EEVblog #481 - Mailbag

[tchicago]

Just a quick update. Found reasonable quality schematic of the blinker guy: http://www.automnl.com/vaz/2106/img/81.jpg

Unfortunately, couldn't find schematics which would be understandable for non-ruski guys and need to go back to day-to-day job now. Will paste description how to power this thing up later today.

On the subject of Soviet parts, I remember reading about them getting pretty good at reverse engineering American made electronics and rebadging it.

http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/creatures/pages/russians.html



"VAX - when you care enough to steal the very best "

Apparently this quotation was gleaned from a sign on a purloined VAX 780 used by the Soviet military and was intended to send a special message to Russian chip designers determined to reverse engineer Digital's designs.

Also there was the ES EVM which was a clone of the IBM S/360 and S/370 mainframes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ES_EVMhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ES_EVM

Frankly speaking, this supposedly Russian text is such a jibberish for a Russian speaker that it requires to think real hard to get at least a slightest idea of what it means.

[Stonent]

Dave has promised lots of videos that I'd love to watch (the latest Vincent Himpe thing springs to mind), but he's never going to get round to any of it at this rate. It doesn't take a genius to realise that if post coming in > post opened on mailbag segment, then it's just going to build up and build up.

Got another 4 items today! 

While I'm thinking about it, did you ever do a teardown that magazine insert with the LCD in it?

[EEVblog]

I have something I'm considering sending, except I'm worried about how much it'll cost.  It's pretty heavy, but you'd have loads of fun with it...   Eventually...

Postage is not cheap. Some packages have cost of $100+ to send! 

[EEVblog]

While I'm thinking about it, did you ever do a teardown that magazine insert with the LCD in it?

Nope 
Classic example of the ever growing "put aside to another video" pile 

[SeanB]

I would send Dave a Tek Phaser 340 wax printer to tear down, but as it is a 60kg unit.................

[duskglow]

Oo.  I know *exactly* what to send you.  It's not electronic, but I think you'd like it anyway.  I'll do it as soon as I get a chance.

[Stonent]

I would send Dave a Tek Phaser 340 wax printer to tear down, but as it is a 60kg unit.................

Those things used to be the bane of my existence. People would force the 850/860 crayons in the 300 series printers and vice versa and clog up or burn up the print heads. It used to be one of my many jobs around the company I was at, telling people they just caused a $1000 repair.

[SeanB]

I would send Dave a Tek Phaser 340 wax printer to tear down, but as it is a 60kg unit.................

Those things used to be the bane of my existence. People would force the 850/860 crayons in the 300 series printers and vice versa and clog up or burn up the print heads. It used to be one of my many jobs around the company I was at, telling people they just caused a $1000 repair.

$1000 repair was just the consumable cost per year for these, that is why they landed on a shelf. That and a DFU who had a paper jam and turned the printer off, making the paper sheet a permanent part of the imager drum, as they ripped the sheet off and power cycled it.

[komet]

I was about to send Dave one of my spare Agilent N5247A's, but I think I'll wait until he's cleared the "videos for another time" queue.

[duskglow]

 Put it on ebay, it's gonna be a while. 

[sergey]

Heh, pardon for the delay. Got stuck with real job and some weekend projects to be built.

So, for those who wants to power awesome USSR blinker up, here's info. Contacts are numbered in the following way:
1 2 3
4 5

Pins 1 and 5 goes to +12 volts
Pin 4 goes to ground
Pin 3 goes to lamp (lamp connects between pin3 and ground)
If pin 2 is connected to +12 rail, lamp would blink, otherwise it wouldn't blink.

Easy

[itdontgo]

http://youtu.be/HubZInAs0-A?t=15s

David Larry Jones

[itdontgo]

Check out those sparks!

http://youtu.be/HubZInAs0-A?t=1m28s