Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[med6753]

The wall behind bench 2 now complete and dry. Today at my leisure I'll reinstall the bench and equipment.

That just leaves the wall behind bench 1. It will be done sometime in the "near future". I've had my fill of painting for a while. 

 

[Robert763]

I prefer to sit on the porch with a 12-gauge across my knees. Not for packages per se; just in general. 

mnem
Fun fact: PMS = Paul Must Suffer.

Why do you sit with a roll of wire across you knee? 

[ch_scr]

On every 3d printer there should be a sign: "It'll fit next time"

 

But in all fairness, the SLA and nylon parts I had printed professionally have fitted first time, even with screwthreads

Well, OK, I did design the nylon part so it would deform slightly and provide a solid push-fit - but since that was design, it still counts as "working".

It all depends. But if you have to match multiple critical dimensions and on something that does not lend itself to measuring easily - good luck getting it first time.

[Robert763]

in my Nixie DMM are gas bulbs as comma between the nixies.
They are controlled by a 74141.

There is the active light, on, and the others are flashing, it looks to be a isolation problem.
Now the wonder.

When I use the light from my handy to illum the active gas bulb, the others stop flashing and all is allready working !
There is no diode or anything in the area what can be the explain for light sensitivity.

A light sensitive gas bulb ?

Yes,
Gas filled tubes are light sensitive to some degree. Normally they operate so cut-off or hard on it makes no difference or they have a radioactive source to maintain a level of ionisation. If drive is wrong, gas contaminated or radioactive source decayed light can cause issues.
Can be a problem with relaxation oscillators, choppers and trigger circuits that work with the covers off but not with them on.

I've also seen this with a low current LED flasher. Worked fine with the lights on but not when it was in the dark

[AVGresponding]

in my Nixie DMM are gas bulbs as comma between the nixies.
They are controlled by a 74141.

There is the active light, on, and the others are flashing, it looks to be a isolation problem.
Now the wonder.

When I use the light from my handy to illum the active gas bulb, the others stop flashing and all is allready working !
There is no diode or anything in the area what can be the explain for light sensitivity.

A light sensitive gas bulb ?

Yes,
Gas filled tubes are light sensitive to some degree. Normally they operate so cut-off or hard on it makes no difference or they have a radioactive source to maintain a level of ionisation. If drive is wrong, gas contaminated or radioactive source decayed light can cause issues.
Can be a problem with relaxation oscillators, choppers and trigger circuits that work with the covers off but not with them on.

I've also seen this with a low current LED flasher. Worked fine with the lights on but not when it was in the dark

Yes, some tube devices use an incandescent lamp inside the chassis to bias the tubes on.

[Martin.M]

there was a copper line on the psu board interrupted,
so the +200V was not connected to the 47µF and full rippled.
The DMM works with that, except the 4 comma bulbs problem. Now it have a bypass cable and it is ready to work.
cal is to do of coarse.

The picture shows the comma problem.
Interesting: The comma bulbs work allready with the hard rippled DC whn extern Light is ON. 

all in all I used:
5 electrolytics are replaced by fresh, the dead 200v rectifier diode is replaced with a used BY127.
This DMM with very large Nixies was around 100€.
 

[Robert763]

So for all you gun toting Americans I've invented a new cartridge - the BNC-MAG.
It's rimless with the lugs optimised for two land rifling and is an excellent wad-cutter. 

Any guesses what it really is?

[tonyalbus]

there was a copper line on the psu board interrupted,
so the +200V was not connected to the 47µF and full rippled.
The DMM works with that, except the 4 comma bulbs problem. Now it have a bypass cable and it is ready to work.
cal is to do of coarse.

The picture shows the comma problem.
Interesting: The comma bulbs work allready with the hard rippled DC whn extern Light is ON. 

all in all I used:
5 electrolytics are replaced by fresh, the dead 200v rectifier diode is replaced with a used BY127.
This DMM with very large Nixies was around 100€.
  (Attachment Link)

Wow!! love its look!   

[AVGresponding]

So for all you gun toting Americans I've invented a new cartridge - the BNC-MAG.
It's rimless with the lugs optimised for two land rifling and is an excellent wad-cutter. 

Any guesses what it really is?

Reducer for microbore central heating?

[Robert763]

So for all you gun toting Americans I've invented a new cartridge - the BNC-MAG.
It's rimless with the lugs optimised for two land rifling and is an excellent wad-cutter. 

Any guesses what it really is?

Reducer for microbore central heating?

1/2 cookie, that is what it's made from. View on end as a clue

[Specmaster]

The painting of the wall behind bench 2 is done. Tomorrow I'll reinstall the bench and provide pix.

Just heard on the scanner. Husband/wife domestic. She bit part of his ear off. 

How much you wanna bet she is a redhead. 

I was thinking maybe she was drawing some inspiration from Vincent Van Gogh to go after the guy's ear like that.

There's more. 

Car involved in a roll over accident. Driver manages to get out and proceeds to start fighting with the responding police. He's in custody.

The Sherrif's office just called for radio silence on their frequency. Something going on in the northern part of the county.

It's Saturday night! 

 

It must all of that Irish blood coursing through their veins I reckon 

[factory]

So for all you gun toting Americans I've invented a new cartridge - the BNC-MAG.
It's rimless with the lugs optimised for two land rifling and is an excellent wad-cutter. 

Any guesses what it really is?

Reducer for microbore central heating?

1/2 cookie, that is what it's made from. View on end as a clue

It kind of looks like a shielded metal version of the plastic insulated BNC adaptors used with some Fluke scopemeters.

David

[Robert763]

Close enough.
It's a shielded BNC to 4mm plug for guarded capactance (or high resistance) measurements using a Generl Radio standard wirh 4mm binding posts. It makes about 1-2pF difference.
Shown with a GR 1422-D. Apart from reducing fixed errors it also reduces hand effects. I did another with plastic pipe and copper tape but the microbore adaptor looks nicer. When making it I realised the similarity to a necked cartridge.

[AVGresponding]

So for all you gun toting Americans I've invented a new cartridge - the BNC-MAG.
It's rimless with the lugs optimised for two land rifling and is an excellent wad-cutter. 

Any guesses what it really is?

Reducer for microbore central heating?

1/2 cookie, that is what it's made from. View on end as a clue

Sorry, misread the question.

Looks like it might be to adapt a BNC to one of those god-awful old GR connectors.


EDIT: NVM, you answered already 

[factory]

Close enough.
It's a shielded BNC to 4mm plug for guarded capactance (or high resistance) measurements using a Generl Radio standard wirh 4mm binding posts. It makes about 1-2pF difference.
Shown with a GR 1422-D. Apart from reducing fixed errors it also reduces hand effects. I did another with plastic pipe and copper tape but the microbore adaptor looks nicer. When making it I realised the similarity to a necked cartridge.

It's a homemade version of something like the HP 10111A adaptor, would adding the ground lead make any difference?

David

[shakalnokturn]

Yes, for DC resistance 

[mnementh]

I prefer to sit on the porch with a 12-gauge across my knees. Not for packages per se; just in general. 

mnem
Fun fact: PMS = Paul Must Suffer.

Why do you sit with a roll of wire across you knee? 

For strangling kids who get on my lawn.   

mnem
Now if you'll excuse me; this is my prime porch-sittin' time...

[Robert763]

A ground lead would not make any difference with the 1422-D capacitor, there is nothing to connect it to. One side of the capacitor is connected to the case (the third terminal is for athe 115pF range) which is driven at 4kHz with the meter I'm using.
When I get round to setting my small lathe up I'll male a better one.

[mnementh]

So for all you gun toting Americans I've invented a new cartridge - the BNC-MAG.
It's rimless with the lugs optimised for two land rifling and is an excellent wad-cutter. 

Any guesses what it really is?

Reducer for microbore central heating?

   1/2 cookie, that is what it's made from. View on end as a clue

BNC - RCA adapter... or that goofy connector you eurozz use for a FM antenna and other whatnot...?

EDIT: NM... you already answered in great detail. I think I'll just go print another iteration...

mnem
   Too much blood in my caffeine circulatory system... must have coffeeeeeee...

[med6753]

Slow but steady progress. Bench is back in place and laptop with all it's associated USB links re-connected. Testing as I go.

[Cerebus]

Hmm, mouthwash green with pink curtains. Med, have you ever considered that you might have undiagnosed colourblindness?

[ Almost the perfect British-style insult. I might be insulting his taste, or I might be making a genuine enquiry. I shall leave it to the reader to divine my intent. ]

[bd139]

It’s staring at all that blue. It has kicked his 445nm cones in.

[Specmaster]

I don't know about med staring at all of his blue, but me staring at my screen with the control board from the 310 under a microscope is sure doing my eyes in 

I've come close to tossing it on my neighbours garage roof on a number of occasions but, unlike your T12 and your neighbours shed, it would just come back to me because their roof is pitched 

[Cerebus]

I have visions for you getting in a Homer Simpson-esque loop of throwing it on to the roof, it rolling down the roof and hitting you on the head, throwing it on to the roof, it rolling down the roof and hitting you on the head,...

[med6753]

Hmm, mouthwash green with pink curtains. Med, have you ever considered that you might have undiagnosed colourblindness?

[ Almost the perfect British-style insult. I might be insulting his taste, or I might be making a genuine enquiry. I shall leave it to the reader to divine my intent. ]

The curtains are not pink. They are light brown. It's the sunshine and the shitty camera. Go back and look at the pix I posted earlier today when it was dark outside.