Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[Saskia]

https://www.bestofpinball.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=0&products_id=4337

did any of you tip off a HAM ?

[Vince]

Yeah had a couple of them myself. Perfectly good scopes. Also plentiful here but due to tiny-island-itis the prices are from ok to insane but never good.

The bench about 3 years ago 

Looks so nice and tidy ! My bench is probably 6 times that size yet it's a cluster fuck.

I see HAM Stuff.... probably why the grandma annoyed you with her TV... YOU started it all by jamming her signal when you were transmitting to talk BS on the air ! Now she is taking her revenge !!! 

The old Hameg are also way over-priced here....and prices vary very wildly. Usually the lower the bandwidth, the shittier / older the model... the more money they want for it ! 
Always untested of course...

Had a quick look. The palm today goes to this one :

https://www.leboncoin.fr/equipements_industriels/1493854803.htm

450 money for a 30MHz version not even powered up, one single pic, laying on the floor ! 

You can regularly find a mint, and working, Tek 2200 series, sometimes even with storage features, for 50 Euros.... so buying these old Hameg makes absolutely zero sense whatsoever... hence they just keep rotting on that website, rotting, rotting....

[Saskia]

ferengied off 2 tapedecks.
Pioneer S-420 and Yamaha KX-260 remaining.
Plus a couple of amps and speakers.

[bd139]

Yeah had a couple of them myself. Perfectly good scopes. Also plentiful here but due to tiny-island-itis the prices are from ok to insane but never good.

The bench about 3 years ago 

Looks so nice and tidy ! My bench is probably 6 times that size yet it's a cluster fuck.

I see HAM Stuff.... probably why the grandma annoyed you with her TV... YOU started it all by jamming her signal when you were transmitting to talk BS on the air ! Now she is taking her revenge !!! 

The old Hameg are also way over-priced here....and prices vary very wildly. Usually the lower the bandwidth, the shittier / older the model... the more money they want for it ! 
Always untested of course...

Had a quick look. The palm today goes to this one :

https://www.leboncoin.fr/equipements_industriels/1493854803.htm

450 money for a 30MHz version not even powered up, one single pic, laying on the floor ! 

You can regularly find a mint, and working, Tek 2200 series, sometimes even with storage features, for 50 Euros.... so buying these old Hameg makes absolutely zero sense whatsoever... hence they just keep rotting on that website, rotting, rotting....

My bench looks nothing like that now. Due to move to full time work from home I moved it entirely to an ad-hoc hot desk which is usually 100% empty and takes the entire width of the alcove in the living room which isn't that big. I'm moving later this month into a place where I have a lot more space so we'll see where that goes. Unfortunately other furniture is prioritised before buying a dedicated bench

As for the old lady and the ham stuff, she was a bit mental about it. That's a whole another thread though  . No more of that now.

LMAO at that price. We get same insane stuff here on eBay as well. 

Worse one I saw was the Marconi scope for £1000 a while back.

[pcprogrammer]

https://www.leboncoin.fr/equipements_industriels/1493854803.htm

Yes that is crazy money. Near or in Bordeaux https://www.leboncoin.fr/equipements_industriels/2168935982.htm one of these much cheaper

If the one you posted is near you then you must have good lightning protection. I often see a lot of strikes on the thunder radar I use when thunder is predicted near us. Always in the alley up from Marseille towards Clermont Ferrand. Enough kilometers away not to worry

[TERRA Operative]

Well done Terra... sometimes I wish I lived in Japan so I can buy dirt cheap / free TDS all day long. Lucikly I won't have to move, because I know a guy there who....

The 600 series should not be not overlooked in favour of the 500 or 700 series. The 600 series strong point over both other series, is the sampling rate. Dramatically higher than the 500/700 scope, for a given bandwidth.  Just look at this modest 644A. 500MHz but 2GS/s. A 500/700 would  have 1GS/s, twice less. Then when you use 3 or 4 channels, it drops from 1GS/s to 250MS/s where the 644 is still rocking at 2GS/s on all 4 channels because the 600 are not multiplexed. So 2GS/s versus 250MS/s, almost an order of magnitude.

That's why I will never part with my 694C... 10GS/s on all 4 channel @3GHz, my humble non-RF hobbyist needs are covered I think... one day I will work on fixing its fried trigger chips...

So my scope strategy is 4 fold... 4x200MHz Philips/Fluke combiscope for most of the work. HP megazoom for when Megazoom MSO on hand when needed. Then TDS 544A (soon replaced with a 794D  ) for more demanding but still general purpose stuff, because lots of features available, and colour, which I quickly got to love when using several channels, never mind all 4 of them. Then the 694C for warp speed and high sampling rate.

Then the 35 other scopes is just for fun 

I wonder who that contact in Japan you have could be, I wonder if I know them?....

One day I'll get me a TDS694C, it was codenamed 'Screamer' for good reason, it's just a pity that RAM was still expensive at the time so the memory depth is a bit short when capturing at the full capabilities. It would be interesting to try to hack in RAM chips with greater capacity.......

My main scopes are my TDS220, a Tek 2235 for when I want to go analogue, the TDS784D for 1GHz stuff, and finally the TDS794D which goes up to 2GHz (I need to track down some P6339A probes for it, and a top pouch and front cover too).

[TERRA Operative]

I’d take just the box 

I'm afraid of boxes used by hams - a cockroach might jump out! 

If it does jump out, it's probably because it's escaping the ham filth. 

[Specmaster]

Chickening out on the spectrum analyser. The car has said no for sure and after reading the service manual the power supply is a dick and the front end mixer is repairable but difficult to calibrate if it’s blown up.

Will save the cash for a new one 

New what, car or spectrum analyser will you be saving for?

[bd139]

Chickening out on the spectrum analyser. The car has said no for sure and after reading the service manual the power supply is a dick and the front end mixer is repairable but difficult to calibrate if it’s blown up.

Will save the cash for a new one 

New what, car or spectrum analyser will you be saving for?

Spectrum analyser. Not going to buy a new car. No point!

[Saskia]

reached agreement with Hubby in principal. We are going for a Balkonkraftwerk to start experimenting and will also try to build an island solution feeding a mining farm for heating for the winter.

Need to dye my hair red, people might start calling me bat shit crazy. OTOH maybe bd might then want to take me out to dinner (no veggie stuff, pls) 

[Vince]

https://www.leboncoin.fr/equipements_industriels/1493854803.htm

Yes that is crazy money. Near or in Bordeaux https://www.leboncoin.fr/equipements_industriels/2168935982.htm one of these much cheaper

If the one you posted is near you then you must have good lightning protection. I often see a lot of strikes on the thunder radar I use when thunder is predicted near us. Always in the alley up from Marseille towards Clermont Ferrand. Enough kilometers away not to worry

No idea where the first scope was, didn't even look... not interested 


Second one more reasonable but still way too expensive. Even at half that price it's still unlikely to sell.
Well it's unlikely to sell at any price really...

The only use cases one could want one for, would be that of any crusty old scope really : where you need something basic and that you don't care about. That is, not to use in your lab, but more like give it to a 10 year old kid that learns electronics and might blow it up, or maybe as part of a test bench to monitor some experiment or process, in your garage, or in a damp barn... you just need " a scope ", any scope, as long as it's 10 Euros max, works out of the box, and is down the street so it costs nothing in shipping or travel expenses. In this cases yes I guess it might make sense.

Well I don't mean to start an argument on the subject.... I am sure some people like them as a vintage piece, just like I like my even older glowing Tek scopes.

I guess I better shut up now...

[Vince]

I wonder who that contact in Japan you have could be, I wonder if I know them?....

I can't even remember his name, you know this Japanese alphabet is a pain to learn, I have never been good at drawing or painting ! 
You wouldn't know him anyway, he isn't even Japanese !

One day I'll get me a TDS694C, it was codenamed 'Screamer' for good reason,

Wow, didn't know they had a nickname ! 

it's just a pity that RAM was still expensive at the time so the memory depth is a bit short when capturing at the full capabilities.

I guess given it's an RF scope, it kinda makes sense. It's not like you are interested in capturing a 3GHz serial bus mile long frame and then inspect it...
I guess you would be more interested in having a look at the shape of a rising edge or something. A screen-worth of data is enough for that. You don't need to " log data "... just look at a brief event.
Well that's my take on it anywho...

It would be interesting to try to hack in RAM chips with greater capacity.......

You could add more RAM chips to the 694C ?! 
And they didn't offer it as an option ?! Strange... 
Or is it just you dreaming ? Then don't also forget to rewrite the firmware to make that extra RAM actually do anything !   
Don't think the F/W was open-source back then ! 
and even it were good luck finding a programmer capable enough to modify the F/W.... that would not come cheap, nor be delivered quickly... I guess.

My main scopes are my TDS220, a Tek 2235 for when I want to go analogue, the TDS784D for 1GHz stuff, and finally the TDS794D which goes up to 2GHz (I need to track down some P6339A probes for it, and a top pouch and front cover too).

TDS220 or 224 still on my list, but although prices have come down quite a bit since COVID, they are still too expensive for what they are.
For me it's mostly a souvenir piece, as I remember unpacking them at school when we got a batch in the '90s when they had just hit the market. They looked so " expensive" and state of the art compared to our old basic crappy Metrix analog scopes. Plus, I love their design, find them so cute. Plus, they marked a milestone in the history of scopes, so it's a bit of a history piece as well.
So, want one, but not enough to buy into the speculation BS that surrounds them.

18H30 and I have still not done anything in the lab or house... TEA takes way too much of my time.
Starting work on tuesday morning.... I will probably disappear from TEA from that point, and do productive things again instead, since free time will now be at a premium !

[dl6lr]

Parcel from med with forwarded items arrived. Customs was zero, VAT €26.27 for the declared value of $100.00 plus the shipping costs of $41.30. Plus the €6.00 that DHL collects... Not too bad.

Pevious owner or seller seems to be a nicotine stinker, so just after unpacking all contents got a wash and had to stay outside for the remaining day. Plus someone previously had taper the cables and the glue got sticky on the cables...

After opening the Tek P6460 pods, I found one with a resistor, R106, burnt severely. This is a common problem as the 10R connects users device ground with systems ground. If both units are grounded through mains and one clips the ground lead to a supply voltage...
The second pod was unaffected.
Unsoldered the remains, cleaned the PCB and surrounding parts and soldered a new 10R into it. Hopefully the hybrid isn't toast, but as it can handle +/-40V with +/-60V between any two inputs, it should have survived if it wasn't "kaputt" before. Forgot to make a photo before reassembling... 

I'm glad it finally got to you and the VAT charges didn't rake you across the coals. Too bad the prior Gorilla (owner) toasted it and of course didn't mention it in the Ebay listing that it was FUBAR.  I hope you can get it going with minimal hassle.

The seller on ebay is a surplus seller. I assume he has no knowledge of anything he sells. The prices in his listing are all along the scale from cheap to silly expensive. The pair of pods were listed as untested, so I could only complain if it doesn't match the photos.
With regards to the VAT: It was a bargain when compared to local delivery from him. $80 for each, will add up to $160 shipping alone and VAT will be collected on the total cost including shipping. As it wasn't listed for the ebay global destruction center, VAT will be collected on it anyway.
Thank you again Mike for your help. If I can assist you in anything, drop me a note.

[dl6lr]

Don't know about the UK, but these old Hameg scopes are plentiful here (I guess due to the geographical proximity with Germany), our local site leboncoiun.fr is flooded with them at all times. Nobody wants

A lot of Hameg stuff was assembled in France.

[bd139]

reached agreement with Hubby in principal. We are going for a Balkonkraftwerk to start experimenting and will also try to build an island solution feeding a mining farm for heating for the winter.

Need to dye my hair red, people might start calling me bat shit crazy. OTOH maybe bd might then want to take me out to dinner (no veggie stuff, pls) 

I imagine myself being chased back over the Austrian border with bullets flying around me 

[bd139]

Well I didn’t win the heathkit curve tracer. It went for £155 which is insane considering it raw 100% untested.

I had a top end of £75.

[AVGresponding]

@AVGresponding.

You need to grab yourself at four of these 4mm male / female adaptors, never know when they are going to be needed but when you need them, they are worth their weight in gold. Get them on Amazon, eBay, and AliExpress.

All the ones I found are far too expensive, so I decided to make my own.

While searching out 4mm plugs and sockets, I came across some of my lifetime's supply of decent quality stackable plugs...



Toss away the plastic housing and the remaining plug/socket is perfect for the job.



Add some heatshrink, et voila, no need to spend money or wait for delivery. I shall even include a set in the sale of the DMM.

[bitseeker]

Yeah, if you're not careful when steam cleaning, you could land yourself in hot water...

Oh, no. Don't tell me you've already caught the Dad Joke virus from BU508A.

Caught it a long time ago! 

Fair enough. You fit right in.

[mnementh]

reached agreement with Hubby in principal. We are going for a Balkonkraftwerk to start experimenting and will also try to build an island solution feeding a mining farm for heating for the winter.

Need to dye my hair red, people might start calling me bat shit crazy. OTOH maybe bd might then want to take me out to dinner (no veggie stuff, pls) 

I imagine myself being chased back over the Austrian border with bullets flying around me 

"And a wonderful time was had by all... "

mnem
"Ah'll bee Bach-h..."

[mnementh]

Parcel from med with forwarded items arrived. Customs was zero, VAT €26.27 for the declared value of $100.00 plus the shipping costs of $41.30. Plus the €6.00 that DHL collects... Not too bad.

Pevious owner or seller seems to be a nicotine stinker, so just after unpacking all contents got a wash and had to stay outside for the remaining day. Plus someone previously had taper the cables and the glue got sticky on the cables...

After opening the Tek P6460 pods, I found one with a resistor, R106, burnt severely. This is a common problem as the 10R connects users device ground with systems ground. If both units are grounded through mains and one clips the ground lead to a supply voltage...
The second pod was unaffected.
Unsoldered the remains, cleaned the PCB and surrounding parts and soldered a new 10R into it. Hopefully the hybrid isn't toast, but as it can handle +/-40V with +/-60V between any two inputs, it should have survived if it wasn't "kaputt" before. Forgot to make a photo before reassembling... 

I'm glad it finally got to you and the VAT charges didn't rake you across the coals. Too bad the prior Gorilla (owner) toasted it and of course didn't mention it in the Ebay listing that it was FUBAR.  I hope you can get it going with minimal hassle.

The seller on ebay is a surplus seller. I assume he has no knowledge of anything he sells. The prices in his listing are all along the scale from cheap to silly expensive. The pair of pods were listed as untested, so I could only complain if it doesn't match the photos.
With regards to the VAT: It was a bargain when compared to local delivery from him. $80 for each, will add up to $160 shipping alone and VAT will be collected on the total cost including shipping. As it wasn't listed for the ebay global destruction center, VAT will be collected on it anyway.
Thank you again Mike for your help. If I can assist you in anything, drop me a note.

Yup. Thanks med, for being what TEA is supposed to be all about today! 

mnem
*toddles off to shove a crapazon HVLP up someone's arse and get one that actually works from Horror Fraught*

[mnementh]

https://www.bestofpinball.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=0&products_id=4337

did any of you tip off a HAM ?

If I survived wrangling a HAM to the tip... you can bet your bippy I'd damn straight leave 'im there! 

mnem
 

[bitseeker]

All finished and ready to put on the pile of 'to sell... one day...'

I updated firmware, unlocked option 1M (expanded memory), replaced RIFA caps and the one electro cap on the standby power circuit that is always high ESR (causes some TVS diodes to pop which takes out a transistor and drops your standby power out so the machine won't start. Pre-emptive replacement is imperative, except when I'm buying, then it's an easy fix on a cheap scope )

Gave it a spit polish and it works perfectly. No good to me though as I have the 1GHz and 2GHz 700 series models, so I'll sell it off for the going rate of a couple hundred dollars, not bad for less than $50 plus a few capacitors outlay...

Wow, that looks great! Hope it goes to a good home. If I had space...

I swear I have enough of these scopes that I could make a TDS-henge in my living room. 

Picture time!!!

[bitseeker]

Chickening out on the spectrum analyser. The car has said no for sure and after reading the service manual the power supply is a dick and the front end mixer is repairable but difficult to calibrate if it’s blown up.

Will save the cash for a new one 

Bummer, but understandable. They may be big, but being the "portable" ones of their time, they're pretty densely packed inside. I haven't ventured into my 8560E yet. Its CRT is out of alignment, which could lead to a rabbit hole of drifted components. But it's still fine for seeing the signal, so I'm not in a rush to rip it apart.

[bitseeker]

A ham friend of mine called last night, asked me "Hey you work with Arduino stuff don't you?". I said "Yea, why - do you want to learn how to use them?" Well no ... maybe, but he wanted to know if I wanted some of it. First thing I asked "Tell me now, truthfully - is it covered with grime and cigarette smoke?"

No!

He'd gone to a local sidewalk sale and some guy had three boxes of microcontroller boards and associated parts. I guess the ham got tired of it and wanted to dispose of it all. He knew a little bit about what was in there so I said send me a pic of the boxes. What do I see?

Arduino Uno, Nano, Mega
Other controller boards
RFID
WiFi?
Displays
Sounds
Humidity sensor
Gas sensor
Various LED stuff
SD card
Buttons
Rasp. Pi
Breakout boards
Breadboards
Header pins
Pretty decent storage boxes
Those short blue USB cables they seem to send with everything If I get another one of those I think I'll hang myself with it but they're not long enough.

Another box full of stuff covered by black perfboard

He paid $50 for all of that. So this week I'll get to pick through it. Sounds like I can take as much as I want, which I will, to save it 'cause else it won't ever get used for a damn thing.

Score! Even the clone Uno, Mega, etc. boards are pretty pricey these days. I'm waiting for the Pi Pico W to become readily available to add to my collection of little compute/controller boards. It'd make for a nifty Wi-Fi interface for my 8-bit Atari machines. Alternatively, I might do a similar thing to Wi-Fi enable an old Wyse 30+ terminal.

[bitseeker]

Then the 35 other scopes is just for fun 

ONE OF US! ONE OF US!

As far as needs go, I could probably get away with a 20MHz Hameg and solve all remaining problems with initiative 

Actually some times I'm tempted to do that just to be difficult 

Sometimes? Isn't that your MO by now.