Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[Cerebus]

It will be worth searching out the wet weather gear and maybe a change of clothes, and making sure it's put in the car.

And a change of footwear, that's the one that marks out the experienced from the neophyte or ingenue.

[mansaxel]

It will be worth searching out the wet weather gear and maybe a change of clothes, and making sure it's put in the car.

And a change of footwear, that's the one that marks out the experienced from the neophyte or ingenue.

One brings dry socks. That like few other things can transform life for the better. I like to run a two-layer system in boots, with a thin liner made from one of the wicking polymers that move humidity out from the body, complemented by a wool sock, chosen for season. Chosen wisely, the friction will be between liner and wool. I've not had blisters for 25 years. Humidity will not be a problem: The liner keeps the foot dry. Since wool retains its ability to insulate even when wet, one does not freeze either. In wellingtons, one is advised to swap wool socks a bit more often, since there is no natural escape for humidity. In leather boots, things sort out pretty well as they are.

I'd also like to add a hot thermos bottle (People swear by their Thermos(tm) brand bottles, but I stand firm with my Zojirushi SM-SA60BA choice. Coffee that will burn you all day. ) to the carry. That and a bottle of water constitute a balanced fluid / thermal solution for all temperatures.

In editing, I'd like to add that I of course keep a pair of Tevas close for the drive or as alternative, giving Cerebus right. But don't skimp on socks!

If shoveling is done right, Tevas with dual-sock system work well down to -10° C.

[themadhippy]

It will be worth searching out the wet weather gear and maybe a change of clothes,

Alternatively strip down to a pair of shorts and flip flops,skin drys much quicker than most clothing materials.

[tautech]

Swap meets etc, I just wear my slippers. 

[Zenith]

It will be worth searching out the wet weather gear and maybe a change of clothes, and making sure it's put in the car.

And a change of footwear, that's the one that marks out the experienced from the neophyte or ingenue.

The experienced rally goer will not just take one change of footwear but will include, sandals, industrial shoes, slippers, town shoes, snow shoes, climbing boots, wellingtons, fly fishing waders. It's senseless to be caught out at these events.

[tautech]

It will be worth searching out the wet weather gear and maybe a change of clothes, and making sure it's put in the car.

And a change of footwear, that's the one that marks out the experienced from the neophyte or ingenue.

The experienced rally goer will not just take one change of footwear but will include, sandals, industrial shoes, slippers, town shoes, snow shoes, climbing boots, wellingtons, fly fishing waders. It's senseless to be caught out at these events.

OTT but a fine piss take ! 

[med6753]

Are they polarity sensitive, it is a digital meter after all and so surely the display will show a negative number if the leads are reversed just like any other DMM?

Yes, will read negative if leads are reversed.

[Neomys Sapiens]

Edit:
Someone replaced the display with an OLED one.
Project page: https://github.com/openscopeproject/HP34401a-OLED-FW

Tis' surely is a heinous crime!!

[Specmaster]

It will be worth searching out the wet weather gear and maybe a change of clothes, and making sure it's put in the car.

And a change of footwear, that's the one that marks out the experienced from the neophyte or ingenue.

The experienced rally goer will not just take one change of footwear but will include, sandals, industrial shoes, slippers, town shoes, snow shoes, climbing boots, wellingtons, fly fishing waders. It's senseless to be caught out at these events.

OTT but a fine piss take ! 

Missed out his trainers, thats a fail..... 

[Neomys Sapiens]

So what have I been up to the last few days?

Last night, a friend and I had coffee and decided to have some extracurricular non-work related fun with some spectrum analyzers.  A TinySA and a not-so-tiny-SA up at a lookout on the Niagara Escarpment at about the halfway point between Toronto and Niagara.

About 20 years ago, at the very same HAM and Electronics event that is soon to happen again after a Covid-caused hiatus of 2 years (UKW-Tagung Weinheim) , I had just arrived when I saw that some guy was showing, and indeed offering a surplus VW Synchro bus in Bundeswehr bronze green (their shade of O.D.) , complete with racks, generator, auxiliary antennas for a set of SEM radios and a sizeable LogPer on a mast of about 8m. I got into a talk with the owner, who was a not-so-hoboish but nevertheless totally crazy DXing and contest HAM.
When I positively commented on the possibilities of this vehicle, he asked me which sort of activity I would pursue with it. When I told him that I'm specialising in BOS DX (PSB for you), he looked at me totally askance and said 'What sort of people do I know!'
 

[Cerebus]

Dumb question time. Where can I get black jacks that match the red on my 3456A? 

I can't help with that, but it prompted me to think about something I've had in mind for a while, which is to custom make myself some 4mm jacks. I've just about convinced myself to get one of those mini-lathes. Yes, they are crap, but they are also 100% better than no lathe at all and I keep on finding problems that could be solved in 10 minutes with a small lathe and a chunk of brass or machinable plastic, such jobs being well within the capabilities of those mini-lathes.

Which gets me to a question for the assembled multitude. Does anyone have any experience with using acetal (aka Delrin aka PoM/Polyoxymethylene) for jacks, insulators, standoffs and the like? The reason for picking on acetal is that it's really easy to machine, has good mechanical properties, and seems OK electrically (resistivity 14 x 10^15 ohm cm, better than polythene or PVC, on a par with nylon and polycarbonate, worse than kapton, FEP, and PTFE). It's not a material I've seen used commercially, but that may simply be because it's expensive compared to reasonably electrically comparable materials and it's good machining properties are not called for in normal manufacture - people usually cast these kind of parts, not turn or mill them.

[Cerebus]

It will be worth searching out the wet weather gear and maybe a change of clothes, and making sure it's put in the car.

And a change of footwear, that's the one that marks out the experienced from the neophyte or ingenue.

The experienced rally goer will not just take one change of footwear but will include, sandals, industrial shoes, slippers, town shoes, snow shoes, climbing boots, wellingtons, fly fishing waders. It's senseless to be caught out at these events.

No spats?

[vk6zgo]

Well that was ridiculously easy. Testors black enamel model paint.     

You have to wonder what went down when these HP's were first released with jacks all the same color. 

I imagine a good deal of HP techs at the time flabbergasted that one of their products with polarity sensitive jacks all of the same color could make it to the marketplace. Any old chaps here know about any cooler dispenser chat from those times ?   Seems like the dumb shit Chinese have become famous for............

It is my understanding that the reasoning was that these meter inputs are isolated from GND, therefore the LO side should not be assumed to be negative, or even the negative-most point in a particular circuit.

This is why they are labeled HI and LO for "point of highest positive potential" and "point of lowest positive potential" under test. Also why there's a max V differential compared to GUARD/GND.

mnem
 

There is a precedent with the 410C, where the "common" lead is floating, at least for the DC ranges.
The DC probe is black, but the (permanently connected) lead is grey!
The 410C has a switched position for reading either +ve or -ve wrt common.

That is the probable enviroment where the red/red decision was made.

Some other manufacturers (can't remember who ---too old!) used white or yellow for a non grounded common.

[bd139]

It will be worth searching out the wet weather gear and maybe a change of clothes,

Alternatively strip down to a pair of shorts and flip flops,skin drys much quicker than most clothing materials.

To quote my good friend, a somewhat notorious and well qualified world traveller: only if you want to end up in an ambulance. That lack of clothing tends to lead to a massive drop in body temperature at which point things go awry.

Use proper layered gear: wicking base layer, fleece (optional depending on weather), hard shell.

7 hours of this and you’ll see what I mean. There is no place to dry. 30-50mph gusts. Horizontal rain. Much fun



Applies to hamfests. It doesn’t take a lot to end up in the St Johns Ambulance tent  . Also how are you supposed to bag that tasty TE if you have hypothermia.

Edit: also 02:30 here and I was woken up by a software failure ffs  .  On a positive note the amount of money I charged for the event is going in the RF test gear budget 

[mnementh]

Edit:
Someone replaced the display with an OLED one.
Project page: https://github.com/openscopeproject/HP34401a-OLED-FW

Tis' surely is a heinous crime!!

While I applaud the ingenuity, I do feel the choice of numeric fonts was in fact heinous. All the possibilities made possible by that display, and he goes with "crunky, chunky, 8-bit video game console numbers" font...   

mnem
ptooooie!

[Halcyon]

Guys, all this stuff is nice and all, but can we try and keep it at least a little bit on-topic?

[mnementh]

What are you talking about? My post was about a mod to a bench meter, and all the other discussion has been about visiting a hamfest... all very much on-topic. 

mnem
*SMH*

[mnementh]

Page 5200. 

Yeah, I know not TE... except maybe as far as testing your patience when your print queue crashes cuz 20 people sent print jobs at the same time... 

But as a HP ASP, I have a soft spot in my heart for the 5200 and family, as they were and still are a office mainstay, and were a steady source of tickets that helped me put my wife through college and bought so many diapers for 2 kids.

And it is very much electronic in nature, so def on-topic.

mnem
*raises a glass of iced tea in salute* Thanks for the mnemories!

[Cubdriver]

Page 5200. 

Yeah, I know not TE... except maybe as far as testing your patience when your print queue crashes cuz 20 people sent print jobs at the same time... 

But as a HP ASP, I have a soft spot in my heart for the 5200 and family, as they were and still are a office mainstay, and were a steady source of tickets that helped me put my wife through college and bought so many diapers for 2 kids.

And it is very much electronic in nature, so def on-topic.

mnem
*raises a glass of iced tea in salute* Thanks for the mnemories!

Mine has developed the frustrating habit of grabbing multiple sheets and jamming up (I bought it a few years back on the Bay of Evil allegedly as a rebuilt, but think the guy accidentally sent one that hadn't been gone through as it was missing the extra tray and a side cover, and had no toner cartridge; the guy ultimately sent the missing parts but was a PITA about it), but I can still hand-feed 11x17 sheets through which is great for printing PDF schematics.

-Pat

[mnementh]

https://www.amazon.com/AltruPrint-5200-RK-AP-LaserJet-Transfer-Rollers/dp/B07D2VH4S8

This kit will fix 98% of the common wear problems with a 5200; everything in the HP Maintenance kit except the very expensive fuser. This kit is available all over in various forms, but these are the parts you will sooner or later need. Install those bits and clean the fuser roller with a cloth dipped in alcohol and she love you long time.

mnem
*toddles off to ded* 

[tautech]

Mine has developed the frustrating habit of grabbing multiple sheets and jamming up .................
-Pat

My Oki started those tricks and a Gurgle search maintained it was dirty feed rollers and to carefully wash them with a wet cloth. Of course they weren't dirty as those of us that work with our hands might think nonetheless covered in paper fibers which once removed had it working like new again. 

[Cubdriver]

https://www.amazon.com/AltruPrint-5200-RK-AP-LaserJet-Transfer-Rollers/dp/B07D2VH4S8

This kit will fix 98% of the common wear problems with a 5200; everything in the HP Maintenance kit except the very expensive fuser. This kit is available all over in various forms, but these are the parts you will sooner or later need. Install those bits and clean the fuser roller with a cloth dipped in alcohol and she love you long time.

mnem
*toddles off to ded* 

Gracias.  Ordered.  I'd earlier tried cleaning the feed rollers with IPA, but no joy.  Hopefully this will fix things.  Appreciate the tip.

-Pat

[Cubdriver]

Mine has developed the frustrating habit of grabbing multiple sheets and jamming up .................
-Pat

My Oki started those tricks and a Gurgle search maintained it was dirty feed rollers and to carefully wash them with a wet cloth. Of course they weren't dirty as those of us that work with our hands might think nonetheless covered in paper fibers which once removed had it working like new again. 

I did download the manual from somewhere, and have tried cleaning various bits of the feed system with isopropyl, but no joy,  Doesn't seem to be the paper (ran into that years ago at work) as what jams the 5200 feeds just fine in my Lexmark E260dn.  Hopefully the kit suggested by mnem will cure its ills.

-Pat

edit to add - it first started a year and a half ago when I was trying to print out my tax return.  As aggravated as I was with Turbo Tax, the printer has no idea how close I was to going Office Space on it at the time.

[EEVblog]

What are you talking about? My post was about a mod to a bench meter, and all the other discussion has been about visiting a hamfest... all very much on-topic. 
mnem
*SMH*

I think he's refereing to BD139's post above with the embedded video that has no relevance.
It's one thing to reply with a short fun quip, it's another to embed a video as clog up the page.

[tautech]

What are you talking about? My post was about a mod to a bench meter, and all the other discussion has been about visiting a hamfest... all very much on-topic. 
mnem
*SMH*

I think he's refereing to BD139's post above with the embedded video that has no relevance.
It's one thing to reply with a short fun quip, it's another to embed a video as clog up the page.

Do you.
Well without context how can we know what your moderators are referring to ?
Please take them aside and ask them to lift their game rather than have us all on tenterhooks too scared to make a post here.