Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[mansaxel]

To get those really pesky inbus/Allen/hex head screws out I usually employ 1/2" or 1/4" socket sets, with inbus/Allen/hex inserts, like so:...

I'm deeply wary of those in smaller sizes, way too easy for a gorilla like me to exceed the shear strength of the socket or even of the whole fastener.

Indeed; a certain finesse is required.  I've had to upgrade from "our own brand" to name-brand gear for a few Torxen; the TX40 socket had to be replaced with a Gedore; it is crucial when servicing (the yearly rebuild as we in the know call it, this heavy FWD eats suspension parts for breakfast, lunch and dinner) the forward suspension of a certain swedish iconic station wagon, and it does get a fair share of punishment, what with having to loosen screws that per protocol are tightened to limits of elongation (not to be reused).

/M

The Torx wrench is not characterized by its spiral shape splines

[mnementh]

   

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32776957465.html

Fukkin' AliEx, man... 

mnem
Almost as bad as Amazon.

How about this one?
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000022600949.html

 

Nahhh... if you look closer, it's nothing special; just Philips & Torx. I have those out the wazoo. Also, Wiha my scaly widdle dwagon arse. 

They worked out how to put 50 cent shite RF adapters in a chocolate box 

Liu: "Hey Zhang, what do you want to do with those bulkhead ones we got from the crap market"

Zhang: "chuck 'em in the box as well"

Well, not exactly... if you click the link you'll see you can get the kit without the box for $5 less; my name isn't beanflying,  so it's worth it to me to keep 'em in order vs making a tidy little fuzz-lined box out of wood. I don't really care about the bulkhead ones if that means I can get that fitting cheap. 

If I get one good use out of half of 'em... seems to me STILL a bargain for the assache saved vs stalking the good ones all across fleaBay. That activity can be saved for recreational web-smurfing when I don't NEED a connector TODAY... and seriously willing to consider paying that much (US$27-32 shipped) for ONE adapter.

mnem
 

[Saskia]

ooops.

It just crept up on me that I might have about half a kg of fooompcellulose ...

and I do not mean the powder that you can buy next door.

Rats.

I guess I'll grab a candle and go look for it ...

[mnementh]

That tiny shudder we all just felt under our butts was Saskia finding it...   

mnem
 

[mnementh]

If you're talking about the SCR triac, it's probably a variant of the mod we all used to do on the old Weller WTCPN, etc to keep the MagnaStat contacts from burning up. Or are you suggesting that the temp control itself is a mod...? There was also a very common mod/project for the cheap firestick soldering irons as well; it used a pot and a triac to modulate duty cycle, in effect varying the wattage. It was little more than a DIY lamp dimmer, TBH.

mnem
 

Neomys is referring to this posting of mine and he compared it with his datasheet.
It is obvious, that my version is the 150°C one but the genuine one doesn't have any kind of
temperature control (or a phased controlled modulator), hence it is a mod.

Perhaps I'll find out one day where this thing is coming from. We'll see.

I see. I can only decipher about one word in 10 in the German text, but it appears the thing is available in 3 varieties; looks like one 7W, one 28W, & one 7/28W switchable. My guess would be series vs parallel wiring, with the last model having a switch between the modes.

I wonder if maybe yours is a different model than those three? Alternately, I suppose that plug thingum may be some sort of lamp dimmer, possibly intended for stage lighting or photography...?

mnem
 

[tggzzz]

   

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32776957465.html

Fukkin' AliEx, man... 

mnem
Almost as bad as Amazon.

How about this one?
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000022600949.html

 

You missed this, and several other lots like it
https://www.bidspotter.co.uk/en-gb/auction-catalogues/ramco/catalogue-id-ramco-10234/lot-c0bb1609-abfe-4644-af14-ac100108a223

[mnementh]

Yebbutt... Skegness.

mnem
Also, not SMA.

[Saskia]

Update: the rolling x.509 upgrade of my MongoDB cluster was successful and handled without application downtime.
Update2: the fooompolose is not in this room. Need to look for it and hope I did not put it next to my Dinitrogenoxide reservoir.
Update3: drink for the week end:
take 2 handful of frozen strawberries
6 cl of Herradura Reposado
5 cl of freshly squeezed lime juice
3 cl of Cointreau
5 teaspoons of cane sugar sirup.
blend.
enjoy.

[med6753]

   

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32776957465.html

Fukkin' AliEx, man... 

mnem
Almost as bad as Amazon.

How about this one?
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000022600949.html

 

Nahhh... if you look closer, it's nothing special; just Philips & Torx. I have those out the wazoo. Also, Wiha my scaly widdle dwagon arse. 

They worked out how to put 50 cent shite RF adapters in a chocolate box 

Liu: "Hey Zhang, what do you want to do with those bulkhead ones we got from the crap market"

Zhang: "chuck 'em in the box as well"

Well, not exactly... if you click the link you'll see you can get the kit without the box for $5 less; my name isn't beanflying,  so it's worth it to me to keep 'em in order vs making a tidy little fuzz-lined box out of wood. I don't really care about the bulkhead ones if that means I can get that fitting cheap. 

If I get one good use out of half of 'em... seems to me STILL a bargain for the assache saved vs stalking the good ones all across fleaBay. That activity can be saved for recreational web-smurfing when I don't NEED a connector TODAY... and seriously willing to consider paying that much (US$27-32 shipped) for ONE adapter.

mnem
 

Meh.....no GR to BNC Female adapter. 

(Would like to find 2 more)

[mnementh]

Update: the rolling x.509 upgrade of my MongoDB cluster was successful and handled without application downtime.
Update2: the fooompolose is not in this room. Need to look for it and hope I did not put it next to my Dinitrogenoxide reservoir.
Update3: drink for the week end:
take 2 handful of frozen strawberries
6 cl of Herradura Reposado
5 cl of freshly squeezed lime juice
3 cl of Cointreau
5 teaspoons of cane sugar sirup.
blend.
enjoy.

I similarly have a Piña Colada deficiency ATM... 

mnem
*koff-koff* so dry... parched even...

[tautech]

   

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32776957465.html

Fukkin' AliEx, man... 

mnem
Almost as bad as Amazon.

How about this one?
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000022600949.html

 

Nahhh... if you look closer, it's nothing special; just Philips & Torx. I have those out the wazoo. Also, Wiha my scaly widdle dwagon arse. 

They worked out how to put 50 cent shite RF adapters in a chocolate box 

Liu: "Hey Zhang, what do you want to do with those bulkhead ones we got from the crap market"

Zhang: "chuck 'em in the box as well"

Well, not exactly... if you click the link you'll see you can get the kit without the box for $5 less; my name isn't beanflying,  so it's worth it to me to keep 'em in order vs making a tidy little fuzz-lined box out of wood. I don't really care about the bulkhead ones if that means I can get that fitting cheap. 

If I get one good use out of half of 'em... seems to me STILL a bargain for the assache saved vs stalking the good ones all across fleaBay. That activity can be saved for recreational web-smurfing when I don't NEED a connector TODAY... and seriously willing to consider paying that much (US$27-32 shipped) for ONE adapter.

mnem
 

Meh.....no GR to BNC Female adapter. 

(Would like to find 2 more)

Yep, never the selection of ones you need when you need them. 

[mansaxel]

I similarly have a Piña Colada deficiency ATM... 

mnem
*koff-koff* so dry... parched even...

Here we're on call until 22:00 CEST. I've got a bottle of sparkling wine (Crémant de Alsace) on ice. 22:01 it goes *pop*.

m
soda-sippin' to tacos

[tggzzz]

Yebbutt... Skegness.

Also, not SMA.

Well, I agree that Skegness is not a place to visit, but they do pack and send.

That's OK for robust stuff, but I wouldn't bet a scope would be OK. Maybe ice-tea has some experiences to share?

[mnementh]

Are you SURE you wouldn't get any Skegness on you...?  I mean... from what I've heard in here, worse than COVID. 

mnem

[Saskia]

question to the masses:

are you folks interested in audiophoolery repairs ? I have a few appliances which need to be looked at and could share this with you. One of the topics is the Sony TA-E 86 with one channel dead, I also have 2 dead CD Players which I could try to revive (even though chances are slim).

EDIT: Interesting would be also to understand how you measure if the device passes the audiophoolery quality check after the repair.

Easy. Compare it directly to a working one.
I have a 2nd TA-E 86 which is in perfect working order.
hooked up to the same power amp with the same stuff on the inputs there should be no discernable difference.

Use the proper test cds ...

[McBryce]

Update: the rolling x.509 upgrade of my MongoDB cluster was successful and handled without application downtime.
Update2: the fooompolose is not in this room. Need to look for it and hope I did not put it next to my Dinitrogenoxide reservoir.
Update3: drink for the week end:
take 2 handful of frozen strawberries
6 cl of Herradura Reposado
5 cl of freshly squeezed lime juice
3 cl of Cointreau
5 teaspoons of cane sugar sirup.
blend.
enjoy.

As nice as your island sounded, I'm not sure I'd want to visit it, for fear of accidentally roaming into a mine field or being there when it went critical.

McBryce.

[mnementh]

I similarly have a Piña Colada deficiency ATM... 

mnem
*koff-koff* so dry... parched even...

Here we're on call until 22:00 CEST. I've got a bottle of sparkling wine (Crémant de Alsace) on ice. 22:01 it goes *pop*.

m
soda-sippin' to tacos

Sounds delightful... but I so regret looking that up: https://www.winemag.com/2016/08/24/the-story-behind-cremant-dalsace/

Crémant Above and Beyond

Many winemakers go beyond these rules. They make Crémants from single vintages, single sites and with much longer aging, which lends more creaminess and richer flavors to nonetheless slender wines.

Jean-Christophe Bott of Domaine Bott-Geyl wants to bring the same “lightness, finesse and drinkability” to his Crémants as he does to his still wines. He ages his Crémant at least 24 months.

“I believe that long maturation on lees brings more complexity, personality and harmony to the Crémant,” he says. “I want to create a Crémant with aromas of toasted, buttered brioche and marzipan.”

 

mnem
*now wishing for a nice sweet Grappa and some crusty bread with too much butter and Swiss cheese*

[tggzzz]

Are you SURE you wouldn't get any Skegness on you...?  I mean... from what I've heard in here, worse than COVID. 

Ramco don't have visitors now. Couriers only.

I've been to Skegness to pick stuff up twice, a 2445B and a scanning tunnelling microscope. It, like many seaside towns, is down on its heels with holidaymakers going to Spain etc. Skegness has very little hinterland (being agricultural) and relied on the working class coming from big cities. Maybe this year "staycations" will help them

https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/destinations/article/the-uks-best-seaside-towns

[bd139]

I'd rather, err, jump in the sea than go to Skeg.

Another toy arrived today. These things are multiplying like test gear... duossal 27 model for the 3 day hike I'm doing in about 4 weeks, arm permitting...



And first meal test, using up the first line of "brexit canned mushrooms" as some more arrived.



I get the feeling I'm going to be lurching along the south downs way refreshing ebay for most of it 

[Zucca]

Weekend plan: about 300km, 4000m climb on my bike.
From Germany to Italy in one night on a road bike.

If I don't see a post from me until Tuesday, it was nice to be a me member of TEA, please do not stop.

[bd139]

Ouch. I'd die on the first climb  . Good luck 

[Saskia]

Weekend plan: about 300km, 4000m climb on my bike.
From Germany to Italy in one night on a road bike.

If I don't see a post from me until Tuesday, it was nice to be a me member of TEA, please do not stop.

nice meeting you. I'll ask Odin to keep an eye on you...
May Huginn and Muninn report back on your well being.

[Robert763]

   

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32776957465.html

Fukkin' AliEx, man... 


mnem
Almost as bad as Amazon.

How about this one?
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000022600949.html

 

Nahhh... if you look closer, it's nothing special; just Philips & Torx. I have those out the wazoo. Also, Wiha my scaly widdle dwagon arse. 

They worked out how to put 50 cent shite RF adapters in a chocolate box 

Liu: "Hey Zhang, what do you want to do with those bulkhead ones we got from the crap market"

Zhang: "chuck 'em in the box as well"

Well, not exactly... if you click the link you'll see you can get the kit without the box for $5 less; my name isn't beanflying,  so it's worth it to me to keep 'em in order vs making a tidy little fuzz-lined box out of wood. I don't really care about the bulkhead ones if that means I can get that fitting cheap. 

If I get one good use out of half of 'em... seems to me STILL a bargain for the assache saved vs stalking the good ones all across fleaBay. That activity can be saved for recreational web-smurfing when I don't NEED a connector TODAY... and seriously willing to consider paying that much (US$27-32 shipped) for ONE adapter.

mnem
 

I would not let that set anywere near decent RF gear. It's almost certain to damage the connectors.

Robert G8RPI.

[Cerebus]

Obligatory Skeggie poster:

[Robert763]

<SNIP>
[/quote]

You missed this, and several other lots like it
https://www.bidspotter.co.uk/en-gb/auction-catalogues/ramco/catalogue-id-ramco-10234/lot-c0bb1609-abfe-4644-af14-ac100108a223
[/quote]

I've had one of those for years now, and a couple of the small "commercial" ones. Plus some oddiities like 50/75 minimum loss pads, Tee's and component boxes that take the adaptors.
The greenpar stuff is really useful as long as you keep below a couple of GHz.

I had a package arrive from Skeggie today - Druck DPI 740 precision manometer / barometer Altimeter  0.15mb accuracy in hand held unit that also gives you QFE QFF and QNH. Marked unservicable but turned out to be broken battery contact which was identical to one in a scrap medical unit I happened to have.  Altimeter resolution is 0.1ft! They use a silicon resonator whose frequency varies with air pressure. Direct measurement, no vacuum reference.