Author Topic: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!  (Read 2755960 times)

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Offline rdl

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #4575 on: November 15, 2017, 10:35:08 am »
I bought a Sony receiver once. If you turned the volume up past 40% the "protection" circuit would kick in and shut off the audio. I just put up with that because I lived in an apartment and didn't really need to be playing it loud anyway. After a couple of years it developed a habit of latching the volume control motor when you pressed "up" on the remote. You would have to quickly walk over and turn it down manually. Coincidentally, the "protection" circuit stopped working at the same time. This resulted in blowing a fairly expensive speaker. I ordered a different amp to replace it and when it arrived, the Sony went back in its box and into storage where it remains to this day.
 

Offline nfmax

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #4576 on: November 15, 2017, 11:20:20 am »
I once came across a top-of-the-range Sony FM tuner, being used as an off-air monitor at a BBC studio. It was intermittently distorting. It turned out to be a design flaw - the OPAMP driving the final audio output was biased only by the leakage through the electrolytic capacitor on its input, so its DC operating voltage was prone to wander, sometimes provoking clipping.

We checked the circuit diagram, and this was obviously how it was 'designed'. There were DC voltages marked at key points, and sure enough, the voltage at the left & right channel OPAMP inputs was several volts different.

And nobody noticed, and nobody checked it. I wonder if it was ever tested over its specified operating temperature range?
 

Offline capt bullshot

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #4577 on: November 15, 2017, 11:46:14 am »
Sony stuff: That's the reason(s) why in Germany Sony is pronounced like "So nie" - never this way  ;D
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Offline Watth

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #4578 on: November 15, 2017, 05:11:04 pm »
An Extech EX330!
Because "Matth" was already taken.
 

Offline thm_w

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #4579 on: November 15, 2017, 10:13:13 pm »
I'm more into headphone gears, so here amps mean HPAs.
Just check out their spec. No THD, no SNR, no nothing, just beautiful marketing BS.
Check out this one: https://www.sony.com/electronics/audio-components/ta-zh1es/specifications#features

Specs only say power output @1% THD. That's rubbish.

So would SNR capture the level of hiss with no input? I bought some Kanto amp/speakers and they were completely unusable due to hiss. Now I'm not surprised they don't state SNR in the specs.

Swapped them out for an Alientek D8 and its far superior (quoted SNR of 100dB, classD but MAX9722 for headphones). Some hiss is still present, but the amp is much smarter and will shut the output off as soon as no input or 0 volume is present. So hiss is not noticeable (wonder if sony figured that out). I can't really grasp why you'd use classD for headphones, unless you are conserving battery.
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Offline bjcuizon

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #4580 on: November 16, 2017, 03:29:59 am »
I got some things from the local second hand shop:
- lots of surplus wire (unknown length) probably more than 10 meters each. The topmost one on the picture looks like it has a silicone jacket as it is flexible, and is roughly 14awg. The one in the middle is some ~24awg thin ones, probably 15m or more in length. The bottom one is cat5 something...most likely for ethernet. They are all for $5.  8)

- and a vintage (1953, it's what I get on the date code) General Electric 7-2584a dual band pocket receiver for 2 bucks :D It was quite dusty when I saw it and I had to do a bit of cleaning.
« Last Edit: November 16, 2017, 05:57:30 am by bjcuizon »
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Offline cdev

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #4581 on: November 16, 2017, 03:36:27 am »
That radio looks to me to be maybe from around the the 1980s? Thats my guess.
"What the large print giveth, the small print taketh away."
 
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Offline bjcuizon

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #4582 on: November 16, 2017, 03:45:04 am »
That radio looks to me to be maybe from around the the 1980s? Thats my guess.
I'm not really sure, it just says in the yellowish sticker paper in the battery compartment: "DATE CODE: 5329"
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Offline rsjsouza

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #4583 on: November 16, 2017, 03:56:49 am »
That radio looks to me to be maybe from around the the 1980s? Thats my guess.
I'm not really sure, it just says in the yellowish sticker paper in the battery compartment: "DATE CODE: 5329"
It is a GE 7-2584 that can be found in several eBay listings. The date code may well be 29-March-1985 but given one of the photographs on the internet says it is "Made in China", that puts it well into the 1990s or early 2000s.

The first transistor radio, the Regency TR-1, was released in 1954.
 
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Offline bjcuizon

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #4584 on: November 16, 2017, 04:17:26 am »
That radio looks to me to be maybe from around the the 1980s? Thats my guess.
I'm not really sure, it just says in the yellowish sticker paper in the battery compartment: "DATE CODE: 5329"
It is a GE 7-2584 that can be found in several eBay listings. The date code may well be 29-March-1985 but given one of the photographs on the internet says it is "Made in China", that puts it well into the 1990s or early 2000s.

The first transistor radio, the Regency TR-1, was released in 1954.
Okay, thanks for the info. Yeah, it's probably really made in the late 80's as cdev said. Anyway, it was a really good bargain.
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Offline nowlan

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #4585 on: November 16, 2017, 08:27:02 am »
It was the Aneng AN8008 that Dave recommended and specifically warned not to mix it up with the lesser AN800x models.

Crap! Bought an 8002 too. Local seller, but didn't ship for a week, until i followed up. Still looking for 2 AAA to play with it.
 

Offline Specmaster

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #4586 on: November 16, 2017, 08:48:27 am »
Just ordered some capacitors, resistors, binding posts and an ABS project box from Mouser for stock mostly.
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Offline NottheDan

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #4587 on: November 16, 2017, 12:48:54 pm »
Got a Fluke 8050A with a few marks on the case but in fine working order and a Philip Harris Digicounter that had the 250A fuse substitution mod installed. Of couse the screw inser is missing and I don't have a replacement at hand.
 

Offline s8548a

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #4588 on: November 16, 2017, 04:24:34 pm »
Got a couple of cool gadgets from Mr.Franky.

 

Offline ChrisLX200

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #4589 on: November 16, 2017, 06:45:11 pm »
I was after a Rb standard to feed 10MHz into my Racal 1998, Siglent 1025, and Tek scope, but I spotted a slightly beaten-up (but still functional) Racal 2202R so bought that instead.
It has two 10MHz outputs on the rear, and two additional unpopulated (blank plugged) outputs. Anyone aware what is required to get those extra outputs functional?
 

Offline Specmaster

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #4590 on: November 16, 2017, 07:10:25 pm »
Got a couple of cool gadgets from Mr.Franky.


Those cables etc positively look like they're orange to my eye?
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Offline Mr. Scram

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #4591 on: November 16, 2017, 07:15:54 pm »

Those cables etc positively look like they're orange to my eye?
The cable in the background is a bit orange too, so I guess it's the white balance or camera.
 

Offline djos

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #4592 on: November 16, 2017, 08:22:54 pm »
It was the Aneng AN8008 that Dave recommended and specifically warned not to mix it up with the lesser AN800x models.

Crap! Bought an 8002 too. Local seller, but didn't ship for a week, until i followed up. Still looking for 2 AAA to play with it.

Just grab a stack of Aldi batteries, these days they are better than Duracell as they don't leak in low power devices.

Offline djos

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #4593 on: November 16, 2017, 08:26:38 pm »
Got a Fluke 8050A with a few marks on the case but in fine working order and a Philip Harris Digicounter that had the 250A fuse substitution mod installed. Of couse the screw inser is missing and I don't have a replacement at hand.

Omg, I literally had tears escaping from laughing too hard, that is brilliant!  :-DD

Offline Specmaster

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #4594 on: November 16, 2017, 08:51:17 pm »
Got a Fluke 8050A with a few marks on the case but in fine working order and a Philip Harris Digicounter that had the 250A fuse substitution mod installed. Of couse the screw inser is missing and I don't have a replacement at hand.

Omg, I literally had tears escaping from laughing too hard, that is brilliant!  :-DD
Trying looking at the 100A fuse and I reckon you'll have found your missing screw  :-DD
Who let Murphy in?

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Offline URI

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #4595 on: November 17, 2017, 05:39:51 am »
I ordered *a few* workshop depots (or storage cabinet German: "Kleinteilemagazine") of two different sizes to (re?)organise my bench.

I will build a kind of shelf frame made of wood to mount them into because I don't want to drill a large number of holes into the wall to fasten every depot individually.  I only rent the flat I'm living in.  :)
« Last Edit: November 17, 2017, 06:06:54 am by URI »
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Offline BU508A

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #4596 on: November 17, 2017, 06:20:44 am »
Sooner or later I'll get this one from RAACO:



Save a lot of space and is making life a lot easier.

Edit: Link to raaco:
https://raaco.com/productsgroups-1120.aspx?GroupID=Skuffereol
« Last Edit: November 17, 2017, 08:47:39 am by BU508A »
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Offline Mr. Scram

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #4597 on: November 17, 2017, 06:28:36 am »
Sooner or later I'll get this one from RAACO:



Save a lot of space and is making life a lot easier.
Isn't there a bunch of wasted space in the middle?
 

Offline URI

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #4598 on: November 17, 2017, 06:36:35 am »
Sooner or later I'll get this one from RAACO:
[image snipped]
Save a lot of space and is making life a lot easier.
Isn't there a bunch of wasted space in the middle?

You hit the point!  :)
A life without TEA is possible but pointless.
 
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Offline BU508A

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #4599 on: November 17, 2017, 07:06:00 am »
Isn't there a bunch of wasted space in the middle?

What do you mean?  :-//

A friend of mine has one of these and I found them very efficient in terms of using space. And you can move them around easily.
“Chaos is found in greatest abundance wherever order is being sought. It always defeats order, because it is better organized.”            - Terry Pratchett -
 


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