Author Topic: List your test equipment "scores" here!  (Read 774986 times)

0 Members and 3 Guests are viewing this topic.

Offline Ice-Tea

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 3062
  • Country: be
    • Freelance Hardware Engineer
Re: List your test equipment "scores" here!
« Reply #2325 on: March 06, 2019, 07:24:48 pm »
Just wondering.. what are you missing by not having a display? Seems easy enough to use the keys for most functions?

Offline nctnico

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 26682
  • Country: nl
    • NCT Developments
Re: List your test equipment "scores" here!
« Reply #2326 on: March 06, 2019, 09:28:54 pm »
Just wondering.. what are you missing by not having a display? Seems easy enough to use the keys for most functions?
Without the display you don't see what you are doing. For example: the SMIQ can do sweeps. I don't see how you can set these up with just the keys. And then there is self-calibration. How are you sure there are no self test errors?
There are small lies, big lies and then there is what is on the screen of your oscilloscope.
 

Offline Ice-Tea

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 3062
  • Country: be
    • Freelance Hardware Engineer
Re: List your test equipment "scores" here!
« Reply #2327 on: March 06, 2019, 09:45:13 pm »
I assume errors can be read through GPIB?

Offline nctnico

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 26682
  • Country: nl
    • NCT Developments
Re: List your test equipment "scores" here!
« Reply #2328 on: March 06, 2019, 10:11:55 pm »
I assume errors can be read through GPIB?
I don't know. If all is well your SMIQs should also have a serial port which might be easier to use. You can type commands using a terminal emulator (like Hyperterminal) on your PC. A common problem seems that the backup battery is flat which causes the SMIQ to lose the self adjustment values. In turn this can cause several other errors and weird behaviour.
There are small lies, big lies and then there is what is on the screen of your oscilloscope.
 

Offline Ice-Tea

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 3062
  • Country: be
    • Freelance Hardware Engineer
Re: List your test equipment "scores" here!
« Reply #2329 on: March 07, 2019, 06:07:43 am »
Yeah, I have a SMIQ03 that probably has that issue. Might make a good test case to see if those problems can be read remotely.

Offline WackyGerman

  • Regular Contributor
  • *
  • Posts: 220
  • Country: de
Re: List your test equipment "scores" here!
« Reply #2330 on: March 07, 2019, 05:33:39 pm »
An Electronic Load from Ebay for 25 € plus shipping . Sold as unknown status but works fine after cleaning the board from solder splatter and some small mechanical issues .  :)
 
The following users thanked this post: tooki, salvagedcircuitry

Offline Neomys Sapiens

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 3268
  • Country: de
Re: List your test equipment "scores" here!
« Reply #2331 on: March 07, 2019, 06:38:48 pm »
An Electronic Load from Ebay for 25 € plus shipping . Sold as unknown status but works fine after cleaning the board from solder splatter and some small mechanical issues .  :)
Deal of the month! Especially for an ET!
 

Offline bitseeker

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 9057
  • Country: us
  • Lots of engineer-tweakable parts inside!
Re: List your test equipment "scores" here!
« Reply #2332 on: March 08, 2019, 03:33:05 am »
At least it wasn't in unknown status due to not providing power output. :-DD
TEA is the way. | TEA Time channel
 
The following users thanked this post: tooki

Offline giovannirat

  • Regular Contributor
  • *
  • Posts: 107
  • Country: at
Re: List your test equipment "scores" here!
« Reply #2333 on: March 08, 2019, 11:05:17 am »
Vision Mantis with a 6x and a 10x lens for 50€.  :popcorn:
 

Offline Ice-Tea

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 3062
  • Country: be
    • Freelance Hardware Engineer
Re: List your test equipment "scores" here!
« Reply #2334 on: March 08, 2019, 11:16:13 am »
I love those! Great score that!

Offline WackyGerman

  • Regular Contributor
  • *
  • Posts: 220
  • Country: de
Re: List your test equipment "scores" here!
« Reply #2335 on: March 08, 2019, 05:00:20 pm »
The seller didn t have the equipment for checking it so he sold it as unknown function .  :-// Gool luck for me  :phew: ;D
 

Offline 0culus

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 3032
  • Country: us
  • Electronics, RF, and TEA Hobbyist
Re: List your test equipment "scores" here!
« Reply #2336 on: March 08, 2019, 11:57:48 pm »
Very nice HP 8566A. My plan is to track down the parts I need to convert it into a B RF section.
 

Offline Neomys Sapiens

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 3268
  • Country: de
Re: List your test equipment "scores" here!
« Reply #2337 on: March 09, 2019, 03:36:42 am »
Very nice HP 8566A. My plan is to track down the parts I need to convert it into a B RF section.
Whoa! Weight of TWO fully grown pigs?
 

Offline 0culus

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 3032
  • Country: us
  • Electronics, RF, and TEA Hobbyist
Re: List your test equipment "scores" here!
« Reply #2338 on: March 09, 2019, 03:37:41 am »
Very nice HP 8566A. My plan is to track down the parts I need to convert it into a B RF section.
Whoa! Weight of TWO fully grown pigs?

About that.  :-DD I don't have a scale handy, but from a purely qualitative standpoint the 8566 RF section is MUCH heavier than the 8568 RF section.
 

Offline Berni

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 4910
  • Country: si
Re: List your test equipment "scores" here!
« Reply #2339 on: March 09, 2019, 09:44:14 am »
Yeah the thing is hefty, i think i remember the thing being around 50 kg (110 lb) all together. So they had a very good reason to split it into two boxes, even just lifting half of it takes a good bit of effort.

The HP engineers that worked on it called it the "doomsday spectrum analyzer" and was for a good time among the highest performance spectrum analyzers in the world.
 

Offline xwarpTopic starter

  • Frequent Contributor
  • **
  • Posts: 367
  • Country: us
Re: List your test equipment "scores" here!
« Reply #2340 on: March 09, 2019, 04:30:41 pm »
Very nice HP 8566A. My plan is to track down the parts I need to convert it into a B RF section.

I've got an 8568b. Don't really use it for much over the FM band, but I am still on the lookout for an 8566 rf section.
 

Offline xwarpTopic starter

  • Frequent Contributor
  • **
  • Posts: 367
  • Country: us
Re: List your test equipment "scores" here!
« Reply #2341 on: March 09, 2019, 08:06:43 pm »
Local electronics supply store pick up. 43 dollars.....because I needed it less than I think..... :-DD

« Last Edit: March 09, 2019, 08:24:33 pm by xwarp »
 

Offline Neomys Sapiens

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 3268
  • Country: de
Re: List your test equipment "scores" here!
« Reply #2342 on: March 09, 2019, 10:04:57 pm »
Now this 'Modulation Meter' makes sense to me. Opposed to, for example, the Marconi  TF 2304. How can a modulation meter be a untuned instrument? Modulation of what? Or is it supposed to be fed with one signal only, like a transmitter monitor? But for FM, it must still be told somehow where the carrier is!
 

Offline 0culus

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 3032
  • Country: us
  • Electronics, RF, and TEA Hobbyist
Re: List your test equipment "scores" here!
« Reply #2343 on: March 10, 2019, 12:05:47 am »
Yeah the thing is hefty, i think i remember the thing being around 50 kg (110 lb) all together. So they had a very good reason to split it into two boxes, even just lifting half of it takes a good bit of effort.

The HP engineers that worked on it called it the "doomsday spectrum analyzer" and was for a good time among the highest performance spectrum analyzers in the world.

The 8568B system is 112 lbs I believe. The 8566A I just got...could be as much as 130 lbs. The RF section is definitely heavier than the 68B RF section.

Very nice HP 8566A. My plan is to track down the parts I need to convert it into a B RF section.

I've got an 8568b. Don't really use it for much over the FM band, but I am still on the lookout for an 8566 rf section.

Me neither at the moment...until I move I'm going to try to avoid digging into any serious projects. Makes band surveillance fun though. :) My plan eventually is to do ham work in the microwave bands, up to Ku band. Prices for connectors and things start to go up very fast above that.
 

Offline xwarpTopic starter

  • Frequent Contributor
  • **
  • Posts: 367
  • Country: us
Re: List your test equipment "scores" here!
« Reply #2344 on: March 10, 2019, 03:22:13 am »
Yeah, I'm almost tempted to offer up for trade an 8591e for a working 8566b rf section.

The FM/AM modulation meter I posted above works. Had to track down a failure that prevented the "Set FM Cal" function from working. Turned out to be a bypass cap being shorted.

Now to bench the Tek 485 scope that just crapped out on me....
 

Offline bitseeker

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 9057
  • Country: us
  • Lots of engineer-tweakable parts inside!
Re: List your test equipment "scores" here!
« Reply #2345 on: March 10, 2019, 04:52:23 am »
Local electronics supply store pick up. 43 dollars.....

Nice score!

Quote
because I needed it less than I think..... :-DD

also:  need < have < want  :-DD
TEA is the way. | TEA Time channel
 

Offline sambonator

  • Regular Contributor
  • *
  • !
  • Posts: 69
  • Country: us
Re: List your test equipment "scores" here!
« Reply #2346 on: March 10, 2019, 06:28:04 am »
If they work this would be a nice score.
https://www.shopgoodwill.com/Item/64632129
 

Offline 0culus

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 3032
  • Country: us
  • Electronics, RF, and TEA Hobbyist
Re: List your test equipment "scores" here!
« Reply #2347 on: March 10, 2019, 06:40:22 am »
Yeah, I'm almost tempted to offer up for trade an 8591e for a working 8566b rf section.

The FM/AM modulation meter I posted above works. Had to track down a failure that prevented the "Set FM Cal" function from working. Turned out to be a bypass cap being shorted.

Now to bench the Tek 485 scope that just crapped out on me....

That would be a good trade in terms of performance, but not portability.  :-DD
 

Offline xwarpTopic starter

  • Frequent Contributor
  • **
  • Posts: 367
  • Country: us
Re: List your test equipment "scores" here!
« Reply #2348 on: March 10, 2019, 06:54:33 am »
The portability of the 8591 is a big reason I've not parted with it, but the "two is one and one is none" philosophy is the bigger reason.
 

Offline Neomys Sapiens

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 3268
  • Country: de
Re: List your test equipment "scores" here!
« Reply #2349 on: March 12, 2019, 01:26:19 am »
It was a slow week in aquisitions. Especially regarding the ESVD fiasko.
But newly in: a Weston light sensor and a Electro-Metrics 'Electrostatic Probe' (E-field close range antenna).
And a spare for the Spitzzange (radio pliers) which I hold most dearly.
 
 


Share me

Digg  Facebook  SlashDot  Delicious  Technorati  Twitter  Google  Yahoo
Smf