so slowly that it also took out the 1250A mains breaker.  We believe it was a sliver of aluminium plate (one of those long curving ones you get from working with tin snips) that was lying under the raised flooring from contractors screening the UPS room that somehow found its way up into the machine.  I did swap the fuses for that, and there was some reprogramming of the mains breaker to adjust its curve too.

[mansaxel]

But you're lucky in Sweden. If you can see your neighbours house you think it is getting crowded. (Not so lucky w.r.t. the contours, though!)

At places, yes, that's how it is. We've got some 8m to our neighbours, but it does not feel crowded, because the nice people who designed the houses and their placement into nature thought about this, and made sure to only put windows in the right places. As I sit in my preferred work sofa, I can look out both NNW and SSE of the house, through windows that are near continuous for the entire façade length, and only if I stretch my neck do I see anything except trees.