Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[factory]

Just thought I should mention ebay have come up with a new way of overcharging for international shipping via it's own dis-service.

It now has a choice of paying import charges before shipping, or at delivery, the examples below are for printed paper (TE manuals, currently zero duty where I live), look at what it defaults to. 

David

[factory]

power cord & fuse holder are in mint condition & ready to go .....

One must wonder how they chewed the grounding short.

Oh don't worry about grounding, it was no longer connected inside the device, Keithley used a solder tag ring attached by the fuse holder nut, this was floating around inside, due to the smashed fuse holder (forgot to add that picture the other day). I'm wondering if they corrected this design flaw in the later brown fronted units.



I've replaced the perished power cord, fitted an intact fuse holder, changed the fuse from 750mA to 250mA and corrected the cross threaded nut on the power switch. I've also added a extra wire for grounding the chassis, I haven't decided where to attach it yet.



For 50Hz operation I have changed the crystal from 120.000 KC to 100 kHz, quite surprized I actually had one, almost all the others in the selection were 120kHz.



The mystery device seems quite uncommon, searching the web I could only find one picture of another.

David

[tggzzz]

Just thought I should mention ebay have come up with a new way of overcharging for international shipping via it's own dis-service.

It now has a choice of paying import charges before shipping, or at delivery, the examples below are for printed paper (TE manuals, currently zero duty where I live), look at what it defaults to. 

David

Welcome to the world of "enshittification", which was justifiably applauded as a "best new word of 2023"

I presume the "pay now" option means fleabay have to work out the cost, submit the payment and paperwork.
I presume the "pay on delivery" option means Fedex etc have to work out the cost, submit the payment and paperwork.

It would be helpful to know what the corresponding screenshots are for something where duty is payable.

[m k]

I've replaced the perished power cord, fitted an intact fuse holder,

It's like nothing ever happened.

For those who are not familiar, size of those crystals can be misleading.
They are bit bigger than usual Arduino stuff, I think.

For shipping costs my guess is that the latter is not standard and so more manual labor is needed.
Like unmarked trunk of a car, it's more expensive because parts must be taken out of the line.

E,
one thing about shipping.

Always insure for full value.
It may not be needed, but it's better be done when needed.

Rubber wheels have standard amount per kilo.
Don't know how air cargo goes, but probably same as sea freight, where insurance is not mandatory per se, but the type of cargo may require it.

[factory]

Just thought I should mention ebay have come up with a new way of overcharging for international shipping via it's own dis-service.

It now has a choice of paying import charges before shipping, or at delivery, the examples below are for printed paper (TE manuals, currently zero duty where I live), look at what it defaults to. 

David

Welcome to the world of "enshittification", which was justifiably applauded as a "best new word of 2023"

I presume the "pay now" option means fleabay have to work out the cost, submit the payment and paperwork.
I presume the "pay on delivery" option means Fedex etc have to work out the cost, submit the payment and paperwork.

I've noticed this new choice is only available on the most recent items with EIS shipping, anything listed more than a few days ago doesn't have this choice. In the case of the two TE manuals I bought last night, they are collecting tax of £0.00 at a rate of 0%, price of manual was the same on dot com & co dot uk ebay sites.

For the "pay now" option ePay collect the tax of nothing.
The "pay on delivery" option ePay shouldn't be collecting anything, the delivery company in the UK (eg RM, Ervi etc.) would send the ransom note and wait for payment of tax (nothing) & their fee (£?.??)  .

Both choices are for EIS and would go to the same sorting location in the US, the rest will be automated with a different label/sticker for each option, what I don't understand is why the "pay now" shipping is cheaper, as they are doing less for the more expensive option. 

It would be helpful to know what the corresponding screenshots are for something where duty is payable.

Well I had to give up looking for TE items with tax/duty & EIS shipping, none ship to the UK via that dis-service, unless incorrectly listed under manuals or parts categories.

Instead I attach some screenshots of an appropriately named "big disc audio" thingy , you've guessed it completely borked too, price in the US without tax is $39.99 https://www.ebay.com/itm/387254125460
Both EIS options charge tax/duties at 20% even though one is not supposed too, both are $47.99 for the item. The pay after shipping option is still more expensive, the delivery company would then charge you tax again (presumably on the $47.99 & not the $39.99), what a complete fail. 

Think I'm done wasting time with this, be careful if buying on ebay and don't rush thought the checkout process.

E,
one thing about shipping.

Always insure for full value.
It may not be needed, but it's better be done when needed.

Rubber wheels have standard amount per kilo.
Don't know how air cargo goes, but probably same as sea freight, where insurance is not mandatory per se, but the type of cargo may require it.

Insurance with USPS was no use when I bought a HP 735A on here a few years ago, the seller packed it badly, it then got damaged, the seller refused to put in a claim in as they knew it would get rejected.

David

[tggzzz]

Just thought I should mention ebay have come up with a new way of overcharging for international shipping via it's own dis-service.

It now has a choice of paying import charges before shipping, or at delivery, the examples below are for printed paper (TE manuals, currently zero duty where I live), look at what it defaults to. 

Welcome to the world of "enshittification", which was justifiably applauded as a "best new word of 2023"

I presume the "pay now" option means fleabay have to work out the cost, submit the payment and paperwork.
I presume the "pay on delivery" option means Fedex etc have to work out the cost, submit the payment and paperwork.

I've noticed this new choice is only available on the most recent items with EIS shipping, anything listed more than a few days ago doesn't have this choice. In the case of the two TE manuals I bought last night, they are collecting tax of £0.00 at a rate of 0%, price of manual was the same on dot com & co dot uk ebay sites.

For the "pay now" option ePay collect the tax of nothing.
The "pay on delivery" option ePay shouldn't be collecting anything, the delivery company in the UK (eg RM, Ervi etc.) would send the ransom note and wait for payment of tax (nothing) & their fee (£?.??)  .

Both choices are for EIS and would go to the same sorting location in the US, the rest will be automated with a different label/sticker for each option, what I don't understand is why the "pay now" shipping is cheaper, as they are doing less for the more expensive option. 

I certainly don't understand it either.

My wild-arsed-guess presumption was that the difference was due to a Fedex/etc handling fees in the UK. I like those as much as I like paying to park my car.

Well I had to give up looking for TE items with tax/duty & EIS shipping, none ship to the UK via that dis-service, unless incorrectly listed under manuals or parts categories.

Oh, that's a serious bummer.

I remonstrated with fleabay when EIS was first mooted. I'm pleasantly surprised we still have GIS here - at least for now.

Export codes are a single-tree taxonomy, with all the problems they bring. When I next flog a Fuller calculator, should I mark it as antique treen, or a calculating machine, or a calculator, or...

[m k]

Here tax codes are easy, just tap in few letters and the site gives a list.
Down side is that it very seldom have any relevant items.
For example any meter must be a multimeter.
Other electrical interest by them is usually just above or under 1000V, or how much coal it has.

Insurance with USPS was no use when I bought a HP 735A on here a few years ago, the seller packed it badly, it then got damaged, the seller refused to put in a claim in as they knew it would get rejected.

David

For this eekpay is very good, pay through them and you're secured.

From shipping company's point of view their customer is the one who pays.
So if you want to be sure you must order and pay that shipping, then you have a right to start arguing with them.
Other way around the situation can be so that only last mile is by the delivering entity, in that case they obviously don't bother very much.

Unknown packing then is a completely different nightmare.
(a pagan thing, not a horse, just FYI)

BTW,
for earlier leaking LCD.
Vintage thermometer, if it has F/C degrees it's easily 3.5 digits with a sign.
With luck it has few extra dots and is then for dual use.

[ftg]

Some new additions to the fleet.

Anritsu ML2438A dual channel power meter with MA2473A diode power sensor and MA2423B thermistor power sensor.




Agilent 11970V 50 - 75GHz harmonic mixer, already tested to be working.


A programmable WR-15 attenuator from Flann, this one I saved from going to eWaste.

[Martin.M]

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/YidE4oYugik

HFH 

[Cyclotron]

I've developed a problem even though I mostly lurked in the background. The affliction seems to pass around without engagement.
Oddly, with all this gear, I still turned it all on to ensure I didn't trip a breaker instead of calculating or measuring the load. Obviously, the PSUs can produce far more load if they are active.

I don't do this for a living, but I always wanted to. My skills in IT offer more return on hours spent, though.
I appreciate the community.

[ftg]

HP 415E "SWR Meter" (in reality a 1kHz selective AC volt meter) joins the fleet.


We'll see how well it works for conditioning diode detector output for display on the Tek 465 I use for display with my Alfred 750 sweepper.

[electron_plumber]

My name is electron plumber and... I'm an addict.

In need of more bandwidth, I had been mentally preparing to buy a brand new SDS3104X HD for ~$6.5k USD.

But, a day or two before pulling the trigger, I stumbled upon this new-in-box wave surfer 4101HD on ebay for only $6k USD. Compared to the Siglent, it has a higher sampling rate (5GS/s instead of 4), a built-in AWG, and it's loaded with a bunch of Lecroy software options. It still had the protective film still on the screen and the knobs have that brand new tacky feel to them... it's beautiful.



Now I just need to design/build some 1GHz probes. 

[tggzzz]

My name is electron plumber and... I'm an addict.

In need of more bandwidth, I had been mentally preparing to buy a brand new SDS3104X HD for ~$6.5k USD.

But, a day or two before pulling the trigger, I stumbled upon this new-in-box wave surfer 4101HD on ebay for only $6k USD. Compared to the Siglent, it has a higher sampling rate (5GS/s instead of 4), a built-in AWG, and it's loaded with a bunch of Lecroy software options. It still had the protective film still on the screen and the knobs have that brand new tacky feel to them... it's beautiful.

(Attachment Link)

Now I just need to design/build some 1GHz probes. 

Oh, you are a tease. Not  fair.

Presuming it has proper 50ohm inputs (i.e. not 50ohm//20pF), then resistive divider Z0 probe will probably fit the bill.

[wkb]

HP8901A followed me home into the ham shack. Need to fix the -15V and -5V PSU. Lets hope nothing else is broken.

Wilko

[m k]

Not exactly what I had in mind.
But at least it has an instrument image recovery system.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/256507527213

[m k]

Metrix GX5000-MoD, possible typical fault.
PSU's TO-220 power transistors are cutting their own legs.

A quess.
When transistors are installed their legs are bent after soldering and corners are intended to be round.
Next PCB is screwed to its metal bottom chassis, that is also a heatsink, so some transistors are not fitting exactly.

Some old TO-220 legs were soft and had a tendency to bend or crush from few positions, here also and those bends are many times 'V' shaped, here also.

Fix.
Unscrew PSU from its chassis and twist transistors in question a bit, replace those that lose their legs.
Check also that legs are bent smoothly, you'll see the difference, better replace them all, TIP32C is pocket change.
Then only after all screws are back in place do the soldering.

Downside is that you can't pull the PSU out completely without cutting some wires.
But there's still enough space.

Another guess.
At the beginning the installation of those transistors was after chassis plate, but it was difficult.
So a work around was invented.

Be also noted that machine can still operate with some legs cut.
There is no gap without movement.
The power that dropped off those two transistors was still pretty fine when disconnected from load.

Other version of a cut is closer to the body and around the other end of a thin part of a leg.
Dropped off leg sets were also bent a side a bit.

E,
metal rings around PSU PCB fastening holes have a tendency to peel off.
Note especially the one close to output connector.

[Runco990]

I've developed a problem even though I mostly lurked in the background. The affliction seems to pass around without engagement.
Oddly, with all this gear, I still turned it all on to ensure I didn't trip a breaker instead of calculating or measuring the load. Obviously, the PSUs can produce far more load if they are active.

I don't do this for a living, but I always wanted to. My skills in IT offer more return on hours spent, though.
I appreciate the community.

Beginner.....   

I should add that TEA is a terminal disease.... that's only HALF the crap I accumulated over 2 decades.....  Woe is to all who catch the TEA bug!

[Vince]

@MK : I don't understand, feels like some explanations are due.... do you mean you did buy some GX5000 from IceTea  then ?
How many did you buy ?

What is the fault / symptoms of the unit you are trying to fix here ? You didn't say.

[m k]

You're out of the loop, I'm trying to fix them for Ice-Tea, and eventually for me.
But I don't actually know what they are, the box I got had some face plate collars, one even partially in place, and there is that Metrix text, but back has a name plate that is actually just input voltage and usual warning sticker and no name.
Serial number there is, but it is a separated few mm high paper sticker, though not hand written.

The problem in question seems to be a mechanical installation procedure of power transistors of the PSU of the machine.
I've opened 3 machines, two have problems and 3rd have all of those transistors replaced.
Only one didn't boot, the one that dropped those two transistors.

Your machine may have the same problem.
It's a micro structure of a metal, it's still intact in a way that there is no real gap, but leg is still cut, it's like any contact surface of any connector.
The machine is probably fine until last leg is cut, maybe an intermittent hiccup every now and then.

The structure of TO-220 transistor leg is nothing new.
Like here those transistors that are changed have much more sturdy legs.
Maybe my experiment from back then is from already old components back then.

One other thing, the picture of those legs in my mind, from few days back, is not what is in the picture.
Maybe camera did some tricks, but it's also possible that my recollection from last millennia kicked in.
So maybe a partial explanation of the reason is bogus.
Cut those legs still are, no doubt.

[AVGresponding]

Yeah, those little buggers really don't like their legs messing with. As soon as I see a TO-220 with its legs bent and the heatsink not attached to the pcb, I know I'm going to have problems. If the leg doesn't snap halfway, chances are it's gonna do it flush with the case   

[TERRA Operative]

Needs some stranded flexible hookup wire to attach the transistors to the PCB instead of being directly soldered.

[Vince]

You're out of the loop, I'm trying to fix them for Ice-Tea, and eventually for me.

Ah OK, he subcontracted the fixing part to you ! 
Good luck with them then...

The problem in question seems to be a mechanical installation procedure of power transistors of the PSU of the machine.
I've opened 3 machines, two have problems and 3rd have all of those transistors replaced.
Only one didn't boot, the one that dropped those two transistors.
Your machine may have the same problem.
It's a micro structure of a metal, it's still intact in a way that there is no real gap, but leg is still cut, it's like any contact surface of any connector.
The machine is probably fine until last leg is cut, maybe an intermittent hiccup every now and then.

Ah OK.... I didn't have problems with that on my machine, no cracks that I can remember.
I just dug out my old tear-down archive pics... all the TO-220 are indeed bent 90°, but all of mine were secured properly, no worries there.
There are 4 of them on the PSU board, and 2 more on the analog board. All 6 were screwed to their heatsink, and the heatsink screwed to the chassis.

The only problem I had was the power amp "can" overheating, that made the CPU crash after an hour or so of running. But now that I glued a heatsink to that can, no more problem, solid as a rock.

[Ice-Tea]

My pattented "you fix some, you get some" exploitation scheme

[Vince]

Oh OK ! Somehow I still had not gathered it was part of your business model !   
Hey, whatever works I guess !

[m k]

Maybe bad batch was piling and one can only fix that much, as we know.
Good part with TE is that many times items are more rectangle shaped.

Not so long ago I spotted a note that only 3 machines should be stacked.
Must have been some serious items.

For the machine of legs.
You can't say how those legs are if you don't unscrew and flip the PSU PCB up.

Nasty bugger that PSU.
It has a chassis from side to side of the machine, that you can't lift without removing the power switch bar, that is glued.
The PCB you can't unscrew without unscrewing the line filter, one corner is under it.
Then you can't flip the unscrewed PCB without unscrewing the temp sensor, wires are too short.
But you still can't flip the PCB upside down without removing the PE wire, the wire is too short.
The PE wire then is under a small nut in limited location, that needs a small key, I almost have one, but almost doesn't count.
The PE screw then is too soft and too tight to be opened from that side, I desoldered the wire.
Few transformer fastening screws were missing.
(actually the whole thing is much easier than the writing may indicate)