Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[Brumby]

This could get wild real quick!

[med6753]

Ok, Dude, you provoked.
Getting dye now, training the batshit look 

Looking forward to seeing the results. 

[bd139]

On the batshit look, I accidentally came across a photo of a goat I took a few years ago the other day. It's the same look my ex wife has. There was a combination of hatred, evil and simultaneously not a lot going on at the same time.

Bored here. Nothing to buy on ebay. Considering building a silent Linux PC for VM host because I'm bored. Insanity or not?

[Robert763]

I must get back on the FRK Rubidium build first....

Now that is something I haven't heard in a very long time.   I worked for Efratom when I was undergraduate at UCI.  Maybe 1979?? They hired me because I was cheap labor.   I wrote the program and built some of the hardware that tested them during the ageing process.     As I recall there were ~10 of the cubes on test connected to a Racal Dana switch.   The output of the switch went to a traceable frequency counter.  My program logged the results and printed a report.     Commodore PET, Basic and assembly,  IEEE-488.

As I remember it was testing the crystal oven output  and not the finished device.   

There was a lot of hand labor that  went into the final product.     Assembly was by hand, of course.   There was a lot of technician time in testing,  tweaking and troubleshooting to get them in spec.

If you search this thread for FRK you will find more information. I have a number of FRKs and recently pulled one out of storage, fixed an intermittent fault and am boxing it up. Mainly as a frequency standard (I've several GPSDOs) but with a clock display (old HP amber dot LEDs) for fun.

[Andrew_Debbie]

If you search this thread for FRK you will find more information. I have a number of FRKs and recently pulled one out of storage, fixed an intermittent fault and am boxing it up. Mainly as a frequency standard (I've several GPSDOs) but with a clock display (old HP amber dot LEDs) for fun.

Well done. I'm surprised there are any left in working condtion.      When I was at Efratom California, producion rate was not exactly huge.  I recall 3 digit serial numbers.

Did you know that Efratom made a time of day display clock? 

 It was in the catalog but I don't know if they sold any.    There was one in one of the racks of test gear, connected to the house 10MHz oscilator. It might have been on of a kind.   Wish I'd taken photos.   The house standard was traceable to NBS.    There was another rack of stuff for that.  I don't remember how it worked.   Maybe from broadcast TV or even a  very early GPS reciever.

[Cerebus]

Aaaand, I have a USPS tracking number for my HP 53132A.

My life at the moment seems to revolve around checking the tracking status of all the things I'm expecting, but that aren't here yet!!!!

Not that I'm like a small kid waiting for Christmas. Oh no. Not me.

OK, I am.

Feels like Christmas in July with all this waiting for goodies (self included).

Well, some of the waiting is over.



Got my ER20 collet set and they look well enough made that there's a real chance that they may meet their 8 um runout spec - the 8mm one gives a lovely smooth locational clearance/transition fit with a bit of precision ground 8mm rod that I keep around to test fits and runout. Now I just have to wait for the collet holder.

Also got some Russian NOS 470pF 10% 200V Teflon capacitors. I pick these up in different values from time to time as I find them for those occasions where only a teflon capacitor will do. It is galling that  the world has stopped making them, nothing else available combines low dielectric absorbance with low leakage quite as well as teflon does. Mine don't generally get built into things but kept around for making measurements with, like measuring DMM input leakage currents by watching the DMM charge or discharge the capacitor.

The collet set has been racing my PCBs across the world, but the collet set won. Hopefully this means my PCBs arrive tomorrow.

[Cerebus]

I quite enjoy bringing Tek 54x and 555's back to life.   Rugley is just inside the reasonable distance from Anglesey.   


Not that I need it to get a 546 or 547 working. 

A few problems remain:

• Tunnel Diodes
• Not enough space on my workbench
• One hernia is enough, thank you
• I would need to buy a bigger house.
• Debbie would leave me

Someone has bid on them.  Anyone here?

As near as I can tell the tunnel diodes in the A & B Trigger are apparently OK. Same with HV transformer. Obviously I can better confirm this once I get the vertical and sweep fully operational.

Bench 2 can barely accommodate and I have to remove most of the other equipment.

Agreed. One hernia is one too many.

Yes, for all practical purposes I am out of room. But by impractical means I have plenty of room. 

Jo Ann does not live here and has no say in the matter but she does think I'm nuts. 

And this morning it tried different tactics. I won't work. But damn she is cute and she's got the batshit look. 

Is it just me, or do we think that perhaps Mike's doctor needs to adjust his medication?

[AVGresponding]

Bored here. Nothing to buy on ebay. Considering building a silent Linux PC for VM host because I'm bored. Insanity or not?

Have you seen these yet? https://www.eevblog.com/forum/buysellwanted/fs-(uk)-marconi-tf2016a-sig-gen-racal-dana-9009-global-spec-8201-sig-gen/





My latest acquisition is a Duratool desoldering pump, ebay ofc, which I managed to bag for £51 shipped. Finally picked it up from the sorting office today, after a bit over a week (work hours and sorting office hours are not a good match atm).

It was a definite and immediate candidate for "don't turn it on, take it apart", as there was the sound of small metal parts rattling around, and also the thump of large internal components doing the same.
Opened it up to discover the pump and power supply (contained within its own aluminium case) flopping around tethered by their wires and tubes. The small parts were the flange nuts for mounting the rubber frame of the pump.
No screws to be found anywhere, so can't blame RM for this, it's clearly the dumbass former user's fault.

Fortunately, like all of us here I have a significant collection of useful orphaned hardware, and soon found a sufficient number of flange head M4 screws of the correct lengths, and the shake-proof washers for them.

All back together now, and I am very impressed with it, makes stripping a board a trivial and easy task.

[Specmaster]

Ok, Dude, you provoked.
Getting dye now, training the batshit look 

Looking forward to seeing the results. 

Up close and personnel  

[Specmaster]

Wow, my car paint has been delivered, tested it already, good colour match. Now to remove the old trim, insert the replacement, mask the roof and windows and spray it, what could go wrong I wonder, rain??

[mansaxel]

All back together now, and I am very impressed with it, makes stripping a board a trivial and easy task.

Yes, you and me both -- even if they're simple devices, they really help. I would not have managed the mixer recap without mine. Not without mishaps, that is.

[Specmaster]

<snip>
My latest acquisition is a Duratool desoldering pump, ebay ofc, which I managed to bag for £51 shipped. Finally picked it up from the sorting office today, after a bit over a week (work hours and sorting office hours are not a good match atm).

It was a definite and immediate candidate for "don't turn it on, take it apart", as there was the sound of small metal parts rattling around, and also the thump of large internal components doing the same.
Opened it up to discover the pump and power supply (contained within its own aluminium case) flopping around tethered by their wires and tubes. The small parts were the flange nuts for mounting the rubber frame of the pump.
No screws to be found anywhere, so can't blame RM for this, it's clearly the dumbass former user's fault.

Fortunately, like all of us here I have a significant collection of useful orphaned hardware, and soon found a sufficient number of flange head M4 screws of the correct lengths, and the shake-proof washers for them.

All back together now, and I am very impressed with it, makes stripping a board a trivial and easy task.

[/color][/size][/b]

I have the very same model and I love it, as you say, stripping a board is now dead easy, unless you need to change the nozzle size, which needs to done when its cold for obvious reasons, not sure about the price though, I think I only paid £10 more and mine was brand new.

Did you get the 2 other nozzles, spare filter pads and the 3 ram rods with it as well?

@bd, you really should get one of these.

[AVGresponding]

In non TE news, some New Zealand parents have named their triplets "Metallica", "Slayer", and "Pantera".

This is a clear opportunity for tautech to lobby his offspring to name their next additions "Siglent", "Tektronix", and "Fluke"...

[AVGresponding]

I have the very same model and I love it, as you say, stripping a board is now dead easy, unless you need to change the nozzle size, which needs to done when its cold for obvious reasons, not sure about the price though, I think I only paid £10 more and mine was brand new.

Did you get the 2 other nozzles, spare filter pads and the 3 ram rods with it as well?

@bd, you really should get one of these.

You found a bargain then, new ones are double that price normally.

Yes, it came with all the bits, and they were not rattling loose in the case...

[bd139]

Bored with looking at PC bits now 

AVGresponding: momentarily tempted by the TF2016 until I remember the TF2015 I did a while back

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/test-equipment-anonymous-(tea)-group-therapy-thread/msg2356251/#msg2356251

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/test-equipment-anonymous-(tea)-group-therapy-thread/msg2357232/#msg2357232

No output? That’ll be because someone hooked a transmitter into it and accidentally keyed down and toasted the last couple of attenuator steps. Complete bastard those are. Pictures above.

[Saskia]

Need PC bits ? Lemme know ...

[McBryce]

I quite enjoy bringing Tek 54x and 555's back to life.   Rugley is just inside the reasonable distance from Anglesey.   


Not that I need it to get a 546 or 547 working. 

A few problems remain:

• Tunnel Diodes
• Not enough space on my workbench
• One hernia is enough, thank you
• I would need to buy a bigger house.
• Debbie would leave me

Someone has bid on them.  Anyone here?

As near as I can tell the tunnel diodes in the A & B Trigger are apparently OK. Same with HV transformer. Obviously I can better confirm this once I get the vertical and sweep fully operational.

Bench 2 can barely accommodate and I have to remove most of the other equipment.

Agreed. One hernia is one too many.

Yes, for all practical purposes I am out of room. But by impractical means I have plenty of room. 

Jo Ann does not live here and has no say in the matter but she does think I'm nuts. 

And this morning it tried different tactics. I won't work. But damn she is cute and she's got the batshit look. 

Ok, Dude, you provoked.
Getting dye now, training the batshit look 

I think the batshit look comes automatically as soon as the dye has dried. No training required.

On a more TEA note: Tempted to buy this just cos it looks cool. Absolutely no use for it: https://www.ebay.de/itm/124803818243

McBryce.

[beanflying]

Ok, Dude, you provoked.
Getting dye now, training the batshit look 

You have been here long enough dye not required and batshit crazy look is taken as a given 

[BU508A]

Wow, my car paint has been delivered, tested it already, good colour match. Now to remove the old trim, insert the replacement, mask the roof and windows and spray it, what could go wrong I wonder, rain??

Hail? 

[Specmaster]

I have the very same model and I love it, as you say, stripping a board is now dead easy, unless you need to change the nozzle size, which needs to done when its cold for obvious reasons, not sure about the price though, I think I only paid £10 more and mine was brand new.

Did you get the 2 other nozzles, spare filter pads and the 3 ram rods with it as well?

@bd, you really should get one of these.

You found a bargain then, new ones are double that price normally.

Yes, it came with all the bits, and they were not rattling loose in the case...

Yeah, but I have had mine now for about 3 years.

[Specmaster]

Wow, my car paint has been delivered, tested it already, good colour match. Now to remove the old trim, insert the replacement, mask the roof and windows and spray it, what could go wrong I wonder, rain??

Hail? 

Shut up..., off to get some low tac masking tape now, fingers crossed I get it done today, otherwise I risk having a blue car with a green roof trim on it 

[Robert763]

<SHIP>

On a more TEA note: Tempted to buy this just cos it looks cool. Absolutely no use for it: https://www.ebay.de/itm/124803818243

McBryce.

That's not a cool looking transformer, THIS is a cool looking transformer
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/324243982868

Basically a variac core potted in amber resin. It can be used as  current transformer or a wind your own secondary unit. Intended for teching I think. I'm sorely tempted but it's a lot of funds for something that does not add functionality. (I can do it anything it can with a toroid)

[Robert763]

Wow, my car paint has been delivered, tested it already, good colour match. Now to remove the old trim, insert the replacement, mask the roof and windows and spray it, what could go wrong I wonder, rain??

Sahara desert dust blowing over?

[Cerebus]

Wow, my car paint has been delivered, tested it already, good colour match. Now to remove the old trim, insert the replacement, mask the roof and windows and spray it, what could go wrong I wonder, rain??

Hail? 

Na. Lightning!



(And hail )

[tonyalbus]

This silly RFid / NFC copier actualy works )
now i have a badge on my keychain while the wife at home has the original card.. (for our underground garbage containers)