Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[bd139]

Just for shiggles and gits, I plugged it into ...

Imagine a traditional shop in Victorian style, perhaps in a side street in Spitalfields, London. Over the front is a classic hand painted sign, painted with gold leaf on the reverse of glass:

Shiggles & Gits Limited
Purveyors of Scientific and Electrikal Instruments and Machines
Suppliers to Learned Institutions, Universities, and Private Enquirers into the Nature of the World

That jogged my memory for this company registration.

https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/01485968

[med6753]

Just for shiggles and gits, I plugged it into ...

Imagine a traditional shop in Victorian style, perhaps in a side street in Spitalfields, London. Over the front is a classic hand painted sign, painted with gold leaf on the reverse of glass:

Shiggles & Gits Limited
Purveyors of Scientific and Electrikal Instruments and Machines
Suppliers to Learned Institutions, Universities, and Private Enquirers into the Nature of the World

That jogged my memory for this company registration.

https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/01485968

There's an adult store in our area called "Giggles". 

Website....NSFW

https://giggles.com/

[dl6lr]

When I turn around, this is what I see....

I am ashamed. 

But I'm working through it, if only people would stop listing tasty gear on Yahoo Auctions....



[EDIT] Oooh, I just noticed an empty spot at the top of the cupboard.... I'll have to deal with that... 

If you move that, looks like a steering wheel (?) there at top left over a bit and stacked the helmet on top of it, you'd have more space there, too...  Just sayin'...

 

-Pat

Edit to add - I like that spray can storage thing - is that what it's meant to be, or was it intended as a wine rack?  Regardless, I need to rig something like this up for my garage - standing upright they always get knocked over when trying to grab one, and it's a pain to find the one you want when you can't see the markings.

I assume this is WIP and once the props are installed, he can fly the spray can to the DUT and spray it via remote control  Like a crop duster.

[med6753]

Predicted high temp today for here is 36 C. What about UK? Gonna hit 40 C again? I can only think of perhaps 3 times that it got to that temp here.

[bd139]

Predicted high temp today for here is 36 C. What about UK? Gonna hit 40 C again? I can only think of perhaps 3 times that it got to that temp here.

Back to normal now. 27oC peak 

[Saskia]

"Lovey... maybe it's time to buy a farm in upstate New York." ~grand-dad

you are aware of the meaning of "buy a farm" ?

[Saskia]

WRT my recent question regarding very specific pinball transformers it seems that I was able to dig one up, I have the Hermes shipping number.
I had to cough up 300 Brussels sprouts Pesos for it though.

[med6753]

Predicted high temp today for here is 36 C. What about UK? Gonna hit 40 C again? I can only think of perhaps 3 times that it got to that temp here.

Back to normal now. 27oC peak 

That's good. Going to be brutal here right up to Sunday.

[med6753]

A distant memory. 

[Specmaster]

On-topic content:

Today I picked up a hp 5372A in running condition for work, from forum member bsdphk. Buying TE for ${EMPLOYER}'s money. There are few things more satisfying. Especially since the traditional service department is downsizing aggressively and reducing the use of TE and servicing skills in favour of tossing broken things and buying new.

In all fairness, BD was spot on when he described modern electronics as essentially unrepairable. There is not much a normal service department can do beyond swapping PCB's. And to do that, you seldom require TE; it is mostly enough to have a paint-by-numbers fault-finding guide.

Anyway, I need the 5372A to properly diagnose my network. We've come full circle, and need the precision it offers to get things verified. I also hope that I can get some text and pictures out to dispel the voodoo that is "timing transmission over stochastic networks". I feel there are some presentations waiting to be written and held.

The enheavyment-enabling rear suspension enhancement on the car is worth its investment, so very much.

Totally agree, TH FTW.

[Specmaster]

got a Husqvarna 130 tree moped today.

Well just what ever you do, don't fecking sit on it 

[Specmaster]

I used to take the train, but I don't fancy marinating in coronavirus...

Plus, I get to and from work on my schedule, it takes the same amount of time anyway, works out cheaper (I drive a hybrid) and I don't have to be near other people.

Also, did I mention that I don't have to be near other people?

Given the current situation, that is a very wise thing to do, covid can go f**k itself 

[Specmaster]

Predicted high temp today for here is 36 C. What about UK? Gonna hit 40 C again? I can only think of perhaps 3 times that it got to that temp here.

Back to normal now. 27oC peak 

What, its 33C here.

[bd139]

Predicted high temp today for here is 36 C. What about UK? Gonna hit 40 C again? I can only think of perhaps 3 times that it got to that temp here.

Back to normal now. 27oC peak 

What, its 33C here.

Says 28 peak around you on met office.

[m k]

And Now For Something Completely... ON TOPIC!



Hi-def HP 54621D pr0n: ARCHIVE: HP 54621D Mainboard Pics

I took oodles of pics of the 54621D mainboard while I was trying to reverse-engineer the video.  Instead of shrinking them all to fit in here nice & friendly, I made an archive of the pics one post at a time so I could keep the res as high as possible.

mnem
 

I did few logic analyzer pictures with Paint and thought JPG will be packed heavily.
Unfortunately I forgot that copy/paste with Paint will drop the resolution.

[m k]

Me too.
(COMPONENT SORTING)

I was pretty sure I have a NOS 8080 somewhere, I was right, found 2.
Something else came up also, ER1400 x2, not bad.
All being in the same mylar bag for around 30 years, go figure.
Some discretes and DC305 was also there, and that ratted it all out, the bag was for VAX 11/750 console, silky LA120.

Elsewhere was also partially less new.
For example few SIMM modules with through hole memory chips.

Few were unknown even after some poking around.
(can be a repost and totally obsolete stuff)
UC80068N UC80243N UC80343N

[mnementh]

"Lovey... maybe it's time to buy a farm in upstate New York." ~grand-dad

you are aware of the meaning of "buy a farm" ?

Ehhh... I always heard that said "bought the farm", as in past tense, already dead. Though there is some irony in there; like the song goes: "There ain't nothin' but the dead and dyin' back in my little town..." 



mnem
Actually, they bought two farms and merged them. Joy.

[mnementh]

Predicted high temp today for here is 36 C. What about UK? Gonna hit 40 C again? I can only think of perhaps 3 times that it got to that temp here.

Back to normal now. 27oC peak 

That's good. Going to be brutal here right up to Sunday.

...Temps will climb starting tomorrow with a high of 96/70%RH Wed & Thurs. Which is exactly when they're supposed to be coming to work on the AC. In the attic.     Who wants to start a pool on how long it takes them to piss off somewhere else and what the excuses will be...? 

mnem
I'm expecting a call tomorrow night rescheduling til some time next week "due to overruns at a current job".

Well, I lost that bet big-time; they're aspoda be here in a hour to start. I still haven't got the kids up yet... 

mnem
Never happier to be wrong...

[tggzzz]

Something else came up also, ER1400 x2, not bad.

As used in Tek 2445/2465 (not A/B), maybe others.

If I had those, I'd keep hold of them in case one of my 2465s cal "ram" failed. I haven't heard of that happening, unlike the A and B variants.

[grizewald]

COMPONENT SORTING
- 6N136 : super fast optocoupler, given for 1Mbps

IIRC used in Datron 10x1 meters, and probably elsewhere.

Not sure if failure mode is aging while energised, or simply aging.

Yes indeed. My 1071 uses four 6N136 and no fewer than 8 MCT6 dual opto isolators.

Not that you'd know it by looking at the BOM in the service manual. Datron gave HP4351 as the part number of the 6N136 and FCD880 for the MCT6.

Neither HP4351 or FCD880 give any hits on the usual data sheet sites. I have no idea why they used part numbers in the BOM which bear no relation to the actual parts used. The other fun bit is that some of the opto couplers used have either (red) or (white) written after them in the BOM, but there is no documentation about the selection criteria which resulted in a white, orange or green dot being placed on the packages. I assume that the red dots turned orange with time and that the green dot implies "not white or red". Although, just to muddy the waters further, there are also chips with no coloured dot on them!
I just compared my 1071 with my 1061A parts mule and the colour or lack of a dot seems to be the same for both, with one exception which has no dot on the 1061A but has a green dot on the 1071.

Confused? Very.

[bd139]

Oh now for some real test gear marketing magic. One original Linear Tech Jim Williams workbench jigsaw puzzle:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/125424439942

!

[Specmaster]

Oh now for some real test gear marketing magic. One original Linear Tech Jim Williams workbench jigsaw puzzle:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/125424439942

!

Must be a fake, that bench is way too tidy 

[Specmaster]

Predicted high temp today for here is 36 C. What about UK? Gonna hit 40 C again? I can only think of perhaps 3 times that it got to that temp here.

Back to normal now. 27oC peak 

What, its 33C here.

Says 28 peak around you on met office.

Not in my lab its not.

[med6753]

Check of 465B PSU before installing the Trigger Board. No popping noises and no magic smoke. +55V reference requires no adjustment. All PSU voltages present and in spec. Success.

Will now install the Trigger Board and give the scope a good checkout.

 

[GreyWoolfe]

I used to take the train, but I don't fancy marinating in coronavirus...

Plus, I get to and from work on my schedule, it takes the same amount of time anyway, works out cheaper (I drive a hybrid) and I don't have to be near other people.

Also, did I mention that I don't have to be near other people?

Given the current situation, that is a very wise thing to do, covid can go f**k itself 

So can most people.  After 17 years of marriage and 22 years being together, Mrs GreyWoolfe finally realizes I am anti social.  Even around family members I want to be around, I just don't like crowds.  I can handle 3 in the house.  Any more than that, I take breaks in my office and re-ground myself.  When my son comes and visits, there are 4 but the youngest grandchild is a year and a half, too small yet to cause me stress though it is fun watching him cause son and daughter in law stress   We are having family stay for a week in August, thankfully, it is that magic number 3 that I can deal with, her natural father and his wife and one of our daughters since she hasn't seen her grandfather in decades.  Even with work, I am a remote field service tech.  If I can't fix over the phone/remote, then I go onsite, fix and leave.  I have been doing field service for almost 23 years, no way I could go back to working in a building with others, I would probably trip offline and fail to reset.  At the end of the day, I love my dogs more than I like most people, Mrs GreyWoolfe being being one of the very few exceptions.