Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[med6753]

I think Med said he might have one on a parts board, but it probably got missed amongst the general OT noise.
If you go for programming a 74S287, you should get a couple, as I had several duds amongst the clone 74188 I used to repair one of the 5340A counters here, even sent me two used ones (in the batch of 20) with code already on them.

I shall wait to see if he comments

Good call on getting a few. I was expecting to get used ones if I ordered some from China. There are 10x NOS MH74S287's which look reasonable substitutes for the money. They also have programming documentation which is useful.

I wasn't on all day so sorry for delayed response. What part are you looking for? I have a scrap 465 and 465B.

[med6753]

Anyone got a parts mule Tek 7A26 7000-series plug-in they can sell me some knobs and stuff from?

I have several 7000 series plug-in's that are parts units. What do you need?

[TERRA Operative]

Anyone got a parts mule Tek 7A26 7000-series plug-in they can sell me some knobs and stuff from?

I have several 7000 series plug-in's that are parts units. What do you need?

The large grey and small red knob, plus a 6.1" long 0.123" OD Extension Shaft for my 7A26 as shown in the image, so the top matches the bottom.

If you have these parts, I love you long time.

[med6753]

You're in luck. I have a scrap 7A26 in the TE closet. But it's 3:15 AM here and the lady is sleeping and I can't get to it right now to verify it's condition. Later today I'll pull it out and check to make sure it's in one piece (I think it is).

If it has what you need you can have the parts for cost of shipping.

[TERRA Operative]

Awesome, thanks!

[Specmaster]

Enough already!

I agree. All that arguing is why I don't post nearly as much as I used to. I have better things to do. I've been waiting to post an update but not until that crap dies down.

Well I hope you won't mind if I say that is just plain silly, because failing to post your updates, news etc., is just highlighting their petty little spat / feud even more by not giving other members something more interesting to read, infact the lack of posts about any other topic just gives a bigger platform to the little petty rows, more likely the direct result of the unusual heat many of us are having to endure.

I think it comes down to many of us not really reading the posts fully, to really understand what the other person is trying to say. I can put my hand upto that myself and I think that my fellow sparring partner on here can do the same, but the big difference is that we are both grown up enough to put on our big boy pants and move on.

I hold both warring factions in high regard, they are as far as I'm concerned friends and have much to offer to each and every other member on this thread and the wider forum. I have attempted both publicly here and also by way PM's to defuse the situation. I'm also aware that at least one other member has also PM'd one of these two supporting him and blaming the other and to that I say those members really ought to be self-critical here and search their souls to make sure that they are really as squeaky clean as they make out they are. My mum taught me the old proverb, "people in glasshouses really should not throw stones" and that is a motto that I try and abide by, so please can I by way of this post please ask those two members to shake hands and resume normal service again, please.

[AVGresponding]

And just because I don't need another 51/2 digit DMM I just had a offer on a Keithley 199 System DMM accepted...
The 199 is a smaller highspeed "brown" Keithley with large LED display.

TE incoming........

*angrily shakes fist*   

*remembers the state of his bank account*   

[Specmaster]

That looks excellent. Nice job 

Also thanks for noting the existence of clear laser printer labels. I had no idea they existed!

Thanks. I didn't know either but I got them last year from an Ebay seller for a project in another hobby. I wish knew the original supplier name but all I got was a paper mail pack with 10 sheets in it (no manufacturer name). But yea it's a good thing to have in your tool chest, regarding restorations anyway.

I actually ran that sheet through the laser printer more than once and it didn't harm it.

xrunner, that looks great!  Beautifully done.  Mine is in acceptable shape, but I'll keep the label offer in mind should the need arise in the future - thanks!

-Pat

I'll keep them in my hp spares box here. 

Looks like you can get them for inkjets too, and they aren't expensive. The durability of the print may be a different matter however... though I suppose you could always put an extra layer of clear over the top to laminate it.

Yep, I think you would have to do that, especially with an inkjet label, for sure.

[m k]

Poster board adhesive sheet, what's a correct name.

There are or used to be sheets with one and three layers.
Single layer is just some glue between silicon papers when three layered has a film as a base.

[Specmaster]

A quick update on the state of my new bathroom fit out. Day 1, the old fittings and tiles, ripped out by the builders. Day 2,  new bath suite fitted and new plumbing done by the plumber, new light and extractor installed by electricians and cable pulled to the new shower location (waiting on the shower to be fitted at the end). Day 3 and 4, nothing happened, no one turned, apparently the tiler was supposed to be coming but had Covid, they have hired another tiler but is trying to catch up with the backlog of jobs. Day 5, painter turned and decorated the areas that aren't going to be tiled, tiling should have been done before painting but new tiler, still playing catch up.

Day 6, I had a message while I was at RIAT, Fairford to say nobody would be arriving, both tilers, the painter and the floor layer all had caught covid, yikes. It is now looking like we will continue with a unfinished bathroom for at least another week while these people isolate themselves 

What I find so amazing about all of this is that still covid is not even being seen as a concern or talked about by the Government, they are still not even making testing kits free, so the virus will remain at large as many people cannot afford to test themselves.

To add insult to injury, the painter has done such a crap job that we are going to have to do it again ourselves. Paint is already peeling off the skirting board, in places, the old paint is visible through the 2 coats of new paint  In other areas, like window sill, old marks can clearly be seen coming through the new paint. That is what you get when housing associations and local authorities continue to go for the cheapest tenders all the time. Things like that would not have happened when they all had their own labour forces, but compulsory competitive tendering being introduced changed all of that, but I'll spare you all the politics bit of it.

So the big question now is, how long will it be before we can get it all completed so we can fit a shower screen and new cabinets etc, and the icing on the cake, it seems that the electricians have somehow managed the solar installation so  now the RCCD on the solar array pops out all the time, so we are having to pay top price for the power during the daytime 

 

[AVGresponding]

So the big question now is, how long will it be before we can get it all completed so we can fit a shower screen and new cabinets etc, and the icing on the cake, it seems that the electricians have somehow managed the solar installation so  now the RCCD on the solar array pops out all the time, so we are having to pay top price for the power during the daytime 

Have you made any investigations, or are you making it a warranty issue?

[tggzzz]

What I find so amazing about all of this is that still covid is not even being seen as a concern or talked about by the Government, they are still not even making testing kits free, so the virus will remain at large as many people cannot afford to test themselves.

It is a political decision, stemming from the government's ministers' needing to be seen to have "got covid over and done". <Cough> [1]

Long covid will knacker individuals and the economy.

It is unforgiveable that they aren't encouraging people to take simple steps to avoid another lockdown, to wit innoculate, ventilate, mask.

[1] pun intended

[mnementh]

On the Bench ALL OVER the EFFING BENCH Tonight...

mnem
 

Wow, the old HP Megazoom looks so beautiful compared to the other scopes. It just oozes charm and beauty 


Thanks for justifying me having 40+ scopes here, and 2 dozen probes... I don't have a GAS problem, no, I am merely trying to be prepared for the day where I will actually do something like you did... I have now an excuse. I don't feel guilty or silly or unreasonable any longer. I feel rather perfectly lucid and rational.

Thank you so much 

That said, I think I could still downsize from 40+ to say 30 scopes.... maybe. Just... maybe.

Yeah, as bd139 sez: green & glowy wiggly lines FTW!

The color LCDs are a bit of a problem though; because of the polarized light, my camera has a hard time getting good auto-focus. If I use the flash, shutter times are short enough to catch partly drawn pages, and that is useless. What I should've done was screen-grabs from the Rigol and LeSiglent, but the only USB sticks I had handy were full of movies and of course, the scopes wanted to format them. 

Break the Hoarding Cycle



What I did (when I was moving) was to take inventory of all my TE, and first - note which had actually seen light of day in the last year (No, accidental light from opening the Closet of Doom™ for something else doesn't count); then cross them off the list. After that, the parts mules for those TE get crossed off the list. After that, comes the hardest part: an honest inventory of self and TE, to determine which, if any of the remaining TE, was likely to come out on the bench for actual repair in the next year.

Those units, and the parts mules for them, get put out on the bench for the next week okay, month. You'll be amazed how quickly those units get shifted from the "maybe in the next year" column to the "not a fukkin' chance in hell" column when they're in the way of you getting shit done.

Usually by this time, you'll have one or two units that still ache when you think of letting them go. You put those units on the bench too. If they pass muster, you have to make room for all the units still on the bench somewhere in your active workspace until you've disposed of the rest.

Then, and only then, do the "keepers" get put away.

It's hard, being honest with yourself. But it's the only way to make the crossover from "TE Hoarder" to "TE Enthusiast".

mnem

[mnementh]

...Day 6, I had a message while I was at RIAT, Fairford to say nobody would be arriving, both tilers, the painter and the floor layer all had caught covid, yikes. It is now looking like we will continue with a unfinished bathroom for at least another week while these people isolate themselves 

So... my previous estimate was a wee bit optimistic, I see... 

...This means they'll get all the old shit ripped out, grab their tool bags but leave wheelbarrows and dustbins scattered about, and won't call or show up again until the day before it's due. There may or may not be a huge hole to the outside haphazardly covered with a tarp. When they return they will then be all assholes and elbows for 3-7 days, and if you're lucky, most of the crooked bits will be behind the toilet. Which lid will be left up with a floater for final inspection. 

mnem
And the cat may or may not be pregnant. 50:50 odds there.

Well, hopefully this break will give you a chance to seek out and hire some competent workers. *puts on serious face* From personal experience, I urge you to do so, and do not delay. I know the wallet pain of paying to do the job twice. But you're going to do that anyways, and then some; may as well shortcut the 3 months of arguing with the first contractor and get the job done right before they have a chance to totally fuck up your home the first time.

mnem
 

[Cerebus]

Well, hopefully this break will give you a chance to seek out and hire some competent workers.

He doesn't have a choice - housing association property, therefore not his call.

[Vince]

On the Bench ALL OVER the EFFING BENCH Tonight...

mnem
 

Wow, the old HP Megazoom looks so beautiful compared to the other scopes. It just oozes charm and beauty 


Thanks for justifying me having 40+ scopes here, and 2 dozen probes... I don't have a GAS problem, no, I am merely trying to be prepared for the day where I will actually do something like you did... I have now an excuse. I don't feel guilty or silly or unreasonable any longer. I feel rather perfectly lucid and rational.

Thank you so much 

That said, I think I could still downsize from 40+ to say 30 scopes.... maybe. Just... maybe.

Yeah, as bd139 sez: green & glowy wiggly lines FTW!

The color LCDs are a bit of a problem though; because of the polarized light, my camera has a hard time getting good auto-focus. If I use the flash, shutter times are short enough to catch partly drawn pages, and that is useless. What I should've done was screen-grabs from the Rigol and LeSiglent, but the only USB sticks I had handy were full of movies and of course, the scopes wanted to format them. 

Break the Hoarding Cycle



What I did (when I was moving) was to take inventory of all my TE, and first - note which had actually seen light of day in the last year (No, accidental light from opening the Closet of Doom™ for something else doesn't count); then cross them off the list. After that, the parts mules for those TE get crossed off the list. After that, comes the hardest part: an honest inventory of self and TE, to determine which, if any of the remaining TE, was likely to come out on the bench for actual repair in the next year.

Those units, and the parts mules for them, get put out on the bench for the next week okay, month. You'll be amazed how quickly those units get shifted from the "maybe in the next year" column to the "not a fukkin' chance in hell" column when they're in the way of you getting shit done.

Usually by this time, you'll have one or two units that still ache when you think of letting them go. You put those units on the bench too. If they pass muster, you have to make room for all the units still on the bench somewhere in your active workspace until you've disposed of the rest.

Then, and only then, do the "keepers" get put away.

It's hard, being honest with yourself. But it's the only way to make the crossover from "TE Hoarder" to "TE Enthusiast".

mnem

No.

[mnementh]

           BWAHAHAHAHA!!!

mnem
Well, I suppose he technically is being honest with himself...

[mnementh]

Well, hopefully this break will give you a chance to seek out and hire some competent workers.

He doesn't have a choice - housing association property, therefore not his call.

Uggghhh... missed that part. Is that like subsidized/government managed housing over here, or like "Deed Restricted" "Homeowner's Association" crap where you supposedly own your property but some dipshit PTA queen has final say over the color of your drapes if they face the street?

I'm assuming the former... but after some of the horror stories I've heard, I wouldn't be surprised if "approved contractors" were also part of the latter over there. 

mnem
*sand-ily*

[med6753]

Awesome, thanks!

Here's the 7A26. While it has had some parts removed it does have what you need. PM me and we'll make arrangements.

[Bud]

WTF, you been watching these soldering tutorials again ?
Obviously you weren't looking at her fingers ! 

She is Hot and heating the soldering iron!

[Specmaster]

So the big question now is, how long will it be before we can get it all completed so we can fit a shower screen and new cabinets etc, and the icing on the cake, it seems that the electricians have somehow managed the solar installation so  now the RCCD on the solar array pops out all the time, so we are having to pay top price for the power during the daytime 

Have you made any investigations, or are you making it a warranty issue?

No, I haven't yet looked to see if I can find anything wrong, it started yesterday while I was about 130 miles in RAF Fairford and so the first opportunity I had was today and there is a limited amount of what I can do as it is a housing association property. It is clearly something on the side of the inverter feed to the supply of the consumer unit, as it is only tripping out the RCCD in that leg. The RCCD's in the consumer unit are perfectly OK. This RCCD is a 300ma device, so it is a reasonable size leakage.

[Specmaster]

Well, hopefully this break will give you a chance to seek out and hire some competent workers.

He doesn't have a choice - housing association property, therefore not his call.

Uggghhh... missed that part. Is that like subsidized/government managed housing over here, or like "Deed Restricted" "Homeowner's Association" crap where you supposedly own your property but some dipshit PTA queen has final say over the color of your drapes if they face the street?

I'm assuming the former... but after some of the horror stories I've heard, I wouldn't be surprised if "approved contractors" were also part of the latter over there. 

mnem
*sand-ily*

Actually it's neither, the house used to be owned by the Local Council and I rented it from them. Then they transferred all their housing stock to a housing association as part of the Governments great idea of let's sell off as much as we possibly can to raise some cash for itself and then put more money into the hands of wealthy people via the tenants rental payments.

[mnementh]

Uggh. So used to be "government mismanaged" but is now "privately mismanaged, but with government blessing" so odds of finding any "responsible party" to harangue are at least 3 layers of bureaucracy deep.

You have my deepest sympathies, and condolences on the loss of your sanity.

mnem

[bd139]

Seen some shit in my time but this ...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/362782549796

 

[Specmaster]

What I find so amazing about all of this is that still covid is not even being seen as a concern or talked about by the Government, they are still not even making testing kits free, so the virus will remain at large as many people cannot afford to test themselves.

It is a political decision, stemming from the government's ministers' needing to be seen to have "got covid over and done". <Cough> [1]

Long covid will knacker individuals and the economy.

It is unforgiveable that they aren't encouraging people to take simple steps to avoid another lockdown, to wit innoculate, ventilate, mask.

[1] pun intended

Yes, I know, and I find it appalling that so many of the population do not have the brain power to see this for themselves and, like you say, fail to take adequate precautions to protect themselves and others in equal measures. I feel like I'm the social outcast when I go shopping because I still mask up and others look at me like I'm the local raving idiot who still hasn't grasped that the virus gone away

My wife is a Civil Servant who works in our local Crown Court and the Government have told them that they must still continue going to work, even if they have covid FFS. Currently, there are at least two staff members there with it, actively helping to spread it further, happily SWMBO still masks up when at work, as does my son when he goes to work also. So far my family has managed to avoid it but many of the extended family (in laws) have had it, some more than once  and they still don't learn from it either.

So it seems that we are having the herd treatment after all, by pure deception as the sheep follow the government's wishes because they think it is all over. Imagine their surprise when they learn it isn't