Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[Saskia]

it seems that the GY series is their attempt to enter the higher quality market.
Looking at the MRSP this is way beyond of what you would expect from a company like Atten.

I did not pay full price, obviously. Will need to have a look at the invoice, but I think it's somewhere between 20 and 30 % ...

Also, their Quick hot air knock off is said to be reasonably well engineered and a bargain at the price.

[AVGresponding]

That has "cluster fuck" written all over it. 

Well, the cluster just got even more fucked. A colleague has tested positive for covid, and now the lead sparky and myself have to self-isolate for two weeks.

That's half the core team on this one, and also we're the only ones that know the building, so...

Management tried to tell us we didn't need to, unless we'd been told to by NHS TTI, however, what they hadn't considered at this point is that the positive testee hadn't yet passed contact details on, and I also pointed out that it's on the national news that our area is one of the ones highlighted as failing re-TTI.
We said we'll come back if we get an email from management stating they consider it unnecessary for us to self-isolate. They ummed and ahhed, and came back and said, yeah, self-isolate, in fairly short order.

So, that's that. Job shelved for two weeks, and I have to stay locked in on my own for the duration. Given that's my natural inclination anyway, and that I'd been moaning about not having many holiday hours left this year, this can be classed as a qualified result!

[mnementh]

Another case of the management trying to use "a dumb blank look" as a defense so they can claim plausible deniability. Utter shite-oozing fecking twisted bollocks.

Good on ya for not giving them any excuse; they will try to blame you guys on the bottom when the shit starts rolling downhill, sure as little green clovers in the spring.

mnem
grr. 

[McBryce]

Just trying to wrap my brain around the engineering involved here... So the guy took 4 stone-age Horex Regina engines (one-lung, iron-cylinder, dual-exhaust: ), made a custom aluminum crankcase to put them all in one "engine", and then used a Harley transmission cuz... reasons...?

Seems to me he deliberately took just aboot the lowest power-to-weight ratio German motorcycle engine he could could find, then put 4 of them together to get some meaningful amount of power, then pushed all that through a American-redneck-engineered gearbox to get the power to the ground cuz he couldn't be arsed to make something actually built in Germany work.

All to be able to beat a Porsche in a drag race... something I used to do literally every other day on my GPZ1100 and even my 900cc Ninja. Turbo models included.

 That doesn't exactly feel like "German Engineering" to me.  I used to own a Amazonas (Brazilian-made cop-shop motorcycle that used a veedub engine & trans); that thing had more "German Engineering" in it, IMO.

In all honesty, I'd rather have the original Regina... there is some real history there, not just stupid motorhead pissing-contest hype.

https://www.mecum.com/lots/LV0119-362246/1955-horex-regina-400/

mnem

I wouldn't quite agree with you there. You may think that Harley transmissions are "Redneck engineered", but the are also (possibly because of the redneck aspect) massively over spec'ed / dimensioned. German transmissions would possibly fail in this setup, because the material and weight are optimised whereas the Harley transmission could probably pull a truck.

McBryce.

[Ice-Tea]

I grok in fullness.

 

[Saskia]

ok, found the soldering irons that can be used with the Atten Desoldering station.
Turns out that 45 € or so for a micropencil or a 150W thingie is not tooooo bad, especially since the tips to not cost a fortune.

Seems to me that this warrants further investigation.

[tggzzz]

I'm considering the UK as a part of Europe, even after the 31.12.2020   

So do many people here Or, for the situation itself

Yes, but I suspect the postal system may see it differently and change their pricing soon.

That will be easy when compared with customs duties, export documentation, red tape in general.

[tggzzz]

A colleague has tested positive for covid, and now the lead sparky and myself have to self-isolate for two weeks.

Let's hope that is all you have to contend with.

[Saskia]

I concur. Hope you did not catch it.

[Saskia]

On the trip to Reichelt today they also offered me an oscilloscope for a reasonable discount.
Fully loaded R+S R3M for the puny little sum of a little bit above 8.7 kilopesos.

I had to decline, this is the price for a good O rated engine and one reload.
https://youtu.be/02_ud740dFs

[med6753]

Progress on the TEA shelving unit. Balance to do is install center shelf than final sanding. Once that's done a coat of stain. Coat of poly on Sunday. 2nd coat Monday. Then done.

Relaxing the balance of the day.

[med6753]

I concur. Hope you did not catch it.

Ditto, that would suck.

Our Thanksgiving is this coming Thursday and the naysayers and dooms dayers are saying "stay home" and don't have family gatherings. Fuck that, this pandemic already ruined a trip to Colorado to see my Mother. The Lady Cop and I are gonna have a Thanksgiving damnit. 

[mansaxel]

On the trip to Reichelt today they also offered me an oscilloscope for a reasonable discount.
Fully loaded R+S R3M for the puny little sum of a little bit above 8.7 kilopesos.

I had to decline, this is the price for a good O rated engine and one reload.
https://youtu.be/02_ud740dFs

R&S have me on some mailing list since I spoke to them in Vegas about their broadcast software stuff. Today I got the clearance sale list. Insane discounts on crazy expensive gear making the rebate prices just thrice unbelievable. Very tempting, not even remotely close to possible.

[Saskia]

yarp. But not even tempting. I know it was a teaser from one of my special friends at Reichelt. And I do have a Keysight 3054T which I hope to put to some good use next year. Seems that my employer actually wants me to do other stuff than in 2019 and 2020. Which means I have a chance to recover a bit health wise.

[Specmaster]

That has "cluster fuck" written all over it. 

Well, the cluster just got even more fucked. A colleague has tested positive for covid, and now the lead sparky and myself have to self-isolate for two weeks.

That's half the core team on this one, and also we're the only ones that know the building, so...

Management tried to tell us we didn't need to, unless we'd been told to by NHS TTI, however, what they hadn't considered at this point is that the positive testee hadn't yet passed contact details on, and I also pointed out that it's on the national news that our area is one of the ones highlighted as failing re-TTI.
We said we'll come back if we get an email from management stating they consider it unnecessary for us to self-isolate. They ummed and ahhed, and came back and said, yeah, self-isolate, in fairly short order.

So, that's that. Job shelved for two weeks, and I have to stay locked in on my own for the duration. Given that's my natural inclination anyway, and that I'd been moaning about not having many holiday hours left this year, this can be classed as a qualified result!

Keeping my fingers crossed for you, hoping that you are in the clear here and have not caught this shit of a thing. Not at all surprised by the management response, you want to remember this, that they had zero regard for your health and safety when the chips were down, they were only concerned about themselves.

Been thinking a bit more about the pyro thing a bit more, you'd better hope and pray that the out going pyros are on the same side / end of the boards otherwise you could well be in deep shite. Good luck and take care, and your family as well.

[Saskia]

hmm. Management. Now with me going over to infrastructure they are hiring 2 additional folks to take over the stuff I am leaving behind. Even though I am taking the entire translation stuff with me.

Makes you feel hopelessly underpaid (even tho I do get a decent salary as a worker slave).

[Robert763]

Re Covid,
Been feeling ill for couple of days.    Awaiting test results and hoping it's just a cold.

[Saskia]

thumbs pressed.

With my chronic sinusitis and nose congestion / running nose chances are high that they ban me from campus permanently.

[factory]

Hope you two are OK and don't get this horrid disease.

Management were the same when the first positive case happened, the whole job should have been sent home, but only 4 or 5 did. Since then most people have downloaded the T&T app.
I had to take over on a section where two colleagues tested positive, one ended up in a coma (thankfully now out of it & hopefully recovering), I lasted 9 days before the app sent me home a few weeks ago for 10 days, thankfully I didn't get anything as I have poor health too, currently shielding till Dec 2nd.

David

[BU508A]

Oh dear! 

Get well soon, take care and I keep my fingers crossed that it is just "only" a cold.

Best wishes from my side to all of you.

[Saskia]

thumbs pressed to everyone. I am concerned about my daughter (she's asthmatic) and they are still sending them to school (full classes, distancing is for pussies) and to do indoor sports where chances are incredibly high that you catch it.

Bloody assholes.

Our company has sent every nonessential worker into home office and banned everyone from campus who does not need to be there.

Seems to me like the prudent step.

Boss told me to look for the proper paperwork to lug my computer out of my office and use it in home office. Looking forward to it, it is soooooooooo much better than the standard notebook.

I am afraid, this bloody virus is here to stay.

[factory]

Technically I could do some of the smaller electrical work from home if they sent the work & materials & a few tools I haven't got, I already have most the TE required.
The VTL forget it, too big, heavy, noisy and can't be loaded or operated remotely.

David

[med6753]

Both of us have been tested within the past 2 weeks with negative results. Of course one of us could be exposed tomorrow but hopefully the appropriate measures can minimized it. Due to the up tick in cases in NYC they closed the schools again so Lady Cop is patrolling a basically empty school. There weren't many students in the schools anyway and they didn't change classes. Stay in one classroom all day. Even lunch was brought to them. So she has had minimal exposure. And me? I try to stay in as much as possible. I hate people and crowds anyway so it's meh.     

[med6753]

Another case of the management trying to use "a dumb blank look" as a defense so they can claim plausible deniability. Utter shite-oozing fecking twisted bollocks.

Good on ya for not giving them any excuse; they will try to blame you guys on the bottom when the shit starts rolling downhill, sure as little green clovers in the spring.

mnem
grr. 

It's a good thing you don't know that I was in management at IBM for almost 25 years.

Oopsie. 

[Saskia]

that explains a lot