Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[tggzzz]

Alternatively, remove the bathroom lock

I think the passing of time may have desensitised you to "Teenage daughter has tantrum and then sulks for 14 days". 

You have one way of fixing a problem, I have another

[AVGresponding]

Well if you want those connectors and are willing to pay the additional shipping to Deutschland (about $20 USD) then send me a PM and we'll get the order in.   

The connectors are a pretty standard Phoenix Contact part, can't see why you wouldn't find them in Germany, same for the fuses. The only thing to bear in mind with the Phoenix Contact offerings is to make sure you measure the pitch correctly; 5.00mm looks very much like 5.08mm...



EDIT: If RS do them, can't imagine Reichelt or whoever not stocking them.

I know, this may sound strange to you.
but there is a good reason for going with that original Keysight labelled atuff: liability. not holding an EE degree someone could actually say that I was negligent in obtaining something which does not have the original part number if indeed something went wrong. Problem is: without the EE degree I would have considerable burden of proof. I won't by using original parts for
the PSU.
for this amount of money involved it is not worth taking any risk. Why am I so anal about it ? cut I been there done that...

For these ones it's simple and save.
Within the original keysight N5700 manual
https://www.testequipmentdepot.com/usedequipment/pdf/n6700b_manual.pdf

they wrote on page 25:
>>
12 A Output Connector plug One 12 A, 4-pin connector plug for connecting power and sense
leads. Used in all except N6731B, N6741B, N6753A-N6756A,
N6763A-N6766A, N6773A, N678xA SMU.
Keysight 1253-5826
Phoenix Contact MSTB 2,5/4-S
<<

Threre you have it.

No you don't. That is not a full PC part number and most importantly it does not define the contact pitch.....

Edit the HPAK part appears to be a MSTB 2,5/ 4-STF IF the description in Keysight's PartsFinder of 5mm pitch is correct.
These parts don't even have numbers marked on them so it's hard to confirm. Careful measurement is required. It's only 0.24mm difference across a 3 pin connector

You're right, I cut off the cut-and-paste, it's "STF" at the end. Might stand for the mounting screws, which not all connectors do have. I found 5.08 only with this part number.
But, anyhow, it's a follow-up-discussion to that some 10 pages above about my HP6653A. Your community hints to the 5.00/5.08 problem was very helpful to me indeed. But the measurement itself is quite simple: As the conneoctors are a stackable concept, you can measure the full width of the plastics with calipers and divide by n+1. That avoids trying to align caliper tips with pins. For this 4pin it would be a 0.40mm difference 5.00 vs 5.08 pitch. I ordered 5.08 and they do fit perfectly fine. In that course I already sent Saskia a sample of my chinesium purchase, so the 5.00/5.08 question is answered.

The missing info needed was, that Keysigth uses the Phoenix standard parts and documents this in the manual of the newer devices (they did give this info in the older HP66xxA papers).
From my point of view, giving that info now they are perfectly fine with customers using original Phoenix connectors.

But it's up to Saskia to decide what will make a save feeling of course.

Well, of my three HPAK system power supplies, two use 5.00mm pitch and one uses 5.08mm, so go figure...

HP6633B 5.08mm
HP 66311B, Agilent 6612C, 5.00mm

The connectors are most definitely not interchangeable, at least on a 4-pole.

[Neomys Sapiens]

The Fluke115 is in and I'm holding it in my hands. I like the little thing already.
The display is large and clear, with a crisp uniform backlight if active. There is a bargraph, although of rather low resolution. It has min/max and hold, and it does diode test, frequency and capacitance. Combined with the fact that it is a TRMS meter, it matches my idea of a baseline DMM for professional use.
It even came with original Fluke extra long and super slinky leads and a pair of Twist-Guard(tm) probes.
As the application is for it to reside in my toolcase #1 (not test&measure case, bear in mind), it frees up several cubic centimetres of space in comparison with the 79-III.
So what were the advantages of the 79-III? Somewhat better precision and resolution, higher resolution bargraps and the 40Ohms range. Oh yeah, and the awkward touch-hold(tm) function, which I never used. In the intended application, I'm not going to miss any of those but instead have gained the feature which will ease my mind in the case I had none other DMM at hand.
Of course, I face now the exciting question how to utilize the newly gained space.
Approved by Neomys!

P.S.: yes, you understood correctly - it is the ONLY free space in that case.
P.S.2: does someone know where the serial number is found on the 11x series?

[AVGresponding]

The Fluke115 is in and I'm holding it in my hands. I like the little thing already.
The display is large and clear, with a crisp uniform backlight if active. There is a bargraph, although of rather low resolution. It has min/max and hold, and it does diode test, frequency and capacitance. Combined with the fact that it is a TRMS meter, it matches my idea of a baseline DMM for professional use.
It even came with original Fluke extra long and super slinky leads and a pair of Twist-Guard(tm) probes.
As the application is for it to reside in my toolcase #1 (not test&measure case, bear in mind), it frees up several cubic centimetres of space in comparison with the 79-III.
So what were the advantages of the 79-III? Somewhat better precision and resolution, higher resolution bargraps and the 40Ohms range. Oh yeah, and the awkward touch-hold(tm) function, which I never used. In the intended application, I'm not going to miss any of those but instead have gained the feature which will ease my mind in the case I had none other DMM at hand.
Of course, I face now the exciting question how to utilize the newly gained space.
Approved by Neomys!

Emergency chocolate bar, no question.

[Neomys Sapiens]

Also newly in: a rather peculiar front cutter, having a 5mm wide edge with chamfer for a length of 205mm. If you ever were in need of REACH, it would be the thing. And the mentioned filter/termination/75R-attenuator, which all seem to be fine electrically.
The attenuator DOES need new connectors, as expected. Well, BNC makes more sense anyway. And I am sure that it will serve me better that one of the recently shown cheapies.
When you are not a broadcast or video specialist, and arrive at the point where you think that it is time to gather a 75Ohm accessory kit, you have covered some ground.

And I got the call from Darmstadt. It has arrived and is waiting for pickup. More on this topic next week.

[factory]

HP 120B scope update

Oh not yet another of his updates, he pisses us off, someone please tell him to shut the fuck up !

Don't worry... this is the very last update on this scope... I have just received my new 6AQ5 oscillator tubes, so I started working on the scope again.
After only 30 minutes it was declared dead. It is now officially unfixable, 100% certain, it's a door stop.

For the few who actually care about the details... well here is what happened.

...snip...

So.... end of story.

I still like this scope very much and would love to see it fixed and working, so I can play with it but.... bad transformer and dear CRT, that's too much for me 
so I will button it back up and maybe in 10 years I will find a cheap parts mule to fix this one, or the other way around, use this one as a donour to fix a twin brother.

But I am not holding my breath. I am not going to find another of these ever, over here. It was an impulse buy because it looked cool, was HP, was free and in good nick... so I felt it deserved to be saved but... it does not want to be saved it seems 

So if someone finds another one of these dirt cheap, in bad condition, so I can salvage a CRT and transformer as well hopefully... don't hesitate to contact me ! 

That's all for this scope.... I am well pissed.

Oh no... that's some bad luck, the 130C (same CRT) might be easier to find in the EU, but still not that common compared with Tek. I wonder if the transformer problem is due to the washing and it maybe not dried out enough. 

As for the USA, there are three 120Bs & three 120As on ePay.com, cheapest is $95, but either no shipping or $$$ too expensive to move.  No sales that I can see for the last few months.
Keep a search for CRTs in the EU as most sellers seem to prefer to destroy than sell complete. 

David

[med6753]

Oh no... that's some bad luck, the 130C (same CRT) might be easier to find in the EU, but still not that common compared with Tek. I wonder if the transformer problem is due to the washing and it maybe not dried out enough. 


David

This is exactly why I will not resort to liquid cleaning of equipment no matter how filthy it is. It's too much of a risk IMHO. Brush, vacuum, and SOME liquid cleaner in small, select areas if needed. That's it. Hosing it down willy nilly is just asking for trouble. Yes, Tek had a recommended procedure but you need to follow ALL the instructions. One key point is transformers should either be removed or covered. The 2nd big item that tends to be overlooked is dry it in an oven for at least 12 - 24 hours.   

[bd139]

I see lots of space and opportunity for a decent TE workbench. Yes? No?

Yes indeed you do 

Watch list populated with goodies now so the hunt is on.

In the mean time I’m going to spend my spare time eating  … tonight’s nosh…

[DH7DN]

Brother QL-800 label printer testing for fun... One can see the valve vulture and its prey 

[med6753]

I see lots of space and opportunity for a decent TE workbench. Yes? No?

Yes indeed you do 

Watch list populated with goodies now so the hunt is on.

In the mean time I’m going to spend my spare time eating  … tonight’s nosh…

A credit card and IKEA is all you need. Unless you want to go my route and custom build. I would love to have a clean slate again like I did when I moved in here.

Your meal looks good. 

[factory]

I’ve mentally cleansed myself from previous Tektronix repairs now so I am ready for another 4xx 

I am strictly purchasing old kit now. Old, mostly discrete and analogue or TTL etc where possible.

Scope out your old friends, the 546xxx family on fleaBay... I've seen quite a few in working condition going for very reasonable money ($100-150) lately. Buy it, just put it to work fixing what you wanna work on or fix something better and flip it.

Don't pull a Vince and pass on a 54621D for 50quid cuz "It sez Agilent (Yuckyputz!) and it has fugly knobs!"

mnem
*agitating-ily* 

Well the Agilent*/Ailment logo can easily be removed, with that AVE box opening tool you showed earlier. 
And the knobs can probably be changed, just stop trying to bankrupt Vince.

*anagram of genital 

David

[factory]

Oh no... that's some bad luck, the 130C (same CRT) might be easier to find in the EU, but still not that common compared with Tek. I wonder if the transformer problem is due to the washing and it maybe not dried out enough. 


David

This is exactly why I will not resort to liquid cleaning of equipment no matter how filthy it is. It's too much of a risk IMHO. Brush, vacuum, and SOME liquid cleaner in small, select areas if needed. That's it. Hosing it down willy nilly is just asking for trouble. Yes, Tek had a recommended procedure but you need to follow ALL the instructions. One key point is transformers should either be removed or covered. The 2nd big item that tends to be overlooked is dry it in an oven for at least 12 - 24 hours.

Yeah at work we once had a large semi-automatic Ultrasonic cleaner from Crest, 6 tanks in total, including the two drying stages of hot air dryer & vacuum dryer. Even then if you forgot to orient the item correctly, water would still be present at the end of the cycle.

And certain items were unsuitable for this cleaning method, like PowerOne PowerSH1T DC-DC convertors for example, EOL'd one of those very nicely. Also non-sealed parts such as, relays, switches etc would end up with water trapped, or lubrication removed.

David

[Vince]

HP 120B scope update

Oh not yet another of his updates, he pisses us off, someone please tell him to shut the fuck up !

Don't worry... this is the very last update on this scope... I have just received my new 6AQ5 oscillator tubes, so I started working on the scope again.
After only 30 minutes it was declared dead. It is now officially unfixable, 100% certain, it's a door stop.

For the few who actually care about the details... well here is what happened.

...snip...

So.... end of story.

I still like this scope very much and would love to see it fixed and working, so I can play with it but.... bad transformer and dear CRT, that's too much for me 
so I will button it back up and maybe in 10 years I will find a cheap parts mule to fix this one, or the other way around, use this one as a donour to fix a twin brother.

But I am not holding my breath. I am not going to find another of these ever, over here. It was an impulse buy because it looked cool, was HP, was free and in good nick... so I felt it deserved to be saved but... it does not want to be saved it seems 

So if someone finds another one of these dirt cheap, in bad condition, so I can salvage a CRT and transformer as well hopefully... don't hesitate to contact me ! 

That's all for this scope.... I am well pissed.

Oh no... that's some bad luck, the 130C (same CRT) might be easier to find in the EU, but still not that common compared with Tek. I wonder if the transformer problem is due to the washing and it maybe not dried out enough. 

As for the USA, there are three 120Bs & three 120As on ePay.com, cheapest is $95, but either no shipping or $$$ too expensive to move.  No sales that I can see for the last few months.
Keep a search for CRTs in the EU as most sellers seem to prefer to destroy than sell complete. 

David

I don't think it's the washing... I didn't hose it like Papy Smurf said. I sprayed detergent and rinsing water carefully, one small area at a time. I obviously did not inundate that poor transformer.
Also, after washing / drying it remember, I powered it up and let ir ran for several hours without any problem.... albeit with no HV since it didn't work.

The problem started magically when I put the NOS tube. I think it did finally get the HV working full blast, and that pushed the insulation of that CRT heater winding in the transformer, to the limit, it gave up.
I am sure if I just disconnect that winding, that would relieve that transformer from that HV "stress" and it would be just fine (again, all other windings / power rails still work perfect, it's just the heater winding that arcs). So it should not be too hard to cobble together a standalone heater power supply, I would think.... so the transformer really is not my biggest problem. The real show stopper is the broken CRT...

I never go to Ebay to search for TE, I only use our local Leboncoin.fr website, but I guess now is the time to change habits... Ebay is my only realistic hope of ever finding a scope or CRT... I guess I can setup an automatic search so that I get notified by e-mail automagically.


EDIT : OK I guess next time I won't tempt the devil and will take the time to remove the transformer. It didn't even have that many wires on it, unlike a Tek transformer which I would never dream of having to remove !

[bd139]

I see lots of space and opportunity for a decent TE workbench. Yes? No?

Yes indeed you do 

Watch list populated with goodies now so the hunt is on.

In the mean time I’m going to spend my spare time eating  … tonight’s nosh…

A credit card and IKEA is all you need. Unless you want to go my route and custom build. I would love to have a clean slate again like I did when I moved in here.

Your meal looks good. 

Yeah that’s what I’m going to do. I have a big ikea commercial desk already. Will be adding another one next to it. Left will be work, right will be play.

Meal was good to eat. Now murdering me

[tautech]

doing the 2 nd part of today's exercise, my 8.5 km walk.
stopped by my dealer to get my fix ...
8 TB enterprise HDD for the Nas
8 gb sodimm stick for the zbox
heavy thoroidal transy 220-> 2*12 @ 20A

As for the connector pack - yes, the connectors could be sourced somewhere else. if not from Ali then from one of the distributors. counting minimal order fees/ surcharges, etc I am not saving that much. As for datatec, the price for a connector from them is > 30€.Which is ridiculous.
so for not delivering what they advertized they want 15% of the module price to deliver the essential parts. which is triple the price Keysight is charging. yeah, right.
I currently don't have the time to do all that research and getting the connectors from somewhere else would still have had me looking for those jumpers that now come in a kit  The connector Peter sent does fit the module. however getting the original accessory package also has a certain appeal

And she comes to me to save the day and slice through the bullshit. 

That shirt should have SS on it......Super Smurf ! 

[bd139]

That shirt should have SS on it......Super Smurf ! 

Slightly more smurfly.



Yes I'm that bored 

[Neomys Sapiens]

I never go to Ebay to search for TE, I only use our local Leboncoin.fr website, but I guess now is the time to change habits... Ebay is my only realistic hope of ever finding a scope or CRT... I guess I can setup an automatic search so that I get notified by e-mail automagically.

Just keep in mind that many of the best catches evade any search - automatic or entered online. For those, you need to go through the category manually. Then you will sometimes see a 10yrs old, high quality device offered with a blurry photograph (which a TE afficionado will recognize instantly) as 'altes Messgerät'. Aaaand Jammy Git ensured.

I am now also starting to get used to the idea that if I buy a new TE, then I need to sell / get rid of an existing TE, to keep storage space under control.

And I can see absolutely nothing wrong with that. The TDS644 is going to the company which supplies my new scope, making it a bit more affordable and vacating the spot for the main scope. They are giving me a fair amount for it and everyone should have nothing to regret in that deal.

[tautech]

As mentioned vehicle license plates here in the US, except California, stay with the owner, not the vehicle. But every few years NYS DMV gets a bug up their arse and new plates are issued. And yes, you have to get a new one. The old plate you can nail to your garage wall. Is that service free? Surely you jest. 

I don't know why 1973 - 1986 and 1986 - 2000 are shown twice. The base 2001 and 2010 are still valid. My Civic has a 2001 plate and the CR-V has a 2010 plate. There was supposed to be a mass turn-in and issue everyone a 2020 plate but someone with some brains realized it was wasteful and for now all are still valid. But any NEW issue is the 2020 plate. But DMV still wants to re-issue new plates to everyone because as the old plates get worn or damaged automated toll readers can't read them.

Here some spend big bucks on what we only know as Personalized Plates....some have condensed business names or even fleet numberings for each vehicle.
The neighbor and his small company also takes advantage in that the fewer characters in the plate reduces the initial cost. He's got a few trucks and private cars so has put a few of these to good use. (*** = shortened company name) Mr ***, Mrs ***, ***1, ***2, ***3 and so on....

Even our Larry Major got bitten by this bug when he was still living at home and had a love for anything with 4 wheels that was Wankel powered and acquired what you elsewhere call Vanity plates which if you get it right here in NZ can be one hell of an investment.
Some of Larry's collection: LIMP, ERXION, RXQUIST ....with the focus on RX* models of Mazda he'd owned. 
Thankfully the last of his projects was sold to a buddy last year and now little of his stuff is left as he's been in Perth for nearly 10yrs.

[Neomys Sapiens]

Yeah at work we once had a large semi-automatic Ultrasonic cleaner from Crest, 6 tanks in total, including the two drying stages of hot air dryer & vacuum dryer. Even then if you forgot to orient the item correctly, water would still be present at the end of the cycle.

An interesting take on the topic of cleaning was the 'Technical Cleaning Station' once sold by Dreusicke. It was a huge stainless table assembly, complete with one or more basins and the possibility to install media storage, recovery and conditioning equipment underneath it.
It came with shower and spray nozzles as well as brush heads  which could be used with detergent based solutions (also heated) as well as solvents like CCl4 or similar. Rinse with desalinated water and a ventilated drying rack were available as well as a shop vac.
When I saw this, I became aware that office machinery (their original customer base) is a dirty business.
Did not find it in their current catalogue, though.

And certain items were unsuitable for this cleaning method, like PowerOne PowerSH1T DC-DC convertors for example, EOL'd one of those very nicely. Also non-sealed parts such as, relays, switches etc would end up with water trapped, or lubrication removed.

Now this is just one of the setbacks when working for cheapskates which employ non-hermetic relays and switches.
 

[med6753]

That shirt should have SS on it......Super Smurf ! 

Slightly more smurfly.



Yes I'm that bored 

Cute. 

[Neomys Sapiens]

Alternatively, remove the bathroom lock

I think the passing of time may have desensitised you to "Teenage daughter has tantrum and then sulks for 14 days". 

You have one way of fixing a problem, I have another

Even better - remotely lock her out of the bathroom when you want to get up.
The solution for the other topics is even easier - simply relabel the rooms on that plan. I mean, who can argue with Lab1, Lab2, and BDs bedroom? Assign that pesky offspring a cot in the corner of the bigger lab and generously buy her a paravent for it - done!

[Specmaster]

Looking at a rather large 2 bed apartment with terrace / balcony overlooking the Thames at the moment. Floors are concrete so fine for boat anchors 

Cladding, and the desireability of such?
Exponentially increasing ground rents?
Maintenance cost determined by whom? (E.g. a builder in cahoots with the owner?)

No cladding. Newly built, first floor so getting a roll down ladder. As for rest, renting all fees included for 12-18 months so not my fecking problem 

Ah. Renting make sense for that kind of property - especially if you think the housing market will tank over the next few years.

But then I've been saying I don't see any reason why house prices will continue to rise. Since 2000.

Timing is everything, unfortunately.

Maybe with less foreign money swilling around the place now, maybe prices will become more stable.

[Specmaster]

I drove all the way across the county once to get a free Harbor Freight DMM because everyone was talking about them. But I had to go there anyway since the cable ties were on sale for $1.99.

We have their stores around here, but Ive never found them so spectacular. The DMM deal is just to get you into the stores. Ive bought a fair amount of stuff from them but nothing really spectacular. Just generic tools. Various saws... A drill.. I'm glad they exist.  If I really need that kind of stuff.

Ebay and living in the US exposes one to opportunities to buy TE. We should figure out a way to utilize this better in education in some way. Any ideas?

Read this before responding: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/projects/russians-plunder-$5m-farm-vehicles-from-ukraine-to-find-theyve-been-remotel/msg4156643/#msg4156643

Dragons are already sensitised

You posted a dead link.

Try copying the entire underlined text and pasting it into your browser https://www.eevblog.com/forum/projects/russians-plunder-$5m-farm-vehicles-from-ukraine-to-find-theyve-been-remotel/msg4156643/#msg4156643

[mnementh]

Alternatively, remove the bathroom lock

I think the passing of time may have desensitised you to "Teenage daughter has tantrum and then sulks for 14 days". 

You have one way of fixing a problem, I have another

Why do imagine you answering the door wearing this when her prom date arrives...? 

mnem
I shouldn't laugh... that'll be me in a few years... 

[TERRA Operative]

Also newly in: a rather peculiar front cutter, having a 5mm wide edge with chamfer for a length of 205mm. If you ever were in need of REACH, it would be the thing.

Looks like the Engineer brand cutters sold here in Japan designed for snipping SMD resistors/capacitors/etc from the PCB without having to desolder them.