Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[bd139]

Just pulled all the 47 ohm resistors out of the HP counter. Carbon comp 5%. They're all above 56 ohms now 

[med6753]

ok......which one of you knuckleheads bought  sniped my hp2590a for 10 bucks?


(just kiddin'......i did not bid.)

I stood back, too.

-Pat

Ain't got no time to bid on anything. Up to my ass in bastard boat anchor. 

[nixiefreqq]

Just pulled all the 47 ohm resistors out of the HP counter. Carbon comp 5%. They're all above 56 ohms now 

and that is why i never bought a desoldering station.  bd will soon have a boat load of naked boards.

[med6753]

Just pulled all the 47 ohm resistors out of the HP counter. Carbon comp 5%. They're all above 56 ohms now 

and that is why i never bought a desoldering station.  bd will soon have a boat load of naked boards.

 

[mnementh]

Well I got some answers, and it isn't good. The Vertical Output transistors are blown again. Why I have no clue. And that would explain the +100V smoking. It just so happens I have another set on order as backup. But I'm also going to replace some surrounding active components as well. So off to Mouser ordering some more parts. This 547 is turning into a money pit but I am not about to give up. 

It looks like I can safely repair the internal +100V supply and test it.

Well, bitch-nards... is this something that it might be worth looking into slightly less wallet-searing substitute silicon? Or is the transistor package and that Apollo-11-grade mounting just too much finagling to even consider?

mnem
 

[bd139]

Just pulled all the 47 ohm resistors out of the HP counter. Carbon comp 5%. They're all above 56 ohms now 

and that is why i never bought a desoldering station.  bd will soon have a boat load of naked boards.

LMAO you're not wrong.

I can strip something of all the useful bits in 1/50th of the time now 

I actually have a bag sitting next to me containing the useful remains of that rusty old POS HP scope I had ages ago that I bought for the knobs 

[med6753]

Well I got some answers, and it isn't good. The Vertical Output transistors are blown again. Why I have no clue. And that would explain the +100V smoking. It just so happens I have another set on order as backup. But I'm also going to replace some surrounding active components as well. So off to Mouser ordering some more parts. This 547 is turning into a money pit but I am not about to give up. 

It looks like I can safely repair the internal +100V supply and test it.

Well, bitch-nards... is this something that it might be worth looking into slightly less wallet-searing substitute silicon? Or is the transistor package and that Apollo-11-grade mounting just too much finagling to even consider?

mnem
 

The matched pair vintage RCA 2N3119 were only $10 USD plus shipping.

[xrunner]

Just pulled all the 47 ohm resistors out of the HP counter. Carbon comp 5%. They're all above 56 ohms now 

and that is why i never bought a desoldering station.  bd will soon have a boat load of naked boards.

 

[Specmaster]

Yep, judging by the YT videos of house fires over there, so are their fires, by the time the fire dept arrive at the scene, the fire is already massive because most houses are timber, and then once they arrive and manage to get the water going, they fluff about so much that the house is normally a goner anyway 

but but but .... timber burns slow compared to the vinyl siding, vinyl window frames, polystyrene insulation, plastic fibre carpets and laminate flooring ....

Either way, it is burn baby burn, there is no going back....

mnem
*do-er, not a teach-er*

   Here is the matching ebay offer: https://www.ebay.de/itm/363334238576/

Awwww, damn... it looks just like E28, our brush truck when I was on the Dept.

*wistful sigh, missing the days when I was 10 feet tall and bulletproof*

mnem
nothing else in the world like the smell of turnout gear and a rack full of 2" line...

You jogged my memory there, talking about the turnout gear, reminded me of the time I got involved in with some fire stations, designing a control system for the lighting in stations so that when an emergency call was sent to the various fire stations. All the lights in the station along the turnout route from the rooms where the crews were likely to be in, to the tack room and the appliance bay, regardless of the original condition of those lights, be they off, dimmed etc were all switched onto full power instantly. Also in the case of remote stations, located out in the country and manned by part-time firemen, the lights could still be operated but also included the entrances to the station as these would normally be unmanned ones, and once the appliance signalled that it was on route, the lights could also be remotely switched off again.

[factory]

Found this little fellah in our local ebay 'Marktplaats'
was there for a while, looking at me with its snoopy eyes.. noone saw it i guess.. well what can you do.
so low balled it... and here it is 

Awesome, a 3469 buddy. I have the "A" version.

I've got another slightly different version of the 3469B in my repair queue, seems they updated the digital panel meter at least three times. I suspect the DPM part might be the same as the 3431A/B/C they sold separately, just never seen one of those advertised at a sensible price.



David

[mnementh]

      https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07GTD2JXP/

I'm likely to use either depending on what I have; tho I try to keep a sheet or two of these on hand at all times.

The emphasis on "try" there being because sometimes he wakes up in the middle of the night, mistakes it for chocolate and then all bets are off.

You would think so, but the smell of "cheap Chinese Rubber product" as you remove it from the baggie will remind you what it really is long before it gets anywhere your lips. 

mnem
not saying that would necessarily stop me...

[Cymaphore]

All these people being really anal about tidy wiring...

I've seen some truly messy wiring in my time, and these buildings hardly ever burn down!

Here are a few pics from my Hall of Shame:

What are you complaining about? It's not even burning and the colors seem remotely correct :-)

That is not a knife... THIS is a knife :-)

[mansaxel]

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

<snip>

Review: too easy. This thing is life changing  .

Told you so. How about me swapping 200 caps in the Studer... That would have been hell with braid or manual sucker, and a walk in the park with this prime Chinesium gear.. This is so easy money to defend spending, especially since mine is a gift from my wife, the enabler... 

[mnementh]

...Here are a few pics from my Hall of Shame:

This is the only one you really need... all the rest are just gravy.   

mnem

[Cymaphore]

Despite Cymaphore's reservations about the Nano-Fits I think I'll give them a try. They're reasonably cheap (the headers are in the 80p - £1.50 range for the sizes I need), reasonably skookum and a better fit for what I'm doing and how I'm trying to do it than anyone else has suggested.

I have to admit may opinion is based on production line experience in our manufacturing. Very high number of crimps done by assembly operators.

For the molex contacts we had a lot more faulty parts than average and I had to put a couple of additional procedures for them in place to ensure the same level of quality than with other contacts.

So based on procedures, processing time and faults it is a much more expensive and less favorable contact from my point of view. High production numbers shift priorities, things have to be repeatable reliable even in the hands of non-engineers.

If an engineer carefully creates a hand full of crimps, it's probably much less problematic in comparison.

[AVGresponding]

I thought the whole point, the existential reason, of the adaptable box was to allow you to hide a horrible mess and make the job look tidy (and keep it vaguely safe if you use a metal one and can be arsed to earth bond it). 

In this particular instance, that joint box was part of a new install of a fire alarm. For those that are not aware, it's pretty much considered to be the very worst practice to make joints like this, most especially without labelling in and out on a conventional system (which this is), and really not at all on an addressable loop system, where if you have to make a joint you really should put a device there.

NB: These are not the worst pics I have, they were just the first half dozen or so most apropos of the point at hand.

[tautech]

These recent few additions to the marking out kit are surprisingly accurate. I ran the calipers over them and tested against some blocks  The bit where they fail slightly in in the 90 degree guide bit but check it against a known square if you need to. I am considering taking the long one off the edge guide and just using it as a ruler and using a square against it if needed.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000338734447.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.19574c4dWOUKXs

Once again, bean is a successful enabler.  Ordered....

This reminds me that I need stair gauges for my framing square, the one thing this ali store does not seem to have.  One of my house repairs is to replace the stairs for the main entry door.  It is at the point where it can no longer wait till next year ... sigh 

Use the standard stair formula: 2xRise + Going = 600mm + 50mm
By adding additional nosing to treads you can tweak overall going measurements to fit best in the space available.

Transfer calcs to a roofing square to get the vertical and horizontal riser and tread angles (plumb and floor cuts) and the hypotenuse is the pitch or the stair stringers.....quite easy really. 

[factory]

ok......which one of you knuckleheads bought  sniped my hp2590a for 10 bucks?


(just kiddin'......i did not bid.)

I stood back, too.

-Pat

Apologies, I talked myself into buying the hp 2590A, total was $91 including shipping.
It was mostly designed by the Dymec division of hp, apart from the bought-in 30MHz IF strip, according to the history here; https://www.hpmemoryproject.org/timeline/jerry_collins/jerry_collins_memory_150321.htm#chapter7

OK it's not the A version, but this is the only picture I can find showing the insides.


David

[mnementh]

Just pulled all the 47 ohm resistors out of the HP counter. Carbon comp 5%. They're all above 56 ohms now 

and that is why i never bought a desoldering station.  bd will soon have a boat load of naked boards.

LMAO you're not wrong.

I can strip something of all the useful bits in 1/50th of the time now 

I actually have a bag sitting next to me containing the useful remains of that rusty old POS HP scope I had ages ago that I bought for the knobs 

Just imagine once he gets a hot air station... 

mnem
"Lock up the women and hide the fried chicken! bd is a-comin' with superheated air!!!"

[Specmaster]

Just pulled all the 47 ohm resistors out of the HP counter. Carbon comp 5%. They're all above 56 ohms now 

You're clearly having so much fun with your new tool, that you're looking for things to lift a leg on now to ease testing and finding so much to replace, things that with the old braid you would have left in situ as they were working 

[Specmaster]

Just pulled all the 47 ohm resistors out of the HP counter. Carbon comp 5%. They're all above 56 ohms now 

and that is why i never bought a desoldering station.  bd will soon have a boat load of naked boards.

Just imagine once he gets a hot air station... 

mnem
"Lock up the women and hide the fried chicken! bd is a-comin' with superheated air!!!"

Oh hell yeah, air fried chips 

[Cymaphore]

I thought the whole point, the existential reason, of the adaptable box was to allow you to hide a horrible mess and make the job look tidy (and keep it vaguely safe if you use a metal one and can be arsed to earth bond it). 

In this particular instance, that joint box was part of a new install of a fire alarm. For those that are not aware, it's pretty much considered to be the very worst practice to make joints like this, most especially without labelling in and out on a conventional system (which this is), and really not at all on an addressable loop system, where if you have to make a joint you really should put a device there.

NB: These are not the worst pics I have, they were just the first half dozen or so most apropos of the point at hand.

I sometimes wish I could get my hands on the creators of the shitty installations and put their faces into the consequences of their doing. But it wouldn't make a difference, because most of the time you just get a list of lame excuses that makes any bible look like a short footnote in comparison.

Hey, it's only the fire alarm system. What could possibly go wrong!

[mnementh]

Just pulled all the 47 ohm resistors out of the HP counter. Carbon comp 5%. They're all above 56 ohms now 

and that is why i never bought a desoldering station.  bd will soon have a boat load of naked boards.

Just imagine once he gets a hot air station... 

mnem
"Lock up the women and hide the fried chicken! bd is a-comin' with superheated air!!!"

Oh hell yeah, air fried chips 

In silicon, potato and pig varieties... 

mnem
 

[Cubdriver]

ok......which one of you knuckleheads bought  sniped my hp2590a for 10 bucks?


(just kiddin'......i did not bid.)

I stood back, too.

-Pat

Apologies, I talked myself into buying the hp 2590A, total was $91 including shipping.
It was mostly designed by the Dymec division of hp, apart from the bought-in 30MHz IF strip, according to the history here; https://www.hpmemoryproject.org/timeline/jerry_collins/jerry_collins_memory_150321.htm#chapter7

OK it's not the A version, but this is the only picture I can find showing the insides.


David

GOOD!!  No need to apologize - I think your expressed interest in it is why we all refrained from bidding.  I knew someone from across the pond had expressed interest in it, but wasn't inclined to scroll back and search for exactly who.  It's great that one of us got it - enjoy!

-Pat

[mnementh]

Well I got some answers, and it isn't good. The Vertical Output transistors are blown again. Why I have no clue. And that would explain the +100V smoking. It just so happens I have another set on order as backup. But I'm also going to replace some surrounding active components as well. So off to Mouser ordering some more parts. This 547 is turning into a money pit but I am not about to give up. 

It looks like I can safely repair the internal +100V supply and test it.

Well, bitch-nards... is this something that it might be worth looking into slightly less wallet-searing substitute silicon? Or is the transistor package and that Apollo-11-grade mounting just too much finagling to even consider?

mnem
 

The matched pair vintage RCA 2N3119 were only $10 USD plus shipping.

That adds up quick when you're popping them like M&Ms doing diag. Especially considering this was $6 delivered next-day via Prime.

I mean, yeah... it wasn't as bad as I feared... (thinking genuine vintage 2N3055s/2N2955s and such) if you only nuke a set or two. But still... ow. 

mnem