Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[tautech]

It's dead Jim. 
 

[25 CPS]

I had a barbecue boo boo with a Weber Smokey Mountain that lead to some nasty steam burns on the weekend while I was getting the food out so hefting around large Tektronix scopes is out of the question for a little bit until I recover a bit more.  Anyways, I did have some time to get into the basement and do some test equipment stuff so I stuck to what was already on the bench and dug a bit more into the 3580A and I’ve got it much more sorted out now to the point I want to get a better signal generator plus a counter on it to evaluate its performance with a fine tooth comb to see if it needs a bit of adjustment.



Internal 10 KHz calibration signal.



5 KHz off the function generator.



1 KHz off the function generator.  The sine off the function generator is not the cleanest by any stretch but in this application, that’s actually desirable since it gives us something to look at past the fundamental and the harmonics are showing up where we’d expect to find them.

[AVGresponding]

The classic british one was the Jaffa Cake
Went to the high court to decide if it was a biscuit (0 tax) or a cake (15-20% tax changed over th years). They decided this "cake" was a biscuit.

In point of fact they went to court to prove that they are cakes, as it's those that are zero rated; VAT is charged on biscuits (when covered in chocolate or similar).

The proof was that biscuits go soft when they go stale, and that cakes go hard. Since Jaffa Cakes go hard, they are by definition "cakes" and not "biscuits".

https://www.gov.uk/hmrc-internal-manuals/vat-food/vfood6260

Doh I'd been told the other way round and never thought to check.......

The idea that chocolate biscuits are a luxury and that chocolate cake is not, at least for tax purposes, is somewhat counter-intuitive.

[Kosmic]

Alright boys, who's offering on this Agilent N1914A dual channel power meter? 
I'll put down $5.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/303953989765

woo woo, the seller want 1600$ 

even at 1$ it's probably too much.

[xrunner]

Alright boys, who's offering on this Agilent N1914A dual channel power meter? 
I'll put down $5.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/303953989765

woo woo, the seller want 1600$ 

even at 1$ it's probably too much.

Hahahahaha - put away the crack pipe! 

[wkb]

Alright boys, who's offering on this Agilent N1914A dual channel power meter? 
I'll put down $5.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/303953989765

woo woo, the seller want 1600$ 

even at 1$ it's probably too much.

No, $1 it is worth, the plastic frontpanel looks OK. So useful for a cosmetically-impaired unit.

[Kosmic]

Alright boys, who's offering on this Agilent N1914A dual channel power meter? 
I'll put down $5.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/303953989765

woo woo, the seller want 1600$ 

even at 1$ it's probably too much.

No, $1 it is worth, the plastic frontpanel looks OK. So useful for a cosmetically-impaired unit.

well if you add shipping, I'm not so sure. it's 76$ over here

[factory]

EU is going to charge VAT from outside EU imports July 1st. 
that is going to increase price from Ali i guess. 21% VAT in my case (NL)
i quickly ordered BG7TBL some toys.

FA-3 with big display
WB-SG2 with big display and adjustable output (4.4 GB)
GPSDO GPS+GLONASS (to have a spare)

FA-3: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_AcvpQV
WB-SG2: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_AZPUfL
GPSDO GPS+Glonass+display: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_AZMYZB

The EU has always charged VAT on goods from outside the EU except in cases where there is a free trade agreement such as Japan.

McBryce.

For NL it was free of VAT below 20 or 30 Euro... and Ali BangBang know that, so it is all shipped below 20 pesos on paper.

This is nothing new, we were discussing this at the start of the year, the rest of the EU decided to delay the introduction for six months, but since the UK was no longer part of that we didn't delay it.

David

[factory]

Most of my instruments in frequent use have been upgraded recently enough to have an LCD (for the full-screen displays) but recently I got a device with a CRT.

This is fine, it's good and readable. Many of my instruments are much older, they just dont' happen to need a big screen.

But, like many people who've posted pictures here, I have a fairly dense stack with 20 or so instruments in a couple of square metres of shelving - and the big problem I had was that I can't put this CRT near any power supplies as they make the screen wobble.

What do you do about this ? Never use certain instruments at the same time ? Split them widely apart so they don't interfere ? Or is this device (an HP53310A) just absurdly sensitive to external fields ?

Had this happen with the Yokogawa scope at work, but only when load testing one product, the large wire wound variable resistors with approx 400Hz pulsed through them caused the trace wobble. Thankfully the test was short so not really a problem.

David

[Cerebus]

The classic british one was the Jaffa Cake
Went to the high court to decide if it was a biscuit (0 tax) or a cake (15-20% tax changed over th years). They decided this "cake" was a biscuit.
In the early days plastic transistors were 17.5% VAT (consumer) metal can were 15% (industrial). Flying training was interesting too. With an instructor was the lower rate (maybe 0 I can't reacall for sure) because you were being taught and solo (still as a student) was full rate VAT 

Not quite. Cake was zero rated, as were plain biscuits, chocolate coated biscuits had always attracted VAT as a 'luxury' food. After years of treating Jaffa Cakes as cakes, in 1991 the VATman tried to hit McVities up for VAT, arbitrarily suddenly deciding they were biscuits; McVities went to court. The Jaffa cake was determined to be a cake by the court because cakes grow harder as they stale whereas biscuits grow softer as they stale. Also, it was the London VAT tribunal (case No. LON/91/0160) not the High Court but otherwise you're a 100% right. 

Edit: Anders beat me to it.

[wkb]

Well... the hippie version of the HP 5342Α microwave counter.

They fit nicely and are robust as well.

Once the 2nd set has finished printing I'll move to 'bottom feet'

Wilko

[Cerebus]

Alright boys, who's offering on this Agilent N1914A dual channel power meter? 
I'll put down $5.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/303953989765

Do the mechanics of eBay allow negative offers? That's all that would be appropriate. 

[McBryce]

Alright boys, who's offering on this Agilent N1914A dual channel power meter? 
I'll put down $5.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/303953989765

Do the mechanics of eBay allow negative offers? That's all that would be appropriate. 

Does it come with calibration certs? 

McBryce.

[PA0PBZ]

Well... the hippie version of the HP 5342Α microwave counter.

They fit nicely and are robust as well.

Once the 2nd set has finished printing I'll move to 'bottom feet'

Wilko

Looks like you were totally too lazy the change the filament 

[mansaxel]

No TE for me here. I've spent the last two days clearing out and swapping parts in the crank case ventilation in our car. It's up for annual inspection, and I need to service it before I dare submit it. And since there's a dependency graph here;

• I need to fix the variable valve timing and the crank case vents to pass inspection. (and make the inspector believe that the crank case ventilation being gunked up was the source of the oil leak I got a "needs fixing" Type 1 notice for last year)
• The variable valve timing that needs fixing needs a fresh oil change,
• The oil change needs to wait for the crank case ventilation,
• The crank case ventilation needed parts,

I'm making progress on the crank case ventilation, inasmuch as it's back together. I'll test drive, and then go for the oil change straight after (warm oil flows easier) but I need filters and gasketry on hand first. Perhaps tomorrow. And then the VVT.  Once I've got to the VVT I'll actually involve a bit TE; Ive thought up an experiment setup both involving my 428b and a scope.

(MOT in Sweden can result in 4 kinds of verdicts:

• No faults. All clear for one more year.
• Type 1 Notice. Need fixing, but not requiring re-inspection. Ok to drive.
• Type 2 Notice. More serious, and will require a renewed inspection, but it is allowed to drive meanwhile.
• Type 3 Notice. Very serious errors. Usage not allowed. Must tow.

)

[SeanB]

Alright boys, who's offering on this Agilent N1914A dual channel power meter? 
I'll put down $5.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/303953989765

Do the mechanics of eBay allow negative offers? That's all that would be appropriate. 

Does it come with calibration certs? 

McBryce.

Is the seller from Puerto Rico, and picked this up "from a working environment", right about 2 minutes after the environment was decommissioned by a failed cable.

[med6753]

Alright boys, who's offering on this Agilent N1914A dual channel power meter? 
I'll put down $5.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/303953989765

 

[med6753]

OK, who's the smart arse?  It had to come from someone here. Fess up!  It arrived today from across the pond in Dublin. And I needed a good laugh today because my appointment with the urologist did not go well.

Long story short. Cat removed. Send home. Come back in afternoon and report how well you are pissing. Problem is I wasn't. I couldn't and it hurt when I tried. Diagnosis: Spastic bladder. A potential side effect of the surgery. Damn bladder is locked up tighter than a drum. So....the cat is back in. There's medication for this and I'm on it. I go back Friday to have the cat removed again and try this whole shit show all over again. FML.     

Oh, and damn straight I'm gonna wear that t-shirt. 

[mindcrime]

Alright boys, who's offering on this Agilent N1914A dual channel power meter? 
I'll put down $5.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/303953989765

I would totally offer $1 as a joke, except I'm afraid the seller would accept my offer, and then I'd be stuck paying the shipping cost, plus needing to dispose of the thing when it got here. 

[SeanB]

Ironicaly the Rifa filter looks like it is the only good part in that hot mess.

[mindcrime]

Ironicaly the Rifa filter looks like it is the only good part in that hot mess.

The really crazy part will be when someone on here (not me!) buys it for like $50, shakes all the silt and sediment out of there, cleans everything thoroughly with IPA, reseats all the boards, and finds that it powers up and works like a champ!

[Neper]

"We rigorously test every single product before we ship them", said the Chinese seller on Ebay. And he wanted me to make a video of my complaint. So this is what I sent him...

http://www.fotoralf.be/temp/stecker.mp4

Ralf
P.S.: Is there a way to embed videos here?

[tonyalbus]

"We rigorously test every single product before we ship them", said the Chinese seller on Ebay. And he wanted me to make a video of my complaint. So this is what I sent him...

http://www.fotoralf.be/temp/stecker.mp4

Ralf
P.S.: Is there a way to embed videos here?

its called youtube

[Cerebus]

OK, who's the smart arse?  It had to come from someone here. Fess up!  It arrived today from across the pond in Dublin. And I needed a good laugh today because my appointment with the urologist did not go well.

Not guilty! Don't read too much into the origin, these days it's trivially easy to pick a vendor anywhere in the world to disguise the true origin of the sender. Back in the 80s someone, still unknown, went to a lot of trouble to send me a valentines card from Cardiff when I didn't know anyone from South Wales at all, let alone Cardiff.

Long story short. Cat removed. Send home.

As I was reading that a mental image formed, something like this ...

[wkb]

Well... the hippie version of the HP 5342Α microwave counter.

They fit nicely and are robust as well.

Once the 2nd set has finished printing I'll move to 'bottom feet'

Wilko

Looks like you were totally too lazy the change the filament 

Well, the XYL is using the printer for most of the time and needed yellow. I kinda like the effect so...