Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[med6753]

Interesting picture where someone circled all the Tek scopes. They are either 535's or 545's. Can't tell from this distance.

This is the IBM 1401 Assembly/Test floor in Endicott, NY. Early 1960's. The 1401 was IBM's first all transistor computer. Since it was air cooled only it could be tested on "Flat Floor". This is the same arrangement that I am familiar with when I tested S/370-3158 in Poughkeepsie. But we used HP 180A scopes which were later replaced with Tek 475A/DM44's. The angled carts contained all the logic manuals which we called "ALD's". I don't recall what ALD stood for.

[Cerebus]

Cooky if you guess what it is.

RF connector cal set?

[med6753]

Nothing per se, but it's a whole other world that I left behind last time we had a vacuum tube TV in my childhood.

Trust me, vacuum tube (valve) TEA is X100 times more reliable than the cheaply thrown together TV's of that era.

[Cerebus]

I don't recall what ALD stood for.

"Automatic Logic Diagram" if I remember correctly.

IBM terminology seems to live in a happy little world of its own (IPL, DASD) and I'm not that familiar with the whole heap of IBM peculiar acronyms, but that one seems to be trying to surface from some deep dark cobweb encrusted corner of my memory. That, or I may just have made it up wholesale without realising.

[Ice-Tea]

Cooky if you guess what it is.

RF connector cal set?

Nope.

[Robert763]

This may never be the most usefull bit of kit I ever bought, but Dear Lord it's pretty. Or classy.



Cooky if you guess what it is.

Pye portable wheatstone bridge

[med6753]

I don't recall what ALD stood for.

"Automatic Logic Diagram" if I remember correctly.

IBM terminology seems to live in a happy little world of its own (IPL, DASD) and I'm not that familiar with the whole heap of IBM peculiar acronyms, but that one seems to be trying to surface from some deep dark cobweb encrusted corner of my memory. That, or I may just have made it up wholesale without realising.

You jogged my memory and you are correct. Those logic diagrams were early computer graphics printed.

[0culus]

Nothing per se, but it's a whole other world that I left behind last time we had a vacuum tube TV in my childhood.

Trust me, vacuum tube (valve) TEA is X100 times more reliable than the cheaply thrown together TV's of that era.

Yep, especially Tek and HP stuff. They used better quality components and all the tubes are treated quite gently. As opposed to say a guitar amplifier where the tubes are run very hard to get the toanz everyone loves the for.

[Cerebus]

I don't recall what ALD stood for.

"Automatic Logic Diagram" if I remember correctly.

IBM terminology seems to live in a happy little world of its own (IPL, DASD) and I'm not that familiar with the whole heap of IBM peculiar acronyms, but that one seems to be trying to surface from some deep dark cobweb encrusted corner of my memory. That, or I may just have made it up wholesale without realising.

You jogged my memory and you are correct. Those logic diagrams were early computer graphics printed.

I half remember reading a paper, many years ago, about the software system used to produce them, and generally to manage CAD/CAM with the logic modules that were used in IBM mainframes in pre-MSI/VLSI days.

[Ice-Tea]

This may never be the most usefull bit of kit I ever bought, but Dear Lord it's pretty. Or classy.



Cooky if you guess what it is.

Pye portable wheatstone bridge

What. The.... Seriously, how do you know? Not the same model but yeah... I have furniture that looks worse.

[mnementh]

   Ice-Tea - LeCroy WavePro 7000: 1 - 33689

But as I got in the last point, the game is still mine. Now please don't ask me to count the hours or I may cry a little.

Fine, fine, fine.... you broke me. I'll give you $75 for it, but you better pack it proper... 

mnem

[mnementh]

This may never be the most usefull bit of kit I ever bought, but Dear Lord it's pretty. Or classy.

   Cooky if you guess what it is.

   Pye portable wheatstone bridge

What. The.... Seriously, how do you know? Not the same model but yeah... I have furniture that looks worse.

Pretty sure this was the giveaway.

mnem
 

[tonyalbus]

Never seen one before in real life or on picture... its coming my way

[Robert763]

This may never be the most usefull bit of kit I ever bought, but Dear Lord it's pretty. Or classy.



Cooky if you guess what it is.

Pye portable wheatstone bridge

What. The.... Seriously, how do you know? Not the same model but yeah... I have furniture that looks worse.

I'm a sad TEA addict 
That is the later version of the same instrument made after the instument division of PYE became Cametric. Just different name. The later PYE ones used the same knobs. Actually quite easy to identify from at latch on the lower left of the front.
I have it's bigger brother, a "Portable Potentiometer" looks similar but more knobs and about 4 foot long, I can hardly pick it up. Has a KVD and was a national standard lab class instrument in it's day. 

[Specmaster]

"Don't want the hassle of adding valves to a valve free household". 

What you got against vacuum tubes? 

Quite, I have a mix of both and have zero issues in doing so 

[mnementh]

I learned the expression from a pinball machine .... several decades ago.

Baseball:
Hit the ball and run.....
 * Get to first base = single
 * Get to second base = double
 * Get to third base = triple
 * Get all the way around = home run!

I believe there are some finer details involved - but that's the broad stroke description.

Ah, so exactly \$4 \frac{1}{11}\$ runs in International Stickball, working on the basis that a NA Stickball diamond is 90' a side (had to look that up) and a proper Stickball wicket is 1 chain long (didn't have to look that one up). I can see the problems a dragon might have with International Stickball, tail sending bails and stumps flying left, right and centre at the end of each run. 

I love baseball games. The bleachers are full of tender, young, juicy snacks...

mnem

[Robert763]

Later pye bridge

[25 CPS]

Never seen one before in real life or on picture... its coming my way

You’ll enjoy it!



Those are great little meters!

[tonyalbus]

Never seen one before in real life or on picture... its coming my way

You’ll enjoy it!
Those are great little meters!

Cool 

Thanks... mine is broken, but all parts are still there... seller said,  fingers crossed... its cleaning the switches, as i always say. 

[Ice-Tea]

Pretty sure this was the giveaway.

mnem
 

Yeah, you know, that doesn't exactly make it easier to believe...

[mnementh]

LOL.... Well, you did ask that question in here... if there's anyplace in the universe where that kind of outre' knowledge of prehistoric lab equipment would be readily on tap, this is it. 

mnem
 

[Ice-Tea]

   Ice-Tea - LeCroy WavePro 7000: 1 - 33689

But as I got in the last point, the game is still mine. Now please don't ask me to count the hours or I may cry a little.

Fine, fine, fine.... you broke me. I'll give you $75 for it, but you better pack it proper... 

mnem

For shipping? Deal! Now, as for the unit...

[mnementh]

   Ice-Tea - LeCroy WavePro 7000: 1 - 33689  But as I got in the last point, the game is still mine. Now please don't ask me to count the hours or I may cry a little.

Fine, fine, fine.... you broke me. I'll give you $75 for it, but you better pack it proper... 

mnem

For shipping? Deal! Now, as for the unit...

Not sure even that would be a good deal for you... considering where you are vs where I am, the value of the Canadian dollar, and who all is between us.

mnem
 

[25 CPS]

Never seen one before in real life or on picture... its coming my way

You’ll enjoy it!
Those are great little meters!

Cool 

Thanks... mine is broken, but all parts are still there... seller said,  fingers crossed... its cleaning the switches, as i always say. 

Fingers crossed for sure.  If it's all there, it can probably be repaired and hopefully it's something simple like cleaning the switches like you said.  If it's more involved than that and it'll help if I take the cover off one of mine and check some measurements or scope waveforms for you, let me know.

[BU508A]

LOL.... Well, you did ask that question in here... if there's anyplace in the universe where that kind of outre' knowledge of prehistoric lab equipment would be readily on tap, this is it. 

mnem
 

Imagine, Mr. Carlson would be a regular here ...