Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[Specmaster]

@Saskia, Sorry to hear about your Audi bursting into flames.

As to a factory defect or not would really depend on I would suggest, on just where was that fuel line on a new car of the same model as yours when it left the factory. In other words, did they locate it really close to a major heat source that would cause it to melt like that, or did it happen by the actions of others, ie. could it have been dislodged by yourself or a mechanic while carrying some other maintenance function etc?

Audi or indeed VAG group cars do not have as far as I know a history of such fires, whereas many French cars are reputed to have such a history.

[AVGresponding]

@Saskia, Sorry to hear about your Audi bursting into flames.

As to a factory defect or not would really depend on I would suggest, on just where was that fuel line on a new car of the same model as yours when it left the factory. In other words, did they locate it really close to a major heat source that would cause it to melt like that, or did it happen by the actions of others, ie. could it have been dislodged by yourself or a mechanic while carrying some other maintenance function etc?

Audi or indeed VAG group cars do not have as far as I know a history of such fires, whereas many French cars are reputed to have such a history.

I suspect actual statistics would reflect more similarities than differences regarding manufacturing defects/faults.

The most reliable car I ever owned was a Peugeot 205, the most unreliable a BMW E46. Such anecdotal evidence does nothing except colour one's own personal opinions, in my experience.

[bd139]

You don't want an Audi. It's two cunts ahead of a BMW.

Anyway if you want flame throwing cars, head to Vauxhall (Opel). Search for "zafira fire" on google images.

Will stick with my socialist French tuk tuk.

[factory]

Brexit showed it's ugly face this morning. Sent a parcel to the UK in October for €19 to the UK. Same parcel (size and weight) now costs almost twice that and requires filling out additional forms etc. You guys in the UK won't be buying much outside the UK in the future.

The same may be valid the other way round for TEA.

Hasn't stopped me, here's one I won this week.


I buy a lot of vintage TE from either the US or Europe, mainly because it's pretty much extinct in the UK or stupid priced BIN's that rarely ever sell. Some of the crazy prices old TE makes in Europe actually puts me off more than the shipping etc.

David

[BU508A]

I'm having a 10W LED standing lamp which stopped working on Sunday.
The culprit was easy to find, a 5V voltage regulator - AMS1117
I've ordered some and got them today. When I was going to desolder the defective one I learned, that it has a smaller size.
Can anybody tell me what case it is? The datasheet is saying SOT-223 but the measures doesn't go along with the defective one.

Picture of the little bastard:

[tautech]

SOT-89 ?

Cheat sheet attached.

[BU508A]

Jep, that's the one. Thanks. 

[bd139]

I'd still have made the SOT-223 fit 

[mnementh]

10w from a 800ma 5V linear?

I find that highly suspect.

They linked to the wrong datasheet or wrong part suffix; IIRC the SOT-223 is the same footprint as SOT-23, only that weird pin config.

I think the SOT-223 version is even less... 400-500ma...?

NM... completely misremembered the numbers. I was thinking of SOT23-5,-6,-8 etc...

I'm guessing from my seat here in the curbside pickup at Home Despot.

mnem
 

[factory]

Had something explode today, I heard something in the kitchen go bang sometime after lunch, turns out you shouldn't dump a pile of out-of-date hearing aid batteries together (it wasn't me  ). It took me a while to locate one that ended up on the floor afterwards.


Only one exploded, I've now transferred them all into a metal pie dish and put them outside, inside a dead microwave oven carcass so they can't escape. All other dead batteries leaktubes have also been put outside.


David

[Specmaster]

@Saskia, Sorry to hear about your Audi bursting into flames.

As to a factory defect or not would really depend on I would suggest, on just where was that fuel line on a new car of the same model as yours when it left the factory. In other words, did they locate it really close to a major heat source that would cause it to melt like that, or did it happen by the actions of others, ie. could it have been dislodged by yourself or a mechanic while carrying some other maintenance function etc?

Audi or indeed VAG group cars do not have as far as I know a history of such fires, whereas many French cars are reputed to have such a history.

I suspect actual statistics would reflect more similarities than differences regarding manufacturing defects/faults.

The most reliable car I ever owned was a Peugeot 205, the most unreliable a BMW E46. Such anecdotal evidence does nothing except colour one's own personal opinions, in my experience.

Heres another one for BMW = Back in Motor Workshop.

As to which make of car is the most reliable etc, as always YMMV because of other factors such as, how good are the dealers in carrying out the repairs etc, there are many factors involved, and not the least of all of them is the level of complexity of a car. I'd really love a own a Volkswagen Phaeton, but they are really complex vehicles, and such was their complexity that they could only be serviced and repaired at dealers who employed a Phaeton specialist and there was only a few of them. What the situation is now that they have ceased production, I have no idea. I think it could mean, seeing as they were build on the same chassis as the Bentley Flying Spur and the Audi A8, perhaps one of those dealers could do it. On the other hand, they were more of a Bentley in real terms than a A8, maybe Bentley takes them on, either way they are going to be a costly car to maintain.

[BU508A]

I'd still have made the SOT-223 fit 

That's exactly what I did. 

@mnem: the AMS1117 is for the µC and the IR receiver, the 10W LEDs itself are connected to the 12V rail via some MOSFETs. 

[Specmaster]

I'd still have made the SOT-223 fit 

I think I agree with you, make some little legs out resistor leads etc and stand it off the board slightly would be my approach.

Edit:
Oh bugger I should have read the above post before I posted, oh well, so be it.

[Cerebus]

Anyway if you want flame throwing cars, head to Vauxhall (Opel). Search for "zafira fire" on google images.

I'd always thought that "Zafira Fire" was the model name. Rather like when I was a child and watched the sports results on a Saturday afternoon with my father, I thought the name of a certain Scots football team was "Partick Thistle Nil"

[Specmaster]

Anyway if you want flame throwing cars, head to Vauxhall (Opel). Search for "zafira fire" on google images.

I'd always thought that "Zafira Fire" was the model name. Rather like when I was a child and watched the sports results on a Saturday afternoon with my father, I thought the name of a certain Scots football team was "Partick Thistle Nil"

Nope, they were notorious for catching fire on the early models. I seem to remember something about the plastic heater rads being too close to the exhaust manifold or something, but I'm not sure.

[Specmaster]

Quick comment in case its news to anyone, Trump has been impeached again, the first president to be impeached twice.

[factory]

Thanks for the warning, I won't bother turning the TV on tomorrow morning. 

David

[Cubdriver]

@Saskia, Sorry to hear about your Audi bursting into flames.

As to a factory defect or not would really depend on I would suggest, on just where was that fuel line on a new car of the same model as yours when it left the factory. In other words, did they locate it really close to a major heat source that would cause it to melt like that, or did it happen by the actions of others, ie. could it have been dislodged by yourself or a mechanic while carrying some other maintenance function etc?

Audi or indeed VAG group cars do not have as far as I know a history of such fires, whereas many French cars are reputed to have such a history.

I suspect actual statistics would reflect more similarities than differences regarding manufacturing defects/faults.

The most reliable car I ever owned was a Peugeot 205, the most unreliable a BMW E46. Such anecdotal evidence does nothing except colour one's own personal opinions, in my experience.

Heres another one for BMW = Back in Motor Workshop.

As to which make of car is the most reliable etc, as always YMMV because of other factors such as, how good are the dealers in carrying out the repairs etc, there are many factors involved, and not the least of all of them is the level of complexity of a car. I'd really love a own a Volkswagen Phaeton, but they are really complex vehicles, and such was their complexity that they could only be serviced and repaired at dealers who employed a Phaeton specialist and there was only a few of them. What the situation is now that they have ceased production, I have no idea. I think it could mean, seeing as they were build on the same chassis as the Bentley Flying Spur and the Audi A8, perhaps one of those dealers could do it. On the other hand, they were more of a Bentley in real terms than a A8, maybe Bentley takes them on, either way they are going to be a costly car to maintain.

I found the '96 Miata to be very reliable.  Over the course of 17 years and 350+k miles, other than routine maintenance and wear things like plugs, timing belts, brakes and batteries I replaced a leaking differential shaft seal, alternator brushes, a water pump, the radiator, a single fuel injector, one rear wheel bearing and the rear calipers.  (I did put aftermarket shocks and springs on it, but that was within the first year I had it to bump the handling a bit.)  And I had to weld a flange back onto the exhaust once (used that as a good excuse to buy a MIG welder); finally replaced the catback somewhere around 220k-ish.  If not for the liquid car dissolver that my state puts on the highways to melt snow destroying the lower half of the body, I'd probably still be driving it as a summer car.  Hell, it still has the original clutch in it, and not once did it ever strand me.

-Pat

[vk6zgo]

Anyway if you want flame throwing cars, head to Vauxhall (Opel). Search for "zafira fire" on google images.

I'd always thought that "Zafira Fire" was the model name. Rather like when I was a child and watched the sports results on a Saturday afternoon with my father, I thought the name of a certain Scots football team was "Partick Thistle Nil"

Back in the day, US magazines, though not mainstream in Oz, were not uncommon.
Champion Sparkplugs had an ad using a recommendation from an "Indianapolis 500" star, complete with a photo of a rugged looking chap with a helmet bearing the words "Dean Van Lines".

I always  thought it was his name------it wasn't till years later that I found out that it was his Sponsor, the Dean company, who ran a transport service using vans.

With the Football connection, back when I was in Southampton UK for a while, my "Pommy" mates used to drag in every Monday to work, depressed by the performance of the Southampton Saints, who were in the middle of a "slump" of epic proportions.
They could well have added "Nil" to their name!

[mnementh]

I'd still have made the SOT-223 fit 

That's exactly what I did. 

@mnem: the AMS1117 is for the µC and the IR receiver, the 10W LEDs itself are connected to the 12V rail via some MOSFETs. 

Ahhh... okies. I have oodles of the AMS1117-3.3 & -5V, they're one of my favorite little building blocks, and they all come in that footprint, which is in fact SOT223.

tautech is of course correct; the smaller one is SOT89. I completely misremembered the numbers; I was thinking of SOT23-5,-6,-8 etc... 

mnem
*takes a dragon-sized serving of chicken strips, with a side of D'OH! *

[tautech]

Correct, retrofitting hot water tempering valves is not mandatory in NZ.
For some 30 years our wetback has boiled water if you let it however over the winter when we have the firebox running 24/7 for ~150 days we also have the mains element turned OFF for it not to keep boiling the water.
Never fitted a tempering valve but do manage the water heating to some degree....pun intended ! 

When you say "wetback" are you referring to something like a wood stove that has a water jacket to heat water for domestic use? 

I'm guessing that tautech is talking about what we call a 'back boiler' here in the UK, where there's a boiler fitted into the back (and sometimes sides) of an open fireplace.

Catching up on old posts.....

Yep but not an open fire so much as log burner fire like such:



The firebox in this thing is some 18" deep so can take a long log for it's tiny size and as it's rated as 6.5KW heating and some good portion of that goes into water heating where it can indeed boil our 25 gal water cylinder after some hours running at full tit. Cat camps in front of it for most of our winter. 

[mnementh]

I found the '96 Miata to be very reliable.  Over the course of 17 years and 350+k miles, other than routine maintenance and wear things like plugs, timing belts, brakes and batteries I replaced a leaking differential shaft seal, alternator brushes, a water pump, the radiator, a single fuel injector, one rear wheel bearing and the rear calipers.  (I did put aftermarket shocks and springs on it, but that was within the first year I had it to bump the handling a bit.)  And I had to weld a flange back onto the exhaust once (used that as a good excuse to buy a MIG welder); finally replaced the catback somewhere around 220k-ish.  If not for the liquid car dissolver that my state puts on the highways to melt snow destroying the lower half of the body, I'd probably still be driving it as a summer car.  Hell, it still has the original clutch in it, and not once did it ever strand me.

-Pat

I had 2 of the first-gen MX-5; they were tire-peeling little monsters, both of 'em. Weak ball-joints & tie-rod ends seemed to be a thing; both of them needed the full frontend rebuild at 80-90K when the stock struts turned into marshmallows. But so much better-handling than my '80 Spitfire; especially after I shoehorned a Cologne 2.6L Ford V-6 in there. Thing was a hewt to drive and would do wheelstands in 1st & 2nd; but just fukkin' uncivilized to drive.



I got so very wistful when I first saw this ad for the 2nd gen MX-5; made me wish for either of them back again... then I met my wife and my priorities shifted a wee bit.

mnem

[Cerebus]

Wood fire roasted cat! A meal that virtually prepares itself! 

[tautech]

Wood fire roasted cat! A meal that virtually prepares itself! 

Nope, she bails when she gets too hot.

[Specmaster]

Thats a pretty cat.