Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[bd139]

Put some stupid low offers on stuff. Going to see how desperate people are 

[mnementh]

Agreed, but I haven't needed more TE for a while.

Huh?  I don't understand. 

mnem

[med6753]

Here's the plug-in extension in use on a Type 3A74 Vertical. Want to figure out why the channel 1 only trigger goes away after about 15 minutes. Something doesn't like heat and best candidate is most likely a transistor.




 

[BU508A]

Here's the plug-in extension in use on a Type 3A74 Vertical. Want to figure out why the channel 1 only trigger goes away after about 15 minutes. Something doesn't like heat and best candidate is most likely a transistor.

Is there still a tube in this red and white RCA box? 

[Cerebus]

We all call it fuxit here.

33 here on Friday as well. 

Yeah, wish we had bloody A/C, I hate the heat, I'm with Med, fuck the electric bill, although if we had A/C the solar panels would reduce the electric bill 

A man who still hates the heat while living in England really has few options. Iceland, Greenland?

Mind you, if you moved to Iceland they'd make you change your name to an Icelandic form patronymic/matronymic name - wouldn't bother me, I'd just become Richardson and it'd still sound as English as ever (technically my current surname is of Scots origin, but it's one of those surnames like Sinclair that isn't immediately recognised as such by most people). You can amuse yourself for hours hunting for given names that lead to ridiculous -son or -dóttir forms; well, I can, but I'm easily amused.

An aside on Icelandic culture. In Iceland you address everyone by their given name, they don't have a "Mr. Smith" form of address. To English sensibilities this is odd, as even in the most formal situations you just address people by their forename. So meeting the prime minister formally for the first time? - "Hello Katrín". No doubt Icelanders think doing it the other way around is equally odd.

[Specmaster]

Here's the plug-in extension in use on a Type 3A74 Vertical. Want to figure out why the channel 1 only trigger goes away after about 15 minutes. Something doesn't like heat and best candidate is most likely a transistor.




 

Or a capacitor failing 

[TERRA Operative]

Got delivery of my latest batch of goodies. 

What I thought was a TM500 'toolbox' was actually a completely unused prototyping module, I'm not sure I really want to use it though, it seems special somehow....
I wonder how hard it would be to convince a Chinese PCB house to make some new PCB's for a reasonable cost seeing as there are so many holes to drill. 

Also, the DC503A Frequency Counter module seems to have had a home-made Option 01 OCXO upgrade installed, which is nice, although I might see if I can eliminate that ebay voltage converter module to cut down on noise... I have the benefit of schematics and data sheet for this OCXO, so I might be able to hook it directly to the Option 01 PCB pads if I'm lucky, further investigation is warranted.

I also just won an auction for a 15pF Tek Input RC Normalizer (067-0537-00). I made one myself earlier (youtube.com/watch?v=S1fHyzJifiQ), so it'll be interesting to see how the pro's do it. 

A man who still hates the heat while living in England really has few options. Iceland, Greenland?

Yakutsk?


[EDIT] Why can't this damn forum software leave things as hyperlinks instead of always expanding and embedding links to video and images?!?!   

[mnementh]

Up on the bench this mornin'...

   ...Yesterday's thrifting yielded this find; an original Chuck Hayes-era Mach 1 analog joystick.

Score! I haven't seen one of those in ages.

   Also in that day's thrifting was a baggie of remotes for $4. A remote for those cheap Android TV boxes, one unnamed TV remote, and this one.

   Turns out that as I hoped, it was the original (or close enough) remote for The Dark Lord Regza; all functions work as expected so finally I was able to put the Harmony remote in the bedroom away.

Do I dare imagine that this will give me CONTROL over The Dark Lord as s/he holds court in the corner of my bedroom...?

Of course not; I just want my son to stop bitching about the Harmony Remote and its page-after-page of programmable buttons.

mnem
 

[TERRA Operative]

Ooh, I do like finding a remote control for a cheap or free TV. Makes the universe seem just a little more complete somehow.

[bd139]

That was meant to be! Nice one mnem.

A former colleague of mine creates chaos like that. When staying in a hotel recently he noticed that the remotes were the same as his Samsung which he lost months before. So he nicked it 

[mnementh]

I just noticed that last week was my fifth anniversary on EEVblog. Can't believe it's been that long already. I feel like I signed up three years ago, tops.

Anyway, carry on.

Happy cakeday !
Anyone has good suggestion for hot air rework station that I could purchase new or used ?

Quick 861dw or its new Atten knockoff.

Depends on what you're after. The cheap-cheapies DO work, and for VERY occasional use can be tolerated. But if you're planning to use it more than "once in a while", you want to get into one with the base-mounted blower, as the cheap fan vibrating in your hand is really tiring and makes feedback from the backpressure nonexistent.

The 861DW is a decent station, but since they showed up on AdaFruit,  price has more than doubled. 

mnem
 

[0culus]

Ughh, what is it with people and their desire to pillage perfectly good test equipment?   

https://www.reddit.com/r/electronics/comments/hyyegt/my_small_collection_of_old_instruments/fzh7x0j/?context=8&depth=9

[mnementh]

I'm never using RS again. They still haven't delivered the capacitors I ordered a week ago for the 8060A despite estimated dispatch being yesterday and them being marked as dispatched but I called them up and they haven't.

TME - dispatched poland 4pm yesterday. Here 11:00am...      At least my projects are go now on the parts front

Edit: got hold of RS and apparently the three line items were dispatched from Japan despite being actually in stock for next day delivery ffs. Idiotic ordering system. Told I can't cancel them and just return them when they turn up. 

As med said: mouser.com is your friend. 

You & I both know those parts will go straight in the drawers when they arrive. 

*looks in on his 54645A on fleaBay*

Still not shipped... 

*scritch.... scritch... scritch...*

*looks over at Cerebus*

*scritch.... scritch... scritch some more...*

mnem
 

[med6753]

Here's the plug-in extension in use on a Type 3A74 Vertical. Want to figure out why the channel 1 only trigger goes away after about 15 minutes. Something doesn't like heat and best candidate is most likely a transistor.

Is there still a tube in this red and white RCA box? 

Yes. Not that much weight on it. No worries.

[Specmaster]

That was meant to be! Nice one mnem.

A former colleague of mine creates chaos like that. When staying in a hotel recently he noticed that the remotes were the same as his Samsung which he lost months before. So he nicked it 

That’s one up on nicking a towel or the soaps and shampoos😜

[med6753]

Didn't take long to figure out where the channel 1 only trigger signal was dropping. See schematic. Wiggling Q504 caused trigger lock/unlock. Look what I found when I pulled the transistor out of the socket. I straighten the lead and re-inserted it figuring it would fix the problem. Nope, after a few minutes went out again. Hit the little bastard with freeze spray. Bingo. Trigger lock. NFG.

It's a 2N2635. Shit, a germanium transistor. Checked parts units for same P/N. No joy. It crosses to a NTE160. Order submitted.

[Cerebus]

Ughh, what is it with people and their desire to pillage perfectly good test equipment?   

https://www.reddit.com/r/electronics/comments/hyyegt/my_small_collection_of_old_instruments/fzh7x0j/?context=8&depth=9

Remember, people like that have harvestable organs.

[Fx: Sings]
"My object all sublime,
I shall achieve in time,
is to let the punishment fit the crime,
the punishment fit the crime;
And make each prisoner pent
Unwillingly represent
A source of innocent merriment!
Of innocent merriment!..."

[bd139]

Ughh, what is it with people and their desire to pillage perfectly good test equipment?   

https://www.reddit.com/r/electronics/comments/hyyegt/my_small_collection_of_old_instruments/fzh7x0j/?context=8&depth=9

Oh reddit, classy as always. I stay away from things I love on Reddit because it ruins them.

I occasionally cruise in, get hellbanned and cruise out again

[mnementh]

When I order from Mouser now, the items are shipped from the USA even though they have office in High Wycombe, so unless they start stocking over here, thats going to get progressively worse for a while.

I have a better name for "brexit"........"broke it". 

Gonna be 32 degrees C + here for the next few days. I hate the heat. Any outside activity early then stay inside with the A/C. Damn the electric bill. 

Weird... We just had a week of 30°C+ weather, with heat index ~40°C. Been waking up feeling like I lost a alligator-fucking contest every morning... 

Today's the first day of supposedly 10° cooler weather. I feel semi-human for a change; not TOTALLY like a grumpy ol' dwagon. 

mnem

[BU508A]

Didn't take long to figure out where the channel 1 only trigger signal was dropping. See schematic. Wiggling Q504 caused trigger lock/unlock. Look what I found when I pulled the transistor out of the socket. I straighten the lead and re-inserted it figuring it would fix the problem. Nope, after a few minutes went out again. Hit the little bastard with freeze spray. Bingo. Trigger lock. NFG.

It's a 2N2635. Shit, a germanium transistor. Checked parts units for same P/N. No joy. It crosses to a NTE160. Order submitted.

15 USD in the fleabay.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/2N2635-MOTOROL-TRANSISTOR/252480759132

[mnementh]

We all call it fuxit here.

33 here on Friday as well. 

Yeah, wish we had bloody A/C, I hate the heat, I'm with Med, fuck the electric bill, although if we had A/C the solar panels would reduce the electric bill 

I hate the heat, but - in the UK - I dislike a/c more.

I worked in a/c offices for 20 years, and could never tell what season it was.

I've found three ways of becoming less bothered by the heat:

• becoming bald, and losing the microclimate on my head
• becoming old; the snowbirds migrate for a reason
• deleting some blubber from around my waist, thus becoming less like a seal

LMAO, well thats the first 2 done, just a hell of a lot of work to do on the third now 

Did you also live in the offices then, surely you could tell what season it was when went outside 

I love A/C. To each his own.

1. Still have a full head of hair.
2. Already old but I don't migrate.
3. No excess blubber. (Well, just a tad, maybe 10 pounds  )

I think it's in my genes to hate the heat.

Yeah; there's a reason I migrated from Tejas to the Great White North. 

mnem
You know, besides the need to get my kids out of toxic-wasteland Dumbfuckistan before they start growing gills and extra limbs... 

[bd139]

LOL someone bit on the low ball offer I made on something (60% asking price). Now own an HP 3478A again in unknown condition. Powers up, shows usual Hi-Z floating VDC. Sure it'll be fine if that much is working. Old style one with metal frame. Hopefully I'll not penis fingers this one 

[mnementh]

I'm only grumpy when I'm hot. 


OK, so I lied. 

mnem

*sprays med's pants with a fire extinguisher*

[med6753]

Didn't take long to figure out where the channel 1 only trigger signal was dropping. See schematic. Wiggling Q504 caused trigger lock/unlock. Look what I found when I pulled the transistor out of the socket. I straighten the lead and re-inserted it figuring it would fix the problem. Nope, after a few minutes went out again. Hit the little bastard with freeze spray. Bingo. Trigger lock. NFG.

It's a 2N2635. Shit, a germanium transistor. Checked parts units for same P/N. No joy. It crosses to a NTE160. Order submitted.

15 USD in the fleabay.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/2N2635-MOTOROL-TRANSISTOR/252480759132

The NTE160 equivalent was $12 USD on Amazon.

[mnementh]

   Got delivery of my latest batch of goodies. 

What I thought was a TM500 'toolbox' was actually a completely unused prototyping module, I'm not sure I really want to use it though, it seems special somehow....
I wonder how hard it would be to convince a Chinese PCB house to make some new PCB's for a reasonable cost seeing as there are so many holes to drill. 

Also, the DC503A Frequency Counter module seems to have had a home-made Option 01 OCXO upgrade installed, which is nice, although I might see if I can eliminate that ebay voltage converter module to cut down on noise... I have the benefit of schematics and data sheet for this OCXO, so I might be able to hook it directly to the Option 01 PCB pads if I'm lucky, further investigation is warranted.

I also just won an auction for a 15pF Tek Input RC Normalizer (067-0537-00). I made one myself earlier (youtube.com/watch?v=S1fHyzJifiQ), so it'll be interesting to see how the pro's do it. 

[EDIT] Why can't this damn forum software leave things as hyperlinks instead of always expanding and embedding links to video and images?!?!   

It only does that with SOME videos; pictures can be left as links or just thumbs at the bottom of a post.

That TM500 module is really neat... shouldn't be hard at all to get the business end made up and truncate it just before the breadboard, then use a regular breadboard for the rest of it. Just make a row of solder tabs, and leave 10-15mm at the end of vacant FR4 so you can have an overlap area to screw the perfboard to it. Probably fit within JL or OshPark's prototyping special pricing too. 

mnem