Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[vk6zgo]

Very nice but beginning to think you're just a token dwagon without much in the fire breathing basket at all. 

Not even bothering to show the Oxy set just one of the LPG kits we have, the unconnected flame thrower and its larger tip is what vinyl and BUTYNOL layers use for thermal forming.
The little handle gets most use here however after captures of wild hogs the big torch tips come into their own for singeing the hair off them prior to processing for the freezer.

Never seen a shrink sleeve so large we can't handle. 

I was an "Oxy-moron" for some years after buying my first oxy-acetylene set, finding uses for it everywhere.
Unfortunately, someone stole it some years later, & I was oxy-less for a couple of years, till I bought another.

I, again, found a lot of uses for it for a while, then the jobs dried up, almost coincident with available money for BO's exorbitant bottle rental!
I took the last bottles back & cancelled the agreement, packed the torch, regulators, & hoses up & put them in the shed.

Several times It would have come in handy after that, but my eyesight had deteriorated, so I left it there.
Since I had my cataract operation, I would be more certain of not pointing the torch at my hand instead of the work, & Bunnings will sell you bottles & refill them as required, so I'm getting those "Oxy-moron" urges again.

I keep seeing jobs which would be easy with the oxy set, but difficult without it, like making up brackets of various kinds which can be very handy, if a little unsightly, in my Lab, or making ham radio VHF antennas with copper water pipe.

I suppose the hoses are buggered by now, though---and I will have to buy Flashback Arrestors, which aren't cheap.
Back in the day, when men were men & sheep were frightened, we "didn't need no steenkin Flashback Arrestors"!

[Saskia]

Before we got our first real espresso machine, we had a Bialetti coffee maker (the kind you put on the hob) known as Theresa. As in "Could you please ask Theresa to make us some coffee?"

Words of wisdom:
"Never yawn in the presence of a coffee machine. They sense this and first make you fill up and descale everything possible."

Wondering, which sensors they are using for sensing a yawn ...

This is in fact quite easy. The new Untertürkheim trash is using motion detectors and cameras with FPGAs to detect movement and driver alertness.
tawking about total surveillance ...

[dl6lr]

Before we got our first real espresso machine, we had a Bialetti coffee maker (the kind you put on the hob) known as Theresa. As in "Could you please ask Theresa to make us some coffee?"

Words of wisdom:
"Never yawn in the presence of a coffee machine. They sense this and first make you fill up and descale everything possible."

Wondering, which sensors they are using for sensing a yawn ...

This discovery lead me to discarding the machine and using a French press. I suspect the sensor is of supernatural origin similar to the fear sensors built into most computers which sense my presence and magically start working again.

The real question is what sensors do tants have which collectively decide on a singular suicide immediate amongst the species after you have closed a case around them?

I once had a TV set with intermittent failures. The most annoying one was, it would occasionally switch programs without further notice, i.e. the red LED channel display stayed at the selcted channel, where it would randomly switch to another. Not every time you noticed that immediately...
It behaved well better [now going on topic again] with the back cover removed and an oscilloscope and soldering iron running beside it...

[Robert763]

Another TEA incoming. Put a offer on a spectrum amalyser late last night  and it was accepted.
It's a true portable, battery operated 5 - 1100 MHz with a 6.4" colour touch screen. My offer was 3 digits  Just £100 including shipping 
Pictures when it arrives.
That puts the RF spectrum analyser count up to 7

[Saskia]

my TV is switching to some incredibly annoying and excessively stoopeed advertizing every few minutes. I guess it is time for the 50g solution.

[Saskia]

JVC and Pioneer turntable up for farengiing.
(Clearing out surplus stuff ...)

[Specmaster]

my TV is switching to some incredibly annoying and excessively stoopeed advertizing every few minutes. I guess it is time for the 50g solution.

Nah, that is now the norm, worldwide. A few years ago, I didn't mind the adverts because plenty of them contained some form of humour, these days humour has sucked out of them altogether 

[Saskia]

these days ads are made for the facebook / twitter generation which is lacking style, LSTM, brains, and the ability of independent thinking but has a clear sense of acceptably woke behavior.
Obviously advertizers do not target my peer group (or me) which is why I make it a point to not buy anything that is being advertized.

[tggzzz]

my TV is switching to some incredibly annoying and excessively stoopeed advertizing every few minutes. I guess it is time for the 50g solution.

Try the BBC/Channel4/Netflix channels 

[tautech]

Very nice but beginning to think you're just a token dwagon without much in the fire breathing basket at all. 

Not even bothering to show the Oxy set just one of the LPG kits we have, the unconnected flame thrower and its larger tip is what vinyl and BUTYNOL layers use for thermal forming.
The little handle gets most use here however after captures of wild hogs the big torch tips come into their own for singeing the hair off them prior to processing for the freezer.

Never seen a shrink sleeve so large we can't handle. 

I was an "Oxy-moron" for some years after buying my first oxy-acetylene set, finding uses for it everywhere.
Unfortunately, someone stole it some years later, & I was oxy-less for a couple of years, till I bought another.

I, again, found a lot of uses for it for a while, then the jobs dried up, almost coincident with available money for BO's exorbitant bottle rental!
I took the last bottles back & cancelled the agreement, packed the torch, regulators, & hoses up & put them in the shed.

Several times It would have come in handy after that, but my eyesight had deteriorated, so I left it there.
Since I had my cataract operation, I would be more certain of not pointing the torch at my hand instead of the work, & Bunnings will sell you bottles & refill them as required, so I'm getting those "Oxy-moron" urges again.

I keep seeing jobs which would be easy with the oxy set, but difficult without it, like making up brackets of various kinds which can be very handy, if a little unsightly, in my Lab, or making ham radio VHF antennas with copper water pipe.

I suppose the hoses are buggered by now, though---and I will have to buy Flashback Arrestors, which aren't cheap.
Back in the day, when men were men & sheep were frightened, we "didn't need no steenkin Flashback Arrestors"!

And still I won't/can't be bothered with the infernal things. 

If they were really needed to save me from myself they were needed 50 yrs back when I was learning to use a the gas set that I'd gone halves with pop to buy.

[tggzzz]

my TV is switching to some incredibly annoying and excessively stoopeed advertizing every few minutes. I guess it is time for the 50g solution.

Nah, that is now the norm, worldwide. A few years ago, I didn't mind the adverts because plenty of them contained some form of humour, these days humour has sucked out of them altogether 

Adverts are locale specific. HP for DAT tape backup: US showed (pretty) man doing a Munch The Scream impersonation, whereas the European ads showed a baby sleeping peacefully. In north Europe washing powders are "blue white" whereas in south Europe they are "yellow white".

More importantly, hasn't decades of experience allowed you to "tune out" the ads? While photons and phonons may stimulate my brain, nowadays my brain's "entry filters" are well optimised to avoid me perceiving them.

[med6753]

Suddenly some TE has shown up on my local CL.

https://hudsonvalley.craigslist.org/ele/d/vails-gate-tektronix/7518261208.html

The plug-in's appear to be in excellent shape but his price is wishful thinking. But I am thinking of asking him if he would price the 7B92A and the TM equipment rack separately.

And for you hp fan boys.....

https://hudsonvalley.craigslist.org/ele/d/putnam-valley-hp-675a-sweeping-signal/7518414739.html

Appears to be in good shape and I think that price is reasonable. But no real interest from me. Pat, Putnam Valley is in Putnam County just above Westchester. Not really all that far from you. Might be worth an inquiry?

[McBryce]

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 

As far as needs go... we don't need a lab at all, to begin with ! 99.99999999999% of people don't have one and are perfectly happy in life ! 

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 them. I have one, It's a 60MHz version, incredible... for many years it was my best and only scope.... my dad gave it to me, when he retired it from his work place.
These days I only use it when I am doing something a bit sketchy and fear I might blow up the scope and don't want to risk my other scopes 
It's all discrete off the shelf components I think, so cheap and easy to fix if it blows. Plus it has a component tester, and the attenuators go up to 20V / DIV versus only 5V / DIV for most other scopes I have.
That said it's got its weak points as well... a few years ago a plastic shaft coupler inside, broke/cracked (sweep delay control IIRC) and now IIRC also, the vertical position control on channel one is kaput. mechanical problem again..
But the troublesome part is not easily accessible, it's stuffed deep down a hole IIRC, between two metal plates. Can't reach it easily, so... not using it any more.
I would get rid of it to make space (if just because it's ugly AF), but I can't .... it's a gift, it's sacred. Plus the memories associated with it. When the old man claps out I will be glad to have it as a souvenir.

So.... I think one day I will move my butt and fix the thing. 

I had the same issue with cracked shaft couplers when I restored a Hameg (for someone else). It seems to be a common problem. They are made of nylon, so they don't glue easily, so I wound a wire around it a few times and turned the ends as tight as I could. It's held up since then.

McBryce.

[Saskia]

re: ads
I vill disconnect ze wireless from ze Teevee !

unfortunately it is getting more and more difficult to get a "non-smart" appliance, be it blue ray player or tv.
I am not buying into any streaming stuff, I am not supporting disni with their woke agenda, Bezos, or even netflix.
If I want to watch a movie I will buy the dvd.

[med6753]

Another one. But first pass appears to be a bunch of junk. And wants $400 USD for the tube caddy 

https://hudsonvalley.craigslist.org/ele/d/poughkeepsie-large-lot-of-electronic/7510678461.html

[Cubdriver]

Suddenly some TE has shown up on my local CL.

https://hudsonvalley.craigslist.org/ele/d/vails-gate-tektronix/7518261208.html

The plug-in's appear to be in excellent shape but his price is wishful thinking. But I am thinking of asking him if he would price the 7B92A and the TM equipment rack separately.

And for you hp fan boys.....

https://hudsonvalley.craigslist.org/ele/d/putnam-valley-hp-675a-sweeping-signal/7518414739.html

Appears to be in good shape and I think that price is reasonable. But no real interest from me. Pat, Putnam Valley is in Putnam County just above Westchester. Not really all that far from you. Might be worth an inquiry?

That is at least somewhat tempting, but I really need to stop bringing heavy strays home!  (We all know I won’t, of course, but I should.)

Thanks for the tip, I’ll keep it in mind as a possibility.   

-Pat

[Cubdriver]

Another one. But first pass appears to be a bunch of junk. And wants $400 USD for the tube caddy 

https://hudsonvalley.craigslist.org/ele/d/poughkeepsie-large-lot-of-electronic/7510678461.html

This dude’s a real dreamer!

-Pat

[med6753]

Suddenly some TE has shown up on my local CL.

https://hudsonvalley.craigslist.org/ele/d/vails-gate-tektronix/7518261208.html

The plug-in's appear to be in excellent shape but his price is wishful thinking. But I am thinking of asking him if he would price the 7B92A and the TM equipment rack separately.

And for you hp fan boys.....

https://hudsonvalley.craigslist.org/ele/d/putnam-valley-hp-675a-sweeping-signal/7518414739.html

Appears to be in good shape and I think that price is reasonable. But no real interest from me. Pat, Putnam Valley is in Putnam County just above Westchester. Not really all that far from you. Might be worth an inquiry?

That is at least somewhat tempting, but I really need to stop bringing heavy strays home!  (We all know I won’t, of course, but I should.)

Thanks for the tip, I’ll keep it in mind as a possibility.   

-Pat

I'll bet if the seller threw in a couple of furry kittens you'd be there yesterday. 

[Specmaster]

Suddenly some TE has shown up on my local CL.

https://hudsonvalley.craigslist.org/ele/d/vails-gate-tektronix/7518261208.html

The plug-in's appear to be in excellent shape but his price is wishful thinking. But I am thinking of asking him if he would price the 7B92A and the TM equipment rack separately.

And for you hp fan boys.....

https://hudsonvalley.craigslist.org/ele/d/putnam-valley-hp-675a-sweeping-signal/7518414739.html

Appears to be in good shape and I think that price is reasonable. But no real interest from me. Pat, Putnam Valley is in Putnam County just above Westchester. Not really all that far from you. Might be worth an inquiry?

Yes, that TTi twin power supply I picked up (well not yet as the seller is away till this weekend) also came from one of our local publications / sites. It is amazing what you can find if you're prepared to put the time in clicking on the next tab, looking for something of interest. Yes most of it is all old clothes etc but occasionally something pops up. I've had a couple Avo's, Heathkits, Hitachi scopes, Fluke bench meter, Extech DMM and Insulation tester, signal generator, CCTV systems, TV set top DVR's that I extract the spinning rust platters from and use as backup drives etc.

The best part of it is also that some of it is even free as people don't fully understand just what they have and its true worth, to many it is just junk, and any taking it from them, saves them a drive to the local recycling centre. I recommend it to everyone if you're not desperately looking for anything particular and don't mind sifting through the ads and waiting for something of interest.

That is where the true Ferengists hang out 

[Cubdriver]

Suddenly some TE has shown up on my local CL.

https://hudsonvalley.craigslist.org/ele/d/vails-gate-tektronix/7518261208.html

The plug-in's appear to be in excellent shape but his price is wishful thinking. But I am thinking of asking him if he would price the 7B92A and the TM equipment rack separately.

And for you hp fan boys.....

https://hudsonvalley.craigslist.org/ele/d/putnam-valley-hp-675a-sweeping-signal/7518414739.html

Appears to be in good shape and I think that price is reasonable. But no real interest from me. Pat, Putnam Valley is in Putnam County just above Westchester. Not really all that far from you. Might be worth an inquiry?

That is at least somewhat tempting, but I really need to stop bringing heavy strays home!  (We all know I won’t, of course, but I should.)

Thanks for the tip, I’ll keep it in mind as a possibility.   

-Pat

I'll bet if the seller threw in a couple of furry kittens you'd be there yesterday. 

    I need to stop bringing those home, too!  The current seven seem to be a good number…

-Pat

[pcprogrammer]

  I need to stop bringing those home, too!  The current seven seem to be a good number…

That matches my number of scopes

They bring less of a smile on my face then your cats.

[srb1954]

Suddenly some TE has shown up on my local CL.

https://hudsonvalley.craigslist.org/ele/d/vails-gate-tektronix/7518261208.html

The plug-in's appear to be in excellent shape but his price is wishful thinking. But I am thinking of asking him if he would price the 7B92A and the TM equipment rack separately.

You probably would get a better deal if he separated out the SG505 and sold that separately. That plug-in alone would account for at least 50% of the total price for the TM500 gear.

[Zenith]

I was an "Oxy-moron" for some years after buying my first oxy-acetylene set, finding uses for it everywhere.
Unfortunately, someone stole it some years later, & I was oxy-less for a couple of years, till I bought another.

I, again, found a lot of uses for it for a while, then the jobs dried up, almost coincident with available money for BO's exorbitant bottle rental!
I took the last bottles back & cancelled the agreement, packed the torch, regulators, & hoses up & put them in the shed.

Several times It would have come in handy after that, but my eyesight had deteriorated, so I left it there.
Since I had my cataract operation, I would be more certain of not pointing the torch at my hand instead of the work, & Bunnings will sell you bottles & refill them as required, so I'm getting those "Oxy-moron" urges again.

I keep seeing jobs which would be easy with the oxy set, but difficult without it, like making up brackets of various kinds which can be very handy, if a little unsightly, in my Lab, or making ham radio VHF antennas with copper water pipe.

I suppose the hoses are buggered by now, though---and I will have to buy Flashback Arrestors, which aren't cheap.
Back in the day, when men were men & sheep were frightened, we "didn't need no steenkin Flashback Arrestors"!

It was possible for a blowback to get into the acetylene bottle and the gas would start to decompose and eventually there'd be an explosion. I don't believe it happened often. Acetylene, with its triple bond, is only just on the edge of being stable under normal conditions.

OA is versatile but is a PITA unless you have a regular use for it. This is especially so with major company bottle rental charges. I think that just how casual the scene is regarding acetylene use depends where you are in the world. There are modern alternatives such as propylene which are supposed to be pretty good. I'm sure you can use oxy-propane for brazing, cutting, and silver soldering.

I'm strictly MIG and stick. With MIG you can get away with pub (food grade) CO2 bottles for steel.

To keep the post on topic, I acquired both my stick inverters not working. One had a burned out thermistor in the precharge circuit. The other had a dry joint to a small transformer used to give feedback to the control circuitry. A circuit diagram for these inverters was hard to find, but a Russian had reverse engineered them and published the cct diagrams on the WWW.

[mnementh]

my TV is switching to some incredibly annoying and excessively stoopeed advertizing every few minutes. I guess it is time for the 50g solution.

Nah, that is now the norm, worldwide. A few years ago, I didn't mind the adverts because plenty of them contained some form of humour, these days humour has sucked out of them altogether 

Adverts are locale specific. HP for DAT tape backup: US showed (pretty) man doing a Munch The Scream impersonation, whereas the European ads showed a baby sleeping peacefully. In north Europe washing powders are "blue white" whereas in south Europe they are "yellow white".

More importantly, hasn't decades of experience allowed you to "tune out" the ads? While photons and phonons may stimulate my brain, nowadays my brain's "entry filters" are well optimised to avoid me perceiving them.

The bottom line is this: While your personal content filter may keep you from consciously noticing them, the reality disconnect they bludgeon you with has been proven to cause measurable stress. Even if the people making these adverts aren't smart enough to make a really effective subliminal suggestion, the cacophany does you damage.

I don't mind the ~$60/month I spend on my streaming services and another $60/month spent on the 1gig FTTH. I own the content and the delivery medium to the point I can choose not to be bludgeoned, and choosing content that doesn't feed the batshit crazy of "Commercial Broadcast" (which, as the name states quite plainly, exists to broadcast commercials to the widest audience possible, and anything else is at most a tertiary concern) and the reality disconnect of modern society is as simple as scrolling through a menu. When a service ceases to have content I'm actually interested in (like CBS/Paramonkey and Diddney each do at least a couple times a year) I put my subscription on hold until they do have content I feel is worth paying for.

This way, I have content I want, and I still have the means to vote with the one thing these leeches notice: My dollars, and when they go away.

We've come a long way since the days of "You vill vatch zees und you shall like eet!" with 3 networks you can barely see through snowy reception; I feel that is worth paying a piddly few dollars for.

But you damn straight better believe I'm going to leverage that money outlay towards the change I want to see in the world.

mnem

[tautech]

Be afraid.....tautech has wielded the soldering iron today and made a VNA SMD test fixture inspired by Chris Grossman's video testing components with his SVA1015X.
As I had plenty of SMA>PCB fittings, veroboard and some SIL turned pin sockets I made it a little different to his so to do without one SMD cable and it swept S21 ~7dB high in places and nulled out just fine with a Through Cal.
The furthermost right turned pin is the coax center conductor while all those to the left are connected to the braid and a # are used so to be able to match most components you might like to sweep.

Not played with it much just yet as need to dig out a few more caps and crystals and although we do have a pile of pretty cool toys I'm pretty green at this.

Interested to see what happens when you poke a crystal in it 

I’d love to see an S21 sweep of a crystal with 1Hz span.

Been busy downloading and unpacking beta FW for the new SHS X models along with a 2hr chat with a customer and EE buddy 1500km away.......
Anyways found and extracted some crystals, a couple of 32KHz ones from an old PC mainboard and a 20MHz one from a 10BaseT LAN card both in the junk PCB pile heap.....once again justifying its existence. 
Heading indoors to the scratcher now and past both VNA's inside but a nightcap calls so I should have something for you in the morning....all going well. Need to now get some