Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[AVGresponding]

Oh, and who left that Racal counter lying around on the forum? Someone's liable to pick it up!   

Yes. Yes I did, and it's your fault.[/b][/color]

Glad I could assist it saving it from those evil horologist butchers. 

David

Yes, I would never butcher an horologist, it's against my principles.

I plan to use the nixies from the counter to turn an old AVO 8 into a clock, possibly with a big filament lamp on top.

[Saskia]

FPGA card running stable for 28 hours straight now under full load ...

(yes, mining Ethereum, I did not have any other readily available bitstream).
But that means it works.
Just a couple of parameters:
Clock 505 MHz, chip temp about 50 C, HBM about 61C VCCINT at 0.9V and about 50 - 60 A, total power consumption 110W.
Hashrate about the same as a 3060TI which is clocking somewhat higher (1700 MHz).

as I said: have received the board files and will start setting up vivado for that.

Have ordered one of the unobtaineum RTX3070 and will look at the CUDA stuff later on.

Next steps: start working with my Zedboard Dev system and get pynq to work.
Then check if I can do some image recognition with that board ...

[mnementh]

6237B update:

Shipping initiated; the first leg is UPS Ground to Erlanger.

Edit: I of course went into the jazz organ rabbit hole, currently listening to "Big Booty Bounce" by Jimmy McGriff.  All I need now is a 6-lane urban motorway in Philly, and a two-tone brown gas-guzzler with a suspension soft like the nightmare version of TE packaging.

   https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pontiac-Gwynn-Prix-1-Off-Concept-car-Unique-piece-of-American-History-swap-px/284159532520?hash=item42293a5de8:g:lPwAAOSwjkxgDelF

     I've been a Pontiac guy since I was a kid, but always thought the GP from that era was a rather ugly car.  That thing is an order of magnitude or three WORSE as far as I'm concerned!  <imagine puking emoji here>

-Pat

I miss my '66 Catalina... mine was a rustbucket 4-door, but it had that frontend a mile deep... 389 and PowerSlide slushbox, and the interior was effing mint 30 years old. Like going down the road in your living room. 

mnem
*sigh*

[VK5RC]

@bd glad to hear that things are coming to pass👍, be careful with long term use of senna compounds - the gut can get 'addicted'. Sorbitol, lactulose or movicol ($) thought to be better. Haribo here we come. 👍

I too have just got out of hospital - fell off my mountain bike (bloody kangaroo jumped out in front - in a National Park) unfortunately I think I broke one of his legs - he couldn't hop away - my riding buddy rang the Ranger😞.
I stopped myself using my right elbow and knee (saves the brake pads 😜) . I have seen my kneecap directly for the first time. Went to theatre for a scrub out of both wounds, on antibiotics for 3 weeks, just moping around home now and getting grumpier than usual.
Edit - have lots of photos 😜, the surgeon did a bloody good job, silk purse from a sow's ear, 👍

Can't say I ever hit a kangaroo during a mountain bike ride.  Ouch!

The worst I even hit was a frog or a snake and on just one occasion a bat.  The bat was on a night right and smacked right against the helmet, so no damage to me, just a  moment.
Actually, the most painful mountain bike incident was not snapping a handlebar (just roll with it...), but getting unbalanced and gently falling into a cactus in Colorado .... ouch ouch ouch 

Hope you recover quickly!

@bd, hope you get back home quickly as planned!

Thanks for the thoughts @tau and @al

- 'gently rolling onto a cactus' - you could probably see it coming for what would have seemed like a week in slow motion - and nothing you could do about it once you are over centre, ouch+++,

[Specmaster]

This one makes me angry. Who thought this mod was a good idea?!?!?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/184634587029

That is hideous, just how much control did they want over it then FFS. I admit that I did do a similar bodge once on a Philips bench meter, but that was necessary because the part of the fascia where the pot would be mounted had suffered the normal Philips plastic rot, and it was the only to bring the meter back into normal service. 

@bd139, hows it going now, do you think that you'll be home tomorrow?

[Specmaster]

Oh, and who left that Racal counter lying around on the forum? Someone's liable to pick it up!   

Yes. Yes I did, and it's your fault.[/b][/color]

Glad I could assist it saving it from those evil horologist butchers. 

David

Yes, I would never butcher an horologist, it's against my principles.

I plan to use the nixies from the counter to turn an old AVO 8 into a clock, possibly with a big filament lamp on top.

WTF, you steampunk artist you!!!!!!  Forget the lamp just do the clock.

[URI]

This one makes me angry. Who thought this mod was a good idea?!?!?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/184634587029

bd, glad to hear read treatment was successful and you're well again, as one can see reading your above post.   
Read it while catchin' up for today.

[Specmaster]

Ebay and Brexit moan, I ordered a replacement knob to fit onto a cast iron casserole dish from a seller on eBay who would appear to be located in East London, it was listed as being £8.34 and free P&P but the checkout asked for £10.01. The seller claimed that it was due to Brexit and our government forcing him to collect the 20% VAT for them. That is fair enough if he is based outside the UK, in which case I think that eBay should really be forcing eBay shops to declare the true location of their stocks, so it does not allow profiteering to take place. 

[Cerebus]

You can report items where the location is misrepresented:



(This seller, sketchy as frig though he may be, wasn't misrepresenting the location, I didn't actually submit the report.  )

[beanflying]

You can report items where the location is misrepresented:



(This seller, sketchy as frig though he may be, wasn't misrepresenting the location, I didn't actually submit the report.  )

The problem with evilbay reporting is you can only report one item at a time. I ran across one last week with several thousand listings in "Pakistan, Australia" evilbays location service had them 100km from me 

[Specmaster]

You can report items where the location is misrepresented:



(This seller, sketchy as frig though he may be, wasn't misrepresenting the location, I didn't actually submit the report.  )

He's going to love you using his item as an example like this 

[Kosmic]

Nice little HP 34401a on Ebay.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Agilent-6-1-2-Digital-Multimeter-model-34401A-USED/133644065704



In bonus, you get part of a GPIB cable 

Seriously is this how they disassemble TE racks ? with a huge cutter but no screw driver  ?

[mnementh]

Be glad they didn't smash it off with a hammer. 

mnem
As Frank Perdue once said... "Parts is parts."

[med6753]

Did not notice at first. Then it was. 

Those GPIB cables ain't exactly cheap.   

[med6753]

6237B update:

Shipping initiated; the first leg is UPS Ground to Erlanger.

Edit: I of course went into the jazz organ rabbit hole, currently listening to "Big Booty Bounce" by Jimmy McGriff.  All I need now is a 6-lane urban motorway in Philly, and a two-tone brown gas-guzzler with a suspension soft like the nightmare version of TE packaging.

   https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pontiac-Gwynn-Prix-1-Off-Concept-car-Unique-piece-of-American-History-swap-px/284159532520?hash=item42293a5de8:g:lPwAAOSwjkxgDelF

     I've been a Pontiac guy since I was a kid, but always thought the GP from that era was a rather ugly car.  That thing is an order of magnitude or three WORSE as far as I'm concerned!  <imagine puking emoji here>

-Pat

I miss my '66 Catalina... mine was a rustbucket 4-door, but it had that frontend a mile deep... 389 and PowerSlide slushbox, and the interior was effing mint 30 years old. Like going down the road in your living room. 

mnem
*sigh*

All the Poncho needs is a roof mounted .50 cal and you got yourself a PT boat.

"Slip and slide with Powerglide"

I had a '64 Poncho Tempest with a 326/quad and Powerglide. 280hp was not kind to that tranny. Lasted 2 weeks in my hot little hands and blew up.   

[mnementh]

Tripped over this while I was looking at that 34401A:

   eBay auction: #203255231123

Excerpt From 8116A Service Manual

Shaper Output State
Test E51
The shaper IC U401 is not able to supply positive output when -90"
startphase and complement output mode are selected with triangle
waveform (VCO not triggered).   Possible faults:

VCO (Slope) IC Al: U201
Waveform switching Al: U104
Reference voltage switching Al: U204
Amplitude DAC A2: U27, U28, U17
Refer to Chapter 10.5, Chapter 10.3 and Chapter 10.4.

Partial manual attached is all I could find quickly; appears truncated just before schematics section. (Of course)

Also this thread: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/repair/hp-8116a-func-gen-with-e51-u401-shaper-toast/

Have fun! 

mnem
Yes, I am that bored.

[mansaxel]

Tripped over this while I was looking at that 34401A:

That seller is where I bought my 6237B. Let's see where that transaction ends; there's as noted more where it came from, and I'm willing to take the plunge before the collective empties that lot. Shame he's not got any -hp- 427, or BD could join up in the testing 

[bd139]

You can report items where the location is misrepresented:



(This seller, sketchy as frig though he may be, wasn't misrepresenting the location, I didn't actually submit the report.  )

Hahahaha. That gave me a much needed laugh this morning.

Back story of that item. Was given to me by the ultimate gorilla, a relative. “Hey you like Apple stuff yeah? Well I’ve got some keyboards I don’t use”. The box arrives. One nicely boxed magic keyboard and about 5 clone keyboards. I ask myself well how does one non technical user end up with so many keyboards. Then I test one and find out. 

This is the person yesterday who texted me to help him with an issue with an SSD which he turns out to have blown up somehow.

Being booted out today by the looks. Phew. Condition is I need to poop apparently 

[vk6zgo]

6237B update:

Shipping initiated; the first leg is UPS Ground to Erlanger.

Edit: I of course went into the jazz organ rabbit hole, currently listening to "Big Booty Bounce" by Jimmy McGriff.  All I need now is a 6-lane urban motorway in Philly, and a two-tone brown gas-guzzler with a suspension soft like the nightmare version of TE packaging.

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/lPwAAOSwjkxgDelF/s-l1600.jpg[/img]]https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pontiac-Gwynn-Prix-1-Off-Concept-car-Unique-piece-of-American-History-swap-px/284159532520?hash=item42293a5de8:g:lPwAAOSwjkxgDelF

My God! That thing is ugly!

The aerial view doesn't even hint at the horror, in fact from that perspective, it looks a lot like the Oldsmobile one of the local pimps drove, back in the day.

He was a considerate employer, though, you would see him late at night, picking up the ladies from the "knocker shop" to ferry them home in it.

[med6753]

.

Being booted out today by the looks. Phew. Condition is I need to poop apparently 

TMI but I'm glad you're better and getting the boot. 

[Cubdriver]

6237B update:

Shipping initiated; the first leg is UPS Ground to Erlanger.

Edit: I of course went into the jazz organ rabbit hole, currently listening to "Big Booty Bounce" by Jimmy McGriff.  All I need now is a 6-lane urban motorway in Philly, and a two-tone brown gas-guzzler with a suspension soft like the nightmare version of TE packaging.

   https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pontiac-Gwynn-Prix-1-Off-Concept-car-Unique-piece-of-American-History-swap-px/284159532520?hash=item42293a5de8:g:lPwAAOSwjkxgDelF

     I've been a Pontiac guy since I was a kid, but always thought the GP from that era was a rather ugly car.  That thing is an order of magnitude or three WORSE as far as I'm concerned!  <imagine puking emoji here>

-Pat

I miss my '66 Catalina... mine was a rustbucket 4-door, but it had that frontend a mile deep... 389 and PowerSlide slushbox, and the interior was effing mint 30 years old. Like going down the road in your living room. 

mnem
*sigh*

All the Poncho needs is a roof mounted .50 cal and you got yourself a PT boat.

"Slip and slide with Powerglide"

I had a '64 Poncho Tempest with a 326/quad and Powerglide. 280hp was not kind to that tranny. Lasted 2 weeks in my hot little hands and blew up.

My first was a hand-me-down '69 four door Catalina with a high compression 400-2V and a TH400 trans.  My senior year of HS the transmission started slipping, so I of course dropped it (in the dead of winter) to rebuild it.  No one thought I'd be successful, so while I was working on it my uncle bought a '65 Bonneville ragtop with a 389 and a Carter AFB under its acre-sized hood from his neighbor for $200 with the intent that I'd pull the transmission from that and put it in the Catalina.  I like the Bonneville, too, and kept it on the road while fixing the Cat.  I then drove both for the next 8-10 years, fixing them alternately when they broke.  The Catalina finally started getting crazy electrical gremlins and died at work 30 miles from home, so I decided it was time to let it go.  Drove the Bonneville for a while longer, but it had terminal cancer from the road salt in the northeast, and after it sat for several years I finally let it go, too.  Then less than two years later took some welding classes and have been kicking myself ever since as I could have fixed it.  It was a damned cool old beast.  I have pictures of both somewhere, but can't lay hands on them at the moment.

-Pat

[Zucca]

My favourite jazz channel is the Danish public service radio jazz channel DR P8 Jazz.

This works even behing the company proxy...  well I should not do that. With all that VPN connections the WAN is pretty under load and streaming music is not a good idea in this contest...

[Saskia]

TBH I don't care when I am streaming across my cable internet with my IP via my external audio streamer that has its own ethernet connection going to my own router.

While our company blocks streaming services right now (it's their right to do so), my private hook up does not. No need to fool around with strange settings and tunnel configs.

If anyone wants a detailed how to for these things drop me a PN. Available with Toslink or dedicated integrated DAC.

[psykok]

6237B update:

Shipping initiated; the first leg is UPS Ground to Erlanger.

Edit: I of course went into the jazz organ rabbit hole, currently listening to "Big Booty Bounce" by Jimmy McGriff.  All I need now is a 6-lane urban motorway in Philly, and a two-tone brown gas-guzzler with a suspension soft like the nightmare version of TE packaging.

   https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pontiac-Gwynn-Prix-1-Off-Concept-car-Unique-piece-of-American-History-swap-px/284159532520?hash=item42293a5de8:g:lPwAAOSwjkxgDelF

     I've been a Pontiac guy since I was a kid, but always thought the GP from that era was a rather ugly car.  That thing is an order of magnitude or three WORSE as far as I'm concerned!  <imagine puking emoji here>

-Pat

I miss my '66 Catalina... mine was a rustbucket 4-door, but it had that frontend a mile deep... 389 and PowerSlide slushbox, and the interior was effing mint 30 years old. Like going down the road in your living room. 

mnem
*sigh*

65-66 Catalina are very nice  ... probably the best years as well for the little sister the GTO.

I'm owning the other GM cousin

[Robert763]

Ebay and Brexit moan, I ordered a replacement knob to fit onto a cast iron casserole dish from a seller on eBay who would appear to be located in East London, it was listed as being £8.34 and free P&P but the checkout asked for £10.01. The seller claimed that it was due to Brexit and our government forcing him to collect the 20% VAT for them. That is fair enough if he is based outside the UK, in which case I think that eBay should really be forcing eBay shops to declare the true location of their stocks, so it does not allow profiteering to take place. 

Sounds like this is nothing to do with Brexit. Rather it s the UK government E-commerce act which supposedly is making sites like ebay collect VAT on sales from UK sellers who are not VAT registered. This applies to goods in the UK. So the seller does not get back the VAT that thay paid for their stock or materials but the goverment get 20%. One thing is ebay is a retail outlet and UK law says retail prices must include VAT so ebay should be adding it up front, or at least warning you, not adding 20% at checkout.