Author Topic: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread  (Read 16740007 times)

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Offline mnementh

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #68650 on: September 04, 2020, 04:34:22 pm »
...For instance Mnem's tea-dragon is something that could just not be screenprinted with any success.



Getting those fine black lines to register with the colour would be impossible and getting that shading is neigh on impossible (on a commercial long run you might approach it with flexography and inflating 'bodies' used to hold the T-shirt). Screen prints need to be solid colours and have low registration requirements (1mm in screen printing on paper would count as very fine registration, 3mm on fabric). (SNIP)

This is true... fortunately, any line-art drawing can be quickly buffed-out/fluffed by anyone with even a modicum of PornoShop Kung-Fu. I have a VERY old app; Adobe PhotoDeluxe... which I used to keep on an old 32-bit build of Windoze just because it had only the really useful effects for day-to-day photo management, including a charcoal and a line-art effect that were simply amazing. Plus if you could keep the filesize down to where MS' crap memory management could handle it in one mouthful without gagging, it would export as SVG.

Easily 20-year-old software now, and YES, I still have the original install disc, and it WILL install on Win8 32-bit. Not sure if Win10 would let me run it with a WoW install or not; something I've been meaning to investigate for a while but haven't gotten around to as it was easier to just drop it on any old 32-bit PC I had lying around. :-//

mnem
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Offline med6753

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #68651 on: September 04, 2020, 04:35:43 pm »
So I found this amplifier alike box at some other departments scrap box, free for take away:



Wondering what purpose it served, asking a colleague, I was told it was used to characterize some inductive components. Turns out, it's a power amplifier with some additional control loop circuitry (most left cabinet) and a bit of fan control and overload shutdown (right next to the heat sink). Most right is a power supply for these
auxiliary circuits. But no power supply included for the amplifier stage itself. At the same place I found some industrial SMPS, rated at 48V / 5A, two of them made up a useful  supply for the amp.

Now isn't this a perfect excuse to show some of my TEA in action?

First thing we need is a serious load resistor. This heat sink and the attached resistors usually sit stashed away in the cellar, since I rarely use them:


Of course, we want to know what is the input power to the amplifier:


And for sure, we want to know the output power:


And the output voltage / current waveforms (didn't need to use a current clamp here, as the amplifier has a built-in shunt and sense amplifier):


Does a nice square wave also:


Doesn't look too much TEA alike inside:



OK, cool. But can it play tunes......loud?  :P :-DD
An old gray beard with an attitude.
 
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Offline Cerebus

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #68652 on: September 04, 2020, 04:38:30 pm »
5 DMM's here: HP 3478A, Fluke 8060A, Fluke 25, BM22s, UT210E
I've got to many to count...  :palm:

With or without removing your socks?  :)
Anybody got a syringe I can use to squeeze the magic smoke back into this?
 
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Offline Ice-Tea

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #68653 on: September 04, 2020, 04:39:39 pm »
So I found this amplifier alike box at some other departments scrap box, free for take away:
**snip**

Dude, if you're so desperate for stuff to tinker with, I got **stuff** for you...

Offline AVGresponding

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #68654 on: September 04, 2020, 04:40:56 pm »
One multimeter isn't enough.

I was thinking of a visit to a friend's place about 10 years ago.

The friend was into vintage stereo equipment and I picked up for cheap (<$20) a fairly rare FM tuner at a garage sale so I called him up and went over with it to plug it in and try it out for the first time.  Dead.  So my thought was to grab a meter and start checking voltages and he said no, he's using his meter to keep watch on a car battery that was being trickle charged inside his apartment.  It turned out he only had one multimeter and he didn't want to take it off the battery that was being charged up.

I've always had more than one multimeter even if they were just mediocre Canadian Tire Mastercraft DMMs when I was starting out because you might need one in more than one location or need to observe multiple parameters or multiple test points at the same time or have more than one project on the go, so it totally floored me that this guy who was into electronics had only one.  This was even more surprising since he used to trickle charge car batteries frequently like this which means the multimeter was occupied for hours or days at a time which automatically meant that he was totally stuck unable to do any other electronics while this battery charging nonsense was going on.

I swore I'd never get stuck in that predicament after seeing this.  I have more than one multimeter.  Way more than one!  That was the thin edge of the wedge, the start...  How many do you guys have?

14 bench DMMs and 6 handheld, with 1 more bench in the mail (maybe).

Yes, yes I have a problem.

My problem is not enough space!   :-DD



My 1st prototype TEA logo:

nuqDaq yuch Dapol?
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Online tggzzz

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #68655 on: September 04, 2020, 04:42:34 pm »
Why am I seeing: Spadcom rectum analyser...?

One place I worked referred to them as "rectum paralysers".

Ditto HeaP (with some affection), Fanratti, Macaroni (with less affection). Only those with long teeth will recognise the latter names.
There are lies, damned lies, statistics - and ADC/DAC specs.
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Offline Cerebus

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #68656 on: September 04, 2020, 04:44:22 pm »
So I found this amplifier alike box at some other departments scrap box, free for take away:

[img width =500]https://cb.wunderkis.de/wk-pub/amplifier/P1170063.JPG[/img]

I love the impromptu fan mounting  :) :



I also envy the heatsink, I may want something like that soon
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Offline AVGresponding

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #68657 on: September 04, 2020, 04:46:00 pm »
Hmm, I don't believe I've ever seen any Ferranti TE, I must not be old enough!   :-+
nuqDaq yuch Dapol?
Addiction count: Agilent-AVO-BlackStar-Brymen-Chauvin Arnoux-Fluke-GenRad-Hameg-HP-Keithley-IsoTech-Mastech-Megger-Metrix-Micronta-Racal-RFL-Siglent-Solartron-Tektronix-Thurlby-Time Electronics-TTi-UniT
 

Offline mnementh

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #68658 on: September 04, 2020, 04:46:25 pm »
I only have two hand helds. Fluke 8021B and 87 Series 1.

But on bench 1 ready to go at a moments notice: Fluke 8600A, 8050A, 8010A, two 8800A's and a Mastech MS8040.

On bench 2 a Fluke 8000A and 8505A. Siglent SDM 3055.

Not braggin....just the facts m'am.  :P :-DD

Oh.....almost forgot....Heath V-7A VTVM on Bench 1.  ;D

   

I think you're forgetting the one with that amazing 2.1 digit resolution... >:D And it is technically a handheld...  :-DD

mnem
 :-DMM
« Last Edit: September 04, 2020, 04:57:29 pm by mnementh »
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Offline Cerebus

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #68659 on: September 04, 2020, 04:47:54 pm »
Why am I seeing: Spadcom rectum analyser...?

One place I worked referred to them as "rectum paralysers".

Ditto HeaP (with some affection), Fanratti, Macaroni (with less affection). Only those with long teeth will recognise the latter names.

Teash? You think we still got teash Shunny?  :)
Anybody got a syringe I can use to squeeze the magic smoke back into this?
 
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Offline Cerebus

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #68660 on: September 04, 2020, 04:50:51 pm »
Hmm, I don't believe I've ever seen any Ferranti TE, I must not be old enough!   :-+

Old is when you've programmed a Ferranti computer. "CERN installs its first electronic computer: The Ferranti Mercury"
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Offline mnementh

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #68661 on: September 04, 2020, 04:52:07 pm »
   So I found this amplifier alike box at some other departments scrap box, free for take away:
**snip**

Dude, if you're so desperate for stuff to tinker with, I got **stuff** for you...

"For free: TAKE. For Buy: Waste time." ~old man Belmore

mnem
"What's it worth...? It's worth keeping." ~grand-dad
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Offline Specmaster

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #68662 on: September 04, 2020, 04:55:32 pm »
5 DMM's here: HP 3478A, Fluke 8060A, Fluke 25, BM22s, UT210E
I've got to many to count...  :palm:

With or without removing your socks?  :)
With and then some  :popcorn:
Who let Murphy in?

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Offline Saskia

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #68663 on: September 04, 2020, 05:07:36 pm »
ok, ok, shove my nose into it. I don't have that many DMMs ... just handhelds, no bench, Agilent U1252A, U1241B, Fluke 179 and Fluke 101.
That's it. Do I need more ?
Don't know ...

One might argue ...
 

Online tggzzz

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #68664 on: September 04, 2020, 05:11:26 pm »
Hmm, I don't believe I've ever seen any Ferranti TE, I must not be old enough!   :-+

Old is when you've programmed a Ferranti computer. "CERN installs its first electronic computer: The Ferranti Mercury"

I started on a machine preserved in TNMoC, an Elliott 803. That is pretty much contemporary with the Mercury, except the 803 was a 2kIPS machine and the Mercury a 15kIPS machine.
There are lies, damned lies, statistics - and ADC/DAC specs.
Glider pilot's aphorism: "there is no substitute for span". Retort: "There is a substitute: skill+imagination. But you can buy span".
Having fun doing more, with less
 
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Offline Cerebus

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #68665 on: September 04, 2020, 05:32:29 pm »
I started on an ICL 1904, which was basically just a Ferranti FP6000 in ICT/ICL powder blue panels.

To add: I just discovered in side-checking my memory that the 1904 was an FP6000 in sheep's clothing, that the announcement of the 1904 and 1900 series was done in a specially commissioned film, scripted by Antony Jay, one of the co-writers of the excellent documentary series "Yes, Minister" and Yes, Prime Minister".
« Last Edit: September 04, 2020, 05:36:57 pm by Cerebus »
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Offline Specmaster

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #68666 on: September 04, 2020, 05:44:41 pm »
To answer the question posed by Cerebus, yes, all of my fingers and toes and some of yours as well, do you think I have a problem  :palm:
Bench DMM’s
1905a, 7150+, 7150+, 8842A, 8840A, 4503 and 3466A
Bench Analogues
Avo8, Avo8, Avo8, Kyoritsu 1400, TMK700
Handheld DMM’s
Proster VC97, Fluke 27, Fluke 27, Fluke 25, ITT MX52,  UT210E, Robin OM840, Extech 530, Bside ADM08A, Bside ADM08A, BM867, Amprobe KMP7036 and Iso-Tech LCR 1705
Handheld Analogues
Robin 2608,  Kew 1503, TMK500
Who let Murphy in?

Brymen-Fluke-HP-Thurlby-Thander-Tek-Extech-Black Star-GW-Avo-Kyoritsu-Amprobe-ITT-Robin-TTi
 
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Offline 25 CPS

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #68667 on: September 04, 2020, 05:51:44 pm »

If we are playing top trumps here, thats not enough to beat my hand  :-DD

Hey, shouldn't we all have oversized ego's and act like a jackass as our leaders do?  :-//

I was just curious after thinking about that visit where I discovered that my friend only had one multimeter and we got dead ended right out of the gate troubleshooting that tuner because of it.  When you think about it, no multimeter is perfectly understandable since there are plenty of people out there who don't do any electronic or electrical work, but one multimeter is pretty extreme, extremely underequipped in my opinion, for someone who used to build his own audio equipment since you can't observe any more than one measurement at a time or you end up completely stuck in situations where it's already in use on something else like we were with this car battery that was sitting there charging.

For regular day to day use:

My bench setup here at home is an HP 3457 sitting on top of a pair of HP 3478As for low voltage work.  This has been a convenient setup because I can keep one set aside to loop a current measurement through if necessary and be able to monitor two voltages at the same time or change one over to take resistance measurements.  To the right of those, I've got an Agilent 34401A and a Fluke 8000 since they're good up to 1,000 VDC which provides the voltage headroom I need for most vacuum tube work at B+ voltages above what the others can handle, which also keeps the others free for lower voltage measurements as well as current and resistance uses when I'm using the 34401A for checking B+ rails.

The Fluke 8000's there and I have used it but it isn't frequent that I do.  I have another one that I need to get the vintage NiCad rechargeable batteries out of that I took apart suspecting batteries inside because of the weight.  Sure enough, there they were, but what I wasn't expecting to see was how the meter was built.  This was a surprise and a disappointment and not what I was expecting based on Fluke's reputation and the 8000 really only gets used if I need another high voltage measurement and the Agilent's already in use.

I've also been finding that my Simpson 635 and 260-8xpi have been staying on the bench more than they've been off it even though they're not set in permanent locations.  For some things watching a needle move up and down a scale is easier than going by numerical readout.

Portable multimeters for mainly on the road use:  Agilent U1242A, U1272A.  I'm kind of torn between adding the Agilent U1461A insulation tester and U1602B portable scope and a U1213 clamp meter since they can be used as multimeters but it isn't their primary function.

My U1252B bought it. Which sets me in the most peculiar of situations: I have no second handheld DMM. How the hell did I end up in this situation?? I clearly have not been buying enough TEA...  :wtf:

What happened to the U1252B if I may ask?  I was thinking about buying one in a couple of weeks after asking for recommendations on them a few months ago so I'm wondering if there's any gotchas I need to think about before pulling the trigger.  The plan is to add a third quality handheld meter that has BT capability and bump the U1242A which doesn't (I'm not sure if it can be added if I order the U1242B bluetooth dongle mount - might have to jury rig a bluetooth dongle on the back and see if it communicates or if the openings in the case for the IR were for future revisions) and kick that to stand alone use without external logging, which then kicks a crappy Canadian Tire multimeter to permanently living in the car for convenience for working on the car since I don't care if temperature extremes or theft or whatever happening to one of those pieces of junk.
 
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Online tautech

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #68668 on: September 04, 2020, 05:53:28 pm »
Someone please jump on this bargain:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Tektronix-P6021-15-a-60-MHz-AC-Current-Probe-Stromzange-mit-Termination/164363906149?hash=item2644da2c65:g:U1wAAOSw2WBfTohi

Watching, but there's 18 bids in already, so I doubt it will be a bargain in 7 hours.

McBryce.
Still is at 165 Euro....somebody save me from buying another one !  ::)
~10 mins left.
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Offline McBryce

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #68669 on: September 04, 2020, 05:55:53 pm »
This week I scored a curb-score of a nice PC case to house random PC parts that I had waiting to become my electronics bench PC. Built, done, all fine, but then I decided to try out Rigols PC software offerings for the first time. What the Fü@k!?!?! Really Rigol, that's the best you could come up with?? I've just installed Ultra Sigma, that can't even save the IP addresses of the equipment it (didn't) find, then I installed Ultra Power and Ultra Scope. I'm stunned! Speechless! I'm sure there's threads here discussing this in detail, but I don't think these are even worth discussing, I just wanted to express my complete disbelief that Rigol could actually release this crap. I'd come up with better after a few hours in Visual Basic. Is this really all they have to offer or are there better packages out there to control / read these instruments?

@tautech: 10 Minutes is a long time on ebay. I'd still consider these a bargain at the moment, but they could still go for a silly price.

McBryce.
30 Years making cars more difficult to repair.
 
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Online tggzzz

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #68670 on: September 04, 2020, 05:56:42 pm »
I started on an ICL 1904, which was basically just a Ferranti FP6000 in ICT/ICL powder blue panels.

To add: I just discovered in side-checking my memory that the 1904 was an FP6000 in sheep's clothing, that the announcement of the 1904 and 1900 series was done in a specially commissioned film, scripted by Antony Jay, one of the co-writers of the excellent documentary series "Yes, Minister" and Yes, Prime Minister".

Don't forget the Video Arts training programmes, which were ahead of their time in terms of style and delivery.

I remember seeing the famous Galdor Computing ICT1301 in the garage, with the disk drive (removable discs) covered in a thin layer of brick dust.
There are lies, damned lies, statistics - and ADC/DAC specs.
Glider pilot's aphorism: "there is no substitute for span". Retort: "There is a substitute: skill+imagination. But you can buy span".
Having fun doing more, with less
 

Offline Robert763

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #68671 on: September 04, 2020, 06:17:11 pm »
Multimeter count here is 26.
Nine of those are Fluke. Six are 5.5 digits or greater. That does not include volt meters (4 different Thermal True RMS voltmeters for starters), insulation, resistance, current or power. I also have meters for non electrical measurements.  :-DMM

Yes I have a TEA problem
 
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Offline med6753

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #68672 on: September 04, 2020, 06:22:33 pm »
I only have two hand helds. Fluke 8021B and 87 Series 1.

But on bench 1 ready to go at a moments notice: Fluke 8600A, 8050A, 8010A, two 8800A's and a Mastech MS8040.

On bench 2 a Fluke 8000A and 8505A. Siglent SDM 3055.

Not braggin....just the facts m'am.  :P :-DD

Oh.....almost forgot....Heath V-7A VTVM on Bench 1.  ;D

   

I think you're forgetting the one with that amazing 2.1 digit resolution... >:D And it is technically a handheld...  :-DD

mnem
 :-DMM

You're right. Forgot about that one. PLUS.......the Heath V-5 VTVM and Heath IDM-202 DVM.  :P
An old gray beard with an attitude.
 
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Offline Robert763

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #68673 on: September 04, 2020, 06:41:32 pm »
Just opened todays post, Multimeter count is now 27 (28, I forgot the Fluke ScopeMeter, 29 if an HP LogicDart counts)
The HP E2373A has turned up. :-DMM
Very nice actually. Very clear, large LCD (couple of tiny marks on window). Quite lightweight, not a Fluke 25/27 hammer :)
No battery corrrosion. Calibration is spot on, 1 count low on both 10 V and 1 k from a quick check on a couple of standards.
 
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Offline capt bullshot

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #68674 on: September 04, 2020, 06:45:01 pm »
So I found this amplifier alike box at some other departments scrap box, free for take away:



OK, cool. But can it play tunes......loud?  :P :-DD

If you connect a suitable speaker, yes of course it does. I measured about 90kHz -3dB power bandwidth. So it's got 'nough power and 'nough bandwidth to annoy the neighbours. Anyway, I haven't tried yet. My homebrew amp also does (http://wunderkis.de/pwramp3/index.html) though it has less bandwidth. But I've noticed, the missing bandwidth isn't that noticeable  ::)

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