What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!

[BulletMagnet83]

"68000 Microcomputer Systems - Designing and Troubleshooting (Alan D Wilcox)".

It just arrived this morning, and already I'm thinking it was 20 notes well spent Good amount of project management/planning stuff in there too which will no doubt help with my studies.

[moya034]

Tried some soldering for the first time since I moved into my apartment last night. Let's just say I realized fume extraction was going to be mandatory after the first joint.

So I picked up a Hakko FA430-KIT1. (The kit includes the duct and hood) Little painful in the wallet, but I don't trust the little computer fans and charcoal filter stuff, and good health is worth it.

[GreyWoolfe]

I bought a Craftsman Band saw with 2 spare blades and a new motor for $50 USD from a yard sale 6 houses down.  I even got the manual with it

[AF6LJ]

I bought a Craftsman Band saw with 2 spare blades and a new motor for $50 USD from a yard sale 6 houses down.  I even got the manual with it

Good Deal, a band saw is a good thing to have, I have a little one. (60 inch blade)

[TheSteve]

Tried some soldering for the first time since I moved into my apartment last night. Let's just say I realized fume extraction was going to be mandatory after the first joint.

So I picked up a Hakko FA430-KIT1. (The kit includes the duct and hood) Little painful in the wallet, but I don't trust the little computer fans and charcoal filter stuff, and good health is worth it.

For serious soldering I'd recommend just venting to the outside through a window using dryer hose and something like a Weller WSA350. I have one setup where the filter and fan in the Weller hood have been removed, then a 4 inch dryer hose is attached to the back and connected to plexiglass with a 4 inch fan mounted to it. I can open the window, sit it in place and then close the window which holds it all in place. It is much nicer to have all of the fumes gone, not just filtered.

[v8dave]

"68000 Microcomputer Systems - Designing and Troubleshooting (Alan D Wilcox)".

Nice one. I had this book some 25+ years ago as I recall. After building my own 6502 based computer system I wanted to build my own 68000 computer system but never got around to it. In fact I was going to use the 68008 to keep the bus size down.

[Cubdriver]

I'm out on the left coast this week, and a visit to Apex Electronics up in Sun Valley led to three new additions to my nixie equipment collection - all HP:

The first is a 2402A integrating voltmeter. It has a few empty card slots; I'm hoping these are for options it lacks and not an indication that it's been cannibalized in the past as it is in pretty decent physical condition other than a layer of dust.  Searching online has thus far not revealed much information on it, and Artek doesn't list the manual, so it may require some patience on eBuy to find anything on it.

The second is a 5360A computing counter; it has a 5365A input module and a 5379A time interval plug in.  It too includes a lovely layer of dust.  I haven't yet opened it to peek inside.

The final thing is a 5325B universal counter; it's in the roughest physical shape of the three with some broken and/or mismatched knobs and is filthy dusty inside and out, but at a glance appears to be all there parts-wise.

I haven't yet tried to fire any of them up because of course they all take the old style oval AC power cords, and of course that's no something I carry with me. I'll try to rig up a suicide cord in the next few days and see if I can at least turn them on briefly.

Pictures will follow when I get a chance to take and post them.

-Pat

[GreyWoolfe]

I bought a Craftsman Band saw with 2 spare blades and a new motor for $50 USD from a yard sale 6 houses down.  I even got the manual with it

Good Deal, a band saw is a good thing to have, I have a little one. (60 inch blade)

This is a table top unit and the blades are probably about the same size as yours.  The cart looks to be DIY but built well.  It also has locking casters at all 4 corners.  What I am really looking for is a deal on a used bench drill press but for $50, I couldn't pass it up.  Even if I don't use it, I could give it to my son, he will get good use out of it.  I have always had good luck with Craftsman tools.  I have a 30 year old 3/8" socket wrench that finally seized up, time to get it replaced.  

[nanofrog]

I have a 30 year old 3/8" socket wrench that finally seized up, time to get it replaced.

You might want to ask for a rebuild kit instead of a new ratchet (current production is made in China). 

[AF6LJ]

I bought a Craftsman Band saw with 2 spare blades and a new motor for $50 USD from a yard sale 6 houses down.  I even got the manual with it

Good Deal, a band saw is a good thing to have, I have a little one. (60 inch blade)

This is a table top unit and the blades are probably about the same size as yours.  The cart looks to be DIY but built well.  It also has locking casters at all 4 corners.  What I am really looking for is a deal on a used bench drill press but for $50, I couldn't pass it up.  Even if I don't use it, I could give it to my son, he will get good use out of it.  I have always had good luck with Craftsman tools.  I have a 30 year old 3/8" socket wrench that finally seized up, time to get it replaced.

I agree with the poster who suggested a rebuild kit for the socket wrench.

[Vgkid]

I have a 30 year old 3/8" socket wrench that finally seized up, time to get it replaced.

Have you tried pulling it apart?

[SeanB]

Take apart, clean in kerosene, lubricate with some moly grease and put back together and, providing the little springs have not broken, it will do another 30 years.

I do the same with my Gedore ones, and they just carry on working.

[GreyWoolfe]

I haven't tried to pull it apart yet.  As soon as I can find where I put it so it wouldn't get lost, I will see about taking it apart.  Once I find it I can use the part number on it to see if a rebuild kit is available as a plan B.  It has been a long time since I replaced anything Craftsman that I forgot everything is out of China now.

[tautech]

I haven't tried to pull it apart yet.  As soon as I can find where I put it so it wouldn't get lost, I will see about taking it apart.  Once I find it I can use the part number on it to see if a rebuild kit is available as a plan B.  It has been a long time since I replaced anything Craftsman that I forgot everything is out of China now.

Plenty of kits on eBay:
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.XCraftsman+ratchet+kepair+kit.TRS0&_nkw=Craftsman+ratchet+kepair+kit&_sacat=0

[rdl]

I went to Home Depot yesterday and bought another set of shelves for my relocated lab area. They're going above the right side peg board.

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/chat/need-inspiration-for-a-new-lab-table/msg810978/#msg810978

Once I get them put up, I'll have 18 linear feet of 11 inch deep shelves and 6 feet of 8 inch deep. That should be more than enough. Now I just have to figure out the lighting.

[BFX]

Bought last week via Amazon UK ... Arrived today   

A Fluke 115 multimeter; I really like these meters, they're perfect for troubleshooting/checking control panels.

Not cheap at £145.00 for a basic meter, but you get what you pay for in terms of safety and reliability 

I bought new from ebay.de at US $102.66
It's very good multimeter for everyday use   
I'm sure that you will be satisfied.

[Bob F.]

Ordered Art of Electronics 3rd edn.  Have given up waiting for an electronic version and fancied treating myself to an early Christmas present...  £41.50 courtesy of ebay seller inc postage.

[TerraHertz]

That should be more than enough.

Famous last words.
Btw, how many oscilloscopes do you have (at the moment)?

[VK5RC]

A Keysight U1282A,  who doesn't need another DMM?

[rdl]

That should be more than enough.

Famous last words.
Btw, how many oscilloscopes do you have (at the moment)?

I don't really have that much equipment, just two stand alone scopes and an Analog Discovery.
Here's a post with a picture from before I moved everything.

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/chat/whats-your-work-benchlab-look-like-post-some-pictures-of-your-lab/msg808536/#msg808536

I don't really have a way to hang the Tek scope in the new location. I'm not sure what to do with it at the moment.

[nanofrog]

A Keysight U1282A,  who doesn't need another DMM?

Looking forward to a review.  Hint, hint... 

I don't really have a way to hang the Tek scope in the new location. I'm not sure what to do with it at the moment.

Perhaps a photo of the new space would elicit some good ideas. 

[rdl]

Perhaps a photo of the new space would elicit some good ideas. 

Well, the new place is not much different from the old. There's a link to a post with a photo in #709 above. It's not in a closet, so I'm missing the closet shelf it used to hang from (and a couple of walls). What I need is some kind of bar or rod that could extend from one of the shelves and hold the weight of the scope. Or I guess I could maybe hang it from the ceiling somehow, but that seems kind of kludgy. I really need it to hang though, because at that angle it doesn't stick out so far. If I just sit it on a shelf it hangs over the edge by about 3 inches. I'm inclined to just leave it stored in the closet, I really haven't used it much lately.

[nanofrog]

Well, the new place is not much different from the old. There's a link to a post with a photo in #709 above. It's not in a closet, so I'm missing the closet shelf it used to hang from (and a couple of walls). What I need is some kind of bar or rod that could extend from one of the shelves and hold the weight of the scope. Or I guess I could maybe hang it from the ceiling somehow, but that seems kind of kludgy. I really need it to hang though, because at that angle it doesn't stick out so far. If I just sit it on a shelf it hangs over the edge by about 3 inches. I'm inclined to just leave it stored in the closet, I really haven't used it much lately.

You could hang it from beneath lowest of the long shelves, on the right side as you had it before (i.e. between the middle and right most shelf brackets). I'd also recommend drilling through & countersink to be sure the hooks/eyes don't pull out. 

[McBryce]

I haven't tried to pull it apart yet.  As soon as I can find where I put it so it wouldn't get lost, I will see about taking it apart.  Once I find it I can use the part number on it to see if a rebuild kit is available as a plan B.  It has been a long time since I replaced anything Craftsman that I forgot everything is out of China now.

Plenty of kits on eBay:
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.XCraftsman+ratchet+kepair+kit.TRS0&_nkw=Craftsman+ratchet+kepair+kit&_sacat=0

<Pedantic_mode>
You get even more results if you spell Repair with an "R" instead of a "K" in the ebay search
</Pedantic_mode>

McBryce.

[VK5RC]

@nanofrog , a 'dodgy brothers' video using webcam in the "shack" re U1282A

Pluses  Long Battery Life
           Good, accurate meter
           Tough as nails, dust/water ingress
           Keysight back-up pretty good
           Quick switch on time
           Quick continuity
           Features +++

Minuses   Big / Heavy
               Cables a bit stiff out of the box, ? may loosen up but it is pretty hot here today, 35C, so I doubt it
               LCD viewing angle  ( I still am a bit of an OLED fan)

Correction to the video, the U1282A read 10.001 (not 10.0001 as I said), the 3458A read 10.00050-something, of note the 5yo U1253B has not been re-calibrated   
       since new