What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!

[mtdoc]

Bought a couple of days ago:  3 Barred Rock and 3 Rhode Island Red chicks. Now I've got to build a coop. Then I'll have some related electronics projects: Automatic dawn/dusk coop door opener, coop temp monitoring and control, and maybe an electric fence controller to keep the racoons and bobcats out. Will put a PV panel on the coop's roof and tie it into my current nearby shed solar PV system to power the coop.

[ArdRhi]

3D Space Mouse for my Altium. Lovely finishing quality.

I have a SpaceNav around here someplace...I used to use it for gaming in Second Life. I'll have to explore using it for other stuff now!

I got a whole pile of little stuff today...Adafruit dropped a box on my porch! But the best was the simplest, a pack of 357A button cells I ordered from Amazon for an old pocket multimeter I dredged out of the basement.

The meter didn't work when I replaced the batteries, but instead of tossing it and getting a new one, I decided if I tried to fix it and failed, then I wasn't out anything but the time, so why not?  I had the tools right to hand seeing as I was at my brand-new workbench, so I hauled out the magnetic mat and the Phillips screwdriver, and had at it. A few gentle pries with a spudger, and carefully removing a Jesus-clip from the range switch knob, and I had the board out of the case.

I didn't see anything really obvious, but it HAD been in the damp basement for years, so I used a fiberglass contact cleaning brush and cleaned the battery contacts and the range switch pads and wipers. Then I reassembled it, put in the new cells again, and VOILA!

Working like a BOSS.

Yay! I win! And the new bench helped!

[rx8pilot]

Sorry about low quality photo, but you can see a 34970A pretty face.

What cards did you get for it? I almost got one of those and ended up with a Keithley 2700. Are you planning some automated testing?

[AF6LJ]

Hi, my name is Pat, and I have a terrible addiction to curvy glowing orange numerals...



This arrived today from our favorite auction site.  It's in very good physical condition (though a bit dusty inside), but has at least a few issues as it's flakey on some ranges.  The serial number says it's from late 1966, and it was made in Great Britain.

I have the manual on order from Artek and will dig into it once I get the link.

-Pat

Most Cute.

[TheSteve]

Agilent 6553A 0-35 volt 0-15 amp supply for $70.00 shipped - powers on, maybe works, maybe doesn't. I will only know for sure when it arrives.

Received the supply today. It was well packed and in pretty good condition. I powered it on and it works. The only issue was both rotary controls just barely worked. I opened them up and gave them a quick cleaning. They both work perfect now. I am putting together a Keysight order and will get a replacement front knob for the current adjust, they are in stock and are only a few bucks.

[bitseeker]

Hi, my name is Pat, and I have a terrible addiction to curvy glowing orange numerals...

Nice one, Pat. It appears that I'm developing a case of the Nixies. Bought a dead HP 5216A a little while ago. Then, a partially working one showed up. Grabbed it too. The latter one (picture attached) is running, but has an intermittent gate. Both duly added to my growing renovation queue.

[Cubdriver]

Nice one, Pat. It appears that I'm developing a case of the Nixies. Bought a dead HP 5216A a little while ago. Then, a partially working one showed up. Grabbed it too. The latter one (picture attached) is running, but has an intermittent gate. Both duly added to my growing renovation queue.

LOL - Nice!!  I don't have one of THOSE yet.   

Be very careful - nixies are insidious little buggers, and they WILL multiply.  Before you realize it, you'll be surrounded by them.  You tell yourself you can quite them any time, but just try.  Something with neon numbers will appear in your e-bay feed (or someone here will post a new piece of cool old gear that you haven't seen before) and before you know it you'll be off on the hunt again, and Brown Santa will be delivering heavy boxes containing little glass vessels of noble gas to your door.  Some are round and button shaped, some are ovalish with flattened sides, some look like regular tubes and still others hang from above like bats in a cave.  All are cool.  And addictive!  (And will swell your renovation queue.  I have one of those, too...   )

-Pat

[VK5RC]

@cubdriver and bit seeker, just stay there nice and relaxed while the man in the white coat puts you in the coat with no arms and you have a NICE sleep!!!
HiHi.
Serious Nixie envy here.

I am awaiting the arrival of my 5233L manual. I am going to have a go at 'Nixie rejuvenation' but so far have blown one fuse, DC at 100V or so gets a bit nasty!
Take care lads  and lasses.

[Sbampato12]

Sorry about low quality photo, but you can see a 34970A pretty face.

What cards did you get for it? I almost got one of those and ended up with a Keithley 2700. Are you planning some automated testing?

I've got 34901A, 34903A and 34908A.

I'm not planning any automated test by now, but it was almost a 'score', about US$ 650,00 (with today dollar value) shipped (which, for our contry is a very good value). With the 3 cards, in a mint condition. It has the warranty until mid-2018. Some relays (majority) was never switched, looking in the memory logs.
So I bought to use mainly as voltimeter for bench tests.

[bitseeker]

LOL - Nice!!  I don't have one of THOSE yet.   

I hadn't seen a 5216A before two ended up on my bench. The 3734A you got is one I haven't seen either. Most of the time it's the full-rack width instruments, which I don't have space for. The 5216A has the bat-like tubes. I like the top-view ones in your 3734A too.

Serious Nixie envy here.

I am awaiting the arrival of my 5233L manual. I am going to have a go at 'Nixie rejuvenation' but so far have blown one fuse, DC at 100V or so gets a bit nasty!

Sounds like you're well on your way to feeding your Nixie monster.

[Cubdriver]

LOL - Nice!!  I don't have one of THOSE yet.   

I hadn't seen a 5216A before two ended up on my bench. The 3734A you got is one I haven't seen either. Most of the time it's the full-rack width instruments, which I don't have space for. The 5216A has the bat-like tubes. I like the top-view ones in your 3734A too.

I have two 5221As in the queue, that's how I know about the bat tubes.  I didn't know about the 5216A till seeing yours.  I had an evilBay search programmed for the 3734A after seeing it and the 3735A in a mid/late 60s catalog, and when one popped up I made an offer and they accepted.

-Pat

[bitseeker]

I have two 5221As in the queue, that's how I know about the bat tubes.  I didn't know about the 5216A till seeing yours.  I had an evilBay search programmed for the 3734A after seeing it and the 3735A in a mid/late 60s catalog, and when one popped up I made an offer and they accepted.

I almost bought a 5221A and its sibling the 5231A. The ones I usually see are the 5-digit model (and one listing was missing the hp nameplate). The ones with the 6th digit option seem kind of rare. I look forward to seeing your restoration of the 5221A.

[Cubdriver]

I almost bought a 5221A and its sibling the 5231A. The ones I usually see are the 5-digit model (and one listing was missing the hp nameplate). The ones with the 6th digit option seem kind of rare. I look forward to seeing your restoration of the 5221A.

The first one I got (last year some time) is a 6 digit one, but it has a bad tube.  I recently snagged a 4 digit one planning to cannibalize it to fix the first, then immediately thereafter (of course!!) found a replacement tube for the first one.  I haven't gotten a chance to do anything to it yet, though.  I know I took some photos of the 6 digit one when I was working on it before, but apparently never uploaded them.  I'll see if I can find them later and get them online.  It had been hacked upon, and had some terrible soldering inside. 

-Pat

[gamalot]

This sucker finally arrived today,  I bought it on Amazon US a month ago, but they shipped from JAPAN 

[sony mavica]

a 16mp digital camera and a cd boombox

[Mark]

This sucker finally arrived today,  I bought it on Amazon US a month ago, but they shipped from JAPAN 

 I've got two of those now, it is very good!

[rrinker]

 Parts to build the computer for my new workbench, and I got my silicon wafers from Antoine. Neatest 'useless' item I think I have.

[VK5RC]

The only way to sort out a Nixie problem is with a real scope, (hurts my 'HP' heart to say that- HiHi)  a Tek 453
Hopefully she is fully glowing!

[peteb2]

Last week I updated my DMM to a Keysight U1253B with the O-LED display. I've used a Fluke of some description over the years since Fluke first appeared way back in the 1980s. My only reason was because that's what everyone else used... As I've aged the eyesight has too and my go to meter, a 179 Fluke, has become harder to read at silly angles propped on the work bench... Anyway, so impressed with the U1253B and the fact I use an iPad and iPhone I ordered the U1117A Bluetooth adapter above which will link the DMM data into various Apps...

[Zbig]

Last week I updated my DMM to a Keysight U1253B with the O-LED display. I've used a Fluke of some description over the years since Fluke first appeared way back in the 1980s. My only reason was because that's what everyone else used... As I've aged the eyesight has too and my go to meter, a 179 Fluke, has become harder to read at silly angles propped on the work bench... Anyway, so impressed with the U1253B and the fact I use an iPad and iPhone I ordered the U1117A Bluetooth adapter above which will link the DMM data into various Apps...

If you're only going to use it with iThings over short distances, the cheaper, all-orange U1177A would do just fine. It's Bluetooth Class 2 while yours is Class 1 with more power output. You'd need accompanying Class 1 Bluetooth device on the other end to make use of that feature. And yes, I don't know what they were thinking with these two model numbers; good example of practical trolling, if you ask me.

[Iwanushka]

As per arsesight webpage old all orange model does not work with new smartphone app, go figure... and old one is 5 times cheaper 'cause its discontinued and has agilent logo

[mmagin]

I got a bit stalled repairing a Keithley 616, and I wanted an electrometer, so I got something even older, a Keithley 610B!  Fortunately a former owner re-capped it already.
I expect the tube-based frontend is not as stable as a fet input, but it seems to work well and in areas I can verify (voltage and resistance) it seems to be in spec.

The 5886 electrometer tubes operate on practically battery voltages!

[Iwanushka]

I got a bit stalled repairing a Keithley 616, and I wanted an electrometer, so I got something even older, a Keithley 610B!  Fortunately a former owner re-capped it already.
I expect the tube-based frontend is not as stable as a fet input, but it seems to work well and in areas I can verify (voltage and resistance) it seems to be in spec.

The 5886 electrometer tubes operate on practically battery voltages!

Very nice oldschool unit

[FireFlower]

Bought a kill switch, a minute clock and Residual-current devices and made this to keep me and my equipment a bit more safe when doing more hazardous things on my bench.

[Falkra]

Well, nothing unknown or rare, but I finally got a Fluke 87 V. I'm reaaally happy with it. 

This will be much better than my Uni-T UT61E. 
I also got a fluke 10, fluke 12 and fluke 75 (they need some repairs).