Author Topic: List your test equipment "scores" here!  (Read 777043 times)

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Offline tesla500

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Re: List your test equipment "scores" here!
« Reply #75 on: May 07, 2014, 09:45:33 am »
In order of "goodness of score"

TCPA300 current probe amp for free (broken, able to fix) - Given by former employer
4 Agilent 1131A 3.5GHz differential probes for $900 - eBay (worth $3k each new)
Agilent MSO6104A 1GHZ scope with warranty from Newark (element14) for $5k - ebay (their auctions had reserves after that!)
Tektronix TLA714 Logic Analyzer and (strangely) TCP312 current probe in one lot - $911 - ebay
 

Offline aaronwhite30

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Re: List your test equipment "scores" here!
« Reply #76 on: May 07, 2014, 11:46:32 pm »
First post fellow eevbloggers!

I scored a combination of a HP 8180A and a HP 8182A for a measley $50. Opened up both and found the internal batteries had corroded. Cleaned the main boards and replaced the batteries. Voila, sold both on ebay for $500!
 

Offline gaijin

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Re: List your test equipment "scores" here!
« Reply #77 on: May 08, 2014, 01:12:25 am »
100$ for two broken Agilent E3646A.

Replaced a TL074 in one, other had a IRF540 with a cracked gate pin.
They are working great after a needed calibration in both voltage and current.
 

Offline c4757p

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Re: List your test equipment "scores" here!
« Reply #78 on: May 08, 2014, 01:48:44 pm »
Well, you've all done much better, but I'm going to go ahead and call this a score: Just got a Tek 7834 (400 MHz storage mainframe) in perfect, working condition with 7A26, 7A13, 7B85 and 7B80 and an immaculate tube for $90 + $20 shipping (label on the package says the dude ended up paying $54 to ship it :scared:). Just a bit dirty on the front :-+ :-DMM
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Offline AintBigAintClever

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Re: List your test equipment "scores" here!
« Reply #79 on: May 11, 2014, 03:46:31 am »
Rebadged LEM Analyst 3QC power quality analyser, appeared to have never even been used. Due to the woefully inadequate item description, plus the daft auction end time (very few eBay snipers around at 4am) I think it set me back £230 inc. postage. Add a zero on the end and you get the usual price for one  ;D

Datasheet here

No longer available, the closest match being the Fluke 1735. Same case (but in Fluke Yellow instead of LEM Blue), same probes, same screen, less functions, £2,700.
 

Offline madshaman

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Re: List your test equipment "scores" here!
« Reply #80 on: May 11, 2014, 06:04:40 am »
Well, you've all done much better, but I'm going to go ahead and call this a score: Just got a Tek 7834 (400 MHz storage mainframe) in perfect, working condition with 7A26, 7A13, 7B85 and 7B80 and an immaculate tube for $90 + $20 shipping (label on the package says the dude ended up paying $54 to ship it :scared:). Just a bit dirty on the front :-+ :-DMM

That's pretty sweet.
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Offline TerraHertz

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Re: List your test equipment "scores" here!
« Reply #81 on: May 11, 2014, 10:26:19 am »
The HP 8640B in the pic was free. When found it had been out in the weather for some time, sitting front face up. It had been rained on, and I grabbed it assuming it was probably ruined, but still worth a look.
Amazingly, due to all the guts being in sealed modules, there was virtually no damage. Cleaned up some water drip lines and stains inside, and it ran. The painted numbers had peeled off the back of that clear dial on the AM modulation frequency, and it took years to find a replacement. The frequency meter module had a logic fault, which may have been why it was tossed originally. An easy fix.

But this kind of luck is pretty rare for me. Usually I see nice gear being sent to destruction by corporate pointy-headed boss types, and don't have any opportunity to save it. Or hit the PHB types with a flamethrower, which is what I'd like to do.
A whole warehouse full of such stuff once. Sob.
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Online Vgkid

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Re: List your test equipment "scores" here!
« Reply #82 on: November 24, 2014, 12:17:23 am »
Necro bump
Hp 34401A - free, agrees with a calibrated in 1011 34456a to the last digit
overpaid hp3456A, cal in 2011 $180 tot...
ESI DB-62 - $60, $10 a decade isnt bad. works great.
ESI - DB655 = $30 tot, may or may not be good, coming monday.
40, 10.0Mhz oscillators $88.00 ouch...
...
...
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Offline cncjerry

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Re: List your test equipment "scores" here!
« Reply #83 on: November 24, 2014, 06:25:01 am »
HP 4815a Vector Impedance meter with probe, manual and a spare 4815a for 120$ total.  The first had a minor power issue that I fixed and works perfectly.  About a year ago I picked up the cardboard impedance calculator for free and didn't know what it was for until I saw the picture of a 4815 on it.  It is referenced in the manual as well.

Agilent u1252b with two sets of probes, the high end probes, calibration, charger, thermocouple, and the thermocouple calibrator, all brand new for $240.  That is one hell of a meter.

Tek tds3054b for $1200 as new.  I don't think the guy who sold it knew what he had.  He was selling it for his brother who was in China.  Would be interesting to know what his brother says when he gets back.

My personal fav, my TDS 744a with six probes, case, terminators, etc for $400.  I recently upgraded it to a 784a and it is near perfect as well.

Just call me bottom fisher...
 

Offline rhost

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Re: List your test equipment "scores" here!
« Reply #84 on: November 24, 2014, 06:32:41 am »
Recently, a Keithley 2700 6.5 digit multimeter/data acquisition system for $300 US and a 7702 multiplex card for another $100.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk

 

Offline firehopper

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Re: List your test equipment "scores" here!
« Reply #85 on: November 24, 2014, 09:24:46 am »
I got a new hantek 5072p from china for $270 + $10 for express shipping,

and it was express. it was ordered friday and it arrived monday.. I was amazed.. and yes its been hacked to 200mhz
 

Offline alex.forencich

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Re: List your test equipment "scores" here!
« Reply #86 on: November 25, 2014, 04:51:49 am »
2x Agilent N5306A PCIe gen 2 protocol analyzer with x16 options and x16 interposer card, paid ~$3k, current list >$120k
Agilent 1169A 12 GHz diff probe with damaged insulation (cosmetic issue only), paid $400, current list $11k
HP 85645A 25.6 GHz tracking source, failed self test, bad LM317 + shorted cap, paid $1k
HP 83440D 30 GHz O/E converter, missing the label so seller thought it was an 83440C, paid $120
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Offline Alex Eisenhut

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Re: List your test equipment "scores" here!
« Reply #87 on: November 25, 2014, 05:39:23 am »
Not too much.

Hakko 707 desoldering gun - free. It was all broken up by the previous tech. I don't know why he couldn't fix it, it was a simple fix. I made a new valve plate for the pump and it works fine since almost 20 years now.
HP 6284A DC power supply - 1$. Burnt output stage, simple repair. Works fine, needs the occasional tweak and the meter is loose.
Wavetek HF sweep generator - 1$ '60s vintage function generator with triangle and pseudo-sine up to 10MHz and sweepable. Just needed some cleaning.

Hoarder of 8-bit Commodore relics and 1960s Tektronix 500-series stuff. Unconventional interior decorator.
 

Online Vgkid

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Re: List your test equipment "scores" here!
« Reply #88 on: November 25, 2014, 07:58:12 am »
The ESI DB-655 came today, above 1K it works good, but all of the switches will need cleaning. Below 1 K, it appears that atleast 1 resistor in every range is burnt out. This will be fun.
If you own any North Hills Electronics gear, message me. L&N Fan
 

Online Vgkid

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Re: List your test equipment "scores" here!
« Reply #89 on: November 26, 2014, 01:02:08 am »
forgot to add my  around $100 EDC-MV106, listede  as not working, doe to the due to the chopper light never turning out/ not output.
When I got it it worked, except the overload light took 10 minutes to turn out when first powered on. Not sure why
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Offline ixfd64

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Re: List your test equipment "scores" here!
« Reply #90 on: November 26, 2014, 01:54:36 am »
2x Agilent N5306A PCIe gen 2 protocol analyzer with x16 options and x16 interposer card, paid ~$3k, current list >$120k
Agilent 1169A 12 GHz diff probe with damaged insulation (cosmetic issue only), paid $400, current list $11k
HP 85645A 25.6 GHz tracking source, failed self test, bad LM317 + shorted cap, paid $1k
HP 83440D 30 GHz O/E converter, missing the label so seller thought it was an 83440C, paid $120

How did you get such amazing deals?

Offline alex.forencich

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Re: List your test equipment "scores" here!
« Reply #91 on: November 26, 2014, 07:10:12 am »
2x Agilent N5306A PCIe gen 2 protocol analyzer with x16 options and x16 interposer card, paid ~$3k, current list >$120k
Agilent 1169A 12 GHz diff probe with damaged insulation (cosmetic issue only), paid $400, current list $11k
HP 85645A 25.6 GHz tracking source, failed self test, bad LM317 + shorted cap, paid $1k
HP 83440D 30 GHz O/E converter, missing the label so seller thought it was an 83440C, paid $120

How did you get such amazing deals?

All of that stuff was just getting really lucky on ebay. 

The PCIe protocol analyzers are very specialized pieces of equipment.  It's not like a DSO or an SA that you can use for all sorts of stuff.  A PCIe analyzer connects to a device either with some sort of flying lead probe or with an interposer card.  It captures the data on all lanes of the bus in both directions and stores it, then decodes all of the transactions.  I have been doing some work with FPGAs and PCI express and I did a quick ebay search to see if there was anything available.  As luck would have it, there were actually two different systems available - one 8 lane, and one 16 lane, both with interposer cards.  I actually bought both of them, one for myself and one for the lab.  The analyzers are specialized equipment, so the list price is high and the resale value is low, and they depreciate like mad.  Agilent also makes gen 3 capable analyzers now so they're a generation older.  The 16 channel analyzer is two cards at $30k each, plus $20k each for the 16 lane licenses, plus the cabling and interposer card, IIRC.  Most people who need one are manufacturers doing PCIe compliance tests, and they would just buy it new from Agilent.  It's actually a rather significant PITA to use - the dang thing is network booted and requires a dedicated network card, and the software package installs about 5 or 6 services (FTP, DHCP, etc.).  So I have to run it in a VM and then use a USB network card, and everything has to be turned on in the right order.  And usually it doesn't come up on the first try and needs to be power cycled.  And then the software is rather unstable and has a propensity for crashing.  But I did manage to find two different bugs in the Altera PCIe reference design with it.  The actual capturing of the PCIe bus is performed with a Virtex 4 FPGA and several GB of DRAM.  The analyzer cards and interposer cards actually have a rather interesting stackup - the inner layers are all standard FR4, but the top and bottom layers are some sort of RF substrate - rogers, duroid, or teflon - so the boards are very bright green with white bands around the edges. 

The differential probe was just luck.  I have had a watch on infiniimax for months, and it popped up along with a differential SMA adapter.  The thing had a nasty gash in the outer insulation on the probe cable and it was sold as 'untested'.  I figured it would be a good deal if it worked, so I went ahead and placed a reasonable bid.  Turns out the gash only affected the outer insulation, the coax and low frequency wiring inside were all fine, so I just taped it up.  It works perfectly with my Infiniium 54854 4 GHz DSO.  I have not tested it with the DSA91304A that we have in the lab yet.  Oh, I also managed to score a set of 4 new in sealed original packaging Agilent custom "BNC" to APC 3.5 mm precision adapters and an infiniium calibration cable for like $150.  I paid $10 for the cable, which was mislabled so nobody found it.  I only found it because I was browsing the other items of the seller with the adapters. 

The tracking source is an interesting story; originally it sold as 'untested, as-is', but listed as 'used' for $3500.  And it was a suggested item for something else I was looking at - I didn't even know such a beast existed before I saw it.  However, the guy who bought it is a bit of an a$$hole who buys instruments listed as 'used', testes them and gets them calibrated, then sells them for 2x (or more) what he paid or returns them if they don't work, even if the original seller listed them 'as-is'.  (if you list anything on ebay that you don't want coming back to you because you didn't test it and it turns out that it does not work completely, 100%, you cannot list it as 'used' on ebay, otherwise some dude will buy it and return it and force you to eat the shipping cost due to the implicit ebay guarantee on used items)  So two or three months later, it turns up again, listed as 'parts or not working' for $2k.  I contact the seller and ask him to run the self test.  It comes back with an ADC vref error.  Hmm, sounds like a bad power supply.  I manage to talk him in to parting with it for $1k.  After I get it, sure enough, +32.5v is reading zip.  So I pop over to radioschmuck for an LM317 and replace it, and remove the shorted capacitor that caused the failure.  A few weeks later it stopped working again.  I traced that one to a failed 1 M ohm resistor in the power supply power good detect circuitry.  Again, a trip to radioschmuck for some 1 M ohm resistors later, and it's operational again. 

As for the OE converter...I bought a 83440C from a guy on ebay for around $200.  A few days later he lists an '83440C' with no label, but it has an adapter of some sort attached to the RF side.  Looks like an attenuator or something.  However, the actual connector on the device is a different color.  The 83440C has a 3.5 mm connector that's good to 26.5 GHz.  The 83440D has a 2.4 mm connector that is good to 50 GHz.  3.5mm and 2.4mm are not compatible with each other, they have different threads and different center pin sizes.  (FYI, SMA, 3.5mm, and 2.92mm (K) all work together, and 2.4mm and 1.85mm (V) also work together)  To highlight this, the 3.5mm connector is gold plated while the 2.4mm connector is silver plated (probably nickel, but I'm not entirely sure).  Anyway the connector on the '83440C' is silver, just like all of the 83440D.  So I made the guy an offer on it. 

I also picked up not one, not two, but THREE old ASIC emulators from ForteLink (now part of Synopsis, so no hope of getting any sort of documentation) that each have 11 large Virtex 4 FPGAs one one gigantic board. For around $2k for the lot. 

So, if you want screaming deals, you need to cast the widest net you can (general watches on ebay), be willing sit and wait for a long time, contact sellers and make offers (many of them don't know much about what they're selling), check out everything a seller has listed (you might find something really interesting), and be very observant.  Eventually, you will get lucky and get a really good deal on something. 
« Last Edit: November 26, 2014, 07:15:16 am by alex.forencich »
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Online Vgkid

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Re: List your test equipment "scores" here!
« Reply #92 on: November 26, 2014, 08:43:42 pm »
pics of said oscillators I might have paid to much for.
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Online Vgkid

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Re: List your test equipment "scores" here!
« Reply #93 on: November 26, 2014, 08:52:47 pm »
Forgot specs, still waiing on Rakon for more info...
I have the A1 spec.
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Offline extide

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Re: List your test equipment "scores" here!
« Reply #94 on: December 11, 2014, 11:44:10 pm »
I just scored a Tek 2465 on ebay for $150 + $36 shipping, and is looks like it has the blue phosphor too, I will have to confirm that when it arrives. Under $200 seems like a pretty good price for a 2465!
 

Offline awallin

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Re: List your test equipment "scores" here!
« Reply #95 on: December 12, 2014, 07:35:37 am »

Agilent DSO-X 3034A in mint condition (but no options enabled..)
+ a mix of 5pcs 500/600MHz 10x passive probes

$3200 including shipping / ebay. Not a huge 'score' but significantly cheaper than a refurbished one from  keysight ebay-store AFAIK.

should be enough of a scope for most hobby projects - luckily there is faster gear at work if needed ;)
 

Offline nixxon

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Re: List your test equipment "scores" here!
« Reply #96 on: December 14, 2014, 11:01:32 pm »
I just bought 5 Vision Original Mantis (with x2 and x4 lenses) and 2 Vision Mantis Compac (with x4 lens). It was sold as part of shutting down a local seismic acquisition company. It will start up again in the Far East, Malaysia or something, to save costs.

I haven't received the lot yet, so I just hope the instruments are in good working order. I will probably keep one of them and sell the rest on eBay.
« Last Edit: February 20, 2015, 02:25:36 pm by nixxon »
 

Offline 128er

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Re: List your test equipment "scores" here!
« Reply #97 on: December 15, 2014, 12:13:08 am »
Small list of my "scores":

- Metrix MX9030, Differential Probe, 30 MHz. Bought for ~45€ + 15€ for spare parts.

- 5x Tektronix P5205, Differential Probe, 100 MHz. ~50€ for all five probes. Only the attenuation switches had contact problems. Fixed that and build my own Tektronix 1103 power supply.

- IV-CAL, voltage/current calibrator. Bought for ~40€ + 20€ for spare parts

- Siemens calibrator 03, voltage current calibrator, for 15€. Still needs to be repaired.

And a couple of extraordinary test equipment, like a Wandel & Goltermann SDH/PDH transmission and jitter analyzer. No use for it. But it was cheap and fairly interesting to take a look inside  ;D

Of course, it was all so cheap, because it was defective. But in the end good deals.

Oh, and apart from all that test equipment, I bought a digital photo frame from Sony for 1€ (new: 200€). Fixed the dead diode right after the dc jack and gave it to my mother. She was very happy  ^-^
 

Online Vgkid

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Re: List your test equipment "scores" here!
« Reply #98 on: December 15, 2014, 12:23:33 am »
Nixxon: hopefully they are not being shipped like that.
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Offline nixxon

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Re: List your test equipment "scores" here!
« Reply #99 on: December 15, 2014, 04:02:55 pm »
Nixxon: hopefully they are not being shipped like that.

That picture was causing some worries, but the seller assured me that everything was carefully placed in the bin. I made him individually bubble-wrap the instruments, before a friend of mine picked them up.

I wonder why anyone would present such delicate instruments in such a bad way.
« Last Edit: December 15, 2014, 05:34:01 pm by nixxon »
 


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