Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[Saskia]

carve them up and bake them into a pie.

[Specmaster]

carve them up and bake them into a pie.

A modernized version of Sweeney Todd no less then

[beanflying]

HV Supply @Med and across the frontal lobes or other appropriate protruding dangling parts 

So a low offer accepted sees me the owner of three Standard Resistors in maybe a month depending on the USA's dysfunctional freight. eBay auction: #312922704140 The main attraction to this lot was the cheap freight to Oz.

This set might suit a USA based TEA member eBay auction: #274102685853 $75 USD for four freight to Oz was $150 USD so I passed by.

[Zucca]

If you're trying to cram as much Ethernet as you can into a small duct/conduit, consider installation cable that bundles several multipair cores into one overall sheath - most of the bulk in Ethernet twisted pair cables is in the outer sheath. I've done this before where I had to retrofit Ethernet into an office with narrow ducting buried in concrete floors. I could easily get a four way installation cable into a duct that only had room for one and a half standard Cat-5 strands. The downside is that the multiway cabling is relatively expensive and minimum reel sizes can push the cost up further.

thanks Cerebus, I let you know what I can find on the market which is reasonable fast and flexible/small....

[cyclin_al]

A Merry Christmas to you all.

Now I have to get stick into Christmas proper, which means becoming intimately reacquainted with this gentleman:

That is not a peeler, it's a torture instrument. This is the proper instrument for efficient spud defloration, a "Jonas" peeler.
 


I'm still using the one I inherited from my grandmother.  The most important part is that the handle and blade are loosely connected and rattle with a characteristic sound.

Still, I do acknowledge that tastes in tools are different. You and my mother would team up well; she also likes the fixed ones better.

Okay, so you are someone who also appreciates a certain quality in tools.  Yes, the characteristic sound and a very well-worn blade are the signs of a great peeler.
SWMBO also likes the fixed ones, but I have no understanding why....

However, the appropriate use is for peeling apples.  An apple pie during the time between Christmas and the New Year is quite lovely.  SWMBO suggested that I eat the pie with a good Cheddar Cheese.  I realize now she made that suggestion to keep me away from the ice cream, which also goes well with apple pie.

Things like this make life better, regardless of how other aspects of the year were.  Happy Holidays everyone (several pages late as usual )!

[cyclin_al]

mnem
*toddles off to whack his orange*

Good taste in chocolate.  I haven't whacked my orange yet.  I do deserve a bit of quiet time to enjoy it now.  Mother-in-law now has a working computer; long story and it is still not over...  I definitely appreciate the help from the orange chocolate lovers 

[cyclin_al]

I hope everybody’s having as good a Christmas as possible under the circumstances.

I ordered a NanoVNA and a TinySA last week as a present for myself.  They should arrive sometime early in the new year and I wasn’t expecting to do this, but I ordered one of those NIB Agilent 34401As from eBay that were mentioned earlier.  That’s going to take a while to get here; it’s the second item I’ve purchased on eBay after reading about it here so hopefully, fingers crossed, it arrives in one piece this time unlike those HP coffee mugs from back in the summer.

Hopefully 2021 will be leaps and bounds better for everybody than this year was.

Nice choice in presents.  I went to do the same myself.  However, the NanoVNA v2 plus 4 from HCXQS is all sold out; I am on the wait list however.  By the way, does anyone know which TinySA purchase is likely to support the designer/manufacturer?

[mansaxel]

Okay, so you are someone who also appreciates a certain quality in tools.  Yes, the characteristic sound and a very well-worn blade are the signs of a great peeler.
SWMBO also likes the fixed ones, but I have no understanding why....

However, the appropriate use is for peeling apples.  An apple pie during the time between Christmas and the New Year is quite lovely.  SWMBO suggested that I eat the pie with a good Cheddar Cheese.  I realize now she made that suggestion to keep me away from the ice cream, which also goes well with apple pie.

Things like this make life better, regardless of how other aspects of the year were.  Happy Holidays everyone (several pages late as usual )!

For apples into pie (or pretty much everything else that requires apples in smaller pieces) I have a lathe. A bit fussy, and mine is used sans peeler because it wastes to much of the fruit. Consequently, there are peel strings in all my processed apple dishes, and if you don't like that, I can take your slice too!

When we're drying apples for rings it's especially efficient. Take the entire spiral off the lathe, cut once along and spread the rings on the dryer sheets. Very fast, and less fuss.

Edit: Happy new TE year!

[tautech]

Happy 2021 chaps.
12.08am Jan 1 2021 downunder !

[bd139]

Congratulations on escaping 2020 first  . Have a great new year everyone 

[tautech]

Congratulations on escaping 2020 first  . Have a great new year everyone 

I stayed up just to offer the very first best wishes and had a few  in doing so but had to deal to one of Beans pests an hour ago in our plum tree. He didn't get to see in the new year ! 

Missed an invite to chopper around the Sky tower New Year fireworks again this year as the chopper was already full. 

Gotta be better than 2020 !

[URI]

Yes, indeed, 2021 gotta be better than d***ed 2020!

Best wishes to everyone for a better and healthy year 2021!

Congratulations on escaping 2020 first  . Have a great new year everyone 

I stayed up just to offer the very first best wishes and had a few  in doing so but had to deal to one of Beans pests an hour ago in our plum tree. He didn't get to see in the new year ! 

Missed an invite to chopper around the Sky tower New Year fireworks again this year as the chopper was already full. 

Gotta be better than 2020 !

I'm curious how much private fireworks will be burnt this year.
It's not about fireworks really but about reducing contacts still but I expect the neighbourhood standing crowded on the streets tonight to welcome the new year.   

Working on my slightly overengineered T12 soldering station and it's second incarnation with isolation transformer but only a cheap DC/DC-converter from china -like mnem built one. Still overengineered in mnem's view, I'm sure.   
But what I can do? I'm an engineer and also German, I have no chance, really.      

[tautech]

I'm curious how much private fireworks will be burnt this year.
It's not about fireworks really but about reducing contacts still but I expect the neighborhood standing crowded on the streets tonight to welcome the new year.   

Mid summer here and a private fireworks ban is in place but only for the risk of fire as no community CV in NZ. 
Still here in rural west Auckland just 250m away a private gathering has let a good few off and in scrub land. 
Forkwits.

[nixiefreqq]

i for one will miss 2020.

in the same way i miss measles, mumps, chicken pox, and other childhood ailments.


HAPPY NEW YEAR YA' FREAKS!




(my last moan of 2020........how come chrome books don't have a caps lock or delete key?)

[beanflying]

An Hour to midnight and I think I am done. Caught up with a mate for the first time in months 6 hours ago for two beers  they were followed by more than a few more ...... 

May all your 2021's be a good one 

[Brumby]

Just under an hour to go ... and there is one good outcome I can take from 2020 - I am now debt free.  All outstanding loan and credit card balances are zero at this moment - plus I have some cash in the bank.

The rest of the year can go shrivel up and die.

Looking forward to 2021 being a step up - in health, family, financial well being ... and TEA - for all!

[med6753]

So the gray screen filter for the Type 535A arrived at my local PO at 5:35 AM this morning....or so sez the tracking. I just got back from taking Jo home at 17:05. Naturally I expected to see it delivered. No package. 

Go on line. My PO didn't even make an attempt to deliver it, and it arrived plenty early enough to make it out for delivery. I got 2 words for them:

FUCKING ASSHOLES

And every time I have issues with them the only response I get is "I apologize". 

2020 can't end soon enough.

Can this clusterfuck get any worse? Hold onto your hat.

Latest tracking at 22:53 last night shows the package BACK at the Kearny, NJ distribution center. 

 

So far it's taken 10 days to go cross country and now it's bonking back and forth between my PO and distribution center. I would go to my PO this morning and ask a simple question but I know I won't get any answers. I'll just wait and see right now. Tomorrow is a holiday and if by Saturday morning it's not out for delivery then I'll go raise some hell.

 

[factory]

Anyone in the US interested in saving a rather scarce HP 738BR voltmeter calibrator? Sadly most of the vacuum bulbs have been taken, but then again what do you expect for $40. 
https://www.ebay.com/itm/224299150146


David

[Brumby]

OK ... That's it.  2020 is now history for me (and everyone in NSW, Victoria, Tasmania and the ACT).  Queenslanders have another hour to go because they didn't want their curtains to fade from Daylight Saving.

[beanflying]

Survived until 2021  The Last Waltz on the local idiot box for some great tunes helping.

[Helix70]

We are on God's time up in Queensland

[Brumby]

Just means your suffering goes for a further hour.



I can't get away from 2020 fast enough.

[beanflying]

We are on God's time up in Queensland

Joh liked to think he was at least 

[Cerebus]

We are on God's time up in Queensland

Given that "God is a Yorkshireman" and thus on GMT you're actually half a day off. 

[Brumby]

Where does that leave those in the Americas?