Author Topic: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase! (Read 2781670 times)

ruffy91 · « **Reply #600 on:** November 10, 2015, 08:42:41 pm »

Bought a FGH Controls Ltd. Ezecal 5 Process Calibrator for about 25$:
0-10V, 0-20mA and 0-400 Ohm inputs and outputs with 0.02%/180 day accuracy. On top of that thermocouple simulation and mesurement. Unfortunately without accessories and NiCd battery pack seems to be dead.

SeanB · « **Reply #601 on:** November 11, 2015, 04:19:18 pm »

Got an E4 delivered. Time to play with it a little.......after charging it, battery 54% and might need a quick top up charge.

VK5RC · « **Reply #602 on:** November 12, 2015, 10:47:34 am »

Flir E4? Very nice, I have its cheaper brother the E2, one of the bizarre/interesting things was walking outside on a cold clear night and pointing it at sky, stars, trees, house etc. the other was pointing it at the ceiling inside the house and being able to see where electronic transformers for LED light fittings were located above the plaster. Bizarre.

edit grammar.

Macbeth · « **Reply #603 on:** November 12, 2015, 03:58:26 pm »

I spotted this very cheap Altera Cyclone FPGA dev board on AliExpress and couldn't resist. I've been messing around with a MAX II CPLD so this is the next step up. I think I can run soft CPU cores on this

canibalimao · « **Reply #604 on:** November 12, 2015, 07:07:52 pm »

What Software will you use to program it?

Macbeth · « **Reply #605 on:** November 12, 2015, 08:26:14 pm »

Quote from: canibalimao on November 12, 2015, 07:07:52 pm

What Software will you use to program it?

Quartus II Lite Edition (free). I already have a USB Blaster, but it comes with one anyway.

canibalimao · « **Reply #606 on:** November 12, 2015, 08:30:33 pm »

Thanks. I thought that the free software for FPGAs were all a bit "shitty". I guess I'll give this one a try

Macbeth · « **Reply #607 on:** November 12, 2015, 08:39:09 pm »

Sorry, thats Quartus Prime (Lite edition) - it used to be Quartus II (Web edition). You can't program most of the mid or any high tier FPGAs with the freebie, and compiling will only make use of a single CPU core to slow you down. Probably some more restrictions, like the NIOS II soft cpu is the limited version, but I can live with them and save $3000 per year

canibalimao · « **Reply #608 on:** November 12, 2015, 08:54:32 pm »

I can deal with the low speed, what is impossible to deal with is the impossibility to program the board itself

But what I can really deal with is that huge saving

Macbeth · « **Reply #609 on:** November 13, 2015, 12:53:49 am »

Quote from: canibalimao on November 12, 2015, 08:54:32 pm

I can deal with the low speed, what is impossible to deal with is the impossibility to program the board itself

But what I can really deal with is that huge saving

Hmm... I will be surprised if I can't use Quartus to program it. I mean it works with my little £5 EPM240 CPLD board with a clone USB Blaster ok...

Though I have been having problems in Windows 10 with that lately (BSOD's), but it works perfectly in Ubuntu 15.10. I'm guessing the Windows 10 stuff is because I am on dev insider builds + installed some crappy hack libusb stuff to try and get an Olimex JTAG working and it's FUBAR - I need to reinstall Win 10 I think, but Linux works perfectly with this stuff. I just groan at the 3 days of my life it takes to reinstall Windows and all the applications known to mankind...

SeanB · « **Reply #610 on:** November 14, 2015, 07:19:18 am »

Quote from: VK5RC on November 12, 2015, 10:47:34 am

Flir E4? Very nice, I have its cheaper brother the E2, one of the bizarre/interesting things was walking outside on a cold clear night and pointing it at sky, stars, trees, house etc. the other was pointing it at the ceiling inside the house and being able to see where electronic transformers for LED light fittings were located above the plaster. Bizarre.

edit grammar.

One night I pointed a cheap IR thermometer up to the clear winter sky. -70C, quite cold, though now in summer it rarely drops below 10C as the humid air is quite good at reflecting and holding heat. Of course if it is cloudy it is warmer...

Deathwish · « **Reply #611 on:** November 18, 2015, 04:06:37 pm »

a crappy acer monitor for my pc so I can use the gpib card i got for my hp 34401a and my new Keithley 2015 thd from KJDS who has excelled with his sales to me.

moya034 · « **Reply #612 on:** November 22, 2015, 07:43:19 pm »

It all started early this year when I picked up a Rigol DSA815-TG Spectrum Analyzer so I could tune a duplexer for a repeater I'm working on. It's been non-stop since!

VB1020 kit for SA/TG because my home made return loss bridge sucks at frequencies past 2m, plus the software is cool too
That spectrum analyzer is too nice to carry to a repeater site without a case!
Well while I'm carrying equipment to the site, it'd be nice to have a new oscilloscope, my analog one is heavy. 1054z it is!
Oh yeah we'll need a case for the oscope
Speaking of measurements, I really needed an RF signal generator for receiver sensitivity and noise measurements. HP 8565B fits the bill
O, so taking those measurements without a SINAD meter is a PITA...
Need another signal generator for other projects so let's a Rigol DG1022
What the hey, that's a great price on a GE 1.5kVA isolation transformer, why not. (Need to stop browsing ebay)
Speaking of ebay this HP 20v 10a PSU looks really nice... what a great price!
That doesn't mean I still don't want a Rigol DP832, which I just picked up today.
A sale on EX330 meters while I'm at it? why not, we already have a $450 PSU in the shopping cart It's not THAT much more! Better buy 2 for good measure
O wow, what a great price on ebay for this B&L microscope I need for the SMD projects in the queue...

I think I'm seriously finished for a while.... What the definition of a while is, I'm not sure... I may be suffering from equipmentprocurementitis.

Deathwish · « **Reply #613 on:** November 22, 2015, 07:51:36 pm »

Quote from: moya034 on November 22, 2015, 07:43:19 pm

It all started early this year when I picked up a Rigol DSA815-TG Spectrum Analyzer so I could tune a duplexer for a repeater I'm working on. It's been non-stop since!

snip

I think I'm seriously finished for a while.... What the definition of a while is, I'm not sure... I may be suffering from equipmentprocurementitis.

Obviously no SWMBO to keep you under control. you need to get one

German_EE · « **Reply #614 on:** November 22, 2015, 08:18:22 pm »

I didn't buy anything today because the whole country seems to be shut. Normal Sundays in Germany are bad but today is 'Death Sunday' when we are supposed to think about dead people.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Totensonntag

Cubdriver · « **Reply #615 on:** November 23, 2015, 06:29:02 am »

Quote from: moya034 on November 22, 2015, 07:43:19 pm

It all started early this year when I picked up a Rigol DSA815-TG Spectrum Analyzer so I could tune a duplexer for a repeater I'm working on. It's been non-stop since!

<snip equipment list for brevity>

I think I'm seriously finished for a while.... What the definition of a while is, I'm not sure... I may be suffering from equipmentprocurementitis.

GAS - Gear Acquisition Syndrome - a common malady among photographers, too.

I was doing well with staying off of evilBay for a few weeks, but this morning got a notice about a non-functional HP 3580A 5 Hz - 50 kHz Spectrum Analyzer (turns on, gives a trace, then goes blank - hopefully a power supply issue) that included the operating and service manual for a buy it now price that (especially considering the manual is included) seemed pretty good to me, so I jumped.

I should probably turn off those e-mail notifications, they're the debbil!!

(And I have no SWMBO to moderate my GAS either. For the time being, I'm ok with that. My credit card, however, is not as enamored with me)

-Pat

moya034 · « **Reply #616 on:** November 23, 2015, 04:22:46 pm »

I would argue that over time, Gear Acquisition Syndrome will cost me significantly less $$$ then if i had a SWMBO in the house

Besides, I like peace and quiet!

Cubdriver · « **Reply #617 on:** November 23, 2015, 05:10:35 pm »

Quote from: moya034 on November 23, 2015, 04:22:46 pm

I would argue that over time, Gear Acquisition Syndrome will cost me significantly less $$$ then if i had a SWMBO in the house

Besides, I like peace and quiet!

LOL - too late for that - SWMBO is gone, and cost a bundle in a home renovation/additions prior to her departure. On the bright side, there is now more space to store the acquired toys.

Deathwish · « **Reply #618 on:** November 23, 2015, 05:49:47 pm »

i can so so relate to both you guys over SWMBO and events related to them.

mtdoc · « **Reply #619 on:** November 23, 2015, 06:44:37 pm »

This thread makes me appreciate how good I have it. I get to indulge in GAS without restriction as long as SWMBO can indulge in CASAS (clothes and shoe acquisition syndrome) - but she earns as much as I do.

zoltan · « **Reply #620 on:** November 23, 2015, 08:16:08 pm »

Just received two new toys:
- Sorensen DLM 40-15
- Keithley 2015 THD

Ordered today one more Metcal soldering station in addition to one I already have (STSS-PS2V-02)
- Metcal RFG-30

deadlylover · « **Reply #621 on:** November 23, 2015, 08:36:56 pm »

@zoltan

That Keithley 2015 looks to be in pretty good nick! I've been on the hunt for one recently.

I don't know why I just bought an Advantest TR4171 sold as-is. I figure it'll have some educational value as I know absolutely nothing about spectrum analysers.
At the very least, I'll learn to stop buying heavy equipment from overseas, I ain't looking forward to the shipping bill...

I wonder if anyone knows anything about the TR4171, I can't find any manuals online. $:-\$

Deathwish · « **Reply #622 on:** November 23, 2015, 08:49:29 pm »

Quote from: deadlylover on November 23, 2015, 08:36:56 pm

I wonder if anyone knows anything about the TR4171, I can't find any manuals online. $:-\$

https://www.advantest.com/documents/11348/146687/pdf_mn_ETR4171_OPERATING_MANUAL.pdf/df872d24-58cf-449f-aded-74f51fed7ed8

http://www.testequipmenthq.com/datasheets/ADVANTEST-TR4171-Datasheet.pdf

deadlylover · « **Reply #623 on:** November 23, 2015, 08:55:42 pm »

Quote from: Deathwish on November 23, 2015, 08:49:29 pm

https://www.advantest.com/documents/11348/146687/pdf_mn_ETR4171_OPERATING_MANUAL.pdf/df872d24-58cf-449f-aded-74f51fed7ed8

http://www.testequipmenthq.com/datasheets/ADVANTEST-TR4171-Datasheet.pdf

You're a legend mate, I owe you a beer. I checked the Advantest site but I couldn't find a thing. =P

zoltan · « **Reply #624 on:** November 23, 2015, 09:27:06 pm »

Quote from: deadlylover on November 23, 2015, 08:36:56 pm

That Keithley 2015 looks to be in pretty good nick! I've been on the hunt for one recently.

And it's not that old, 0630 datecode found inside.

Quote

At the very least, I'll learn to stop buying heavy equipment from overseas, I ain't looking forward to the shipping bill...

I bought it from Seoul, Korea. The 1/4 of the price was shipping, but at least shipped fast and packed great.


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Author Topic: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase! (Read 2781670 times)

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