Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[Cerebus]

How about the other way around?   

Only if she's wearing.   And no panties and a redhead

If she's wearing both, run like Hell. She's obviously a serial nerd-sniper. 

mnem

0.666 recurring (we need diacritical combinations allowed here...), appropriately enough.

0.6̇66̇ - we have unicode. "combining dot above" does the trick.

[AVGresponding]

When you trick someone into thinking the same MIL-STD applies to both of these:



Shrew-D



 

[Robert763]

ebay and their silly algorithms... "You searched for transistors recently, here's some helpful links to similar products" followed by a list of random auctions for every type of transistor you could think of... 

ebay obviously doen't understand that people don't search for ANY transistor, but a particular part No. Even worse, the search was for a 7912CV linear regulator, NOT a transistor.

McBryce.

Pardon my ignorance, but what is special about it that you have to resort to ebay to find one, rather than buy brand new from any electronic distributor ?
I tried googling for the datasheet but somehow it won't even fine one ?! 
Every time it gives me instead the datasheet for the L79XX series.
I don't know what the prefix ' L ' means... thought maybe LDO, but according to the datasheet, it is not an LDO. So I don't know...

I have a random collection of 50 of these regulators to sort and organize, right now. There is a great variety of prefixes and suffixes and I can't even figure out what they mean. Datasheet are either non existent, or confusing.

For example my datasheet for the L79XX series says that the 'CV' and 'CT' prefixes designate the package type. CV is for T0220 and CT for TO3.
OK... except in my stock I happen to have a few TO220 that are marked 'CT' !     
Some are market  CVT, don't know what that one is.

Some have prefix 'KA'. Like KA7805... Looks like 'K' stuff is a prefix used by Fairchild... but looking at the datasheet for it, it just looks like a regular 7805.

So.. the prefix doesn't necessarily mean anything does it... so how do I know what the prefix 'L' means, in what does it differ from a regular/vanilla/ non 'L' prefix chip ?    Does it even mean anything at all, from an electrical properties perspective that is...

I also have a dozen regulators that have an 'A' suffix. Like 7805A say.
Again the datasheet gives no obvious clue on the front page about what's special about this 'A' suffix.
All I can see, that's obvious, is that they are all branded ' NEC '  AND all come in a special 100% plastic / isolated TO220 package. No metal tab.
So the 'A' might either mean nothing and just be how NEC chose to differentiate their regulator naming, just for the sake of it. Or, the A refers to this plastic/isolated package.
Or.... it refers to whatever electrical characteristic and good luck knowing what it is, as the datasheet sure doesn't make it obvious on the cover page.

I didn't expect something as simple, mundane as 3 pin  regulators to be such a shit show.

It's a huge mess and am not too sure how to go about sorting them now... it drives me completely nuts.
I think what I will do is mix them all. Only sort them by voltage and polarity, and that's it.
I might test them all on a bread board to see if some are LDO, and put these aside from the rest, but that's about it.

If I need something very specific, really very specific, and it's not good enough to pick a random one from my stock, then I guess in this case I can just go buy it brand new, hence I have the datasheet for it so I know what it is exactly.

GENERALLY for IC's
Prefix is manufacturer specific (original one may be second sourced, bought out or cloned). e.g. LM National Semiconductor MC Motorolla
That is your first filter when looking for datasheets.
Suffixes are generally package type or other variations.
You find LM79xx because one datasheet covers all the voltages.

National had a numbering for a lot of linear devices where the first numeric character specified the temerature range. A LM117 was millitary range. LM217 was automotive/industrial and LM317 was commercial.

[AVGresponding]

How about the other way around?   

Only if she's wearing.   And no panties and a redhead

If she's wearing both, run like Hell. She's obviously a serial nerd-sniper. 

mnem

0.666 recurring (we need diacritical combinations allowed here...), appropriately enough.

0.6̇66̇ - we have unicode. "combining dot above" does the trick.

How does that work then?

[TERRA Operative]

IS ANYONE AWARE of a BNC-to-current clamp adaptor (preferably original TEK) being offered for sale?

I have too many AM503's here if that's the sort of thing you are looking for?

Yep, they kind of tend to outlive their counterparts ( A6302,  A6312, A6303).

It is one of the great mysteries of the universe why the Tek current probes mostly disappear down a black hole while the corresponding amplifiers mostly don't. Consequently, the number of AM503s on offer at the usual auction sites vastly outnumber the number of probes on offer.

It's the same story here in Japan. I have 8 AM503/AM503B's (and a handful that were scrapped, they were beyond repair) most of which I picked up incidentally along with an item I was actually after, and only one each of the A6302 and A6303 current probes.
The amplifiers pop up all the time, I would even go so far as to say there's at least two on Yahoo Auctions at any given time. The current probes though are appearing only once a month or two.

[Cerebus]

Today’s WTF courtesy of instagram:   

So what... the fact of a Nano embedded in a hobbyist-level project?

Or the fact of using Turps instead of IPA (mild cringe)?

Or the fact of getting that filter module wet (I dunno if it's hermetically sealed or not)?

Guy's a professor teaching fundamentals of electronics in Brazil:

https://linktr.ee/allelectronics

https://cursoseletronica.com.br/

https://www.youtube.com/allelectronicschannel

mnem
 

I recently ordered two bottles of Methylated Spirit (denatured alcohol) from Coles, a large Oz grocery chain which has, as of the last few years, got into online sales/home delivery in a big way.
Someone there thought an appropriate substitute would be "Mineral Turps".
I now have more of the latter than I am likely to use any time soon!

[Robert763]

Further to my earlier posts on DIY current probe calibration fixtures see:
https://electronicprojectsforfun.wordpress.com/measuring-a-picotest-j2111a-current-injector/verifying-risetime-measurements-of-a-current-probe-on-a-coax-adapter/

Edit: And
https://electronicprojectsforfun.wordpress.com/testing-a-micsig-cp2100b-current-probe/

[Neomys Sapiens]

GENERALLY for IC's except when not...
As expected, TI uses a lot of prefixes with T, like TL, TLC, TLE, THS (excepr for those which they grabbed from BB and NS - and their offspring) and now we find TCA..
So the TCA965 and the TDB555 are TI? Nope - ProElectron.

L prefixes (no other letter) are usually used by ST.

[Neomys Sapiens]

IS ANYONE AWARE of a BNC-to-current clamp adaptor (preferably original TEK) being offered for sale?

I have too many AM503's here if that's the sort of thing you are looking for?

Yep, they kind of tend to outlive their counterparts ( A6302,  A6312, A6303).

It is one of the great mysteries of the universe why the Tek current probes mostly disappear down a black hole while the corresponding amplifiers mostly don't. Consequently, the number of AM503s on offer at the usual auction sites vastly outnumber the number of probes on offer.

It's the same story here in Japan. I have 8 AM503/AM503B's (and a handful that were scrapped, they were beyond repair) most of which I picked up incidentally along with an item I was actually after, and only one each of the A6302 and A6303 current probes.
The amplifiers pop up all the time, I would even go so far as to say there's at least two on Yahoo Auctions at any given time. The current probes though are appearing only once a month or two.

So are you suggesting to exchange the three untested A6302 for a working SG504?
 

[Cerebus]

0.6̇66̇ - we have unicode. "combining dot above" does the trick.

How does that work then?

Just type the character you want to 'dot' (let's say "o"), and then follow it with "combining dot above" (U+0307) using whatever technique is appropriate to the operating system you're using and you get: ȯ. How clearly it comes out is very much a function of the font you're using.

[Neomys Sapiens]

Further to my earlier posts on DIY current probe calibration fixtures see:
https://electronicprojectsforfun.wordpress.com/measuring-a-picotest-j2111a-current-injector/verifying-risetime-measurements-of-a-current-probe-on-a-coax-adapter/

Edit: And
https://electronicprojectsforfun.wordpress.com/testing-a-micsig-cp2100b-current-probe/

Now that could really help, as it lends itself far better to DIY construction than those open loops.
Will look for the fitting Hammond box..

[AVGresponding]

0.6̇66̇ - we have unicode. "combining dot above" does the trick.

How does that work then?

Just type the character you want to 'dot' (let's say "o"), and then follow it with "combining dot above" (U+0307) using whatever technique is appropriate to the operating system you're using and you get: ȯ. How clearly it comes out is very much a function of the font you're using.

Doesn't work for me.



EDIT: I use the standard forum font in 8pt bold, Verdana iirc.

[TERRA Operative]

IS ANYONE AWARE of a BNC-to-current clamp adaptor (preferably original TEK) being offered for sale?

I have too many AM503's here if that's the sort of thing you are looking for?

Yep, they kind of tend to outlive their counterparts ( A6302,  A6312, A6303).

It is one of the great mysteries of the universe why the Tek current probes mostly disappear down a black hole while the corresponding amplifiers mostly don't. Consequently, the number of AM503s on offer at the usual auction sites vastly outnumber the number of probes on offer.

It's the same story here in Japan. I have 8 AM503/AM503B's (and a handful that were scrapped, they were beyond repair) most of which I picked up incidentally along with an item I was actually after, and only one each of the A6302 and A6303 current probes.
The amplifiers pop up all the time, I would even go so far as to say there's at least two on Yahoo Auctions at any given time. The current probes though are appearing only once a month or two.

So are you suggesting to exchange the three untested A6302 for a working SG504?
 

You can pry my SG504 from my cold dead hands! 

Or when I find an SG5050...... 

[Cubdriver]

GENERALLY for IC's
Prefix is manufacturer specific (original one may be second sourced, bought out or cloned). e.g. LM National Semiconductor MC Motorolla
That is your first filter when looking for datasheets.
Suffixes are generally package type or other variations.
You find LM79xx because one datasheet covers all the voltages.

National had a numbering for a lot of linear devices where the first numeric character specified the temerature range. A LM117 was millitary range. LM217 was automotive/industrial and LM317 was commercial.

My understanding of the National Semiemployed prefixes was LM was Linear Monolithic, LH was Linear Hybrid, and DM was Digital Monolithic.  And the first number on the linear stuff was certainly a quick and easy way to differentiate the temp range.

-Pat

[AVGresponding]

GENERALLY for IC's except when not...
As expected, TI uses a lot of prefixes with T, like TL, TLC, TLE, THS (excepr for those which they grabbed from BB and NS - and their offspring) and now we find TCA..
So the TCA965 and the TDB555 are TI? Nope - ProElectron.

L prefixes (no other letter) are usually used by ST.

Quite a few Toshiba devices are marked TA/TDA, the TC1262 is a Microchip part (maybe made by others too idk), and LA is used by.... Sanyo!

[factory]

...snip...

Some have prefix 'KA'. Like KA7805... Looks like 'K' stuff is a prefix used by Fairchild... but looking at the datasheet for it, it just looks like a regular 7805.

...snip...

To add to the confusion Samsung also use the prefix KA, though hopefully the logos would confirm which brand it is. And Soviet Union era ICs use K too.

David

[bd139]

So what we established here is the standardisation was a failure.

[Zucca]

Free entertainment!  https://www.eevblog.com/forum/dodgy-technology/the-non-linear-plasma-reactor/

 

I didn't even need to read it. The posting style says crazy. I am watching Simon avidly 

I left a constructive suggestion for improving his reactor.   

Can't go wrong with more Orgons! 

https://www.nonlinearplasma.com/s/Unified-Wave-Theory-Scott-Rennie-NLP.pdf

Do not waste more than 15 seconds in the above... just skim it. 
This is disturbing at so many levels.       

[bd139]

My GCSE science project looked better. And had more mathematics in it.

[Vince]

What Al posted we would indeed call a [rotary-]trimmer, but the kind you're looking at we'd call a guillotine, said term covering everything from the small table top type you pictured to the massive powered type I used to use in my printing days that will cut 1000 sheets in one go. It is not obligatory to sit knitting if one is a mere onlooker to their operation.

A large power guillotine, note all the interlocks (dual button operation, IR curtain, etc.) so that you walk away with the same number of hands that you walked up to it with:

Oh, you use the French word then ?! That's quite convenient, makes my life easier ! 
Alternatively, we call them " Massicot " . Terms are interchangeable I think, it's a matter of habit or personal preference I guess...

Though "Massicot " comes from the verb " Massicoter ", which means " to trim " (I must confess I had to look that one up...)... so... it's the French linguistic equivalent of a " trimmer ".

[xrunner]

https://www.nonlinearplasma.com/s/Unified-Wave-Theory-Scott-Rennie-NLP.pdf

Do not waste more than 15 seconds in the above... just skim it. 
This is disturbing at so many levels.       

I just made my contribution - but I adhered to your time limit!

[m k]

Minimal prestige still available.

Maybe it's a continental thing.

[bd139]

Looks like Tony made it to Soldersmoke 

http://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/2022/06/the-amazing-workshop-and-test-gear-of.html

[capt bullshot]

Kind of a follow up to the last "Fun with TEA" topic:

Real (live 400V from the power outlet) 3 phase measurement using the WT1600:



Svp. appreciate schlepping that BFT (Big fucking transformer) from the basement to the lab to show off this picture

A small riddle (most probably suitable for the Europeans only): what is the error that I deliberately introduced here:

[ch_scr]

Looks like Tony made it to Soldersmoke 

http://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/2022/06/the-amazing-workshop-and-test-gear-of.html

Someone should invite him, he says himself he need some more TE