Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[cyclin_al]

Damn you guys, I'm trying to stay AWAY from eBuy!!!!   

 

-Pat

How's that going for you?   

<sigh>  Not well.  Ordered a Dana voltmeter for very cheap last night, and also have an HP power supply enroute.  I'm currently trying NOT to order displays that I really don't need despite their coolness factor...   

-Pat

There is a solution for that.  Come join us in the great white north. 
The cost of shipping will give you cause for second sober thought before ordering anything.  Then again, have a drink and a third think over the excuse for economy of scale for why base prices are so much higher than down south... 

[Brumby]

There is a solution for that.  Come join us in the great white north. 
The cost of shipping will give you cause for second sober thought before ordering anything.  Then again, have a drink and a third think over the excuse for economy of scale for why base prices are so much higher than down south... 

... or you can embark on the Antipodean Adventure for an even more sobering experience.

[wolfy007]

Today arrival and tinkering time: ten DIS1417 (replacements for the TI TIL311)
I've found them in the UK bay and thought, I'll give them a try.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/281835528940


So I cobbled together a small circuit board to see how the displays were doing.
Well, I like them. 

Dammit, saw this and couldnt help myself.

What should I build with it? A portable counter perhaps, 10digits... 

[Robert763]

Today arrival and tinkering time: ten DIS1417 (replacements for the TI TIL311)
I've found them in the UK bay and thought, I'll give them a try.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/281835528940


So I cobbled together a small circuit board to see how the displays were doing.
Well, I like them. 

HP Amber is better. I do have a whole bunch of TIL311s though.
[ img]https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/test-equipment-anonymous-(tea)-group-therapy-thread/?action=dlattach;attach=1238355;image[/img]
 

[tonyalbus]

Rigour stands there laughing while Murphy gets his dick stuck in the shredder you built into your product

Something random and TE related. What. The. Fuck. Is. This. Shit?



So who can find all the things wrong with this? 

Joe Smith, I suppose.

"It looks like a rugged smartphone, so it must be a very smart multimeter." <- What the marketing people hope will happen.

If you're in the market for NCV and similar things, like finding out if the motor capacitor is buggered, I think the accuracy is adequate. SecuritySafety? Seeing as the supplied leads in the video aren't security leads, well....

I like the idea though of having large digits and several measurements (VAC + Hz for instance) displayed simultaneously. It's a function on my Fluke 123 I use a lot: It will -- if possible -- perform 2 interpretations of the measured value, like DCV and ACV at the same time, but I guess that a 1994 Fluke does it better than a 2021 Aneng. How elitist of me. 

 

https://youtu.be/aA695C6UbKQ

[bd139]

I’m a subscriber of yours and didn’t see that  . Apparently I suck! 

[Andrew_Debbie]

Looks horrible, far too much going on with that IMO 

I can't resist Aneng meters.   It is like watching a horror movie that is so bad it is funny.  I bought an AN-888s for sheer entertainment value.    It turned out to be a half way decent meter.   I've been using it during lock down because it was the only one at home.

[med6753]

Today arrival and tinkering time: ten DIS1417 (replacements for the TI TIL311)
I've found them in the UK bay and thought, I'll give them a try.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/281835528940


So I cobbled together a small circuit board to see how the displays were doing.
Well, I like them. 

Dammit, saw this and couldnt help myself.

What should I build with it? A portable counter perhaps, 10digits... 

While I love ruby red LED's not a fan of the dots. Prefer this type.

[med6753]

Rigour stands there laughing while Murphy gets his dick stuck in the shredder you built into your product

Something random and TE related. What. The. Fuck. Is. This. Shit?



So who can find all the things wrong with this? 

Joe Smith, I suppose.

"It looks like a rugged smartphone, so it must be a very smart multimeter." <- What the marketing people hope will happen.

If you're in the market for NCV and similar things, like finding out if the motor capacitor is buggered, I think the accuracy is adequate. SecuritySafety? Seeing as the supplied leads in the video aren't security leads, well....

I like the idea though of having large digits and several measurements (VAC + Hz for instance) displayed simultaneously. It's a function on my Fluke 123 I use a lot: It will -- if possible -- perform 2 interpretations of the measured value, like DCV and ACV at the same time, but I guess that a 1994 Fluke does it better than a 2021 Aneng. How elitist of me. 

 

https://youtu.be/aA695C6UbKQ

I dunno, looks like a freakin gimmick to me. 

Gee, do I sound like a disagreeable grouch today?  Well, tough.   

[bd139]

We expect nothing less of you 

[med6753]

I have good reason to be grouchy today. Didn't get much sleep and last night I worked on the Heath V-5 VTVM tracing out wiring and I'll be damned if I can find anything wrong. I still have more to do and if still not fixed going to apply a test voltage and trace it out along with the Heath V-7A VTVM. I suspect the problem is in the voltage select/meter switch deck which is a 2 deck rotary switch and I can't see the bottom deck unless I disassemble the switch. I'm going to give it today and if still not fixed will put it aside for now and come back to it at a later date. And you know I will, I never give up.

And to add to my foul mood I wake up to this.  Well, it's time has come. Within a few days I'm going to be back at it. I'll start with the horizontal issue as I won't have to lay it on it's side. All I have to do is just drag it out of corner. It has mocked me enough.   

[tautech]

Raise the finger to the mocker in the corner Med until you can really do it justice ! 

[BU508A]

Link to the seller please gentlemen? Me likey too!

Please have a look at my previous posting, right above the first picture is the link to the auction on ebay UK. 

Doh! Didn't spot it. But then you did squeeze it right up against the photo - that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

What would John Cleese do?



 

[ch_scr]

Finally managed to wrangle the bits of the xyce circuit simulator into submission.
Test subject was the "termination insensitive amplifier" w2aew made a great video about measuring with the nano-vna:

Nice to see a simulation close to reality. It is not as easy to use as ltspice, but they have a bit of an introduction:
https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.700.2812&rep=rep1&type=pdf

[bd139]

I’ve built a couple of those amplifiers and tested them with nanovna as well.

Note where I put the attenuator  (yes I fell over this too)

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/rf-microwave/nano-vna/msg2813018/#msg2813018

[beanflying]

Today arrival and tinkering time: ten DIS1417 (replacements for the TI TIL311)
I've found them in the UK bay and thought, I'll give them a try.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/281835528940


So I cobbled together a small circuit board to see how the displays were doing.
Well, I like them. 

Dammit, saw this and couldnt help myself.

What should I build with it? A portable counter perhaps, 10digits... 

I cut out the middle man with my dots on two baby HP counters. Still sitting on the bits from this salvage below too.

[capt bullshot]

Today arrival and tinkering time: ten DIS1417 (replacements for the TI TIL311)
I've found them in the UK bay and thought, I'll give them a try.

Dammit, saw this and couldnt help myself.

What should I build with it? A portable counter perhaps, 10digits... 

Clocks, what else? 

[capt bullshot]

Finally managed to wrangle the bits of the xyce circuit simulator into submission.

Nice to see a simulation close to reality. It is not as easy to use as ltspice, but they have a bit of an introduction:
https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.700.2812&rep=rep1&type=pdf

This is hardcore, apparently:

In this chapter we’ll simulate the diode clipper circuit from theXyceTMUsers’ Guide[1] bydrawing the circuit in gschem, generating a netlist using gnetlist, running a simulation in Xyce, and finally plotting the results in gnuplot.

[Specmaster]

I’m a subscriber of yours and didn’t see that  . Apparently I suck! 

Well that makes two of us now then 

[beanflying]

I’m a subscriber of yours and didn’t see that  . Apparently I suck! 

Well that makes two of us now then 

Interesting that one the Algorithm doesn't like. The last few have been listed near the top of the page and repeated this one is MIA  Time for some clickbait titles and stunned mullet facial work. 

https://wordhistories.net/2021/01/03/stunned-mullet/

[ch_scr]

This is hardcore, apparently:

In this chapter we’ll simulate the diode clipper circuit from theXyceTMUsers’ Guide[1] bydrawing the circuit in gschem, generating a netlist using gnetlist, running a simulation in Xyce, and finally plotting the results in gnuplot.

Really, it's half as bad as you might think. But you only get to that after installing all the pieces...
To be fair, they also have a decent documentation on that, it's just so much of it!
Doing it the second time it worked out half decent, only the "faster" multi-core simulation is now   s l o w   a s   f?!
Quite happy with it aside from that. I packed the VM down to a bit over 4gb (from 20gb initially),
maybe I find a place to put it up for download.

Edit: It is definitely a bit more cumbersome than LTSpice, but also mightier. Not sure if it's (simulation speed is) faster...
       There is qucs-s that hides all that but I am not sure on how well it actually works.

[bd139]

Today arrival and tinkering time: ten DIS1417 (replacements for the TI TIL311)
I've found them in the UK bay and thought, I'll give them a try.

Dammit, saw this and couldnt help myself.

What should I build with it? A portable counter perhaps, 10digits... 

Clocks, what else? 

I was thinking about building a VFD clock. Your wonderful post has inspired me to actually do it.

Futaba units are £15 or so a go so affordable.

[nixiefreqq]

I have good reason to be grouchy today. Didn't get much sleep and last night I worked on the Heath V-5 VTVM tracing out wiring and I'll be damned if I can find anything wrong. I still have more to do and if still not fixed going to apply a test voltage and trace it out along with the Heath V-7A VTVM. I suspect the problem is in the voltage select/meter switch deck which is a 2 deck rotary switch and I can't see the bottom deck unless I disassemble the switch. I'm going to give it today and if still not fixed will put it aside for now and come back to it at a later date. And you know I will, I never give up.

And to add to my foul mood I wake up to this.  Well, it's time has come. Within a few days I'm going to be back at it. I'll start with the horizontal issue as I won't have to lay it on it's side. All I have to do is just drag it out of corner. It has mocked me enough.   


[/quote

you will probably do it anyway.......but taking that thing on is a mistake for sure.

why not wait a week? 

oh what the hell.......we all want to see it working.......just don't post pictures if when your gonads swell up like grapefruit.

[Cerebus]

Looks horrible, far too much going on with that IMO 

I can't resist Aneng meters.   It is like watching a horror movie that is so bad it is funny.  I bought an AN-888s for sheer entertainment value.    It turned out to be a half way decent meter.   I've been using it during lock down because it was the only one at home.

Oh dear, gentlemen (and lady) I do believe we have an unbeliever in our ranks. Only one meter at home? There must be more, even if you're forced to count your pocket, everyday carry, meter as "at home".

[Brumby]

Yeah - really suspect claim.

The only time I can honestly claim I only have one meter at hand is when I'm in my car!