Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[Saskia]

some time ago someone here asked about a Dolby HX pro tapedeck. Currently testing 3 of those that can be had for little to reasonable money (after testing), reasonable being 50 quid or less.

If any of you wants first pick, please drop me a mail.

[bd139]

There will be micro- and nano-scopic inconsistencies in manufacturing. Trying to anticipate the exact nature of these and therefore the exact nature of the failure mode is an exercise in extreme statistics...

This is true.

Replacing them for the sake of avoiding the issue is being considered though. SMD surgery is cheap and easy on that so it’s as good as replacing a RIFA.

[Robert763]

The CD's had to be made bootable; look up how to made them bootable under Linux. And it would had been a smart move to accept Robert's win2000CD 

I don't understand... as I said my WinXP CD DOES boot on my main PC, just not on the old PC.

So the CD itself is good... or am I missing something ? Probably...

As for Robert's offer, well I don't think it's too late to accept it, I doubt he sold it on Ebay since then...

Regardless, I need to get a new stock of CDR and CDRW...


EDIT : I thought the ISO file itself contained whatever was necessary to make the CD bootable ?

I mean I have never done anything special to get a CD to boot. Every time I get a Linux install CD, bootable of course, I just burn the ISO straight to a CD, I don't do anything special... and it boots just fine 

And I just put the CD away yesterday.........

In other news I won't be getting my R&S 3.3 GHz vector generator. SWMBO is ill so not doing her trip which was 90% of the distance. I'm not doing a 6 hour road trip just for TEA and when SWMBO may need me.

[McBryce]

The real irony is... I have a few of those CF adapters here that I could send you. You could have them for free, but the postage for normal people ("the great unwashed") within the EU costs more than the price of the article including shipping from China. 

McBryce.

Well... it might still be interesting. Shipping from Germany is about 5 Euros, similar price so I don't mind, plus, getting it from you means I am 100% sure I won't be asked to pay any taxes or brokerage fee or anything, and also I would receive it in a few days rather than 2/3 weeks...
So please double check shipping cost but I am pretty sure that's what it is... then PM me for the details ! 

I have to find them first. How many do you need?

McBryce.

Well just one ! 

See edited post above...

McBryce.

Looks good to me ! 

Hell there is even a " QC passed " sticker, we are saved ! 

I wouldn't even consider offering it to you if it didn't have a QC sticker! Send me your address in a PM and I'll send it over. According to the extremely confusing Deutsche Post website, it will cost somewhere between €2 and €5 to send it to you.

McBryce.

[Specmaster]

I'll put it there now in case I forget to do it later, I may not be on discord (again) tonight, I have to go to North Weald airfield this afternoon, then onto to Loughton to collect another calculator for my collection, then at some time, meet SWMBO and SIL at their coach drop-off point on their return from the Westlife concert at Wembley, and then take SIL home. So I may be able to pop on for a few moments or not, let's see what happens.

[Specmaster]

Spotted today on eBay, why the F**K wouldn't you clean a sale item up before listing it 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/304587729413

[bd139]

Spotted today on eBay, why the F**K wouldn't you clean a sale item up before listing it 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/304587729413

I rather like it when people don't clean stuff. It affects the price.

This raised a whopping £10:



Bit of a clean later:



Winner!

6 years ago now that...

[bd139]

I implore people to visit this link.

Booklet about interesting stuff:

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/a-booklet-about-old-tektronix-scopes/msg4342330/

[Squarewave]

I've only got the one Woketronix scope, which is my main one, but I've always loved those Philips ones up there ^ too. Would probably buy one if I saw one. I've got enough scopes anyway, so it's not as if I need one.

[Specmaster]

Spotted today on eBay, why the F**K wouldn't you clean a sale item up before listing it 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/304587729413

I rather like it when people don't clean stuff. It affects the price.

This raised a whopping £10:



Bit of a clean later:



Winner!

6 years ago now that...

Yeah, I know, I've taken advantage of that in the past as well, but it is a lot more complicated cleaning a scope but a simple counter just needs to damp clothe wiped over it.

[mnementh]

Does anyone know how long the Swedish Post keeps a parcel available for pickup? I've sent something to Mansaxel, but he was not online here since 29.7. and he did not respond to my messages! The parcel was placed at a localpickup station on the 3rd.
 

If the parcel has been delivered to a local agent, it will wait for a maximum of seven days, then it will be returned to you.
So it will be returned on the 10th if he does not collect it.

I'm a little worried about him. Even when he was on holiday, he was checking in every day. I wrote him a PM about the terrible way Swedes drive on motorways after getting stuck in a massive traffic jam on the way home from visiting my daughter. I hope irony hasn't struck and that he was one of the people injured in the pile-up that caused it.

The Shrew-Disciple never misses Discord... If he doesn't show up there, then we all need to worry... 

Hmmm... eevBlog says he was  Last Active:    Today at 03:25:48 pm

I see he thanked tautech's post aboot PC stuff as well... I'm gonna stay out of that scuffle, cuz my case mods and gaming rig builds was always one of my favorite "other activities" to share in here...

mnem
*casts a prayer to Ifni for absent friends*

[med6753]

I implore people to visit this link.

Booklet about interesting stuff:

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/a-booklet-about-old-tektronix-scopes/msg4342330/

 

Edit....same scopes he mentions I have and also have experienced the exact same issues. And I've also seen him on the Old Tek Scope FB site. 

[mnementh]

   Spotted today on eBay, why the F**K wouldn't you clean a sale item up before listing it 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/304587729413

Why, so everybody who sees it will go , and you or bd can snurch it for 5 quid, of course.

mnem
 

[xrunner]

Spotted today on eBay, why the F**K wouldn't you clean a sale item up before listing it 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/304587729413

I know exactly why because I've seen it time and time again working on local ham's gear.

Because they don't consider it dirty, and wouldn't expect anyone else to either. 

[bd139]

Spotted today on eBay, why the F**K wouldn't you clean a sale item up before listing it 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/304587729413

I know exactly why because I've seen it time and time again working on local ham's gear.

Because they don't consider it dirty, and wouldn't expect anyone else to either. 

Didn't you have to bug bomb a transceiver as well? 

[Neper]

Spotted today on eBay, why the F**K wouldn't you clean a sale item up before listing it 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/304587729413

I rather like it when people don't clean stuff. It affects the price.

This raised a whopping £10:



Bit of a clean later:



Winner!

6 years ago now that...

I had the PM3219 for many years, i.e. the same with an analog storage tube. Replaced it by a DSO, a year ago. Still wondering if that was a good idea. Then again,  the Philips was going flakey and would have needed a complete replacement of its electrolytics.

[xrunner]

Didn't you have to bug bomb a transceiver as well? 

Oh yea that's a classic by now. A local ham brought over a transceiver for me to check out. It was full of live cockroaches which I found after it was on my bench for several hours and I took off the covers. So I bug-bombed it before allowing inside again. It was filthy with nicotine - basically trash as far as I was concerned.

But it was being actively used for ham radio in a house. Don't even think about the living conditions. 

So the point is he didn't think it was dirty why would anyone else? 

[bd139]

I had the PM3219 for many years, i.e. the same with an analog storage tube. Replaced it by a DSO, a year ago. Still wondering if that was a good idea. Then again,  the Philips was going flakey and would have needed a complete replacement of its electrolytics.

It was a good idea.

The power supplies are dicks. I had one with multiple bad caps and the main power transformer was nuked. Ended up doing this to it:

[bd139]

Didn't you have to bug bomb a transceiver as well? 

Oh yea that's a classic by now. A local ham brought over a transceiver for me to check out. It was full of live cockroaches which I found after it was on my bench for several hours and I took off the covers. So I bug-bombed it before allowing inside again. It was filthy with nicotine - basically trash as far as I was concerned.

But it was being actively used for ham radio in a house. Don't even think about the living conditions. 

So the point is he didn't think it was dirty why would anyone else? 

Should post that on the other thread so Joe sees it 

[TERRA Operative]

Well, the Tek TDS644A I picked up works fine with no errors, contrary to what the seller claimed. It passes all tests multiple times with no issue at all, so I have a working unit on my hands... So boring!

I've ripped the firmware out for archival purposes and uploaded to Tekwiki, and enabled the expanded memory option too, and I have to replace a missing foot.
I think I'll check the PSU for any Rifas and the one cap for the standby power in the PSU that is always high ESR and replace them if present (Presence of both depend on the particular PSU variant).

It barely needs a spit shine even, this unit 'just works'... I think I should be able to make a return on costs in the region of an order of magnitude I think. Then, I'll buy more!



Also, I poked at the HP 5445A Frequency Counter today too. I stole the display cover panel and a front panel potentiometer that is still nice and clicky for my unit, then replaced a capacitor in the PSU that seems to be a weak point and is a common failure.
Looks like this one is all working well too, just need to clean and reinstall all the button caps, and find a replacement for the display cover panel and it can be sold on too.

[mnementh]

I had the PM3219 for many years, i.e. the same with an analog storage tube. Replaced it by a DSO, a year ago. Still wondering if that was a good idea. Then again,  the Philips was going flakey and would have needed a complete replacement of its electrolytics.

It was a good idea.   The power supplies are dicks. I had one with multiple bad caps and the main power transformer was nuked. Ended up doing this to it:

It Been MacGyverfied!!!.mp3   

mnem
 

[m k]

The CD's had to be made bootable; look up how to made them bootable under Linux. And it would had been a smart move to accept Robert's win2000CD 

I don't understand... as I said my WinXP CD DOES boot on my main PC, just not on the old PC.

So the CD itself is good... or am I missing something ? Probably...

As for Robert's offer, well I don't think it's too late to accept it, I doubt he sold it on Ebay since then...

Regardless, I need to get a new stock of CDR and CDRW...


EDIT : I thought the ISO file itself contained whatever was necessary to make the CD bootable ?

I mean I have never done anything special to get a CD to boot. Every time I get a Linux install CD, bootable of course, I just burn the ISO straight to a CD, I don't do anything special... and it boots just fine 

ISO is just a file type, its internals are another thing.

Old CD drives had problems with CDR disks, old CDR drives had problems with CDRW disks and so on, later some DVD drives had problems with some DVD disks.

Old CD boot was an addendum and was actually a floppy image that did the rest, there were also packages with OS CDs and external boot floppies.
Some Windows update CDs were also without any boot capabilities, means that floppy boot wasn't enough, earlier installed Windows was required.

When adding drives you can also swap master/slave connections.
If so then keep HDD as master.

BTW,
many TEs are partially computers, and vice versa.
Many MCUs include ADCs.

[mnementh]

Yeah... and some machines' BIOS simply wouldn't boot directly from optical; you had to boot from a floppy with CDROM support or copy the bootstrap and support files from floppy and create a autoexec.bat & config.sys file to make it all work.

I PM'd Vince aboot this to keep from cluttering up the thread with walls of prehistoric PC-related text.

mnem
 

[m k]

am gonna name mine ethel.

It will obviously need a genus in Latin.

[mnementh]

ethel mermanus passeri...?

mnem