Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[med6753]

Where I grew up on the south coast almost all the older houses had basements (say pre-WWII), often with a street level hatch to deliver coal through. None of the houses I've lived in in London have had basements. Never really thought about the discrepancy until now and I can't offhand see geography being the motivating factor - Brighton is on, very wet, chalk and London is on a similarly wet [clay] river basin so they are both rather damp places for basements.

Pre-WW2 residences here also had a coal chute to the storage in basement for the furnace. After WW2 most converted to gas (no storage) or to fuel oil which usually was a 275 gallon storage tank in the basement. That continues to today.   

[grizewald]

I doubt there is any personal lab which beats Shahriar's. At a conservative guess, I'd say there's several million dollars worth of test equipment in there!

[bd139]

Ooh 5 years for me on EEVblog today 

[xrunner]

Ooh 5 years for me on EEVblog today 

Five years of sheer torture enjoyment. 

[mansaxel]

He's out in Lincolnshire.

https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/FvDQykChz0ahbK_Gy8_3dO-oR98/appointments

Makes a fair bit of cash. Check his company accounts filings 

That's a fair bit out in the countryside, indeed! Thanks.

Also not as reachable ATM:

"Damage to the overhead electric wires between Peterborough / Cambridge and London means all lines are currently blocked."

[grizewald]

Sounds like Sweden!

 

[tggzzz]

He's out in Lincolnshire.

https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/FvDQykChz0ahbK_Gy8_3dO-oR98/appointments

Makes a fair bit of cash. Check his company accounts filings 

Stamford isn't really Lincolnshire; it is nice.

Geologically, culturally, and by appearance it is the other end of theCotswolds;  think Bath writ small.

Plus it has a well-known auction house outbuilding  nearby.

Contrast that with another auction shed on the Lincolnshire coast.

[Specmaster]

Where I grew up on the south coast almost all the older houses had basements (say pre-WWII), often with a street level hatch to deliver coal through. None of the houses I've lived in in London have had basements. Never really thought about the discrepancy until now and I can't offhand see geography being the motivating factor - Brighton is on, very wet, chalk and London is on a similarly wet [clay] river basin so they are both rather damp places for basements.

Colin Furze does offer some insights in building things underground in what I naîvely assume is somewhere in greater London area. His house didn't have a basement either..

https://youtu.be/A_ESR5zoGYQ

Nope, going by what he says in his video, he lives somewhere around the Stamford region as he mentions Rutland water is around 12 miles from his house.

[25 CPS]

Even within Canada, I suspect that 25_CPS pays double for electricity what Kosmic and I pay ...

I went through 325 kWh in the last billing period which worked out to $31.85.  Add $35.50 for delivery.  Add $1.56 regulatory.  Subtotal of $68.91.  Add $8.96 sales tax which brings it to $77.87.  Subtract $11.71 "Ontario Electricity Rebate" and that works out to $66.16.  Multiply by 100 to convert to cents, then divide by that 325 kWh and I get an all in price of 20.36 cents per kWh in the most recent billing period.  That's pretty consistent with what I've gotten the last few times I've sat down and worked through the numbers.

Just for sake of interest, I worked through the math on the latest utility bill and got a figure of 16.55 cents per kWh.  It's kind of interesting because it shows the effect of more or less fixed costs built in the regulatory and delivery items which cause them not to move around as much when there are large changes in total kWh consumption.  The total consumption is up quite a bit on air conditioning use which caused the average price per kWh to drop by spreading it out over more kilowatt hours used in the most recent billing cycle compared to the previous one.

Luckily, "What does it cost to run the equipment in the workshop?" doesn't sway bills all that much.  Usually it's scopes and meters that get used and they don't consume much power.  The giant energy consuming machines like the dynamic signal analyzer and spectrum analyzer that are both in the 350-400W neighbourhood don't see nearly as much use so they don't spike it too badly.  I see bigger fluctuations due to whether I do more or less cooking inside which changes how much time the electric stove spends switched on and anything that causes the laundry to be done more frequently than usual show up twice as electricity and water/sewage.

At least enjoying some quality time, if I can get the time which is a whole other story, in the workshop and using the lab equipment doesn't cost a fortune, one of the rare things that doesn't these days.

[Neomys Sapiens]

This house was built in the 1850's and has a basement, with a dirt floor. There's even a small spring in one corner that comes to the surface and drains out through the foundation. But it does not smell musty or mildewed because there is good airflow.   

I suspect that's some critters living below trying 'to piss up a rope'!

[BU508A]

This house was built in the 1850's and has a basement, with a dirt floor. There's even a small spring in one corner that comes to the surface and drains out through the foundation. But it does not smell musty or mildewed because there is good airflow.   

I suspect that's some critters living below trying 'to piss up a rope'!

Perhaps med could provide us a picture from this small spring? I'm finding this interesting.

[Cerebus]

Pre-WW2 residences here also had a coal chute to the storage in basement for the furnace. After WW2 most converted to gas (no storage) or to fuel oil which usually was a 275 gallon storage tank in the basement. That continues to today.

Domestic fuel oil heating is also a thing of the past here now, although I daresay there are a few working installations left. In my youth it wasn't too unusual to see a fuel oil tank down the side of someone's house. They rather stood out as local regulations required them to be both outside the house, a minimum distance from any dwelling, and surrounded by a brick or concrete berm with a sealed concrete foundation to keep the oil contained in the event of a tank rupture or fire. Made for quite a bulky, obvious installation.

[Neomys Sapiens]

Luckily, "What does it cost to run the equipment in the workshop?" doesn't sway bills all that much.  Usually it's scopes and meters that get used and they don't consume much power.  The giant energy consuming machines like the dynamic signal analyzer and spectrum analyzer that are both in the 350-400W neighbourhood don't see nearly as much use so they don't spike it too badly.  I see bigger fluctuations due to whether I do more or less cooking inside which changes how much time the electric stove spends switched on and anything that causes the laundry to be done more frequently than usual show up twice as electricity and water/sewage.

Yes yes, that is all fine, but what about the MW levitating frog display in the foyer? It helps immensely with the 'mad scientist' image!

[themadhippy]

Nope, going by what he says in his video, he lives somewhere around the Stamford region

No secret as to the address,its all over the companys house link above.

[Vince]

Speaking of coding and programming...

Anyone in need of a handful of NOS Motorola MC68705? Just found ten of them while I was looking for something else. Still no trace of something else, though.

So, been a few days, did anyone manifest interest beside me ?! 

[med6753]

This house was built in the 1850's and has a basement, with a dirt floor. There's even a small spring in one corner that comes to the surface and drains out through the foundation. But it does not smell musty or mildewed because there is good airflow.   

I suspect that's some critters living below trying 'to piss up a rope'!

Perhaps med could provide us a picture from this small spring? I'm finding this interesting.

I'll see if I can get into the basement and take a picture of it. It's not the first time I've seen a house built directly over a spring.

[Specmaster]

Nope, going by what he says in his video, he lives somewhere around the Stamford region

No secret as to the address,its all over the companys house link above.

Yes, I saw those posts after I posted mine 

[Specmaster]

This house was built in the 1850's and has a basement, with a dirt floor. There's even a small spring in one corner that comes to the surface and drains out through the foundation. But it does not smell musty or mildewed because there is good airflow.   

I suspect that's some critters living below trying 'to piss up a rope'!

Perhaps med could provide us a picture from this small spring? I'm finding this interesting.

I'll see if I can get into the basement and take a picture of it. It's not the first time I've seen a house built directly over a spring.

I'd have thought that it would contravene building regs as running water has the potential to flood the building or erode its footings and or make the fabric of the building damp making the ideal breeding ground for fungus etc and help cause breathing difficulties for the occupants.

[med6753]

Pre-WW2 residences here also had a coal chute to the storage in basement for the furnace. After WW2 most converted to gas (no storage) or to fuel oil which usually was a 275 gallon storage tank in the basement. That continues to today.

Domestic fuel oil heating is also a thing of the past here now, although I daresay there are a few working installations left. In my youth it wasn't too unusual to see a fuel oil tank down the side of someone's house. They rather stood out as local regulations required them to be both outside the house, a minimum distance from any dwelling, and surrounded by a brick or concrete berm with a sealed concrete foundation to keep the oil contained in the event of a tank rupture or fire. Made for quite a bulky, obvious installation.

In the northern climes that oil tank is inside the structure. For good reason. In the Winter fuel oil jells in the cold and won't flow. The alternative, and is used in mobile homes with no basements, is to use more expensive kerosene which is not affected by the cold. 

[Zucca]

Ooh 5 years for me on EEVblog today 

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/rf-microwave/j310-jfets/msg1267069/#msg1267069

[med6753]

I'd have thought that it would contravene building regs as running water has the potential to flood the building or erode its footings and or make the fabric of the building damp making the ideal breeding ground for fungus etc and help cause breathing difficulties for the occupants.

Nope. In both cases there are no ill effects. I suppose the key is good airflow and venting.

Edit.....in both cases the houses were old and pre-dated modern building regulations. Wouldn't surprise me if modern regs prohibit it.

[Neomys Sapiens]

Speaking of coding and programming...

Anyone in need of a handful of NOS Motorola MC68705? Just found ten of them while I was looking for something else. Still no trace of something else, though.

So, been a few days, did anyone manifest interest beside me ?! 

I've not seen this post! I would be interested too..

[mnementh]

A quick glance into Shahriar's lab:

https://youtu.be/s2KkgI-kyK0?t=308

 

Dave: " If I had infinite money, and I could build anything I want... I'd have tunnels, and fireman's poles, and moats. I'd have like turret towers and moats... and a dungeon in the basement."   

Yeah, every guy's man-cave fantasy... a tunnel from the bedroom to the man-kitchen, another to the man-cave, and another to the eevil scientist lair... and a moat around all of it. Filled with piranhas and lawyers. Nasty little bitey ones. 

mnem
"Yes, you may touch it."

[Zoli]

A quick glance into Shahriar's lab:

https://youtu.be/s2KkgI-kyK0?t=308

 

Dave: " If I had infinite money, and I could build anything I want... I'd have tunnels, and fireman's poles, and moats. I'd have like turret towers and moats... and a dungeon in the basement."   

Yeah, every guy's man-cave fantasy... a tunnel from the bedroom to the man-kitchen, another to the man-cave, and another to the eevil scientist lair... and a moat around all of it. Filled with piranhas and lawyers. Nasty little bitey ones. 

mnem
"Yes, you may touch it."

You mean similar to this?

[Vince]

Speaking of coding and programming...

Anyone in need of a handful of NOS Motorola MC68705? Just found ten of them while I was looking for something else. Still no trace of something else, though.

So, been a few days, did anyone manifest interest beside me ?! 

I've not seen this post! I would be interested too..

I knew I should have PM'ed him rather posting here publicly, stupid me, now I will get only half of them ! 

Lesson learnt !