Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[Specmaster]

If anybody had a Keysight tattoo a few years ago, I wonder what they are thinking now

Yeah, with the kind of attitude they expressed recently in that other post, they can and shove their gear where the sun don't shine, long live TTi say I, TTi FTW.

[tggzzz]

If anybody had a Keysight tattoo a few years ago, I wonder what they are thinking now

I think they were still in the queue getting their HP and Agilent tattoos lasered off.

Isn't there a CATV show about a minor industry catering to people revising embarassing tattoos - by adding more tattoos.

Long ago my daughter was wondering about tattoos. I asked her what tattoo she would have had 10 years earlier (e.g. TeleTubbies), and whether she would still want it. AFAIK she still doesn't have any

[mnementh]

Yup... Have personal experience with all of the above. Although straightening the crank was done ghetto fab in the toolshed; with mower bolted to angle iron in granddad's vise and a length of schedule 200 pipe as a persuader. Got it within a couple thou on dial indicator without cracking crank or case. Even the old man was impressed I figured that out myself at the tender young age of 12.

I now know I was lucky the crank didn't just grenade the first time I fired it up, of course. 

mnem
It's a wonder I didn't kill myself with the damned thing... 

Straightening cranks used to be a good money earner and you can get them quite close to perfect and the steel in B&S don't mind being cold straightened.
Even had to do our own  but with the move away from one piece blades has reduced most of that sort of crank damage.

Well, I was considering the crude methods used to straighten the crank as the reason I was lucky.  Tho yes, it's true... for 1900s engineering, B&S engines were pretty forgiving of abuse. Maybe because of it.

My plan is more empirical... I'm going to put a new balanced blade on, and if it starts easy like it has done so far and doesn't shake like a belly dancer on crack, I'm just gonna use it. 

mnem

[Specmaster]

https://www.sportbible.com/football/news-england-fan-has-already-got-euro-2020-winners-tattoo-before-final-agai-20210709

Ah yes the greater spotted retard. Normally found in the natural habitat of suburban small towns. Decorates their house with red and white flags, has a trampoline in a garden of yellow grass, cigarette ends and dog shit. Can be identified from a distance by two-thirds of a Ford Mondeo in the middle of the front lawn, two bikes and a smoking fat woman with a bad tan sitting on the door step.

Hell yes, there are a couple of those, just like that, not too far away from me. You forgot to add the excessive amount of Christmas Decorations, not a square inch of wall space left, garden and roof almost jammed full as well, needs own power station to keep on, and they all go up in late November 

[bd139]

If anybody had a Keysight tattoo a few years ago, I wonder what they are thinking now

I think they were still in the queue getting their HP and Agilent tattoos lasered off.

Tattoos are not my thing.  Crosses the "Always have an exit plan" mindset too much.

Indeed. Some of them are pretty good to be fair. But it’s a short sighted proposition because after a few years they always look like you’ve been attacked by a small child with a sharpie or like a cat’s asshole because you lost a ton of weight or something.

[Cerebus]

Are there only two flavors of triax connectors (2-lug and 3-lug), or are there others?

When you say "Triax" I ask "Lemo or fischer?"





I've only worked with fischer ones (My present employer standardised on fischer 25+ years ago, thus making it the only one for the Swedish market, much like the Lemos likely are in the UK, given the BBC preference), but I once held the company record for fitting one onto 11mm camera cable; 15 minutes from cut to boot pushed over connector.  Most people only managed 30 minutes.

That red Soviet voltmeter is the most brutally gorgeous piece of test equipment that I have ever seen.

I must admit to liking it too. My arm has a Vostok watch since yesterday.

For the avoidance of doubt, none of those are the MIL-C-49142, TRB 50 triaxial connectors that are in question. (Just in case someone stumbles on your joke and mistakes the broadcast triax for the instrumentation triax and wastes a fortune acquiring the wrong connectors.)

[bd139]

https://www.sportbible.com/football/news-england-fan-has-already-got-euro-2020-winners-tattoo-before-final-agai-20210709

Ah yes the greater spotted retard. Normally found in the natural habitat of suburban small towns. Decorates their house with red and white flags, has a trampoline in a garden of yellow grass, cigarette ends and dog shit. Can be identified from a distance by two-thirds of a Ford Mondeo in the middle of the front lawn, two bikes and a smoking fat woman with a bad tan sitting on the door step.

Hell yes, there are a couple of those, just like that, not too far away from me. You forgot to add the excessive amount of Christmas Decorations, not a square inch of wall space left, garden and roof almost jammed full as well, needs own power station to keep on, and they all go up in late November 

Oh yea we have mega Christmas decoration house too.

Also in the front garden it has an oversized memorial for the male member of the house, the cause of death I do not know but probably involved tobacco and McDelivery.

[mnementh]

Well fuck... 

mnem
You got me again, Murphy...

I got given, yesterday, which was my birthday,  a Tormek grinding machine. As they say about it, "crazy sharp" system. One does get very, very sharp tools from it with no big effort. Once you get some shape into that cow-food propeller, I'll grind it for you. 

Oh, that is one sexy beast. Far too nice for the likes of me; it's meant to put a precision edge on things like tailor's shears or the iron in a good plane. You would anger the machining gods if you were to sully it so.

mnem
 

[Cerebus]

In a prior life where others were living in the same residence I always knew when someone was into my tools/equipment. They never put it back in the right spot or would forget to put it back. And I would ask where so-and-so was and no one would own up. Never again will that repeat itself. 

The last person to do that to my tools is dead - and I'm not talking natural causes.

The truth is that Dave was killed by a combination of alcohol, recklessness, a motorbike and a big tree. But I don't tell them that. Dave was, however, the last person to mess with my tools - largely I suspect because ever since I've been able to tell people that he was the last man to abuse my tools, and that he's dead, with a straight face and my hand on my heart.

You'll need to give more details. Those facts could still involve you chasing him on a motorbike with a whisky bottle in your hand etc.

McBryce.

No, that was a different day, the outcome was non-fatal, and we eventually had a laugh about it once we had both forgotten the floozie it involved. 

[BU508A]

If anybody had a Keysight tattoo a few years ago, I wonder what they are thinking now

I think they were still in the queue getting their HP and Agilent tattoos lasered off.

Tattoos are not my thing.  Crosses the "Always have an exit plan" mindset too much.

Indeed. Some of them are pretty good to be fair. But it’s a short sighted proposition because after a few years they always look like you’ve been attacked by a small child with a sharpie or like a cat’s asshole because you lost a ton of weight or something.

Enlarge at your own risk...

[bd139]

Hahaha. Now my family are staring at me wondering what I saw and I’m not showing them 

[Specmaster]

https://www.sportbible.com/football/news-england-fan-has-already-got-euro-2020-winners-tattoo-before-final-agai-20210709

Ah yes the greater spotted retard. Normally found in the natural habitat of suburban small towns. Decorates their house with red and white flags, has a trampoline in a garden of yellow grass, cigarette ends and dog shit. Can be identified from a distance by two-thirds of a Ford Mondeo in the middle of the front lawn, two bikes and a smoking fat woman with a bad tan sitting on the door step.

Hell yes, there are a couple of those, just like that, not too far away from me. You forgot to add the excessive amount of Christmas Decorations, not a square inch of wall space left, garden and roof almost jammed full as well, needs own power station to keep on, and they all go up in late November 

Oh yea we have mega Christmas decoration house too.

Also in the front garden it has an oversized memorial for the male member of the house, the cause of death I do not know but probably involved tobacco and McDelivery.

For a moment there when I was reading your post, a vision of a giant penis flashed into my head, brightly lit by the seasonal illuminations 

[Kosmic]

I upped my curve tracer game. Now to find triax and a test fixture. Have a lead on the latter...triax may be harder. Hence the ghetto zener diode test I set up. 

I just bought a Keithley 236 SMU and I'm also looking for triax cables of the 3-lug variety. I was planning on buying some Belden triax cable at ~USD2 per ~33cm off of ebay and then some of these triax connectors:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/10000132950232.html

...which are expensive, but not nearly as insanely expensive as the OEM Keithley triax cables that are apparently still in use by somebody that is spending my tax money.

Are there only two flavors of triax connectors (2-lug and 3-lug), or are there others?

That red Soviet voltmeter is the most brutally gorgeous piece of test equipment that I have ever seen.

EDIT:

Was planning on building my own test fixture (how hard could that be?  ) and then start plotting some curves (maybe getting a GPIB adapter eventually).

You should avoid cheap triax knockoff connectors (no name connectors from ebay or ali). They are garbage.

My experience over here: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/test-equipment-anonymous-(tea)-group-therapy-thread/msg3536242/#msg3536242

[BU508A]

https://www.sportbible.com/football/news-england-fan-has-already-got-euro-2020-winners-tattoo-before-final-agai-20210709

Ah yes the greater spotted retard. Normally found in the natural habitat of suburban small towns. Decorates their house with red and white flags, has a trampoline in a garden of yellow grass, cigarette ends and dog shit. Can be identified from a distance by two-thirds of a Ford Mondeo in the middle of the front lawn, two bikes and a smoking fat woman with a bad tan sitting on the door step.

Hell yes, there are a couple of those, just like that, not too far away from me. You forgot to add the excessive amount of Christmas Decorations, not a square inch of wall space left, garden and roof almost jammed full as well, needs own power station to keep on, and they all go up in late November 

Oh yea we have mega Christmas decoration house too.

Also in the front garden it has an oversized memorial for the male member of the house, the cause of death I do not know but probably involved tobacco and McDelivery.

For a moment there when I was reading your post, a vision of a giant penis flashed into my head, brightly lit by the seasonal illuminations 

There is this "Festival of the Steel Phallus" in Japan ...

[mnementh]

That red Soviet voltmeter is the most brutally gorgeous piece of test equipment that I have ever seen...

Brutally gorgeous is exactly the right phrase.  I'll be honest... I actually gave serious consideration to buying it myself, even with the painful shipping to the GWN. 

mnem
 

[Cerebus]

If you think your MIG is old you don't wanna see my much older Danish Migatronic AutoMIG 180

I've not seen your Migatronic, but I've seen the factory it was made in. I keep thinking I should get a small stick welder, but I'd like it to be a Kemppi. Or perhaps an Esab. Or Migatronic. Depends if you want to do Finnish, Swedish or Danish welding 

Is Finnish welding anything like a Finnish suicide? 

[bd139]

https://www.sportbible.com/football/news-england-fan-has-already-got-euro-2020-winners-tattoo-before-final-agai-20210709

Ah yes the greater spotted retard. Normally found in the natural habitat of suburban small towns. Decorates their house with red and white flags, has a trampoline in a garden of yellow grass, cigarette ends and dog shit. Can be identified from a distance by two-thirds of a Ford Mondeo in the middle of the front lawn, two bikes and a smoking fat woman with a bad tan sitting on the door step.

Hell yes, there are a couple of those, just like that, not too far away from me. You forgot to add the excessive amount of Christmas Decorations, not a square inch of wall space left, garden and roof almost jammed full as well, needs own power station to keep on, and they all go up in late November 

Oh yea we have mega Christmas decoration house too.

Also in the front garden it has an oversized memorial for the male member of the house, the cause of death I do not know but probably involved tobacco and McDelivery.

For a moment there when I was reading your post, a vision of a giant penis flashed into my head, brightly lit by the seasonal illuminations 

 

Male member. Must remember to choose words carefully next time 

[mnementh]

Ooh, a Tormek - sweet!  One of those is on my list for some day...

-Pat

I've only tried it on three knives, a Leatherman, a vintage Mora, and a very cheap kitchen knife. They all, with minimum effort, became very useful tools. And that is from only free-hand work; I was given the basic machine yesterday. I guess more parts for the system are forthcoming...

   Like buying a lathe or a milling machine, the basic machine winds up being the cheap part.  The pain comes when you start equipping it with tooling to actually DO stuff with it.   

-Pat

Yes; fortunately, (or unfortunately...?) mansaxel knows how to 3DP. Custom guides and jigs should be as easy as "snicker-snack went the Vorpal blade..."

mnem
 

[Cerebus]

https://www.sportbible.com/football/news-england-fan-has-already-got-euro-2020-winners-tattoo-before-final-agai-20210709

Ah yes the greater spotted retard. Normally found in the natural habitat of suburban small towns. Decorates their house with red and white flags, has a trampoline in a garden of yellow grass, cigarette ends and dog shit. Can be identified from a distance by two-thirds of a Ford Mondeo in the middle of the front lawn, two bikes and a smoking fat woman with a bad tan sitting on the door step.

Hell yes, there are a couple of those, just like that, not too far away from me. You forgot to add the excessive amount of Christmas Decorations, not a square inch of wall space left, garden and roof almost jammed full as well, needs own power station to keep on, and they all go up in late November 

Oh yea we have mega Christmas decoration house too.

Also in the front garden it has an oversized memorial for the male member of the house, the cause of death I do not know but probably involved tobacco and McDelivery.

For a moment there when I was reading your post, a vision of a giant penis flashed into my head, brightly lit by the seasonal illuminations 

There is this "Festival of the Steel Phallus" in Japan ...

If I ever had a pet armadillo, I'd name him Steely Dan. (Someone will get it...)

[med6753]

https://www.sportbible.com/football/news-england-fan-has-already-got-euro-2020-winners-tattoo-before-final-agai-20210709

Ah yes the greater spotted retard. Normally found in the natural habitat of suburban small towns. Decorates their house with red and white flags, has a trampoline in a garden of yellow grass, cigarette ends and dog shit. Can be identified from a distance by two-thirds of a Ford Mondeo in the middle of the front lawn, two bikes and a smoking fat woman with a bad tan sitting on the door step.

Hell yes, there are a couple of those, just like that, not too far away from me. You forgot to add the excessive amount of Christmas Decorations, not a square inch of wall space left, garden and roof almost jammed full as well, needs own power station to keep on, and they all go up in late November 

Oh yea we have mega Christmas decoration house too.

Also in the front garden it has an oversized memorial for the male member of the house, the cause of death I do not know but probably involved tobacco and McDelivery.

For a moment there when I was reading your post, a vision of a giant penis flashed into my head, brightly lit by the seasonal illuminations 

There is this "Festival of the Steel Phallus" in Japan ...

If I ever had a pet armadillo, I'd name him Steely Dan. (Someone will get it...)

[med6753]

In a prior life where others were living in the same residence I always knew when someone was into my tools/equipment. They never put it back in the right spot or would forget to put it back. And I would ask where so-and-so was and no one would own up. Never again will that repeat itself. 

The last person to do that to my tools is dead - and I'm not talking natural causes.

The truth is that Dave was killed by a combination of alcohol, recklessness, a motorbike and a big tree. But I don't tell them that. Dave was, however, the last person to mess with my tools - largely I suspect because ever since I've been able to tell people that he was the last man to abuse my tools, and that he's dead, with a straight face and my hand on my heart.

You'll need to give more details. Those facts could still involve you chasing him on a motorbike with a whisky bottle in your hand etc.

McBryce.

No, that was a different day, the outcome was non-fatal, and we eventually had a laugh about it once we had both forgotten the floozie it involved. 

Somehow floozie's are always involved. 

[mnementh]

electric ones are cheaper than all that shit 

   I made the switch to battery electric a few years ago.   

I don't miss the noise, oil changes, carb cleaner and last year's stale gas.   Best of all, I no longer suffer the embarrassment of driving my electric car to go buy gas for the mower.

Sorry... that is exactly the kind of "ewaste the day it was made" crap I was talking aboot. Everything aboot is to do one thing: get big oil their money at the frontend of the product's life cycle instead of from the use of the product. THAT is why they support these things now; no other reason.

The name is exactly right; that's all it was ever made for, to stroke your ego. Like the South Park ep where dad got a hybrid and was so smug aboot it he started liking the smell of his own farts. 

Gorgeous pup, tho. 

mnem
 

[mnementh]

In a prior life where others were living in the same residence I always knew when someone was into my tools/equipment. They never put it back in the right spot or would forget to put it back. And I would ask where so-and-so was and no one would own up. Never again will that repeat itself. 

The last person to do that to my tools is dead - and I'm not talking natural causes.

The truth is that Dave was killed by a combination of alcohol, recklessness, a motorbike and a big tree. But I don't tell them that. Dave was, however, the last person to mess with my tools - largely I suspect because ever since I've been able to tell people that he was the last man to abuse my tools, and that he's dead, with a straight face and my hand on my heart.

You'll need to give more details. Those facts could still involve you chasing him on a motorbike with a whisky bottle in your hand etc.

McBryce.

You sick bastard.  Despite how gruesomely dark that was, you still made me LOL IRL. 

mnem

[mnementh]

Geez.... 6 pages in just 18 hours.  Keeping up with this thread is becoming a real challenge.

mnem
It is hard work... but I have a lot of Karma to burn off...

[mnementh]

Just like scopes and probes 

And power dividers, and RF cables & adapters, and terminators, and standards, and crimpers, and soldering/desoldering equipment, and, and...     These rabbit holes have express elevators!

Yeah    Just bought a metcal iron.

Kicks ass, doesn't it?  I finally got one last year - love it!

-Pat

Welcome to club metcal. You will never leave 

I do sincerely hope my relentless proselytizing in here had something to do widdat. 

mnem
but it was probably bd...