Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[bd139]

I always go for silence and low power here. Amazing how much the electricity bill doesn’t cost now I’m not running a data centre in the house 

It is also less power involved... you know what can happen...

Ah yes. I was all over that one. Me and OVH go a long way back after they screwed one of my customers over. Hope the rest of their shit burns to the ground.

Also the moral of the story is don’t cheap out on a VPS.

[bd139]

Effing PorkelFarce.

Ordered some new runners from JD Sports, shipped direct from Reebok, on March 3rd.

Attempted delivery March 4th, then returned to depot. No card left, so I'd no idea they'd been. Last night I clicked the tracking link to find all this out, naturally they were closed by then.

The website tracking page states they'll try to redeliver the next day, which they didn't do, and that the package would be returned to the supplier if held for 7 days.

Phoned them tonight, and it's not easy to get to a human I can tell you. Seems you have to deliberately fluff the phone number entry in the automated menu to get put through...

Redelivery now promised for Saturday. My feet are waiting in eager anticipation...

This is why I order clothes of Amazon. Got some Nike running shoes for £25 a while back delivered same day 

[bd139]

Gee, am I missing something here? Other than a cable modem (not shown) to convert from RG-6 to CAT 5/6 this is the extent of my "data center" requirements. 

KISS principle in full effect. 

Exactly that. Despite being an IT bod, this is mine. Note the one entire ethernet port being used which isn’t even plugged into anything at the moment. Everything is on 5 gig WiFi.

Edit: oh and the Cisco 1900 that is lurking under my TV unit unloved and unconfigured because I can’t be arsed.

[mnementh]

Then, while picking the part up off the cloth to place it back in the movement, my tweezers go sproing and the battery contact flicks past my ear into oblivion. 

After 3 failed attempts down on hands & knees, I've given up the search.

mnem
*currently being stalked by a wild Thing #1, who wants me to build PC with him*

Don't worry. The sweeper bar on the Hoover will find and you'll hear it being ripped to shreds.     

If only it were big enough for that to be possible... I might have found it.     It's a little bit of gold-plated hardened brass aboot the size of half a pinky fingernail trimming...

I've packed all the tiny bits away in little crack-baggies in a component drawer unit until such time as my parts unit arrives. Best to put it out of my mind for now.

mnem
*toddles off to grind some screwzz*

[McBryce]

nixie counters in the bedroom???

damn......you are a kinky smirf!

Yes, it's that awkward moment on the first "real" date, where she asks whether you are into anything like leather or bondage or whatever and you say you have a soft spot for Nixies in the bedroom (and she then quickly heads to Google with a confused and slightly scared look on her face).

McBryce.

[med6753]

For those of you who still think I'm nuts and are convinced that mass re-cap is a waste of time I invite you to watch this. 

[med6753]

nixie counters in the bedroom???

damn......you are a kinky smirf!

Yes, it's that awkward moment on the first "real" date, where she asks whether you are into anything like leather or bondage or whatever and you say you have a soft spot for Nixies in the bedroom (and she then quickly heads to Google with a confused and slightly scared look on her face).

McBryce.

No, being the cop she has an eye for detail. So every time she visits she scans the place and usually within a minute notes the differences. She asks what's that? I answer her. Her response is I have no clue as to what that is but if you're happy with it then that's all that matters. But you can see the look on her face and slight smile that says I'm crazy.       

BTW, none of that stuff in the bedroom is powered. Strictly storage/display.

[ch_scr]

On the home electronics & improvement: Today I made two improvements to my living room.
3D-printed case for the RaspberryPi that is my MusicPlayerDaemon web-radio (Radio Paradise most of the time),
and a sufficiently size pice of angled aluminium for the "5in1 RGB-CCT" Led strip that is my evening ambient light -
it's no longer held together by clothes pins! (mostly, OK there is one left  )
So I am happy, adequately lighted and sounded & pondering to buy a piece yokogawa TE
Edit: Not sure if there is need to clarify, but it's mainly to fill a Yokogawa-sized hole in my heart

[tautech]

For those of you who still think I'm nuts and are convinced that mass re-cap is a waste of time I invite you to watch this. 

Just this minute watched it too and certainly most of the caps in it were toast !

[bd139]

Philips / BC. Unsurprised.

[med6753]

Philips / BC. Unsurprised.

Noticed that too.

[Specmaster]

   Ugghhh. Looks like the RotoLog is a leaky battery victim.
(SNIP)
mnem
I think I'm going back to bed.

Argghh...

Got everything cleaned up both spic and span; my cheap Chinese LED magnifier was plenty of magnification, and I was very lucky to find no perforated traces.

Then, while picking the part up off the cloth to place it back in the movement, my tweezers go sproing and the battery contact flicks past my ear into oblivion. 

After 3 failed attempts down on hands & knees, I've given up the search.



Fortunately (maybe unfortunately for my future sanity...? ), this watch uses the ubiquitous Miyota 2035 movement... so I've got one (probably a cheap Chinese knockoff of this cheap Japanese movement) coming for $3; I'll rob the battery contact out of it in a month or two. Meantime, I guess I need to seal this thing up in baggies and stash it all somewhere safe-safe... 

mnem
*currently being stalked by a wild Thing #1, who wants me to build PC with him*

strong magnet no good?

[Specmaster]

nixie counters in the bedroom???

damn......you are a kinky smirf!

Yes, it's that awkward moment on the first "real" date, where she asks whether you are into anything like leather or bondage or whatever and you say you have a soft spot for Nixies in the bedroom (and she then quickly heads to Google with a confused and slightly scared look on her face).

McBryce.

No, being the cop she has an eye for detail. So every time she visits she scans the place and usually within a minute notes the differences. She asks what's that? I answer her. Her response is I have no clue as to what that is but if you're happy with it then that's all that matters. But you can see the look on her face and slight smile that says I'm crazy.       

BTW, none of that stuff in the bedroom is powered. Strictly storage/display.

The $64000 question is do you ever use that stuff in earnest apart from putting it on the torture rack periodically for a burn in test or for additional heating 

[mnementh]

Then, while picking the part up off the cloth to place it back in the movement, my tweezers go sproing and the battery contact flicks past my ear into oblivion.  (SNIP)

After 3 failed attempts down on hands & knees, I've given up the search...

strong magnet no good?

Tried and no joy, I'm afraid. That was attempt #2. 

mnem
*halfway screw'd*

[mnementh]

nixie counters in the bedroom???

damn......you are a kinky smirf!

Yes, it's that awkward moment on the first "real" date, where she asks whether you are into anything like leather or bondage or whatever and you say you have a soft spot for Nixies in the bedroom (and she then quickly heads to Google with a confused and slightly scared look on her face).

McBryce.

No, being the cop she has an eye for detail. So every time she visits she scans the place and usually within a minute notes the differences. She asks what's that? I answer her. Her response is I have no clue as to what that is but if you're happy with it then that's all that matters. But you can see the look on her face and slight smile that says I'm crazy.       

BTW, none of that stuff in the bedroom is powered. Strictly storage/display.

The $64000 question is do you ever use that stuff in earnest apart from putting it on the torture rack periodically for a burn in test or for additional heating 

Nunya. 

mnem
And that is a correct answer... pay up.

[mnementh]

Welp... now I'm screwed. 

mnem
"Are we building my PC yet? Are we building my PC yet? Are we building my PC yet? Are we building my PC yet? Are we building my PC yet? Are we building my PC yet? Are we building my PC yet? Are we building my PC yet? Are we building my PC yet? Are we building my PC yet? Are we building my PC yet? Are we building my PC yet? Are we building my PC yet? Are we building my PC yet...?" ~ Thing #1   

[Specmaster]

Philips / BC. Unsurprised.

Yep bastard blue Philips always the first suspect.

[mnementh]

But they're such a lovely shade of blue... surely they cannot be evil. 

mnem

[tautech]

Philips / BC. Unsurprised.

Yep bastard blue Philips always the first suspect.

Notice how most of the 4.7uF were OK ?
For the others it's like the designers chose the wrong spec cap for them to be so badly toasted. 

[bd139]

They lasted the design life of the unit 

We’re running this shit well into the tail end of the bell curve.

Incidentally I have just received a whole bag of capacitors for the D755. May start attacking it on Saturday. It’s a long job that one. 43 caps to replace, all in weird places. I’m doing one module at a time then retesting.

[tautech]

Hopefully there's no fubars on the silkscreen.

[bd139]

I’m taking photos as I go. I took nearly 100 during inspection and carefully cross referenced them against observed values and the service manual and change notes I have.

Some installed caps were 25v on 24v lines and the manual specs minimum 40v so those are being corrected as well.

Edit: furry trimmer! 

[Cerebus]

I'm sure that's just general cruft, but it places it looks horribly like the dreaded tin whiskers.

[bd139]

It’s growing out of the plastic. I think I mentioned this the other day.

[AVGresponding]

It’s growing out of the plastic. I think I mentioned this the other day.

Must be past puberty then...