Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[mnementh]

*GLOMMMMMP! GLOMP! GLOMP! GLOMP!*

mmmmmm..... custard pies... with roasted animal drippings... *Licks chops* 

How DID you KNOW?!?  *Small flaming burrrrp*   };=)~~~~<

mnem
*YELP: Homestyle cooking delivered in-flight, just like momma used to make. I give this establishment 2 claws up... WAYY up.*

You knew the joke was terrible before you opened your mouth; Cerebus knew that you'd probably like the pies, if you could catch them. Consider us even, for now.

*Chest thump* Truth.

mnem
That still doesn't answer the question of How you knew... *gaze narrows suspiciously*

[Cerebus]

That still doesn't answer the question of How you knew... *gaze narrows suspiciously*

Seen any elfs around the place recently?

Now, Cerebus must test the brandy that he saved from the idiots with that catapult.



[300 issues ago, if Dave Sim had known it was going to come to this, he might not have bothered.]

[Cerebus]

Oh, just noticed.

It looks like Aussie DST and European DST (and possibly others) are in that inter-switching time where the forum clocks go wrong. Might want to hit your profiles and correct the time offset...

[mnementh]

I just noticed... I'm one post away from 1500. Most of them annoying folks in here.  This should be some sort of milestone, I suppose...     

I think I'll celebrate with a "new" HP 3478A!

Curse you, Specmaster!!! 

mnem
Now I'm shopping those stackable test leads furr realzz... 

Haha, you never annoy me, you do keep me amused however  My turn to say curses to you mnementh I've just shopped  shopping those stackable test leads as well and purchased some of those double header at each end and 10 of those with the hole through them for stacking in a slightly less safe fashion. 

Just a heads-up:

Something I've determined through some careful detective work; it appears all of the patch cables here, PVC or silicone, are made with approx 18ga wire. The specs say either "1mm²" (which charts out between 18 & 20 ga in stranded wire) or even more obfuscationally,  "0.15mmx50" which, when you calculate it out by strands x mils, is also ~18ga. Many reviews comment that the wire core is much thinner than one would expect given the outer diameter; this is probably also the source of the "2KV" rating in some listings.

 I think they're still going to be worth it given the price; I'm leaning towards buying several sets so I can use some as-is and cut some apart to rebuild with better silicone wire. All are allegedly 1m long; in many cases 1/2m is plenty and 1m actually inconveniently over-long, so I'll probably cut some in half to make up interconnects as well.

mnem
*shopping for tzzzt*

[Specmaster]

I just noticed... I'm one post away from 1500. Most of them annoying folks in here.  This should be some sort of milestone, I suppose...     

I think I'll celebrate with a "new" HP 3478A!

Curse you, Specmaster!!! 

mnem
Now I'm shopping those stackable test leads furr realzz... 

Haha, you never annoy me, you do keep me amused however  My turn to say curses to you mnementh I've just shopped  shopping those stackable test leads as well and purchased some of those double header at each end and 10 of those with the hole through them for stacking in a slightly less safe fashion. 

Just a heads-up:

Something I've determined through some careful detective work; it appears all of the patch cables here, PVC or silicone, are made with approx 18ga wire. The specs say either "1mm²" (which charts out between 18 & 20 ga in stranded wire) or even more obfuscationally,  "0.15mmx50" which, when you calculate it out by strands x mils, is also ~18ga. Many reviews comment that the wire core is much thinner than one would expect given the outer diameter; this is probably also the source of the "2KV" rating in some listings.

 I think they're still going to be worth it given the price; I'm leaning towards buying several sets so I can use some as-is and cut some apart to rebuild with better silicone wire. All are allegedly 1m long; in many cases 1/2m is plenty and 1m actually inconveniently over-long, so I'll probably cut some in half to make up interconnects as well.

mnem
*shopping for tzzzt*

Snap, that is what I'm planning to do hence why I also got some good quality plugs specifically to make. 5m leads as interconnects. Have you bugged my mind or just a coincidence that we are doing the same thing [emoji102]

[med6753]

Oh, just noticed.

It looks like Aussie DST and European DST (and possibly others) are in that inter-switching time where the forum clocks go wrong. Might want to hit your profiles and correct the time offset...

Our DST doesn't end until the 27th. And I never care about nor correct my time offset. Tell me why that's important? 

[Cerebus]

Oh, just noticed.

It looks like Aussie DST and European DST (and possibly others) are in that inter-switching time where the forum clocks go wrong. Might want to hit your profiles and correct the time offset...

Our DST doesn't end until the 27th. And I never care about nor correct my time offset. Tell me why that's important? 

I read back one of my own messages and it told me that I'd posted it an hour in the future. Important? Rarely, but there might be an occasion where you want to know when, in local time, you posted something.

[mnementh]

That still doesn't answer the question of How you knew... *gaze narrows suspiciously*

"Seen any elfs around the place recently?"

Now, Cerebus must test the brandy that he saved from the idiots with that catapult.
[300 issues ago, if Dave Sim had known it was going to come to this, he might not have bothered.]

     

"Ever since his *ahem* distraction with Aerynwyn (no relation) a few centuries ago, mnementh has maintained a strict "Flame now, ask questions later" policy with regard to all descendants of the 'Firstborn'. "*sighs wistfully* 

"Pass the bottle, ya furry little... quadruped."

"What are we drinking to?"

"Whaddayoogott?"

mnem
"Here's tooya, doorknob..."

[mnementh]

Something I've determined through some careful detective work; it appears all of the patch cables here, PVC or silicone, are made with approx 18ga wire. The specs say either "1mm²" (which charts out between 18 & 20 ga in stranded wire) or even more obfuscationally,  "0.15mmx50" which, when you calculate it out by strands x mils, is also ~18ga. Many reviews comment that the wire core is much thinner than one would expect given the outer diameter; this is probably also the source of the "2KV" rating in some listings.

 I think they're still going to be worth it given the price; I'm leaning towards buying several sets so I can use some as-is and cut some apart to rebuild with better silicone wire. All are allegedly 1m long; in many cases 1/2m is plenty and 1m actually inconveniently over-long, so I'll probably cut some in half to make up interconnects as well.

mnem
*shopping for tzzzt*

Snap, that is what I'm planning to do hence why I also got some good quality plugs specifically to make .5m leads as interconnects. Have you bugged my mind or just a coincidence that we are doing the same thing [emoji102]

I think more likely just the inevitable result of infecting me with "HP Bench meter-osis". 

Which ends did you like the looks of? Looks like the shrouded stackables can be disassembled; these appear to be the same ends.  Too bad they're out of stock. 

mnem
*Drowning in electric sghetti*

mnem

[Specmaster]

Something I've determined through some careful detective work; it appears all of the patch cables here, PVC or silicone, are made with approx 18ga wire. The specs say either "1mm²" (which charts out between 18 & 20 ga in stranded wire) or even more obfuscationally,  "0.15mmx50" which, when you calculate it out by strands x mils, is also ~18ga. Many reviews comment that the wire core is much thinner than one would expect given the outer diameter; this is probably also the source of the "2KV" rating in some listings.

 I think they're still going to be worth it given the price; I'm leaning towards buying several sets so I can use some as-is and cut some apart to rebuild with better silicone wire. All are allegedly 1m long; in many cases 1/2m is plenty and 1m actually inconveniently over-long, so I'll probably cut some in half to make up interconnects as well.

mnem
*shopping for tzzzt*

Snap, that is what I'm planning to do hence why I also got some good quality plugs specifically to make .5m leads as interconnects. Have you bugged my mind or just a coincidence that we are doing the same thing [emoji102]

I think more likely just the inevitable result of infecting me with "HP Bench meter-osis". 

Which ends did you like the looks of? Looks like the shrouded stackables can be disassembled; these appear to be the same ends.  Too bad they're out of stock. 

mnem
*Drowning in electric sghetti*

mnem

I went for the same ends as in my photo of the premade V homemade leads. I have not had any problems with those and they fit nicely in meters regardless of whether they will accept normal or shrouded. Which means they will be perfect for use with any meter.

[bd139]

Well I spent the entire afternoon installing an SSD in my mother’s PC. Went for an OS upgrade as well but Windows 10 wouldn’t take. Just hung at the Windows logo after boot of USB stick. So she’s staying on Windows 7 cloned onto the SSD. Feckin Windows bastard.

In the lamest possible excuse to play TEA, I took the 87V with me and it got the task of measuring the CMOS battery which was dying so that got replaced too.

Just got home. Going to the shop over the road to get me some compensatory diabetes inducing snacks. 

On a positive note Amazon dropped me off a copy of Bowick’s RF Design Handbook while I was out. Some light bed time reading.

[Specmaster]

Well I spent the entire afternoon installing an SSD in my mother’s PC. Went for an OS upgrade as well but Windows 10 wouldn’t take. Just hung at the Windows logo after boot of USB stick. So she’s staying on Windows 7 cloned onto the SSD. Feckin Windows bastard.

In the lamest possible excuse to play TEA, I took the 87V with me and it got the task of measuring the CMOS battery which was dying so that got replaced too.

Just got home. Going to the shop over the road to get me some compensatory diabetes inducing snacks. 

On a positive note Amazon dropped me off a copy of Bowick’s RF Design Handbook while I was out. Some light bed time reading.

Windows 10 is bloody fussy about what hardware it will run on. Did you run the test before installing it?

[bd139]

Yep. Passed that. Have installed it on the same machine type and BIOS as well. 

[Specmaster]

Yeah, it could be a slightly different graphics card, memory chips, hard disc controller etc, it really is that bloody fussy.

I've got an old Dell Dimension E520 that I was given under my bench that I plan one day to install windows 7 on so I can then play all the games I get that Win 10 won't run grrr. 

[bd139]

This was a Lenovo ThinkStation M91. Can't moan. Was skip dived about 5 years ago.

[Mr. Scram]

Problem is, as with any industry, fads are a thing. If you’re not changing something, then you’re not successful or may be overtaken by competitors or are not growing. A sickness derived from capitalism and socialism equally. Fear of not doing something driven by a selection of available fads.

Sometimes shit is done and needs to just be left alone. That scares people. What are we going to do when it’s finished? People never know because they spend all the time changing everything.

This is why I build products and sell them because I don’t want to be part of the curve where it is ruined for the sake of change.

It's a carrousel of change to keep the wheels turning, with the perception being that change means improvement. It's quite annoying to see how people are inventing jobs and fighting over imaginary lines while there are quite a few real problems to address. Software and IT in general is a ridiculously immature industry, with a disproportionately large impact on everyone. Nobody's willing to step back and rethink how to do things properly for fear of falling behind. It's more advantageous to venture out with something held together with spit and hope than to really build something solid. It's an overheated industry tripping over itself to get nowhere.

[mnementh]

Which ends did you like the looks of? Looks like the shrouded stackables can be disassembled; these appear to be the same ends.  Too bad they're out of stock. 

mnem
*Drowning in electric sghetti*

mnem

I went for the same ends as in my photo of the premade V homemade leads. I have not had any problems with those and they fit nicely in meters regardless of whether they will accept normal or shrouded. Which means they will be perfect for use with any meter.

Dude... I've been looking at 4mm banana plugs for hours now. It's gotten to the point where "banana" has no meaning whatsoever.   

I have no idea which connector you're talking about right now. If I ever did know, the knowledge is like... *poof*  vapor. 

Right now I'm shopping KSST Connect on AliEx They have lots of cables connectors in colors with unshrouded, retractile shrouded, and regular shrouded bananas, ready-made or parts, and silicone wire in various gauges.

These are what are getting my attention so far:

https://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/GC4013-Free-Shipping-20-pairs-4-0mm-4mm-Gold-Plated-Bullet-Connector-for-RC-battery-ESC/1168452_32718281678.html

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/10pcs-2mm-Au-Golden-Plated-Stackable-Banana-Plug-Wire-Audio-Cable-Adapter-BP2206/32834420671.html (Yes, these are 2mm)

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/10-Sets-4mm-Male-Retractable-Sheath-Stackable-Banana-Plug-Wire-Solder-Connector-Aug-26/32916458079.html

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/5pcs-Insulated-Shrouded-Safety-4mm-Stackable-Banana-Plug-Soldering-Type-BP4501/32833152811.html

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/10Pcs-Red-Black-Safety-Fully-Insulated-4mm-Male-Stackable-Banana-Plug-Connector/32865669066.html

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/10Pcs-Set-4mm-Male-Retractable-Sheath-Stackable-Banana-Plug-Wire-Solder-Connector/32849799181.html

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/P3004-4mm-banana-plug-4-mm-high-pressure-copper-sheath-type-safety-plug-inserted-banana-head/32660804913.html

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/TL470G-10pcs-1500mm-High-Flexible-silicone-Test-Leads-with-32A-600V-Retractable-Stackable-4mm-Banana-Plug/32672937750.html

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/TL440-5-Colors-1-0meter-High-Quality-13AWG-flexible-silicone-test-leads-Gold-plated-4mm-Safety/32732390450.html

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/TL470G-5pcs-0-5-meter-High-Quality-13AWG2-5seq-mm-flexible-silicone-test-leads-4mm-male/32798619321.html

https://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/TL412-Highly-flexible-16AWG-silicone-M-M-4mm-Stackable-Banana-Plug-male-to-male-test-leads/1168452_32269835499.html

KSST Connect Store Lead Sets -

13ga leads:

https://www.aliexpress.com/store/1168452/search?origin=y&SearchText=13awg+leads

14ga leads:

https://www.aliexpress.com/store/1168452/search?origin=y&SearchText=14awg+leads

16ga leads:

https://www.aliexpress.com/store/1168452/search?origin=y&SearchText=16awg+leads

mnem
help me...

[tggzzz]

My decade box came today , it has a case . I'm happy.

Quite nice!
Please post some pr0n when you get around to looking inside it!

Different pr0n, from a 4 decade ESI 121.1ohm Dekastat. Yes, some scales go up to 11

[tggzzz]

Went to a hamfest.

On arriving home I was accompanied in by some Egremont Russets (yum), a book on microwave radios, a £2 PCB claiming to be a radar motion sensor, some large heatshrink, and a "from my late father's attic" Tek 465B for a tolerable price.

465B has horizontal and vertical deflection, but the trigger/timebase is non-existant and ch1 is very poorly. How similar is the 465's timebase/trigger to the 465B's?

[Housedad]

NO, the wife could not stand for me to have a day to putter in the basement and garage on Saturday.  Uh-uh.  Nope.  She had me go with her to Delaware to go shopping at a Flea market, a mall, some shops in strip malls, and then to a Goodwill outlet.  9 hours.  So much for working on the Wavetek generator.

While we will stop at a goodwill store when we see one, we had never been to a Goodwill outlet.  An eye opening experience for sure.

Anyway,  while walking around the tubs of junk, my eye just happened to catch something.  A new, sealed monitor stand from 1993. All steel in the main parts.  9 lbs.  After a few seconds, the light bulb in my brain glowed very dimly and I put it in my cart.  Ended up costing all of $2.

So I present an Odd Cup of TEA (OCTEA), my new movable soldering platform:

[bd139]

I’m liking the soldering station floating there. Very nice idea.

Went to a hamfest.

On arriving home I was accompanied in by some Egremont Russets (yum), a book on microwave radios, a £2 PCB claiming to be a radar motion sensor, some large heatshrink, and a "from my late father's attic" Tek 465B for a tolerable price.

465B has horizontal and vertical deflection, but the trigger/timebase is non-existant and ch1 is very poorly. How similar is the 465's timebase/trigger to the 465B's?

Excellent. 

465B is totally different. Unlike the “split” timebase on the 465, it sweeps the delay timebase like a third channel sweep. Totally IC driven. Also normally another bloody tant. Had that before. Positively a better scope than the 465 I will say. Either that or it gets stuck in X-Y mode.

[Specmaster]

Which ends did you like the looks of? Looks like the shrouded stackables can be disassembled; these appear to be the same ends.  Too bad they're out of stock. 

mnem
*Drowning in electric sghetti*

mnem

I went for the same ends as in my photo of the premade V homemade leads. I have not had any problems with those and they fit nicely in meters regardless of whether they will accept normal or shrouded. Which means they will be perfect for use with any meter.

Dude... I've been looking at 4mm banana plugs for hours now. It's gotten to the point where "banana" has no meaning whatsoever.   

I have no idea which connector you're talking about right now. If I ever did know, the knowledge is like... *poof*  vapor. 

Right now I'm shopping KSST Connect on AliEx They have lots of cables connectors in colors with unshrouded, retractile shrouded, and regular shrouded bananas, ready-made or parts, and silicone wire in various gauges.

These are what are getting my attention so far:

[url]https://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/GC4013-Free-Shipping-20-pairs-4-0mm-4mm-Gold-Plated-Bullet-Connector-for-RC-battery-ESC/1168452_32718281678.html[/url]

[url]https://www.aliexpress.com/item/10pcs-2mm-Au-Golden-Plated-Stackable-Banana-Plug-Wire-Audio-Cable-Adapter-BP2206/32834420671.html[/url] (Yes, these are 2mm)

[url]https://www.aliexpress.com/item/10-Sets-4mm-Male-Retractable-Sheath-Stackable-Banana-Plug-Wire-Solder-Connector-Aug-26/32916458079.html[/url]

[url]https://www.aliexpress.com/item/5pcs-Insulated-Shrouded-Safety-4mm-Stackable-Banana-Plug-Soldering-Type-BP4501/32833152811.html[/url]

[url]https://www.aliexpress.com/item/10Pcs-Red-Black-Safety-Fully-Insulated-4mm-Male-Stackable-Banana-Plug-Connector/32865669066.html[/url]

[url]https://www.aliexpress.com/item/10Pcs-Set-4mm-Male-Retractable-Sheath-Stackable-Banana-Plug-Wire-Solder-Connector/32849799181.html[/url]

[url]https://www.aliexpress.com/item/P3004-4mm-banana-plug-4-mm-high-pressure-copper-sheath-type-safety-plug-inserted-banana-head/32660804913.html[/url]

[url]https://www.aliexpress.com/item/TL470G-10pcs-1500mm-High-Flexible-silicone-Test-Leads-with-32A-600V-Retractable-Stackable-4mm-Banana-Plug/32672937750.html[/url]

[url]https://www.aliexpress.com/item/TL440-5-Colors-1-0meter-High-Quality-13AWG-flexible-silicone-test-leads-Gold-plated-4mm-Safety/32732390450.html[/url]

[url]https://www.aliexpress.com/item/TL470G-5pcs-0-5-meter-High-Quality-13AWG2-5seq-mm-flexible-silicone-test-leads-4mm-male/32798619321.html[/url]

[url]https://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/TL412-Highly-flexible-16AWG-silicone-M-M-4mm-Stackable-Banana-Plug-male-to-male-test-leads/1168452_32269835499.html[/url]

KSST Connect Store Lead Sets -

13ga leads:

[url]https://www.aliexpress.com/store/1168452/search?origin=y&SearchText=13awg+leads[/url]

14ga leads:

[url]https://www.aliexpress.com/store/1168452/search?origin=y&SearchText=14awg+leads[/url]

16ga leads:

[url]https://www.aliexpress.com/store/1168452/search?origin=y&SearchText=16awg+leads[/url]

mnem
help me...

Oh dear, I do believe that Cerebus's flaming custard pie in flight delivery service has had a damaging effect on the dwagons thought process after all 

I was referring to the premade lead in my original photo here “Crap 1”, (bottom one in that photo if in doubt) so the leads that I have ordered from Banggood are the same that I plan to cut in half and fit the plugs to the other end to make a load of half a metre jumper or patch leads to connect various items in close proximity to each other.
https://www.banggood.com/P1036-5Pcs-1M-4mm-Banana-to-Banana-Plug-Test-Cable-Lead-for-Multimeter-5-Colors-p-1237898.html?rmmds=myorder
https://www.banggood.com/DANIU-P3008-10Pcs-4mm-Copper-Banana-Plug-Jack-Speaker-Amplifier-Test-Probes-Connector-p-1109354.html?rmmds=myorder

Does this clear up the mystery and remove the dense layer of smoke left after you have cremated everything with your small flaming burp after devouring those custard pies

"*GLOMMMMMP! GLOMP! GLOMP! GLOMP!*

mmmmmm..... custard pies... with roasted animal drippings... *Licks chops* 

How DID you KNOW?!?  *Small flaming burrrrp*   };=)~~~~< "

[bd139]

Three months down the line you’re all going to give up and buy Pomona ones anyway

[Specmaster]

@Housedad, great idea that movable soldering station platform is, great way of freeing up valuable bench space when you need it too. 

[med6753]

You guys should step away from the keyboard and have a banana.