Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[cyclin_al]

Fucking 350mile drive home. Storm w/ gusts up to 75 mph, hail- and thunderstorm. Road closures. 7 fucking hours of my life

Exhausting, isn't it ....

I just got back from my road trip.  Left immediately after my last work meeting at 16h00 and got back home at 21h27.  Just on time as COVID curfew is 21h30.
Lots of wind gusts to toss the car around, and even a good lightning show on the return.  No hail, just 5 minutes of heavy rain.
Then again, winter tires at 15 deg C did not help any at highway speeds.
5.5 hours of my life well spent.   

Came home with the HP5326B.  Yay!  My first nixie tubes.

SWMBO must not know that I over-spent.
Unplanned, I also came home with a Marconi TF995A/2M signal generator.  Very interesting as it was made by Marconi in England, but the serial number is a CMC number (CMC because they are Canadian Marconi Company but are not legally allowed to use "Marconi").
On top of that, I convinced the seller to add in a HP436A RF power meter, but without the cable or adapter.  I did not have enough money for the other one that was a complete set.  Taking my chances that I can find a good deal on the cable or adapter in the next year or so.

Interesting conversation from the trip.  The seller is a retiring avionics repair technician, so I highly doubt he is a gorilla.  I am guessing his skills must be better than mine.  He has collected a ton of stuff from work and is downsizing.  Lots of test equipment, so I will have to watch for his ads coming up.  He had a garage full of serviceable avionics from mechanical discrete instruments up to 6U avionics electronics boxes.  His hobby is restoring vintage tube radios.  The wordwork is a work of art.  He said he has a whole warehouse of radios to empty out and sell; the rent is too expensive.

EDIT:  Strangely, the seller's place had test equipment in a bedroom, which also had the walls painted a shade of orange that must be quite compatible with med's taste in color ...

NO pictures tonight.  I'm going to bed!

Welcome to the world of the orange glow!  You know you'll soon be looking for 'friends' for your new counter, right?  The slope is slippery, but it's a fun slide down to oblivion.   







Like Lay's potato chips, you can't have just one...   

-Pat

Exactly why I thought Bean's post earlier this morning was being directed to me    It would be much more dangerous if those could actually ship to the GWN...

[cyclin_al]

I did see this one is still lurking on evilbay  Just so happens to have the correct number of Nixies for 0.1 Hz display  eBay auction: #143542015353 Might need Smurf repackaging and suitable bribe for service.

And at $400 plus shipping it's going to be there for a while longer methinks...  It's cool looking, but not THAT cool looking.

-Pat

I'll have to remember that one for post-COVID.  If it is still available after that much time, then just maybe a much lower offer might stand a chance.  Also, at that time I would be allowed to go for a bicycle or mountain bike vacation and just happen to return home with some extra goodies...

[factory]

snip...

Next rant: $Company send me two latest mobile gadgetsdevices made of finest Chinesium. They differ in some aspects but are just two versions of the same product line. And guess what: One has a Micro-USB connector, the other a USB-C  What the hell are they smoking all day long? So I have to use two different cables for the charger and for firmware updates

Nothing that hasn't happened in the past, I have a pair of 1960's Solartron voltmeters, one has a two pole connector & the other a three pole, not that this makes any difference to me at the moment as I have yet to find any connectors that fit, I'm hoping they were a standard part at the time.




David

[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.

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 

Are you in the right thread? I think you're lost. 

Nope not lost just don't have the space to collect something just for the sheer hell of it, it has to serve some higher useful purpose to me other than being a display item even it is a nice shade of blue thats missing from my collection. 

OK, then sell all the DMM's you have in your collection. You only need one. 

But thats just what I mean they are useful to me and besides I do often need more than one, for instance when trying to track down issues, it's handy to be able to safely monitor all supply rails for intermittent glitches etc.

And likewise, all my equipment is useful to me. 

Just wish you'd said that earlier, thats a few minutes of our life we won't get back 

Seems I'm an imposter here, I actually use most of the equipment I own. However, I do have this weird thing about using test gear from the same era as the thing I'm fixing. So if I am fixing something from the 70's I like to use 70's test equipment and when fixing something from the 90's I like to use 90's test equipment etc. The doctors say there isn't a name for this condition yet. They only give names to things that more than one person has. 

McBryce.

[factory]

I did see this one is still lurking on evilbay  Just so happens to have the correct number of Nixies for 0.1 Hz display  eBay auction: #143542015353 Might need Smurf repackaging and suitable bribe for service.

And at $400 plus shipping it's going to be there for a while longer methinks...  It's cool looking, but not THAT cool looking.

-Pat

I'll have to remember that one for post-COVID.  If it is still available after that much time, then just maybe a much lower offer might stand a chance.  Also, at that time I would be allowed to go for a bicycle or mountain bike vacation and just happen to return home with some extra goodies...

Also no longer has international shipping which will help it collect more dust for years to come.

Edit: They were trying to get $699 for it last year. 


David

[BU508A]

Nothing that hasn't happened in the past, I have a pair of 1960's Solartron voltmeters, one has a two pole connector & the other a three pole, not that this makes any difference to me at the moment as I have yet to find any connectors that fit, I'm hoping they were a standard part at the time.




David

For me, they are looking like old Fischer connectors.
https://www.fischerconnectors.com/uk/en

I'd send them an email and ask, if they could identify these connectors. Solartron is known for using Fischer connectors for their TE.

[Kosmic]

snip...

Next rant: $Company send me two latest mobile gadgetsdevices made of finest Chinesium. They differ in some aspects but are just two versions of the same product line. And guess what: One has a Micro-USB connector, the other a USB-C  What the hell are they smoking all day long? So I have to use two different cables for the charger and for firmware updates

Nothing that hasn't happened in the past, I have a pair of 1960's Solartron voltmeters, one has a two pole connector & the other a three pole, not that this makes any difference to me at the moment as I have yet to find any connectors that fit, I'm hoping they were a standard part at the time.




David

Man, Solartron really always liked their weird connectors  I'm planning a small operation on my 7061 and 7081. They will soon have standard binding posts 

[Cubdriver]

snip...

Next rant: $Company send me two latest mobile gadgetsdevices made of finest Chinesium. They differ in some aspects but are just two versions of the same product line. And guess what: One has a Micro-USB connector, the other a USB-C  What the hell are they smoking all day long? So I have to use two different cables for the charger and for firmware updates

Nothing that hasn't happened in the past, I have a pair of 1960's Solartron voltmeters, one has a two pole connector & the other a three pole, not that this makes any difference to me at the moment as I have yet to find any connectors that fit, I'm hoping they were a standard part at the time.




David

Man, Solartron really always liked their weird connectors  I'm planning a small operation on my 7061 and 7081. They will soon have standard binding posts 

HP had their moments, too - this odd looking thing is the input connector for the 2402A DMM, and can also be found as the rear input for 3450 and 3460 DVMs, too.  I've NEVER seen the mate in the wild.


It looks like a nice, guarded connector, but without a mate is rather aggravating.

-Pat

[factory]

Much safer. Cheap 12v/mains Japanese number readout tube Counter .....  eBay auction: #402740089972



Early HP one too eBay auction: #284212129877 another one here too eBay auction: #174460487432

There was another of those Tempo counters I posted a while back with the extra pre-scaler unit attached, they are sold as Philips in Europe but made my Takeda Riken in Japan.

Forgot to post pictures of my HP 5512A that arrived earlier this year, amazingly it got through the GSP/Hermes UK with no import charges as the seller had listed under TEA books. 
Only work it needed was to free off the cooling fan, seems to count a bit beyond it's 300KC/kHz spec. 


David

[Robert763]

Ok eBay payments report for you all. I just had the first transaction go through end to end from sale to payment.

2021-03-10 13:01 - item sold and paid for. eBay took £1 straight away
2021-03-11 15:00 - payment showing as pending
2021-03-12 05:36 - got payment email from eBay
2021-03-12 11:14 - not been transferred yet.
2021-03-12 12:05 - cleared into my mule account at Santander.

Note: I had to pay for postage out of PayPal separately.

So 48 hours from payment to receipt approx. Bit shit but manageable and no PayPal fee!

Yep, I do quite like that method though, it is less expensive than having to pay PayPal as well, but it is a bit of a bummer having to wait 48 hours to get your money, at least with PayPal, you could use that money instantly. I'm just wondering how long they will provide that service without dumping a charge on it?

They still charge most people 10% so the handling fee comes out of that.

I expect the £1 listing weekend is going to disappear.

Yeh suspect you're right there, still the 10% is still better than paying it and a service charge to PayPal.

I never minded PP's cut; was worth it to me to not allow eBay direct access to my bank account, even just my eCommerce account.    Also worth it to have someone on my side whenever there was a dispute. 

mnem

I agree. What is the betting that once it gains some traction they stop making sellers offer PayPal and make you offer their system instead.
Next they will start charging.

[factory]

snip...

Next rant: $Company send me two latest mobile gadgetsdevices made of finest Chinesium. They differ in some aspects but are just two versions of the same product line. And guess what: One has a Micro-USB connector, the other a USB-C  What the hell are they smoking all day long? So I have to use two different cables for the charger and for firmware updates

Nothing that hasn't happened in the past, I have a pair of 1960's Solartron voltmeters, one has a two pole connector & the other a three pole, not that this makes any difference to me at the moment as I have yet to find any connectors that fit, I'm hoping they were a standard part at the time.




David

Man, Solartron really always liked their weird connectors  I'm planning a small operation on my 7061 and 7081. They will soon have standard binding posts 

HP had their moments, too - this odd looking thing is the input connector for the 2402A DMM, and can also be found as the rear input for 3450 and 3460 DVMs, too.  I've NEVER seen the mate in the wild.


It looks like a nice, guarded connector, but without a mate is rather aggravating.

-Pat

Try asking about the size of this one, ignore the extra two connections which are blank on the 2402A, seems a few sellers have them.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/351039194897


If needed I can compare sizes with the connectors I have for mine, the ohms option uses a four way version which is also used on rear of the 3490A with the ohms option fitted

David

[mnementh]

Holy fuck David... talk aboot some outre' connector knowledge there. 

I have enough trouble just remembering which GX-series connector my OLED T-12 uses... 

mnem
*toddles off in search of hot-gloo*

[Cubdriver]

David - GREAT find!  Thank you!!  I just rolled the dice and ordered a pair of them.  Fingers crossed!

-Pat

(Though you just made me break my two week streak of staying on the wagon evilbay-wise )   

[Saskia]

just fixed myself the first meal for today. still had entrecote (albeit a very small and thin one), rice, mushrooms, peppers, jalapenos, eggs and soysauce.

So it's entrecote with fried rice ...

Reichelt Shop will be closed for the next couple of weeks

Stumbled into Mafia Markt today. Found an RTX 3070 Strix on the shelf.
hmmm.

[bd139]

Stumbled into Mafia Markt today. Found an RTX 3070 Strix on the shelf.

Whaaaaaat. Can get SFA here still. They even moved the GPUs into the 3d printing section on overclockers.co.uk to stop the bots buying them.

[Kosmic]

Talking about old connectors, I got lucky recently. I was looking for some old Amphenol 80-mc2m connectors for my Boonton power meters and some other Keithley instruments that use them. They sell around 25-30$ per piece on ebay and some time they are not even new.

I found a lot of 9 pieces brand new and it cost me around 4.5$ per connector 




Really sad that those are not manufactured anymore.

[Saskia]

Stumbled into Mafia Markt today. Found an RTX 3070 Strix on the shelf.

Whaaaaaat. Can get SFA here still. They even moved the GPUs into the 3d printing section on overclockers.co.uk to stop the bots buying them.

fucking expensive.  890€. And they did not want to negotiate.

On a side note my PSU seems to have blown.

It shuts down as soon as the cuda jobs start.

Maybe I should throw out the caps ...

[bd139]

Yeah bugger that pricing.

Slightly considering this: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/224383702393

Unfortunately it’s huge and has a fan.

[Kosmic]

Yeah bugger that pricing.

Slightly considering this: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/224383702393

Unfortunately it’s huge and has a fan.

The extension at the back is original ?

[bd139]

Yeah it wouldn’t fit in the box so they built an extension 

[factory]

David - GREAT find!  Thank you!!  I just rolled the dice and ordered a pair of them.  Fingers crossed!

-Pat

(Though you just made me break my two week streak of staying on the wagon evilbay-wise )   

These are the two connectors I got for my 2402A, the smaller five pin one was a bit of gamble but fitted fine.




I also have the proper adaptor for the front input, just can't seem to find it at the moment.

David

[cyclin_al]

Seems I'm an imposter here, I actually use most of the equipment I own. However, I do have this weird thing about using test gear from the same era as the thing I'm fixing. So if I am fixing something from the 70's I like to use 70's test equipment and when fixing something from the 90's I like to use 90's test equipment etc. The doctors say there isn't a name for this condition yet. They only give names to things that more than one person has. 

McBryce.

Is this some ploy by posting your condition here?  You make us all aware of it, so those of us obsessed with details start doing the same thing.  Once you have recruited some of us, then the doctors will have to name it 

[mnementh]

Windoze is Updating...

   

Happy Boi.  Happy Daddy too; still spent less than some cheezy generations out of date POS from Dell, etc... and the boi has something that will remain decent for quite a while.

         


      

mnem
Now I have to finish this...     

[bd139]

Excellent job 

Got the rest of my bits arriving tomorrow. Got case, RAM, fans and heat sink arrived. Nothing else yet!

[Cubdriver]

David - GREAT find!  Thank you!!  I just rolled the dice and ordered a pair of them.  Fingers crossed!

-Pat

(Though you just made me break my two week streak of staying on the wagon evilbay-wise )   

These are the two connectors I got for my 2402A, the smaller five pin one was a bit of gamble but fitted fine.




I also have the proper adaptor for the front input, just can't seem to find it at the moment.

David

Wow, you got the fully loaded model!!  Mine is just DCV and resistance.


If/when you get a chance, would you get the number from the side of the four pin resistance cable in the photo, too?  It'd be nice to scare one of those up, too.

-Pat