Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[mnementh]

Ooooh, I need something that will produce Cherenkov radiation to keep looters out.

You need something like ²⁰F sending out electrons with an energy of about 5391keV.
This should do the job and produce a nice Cerenkov-blue-radiation.

Is it strange that is the shade of blue which is my wife's favorite...? 

mnem
 

[BU508A]

Ooooh, I need something that will produce Cherenkov radiation to keep looters out.

You need something like ²⁰F sending out electrons with an energy of about 5391keV.
This should do the job and produce a nice Cerenkov-blue-radiation.

Is it strange that is the shade of blue which is my wife's favorite...? 

mnem
 

Not in the least. Remember, she is married to a dragon.
  

[Saskia]

in

Ooooh, I need something that will produce Cherenkov radiation to keep looters out.

You need something like ²⁰F sending out electrons with an energy of about 5391keV.
This should do the job and produce a nice Cerenkov-blue-radiation.

A subcritical plutonium core within 2 beryllium half spheres should do nicely ...
Tungsten carbide instead of beryllium should also work ...

[Cerebus]

in

Ooooh, I need something that will produce Cherenkov radiation to keep looters out.

You need something like ²⁰F sending out electrons with an energy of about 5391keV.
This should do the job and produce a nice Cerenkov-blue-radiation.

A subcritical plutonium core within 2 beryllium half spheres should do nicely ...
Tungsten carbide instead of beryllium should also work ...

Just be careful not to let the screwdriver slip.

[nixiefreqq]

Fireberd 6000A Communications Analyzer...
Not sure about this one.  Look at photos #6 & #7.  The installed modules are different and the serial numbers are not the same.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/373648373434

Would be more interesting if the serial module did automotive serial like ISO9141, KWP2000 or even ISO11898.
Somewhat tempting since I could arrange local pickup at either of their locations.

now that brings back memories.   the fireberd's were our TE of choice back when 256k or 512k DDS circuits between cisco AGS+ routers were hot shit.  still have my V.35 and rs449 test cables in a bug out bag somewhere down in the basement.

but what the hell would you do with one today?

[GreyWoolfe]

ride. 

I did this morning!  I feel good!   https://youtu.be/U5TqIdff_DQ

By the way, that chain guard actually looks really nice on that bike.  The colour is just right and it goes perfectly with that style of bike 
-- no chain guards on my bikes

Thanks! The bike was a curb-score last summer; it languished in the back of my garage while I fiddle-farted around with several other junkers and building the new ones until I didn't have a garage anymore and...

Anyways... it was too good a bike to let go to the tip; I'm glad I rescued it. Even if it does beat the ever-livin' hell outta my back to ride it, even with that shock-absorber seatpost and suspension forks, which amazingly, still work.

It also weighs less than half what my fatbike does... if I ever do get myself down to a sane weight, it'll be a joy to ride.

mnem
 

Something to consider and don't laugh just yet.  Weight Watchers.  Yes, I said weight watchers.  It is NOT a diet.  It teaches you to make right choices.  In a nutshell, every food had points.  You get so many points a day.  Want to eat pizza, go ahead.  However, do you really want to burn through all your daily points for that?  Both Mrs. GreyWoolfe made the choice to try.  Tomorrow will be the 2 month mark and she has lost 27 pounds and I have lost over 55.  I was at 386 pounds and now I am just over 330.  We are eating well and healthy and are certainly not starving.  Other benefit is I have my diabetes so under control now that she and I believe when I go see my primary care in November, she will take me off the Metformin and I will be diet maintained.  Additionally, we have eliminated red meat as it basically eliminates the inflammation markers that set off her psoriatic arthritis and greasy, fatty meat like bacon and sausage( hard because I am Italian).  We are also eating more plant based protein along with chicken, fish and eggs.  Lots of veggies, especially dark green for the iron content as I am bit anemic.  No simple carbs any more and we have found acceptable substitutes for pasta.  We have also gotten off our collective fat asses and are doing some form of exercise almost every day, whether walking the dogs around the sub division, biking or hitting the gym.  By the way, for biking, both of us ride Townie Electras, most comfortable bike I have used and will support my weight easily.  It allows me to sit up straight and my arms are in a comfortable position to grip the handlebars.  If I have to bend a bit at the waist for any length of time, my back reminds me of the errors of my ways.

Weight Watchers is permanent for both of us.  It helps us hold ourselves and each other accountable and it helps us both make good food choices together.  It is really becoming a way of life for us.  After eating healthy and well for as long as we have, last Saturday we were out running errands and ducked into a Wendy's to grab a couple of grilled chicken sandwiches.  Used to be my one of my favorite fast foods.  Discovered it now tastes like ass.  First fast food I had in 2 months and never again.  At the rate I am losing weight and exercising, I believe I can make my desired weight of 200 pounds in a year and will be in much better physical condition.  You can get to a sane weight.  Already, I feel better than I have in ages.

[cyclin_al]

Now you need to design a part in Frustion360 to print so you can put a nice civilized $10 digital camera on that bellows.

mnem
 

Haha, that is true I need to learn CAE first...  My suffering shall be legendary 

These logic analysers are getting fancy. This one even has a beard 

Epic  Looks like an ancient Greek!  Which component will fail first? Heart, Liver, Eyes or Brain? Does his logic analysis base on Aristotle or is he more of Heidegger? 

So that is what they mean by "vintage" 

[cyclin_al]

I'm lucky, I've always worked in a job that was interesting. Right from before I left school. I've had the odd unplanned move but that always seem to lead to an interesting change. No plan on ending the day job until they make me. Even then they tend to keep people like me (I'm accepted by various regulators as a SQEP and to make certification decisions) <SNIP>

That is not a familiar designation that I know of in the EASA framework.

I never would have guessed you were a qualified program evaluator:
https://www.sqep.ca/
   

I learned something when I looked up the wikipedia definition of SQEP.
-- Let's go with that one

I was trying to be agnostic. SQEP: Suitably Qualified & Experienced Person. You are correct,not used much by EASA,  is ued by some of our other approvals. In EASA terms I'm a CVE (certification verification engineer). Similar to a FAA DER (designated engineering representative). My cover includes CAA (EASA pre brexit), FAA, Transport Canada and a number of other organsations. Fortunately that is only part of the work. I actually get hands on with tool and TE too. On occasion flight testing too. Current employer has a flight test department and they don't like interlopers but there are some things they can't do.
I have written some embedded software but would not claim to be a programmer. That said there are currently 4 prototype ventillators out there undergoing trials with code I wrote controlling them         

Oh my "panels" for aircraft certification DO include software verification. RTCA DO-178 and all that.

Now, this is more like it!  Each and every one one of these acronyms I do recognize, and I think I used almost all of them this afternoon.  Yep, on a Friday! 

Here in the GWN, the equivalent of the organization of CVEs (I think you call it a DOA?) is the DAO (Design Approval Organization).  Within the DAO, the company makes their own terminology for the authorized persons.  However, here the persons can do both the compliance work like a CVE and also certain design change approvals.  Individuals not part of a company are called a DAR.  (The A is for Approval.  E for Engineer is not used to avoid any perception of overlapping with the professional engineering associations...politics  )

This afternoon involved a Flight Test Analyst, Powerplants engineer, DO-178C, DO-254 and DO-326A.  No embedded software developers doing ventilators today, but I should be talking to some of those next week...
They do not let me do software at work.

[mnementh]

ride. 

I did this morning!  I feel good!   https://youtu.be/U5TqIdff_DQ

By the way, that chain guard actually looks really nice on that bike.  The colour is just right and it goes perfectly with that style of bike 
-- no chain guards on my bikes

Thanks! The bike was a curb-score last summer; it languished in the back of my garage while I fiddle-farted around with several other junkers and building the new ones until I didn't have a garage anymore and...

Anyways... it was too good a bike to let go to the tip; I'm glad I rescued it. Even if it does beat the ever-livin' hell outta my back to ride it, even with that shock-absorber seatpost and suspension forks, which amazingly, still work.

It also weighs less than half what my fatbike does... if I ever do get myself down to a sane weight, it'll be a joy to ride.

mnem
 

Something to consider and don't laugh just yet.  Weight Watchers.  Yes, I said weight watchers.  It is NOT a diet.  It teaches you to make right choices.  In a nutshell, every food had points.  You get so many points a day.  Want to eat pizza, go ahead.  However, do you really want to burn through all your daily points for that?  Both Mrs. GreyWoolfe made the choice to try.  Tomorrow will be the 2 month mark and she has lost 27 pounds and I have lost over 55.  I was at 386 pounds and now I am just over 330.  We are eating well and healthy and are certainly not starving.  Other benefit is I have my diabetes so under control now that she and I believe when I go see my primary care in November, she will take me off the Metformin and I will be diet maintained.  Additionally, we have eliminated red meat as it basically eliminates the inflammation markers that set off her psoriatic arthritis and greasy, fatty meat like bacon and sausage( hard because I am Italian).  We are also eating more plant based protein along with chicken, fish and eggs.  Lots of veggies, especially dark green for the iron content as I am bit anemic.  No simple carbs any more and we have found acceptable substitutes for pasta.  We have also gotten off our collective fat asses and are doing some form of exercise almost every day, whether walking the dogs around the sub division, biking or hitting the gym.  By the way, for biking, both of us ride Townie Electras, most comfortable bike I have used and will support my weight easily.  It allows me to sit up straight and my arms are in a comfortable position to grip the handlebars.  If I have to bend a bit at the waist for any length of time, my back reminds me of the errors of my ways.

Weight Watchers is permanent for both of us.  It helps us hold ourselves and each other accountable and it helps us both make good food choices together.  It is really becoming a way of life for us.  After eating healthy and well for as long as we have, last Saturday we were out running errands and ducked into a Wendy's to grab a couple of grilled chicken sandwiches.  Used to be my one of my favorite fast foods.  Discovered it now tastes like ass.  First fast food I had in 2 months and never again.  At the rate I am losing weight and exercising, I believe I can make my desired weight of 200 pounds in a year and will be in much better physical condition.  You can get to a sane weight.  Already, I feel better than I have in ages.

I've done the dub-dub. It's the same thing I'm doing right now, only I count both cal and carb individually per plate instead of just numbers that may or may not apply depending on the variant of a particular food I'm cooking. Believe me, when you look at a bagel & cream cheese and realize it has the same cals and 25 times the carbs of a chicken Caesar salad with my favorite dressing, that starts to look a lot more appetizing.

Also, the process of adding it up makes me stop and think aboot what I'm putting in my mouth.

It's only been a couple weeks; I'll give it a while more before I go looking elsewhere. Today managed 1800 calories and feeling satisfied, even with a splurge for that bagel/cream cheese.

As for fast food... I do that maybe once a month. No problem avoiding that; I'm a helluva lot better cook than they are anyways.

mnem
*toddles off to ded*

[cyclin_al]

Fireberd 6000A Communications Analyzer...
Not sure about this one.  Look at photos #6 & #7.  The installed modules are different and the serial numbers are not the same.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/373648373434

Would be more interesting if the serial module did automotive serial like ISO9141, KWP2000 or even ISO11898.
Somewhat tempting since I could arrange local pickup at either of their locations.

now that brings back memories.   the fireberd's were our TE of choice back when 256k or 512k DDS circuits between cisco AGS+ routers were hot shit.  still have my V.35 and rs449 test cables in a bug out bag somewhere down in the basement.

but what the hell would you do with one today?

That is the dilemma.  They are interesting only as a trivia or show piece.
They are so specialized that there is no practical use.
The range of modules to plug in the back of the unit is something like 2 or 3?

[cyclin_al]

<snip> last Saturday we were out running errands and ducked into a Wendy's to grab a couple of grilled chicken sandwiches.  Used to be my one of my favorite fast foods.  Discovered it now tastes like ass.  First fast food I had in 2 months and never again. 

As for fast food... I do that maybe once a month. No problem avoiding that; I'm a helluva lot better cook than they are anyways.

That reminds me of a saying about why I go to McDonalds ... to remind myself why I do not go to McDonalds.
I am sure you can substitute with the name of any fast food joint, but at one time they were known as the worst of the worst in the GWN; other places have since tried to take over that dubious title.

[bd139]

It’s 6:45 here and I’m eating a sausage and egg McMuffin  . It’s a nice balance of lard, carbs and satisfaction 

Nothing wrong with eating it but not every day. Also am blowing off some serious cals today walking so need a kick up the arse first.

[med6753]

It’s 6:45 here and I’m eating a sausage and egg McMuffin  . It’s a nice balance of lard, carbs and satisfaction 

Nothing wrong with eating it but not every day. Also am blowing off some serious cals today walking so need a kick up the arse first.

Fast food, including pizza, is my downfall and worst enemy which is why, besides heredity, I'm diabetic. Maybe ONCE a year I'll go to McD's and order up a Big Mac or other suitable vein clogging burger and a large fries and proceed to pig out. And it certainly does NOT taste like ass. It actually tastes like another but I'm too full to do that. And so I'm good for another year.      

[vk6zgo]

Ooh very nice. The low tech solution strapped to the front seems out of place on a 2465 until you consider the state of digital cameras back then. The 2465 has aged well compared to other tech!

Those Tek/ Polaroid cameras were very well engineered & reliable.

That one might have first seen service on the front of a  524AD, or if that is a bit too ancient, maybe a 545B.

The ones we used had the ability to use "projected graticules".

With these, special illuminated graticules would appear on the screen for those tests where the result had to fit within a specification.
Things like analog TV test signals, for instance.

[mansaxel]

It’s 6:45 here and I’m eating a sausage and egg McMuffin  . It’s a nice balance of lard, carbs and satisfaction 

Nothing wrong with eating it but not every day. Also am blowing off some serious cals today walking so need a kick up the arse first.

The traditional way to do that is pasta on the evening before, and steak and eggs in the morning. I was at work yesterday (fixing a dead RAID controller and a PSU in a Dell. We do not let service people into the facilities during Corona so I had to convince the guy in Ireland that I can do that without a drone person. Of course it went well.) so had lunch at a restaurant. Then, at home we made pizza. Am still full, and have only had a cup of coffee.

TE content: I bought a 15W dummy load (9 money) and 6 Suhner N chassis jacks (13 money), and while I was writing this the Wife pushed me to buy a NIB testo IR thermometer which we will co-own. Just paid for it and right after she reimbursed me 50%. We've been together more than 15 years and still have our economies separate yet intermingled -- we pay for a share of the expenses and then can play with the rest of the money. It works out nicely.

[Robert763]

I'm lucky, I've always worked in a job that was interesting. Right from before I left school. I've had the odd unplanned move but that always seem to lead to an interesting change. No plan on ending the day job until they make me. Even then they tend to keep people like me (I'm accepted by various regulators as a SQEP and to make certification decisions) <SNIP>

That is not a familiar designation that I know of in the EASA framework.

I never would have guessed you were a qualified program evaluator:
https://www.sqep.ca/
   

I learned something when I looked up the wikipedia definition of SQEP.
-- Let's go with that one

I was trying to be agnostic. SQEP: Suitably Qualified & Experienced Person. You are correct,not used much by EASA,  is ued by some of our other approvals. In EASA terms I'm a CVE (certification verification engineer). Similar to a FAA DER (designated engineering representative). My cover includes CAA (EASA pre brexit), FAA, Transport Canada and a number of other organsations. Fortunately that is only part of the work. I actually get hands on with tool and TE too. On occasion flight testing too. Current employer has a flight test department and they don't like interlopers but there are some things they can't do.
I have written some embedded software but would not claim to be a programmer. That said there are currently 4 prototype ventillators out there undergoing trials with code I wrote controlling them         

Oh my "panels" for aircraft certification DO include software verification. RTCA DO-178 and all that.

Now, this is more like it!  Each and every one one of these acronyms I do recognize, and I think I used almost all of them this afternoon.  Yep, on a Friday! 

Here in the GWN, the equivalent of the organization of CVEs (I think you call it a DOA?) is the DAO (Design Approval Organization).  Within the DAO, the company makes their own terminology for the authorized persons.  However, here the persons can do both the compliance work like a CVE and also certain design change approvals.  Individuals not part of a company are called a DAR.  (The A is for Approval.  E for Engineer is not used to avoid any perception of overlapping with the professional engineering associations...politics  )

This afternoon involved a Flight Test Analyst, Powerplants engineer, DO-178C, DO-254 and DO-326A.  No embedded software developers doing ventilators today, but I should be talking to some of those next week...
They do not let me do software at work.

My work involvment in the GWN has gone a bit quiet recently. A few years ago I was making regular trips to Toronto and Abbotsford. Been doing a lot on a Bombardier product recently.
Have also beeen having a discussion with a supplier on how a 256 macrocell CPLD that includes critical timer functions is NOT a simple device under DO-254 
They say it's deterministic and they have tested all the cases which is  At max clock speed it would take about 9,000 YEARS just to run through all the possible input/output pin states.

[Peter_O]

Ooooh, I need something that will produce Cherenkov radiation to keep looters out.

I converted my coffee reactor to nuclear last winter.

[bd139]

It’s 6:45 here and I’m eating a sausage and egg McMuffin  . It’s a nice balance of lard, carbs and satisfaction 

Nothing wrong with eating it but not every day. Also am blowing off some serious cals today walking so need a kick up the arse first.

The traditional way to do that is pasta on the evening before, and steak and eggs in the morning. I was at work yesterday (fixing a dead RAID controller and a PSU in a Dell. We do not let service people into the facilities during Corona so I had to convince the guy in Ireland that I can do that without a drone person. Of course it went well.) so had lunch at a restaurant. Then, at home we made pizza. Am still full, and have only had a cup of coffee.

TE content: I bought a 15W dummy load (9 money) and 6 Suhner N chassis jacks (13 money), and while I was writing this the Wife pushed me to buy a NIB testo IR thermometer which we will co-own. Just paid for it and right after she reimbursed me 50%. We've been together more than 15 years and still have our economies separate yet intermingled -- we pay for a share of the expenses and then can play with the rest of the money. It works out nicely.

Yeah had spaghetti bolognaise last night. Steak and eggs would be good. Might do that on Trangia next time 

Good scenery. Walking Eastbourne to Seaford via beachy head. May be late for discord later 

[mansaxel]

Steak and eggs would be good. Might do that on Trangia next time 

Good scenery. Walking Eastbourne to Seaford via beachy head. May be late for discord later 

Yes, that is nice walk. Probably OK temperature-wise too, with the sea close by.

Does your Trangia have a non-stick pan? I've worn out a few in my younger years in the scouting movement, and consequently, my own Trangias are plain Al.  But I'm considering both their non-stick and the "Duossal" ones, which are laminated Al and stainless, with the steel towards the food side.  For the Squad Kitchen I've got I'm considering a carbon steel pan completion; I've yet to use the Al pan in it, only made stews and such so far.

[AVGresponding]

Ooooh, I need something that will produce Cherenkov radiation to keep looters out.

You need something like ²⁰F sending out electrons with an energy of about 5391keV.
This should do the job and produce a nice Cerenkov-blue-radiation.

Now we know what your secret baking ingredient is...

[nixiefreqq]

Fireberd 6000A Communications Analyzer...
Not sure about this one.  Look at photos #6 & #7.  The installed modules are different and the serial numbers are not the same.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/373648373434

Would be more interesting if the serial module did automotive serial like ISO9141, KWP2000 or even ISO11898.
Somewhat tempting since I could arrange local pickup at either of their locations.

now that brings back memories.   the fireberd's were our TE of choice back when 256k or 512k DDS circuits between cisco AGS+ routers were hot shit.  still have my V.35 and rs449 test cables in a bug out bag somewhere down in the basement.

but what the hell would you do with one today?

That is the dilemma.  They are interesting only as a trivia or show piece.
They are so specialized that there is no practical use.
The range of modules to plug in the back of the unit is something like 2 or 3?

you sure are right about it being a show piece.  this is the first time my bert has been powered up in at least 15 years. 

bought it because the kids in the office used to check all the fireberd units out from the toolroom and hide them, just because they might at some time need one. (and because they looked so cool).  got this one broken and fixed it (problem was just a wonky ttl chip).  it traveled with me for a few years and got the job done.  (and the kids never borrowed or stole it because it was such a pig)

[bd139]

Steak and eggs would be good. Might do that on Trangia next time 

Good scenery. Walking Eastbourne to Seaford via beachy head. May be late for discord later 

Yes, that is nice walk. Probably OK temperature-wise too, with the sea close by.

Does your Trangia have a non-stick pan? I've worn out a few in my younger years in the scouting movement, and consequently, my own Trangias are plain Al.  But I'm considering both their non-stick and the "Duossal" ones, which are laminated Al and stainless, with the steel towards the food side.  For the Squad Kitchen I've got I'm considering a carbon steel pan completion; I've yet to use the Al pan in it, only made stews and such so far.

Yeah not too bad. I’ve made it to Cuckmere Haven from Eastbourne so far in just under 3 hours so not bad. Not dying yet. Seven sisters kills your ass muscles 

I’ve got non stick fry pan and duossal pots. The pots are good. The frying pan is crap. Have to use a lot of oil to stop anything sticking. Non stick not 

[mansaxel]

you sure are right about it being a show piece.  this is the first time my bert has been powered up in at least 15 years. 

Today one gets a E1 tester (which is the closest in spirit to this) as an optional add-on pack on the better optic/Ethernet testers. I've not found any use for one at work yet, so it holds no interest to me. In the military, though, that might be a different story.

The array of Devices! that is needed to maintain and diagnose optical and copper lines today is impressive.

• Ferrule microscope
• Power source
• Power meter
• OTDR (and the knowledge to operate one)
• Optical SA
• Full OSI stack Ethernet tester
• Y.1541 performance test
• L1 copper Ethernet tester
• Timing testers for IEEE1588

Most of the time, a lot of these functions are crammed into one device. The SA often is the exception; it usually is around 30000€ in and of itself.

These things obviously are still current, but the 5G rollout might make for a surplus of "3G/4G-only" test devices, where there's some important part missing in the functionality.

The mobile market is such a driver for technology being cheaply available. 6 years ago, one had to look all over for Ethernet switches and routers with PTP. Now it is pretty common, and in a lot of platforms that are nicely priced, like all the Cisco Nexus 9000 switches and their equivalents from Arista.

[mansaxel]

I’ve made it to Cuckmere Haven from Eastbourne so far in just under 3 hours so not bad. Not dying yet. Seven sisters kills your ass muscles 

(looks the route up via Google Maps)

So it's possible to walk along the coast all the way? Did you cross the river at the mouth? Looks doable from the photos. And desirable, given that the first bridge is pretty far inland.

I’ve got non stick fry pan and duossal pots. The pots are good. The frying pan is crap. Have to use a lot of oil to stop anything sticking. Non stick not 

Oh, yes. This matches my experience. Should get the Duossal frying pan too then.

[Cerebus]

Good scenery. Walking Eastbourne to Seaford via beachy head. May be late for discord later 

Last time I did that particular walk I wasn't even 20. I was at the (redhead) girlfriend's place in Bexhill, missed the last connecting train to Brighton because 1 last snog too many and had to walk back to Brighton along the coast overnight.