Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[mnementh]

"A man made it; a man can fix it." ~grand-dad

mnem
Patience is the cure.

Yes, but what if was "beyond the ken of man", that is, made by a woman?

Then, as with most cases where men & women conflict, the man is well & truly fooked. Unless he can talk her into a good fuck. 

mnem

[xrunner]

The old stuff still works

Yes but do they want it? NO! They all sell to get the latest SDR with the pretty display. It's almost a competition to have the latest ham gear. 

[bd139]

The old stuff still works

Yes but do they want it? NO! They all sell to get the latest SDR with the pretty display. It's almost a competition to have the latest ham gear. 

Yep! I know someone who did that actually. Sold out all his stuff to pay the deposit to get an Elecraft K4. I reckon based on his ownership vs usage ratio it cost him around £250 per QSO at average 

[mnementh]

...Makes a great task lamp as the flexible gooseneck lets you put the light exactly where you want it, like this:

I have several of those... they seem awesome at first, but I have the same problem with them I do with LED flashlights that have a lens to concentrate the light: The refraction around the edges of the light drives my eyes batshit crazy, and is entirely too distracting. This also makes shadows seem to go in the wrong directions when looking at things through my magnifying visor.

I still much prefer a half-decent quality magnifying lamp like the Daniu one I proselytized in here before; both for quality of illumination and magnifying functionality:



Although while moving, I did unearth the Luxo Circline bulb illuminated medical-grade swingarm magnifier I bought a year or so ago...



mnem
*wibble*

[mnementh]

   I Macgyvered the 4145B some more so I could test it out more. 

The ability to overlay measurements is incredibly useful. The curves for the 2N2222A also show hFE.  [edit] and you can use the cursors and lines features to compute the Early voltage.

yumm. def a bit jelly over that score. 

Did you tell us how much it set you back...? Sorry, I'm a bit scattered with being right "in the heat" of the move, etc...

mnem
 

[BU508A]

I'm using this silicone mat, recommended by the Hacktuber:



Example from ebay:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/292582337307

As always: NAWTS

[bd139]

   I Macgyvered the 4145B some more so I could test it out more. 

The ability to overlay measurements is incredibly useful. The curves for the 2N2222A also show hFE.  [edit] and you can use the cursors and lines features to compute the Early voltage.

yumm. def a bit jelly over that score. 

Did you tell us how much it set you back...? Sorry, I'm a bit scattered with being right "in the heat" of the move, etc...

mnem
 

Hopefully less than 5% of the original price  . Those were very not cheap bits of kit. It's basically a specialised SMU. Voltage compliance is a bit shit compared to the older Tek things though. I was never allowed near one of them once - that's how much they cost 

[BU508A]

mnem
"That's not sawdust; it's man glitter..."

I'm missing the unicorn on your t-shirt. 

[mnementh]

I'm using since more than 6 years this one:

https://www.amazon.de/dp/B074H95MVT



Important to me was 150mm diameter of the lense which makes it more comfortable to use.

Yup. The only thing I wish my Daniu had is a slightly larger lens; it is 115mm dia. Part of the reason I find myself thinking aboot the LUXO again, even tho it is so much heavier and bulkier. But for $25 brand-new, that Daniu is still a steal.

mnem
 

[Brumby]

Wanted to add some USB-3 to my aging computer, so I bought a board and have had it sitting on my desk for a week.  Finally got over the inertia to detach my machine from the web of connections, stick it on the desk and open it up.  I knew there'd be a bit of dust to deal with having seen the front intake grill, but when I checked out the CPU heatsink fins, I was greeted by a grey carpet.  It was still thin enough that some air could get through, but it clearly had to be dealt with.  I took the box out to the garage, fired up my air compressor and proceeded to clear out the stampede of dust bunnies - taking care to control the rotation of all the fans.

Then I took the box inside, set it up on my desk ..... and started down a path of misery.

Armed with my bottle of IPA, I removed the RAM, graphics card and CPU cooler - in turn - to give them special attention.  This all went as intended until I went to refit the CPU cooler.  I know I had a syringe of Noctua NT-H1 .... somewhere.  I remember seeing it only a week or two ago.....

I then spent around two hours going through all the logical places it should be, the logical places it could be, then the places it might be, followed by those where I wouldn't expect it to be.  No luck.   

Frustrated that I would not be able to fire up my computer until such compound was located, I sat back in my chair and thought I might as well just start tidying up, in the hope that inspiration would come to me.  As I reached to a stack of lids that I hadn't refitted to some of the containers I had accessed 'recently'  , I found it, just laying in the recess of the top lid.  I won't give details as to just how close it was to me all this time, but ... 

Now all is done, new board is in, power cabling reshuffled (because it has its own 4 pin power socket .... of course) and dressed for best airflow.  Had to dig around for a driver, but that wasn't too traumatic.  Everything now up and running.  Finally.


Now I just have to pick up after myself.  Everything around my desk (and the desk itself) looks like a bomb has gone off.  So much for my day off.   

[mnementh]

mnem
"That's not sawdust; it's man glitter..."

I'm missing the unicorn on your t-shirt. 

Sorry... it's on the side of the van with waterfalls and Barbarella on back of a dragon... 

mnem
ehh... every once in a while you have to let the freak banner fly...

[mnementh]

Wanted to add some USB-3 to my aging computer, so I bought a board and have had it sitting on my desk for a week.  Finally got over the inertia to detach my machine from the web of connections, stick it on the desk and open it up.  I knew there'd be a bit of dust to deal with having seen the front intake grill, but when I checked out the CPU heatsink fins, I was greeted by a grey carpet.  It was still thin enough that some air could get through, but it clearly had to be dealt with.  I took the box out to the garage, fired up my air compressor and proceeded to clear out the stampede of dust bunnies - taking care to control the rotation of all the fans.

Then I took the box inside, set it up on my desk ..... and started down a path of misery.

Armed with my bottle of IPA, I removed the RAM, graphics card and CPU cooler - in turn - to give them special attention.  This all went as intended until I went to refit the CPU cooler.  I know I had a syringe of Noctua NT-H1 .... somewhere.  I remember seeing it only a week or two ago.....

I then spent around two hours going through all the logical places it should be, the logical places it could be, then the places it might be, followed by those where I wouldn't expect it to be.  No luck.   

Frustrated that I would not be able to fire up my computer until such compound was located, I sat back in my chair and thought I might as well just start tidying up, in the hope that inspiration would come to me.  As I reached to a stack of lids that I hadn't refitted to some of the containers I had accessed 'recently'  , I found it, just laying in the recess of the top lid.  I won't give details as to just how close it was to me all this time, but ... 

Now all is done, new board is in, power cabling reshuffled (because it has its own 4 pin power socket .... of course) and dressed for best airflow.  Had to dig around for a driver, but that wasn't too traumatic.  Everything now up and running.  Finally.


Now I just have to pick up after myself.  Everything around my desk (and the desk itself) looks like a bomb has gone off.  So much for my day off.   

Ahhhh... sounds like a loverly afternoon of tinkering to me. 

mnem

[Zucca]

I Macgyvered the 4145B

shit now I need one tooo... dammm you Ocul

BTW is there any DIY curve tracer kit available? It should be not too difficoult

[nixiefreqq]

looks like this guy is on the right scent of why that building in florida collapsed.

before construction someone decided to eliminate a slab grade change in the original design.  the genius who changed  the design to eliminate the beams that created the step forgot to make the columns bigger (the beams allowed smaller columns because they resist the punching shear forces). 

he concludes that it is no coincidence that the collapse started right at the location of the design change.

poor bastards.  (this is why structural engineers need to be licensed)

skip ahead to 14:00 for the good stuff.

[xrunner]

Scary shot of the day ... boo!

(from hp 436A)

 

[0culus]

   I Macgyvered the 4145B some more so I could test it out more. 

The ability to overlay measurements is incredibly useful. The curves for the 2N2222A also show hFE.  [edit] and you can use the cursors and lines features to compute the Early voltage.

yumm. def a bit jelly over that score. 

Did you tell us how much it set you back...? Sorry, I'm a bit scattered with being right "in the heat" of the move, etc...

mnem
 

Hopefully less than 5% of the original price  . Those were very not cheap bits of kit. It's basically a specialised SMU. Voltage compliance is a bit shit compared to the older Tek things though. I was never allowed near one of them once - that's how much they cost 

I got the seller down to $425. I think that was totally fair given that they (1) demonstrated it worked and (2) other sellers are demanding absolutely crazy BS prices for them. Factoring in the cost of accessories, I'll be into it for in the neighborhood of 1k when all is said and done. Considering the original purchase price fast forwarded to today's dollars, that's not bad at all.

Would you care to explain what you mean by voltage compliance being "a bit shit"? I don't think that's the case at all...the SMUs give you a level of control granularity over the test parameters you don't get with a typical analog curve tracer with fixed dissipation limiting resistors you select from.  However, it doesn't replace them, in particular for higher current characterization. The 4145B's forte (along with the more advanced 4155 and 4156 that have an order of magnitude better current resolution...good luck finding those for a reasonable price) is low to extremely low current measurements. My 575 just doesn't do that, and I don't have the Kelvin fixtures needed for my 577 to do it right.

[tggzzz]

I Macgyvered the 4145B

shit now I need one tooo... dammm you Ocul

BTW is there any DIY curve tracer kit available? It should be not too difficoult

Ask bd 

[Zucca]

LOL,

anyway I have a #waitaminute moment:

my Keithley 2400 with some GPIB Python should cover me up pretty well...

Interesting aspect about my TEA cancer, the brain is full of "I need it too" and stop thinking. 

[mnementh]

I Macgyvered the 4145B

shit now I need one tooo... dammm you Ocul

BTW is there any DIY curve tracer kit available? It should be not too difficult.

Ask bd 

      This is a whole 'nuther rabbit-hole...  

A basic component junction tester is easy; getting something that can accurately characterize the IV curve at various voltage ranges and frequency ranges... this gets exponentially more difficult the broader the range of semis you wish to be able to test. There's a reason 40-year-old hollow-state Tek models are still in demand.

http://www.seattlerobotics.org/encoder/200304/VItracer.htm

http://www.paulvdiyblogs.net/2017/12/building-curve-tracer.html

There are a number of kits out there on fleaBay, with varying levels of usefulness vs price:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/154515935339?hash=item23f9de106b:g:0kkAAOSwD15g305v

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2380057.m570.l1313&_nkw=curve+tracer+kit&_sacat=0

Alternately, you may wish to look into the Atlas DCA-75 PRO; it's not exactly cheap, but at ~$150, probably the least expensive way to get something marginally accurate as long as you only need LV testing (~+/-12V applied):     ebay search

Good hunting!

mnem
 

[mnementh]

   I Macgyvered the 4145B some more so I could test it out more. 

The ability to overlay measurements is incredibly useful. The curves for the 2N2222A also show hFE.  [edit] and you can use the cursors and lines features to compute the Early voltage.

yumm. def a bit jelly over that score. 

Did you tell us how much it set you back...? Sorry, I'm a bit scattered with being right "in the heat" of the move, etc...

mnem
 

Hopefully less than 5% of the original price  . Those were very not cheap bits of kit. It's basically a specialised SMU. Voltage compliance is a bit shit compared to the older Tek things though. I was never allowed near one of them once - that's how much they cost 

I got the seller down to $425. I think that was totally fair given that they (1) demonstrated it worked and (2) other sellers are demanding absolutely crazy BS prices for them. Factoring in the cost of accessories, I'll be into it for in the neighborhood of 1k when all is said and done. Considering the original purchase price fast forwarded to today's dollars, that's not bad at all.

Would you care to explain what you mean by voltage compliance being "a bit shit"? I don't think that's the case at all...the SMUs give you a level of control granularity over the test parameters you don't get with a typical analog curve tracer with fixed dissipation limiting resistors you select from.  However, it doesn't replace them, in particular for higher current characterization. The 4145B's forte (along with the more advanced 4155 and 4156 that have an order of magnitude better current resolution...good luck finding those for a reasonable price) is low to extremely low current measurements. My 575 just doesn't do that, and I don't have the Kelvin fixtures needed for my 577 to do it right.

You got that for what would be a good price on a 575 with no jigs... I'd say that is definitely   territory.   

Cheers!   

mnem
 

[bd139]

I Macgyvered the 4145B

shit now I need one tooo... dammm you Ocul

BTW is there any DIY curve tracer kit available? It should be not too difficoult

Ask bd 

Still working on it slowly.

It’s now a DIY SMU 

Total disaster day today though so doing sweet fuck all stuff for the rest of it other than eating 

[Vince]

There's a reason 40-year-old hollow-state Tek models are still in demand.

That would be 60 year old not 40 !    Yes, times flies eh ?

There are a number of kits out there on fleaBay, with varying levels of usefulness vs price:
mnem
 

Why bother with a cheap kit when you can get a proper tester for not much more money ?! I don't undersand ! 
And he even takes offers ! 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/352451939191?hash=item520fc5cb77:g:xQcAAOxyFd1SIPAG

[GreyWoolfe]

I recently scored a 1975 vintage belt driven Craftsman table saw that needs a little TLC but cuts fine, and a barely used 1978 vintage belt driven 6" jointer/planer for not a lot of money.  Both built like brick sh!thouses.  The guy I bought the saw from, helped me get it off the stand to get it into my van and I had to get help to get it back on the stand as it was too damn heavy for me to lift on my own.   Got the 2 side extensions leveled and most of the rust cleaned off.  Now it is time to figure out how to lube it as space is tight underneath to get to everything.  The interesting thing about both of them is the way the power switches work.  They both have the safety plugs you can remove to render unusable which is not an issue as we are empty nesters but they aren't hard wired.  Both switches have outlets to plug the power cords from the motors.  First time I have seen that.  I love the old stuff, nothing built like it now.  Even my 1940's Montgomery Ward floor standing drill press still works a treat.

How true.  Their older stuff was top notch.  I still have the radial arm saw my father got in the late 60s/early 70s (rarely use it since getting my General cabinet saw, but it still runs great), and a Craftsman bench grinder that he got for Christmas in about 1962.  You can turn it off, come upstairs, grab something from the fridge & return to the garage before it's fully coasted to a stop.  A much newer one that we had at my previous workplace sounded like a worn out cement mixer filled with empty beer cans when it ran.  Total POS.

Like Rat Shack, it hurt to see Sears fail, but they dug their own grave.

-Pat

mnem
"That's not sawdust; it's man glitter..."

Cub, it is a shame about both.  I worked for RS in the early 90's.  Snagged lots of stuff out of boxes in the back rooms that were written off but not disposed of.  My best was a 3" display red LED alarm clock that worked for about 28 years before giving up the ghost.  They did sell good stuff at one time.

Nmem, nothing like the wearing of fresh sawdust.  This past weekend, I was playing with the jointer/planer practicing on some pallet wood.  I plan to make a desktop for my computer desk out of pallet wood.  I was playing for about 20 minutes, I had a pile of shavings almost a foot deep. I am really going to have to figure out some sort of a catch basin to make clean up easier. There are some smells I just can't get enough of: fresh sawdust, fresh cut grass, gunpowder and my own marinara sauce recipe.

I am truly blessed for Mrs. GreyWoolfe.  She calls me spoiled but she is the enabler.  All the kill/maim yourself power tools I have are her saying; sure, we can get that, I'll find projects for you to use it on. Thankfully, we have an over sized 2 car garage for me to play in.  She also knows I am not going to buy something if I didn't have a use/need for it and I am going to hunt for the best price/value for the money.  The table saw, for example was $75 USD, I sold my 10+ year old cheap Ryobi table saw for $65 so the saw actually cost 10 yankee bux.  Plus I certainly got more than my money's worth out of the Ryobi so the initial cost is out of the equation as far as I am concerned. 

[mansaxel]

Even the full license lot here think a soldering iron goes up your bum. It’s a bit of a disaster.

I've successfully repaired several of my radios. Tools included soldering iron. Held correctly.

Just sayin'

[med6753]

Well I was hot on the trail of the horizontal issue and now it started working and is rock steady as shown on the 7904. I'm sure it will come back and I'll be ready. Gonna let it cook.