Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[AVGresponding]

Muahahaha! Soo cheap and all mine!

Snap! Sort of... mine were fooking expensive (by my standards)





Now, get your ass to Discord!

[Robert763]

I wonder if it's some kind of homage. Trying to think of other products that are 100% different but still named more or less the same.

Still HPAK, the M8920A
https://www.keysight.com/gb/en/product/M8920A/radio-test-set.html This can provide the functionality of the 8920A/B analog radio test sets. It looks nothing like a 8920A
https://www.keysight.com/gb/en/product/8920A/rf-communications-test-set.html
But some users have obviously found that there are very few new general purpose pieces of RF test equipment suitable for analog radios.
I'm guessing the M8920A was put togeteher to fulfill a tender request for analog radio test sets. Probably from the militay or their subcontractors.

[Robert763]

I just realised I made an unsupported claim about current clamps the other day. So here is proof.
I make that 23 but I do have another of the little 100A cllamps and a LEM Analyst 1000P power analyser that has a current clamp function. Neither were to hand when I took the photos. The PR30 has not arrived yet. Oh and a couple of shunts in case I want to get invasive.

But where's the [hp] 428b ? ? ? 

I never claimed to have one of those 
I have looked at a couple but they are a bit big. A lot of my clamps are used for work away from the bench.
The two Picotech clamps are part of a PicoAutomotive USB 'scope (4 ch 12 bit) vehicle diagnostic test kit.
I (CENSORED) with that at work last week. Not part of my main job but got asked to help. I wish I could share some work stuff but I'm not allowed to 

[mansaxel]

I just realised I made an unsupported claim about current clamps the other day. So here is proof.

But where's the [hp] 428b ? ? ? 

I never claimed to have one of those 

Therefore, your collection is not complete.

Yeah, I'm mostly a rational person, but that facade cracks a bit when a valve-driven DC clamp current meter is mentioned...

[factory]

I just realised I made an unsupported claim about current clamps the other day. So here is proof.
I make that 23 but I do have another of the little 100A cllamps and a LEM Analyst 1000P power analyser that has a current clamp function. Neither were to hand when I took the photos. The PR30 has not arrived yet. Oh and a couple of shunts in case I want to get invasive.

But where's the [hp] 428b ? ? ? 

I never claimed to have one of those 
I have looked at a couple but they are  bit big. A lot of my clamps are used for work away from the bench.
The two Picotech clamps are part of a PicoAutomotive USB 'scope (4 ch 12 bit) vehicle diagnostic test kit.
I (CENSORED) with that at work last week. Not part of my main job but got asked to help. I wish I could share some work stuff but I'm not allowed to 

There is always the sand-state version from Applied Physics using the same probe as the HP, I've never looked for them on ePay as I have a 428B here.
https://www.appliedphysics.com/products/magnetometers/


David

[cyclin_al]

OT: Holy Fucking Asscrackers... these guys are 10 minutes away from my house.   *wibble*

Yes, that's to be expected with P&W one town over. That usually means there's good work to be found in one of the supporting industries. If one's content with the military-industrial complex as employer, that is.

Huh!  I never clued into that.  It is totally obvious now.
P&W does all their big/military engines there.  Geared turbofans count as big, I suppose.

P&WC closer to here in the GWN does the smaller turbofans, along with turboprops and turboshafts.
P&WR in Poland does the APUs.

[KG7AMV]

Another Haul..

[mnementh]

Discord winding down now. A wild bd139 appeared!!!   

mnem
No electrons were harmed in the delivery of this message. A great many were terribly inconvenienced, however.

[Specmaster]

I just realised I made an unsupported claim about current clamps the other day. So here is proof.
I make that 23, but I do have another of the little 100A AC clamps and a LEM Analyst 1000P power analyser that has a current clamp function. Neither were to hand when I took the photos. The PR30 has not arrived yet. Oh and a couple of shunts in case I want to get invasive.

Well, I make that 20 and 2 current transformers  still an impressive array though, I can only lay claim to 3 myself.

[Specmaster]

Discord winding down now. A wild bd139 appeared!!!   

mnem
No electrons were harmed in the delivery of this message. A great many were terribly inconvenienced, however.

, It's Saturday  , sometimes these days, I lose track of the days, since I retired, one day is pretty much the same as any other now, especially with most of the shops also being open 7 days a week nowadays. Shame I even missed bd139, I trust he is in fine fettle. It dosen't look as if he is getting active in TE judging by his eBay listings though.

[tautech]

Discord winding down now. A wild bd139 appeared!!!   

mnem
No electrons were harmed in the delivery of this message. A great many were terribly inconvenienced, however.

, It's Saturday  , sometimes these days, I lose track of the days, since I retired, one day is pretty much the same as any other now, especially with most of the shops also being open 7 days a week nowadays. Shame I even missed bd139, I trust he is in fine fettle. It dosen't look as if he is getting active in TE judging by his eBay listings though.

Yeah he was in fine fettle G and seems to have finally found new digs to move into.
Partook too for a while until our power gave out again......storm conditions here.

[TERRA Operative]

ebay tat time.   HFM?!?   

For those playing along at home: eBay auction: #154830257268

Honestly, given how popular these scopes are, even at that price ($109.00 shipped to the US) lot of assache saved for the money. A nice little cottage industry for a niche market, as it were.  It would be nice if the cells were at least included, but then the shipping would increase exponentially, so... 

mnem
 

Circuit seems to be based on or is, the design mentioned in this thread  ; https://www.eevblog.com/forum/projects/li-ion-battery-pack-for-tektronix-222-and-224/msg951854/#msg951854
Bet the case is also on here somewhere, for those with 3Dprinters.
Having cells included might be a problem for some postage companies.

David

That case is a derivative of the one I designed, you'll find it on thingiverse.

I might even have some spare PCB's floating around if anyone is interested.

[Zucca]

Discord winding down now. A wild bd139 appeared!!!   

mnem
No electrons were harmed in the delivery of this message. A great many were terribly inconvenienced, however.

Holy batman!

[GreyWoolfe]

I'm glad this worked for you. The difference for me is that I'm not yet diabetic,glad to hear that.  Ketosis can turn to ketoacidosis which can be fatal to diabetics.  A friend just spent 3 days in intensive care due to it, she was lucky she came out of it. and if I'm going to stay that way, the low-carb diet (diet as in what you eat, not as in some fad to make you feel better about being fat)wish I had a dollar for every pound I've lost and gained back due to diets.  We could pay off the car note. has to become my lifestyle permanently.and that is the truth.
 No one can fix their weight issues if they can't fix their head and wrap their minds around permanent long term changes.  It must be about the long game and not instant gratification as we have learned the hard way over the years. And that I've actually done the Dub-Dub, and it did not work for me.Very sorry to hear that the Dub-Dub didn't work for you.  Just shows we all have to find our own path.

I've been there, and I've achieved my goal twice before, and I've let bouts of depression over life changes take over my eating habits. I hope that I can make it stick this time; but the truth is, I don't have time. I'm morbidly obese, and I need to lose at least another 20 kilos in the next 6 months. Period.Depression sux, been there, done that and wore out the t-shirt as it took a few years to get my head screwed back on straight.  Still don't know why Mrs. Greywoolfe didn't kick my tail to the curb.  I am thankful she didn't

Cheers,

mnem

I wish you the best on your journey, my friend.  I have walked the same path as you and am still working to find the end of the road.  I would be more than happy to stand with you and provide moral support if needed.  There have been many that have lifted and held me up over the years and I would be a poor friend if I didn't pay that forward.

[vk6zgo]

Zener : 9 different values from 2.7V up to 30V, all from the ZPD series bar one, the 6.8V one which is a ZTK. Go figure.

The ZTY 6V8 diode is not a standard zener. It's a temperature compensated voltage reference. Basically a 6V2 zenner in series with a silicon diode. The positive temperature coefficent of the zener is cancelled by the negative of the diode.
If you check it wirh a DMM on diode check it will read open in both directions. This is because the two diodes are back to back. You have to check it in reverse with a current limited source of >7 V

It's a ZTK not ZTY.  I googled but didn't find any ZTY Zener series.

Anyway the ZTK datasheet does say that it's temperature compensated, I did note that yesterday when I pulled the datasheet, but didn't know what to think of it...I mean datasheet headlines often use all sorts of buzz words to make you believe that your very common this or that part, is extra-ordinary and so much better than the others.... so I always take it with a pinch of salt.

However they don't say that it uses an extra diode in there for compensation, and indeed when I measure it, there is none. It measures just like any regular Zener.
So they must use some other kind of mechanism to achieve that compensation...

Anyway, I didn't know that there were temperature compensated Zener diodes, never mind that, at least some of them, did that by adding an extra diode in there.
So... thanks for the info !

6.8v was a standard Zener voltage back in the "dreamtime", along with 5.6v .

I remember having to build a project with somewhat non standard logic levels, because 6.8v Zeners were all that were stocked in the TV site store, way out in the middle of a wheat farmers paddock.

The monster thing used 4000 series CMOS, & some TTL stuff.

It operated a switchable audio oscillator, & some 4066 switches, along with  some  relays, to automatically send test tones, terminations, etc to perform a programme line test from an unattended Studio.
 Everybody said "Use a micro", but I knew zilch about them, so all the "smart" stuff was done with a 555, a bunch of gates, a 4017 & a "diode matrix".
It worked, but "never fired a shot in anger!"

[vk6zgo]

In other news: My car's wiper motor has packed up. Fault traced (thanks to a suitably rugged yellow Fluke 27 that I'm not scared to put near a circuit connected to a big lead acid battery) and unfortunately it really is a failed wiper motor, not just a 10 minute electrical fix. Looks like a combination of water ingress and  poor design of drainage points.

I had a wiper motor like that once, with the MoT due.

Once I had checked that the wording was "if fitted, windscreen wipers must work", the solution was simple. Yes, it passed

Depending on when it was, you were probably still comitting an offence under the Construction and Use Regulations:

Windscreen wipers and washers

34.—(1)  Subject to paragraphs (4) and (5), every vehicle fitted with a windscreen shall, unless the driver can obtain an adequate view to the front of the vehicle without looking through the windscreen, be fitted with one or more efficient automatic windscreen wipers capable of clearing the windscreen so that the driver has an adequate view of the road in front of both sides of the vehicle and to the front of the vehicle.

(2)  Save as provided in paragraphs (3), (4) and (5), every wheeled vehicle required by paragraph (1) to be fitted with a wiper or wipers shall also be fitted with a windscreen washer capable of cleaning, in conjunction with the windscreen wiper, the area of the windscreen swept by the wiper of mud or similar deposit.

(3)  The requirement specified in paragraph (2) does not apply in respect of—

(a) an agricultural motor vehicle (other than a vehicle first used on or after 1st June 1986 which is driven at more than 20 mph);

(b) a track-laying vehicle;

(c) a vehicle having a maximum speed not exceeding 20 mph; or

(d) a vehicle being used to provide a local service, as defined in the Transport Act 1985.

(4)  Instead of complying with paragraphs (1) and (2), a vehicle may comply with Community Directive 78/318.

(5)  Instead of complying with paragraph (1) an agricultural motor vehicle may comply with Community Directive 79/1073.

(6)  Every wiper and washer fitted in accordance with this regulation shall at all times while a vehicle is being used on a road be maintained in efficient working order and be properly adjusted.

Older regulations just required an "efficient means of clearing the windscreen so that the driver has an adequate view of the road" which I believe was once held by the courts on one occassion to be fulfilled by the driver's girlfriend standing up and wiping the windscreen manually as required. 

This would have been before 1986, on a 1959 Land Rover II.

Even the functional wipers were pisspoor, but slightly more effective than my girlfriend would have been.

As it was, I only removed the wiper and motor on the passenger side, leaving the functional one on the driver's side.

As soon as you made the initial comment, in my minds eye, I saw a Landrover.

God awful things, especially the one I drove in Wyndham in 1967/68.

For some reason, my employer (the PMG's Dept) didn't have enough of their own vehicles in the region, so rented a couple from another Govt Dept, which had been using the things on the beach in the Pilbara region of WA.

The nice, "rust resistant" aluminium bodywork was no match for the salt, & mine had holes in the roof, through which rain entered, so in the "Wet", it wasn't just the wiper that was the worry!

[Andrew_Debbie]

As soon as you made the initial comment, in my minds eye, I saw a Landrover.

God awful things, especially the one I drove in Wyndham in 1967/68.
The nice, "rust resistant" aluminium bodywork was no match for the salt, & mine had holes in the roof, through which rain entered, so in the "Wet", it wasn't just the wiper that was the worry!

That last post put us over threshold.    This was ours -- Sold it around ~2018 for more than we paid for it.







Basic all vinyl interior  that didn't care if it got wet.  Good thing as the car leaked terribly when we got it.   I worked through the factory Water Ingress Manual (yes there is one)  and fixed all the leaks over a few weekends.



The back was set up to carry our dogs.  I had a ramp that slid under a false floor I built.  There were usually dog beds on top.



Full manual AWD as it should be  - transfer case with locking centre differential . . .   No electronics.  Nothing automatic.   

The hand brake is at the transmission and acts on both drive shafts.  The hand brake is very effective but awkward to use.  The Clutch on a Defender is heavy.  Takes a little strength and skill to drive one smoothly.

The heater has two settings, hot and volcano.   No aircon on ours.

[tautech]

Yeah the Roro wasn't to bad with other rims, Rover 90 diff heads, anybody elses gearbox, anybody elses donkey, Fairey overdrive and springs from another Roro model......otherwise just junk.
Spent far too long twisting spanners on the POS I had until it was made into something better. 

[McBryce]

On another front... I'm having a bit of a fab & repair problem with my BBQ grill. I have a couple of the valves which have suffered impact damage; after two days of searching, it appears this valve is manufactured of weapons-grade unobtanium. 🤣

This little iron casting supports the knob shaft, which is separate from the brass casting which houses the cone valve. It would be a simple thing to whip out a replacement on a lathe...




....until you look at the business end. This interlock is what turns the cone valve slug in the brass casting still on the grill. Replicating that turns this project exponentially more complicated. I am seriously considering this as my first actual Lost PLA 3DP project...

mnem
🙀

That's definitely not a job for PLA. I assume the area gets quite hot too?

McBryce.

[AVGresponding]

ebay tat time.   HFM?!?   

For those playing along at home: eBay auction: #154830257268

Honestly, given how popular these scopes are, even at that price ($109.00 shipped to the US) lot of assache saved for the money. A nice little cottage industry for a niche market, as it were.  It would be nice if the cells were at least included, but then the shipping would increase exponentially, so... 

mnem
 

Circuit seems to be based on or is, the design mentioned in this thread  ; https://www.eevblog.com/forum/projects/li-ion-battery-pack-for-tektronix-222-and-224/msg951854/#msg951854
Bet the case is also on here somewhere, for those with 3Dprinters.
Having cells included might be a problem for some postage companies.

David

That case is a derivative of the one I designed, you'll find it on thingiverse.

I might even have some spare PCB's floating around if anyone is interested.

I would be interested, however I suspect the shipping and other charges would be prohibitive. I watch Techmoan, he gets quite a few things from Japan, it seems to be a very expensive place to ship from.

[Specmaster]

I would be interested, however I suspect the shipping and other charges would be prohibitive. I watch Techmoan, he gets quite a few things from Japan, it seems to be a very expensive place to ship from.

I watch him as well, he gets through a wide range of stuff in his reviews.

[Brumby]

...
First is the firmware; how new a firmware version you can get is directly dependent on the PCB in question.
...
The newer firmware versions are for newer processors with more ROM,
...

...

...

FTFY

However ... while the construct "firmwares" grates (and awkwardly, IMHO), it is, rather unfortunately, understandable.  This will condemn us all to have to deal with it becoming part of the language at some point down the track.

Such corruptions of the language do make me sigh.  TXT speak being another.

[tggzzz]

As soon as you made the initial comment, in my minds eye, I saw a Landrover.

God awful things, especially the one I drove in Wyndham in 1967/68.
The nice, "rust resistant" aluminium bodywork was no match for the salt, & mine had holes in the roof, through which rain entered, so in the "Wet", it wasn't just the wiper that was the worry!

That last post put us over threshold.    This was ours -- Sold it around ~2018 for more than we paid for it.

After a decade I got a kid, and since the Landie didn't have seat belts, it was off the road for 18 months until I finally sold it. It wasn't roadworthy, but the bloke took it away on a low-loader and paid me the same as I paid for it.

Much to my surprise, there is still a car with that registration and presumably still on the road, but it has changed from blue to green.

[Robert763]

I just realised I made an unsupported claim about current clamps the other day. So here is proof.
I make that 23, but I do have another of the little 100A AC clamps and a LEM Analyst 1000P power analyser that has a current clamp function. Neither were to hand when I took the photos. The PR30 has not arrived yet. Oh and a couple of shunts in case I want to get invasive.

Well, I make that 20 and 2 current transformers  still an impressive array though, I can only lay claim to 3 myself.

I think you missed a CT. there are 20 clamps and 3 solid core CTs. A Tek CT2, Pearson 411 and a EEV 391.
Those 3 are pretty special items. I've not included "ordinary" non-TE solid core CTs, hall effect current sensors and shunts. 

[med6753]

As soon as you made the initial comment, in my minds eye, I saw a Landrover.

God awful things, especially the one I drove in Wyndham in 1967/68.
The nice, "rust resistant" aluminium bodywork was no match for the salt, & mine had holes in the roof, through which rain entered, so in the "Wet", it wasn't just the wiper that was the worry!

That last post put us over threshold.    This was ours -- Sold it around ~2018 for more than we paid for it.

....snip

That's a cool looking LR.  But it still looks very weird to me to shift the gearbox with the LEFT hand, even though I'm a leftie. I did have that pleasure once when I visited Scotland in 2001. Rented a Vauxhall sedan with a 5 speed gearbox and I did surprisingly well with the right hand drive and shifting with the left hand. Even in the round abouts. Didn't make any stupid mistakes and no one knew there was a nervous wreck Yank behind the wheel. 

But I sure was glad when I turned the rental back in with no damage or bruised ego.