Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[mansaxel]

I have a deep mistrust for everything made from cast metals, especially light alloys. From car parts to spring hooks. Had one of the latter fail on a photo bag and was only able to save my complete medium-format  from dropping into the Albert canal by the skin of my teeth.

Ouch.

Cast steel, I understand, is one of those enigmas that can take many shapes, depending on alloy. Parts like control arms usually are heat treated after casting and machining to achieve suitable capabilities wrt. bend resistance / brittleness and toughness. Somewhere around 0,3% C with heat treatment seems optimal at a quick glance.

Spring hooks probably should be forged instead.

[mansaxel]

Normal pliers reviews can now resume, sorry for the disturbance.

Congratulations! They believe in you, and I see no reason you should not.

[AVGresponding]

Hah, that 34401 at £250 didn't hang around long!

Surprised this didn't sell again though: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/144647048739

[Saskia]

a problem has developed regarding the 34401A ...
It's Keysight. Even if it is the best instrument around, I would no longer want one.

[Cerebus]

Found this in the cake section while I was in Tescos (shopping for Asafoetida of all things):

A jammy dodger for when someone has been a really, really, jammy git. (Feel free to use as you wish)

[AVGresponding]

a problem has developed regarding the 34401B ...
It's Keysight. Even if it is the best instrument around, I would no longer want one.

I guess you mean the 34401A? Anyway, there's a good deal of info available on these, from other sources and from HP back when they were good, so you don't have to care what Keyshite will or won't support.

[Saskia]

Marconi 2022 out for delivery. Wonder what turd I'm going to be snarfing this evening 

You're a glass half full type.

I'm cautiously optimistic that after a little TLC, which you will enjoy giving it, it will be a magnificent instrument that graces your workbench. It will greatly exceed your expectations.

There and again, I haven't bought it!

mnem
*building the perfect beast*

Software engineer: This glass is under utilised, it needs filling to capacity. Virtualise it and share it with a friend.

CIO: [Software Engineer] + move it into the cloud and pay per sip.

[mansaxel]

It's running an AGP Nvidia Quadro FX3000 GPU, so should be ok with semi-later Linux builds I guess?
(If anyone has an AGP Quadro FX4000 GPU laying around, let me know... )

The Quadro seems to be supported by the Nvidia driver for X11R6, so probably autodetect and off you go.

[bd139]

Marconi 2022 out for delivery. Wonder what turd I'm going to be snarfing this evening 

You're a glass half full type.

I'm cautiously optimistic that after a little TLC, which you will enjoy giving it, it will be a magnificent instrument that graces your workbench. It will greatly exceed your expectations.

There and again, I haven't bought it!

mnem
*building the perfect beast*

Software engineer: This glass is under utilised, it needs filling to capacity. Virtualise it and share it with a friend.

CIO: [Software Engineer] + move it into the cloud and pay per sip.

Nah. Software engineer made cups and straw out of paper and they are now dissolving. Software engineer moved to different company 10 minutes before the cup started dissolving and no one knows how to order non paper cups now.

[mansaxel]

I did however tell them that they needed to beat my German salary because health insurance, housing, cost of living is so outrageously high in Switzerland.

Somewhat surprisingly, I have noticed that the two most expensive places in Europe seem to be Switzerland and Denmark. The Tax Authority in Sweden have a list of how much they think a per diem should be in nearly every country in the world. Companies may pay more but then it's going to be taxed. And Switzerland and Denmark are at the top of the list, for Europe.  On a recent trip I had reason to claim per diem in both countries, and I concur. Expensive is just the starting level.

[Saskia]

Copenhagen was excessively expensive when I was there on a business trip. Which lead to a huge hubbub when our secretary put me in an hour hotel unknowingly. When we had a presentation regarding travel directives and rules (along with HR) I asked what I should do in case I did not receive an invoice due to our secretary putting me into such an establishment, and if it was now company policy to force the female employees into prostitution just to cover the travel expenses.

Needless to say, no one was really amused.

[bd139]

a problem has developed regarding the 34401A ...
It's Keysight. Even if it is the best instrument around, I would no longer want one.

Most things made by HP originally are still serviceable. Anything Agilent or Keysight not so much. The 34401A is completely documented end to end and there are a surplus of dead and parts mules available for consideration still.

Merely everything I’m buying is broken and serviceable. The 2022E I bought for example is made of completely standard parts throughout.  This is the lowest risk operating position because you don’t need vendor support at all then.

[PA0PBZ]

Just bagged this little weirdo for £40 shipped:



There's no probe with it, but it's just too interesting to pass up on for the price.

I wonder where the knob is to control the dispersion when set to manual 

It doesn't need a probe, it's supposed to be connected to the IF out of a receiver.

[mansaxel]

In TE news, this has happened:

• The 5372A has arrived home, with me, family, and 12 boxes (6 bottles each) of wine. Testing and tasting will start soon, starting with the wine. (The hp is for work, and I have 2 more weeks vacation to go.)
• Postnord has decided that the connectors from the telco tester BD139 parted out owe the Gummint SEK 1 in VAT, and SEK 75 in handling fee. Have paid, will probably get them middle next week.

[factory]

Two for this page, HP 5090A & 5090B 200kHz Droitwich receivers, supposedly the first product designed by the HP division in the UK.

Some pictures of the 5090A & one of the inside, shame someone butchered the rear panel.



And the 5090B as received, this is a little corroded, I need to find the 198kHz conversion parts & put them together before the transmitter gets EOL'd.   


David

[mansaxel]

Copenhagen was excessively expensive when I was there on a business trip. Which lead to a huge hubbub when our secretary put me in an hour hotel unknowingly. When we had a presentation regarding travel directives and rules (along with HR) I asked what I should do in case I did not receive an invoice due to our secretary putting me into such an establishment, and if it was now company policy to force the female employees into prostitution just to cover the travel expenses.

Needless to say, no one was really amused.

There are also good hotels close to Istedgade where such activities are mostly concentrated.  I'd regard the secretary as incompetent and worse, not aware of it. 

These days, I vet all my hotel bookings for work trips personally, and mostly make them myself too. As noted in another post, we just came home from a 3-week vacation trip, with 17 different hotels. That's a personal record, that I'll try not to break again, for some time.  We've managed to get good cheap hotels for the most part, with no disasters, which is a quite good record, frankly. 

We usually break something during the trip. This time, it was a leaking tire. Got it fixed earlier today. Tire repair shops are usually pretty quick in condemning a tire, especially on AWD cars, but this one had a small leak in the track area, and that was patched quickly by a truck  tire shop in southern Sweden.

I brought my tool case, and the socket set. And I did not open either. So no TE stories, except the pics from various generations of "stop-the-germans" buildings in France.

[Cerebus]

Copenhagen was excessively expensive when I was there on a business trip. Which lead to a huge hubbub when our secretary put me in an hour hotel unknowingly. When we had a presentation regarding travel directives and rules (along with HR) I asked what I should do in case I did not receive an invoice due to our secretary putting me into such an establishment, and if it was now company policy to force the female employees into prostitution just to cover the travel expenses.

Needless to say, no one was really amused.

Dear Saskia

Thank you for the suggestion you put forwards to the finance committee regarding ways to reduce travel expenses incurred.

I am pleased to be able to tell you that this has passed both the first and second evaluation stages, and is due to be voted on by the full finance committee on Thursday next. Should it be voted in favour of you will receive a small honorarium (restricted to 50€ to avoid excess taxation) for your valuable input.

Yours Faithfully,

Sue

From the desk of Susan Grabbid-Rune, Asst. Chief Accountant

[BU508A]

Copenhagen was excessively expensive when I was there on a business trip. Which lead to a huge hubbub when our secretary put me in an hour hotel unknowingly. When we had a presentation regarding travel directives and rules (along with HR) I asked what I should do in case I did not receive an invoice due to our secretary putting me into such an establishment, and if it was now company policy to force the female employees into prostitution just to cover the travel expenses.

Needless to say, no one was really amused.

Dear Saskia

Thank you for the suggestion you put forwards to the finance committee regarding ways to reduce travel expenses incurred.

I am pleased to be able to tell you that this has passed both the first and second evaluation stages, and is due to be voted on by the full finance committee on Thursday next. Should it be voted in favour of you will receive a small honorarium (restricted to 50€ to avoid excess taxation) for your valuable input.

Yours Faithfully,

Sue

From the desk of Susan Grabbid-Rune, Asst. Chief Accountant

That Thursday Next?

[Robert763]

Ordered 5x OCXO modules from China. This 2022E will be a slow burning project 

With new user coupon I got 5 of them for £10.56 delivered which is quite frankly insanely cheap. 1-2 may not work from experience so have to be careful

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003277492150.html


NOTE: I will continue this topic here: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/marconi-2022e-repair-and-refurb/msg4315309/

You can just stuff 10MHz in the socket on the back.....

[Robert763]

<SNIP>
So I think I will accept their job offer anyway. I have one week to reply to their offer via e-mail. So, next Wednesday dead line. Think I will e-mail them on Monday.  You don't want to reply the same day, makes you look desperate 

So, well, very anxious that I might not make it past the first week, but at the same very excited to have job and a decent salary for the first time in my 20 years of professional life !

Oh, forgot, they want me to start in a couple weeks, Monday 8th of August. Last week of July and first of August, that's when Airbus closes, every year. So I will start once they reopen.

Oh, and it looks like they want to force me to wear a polo shirt (Airbus "requirement" for office workers, T-shirts for workers in the workshop). I despise polo shirts and shirts or anything that has plastic buttons on it, I will never wear one. I hope I can negotiate and get a T-shirt instead. Me being very big is hoping they will not have my size and let me use my personal T-shirts instead.


Normal pliers reviews can now resume, sorry for the disturbance.

Congratulations,
You will manage the job jusst fine I'm sure.

[Saskia]

Copenhagen was excessively expensive when I was there on a business trip. Which lead to a huge hubbub when our secretary put me in an hour hotel unknowingly. When we had a presentation regarding travel directives and rules (along with HR) I asked what I should do in case I did not receive an invoice due to our secretary putting me into such an establishment, and if it was now company policy to force the female employees into prostitution just to cover the travel expenses.

Needless to say, no one was really amused.

Dear Saskia

Thank you for the suggestion you put forwards to the finance committee regarding ways to reduce travel expenses incurred.

I am pleased to be able to tell you that this has passed both the first and second evaluation stages, and is due to be voted on by the full finance committee on Thursday next. Should it be voted in favour of you will receive a small honorarium (restricted to 50€ to avoid excess taxation) for your valuable input.

Yours Faithfully,

Sue

From the desk of Susan Grabbid-Rune, Asst. Chief Accountant

umm, not quite. I had protested against that hotel. Also they told the secretary that he was no longer authorized to book any hotel that the employee did not endorse. Furthermore I did get an apology from management.
Also, for my next business travels, they did get the company upper management designated driver to deliver me and pick me off to/from the airport.

[bd139]

Ordered 5x OCXO modules from China. This 2022E will be a slow burning project 

With new user coupon I got 5 of them for £10.56 delivered which is quite frankly insanely cheap. 1-2 may not work from experience so have to be careful

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003277492150.html


NOTE: I will continue this topic here: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/marconi-2022e-repair-and-refurb/msg4315309/

You can just stuff 10MHz in the socket on the back.....

Wish it was that easy. I traced it out and that's only usable as the synthesizer frequency reference. The actual system clock is always derived from the internal standard 

If there is no internal clock then nothing works including selecting the external ref input 

[Robert763]

Took a better photo of the Keithley 199 display. Used a camera (Canon M100) not a phone.  This is the meter in direct light coming through the window.
The meter has very good accuracy for a 53/4 digit. A HP34401A 61/2 digit is 3 times better on DC volts but the resistance is actually better than the 34401A.

[Robert763]

 
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/225085806337?

[AVGresponding]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/225085806337?