Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[mnementh]

...So I clear off my desk/bench so I can get on my Windoze PC to read in here and grouse aboot the Mac kakking that video card again and Firefox (which just updated itself last night) crashes in the middle of this post.

Suddenly I'm back in familiar space, and all is right with the world again... 

And then the Trifecta... after messing around with the new handlebar setup over half an hour, and getting it all back together with even the grips intact and untorn... I realize that the reason I'm having such a hard time getting the brake levers situated so they feel right is that last night, before I pulled the plug on the project due to bleary eyes and aching back, I put the brake lever assemblies on the wrong sides and upside down.

To swap them around, I need to tear the whole thing apart again.   

mnem
Oh look... there's some more blood...

Not sure if you know, but an air compressor blow gun is very handy to float the grips off the handlebar with a cushion of air.  Makes it quick and easy with very low risk of damaging the grips.

Yup. Another way of doing it is to lift the end with a chopstick or pencil, squirt a little Windex in the gap, then work it around the rubber by twisting like you're giving your cousin a indian burn. The latter is a little more work, but much less noise when you're working in the living room with wife & kids.

Also, if you didn't know, a drop or two of alcohol on the tip of a finger, rub it around the inside, and even the softest grips slide right on. 90 seconds later, it's gone and the grips are zero-squidge again, unlike water which can take days and they're still squidgy if the grips wanna be ornery.

      On the Bench Tonight:

Testing a quick & dirty power pack for the headlamp on my fatbike. The headlamp is designed to plug into one of those Li USB/5V power bricks, and I have several such 1 cell power packs; however none of them will fit in my new hollow tube stem riser. Bench testing indicates the headlamp will keep going well down to 3.3-3.4V; this eliminates one step of power conversion while at the same time making a nice compact power pack that does fit inside the tube.

Currently just hacked together and wrapped in gaffer tape; if it performs sanely well in real-life testing, I'll print up a shell for it.

mnem
 

Well, please do not do real-life testing on certain mechanical aspects.  I highly recommend changing that USB connection so it does not protrude as much.  Also, cover up the top of that riser tube.. I have plenty of experience with end-Os (going end over end) and you want to make sure none of that stuff is going to put a dent in your chest....

Similar experience here. Did risk riding with it just like the pics this afternoon; rode around the park for a couple hours widda boi. The USB was temp for testing; it's what comes on the headlamp. I'm still deciding how I'm going to finish the project, but will probably still have to have some small opening in the top for charging, even if nothing else. We'll see how things work out.

Cheers,

mnem
 

[mansaxel]

What was the old saying sailors had? Something like "When going to sea, take one compass or three, but never two"?

At work, we've got three data centres, dispersed over the metro area, because we want our database clusters to have their witness nodes physically separated but well connected.

My private install of the distributed file system OpenAFS has three metadata nodes distributed over pretty much the same area, because voting is integral in their multimaster system; data is  replicated, but the final say is down to a vote. An even number of nodes is strongly discouraged. One is obviously not enough. And more than five is going to have a hard time sync'ing changes in a loaded system, so for most, three it is.

Code: [Select]

;; ANSWER SECTION:
_afs3-vlserver._udp.besserwisser.org. 600 IN SRV 0 0 7003 sada4.besserwisser.org.
_afs3-vlserver._udp.besserwisser.org. 600 IN SRV 0 0 7003 gbda4.besserwisser.org.
_afs3-vlserver._udp.besserwisser.org. 600 IN SRV 0 0 7003 haka4.besserwisser.org.

;; Query time: 53 msec
;; SERVER: 2001:470:df3c:5f::c#53(2001:470:df3c:5f::c)

(Query time inserted because it was correct.)

[Ice-Tea]

Took me half an hour to figure out how to change the channel but *dang* this thing is sweet 

I wondered if you were the buyer I considered bidding, but I have my hp MDA.

There are more Pendulums up for auction now.

Yup. Only one though. Maybe if this one goes well/fast I'll try to get more

[Ice-Tea]

Perhaps an update/tip for UK resisdents buying on eBay.

eBay has taken it up on themselves (probably because they have to...) to charge UK VAT. The problem is that is you don't go through their global shipping program (which I think is only available inside the US and UK itself) there's not really a way to ensure UK customs is aware and doesn't charge VAT a second time. I experimented a bit with it and fixed the eBay invoice to the box, together with my own, highlighted the UK VAT and put in large letters on the box (arrow poining and all) "UK VAT already charged by eBay. Had two shipments like this, both arrived withour additional charges. Might be handy to tell a seller in the future, even though YMMV.

That said, it's still a huge pain for me: say, I sell something to Israel:

500€ (eBay list price)
This includes 21% VAT (87€)
35€ shipping cost

Now obviously, shipping to Israel is a lot more expensive than to the EU. However, I get 21% VAT while I don't have to pay it to the taxman because I'm exporting it outside the EU. So, the VAT offsetst the shipping cost.

Not so with the UK

500€ (eBay list price)
eBay does not charge the 21% VAT (so I end up with 413€)
eBay does charge UK VAT directly (directly on the taxmans account I presume)
35€ shipping cost

So, I have to pay considerably more for shipping but I don't have the VAT to offset it. Same for the US, by the way. Not too horrible for UK residents, expensive for me...

[Robert763]

Perhaps an update/tip for UK resisdents buying on eBay.

eBay has taken it up on themselves (probably because they have to...) to charge UK VAT. The problem is that is you don't go through their global shipping program (which I think is only available inside the US and UK itself) there's not really a way to ensure UK customs is aware and doesn't charge VAT a second time. I experimented a bit with it and fixed the eBay invoice to the box, together with my own, highlighted the UK VAT and put in large letters on the box (arrow poining and all) "UK VAT already charged by eBay. Had two shipments like this, both arrived withour additional charges. Might be handy to tell a seller in the future, even though YMMV.

That said, it's still a huge pain for me: say, I sell something to Israel:

500€ (eBay list price)
This includes 21% VAT (87€)
35€ shipping cost

Now obviously, shipping to Israel is a lot more expensive than to the EU. However, I get 21% VAT while I don't have to pay it to the taxman because I'm exporting it outside the EU. So, the VAT offsetst the shipping cost.

Not so with the UK

500€ (eBay list price)
eBay does not charge the 21% VAT (so I end up with 413€)
eBay does charge UK VAT directly (directly on the taxmans account I presume)
35€ shipping cost

So, I have to pay considerably more for shipping but I don't have the VAT to offset it. Same for the US, by the way. Not too horrible for UK residents, expensive for me...

In most countries doing that would be considered tax fraud. You should reduce the price or refund non EU sales (except UK) by the amount of your local tax and charge the correct shipping.

[Ice-Tea]

Perhaps an update/tip for UK resisdents buying on eBay.

eBay has taken it up on themselves (probably because they have to...) to charge UK VAT. The problem is that is you don't go through their global shipping program (which I think is only available inside the US and UK itself) there's not really a way to ensure UK customs is aware and doesn't charge VAT a second time. I experimented a bit with it and fixed the eBay invoice to the box, together with my own, highlighted the UK VAT and put in large letters on the box (arrow poining and all) "UK VAT already charged by eBay. Had two shipments like this, both arrived withour additional charges. Might be handy to tell a seller in the future, even though YMMV.

That said, it's still a huge pain for me: say, I sell something to Israel:

500€ (eBay list price)
This includes 21% VAT (87€)
35€ shipping cost

Now obviously, shipping to Israel is a lot more expensive than to the EU. However, I get 21% VAT while I don't have to pay it to the taxman because I'm exporting it outside the EU. So, the VAT offsetst the shipping cost.

Not so with the UK

500€ (eBay list price)
eBay does not charge the 21% VAT (so I end up with 413€)
eBay does charge UK VAT directly (directly on the taxmans account I presume)
35€ shipping cost

So, I have to pay considerably more for shipping but I don't have the VAT to offset it. Same for the US, by the way. Not too horrible for UK residents, expensive for me...

In most countries doing that would be considered tax fraud. You should reduce the price or refund non EU sales (except UK) by the amount of your local tax and charge the correct shipping.

What I'm doing with my taxes is 100% correct. The customer pays what is advertised, I don't see the problem there either. I'd be perfectly fine with not charging VAT and charging higher shipping costs for certain destinations if eBay would have a functionality for it. It does not. It charges VAT inside the EU, outside the EU, to companies, to end users, whatever. Their disclaimer: "Preis inkl. MwSt: Der angegebene Preis enthält die gesetzliche Mehrwertsteuer.
Wenn Sie Fragen zur ausgewiesenen Mehrwertsteuer haben, wenden Sie sich bitte an den Verkäufer. Bei internationalen Verkäufen gelten die gesetzlichen Bestimmungen.
". I interpret this as "if its international, figure it out on your own".

There is simply no way to make a listing on eBay that works, tax wise. The sole exception is if/when you sell only to companies and end users in your own company EDIT: country.

There are changes on the horizon (OSS and all that) which I haven't figured out yet.So, it will either make it better or deepen the trench of horse s**t you have to wade through.

[bd139]

Yeah it’s inclusive pricing policy / sticker pricing. It’s perfectly legal.

[Cerebus]

...So I clear off my desk/bench so I can get on my Windoze PC to read in here and grouse aboot the Mac kakking that video card again and Firefox (which just updated itself last night) crashes in the middle of this post.

Suddenly I'm back in familiar space, and all is right with the world again... 

And then the Trifecta... after messing around with the new handlebar setup over half an hour, and getting it all back together with even the grips intact and untorn... I realize that the reason I'm having such a hard time getting the brake levers situated so they feel right is that last night, before I pulled the plug on the project due to bleary eyes and aching back, I put the brake lever assemblies on the wrong sides and upside down.

To swap them around, I need to tear the whole thing apart again.   

mnem
Oh look... there's some more blood...

Not sure if you know, but an air compressor blow gun is very handy to float the grips off the handlebar with a cushion of air.  Makes it quick and easy with very low risk of damaging the grips.

I will sound a note of caution here. DO NOT DO THIS WITHOUT CAREFULLY THINKING OUT THE PROCEDURE FIRST. It's just this kind of operation that, if done wrong, results in naked flesh being in contact with a high pressure air nozzle which can lead to pneumatic injection injuries (aka hydraulic injection injuries). Those kind of injuries can maim or kill - this is not an overstatement.

If you have never seen the results of these kind of injuries just go and do an image search on "pneumatic injection injuries". DO NOT do the image search within 2 hours either before or after a meal, it will ruin your appetite. If you ever work with high pressure air, or near hydraulics you should do that image search, it will have more effect than an entire week's worth of health and safety lectures.

[bd139]

Hmm. I just googled that and now fancy steak for dinner 

[Cerebus]

Steak Tartare presumably?

[Robert763]

Yeah it’s inclusive pricing policy / sticker pricing. It’s perfectly legal.

Not in he UK if you are  VAT registered company as I understand it. You must either zero rate the sale i.e. not charge VAT or the same amount as the VAT to the customer, or you charge the VAT and pay it to HMRC. This has the slight advange of the same bookkeeping for all sales. I guess there is a third option where you clearly state that overseas sales are subject to a 20% surcharge included in the price, but you would have to include that in your non VAT tax accounting.
See:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/vat-exports-dispatches-and-supplying-goods-abroad

It is perfectly possible to do this with ebay sales by refunding the VAT to the buyer. You have to swallow the ebay fees on the VAT but that is no different to a UK retail sale where the price includes VAT and ebay fees are based on the total. It's the cost of doing business on ebay.
Caveat: I'm no accountant or tax expert. I just read the officia guidance and try to follow it. I suspect HMRC just ignore this sort of thing and it's clouded by UK consumer sales law advising VAT is included in sales prices, a policy that ebay enforces.

[Robert763]

Not sure if you know, but an air compressor blow gun is very handy to float the grips off the handlebar with a cushion of air.  Makes it quick and easy with very low risk of damaging the grips.


I will sound a note of caution here. DO NOT DO THIS WITHOUT CAREFULLY THINKING OUT THE PROCEDURE FIRST. It's just this kind of operation that, if done wrong, results in naked flesh being in contact with a high pressure air nozzle which can lead to pneumatic injection injuries (aka hydraulic injection injuries). Those kind of injuries can maim or kill - this is not an overstatement.

If you have never seen the results of these kind of injuries just go and do an image search on "pneumatic injection injuries". DO NOT do the image search within 2 hours either before or after a meal, it will ruin your appetite. If you ever work with high pressure air, or near hydraulics you should do that image search, it will have more effect than an entire week's worth of health and safety lectures.

Another dangerous one is modern direct injection fuel systems. NEVER go lookng for a leak on one of these by puting even a gloved hand in the way. Injectin hydrocarbons especally diesel or kerosene into flesh ususlly requires excision of the affected area or even amputation to stop necrosis spreading

[ch_scr]

Ok, PE1542 on the bench today. These are three channel units, 2x 20V/1A & 1x 7V/3A. Nice and compact. I have two. One was acting dicky so I figured swap them. Swapped them, started inspecting #1. Hmm, current regulation is dicky on the two 20V channels, oscillates at ~450kHz. Inspected presumably good #2 just for fun - one of the 20V channels does it as well . Oh joy! Now these have been recapped, and there is not much more in there then a µA723 and a diff pair to adjust current limiting. Reasonably to suspect the ceramic 1nF caps that look like they are there to calm the diff pair? Funny enough, the older manual ('82) specs a 4.7nF and a 1nF, the newer ('85) specs two 1nF. Should I suspect beancounters at work trimming the BOM?

[Robert763]

On the subject of "don't look at his before dinner", if you ever wondered what happens if you get too close to  jet engine intake google "el paso 737 engine ingestion"
During a high idle power test run at the gate (against the rules), with pax on board to check for an oil leak a highly experienced engineer was stood by the engine with  ball cap on. His cap came off, he reached for it and was sucked into the engine. The engine is a CFM 56 rated at 35MW. Even at idle it consumes a lot of air andy anything else in the way.

[bd139]

Steak Tartare presumably?

Of course!

Please bear in mind I am the person who, whilst my wife was having a pretty rough emergency c-section of the "blood everywhere sort" and the doctors were edging around me waiting for me to fall of my chair, said "I quite fancy a cornish pasty at the moment".

[BU508A]

There is a Fluke 750A reference divider available in the USA (untested, for parts only):

https://www.ebay.com/itm/254953661480

[med6753]

VAT. I'm reading what a mess it is and shake my head.  I'm glad I don't have to deal with it.

Up until a few years ago you could buy stuff via the net and not pay your state's sales tax, if your state had sales tax. Not all do. Naturally the states with a sales tax saw this as lost revenue and complained, loudly. So now net companies like Ebay, Amazon, etc automatically add sales tax at the rate of the state's buyer's address. Clean, simple, no fuss. Now whether those states actually get that sales tax revenue is not my concern.   

[Ice-Tea]

Yeah it’s inclusive pricing policy / sticker pricing. It’s perfectly legal.

Not in he UK if you are  VAT registered company as I understand it. You must either zero rate the sale i.e. not charge VAT or the same amount as the VAT to the customer, or you charge the VAT and pay it to HMRC. This has the slight advange of the same bookkeeping for all sales. I guess there is a third option where you clearly state that overseas sales are subject to a 20% surcharge included in the price, but you would have to include that in your non VAT tax accounting.
See:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/vat-exports-dispatches-and-supplying-goods-abroad

It is perfectly possible to do this with ebay sales by refunding the VAT to the buyer. You have to swallow the ebay fees on the VAT but that is no different to a UK retail sale where the price includes VAT and ebay fees are based on the total. It's the cost of doing business on ebay.
Caveat: I'm no accountant or tax expert. I just read the officia guidance and try to follow it. I suspect HMRC just ignore this sort of thing and it's clouded by UK consumer sales law advising VAT is included in sales prices, a policy that ebay enforces.

To be clear: I pay my VAT to Father State wherever it is due. I's just that not always coincides with how it's listed on eBay. For which there is actually is a disclaimer on eBay (see above). Father State doesn't suffer. Neither does the customer. He does not pay more. The VAT amount goes to additional shipping costs. There are no victims here.

On the occasion where people ask for a discount because of the VAT, I explain. On the occasion where the VAT is more than the expected additional shipping costs, I ask people to contact me in advance for a correct offer. If for some reason I miscalculated and shipping is cheaper than I thought (or it just turns out that way because eBay bunches everything together) I'll actually refund a part.

If it's a crime, it's victimless one. With the possible exception of "The Appearance".

[Cerebus]

Steak Tartare presumably?

Of course!

Please bear in mind I am the person who, whilst my wife was having a pretty rough emergency c-section of the "blood everywhere sort" and the doctors were edging around me waiting for me to fall of my chair, said "I quite fancy a cornish pasty at the moment".

Yeah, I'd kind of figured you weren't going to be a man who'd let anything get in the way of you enjoying your food.

On that note, a bit of sage advice once passed to me by an older colleague by the name of Nick.

I don't worry.

If I can do something about something I might worry about, I do it. If I can't do anything then there's no point in worrying about it.

I like my food. If you do worry about things you can't do anything about eventually you will get stomach ulcers. If you get stomach ulcers you can't enjoy your food. Therefore I refuse to worry.

[beanflying]

So I dipped out on this one and some lucky human sniped my current lack of budget late bid eBay auction: #265127267404 Was worth $100AUpesos but no more for me but lots of hand made cool factor inside.







Back to a weak retelling of a classic tale and time for some Vogon Poetry......

[med6753]

So I dipped out on this one and some lucky human sniped my current lack of budget late bid eBay auction: #265127267404 Was worth $100AUpesos but no more for me but lots of hand made cool factor inside.


Back to a weak retelling of a classic tale and time for some Vogon Poetry......

That looks like it was kit built. And what the heck are the rotary switches on the circuit board for? And a UHF connector rather than BNC?     

[xrunner]

...  And a UHF connector rather than BNC? 

Must be for HAMs, That's the connector they're most comfortable with. 

[med6753]

...  And a UHF connector rather than BNC? 

Must be for HAMs, That's the connector they're most comfortable with. 

True. Should probably call it the "Hobo connector" 

[beanflying]

Bit of an oddball as they made quantity Electronics here for a long while https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amalgamated_Wireless_(Australasia) I have stripped more than one of their old B&W TV's as a kid many many decades ago 

Possible it came out of a Radio Station installation 

[bd139]

...  And a UHF connector rather than BNC? 

Must be for HAMs, That's the connector they're most comfortable with. 

True. Should probably call it the "Hobo connector" 

Rumour has it that ARRL lifetime members have to have their nipples surgically replaced with PL259s.