Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[factory]

The hp counter with the column displays is the 524D, it's the slightly lower cost version of the 524C choob display version. They are both 8 digit as per the earlier 524A/B, that used six columns displays & two panel meters.

How does the meters indicate teh reading ? They just have scale from 0 to 9 and the needle is moved to the appropriate "digit" ?
Why not just use also column displays for all th 8 digits ?! Plus, the emlters take more space (wider) than the column displays.... or use 8 meters instead... ?!
What's the deal with those meters ?

Guess it was a limitation of the high speed readouts for the earlier counters.
It uses a staircase voltage for the panel meters. Having said that the optional socket output for the 560A recorder, takes the staircase voltage from all the displays and uses comparators to a reference voltage divider, when they match (more rotating switches) the printer part then selects the appropriate number.

David

[tautech]

Given the current microchip shortage and the value of 2ndhand cars going skywards, how can we safeguard our cars from stolen to order and shipped to Nigeria and other dodgy destinations, as this video shows. This is a serious question, with the car manufacturers being generally reluctant to tackle the problem head on, as pointed out in this video by the Canadian Police? Steering locks etc are not a solution, so any ideas that could be made to work?

Yeah drive something that no one wants to nick.

Or stick some immobilizer in it that is too much trouble to overcome quickly.
We had terrible trouble here in NZ for a while with older Hiace vans and Hilux utes being stolen and shipped onto the Pacific islands.

[nixiefreqq]

welcome to 4943

X2

and a really sublime calculator.

[Cerebus]

I suggest you hide it under a pile of designer shoes or similar bribery materiel.

I suspect that, for once, that isn't a misspelling of "material".

Such blandishments have no interest for SWMBO, a pile of art or ceramics materials might work, but drawing attention to the concealed printer with a pile of shiny things seems counterintuitive.

[Vince]

Given the current microchip shortage and the value of 2ndhand cars going skywards, how can we safeguard our cars from stolen to order and shipped to Nigeria and other dodgy destinations, as this video shows. This is a serious question, with the car manufacturers being generally reluctant to tackle the problem head on, as pointed out in this video by the Canadian Police? Steering locks etc are not a solution, so any ideas that could be made to work?

Yeah drive something that no one wants to nick.

Or stick some immobilizer in it that is too much trouble to overcome quickly.
We had terrible trouble here in NZ for a while with older Hiace vans and Hilux utes being stolen and shipped onto the Pacific islands.

I simply pop the bonnet and pull the ignition wire that feeds the distributor cap, thieves rarely travel with a truck load of spare parts, only their tablet these days ! 

[bd139]

and a really sublime calculator.

 

[Cerebus]

Given the current microchip shortage and the value of 2ndhand cars going skywards, how can we safeguard our cars from stolen to order and shipped to Nigeria and other dodgy destinations, as this video shows. This is a serious question, with the car manufacturers being generally reluctant to tackle the problem head on, as pointed out in this video by the Canadian Police? Steering locks etc are not a solution, so any ideas that could be made to work?

Yeah drive something that no one wants to nick.

Or stick some immobilizer in it that is too much trouble to overcome quickly.
We had terrible trouble here in NZ for a while with older Hiace vans and Hilux utes being stolen and shipped onto the Pacific islands.

I simply pop the bonnet and pull the ignition wire that feeds the distributor cap, thieves rarely travel with a truck load of spare parts, only their tablet these days ! 

You know that you have an old car when it has a mechanical distributor cap to remove (and rotor arm).

My father used to remove the rotor arm as an immobiliser.

[tautech]

Given the current microchip shortage and the value of 2ndhand cars going skywards, how can we safeguard our cars from stolen to order and shipped to Nigeria and other dodgy destinations, as this video shows. This is a serious question, with the car manufacturers being generally reluctant to tackle the problem head on, as pointed out in this video by the Canadian Police? Steering locks etc are not a solution, so any ideas that could be made to work?

Yeah drive something that no one wants to nick.

Or stick some immobilizer in it that is too much trouble to overcome quickly.
We had terrible trouble here in NZ for a while with older Hiace vans and Hilux utes being stolen and shipped onto the Pacific islands.

I simply pop the bonnet and pull the ignition wire that feeds the distributor cap, thieves rarely travel with a truck load of spare parts, only their tablet these days ! 

Yeahbut a remote on your keyring is far more attractive than needing to pop the bonnet/hood on a dark and wet night. 

[Specmaster]

Given the current microchip shortage and the value of 2ndhand cars going skywards, how can we safeguard our cars from stolen to order and shipped to Nigeria and other dodgy destinations, as this video shows. This is a serious question, with the car manufacturers being generally reluctant to tackle the problem head on, as pointed out in this video by the Canadian Police? Steering locks etc are not a solution, so any ideas that could be made to work?

Yeah drive something that no one wants to nick.

Or stick some immobilizer in it that is too much trouble to overcome quickly.
We had terrible trouble here in NZ for a while with older Hiace vans and Hilux utes being stolen and shipped onto the Pacific islands.

I simply pop the bonnet and pull the ignition wire that feeds the distributor cap, thieves rarely travel with a truck load of spare parts, only their tablet these days ! 

Try doing that with a diesel powered car.

[Vince]

Given the current microchip shortage and the value of 2ndhand cars going skywards, how can we safeguard our cars from stolen to order and shipped to Nigeria and other dodgy destinations, as this video shows. This is a serious question, with the car manufacturers being generally reluctant to tackle the problem head on, as pointed out in this video by the Canadian Police? Steering locks etc are not a solution, so any ideas that could be made to work?

Yeah drive something that no one wants to nick.

Or stick some immobilizer in it that is too much trouble to overcome quickly.
We had terrible trouble here in NZ for a while with older Hiace vans and Hilux utes being stolen and shipped onto the Pacific islands.

I simply pop the bonnet and pull the ignition wire that feeds the distributor cap, thieves rarely travel with a truck load of spare parts, only their tablet these days ! 

Yeahbut a remote on your keyring is far more attractive than needing to pop the bonnet/hood on a dark and wet night. 

I never said that my solution was perfect ! ... merely that it was simple cheap yet effective in most cases these days... you can't have it all... 

[Specmaster]

Given the current microchip shortage and the value of 2ndhand cars going skywards, how can we safeguard our cars from stolen to order and shipped to Nigeria and other dodgy destinations, as this video shows. This is a serious question, with the car manufacturers being generally reluctant to tackle the problem head on, as pointed out in this video by the Canadian Police? Steering locks etc are not a solution, so any ideas that could be made to work?

Yeah drive something that no one wants to nick.

Or stick some immobilizer in it that is too much trouble to overcome quickly.
We had terrible trouble here in NZ for a while with older Hiace vans and Hilux utes being stolen and shipped onto the Pacific islands.

I simply pop the bonnet and pull the ignition wire that feeds the distributor cap, thieves rarely travel with a truck load of spare parts, only their tablet these days ! 

You know that you have an old car when it has a mechanical distributor cap to remove (and rotor arm).

My father used to remove the rotor arm as an immobiliser.

Yeap, I used to do with early cars.

[Vince]

Given the current microchip shortage and the value of 2ndhand cars going skywards, how can we safeguard our cars from stolen to order and shipped to Nigeria and other dodgy destinations, as this video shows. This is a serious question, with the car manufacturers being generally reluctant to tackle the problem head on, as pointed out in this video by the Canadian Police? Steering locks etc are not a solution, so any ideas that could be made to work?

Yeah drive something that no one wants to nick.

Or stick some immobilizer in it that is too much trouble to overcome quickly.
We had terrible trouble here in NZ for a while with older Hiace vans and Hilux utes being stolen and shipped onto the Pacific islands.

I simply pop the bonnet and pull the ignition wire that feeds the distributor cap, thieves rarely travel with a truck load of spare parts, only their tablet these days ! 

Try doing that with a diesel powered car.

I never said my solution was universal either !

I don't know, pull the plug that feeds the fuel delivery cut-off solenoid at the back of the pump ! 

Or just install a hub for removable steering wheel and walk away with it !

Not convenient I hear you say ? Well every motorbike rider I knew at work, all took their big helmet with them and put it onto their desk ... and you don't hear them bitching about it 

[mnementh]

and a really sublime calculator.

 

I'm tryin', bd... I'm tryin'... but I just cain't make myself tick that box...

mnem
 

[bd139]

Given the current microchip shortage and the value of 2ndhand cars going skywards, how can we safeguard our cars from stolen to order and shipped to Nigeria and other dodgy destinations, as this video shows. This is a serious question, with the car manufacturers being generally reluctant to tackle the problem head on, as pointed out in this video by the Canadian Police? Steering locks etc are not a solution, so any ideas that could be made to work?

Yeah drive something that no one wants to nick.

Or stick some immobilizer in it that is too much trouble to overcome quickly.
We had terrible trouble here in NZ for a while with older Hiace vans and Hilux utes being stolen and shipped onto the Pacific islands.

I simply pop the bonnet and pull the ignition wire that feeds the distributor cap, thieves rarely travel with a truck load of spare parts, only their tablet these days ! 

You know that you have an old car when it has a mechanical distributor cap to remove (and rotor arm).

My father used to remove the rotor arm as an immobiliser.

Yeap, I used to do with early cars.

They'll just tow it anyway and fix all that later. They don't drive it away.

Buy a bike and replace the seat with something embarrassing:

[bd139]

I'm tryin', bd... I'm tryin'... but I just cain't make myself tick that box...

I'll give you half a point for at least using macOS though 

[mindcrime]

So, a dirty secret about me that NOBODY knows, is that in my "day job" life I am a software developer.  As such, my company likes to use something called "Scaled Agile Framework" (or "SAFe"). And so they provide free training on all this, and pay for certification tests related to this.

So by now you're probably wondering "WTF does any of this have to do with test equipment?" And that is a most excellent question. Bear with me, I'm getting to the point.

Anyway, yesterday I took the test to become a "Certified SAFe Scrum Master" (yes, that is a real thing) and since I passed the test, I decided to treat myself with a present of some sort. I've been eyeing a cordless 3/8" drive impact wrench for a while, but I already bought two new cordless tools in the past week or two (a 1/4" drive cordless ratchet, and a cordless rotary (dremel style) tool). Soo... decided "no" on the impact wrench, which left me with only ONE clear and unambiguous choice!

Say hello to my new friend!



Yes, indeed, I finally pulled the trigger on ordering a 121-GW. Now my BM786 will have a companion to keep it company on my bench.  I think that's a nice, wholesome ending to this story. 

[Vince]

Given the current microchip shortage and the value of 2ndhand cars going skywards, how can we safeguard our cars from stolen to order and shipped to Nigeria and other dodgy destinations, as this video shows. This is a serious question, with the car manufacturers being generally reluctant to tackle the problem head on, as pointed out in this video by the Canadian Police? Steering locks etc are not a solution, so any ideas that could be made to work?

Yeah drive something that no one wants to nick.

Or stick some immobilizer in it that is too much trouble to overcome quickly.
We had terrible trouble here in NZ for a while with older Hiace vans and Hilux utes being stolen and shipped onto the Pacific islands.

I simply pop the bonnet and pull the ignition wire that feeds the distributor cap, thieves rarely travel with a truck load of spare parts, only their tablet these days ! 

You know that you have an old car when it has a mechanical distributor cap to remove (and rotor arm).

My father used to remove the rotor arm as an immobiliser.

The rotor arm ?!    That 's a lot more work than just pulling the wire !   

To be fair, even some old cars didn't have a distributor. In the late '80's to take 2 examples I know, the Renault 21 Turbo and the Lotus Esprit SE, both had "wasted spark" distributor-less ignition systems... don't know why it was not generalized to all vehicles back then    Cost maybe.

But yeah I get it.. I am subscribed to a few car channels on YT, to stay in touch with modern stuff from a distance... I see now they have "coil on plug" systems, with every spark plug having it's own little coil on top of it, as a one piece unit. This way instead of changing a 2 Euros spark plug, you change a 150 Euros assembly. .. and when you have fancy car with expensive parts and a V12 engine, and the plug job that used to be 10 Euros on your old car, now becomse a 12x500 Euros, 6 grand job ! 

I will treasure my old car and keep it for as long as humanly possible, I am in no hurry to enter the shit show that modern cars are.

[Vince]

So, a dirty secret about me that NOBODY knows, is that in my "day job" life I am a software developer.  As such, my company likes to use something called "Scaled Agile Framework" (or "SAFe"). And so they provide free training on all this, and pay for certification tests related to this.

So by now you're probably wondering "WTF does any of this have to do with test equipment?" And that is a most excellent question. Bear with me, I'm getting to the point.

Anyway, yesterday I took the test to become a "Certified SAFe Scrum Master" (yes, that is a real thing) and since I passed the test, I decided to treat myself with a present of some sort. I've been eyeing a cordless 3/8" drive impact wrench for a while, but I already bought two new cordless tools in the past week or two (a 1/4" drive cordless ratchet, and a cordless rotary (dremel style) tool). Soo... decided "no" on the impact wrench, which left me with only ONE clear and unambiguous choice!

Say hello to my new friend!



Yes, indeed, I finally pulled the trigger on ordering a 121-GW. Now my BM786 will have a companion to keep it company on my bench.  I think that's a nice, wholesome ending to this story.

Wow, you have the same "OUTATIME" car license plate from BTTF movie that Dave has ?!

"Agile"... the same agile that we discussed here recently ?!  BD will have nightmares again, all because of you, naughty you !!! 

[Neomys Sapiens]

Mmmm. Pie...

You, Sir, are a bastard. Now I feel a hankering for pork pie, which must be left tragically unsatisfied!

[mnementh]

I suggest you hide it under a pile of designer shoes or similar bribery materiel.

I suspect that, for once, that isn't a misspelling of "material".

Such blandishments have no interest for SWMBO, a pile of art or ceramics materials might work, but drawing attention to the concealed printer with a pile of shiny things seems counterintuitive.

You are correct, sir. 

Oh, you know as well as I do something that tall would get her attention no matter what you hide it under. When you bribe, you make the bribe obvious... so there are no doubts about the transaction taking place.    In the battle of the sexes, Fortune favors the bold.

mnem
"Oh honey... such lovely clays and Bristol glazes... I could care less about the pommel horse you brought home." 

[Cubdriver]

How does the meters indicate teh reading ? They just have scale from 0 to 9 and the needle is moved to the appropriate "digit" ?
Why not just use also column displays for all th 8 digits ?! Plus, the emlters take more space (wider) than the column displays.... or use 8 meters instead... ?!
What's the deal with those meters ?

Yup - they just indicate the reading on the scale.  Haven’t dug into the circuitry of the counter yet, so I don’t know why they went analog on the two lowest digits.



-Pat

[Neper]

I simply pop the bonnet and pull the ignition wire that feeds the distributor cap, thieves rarely travel with a truck load of spare parts, only their tablet these days ! 

A friend of mine did the same and the thieves were so frustrated that they wrecked the whole interior of the car.

[med6753]

I finally found the issue with the 475A alternate mode and for now it's unfixable. See schematic.

The ALT mode switch is broken and permanently grounded regardless of position which kills the sync pulse. At this point given the complexity to get to that switch I see no sense in trying to fix it unless I have a replacement on hand. And a replacement would mostly likely require a 475A parts mule. So unless one comes across my radar real cheap for now it will remain a usable scope except in ALT mode. And unfortunately I do have a 465 and 465B parts mules but the switch assembly is different. Oh well.

 

[Cubdriver]

Did NLS not provide a cleaning & lubrication kit? these were inside the hp 560A digital recorder/clock, no idea if they are any good after 50+ years, I have the cleaning instructions somewhere.



David

They may well,have, but if so it went somewhere else in the 60+ years since the meter was manufactured.  They do have a drawing with lubrication points in the manual (found one for a different meter that still used the steppers), and I have a guidebook on their care and feeding that I got a few years ago.





-Pat

Edit to fix the image links that the iPad screwed up

[mnementh]

I finally found the issue with the 475A alternate mode and for now it's unfixable. See schematic.

The ALT mode switch is broken and permanently grounded regardless of position which kills the sync pulse. At this point given the complexity to get to that switch I see no sense in trying to fix it unless I have a replacement on hand. And a replacement would mostly likely require a 475A parts mule. So unless one comes across my radar real cheap for now it will remain a usable scope except in ALT mode. And unfortunately I do have a 465 and 465B parts mules but the switch assembly is different. Oh well.

Could you possibly sub a relay controlled by a still working sector of that switch...? 

I've done exactly that on cars where a frightfully expensive multifunction switch had one or two circuits melted out.

mnem