Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[bd139]

Nice. I've been lurking for a working one of them for a long time with power sensors but like hell that's going to turn up.

Just nabbed another Fluke 25. Let the TE hoarding begin!

[mnementh]

Should I be glad that video is showing up as unavailable based on the previous mention of anal probes? 

Edit: so I was bored this afternoon and have run my OS test suite against Fedora 32 and the damn thing passed everything. Is this a turning point?!?! 

Yeah sure... If they're really going back to 32-bit basics, maybe they'll remember when they didn't have their heads implanted a mile up their own butts... 

mnem
*agitating-ily*

[dl6lr]

I will share photos when I got it here.      

Will you modify your KP184 to get rid of its safety flaws?   

Thanks. And yes, I will modify it.
I'm located between HH and HL, maybe we'll meet sometime somewhere.

Bernd

[mnementh]

Should I be glad that video is showing up as unavailable based on the previous mention of anal probes? 

Edit: so I was bored this afternoon and have run my OS test suite against Fedora 32 and the damn thing passed everything. Is this a turning point?!?! 

Yeah sure... If they're really going back to 32-bit basics, maybe they'll remember when they didn't have their heads implanted a mile up their own butts... 

mnem
*agitating-ily*

You can all stop making this face     now... I was being facetious. I do know that it's just a name FFS. 

mnem

[bd139]

A for effort though 

My sense of humour has returned now it's the weekend 

[Cubdriver]

Very tempting. But no......haven't got the room. But damn, tempting. Looks kinda rough though but it should clean up. Interesting that he says 9 tubes lost vacuum. I see one. Unusual for that many tubes to go to air. Overheated perhaps?

Anyway.....Pat (Cubdriver), this is just a short drive for you. Go get it. 

https://newhaven.craigslist.org/ele/d/cos-cob-tektronix-oscilloscope/7208436371.html

LOL - you are evil!!!  That is tempting - I have a 545, and a 545B.  Might be worth completing the set...  I'll have to cogitate on it for a bit.

-Pat

[Robert763]

Got a -hp- 432A today. 15€. No mount, no cable, VGC. It's full of relays!

Very optimistic plan is to bodge a mount. There's a AN describing the 478 mount, so some guidance is provided. No, won't be even close to the real thing, but without trial, how can there be error?

No problem getting a mount, Keysight still sell them, only $7064 plus tax 
https://www.keysight.com/en/pd-1000001379%3Aepsg%3Apro-pn-478A/coaxial-thermistor-mount?cc=US&lc=eng

It's got to be the longest produced piece of TE by HPAK (maybe excluding adaptors and the like).

[mnementh]

That's obviously still around for something mil-spec and no other reason. 

@Cubdriver: I bet you have a full set of spare tubes for that 545A too, doncha...? Best to put them to good use before the offspring have to take them to the tip...

mnem
*family time*

[Cubdriver]

That's obviously still around for something mil-spec and no other reason. 

@Cubdriver: I bet you have a full set of spare tubes for that 545A too, doncha...? Best to put them to good use before the offspring have to take them to the tip...

mnem
*family time*

LOL - I have no offspring, and my best friend and his wife both told me a while back (while looking into my garage) that they need to die before I do so they won't have to deal with clearing out my things.    And I doubt I have a full set of fire bottles, but could likely find a fair number of them lurking about if I dig enough.

-Pat

[Robert763]

So I got a message from Parcel Farce that my package from Skegness was ging t be delivered between 1 and 2. At 2:40 a box box turned up
Opened it and it's full of polystyrene chips
Took a full bin (trash) bag full of chips out to find a transit case, Inside is a yellow box.
A list of military aircraft on the screen (ooh CGA graphics on a plasma  ) What is this thing?
It measures capacitance.

Can't complain about the shipping, I could not put a 24kg unit in a box full of chips and ship it on a 24h service for the £16 they charged.

[Robert763]

That's obviously still around for something mil-spec and no other reason. 

<SNIP>
mnem
*family time*

Nope, It's still made (and they recently did a digital version of the meter, N432A $10,9991.94), not for the military (they would want the old meter) but because it can be used as a transfer standard using a digital voltmeter without the adjustment / calibration of the 432A having any affect on accuracy. This is because the thermistor bridge is balanced with DC. It is the industry standard for low level meter calibration.

[tggzzz]

Just nabbed another Fluke 25. Let the TE hoarding begin!

Oh, where from? I was assuming you were after the Ramco ones next week. Lots of 34401/10s there as well.

[mansaxel]

Got a -hp- 432A today. 15€. No mount, no cable, VGC. It's full of relays!

Very optimistic plan is to bodge a mount. There's a AN describing the 478 mount, so some guidance is provided. No, won't be even close to the real thing, but without trial, how can there be error?

No problem getting a mount, Keysight still sell them, only $7064 plus tax 
https://www.keysight.com/en/pd-1000001379%3Aepsg%3Apro-pn-478A/coaxial-thermistor-mount?cc=US&lc=eng

It's got to be the longest produced piece of TE by HPAK (maybe excluding adaptors and the like).

Oh, there are lots of them, FSVO lots, on Ebay. Some might even work. I'm slowly looking for the mount cable, the mount, and other paraphenalia. I'm in no hurry, though.   Taking your time is the sure way to get those jammy deals.

What I really like with the -hp- power meters,  is, as you wrote,  the longevity of the components. I think it is something extraordinary that they keep supporting the system, albeit in a limited fashion.

[bd139]

Just nabbed another Fluke 25. Let the TE hoarding begin!

Oh, where from? I was assuming you were after the Ramco ones next week. Lots of 34401/10s there as well.

eBay user defender.130 listed a whole bunch today.

I’m not buying a 34401a unless I can see it powered. I’ve got one on the watch list and money allocated now for it. 

[Robert763]

I've got two 478A heads, a 431A, 432A and two leads 

[Specmaster]

Just nabbed another Fluke 25. Let the TE hoarding begin!

Oh, where from? I was assuming you were after the Ramco ones next week. Lots of 34401/10s there as well.

eBay user defender.130 listed a whole bunch today.

I’m not buying a 34401a unless I can see it powered. I’ve got one on the watch list and money allocated now for it. 

Wise move, I always prefer to look for something that is shown as powered, otherwise the value for me drops rapidly.

Edit: With User ID like that, clearly a Landie fanatic 

[tggzzz]

Just nabbed another Fluke 25. Let the TE hoarding begin!

Oh, where from? I was assuming you were after the Ramco ones next week. Lots of 34401/10s there as well.

eBay user defender.130 listed a whole bunch today.

I’m not buying a 34401a unless I can see it powered. I’ve got one on the watch list and money allocated now for it. 

I really like the 34410's secondary display showing the stats of the primary display.

[mansaxel]

eBay user defender.130 listed a whole bunch today.

Tempting. 16£ shipping, though.

[med6753]

Very tempting. But no......haven't got the room. But damn, tempting. Looks kinda rough though but it should clean up. Interesting that he says 9 tubes lost vacuum. I see one. Unusual for that many tubes to go to air. Overheated perhaps?

Anyway.....Pat (Cubdriver), this is just a short drive for you. Go get it. 

https://newhaven.craigslist.org/ele/d/cos-cob-tektronix-oscilloscope/7208436371.html

LOL - you are evil!!!  That is tempting - I have a 545, and a 545B.  Might be worth completing the set...  I'll have to cogitate on it for a bit.

-Pat

You're welcome. 

I just don't understand why it has so many duff tubes in it. My Type 535A (while it has fewer tubes) didn't have one bad one. 

[factory]

Very tempting. But no......haven't got the room. But damn, tempting. Looks kinda rough though but it should clean up. Interesting that he says 9 tubes lost vacuum. I see one. Unusual for that many tubes to go to air. Overheated perhaps?

Anyway.....Pat (Cubdriver), this is just a short drive for you. Go get it. 

https://newhaven.craigslist.org/ele/d/cos-cob-tektronix-oscilloscope/7208436371.html

A common problem over here with all our damp sheds, garages & lofts. The pins corrode, cracking the glass, then the heater burns out when you power them up for the first time in decades. rumour has it Mullard's Mullered's of Blackburn are the worst offenders.
https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/showthread.php?t=61944

I had a HP scope with nearly all of them like this, there was just enough good ones left to repopulate the vertical plug-in.
This problem also effects neon reference & number readout bulbs, getting fed up of finding dead Burroughs ones.

Daviod

[factory]

That's obviously still around for something mil-spec and no other reason. 

<SNIP>
mnem
*family time*

Nope, It's still made (and they recently did a digital version of the meter, N432A $10,9991.94), not for the military (they would want the old meter) but because it can be used as a transfer standard using a digital voltmeter without the adjustment / calibration of the 432A having any affect on accuracy. This is because the thermistor bridge is balanced with DC. It is the industry standard for low level meter calibration.

There have been versions of the HP 432A power meter with digital displays made decades ago, look for the 432B/C. I'm still looking for a cheap early 432C.
David

[Robert763]

No real need for a 432B or C just connect a DMM or DVM module to the connector on the back. This gives the same digital display accuracy (or better) and retains the analogue meter for making adjustments.

[Specmaster]

Just nabbed another Fluke 25. Let the TE hoarding begin!

Oh, where from? I was assuming you were after the Ramco ones next week. Lots of 34401/10s there as well.

Next week?, Do you mean next week or the 23rd?

[factory]

No real need for a 432B or C just connect a DMM or DVM module to the connector on the back. This gives the same digital display accuracy (or better) and retains the analogue meter for making adjustments.

I did know that, most of the vintage HP meters I own have a output for use with digital meters, recorders or interfacing with the HP/Dymec computer equipment. Not all of them can give all the different scale readouts as all those on the analog meter though.
I'm guessing all the relay's in the 432A posted here today are for automated or remote operation.

Of course there is need for a 432C or two or three...... unless you've been cured of TE addiction. 

David

[bd139]

Dang it had to repair something household related. I suppose it's test equipment 

My salter kitchen scales dropped dead. Date coded 2008 so that's a fair run. But I'm not giving up yet.

Well took them to bits and something had eaten half the PCB away. So I cleaned it up, found out that most of it was zero-ohm jumpers and buzzed the remains of it out with the Fluke 25. The outcome was that I could jump most of it with a chopped off LED leg:



Back in service  . They're only £12.50 to replace but that's not the point is it