Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[Cubdriver]

snip...

am almost certain that my fortress of solitude contains more nixie counters than anyone else on this thread (with one possible exception).

I'm going to have to figure out how many I have here, I won't be listing the model numbers as I don't want to help the display thieves find new victims.
I've acquired saved three in the last 60 days according to ePay.

David

I've got at least 28 nixie based counters, or nixie based TE that either has a counter input or extra circuitry options or plug-ins to add counting functionality.
I'm not counting TE that doesn't yet have these options or extra circuits fitted, nor am I counting any original clocks from TE manufacturers, nor am I counting anything with other obsolete displays such as dekatrons, or individual neon lamps, etc.

David

hmmmmm.  honestly don't have a count for you off the top of my head.  but am guessing that you just squeaked past me.

am hoping that cub will step up and save our yankee honor.

edit   following your rules......counted 27.   but remember i gave med a 5248 and a 5326 when he drove down from ny this summer.   damn, would be one up if not for that.

edit 2  found another 4 that were in a stack i missed.  so thats 31 working nixie counters (did not count voltmeters, back lit neons, or any dot or 7 segment bullshit.......or the 2 that went to med).

BUT there are NO 5243's in my basement.  damn.....makes me feel almost inadequate, and am now anxious for hamfests to resume. (could take a year the way the covid has fecked us all).

can we agree to take each others word as gentlemen that our counts are accurate?  please please don't make me gather them all together for a group portrait.  that would be a major project and would surely lead to a pharmacy run for more ibuprofen.

Holy crap.  I just did a quick and dirty count and came up with 39.     And I've no doubt that I missed a few.      (Not all in working condition, mind you, but there in the queue to be made so.)  I need to step back from EvilBay!  The scary thing is this whole TE collection bug was started by a 5245L that I bought after reading on the HP mailing list of their horrifying sacrifice by horologists seeking their displays - decided to save one, and that was the start of the slippery slope.  Whee, it's a fun ride!!!

-Pat

[med6753]

Anyway, how do you know that we don't still have a effective strike capability against the U.S.? Ya might just want to scan the sky for chaps with handlebar moustaches drinking cups of tea next time before you make disparaging remarks about harbours full of the stuff. 

You don't. Your government over the years totally gutted your aircraft industry. You Brits used to be a world leader in aircraft development. But all is not lost. You could use your RAF F-35's against us. That is if you guys ever decide to actually fly them rather than trying to crack it's code. 

Who said anything about aircraft? We've lumbered you with James Corden, don't make us unleash Piers Morgan. 

He was here once and didn't we throw that anti-gun fanatic back into the ocean? 

[Cerebus]

Anyway, how do you know that we don't still have a effective strike capability against the U.S.? Ya might just want to scan the sky for chaps with handlebar moustaches drinking cups of tea next time before you make disparaging remarks about harbours full of the stuff. 

You don't. Your government over the years totally gutted your aircraft industry. You Brits used to be a world leader in aircraft development. But all is not lost. You could use your RAF F-35's against us. That is if you guys ever decide to actually fly them rather than trying to crack it's code. 

Who said anything about aircraft? We've lumbered you with James Corden, don't make us unleash Piers Morgan. 

He was here once and didn't we throw that anti-gun fanatic back into the ocean? 

Sadly he came back of his own volition, I think he enjoys making us suffer. We can always send him back to you. Trust me, once you've got Piers Morgan, you're stuck with him, we're not having him back again.

Not scared yet? We'll throw in Simon Cowell and a free Boris Johnson. Behave yourself and we'll keep 'em here.

[mnementh]

The cows on Minchinhampton common are a pain. Frequently they decide to chew the cud while lying across the road. I've also seen one notice that its herd had disappeared over the brow of the hill, panic, and then zig-zag between stationary cars in a queue at a crossroads, hooves skittering every which way. Quite fun, since I wasn't in one of those cars.

That's unlike the time I was proceeding in an orderly manner up the A46 at 50mph and about 2s behind the car in front. Two deer decided to cross the road between the cars

Didn't Cerebus just tell this same exact story, only the setting was a Home Bargains store...?

mnem
 

[mnementh]

   



Looks like my current liquid-cooled CPU & GPU will be worth about half as much in a month or so. But hey... Big Navi! FINALLY!!!

mnem
At least I'll be able to keep my 570 MB... 

[nixiefreqq]

snip...

am almost certain that my fortress of solitude contains more nixie counters than anyone else on this thread (with one possible exception).

I'm going to have to figure out how many I have here, I won't be listing the model numbers as I don't want to help the display thieves find new victims.
I've acquired saved three in the last 60 days according to ePay.

David

I've got at least 28 nixie based counters, or nixie based TE that either has a counter input or extra circuitry options or plug-ins to add counting functionality.
I'm not counting TE that doesn't yet have these options or extra circuits fitted, nor am I counting any original clocks from TE manufacturers, nor am I counting anything with other obsolete displays such as dekatrons, or individual neon lamps, etc.

David

hmmmmm.  honestly don't have a count for you off the top of my head.  but am guessing that you just squeaked past me.

am hoping that cub will step up and save our yankee honor.

edit   following your rules......counted 27.   but remember i gave med a 5248 and a 5326 when he drove down from ny this summer.   damn, would be one up if not for that.

edit 2  found another 4 that were in a stack i missed.  so thats 31 working nixie counters (did not count voltmeters, back lit neons, or any dot or 7 segment bullshit.......or the 2 that went to med).

BUT there are NO 5243's in my basement.  damn.....makes me feel almost inadequate, and am now anxious for hamfests to resume. (could take a year the way the covid has fecked us all).

can we agree to take each others word as gentlemen that our counts are accurate?  please please don't make me gather them all together for a group portrait.  that would be a major project and would surely lead to a pharmacy run for more ibuprofen.

Holy crap.  I just did a quick and dirty count and came up with 39.     And I've no doubt that I missed a few.      (Not all in working condition, mind you, but there in the queue to be made so.)  I need to step back from EvilBay!  The scary thing is this whole TE collection bug was started by a 5245L that I bought after reading on the HP mailing list of their horrifying sacrifice by horologists seeking their displays - decided to save one, and that was the start of the slippery slope.  Whee, it's a fun ride!!!

-Pat

39!  you da' man!

[mansaxel]

The Hameg.....sounds like a new regulator and re-cap is called for.

Well, we're not surprised you'd say that 

[bd139]

   



Looks like my current liquid-cooled CPU & GPU will be worth about half as much in a month or so. But hey... Big Navi! FINALLY!!!

mnem
At least I'll be able to keep my 570 MB... 

Already got a 5900X in the budget. That’ll run a fuck load of VMs 

[Specmaster]

@med, the Vulcan only had that restriction applied to her once she was operated by civilians, while active in the hands of the RAF she never had any restrictions and her displays were done at full power and included rolls etc. At high altitudes she could out manoeuvre fighters even because of her huge delta wing provided such lift. The BONE was also very impressive but it lacked the stealth of the Vulcan mainly because it’s after burners provided a good lock for heat seeking misses. 

[AVGresponding]

I'm pulling here a German

"Pulling a German" has duly been added to my lexicon of colloquialisms.   

[Robert763]

Its a shame that its no longer allowed to fly, I have very fond memories of it being displayed at air shows and when they opened the taps, the ground literally shook and that Vulcan Howl came from its four Rolls-Royce engines, wonderful.

Think of it like this, if they were people, they'd have to re-apply for their driving licenses in two years time to make sure they were still safe on the roads.  Not a bad run.

It's just about money. XH558 could have kept flying but the costs, particuarly engines, is huge. It probably would have kept flying longer if thay hadn't trashed some engines by putting dessicant packs in the intakes and then forgetting to take them out before running the engines. 
Don't forget the Canberra (licenced as the B57 in USA). It was in service from 1951 to 2006 not bad for a first attemp t a jet bomber design.  NASA are still flying 2 or 3 of the WB-57F version. Back in the day a nomber or british manufcturers developed the engines and airframes. Bristol (the Vucan's Olympus is a Bristol design) and de Havilland  (designed the first jet airliner and it's engines) for example.

[med6753]

@med, the Vulcan only had that restriction applied to her once she was operated by civilians, while active in the hands of the RAF she never had any restrictions and her displays were done at full power and included rolls etc. At high altitudes she could out manoeuvre fighters even because of her huge delta wing provided such lift. The BONE was also very impressive but it lacked the stealth of the Vulcan mainly because it’s after burners provided a good lock for heat seeking misses.

You can't really compare the Vulcan and the B-1. Their methods of penetrating defenses are completely different. In the exercise where the Vulcan's beat US warning systems 4 of them came in at 56K feet. 3 put up a jamming shield which allowed the 4th Vulcan to get through.

The B-1 is a lone wolf. It's specialty is low level surprise attack. It has terrain following radar which allows it to hug the ground at about 200 feet. Same basic method the Tornado and the retired F-111. And high speed cruise but generally the afterburners are off. It's a quick "gotcha" and gone.         

[med6753]

Its a shame that its no longer allowed to fly, I have very fond memories of it being displayed at air shows and when they opened the taps, the ground literally shook and that Vulcan Howl came from its four Rolls-Royce engines, wonderful.

Think of it like this, if they were people, they'd have to re-apply for their driving licenses in two years time to make sure they were still safe on the roads.  Not a bad run.

It's just about money. XH558 could have kept flying but the costs, particuarly engines, is huge. It probably would have kept flying longer if thay hadn't trashed some engines by putting dessicant packs in the intakes and then forgetting to take them out before running the engines. 
Don't forget the Canberra (licenced as the B57 in USA). It was in service from 1951 to 2006 not bad for a first attemp t a jet bomber design.  NASA are still flying 2 or 3 of the WB-57F version. Back in the day a nomber or british manufcturers developed the engines and airframes. Bristol (the Vucan's Olympus is a Bristol design) and de Havilland  (designed the first jet airliner and it's engines) for example.

When I was a kid our nearby AFB had a squadron of B-57's. They all got sent to Vietnam and most of them got blown up when the VC raided the air base. The rest got shot up or shot down. I don't think any of them ever came back state side. 

[Specmaster]

Its a shame that its no longer allowed to fly, I have very fond memories of it being displayed at air shows and when they opened the taps, the ground literally shook and that Vulcan Howl came from its four Rolls-Royce engines, wonderful.

Think of it like this, if they were people, they'd have to re-apply for their driving licenses in two years time to make sure they were still safe on the roads.  Not a bad run.

It's just about money. XH558 could have kept flying but the costs, particuarly engines, is huge. It probably would have kept flying longer if thay hadn't trashed some engines by putting dessicant packs in the intakes and then forgetting to take them out before running the engines. 
Don't forget the Canberra (licenced as the B57 in USA). It was in service from 1951 to 2006 not bad for a first attemp t a jet bomber design.  NASA are still flying 2 or 3 of the WB-57F version. Back in the day a nomber or british manufcturers developed the engines and airframes. Bristol (the Vucan's Olympus is a Bristol design) and de Havilland  (designed the first jet airliner and it's engines) for example.

Yep, all valid points, but ultimately, I think it was the Shoreham Crash of a Hawker Hunter fighter jet, killing 11 and injuring 15 in 2015 which really killed it off as the CAA brought in stringent rules which has almost wiped out air shows as all fast jets suffered as a result with cancelled bookings and sky-high insurance costs.

[factory]

snip...

am almost certain that my fortress of solitude contains more nixie counters than anyone else on this thread (with one possible exception).

I'm going to have to figure out how many I have here, I won't be listing the model numbers as I don't want to help the display thieves find new victims.
I've acquired saved three in the last 60 days according to ePay.

David

I've got at least 28 nixie based counters, or nixie based TE that either has a counter input or extra circuitry options or plug-ins to add counting functionality.
I'm not counting TE that doesn't yet have these options or extra circuits fitted, nor am I counting any original clocks from TE manufacturers, nor am I counting anything with other obsolete displays such as dekatrons, or individual neon lamps, etc.

David

hmmmmm.  honestly don't have a count for you off the top of my head.  but am guessing that you just squeaked past me.

am hoping that cub will step up and save our yankee honor.

edit   following your rules......counted 27.   but remember i gave med a 5248 and a 5326 when he drove down from ny this summer.   damn, would be one up if not for that.

edit 2  found another 4 that were in a stack i missed.  so thats 31 working nixie counters (did not count voltmeters, back lit neons, or any dot or 7 segment bullshit.......or the 2 that went to med).

BUT there are NO 5243's in my basement.  damn.....makes me feel almost inadequate, and am now anxious for hamfests to resume. (could take a year the way the covid has fecked us all).

can we agree to take each others word as gentlemen that our counts are accurate?  please please don't make me gather them all together for a group portrait.  that would be a major project and would surely lead to a pharmacy run for more ibuprofen.

Holy crap.  I just did a quick and dirty count and came up with 39.     And I've no doubt that I missed a few.      (Not all in working condition, mind you, but there in the queue to be made so.)  I need to step back from EvilBay!  The scary thing is this whole TE collection bug was started by a 5245L that I bought after reading on the HP mailing list of their horrifying sacrifice by horologists seeking their displays - decided to save one, and that was the start of the slippery slope.  Whee, it's a fun ride!!!

-Pat

39!  you da' man!

My count has increased to by one to 29, forgot the 5340* (acquired at the same time as the 3490A multimeters) but this has not yet been tested, really need another counter to count all these counters. 
*There is a German seller that some people on here rate, that has parted out several 5340 counters this year. 

Those 5243 counters are really hard to find, there is only one more on ePay at the moment and it looks a bit newer (doesn't have the two latches for the plug-in compartment).
I've only seen two others in the UK (over 9 years ago), one of those was made over here in England believe it or not, not seen any advertised for a very very long time since over here, hence why I persuaded the seller to add international shipping so I could buy the really nice condition one I did.

David

P.S. This years ham radio surplus event at Hack Green Secret Bunker re-scheduled for next Sunday has just been cancelled again, no surprise.

[Specmaster]

Update on the PL310, all supply voltages etc are perfectly normal (photos are on their way soon, promise), its had a full recap except for 1000uF caps which gave good test results, but these are now on order so it will have had a full recap by the end of this week and everything else that I can check has been checked so now I have ordered a replacement quad OP AMP LM324 plays a starring role in the control of both the current and voltage controls. It may have been over volted when the pass transistor got fried, not sure. Seeing as these only cost pennies each I have ordered some for stock and will see how it goes when it gets a new transplanted in it, time will tell. 

[bd139]

Good luck. Sounds like you're making progress which is good 

I remember the first one of them I had which was a brown PL310 with rats nest wiring that had been blown up by someone. Took a lot of futzing to get that going again.

[tonyalbus]

@tautech  budget wise(value for money)...(i don't go above 1,2 Ghz)   SSA3015X-plus or SSA3021X or wait longer to have money for a SSA3021X-PLUS ?
i now have money for none of them, but an expert opinion?

SSA3015X Plus = SVA1015X minus VNA capability. (Bit lower spec'ed than 2.1 GHz models)
SSA3021X Plus = same HW as SSA3032X Plus and SVA1032X

If Hackability is your interest ......SSA3021X Plus any day ! $ 1295 vs $ 1595
Many now have converted SSA3021X Plus to SVA1032X however it it not a piss simple hack unless you're confident and capable with Telnet and Linux......I'm not. 

Genuine SVA1032X here and one of my treasured bits of gear. 

Thanks!    ...nice gear!

[bd139]

P.S. This years ham radio surplus event at Hack Green Secret Bunker re-scheduled for next Sunday has just been cancelled again, no surprise.

Yeah that doesn't surprise me. I'm betting that it'll be Harwell being the next one that'll actually be open.

https://www.g3pia.net/radio-electronics-rally/

[mnementh]

   

https://youtu.be/5uWXfoX1x3A

Looks like my current liquid-cooled CPU & GPU will be worth about half as much in a month or so. But hey... Big Navi! FINALLY!!!

mnem
At least I'll be able to keep my 570 MB... 

Already got a 5900X in the budget. That’ll run a fuck load of VMs 

Bintches... you and Linus. 

mnem
Remember, remember the fifth of November...   

[Saskia]

I am wondering if this will drive the Microsoft Flight simulator sufficiently ... along with a 3090 or so ...

I do have a spare x570 board ...

[Specmaster]

P.S. This years ham radio surplus event at Hack Green Secret Bunker re-scheduled for next Sunday has just been cancelled again, no surprise.

Yeah that doesn't surprise me. I'm betting that it'll be Harwell being the next one that'll actually be open.

https://www.g3pia.net/radio-electronics-rally/

If anyone is wondering about Hack Green Secret Bunker, you may like this.

[GreyWoolfe]

Not sure if I'll be on Discord later today. Going to start painting this morning and if I'm at a point where I can stop I'll be on. You don't fully realize how much crap you have until you have to move it. 

There is nothing in the world I hate more than painting.  I would rather shave the hair off my derriere with a rusty butter knife using alcohol as a soothing agent than painting.  The last room in the house we need to deal with for now is the master bedroom/bath.  The bathroom is only 5 X 8 but the master is 13 X 22 with lots of crap, ahem furniture in it.  Every time Mrs GreyWoolfe brings up that we need to paint, I try to collapse in on my self, no mean feat as I am a bigger bastard than Mnem.

Absolutely. 

Maybe not necessarily the old buzzard's but definitely the cranky old bastard's club.  Though I am less cranky now that Mrs GreyWoolfe and I are empty nesters and everyone is far enough away that they can't easily drop in.   I have been wanting to stop my mood stabilizer meds but she says not just yet.  Wonder if she is trying to tell me something.

[bd139]

FFS 6205B getting cranky again today. Turns out left channel doesn't work suddenly if it's powered up in 20V mode. Probably switch related.

[mnementh]

I am wondering if this will drive the Microsoft Flight simulator sufficiently ... along with a 3090 or so ...

I do have a spare x570 board ...

At what res? IIRC, 3090 is pulling ~42-50FPS at 4K with current i9 builds. Kindof scary, actually. I get ~90FPS@2K/1440P on my Acro-Quadcopter sims with my liquid-cooled Aorus RTX-2080Super. Hoping to squeeze a little more clarity out of it with newer versions of Afterburner next time I sit down tho... sessions with my Odyssey+ VR still leave me dizzy and due to motion-blurring.

Still annoyed that AMD still can only manage a honest competitor to the "second best/budget gamer" RTX-3080... come on guys. This is embarrassing. All your CPU advances came from high-bandwidth bus tech you got when you bought aTi 15 years ago. Why can't you turn some of that dev power back into what made you, and give us gamrrzz a serious contender that can go toe-to-toe with NVidia's best? I mean... they've been spanking it with the 20xx series for a fucking DECADE...

mnem