Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[Saskia]

So to support me in this I will pick up a windsurf board on the week end, along with a rather large sail (9.6 sqm) to get back on the water.

Very Nice !!! 

That is a rather large sail! 

The sail that I use most frequently is a 6.0 sqm from Pryde.  Good for most boards in most conditions.

Next commonly used one is 5.0 sqm from Pryde that I picked up used and came with the number "KC 2" ... the previous owner was obviously a much better sailor than I ever will be.  Good on the really windy days.

Very rarely do I use a 8.1 sqm from North Sails that I picked up used cheaply.  Only good on the long course board when there is almost no wind. I would never have bought such a large high-performance sail at a normal price.

Boring get into Kitesurfing  No need to wait for it to really blow for the fun to begin just go up in kite size. I still have a 21sqm Kite kicking around but these days with the more modern designs 15 and down is all that's needed.

Locally most of the diehard old school windsurfers have seen the light enabled in part by me in an earlier mid life crisis

Well, I am not as nimble as I was like 35 years ago, so a windsurf board will have to suffice.
It'll be a Starboard Formula 156 litres (330 Pesos) with a Gunsails Vector 9.6, a 75% Carbon mast (460 Pesos), plus a North Sails boom (120 Pesos).

for regaining my upper body strength I will use my Wilderness Ride 135 kayak. I don't have time to learn kite surfing, I did do ok on a formula board about 20 years ago.

If I had time and option to try something new (and the money needed for that) I would look for a Pogo 850.

[BU508A]

Desoldering station arrived already. Haven't powered it up yet but seems fairly good for the money. The only complaint so far is it's really easy to knock the gun off the stand. May need to find a suitable mod for it to make that less of an issue.

What I do with mine is push the gun all the way back in the holder, under the retaining ring, then I have the whole unit right at the back of my bench and to one side, so that the cable and vacuum tube hang down the side of the bench and not on it, job done. Never yet managed to knock it out of its holder when its on, oh and of course, I only have it on when I'm just about to use it, so if it does get knocked out, its not hot. Hope that helps.

Yes.

Specmaster  <--->   bd139


    

[xrunner]

Haha, yeah I've been seeking bits for "da man". Not many bits for myself. However, I did snag

1. a used Siglent SSA3021X (not Plus)

2. a used Fluke 23 Series II

both in like-new condition. The DMM included all the original docs, holster, and leads as well as its screen protector. Apparently, it wasn't used much, which also meant no battery schmoo inside.

Hey that's cool stuff. But don't be so afraid of it getting dirty that you leave it covered all the time. You can touch it! 

[Cerebus]

Saw a Fluke 8300A this weekend. While I was negotiating a price, someone paid full price for it. Ah, well.

Anyone from here grab it? It's got nice options.

What dastardly behaviour! If people go around doing things like paying full price how are skinflints like me ever going to end up with any test gear?

[VK5RC]

So to support me in this I will pick up a windsurf board on the week end, along with a rather large sail (9.6 sqm) to get back on the water.

Very Nice !!! 

That is a rather large sail! 

The sail that I use most frequently is a 6.0 sqm from Pryde.  Good for most boards in most conditions.

Next commonly used one is 5.0 sqm from Pryde that I picked up used and came with the number "KC 2" ... the previous owner was obviously a much better sailor than I ever will be.  Good on the really windy days.

Very rarely do I use a 8.1 sqm from North Sails that I picked up used cheaply.  Only good on the long course board when there is almost no wind. I would never have bought such a large high-performance sail at a normal price.

Boring get into Kitesurfing  No need to wait for it to really blow for the fun to begin just go up in kite size. I still have a 21sqm Kite kicking around but these days with the more modern designs 15 and down is all that's needed.

Locally most of the diehard old school windsurfers have seen the light enabled in part by me in an earlier mid life crisis

Well, I am not as nimble as I was like 35 years ago, so a windsurf board will have to suffice.
It'll be a Starboard Formula 156 litres (330 Pesos) with a Gunsails Vector 9.6, a 75% Carbon mast (460 Pesos), plus a North Sails boom (120 Pesos).

for regaining my upper body strength I will use my Wilderness Ride 135 kayak. I don't have time to learn kite surfing, I did do ok on a formula board about 20 years ago.

If I had time and option to try something new (and the money needed for that) I would look for a Pogo 850.

Pre marriage etc was a sailboarding nut, I live at 37 degrees Sth so in winter the roaring 40s come through, still have my 250 litre raceboard and 10sq m sail and a 195cm flat water blaster epoxy-polystyrene board with 14 inches of the finest fibreglass fin. Collection of Neil Pryde, Gaastra and North sails. Not as fit upper body wise as I need to be 😂

[Cerebus]

I got a visit from the Safety Elf while I was out! Or rather ParcelFarce left my RS delivery with a neighbour. Lord knows what they thought I was buying as the outside of the box had a scary looking hazard warning label on it.

So what did this large box with the contents dangerous to all life label contain? One small tube of 63/37 solder paste and a 7 page MSDS. Bit of an anticlimax really.



At least the warning label will take on new meaning later, after the cat has climbed into the box and claimed it for herself.

[bd139]

So I spent my lunch break desoldering things, like you do 

Unpacked. Seems well built for the money. Took about 5 minutes to work it out.



I don't have any PCBs lying around I can attack as a test piece so went in guns blazing on the 5381A. I've read a few tutorials on how to use these effectively and that appears to have paid off fortunately. Also applying somewhat dated knowledge of using the old Weller DS801's was used.

Review: too easy. This thing is life changing  . Nice clean removals. I've wiped this down with isopropyl afterwards to remove any gank.



Scratches were not me - previous owner swapped some of the displays around, I assume because they were unequally broken 



And all removals intact



This whole job took around 15 minutes from end to end. I had one blockage which was my own stupid fault for sucking too short a time.

This job would have been hell without this and I've avoided a lot of repairs before. Not only that I don't have to necessarily snip the parts out now to safely desolder which makes debugging and lifting leads cheaper.

I am impressed. Money well spent 

[med6753]

Saw a Fluke 8300A this weekend. While I was negotiating a price, someone paid full price for it. Ah, well.

Anyone from here grab it? It's got nice options.

What dastardly behaviour! If people go around doing things like paying full price how are skinflints like me ever going to end up with any test gear?

The solution is simple. Stop being a cheapskate. 

[McBryce]

So I spent my lunch break desoldering things, like you do 

Unpacked. Seems well built for the money. Took about 5 minutes to work it out.



I don't have any PCBs lying around I can attack as a test piece so went in guns blazing on the 5381A. I've read a few tutorials on how to use these effectively and that appears to have paid off fortunately. Also applying somewhat dated knowledge of using the old Weller DS801's was used.

Review: too easy. This thing is life changing  . Nice clean removals. I've wiped this down with isopropyl afterwards to remove any gank.



Scratches were not me - previous owner swapped some of the displays around, I assume because they were unequally broken 



And all removals intact



This whole job took around 15 minutes from end to end. I had one blockage which was my own stupid fault for sucking too short a time.

This job would have been hell without this and I've avoided a lot of repairs before. Not only that I don't have to necessarily snip the parts out now to safely desolder which makes debugging and lifting leads cheaper.

I am impressed. Money well spent 

I have the same device, but branded ZD-915. They are a game changer for removing thru-hole parts, even easier on single sided boards. However, they need regular cleaning to work properly and always make sure the barrel is free of solder (with the pokey stick they give you) before you switch it off. Oh, and don't underestimate how hot the pokey stick is when you remove it from the barrel! It's a painful lesson to learn.

McBryce.

[Peter_O]

On the other side of the coin. Incorrect hp feet because we know they all get lost in a black hole. 

(Self adhesive felt feet 3/4 inch diameter. Work well)

[/URL]

I like these old school massive rubber feets. Screw through one of the existing holes, washer and nut inside.
No gunk, no damage of orginal case.

[Cerebus]

Has anybody got any experience of Molex "Nano-Fit" connectors? They're the baby 2.5 mm pitch version of the classic Molex "Mini-Fit" that we all know as a PC motherboard power connector. (The ranges go: Mini, Mini Jr, Micro and Nano.)

I'm thinking of using them as the power and ancillary connectors for the GPSDO PCB - a step up from crappy 0.1" DuPont style (and more compact) and tougher than JST-whatevers. Anybody got anything good, or bad, to say about them?

I have. We used it on an extension board for one of our small control devices, see attachment.

It's shitty. Crimp is delicate, locking mechanism weakish and unlocking the pins tends to damage the holding spring.

If you have a choice, go for something else.

Well, that's depressing. Sounds like it might be back to the drawing board.

The problem with wire to board connectors is that starting from a blank page the choice is huge, and it's very difficult to judge these things from photos, drawings and datasheets.

I want something that is reasonably compact that doesn't take up too much board area, is good for roughly an amp of power @ 6-12V or LVCMOS digital signals. Needs to be something that can be bought in small quantities at a reasonable price, which constrains the search space somewhat. Anyone got suggestions?

If no-one has any bright ideas I might just either chance my arm with the Nano-Fits or stick to the tried and tested but, around here anyway, unloved JST-XH.

SWMBO-II has just come in and demanded that I come and check how full her bowl is before she undertakes a proper survey of her new box with warning labels.

[capt bullshot]

This job would have been hell without this and I've avoided a lot of repairs before. Not only that I don't have to necessarily snip the parts out now to safely desolder which makes debugging and lifting leads cheaper.

I am impressed. Money well spent 

Yes, I know. Got one of these too.

[Cerebus]

My feet are gray

Well, wash them!  And wear shoes and socks next time you go out.

[GreyWoolfe]

Introducing:



my new US Lab version beta 0.01.
about 8 meters x 3 meters, I can dance tarantella now.. uh feet, inches, sorry whaaat?
...

Woah! Jealousy-inducing spaaaaaace.

But, this is TEA. So, you won't have a dance floor for too long.

Sometimes bigger isn't always better.  Had a 3 by 7 meter space in an addition on the back of the house.  Had it for years and never could get the ergonomics right.  On top of that, there was the back door into the garden for letting the dogs out.  Was constantly making changes and never could get the right fit.  After stepdaughter and family moved out, I took over the largest of the 2 extra bedrooms.  4X4 meters and a 2.5 by 3 meter closet area.  Really got to think and plan before making the move.  As a result, only change in over a year and a half was taking the 3 printers off of a shelf and building a vertical printer stand.  The smaller space actually feels roomier.

BD, I have ZD 985 myself.  boogered it up good with a blockage.  Ended up turning the heat up to maximum, leaving it for about 10 minutes and then used the cleaning rod while depressing the trigger to clear it.  So much better than braid.

This job would have been hell without this and I've avoided a lot of repairs before. Not only that I don't have to necessarily snip the parts out now to safely desolder which makes debugging and lifting leads cheaper.

I am impressed. Money well spent 

Yes, I know. Got one of these too.

I have a ZD-985.  Boogered it up once really good.  Ended up turning up power all the way, leaving it for 10 minutes and then used the cleaning rod while depressing the trigger to remove it.  I still use braid occasionally but nothing beats the desoldering tool.  Huge step up from the crappy radio shack desoldering iron with that stupid red bulb on it.  I celebrated pitching that into the bin.

[xrunner]

So I spent my lunch break desoldering things, like you do 

Unpacked. Seems well built for the money. Took about 5 minutes to work it out.

I don't have any PCBs lying around I can attack as a test piece so went in guns blazing on the 5381A. I've read a few tutorials on how to use these effectively and that appears to have paid off fortunately. Also applying somewhat dated knowledge of using the old Weller DS801's was used.

Review: too easy. This thing is life changing  . Nice clean removals. I've wiped this down with isopropyl afterwards to remove any gank.

This whole job took around 15 minutes from end to end. I had one blockage which was my own stupid fault for sucking too short a time.

This job would have been hell without this and I've avoided a lot of repairs before. Not only that I don't have to necessarily snip the parts out now to safely desolder which makes debugging and lifting leads cheaper.

I am impressed. Money well spent 

Dammit. You are going to cost me more money! 

[Cerebus]

Saw a Fluke 8300A this weekend. While I was negotiating a price, someone paid full price for it. Ah, well.

Anyone from here grab it? It's got nice options.

What dastardly behaviour! If people go around doing things like paying full price how are skinflints like me ever going to end up with any test gear?

The solution is simple. Stop being a cheapskate. 

What! And abandon a life's work? My father was a skinflint, my grandfather stony broke (a steelworker with 13 kids) and I'm sure if you go back far enough on that side of the family you'll find a little blue border reiver with moths in his sporran. No doubt the bogtrotter side of my antecedents were equally parsimonious.

[Brumby]

Today, I did a 12 hour soak of my 5328A against my 8656B.  Dropped the frequency to a nice round 100MHz and was able to drop the level a few more dB.

Despite neither having any current (or even known) calibration, the numbers were tantalisingly close ... the last digit bouncing relatively evenly between 7 and 8 with maybe a leaning to the 8.



Now I'm getting the itch for a GPSDO to determine ....... ......

Oh... shit.... this slope is slippeeerrrrrrrryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy



PS.  Both units pictured above are the direct result of Bean the Enabler in action, throwing shiny things at my feet.

[BU508A]

Has anybody got any experience of Molex "Nano-Fit" connectors? They're the baby 2.5 mm pitch version of the classic Molex "Mini-Fit" that we all know as a PC motherboard power connector. (The ranges go: Mini, Mini Jr, Micro and Nano.)

I'm thinking of using them as the power and ancillary connectors for the GPSDO PCB - a step up from crappy 0.1" DuPont style (and more compact) and tougher than JST-whatevers. Anybody got anything good, or bad, to say about them?

I have. We used it on an extension board for one of our small control devices, see attachment.

It's shitty. Crimp is delicate, locking mechanism weakish and unlocking the pins tends to damage the holding spring.

If you have a choice, go for something else.

Well, that's depressing. Sounds like it might be back to the drawing board.

The problem with wire to board connectors is that starting from a blank page the choice is huge, and it's very difficult to judge these things from photos, drawings and datasheets.

I want something that is reasonably compact that doesn't take up too much board area, is good for roughly an amp of power @ 6-12V or LVCMOS digital signals. Needs to be something that can be bought in small quantities at a reasonable price, which constrains the search space somewhat. Anyone got suggestions?

If no-one has any bright ideas I might just either chance my arm with the Nano-Fits or stick to the tried and tested but, around here anyway, unloved JST-XH.

SWMBO-II has just come in and demanded that I come and check how full her bowl is before she undertakes a proper survey of her new box with warning labels.

How about some Phoenix connectors?
Mine are a bit clunky, but there are smaller ones.

From my switch (switching between two soldering irons, JBC T245 <--> T470)



Edit:

another example:


Source:
https://www.ee.co.za/article/phoenix-168-03-connectors-offer-high-performance-in-a-minimum-amount-of-space.html

[tonyalbus]

Now I'm getting the itch for a GPSDO to determine ....... ......

Oh... shit.... this slope is slippeeerrrrrrrryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

PS.  Both units pictured above are the direct result of Bean the Enabler in action, throwing shiny things at my feet.

Looking good!!.

Yes it is a slope... i ended up with 3 GPSDO's GNSSdo's just to be sure 

[beanflying]

Today, I did a 12 hour soak of my 5328A against my 8656B.  Dropped the frequency to a nice round 100MHz and was able to drop the level a few more dB.

Despite neither having any current (or even known) calibration, the numbers were tantalisingly close ... the last digit bouncing relatively evenly between 7 and 8 with maybe a leaning to the 8.



Now I'm getting the itch for a GPSDO to determine ....... ......

Oh... shit.... this slope is slippeeerrrrrrrryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy



PS.  Both units pictured above are the direct result of Bean the Enabler in action, throwing shiny things at my feet.

And yet I feel NO guilt at all   

Speaking of GPSDO's has anyone looked inside one of these cheapies yet or is there a thread? eBay auction: #363118699716 Seems there is several sub $100 offerings.

[nfmax]

BD, I have ZD 985 myself.  boogered it up good with a blockage.  Ended up turning the heat up to maximum, leaving it for about 10 minutes and then used the cleaning rod while depressing the trigger to clear it.  So much better than braid.

This job would have been hell without this and I've avoided a lot of repairs before. Not only that I don't have to necessarily snip the parts out now to safely desolder which makes debugging and lifting leads cheaper.

I am impressed. Money well spent 

Yes, I know. Got one of these too.

I have a ZD-985.  Boogered it up once really good.  Ended up turning up power all the way, leaving it for 10 minutes and then used the cleaning rod while depressing the trigger to remove it.  I still use braid occasionally but nothing beats the desoldering tool.  Huge step up from the crappy radio shack desoldering iron with that stupid red bulb on it.  I celebrated pitching that into the bin.

I have one of the exact same things, branded Pro'sKit (which always reminds me of Vogons) model number SS-331, that I bought from TopLoser a few years ago. My motivation was fitting a replacement Chinese VFD to my -hp- 53131A counter, or to be exact, removing the old one. Works a treat, though fiddly to clean and reassemble. I have the cable draped over the side of my bench in the approved manner, too

[Specmaster]

Saw a Fluke 8300A this weekend. While I was negotiating a price, someone paid full price for it. Ah, well.

Anyone from here grab it? It's got nice options.

What dastardly behaviour! If people go around doing things like paying full price how are skinflints like me ever going to end up with any test gear?

The solution is simple. Stop being a cheapskate. 

where's the fun in that then 

[Cymaphore]

Has anybody got any experience of Molex "Nano-Fit" connectors? They're the baby 2.5 mm pitch version of the classic Molex "Mini-Fit" that we all know as a PC motherboard power connector. (The ranges go: Mini, Mini Jr, Micro and Nano.)

I'm thinking of using them as the power and ancillary connectors for the GPSDO PCB - a step up from crappy 0.1" DuPont style (and more compact) and tougher than JST-whatevers. Anybody got anything good, or bad, to say about them?

I have. We used it on an extension board for one of our small control devices, see attachment.

It's shitty. Crimp is delicate, locking mechanism weakish and unlocking the pins tends to damage the holding spring.

If you have a choice, go for something else.

Well, that's depressing. Sounds like it might be back to the drawing board.

The problem with wire to board connectors is that starting from a blank page the choice is huge, and it's very difficult to judge these things from photos, drawings and datasheets.

I want something that is reasonably compact that doesn't take up too much board area, is good for roughly an amp of power @ 6-12V or LVCMOS digital signals. Needs to be something that can be bought in small quantities at a reasonable price, which constrains the search space somewhat. Anyone got suggestions?

If no-one has any bright ideas I might just either chance my arm with the Nano-Fits or stick to the tried and tested but, around here anyway, unloved JST-XH.

SWMBO-II has just come in and demanded that I come and check how full her bowl is before she undertakes a proper survey of her new box with warning labels.

How about some Phoenix connectors?
Mine are a bit clunky, but there are smaller ones.

From my switch (switching between two soldering irons, JBC T245 <--> T470)



Edit:

another example:


Source:
https://www.ee.co.za/article/phoenix-168-03-connectors-offer-high-performance-in-a-minimum-amount-of-space.html

Another good series of connectors are WAGO MCS Mini and MCS Midi, in non-automotive environments with requirement of being universal and no requirement of much mechanical coding those are not bad. And you'll get something with a similar PCB footprint like the Molex if you're lucky

[mnementh]

*currently somehow home alone without wife or chiddlers*

Same thing here today.  Ooops, I was at the home of wife's mother    Not my own house (which has its own problems) 

At least I got to play with my 8060A  ... fixed a bunch (but not all) of wiring issues. Had been worked on previously by a gorilla (wife's brother). Some of the problems pre-date the gorilla work...        Did not fix what I was asked to fix. Need to go back again with simple switches and light fixtures.The plan will be to rip out all the fancy crap, and start over following the KISS principle.

Zucca, one thing to never ever assume in North America that only one breaker feeds power to a device box....
Electrical code clearly says this is NOT allowed.  Almost every house where I have looked closely at the electrical violates this.
Including today.  Including my own house (SWMBO will not allow ripping apart the whole house to fix it...  warning notes will have to suffice for now)

In principle, this should be only allowable with 220V circuits using at least ICT breakers. Of course, YMMV, DQMOT, IANAL, DILLIGAF...? all apply.

I too saw much of this back in the land of cowboys, Tejas; as actual electrical inspections in a person's home are pretty much a mythical beast.

I'm not too sanguine aboot my current abode either; as all the while I've lived here, we've had outlets in the living room (of course, the only one near the CATV for our internet) that would go out if you tried to make toast and nuke your coffee at the same time. Yes, nukebox/toaster plugged into different outlets.

Oh, and a outdoor outlet & security light that didn't work at all, until the owner and his "associate" came out to "get things ready" for an electrical inspector visit... (!!!) that didn't happen until 8 months after we moved in... 

mnem

[med6753]

The Type 547 back on the external 100V supply. Just the 100V and it came up with no issues. Only drawing 184mA. PSU +100V is rated to 400mA. I have the vertical amplifier disconnected for the time being. Going to let it sit for a while. Then I will reconnect the vertical amplifier and attempt to bring up the rest of the PSU with the external 100V supply.

Whatever the issue is it is being damn elusive.