Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[Berni]

The only thing missing there is import customs issues with a package. But i guess you guys form the US don't get that part of the fun all that much.

[neo]

When my oscilloscope was delivered, to their credit a day early, it was left in the middle of the yard with no knock on the door.

Credit:
Day early!
Scanned the tracking number!
Left it!

Cons:
Left it in the middle of the yard.
Did not even attempt to knock.
Made me go look for it.

If you ask me i think it kind of pisses them off to have to come out all the way into the country. That isn't much of an excuse though, given that it is literally his job!
If it is small-ish they will leave at least bring it to A door, even if it isn't the one i requested, at least it isn't as bad as Britain post.

[Specmaster]

BD139, thats fecking brilliant, been there and got the bleeding T shirt 

NEO, thats because it was too bleeding heavy, the driver suffered a broken back humping it up your long pathway, and called 999 for an ambulance and was rushed of to hospital 

[neo]

BD139, thats fecking brilliant, been there and got the bleeding T shirt 

NEO, thats because it was too bleeding heavy, the driver suffered a broken back humping it up your long pathway, and called 999 for an ambulance and was rushed of to hospital 

 
Yes i am sure thats it....
Just conveniently ignore the fact that i, admittedly out of shape (round IS a shape!), could pick it up and carry it up onto the porch without breaking a sweat.

[Specmaster]

BD139, thats fecking brilliant, been there and got the bleeding T shirt 

NEO, thats because it was too bleeding heavy, the driver suffered a broken back humping it up your long pathway, and called 999 for an ambulance and was rushed of to hospital 

 
Yes i am sure thats it....
Just conveniently ignore the fact that i, admittedly out of shape (round IS a shape!), could pick it up and carry it up onto the porch without breaking a sweat.

Argh yes, thats because as all TEA's, will know, the adrenalin was overriding all thoughts of self preservation.

[bd139]

When I was working for a short period of time in the T&M department of a large company, we had a delivery from UPS of a Farnell B30/20 power supply. The things weigh about 32Kg unpacked and it had about 7Kg of packaging on top of that. Apparently the UPS driver rolled the package up the path to the office because they wouldn't let him in with the van to drop off because we were on security lockdown after September 11th. I bet he hated us

[neo]

When I was working for a short period of time in the T&M department of a large company, we had a delivery from UPS of a Farnell B30/20 power supply. The things weigh about 32Kg unpacked and it had about 7Kg of packaging on top of that. Apparently the UPS driver rolled the package up the path to the office because they wouldn't let him in with the van to drop off because we were on security lockdown after September 11th. I bet he hated us

I find that it pissess them off enough to do their job, let alone all that. Should of given the poor guy a medal...

[Cerebus]

I did get a set of DC-20GHz attenuators in the original wooden box with the original factory cal sheet(with data) inside in almost perfect condition for like 50 bucks. They are all N connector tho, would have preferred SMA.

I have no, zero, zip, nada, practical requirement for such a thing, yet every time I see a set for sale I lust after them. Also those HP 3mm calibration sets, and any physical audio measurement gear (microphones, calibrators, vibration sensors) from B&K that come in little wooden boxes. At least I use the decade box; its last use was characterising some NOS 1N829-1 zeners (6V2, 5ppm/C).

[bd139]

Cor this looks nice and skanky. Clean up ahead!

[bd139]

And it doesn't work at all properly. Discount time!

Edit: Even better - it just exploded! 

Sold as working my fucking arse.

[capt bullshot]

Sold as working my fucking arse.

Perfectly working as a one shot device - so what's the matter?
 

[neo]

For better or worse i won the lot of 4 probes, two other bidders chimed in and drove me past what i wanted to spend, luckily there were no die hards in the audience to drive me over what i could spend.

[bd139]

Sold as working my fucking arse.

Perfectly working as a one shot device - so what's the matter?
 

Looks repairable at some cost but not sure I want to invest any further.

There was just a large snap noise and the high range started working. The low range 0-30v is 0-53v. The high range 0-60v is 0-75v so it looks like it has lost regulation. Needs cleaning, switches cleaning out, new caps, transformer cleaning up, recalibration etc.

Meh return it for refund or i'll take a 90% discount please to repair, rebuild.

[Zucca]

bd139

That device needs more love and only a TEA addicted can cure those terminal patients.
If you look at it and see just garbage you are not infected by the TEA virus.

[khs]

Sold as working my fucking arse.

Perfectly working as a one shot device - so what's the matter?
 

There was just a large snap noise and the high range started working. The low range 0-30v is 0-53v. The high range 0-60v is 0-75v so it looks like it has lost regulation. Needs cleaning, switches cleaning out, new caps, transformer cleaning up, recalibration etc.

Could it be, it's a 110V device connected to 220V?

[bd139]

It’s definitely 220v.

I’ve been talking to the seller and negotiating a large discount so I think this might end up a keeper.

I think it’s salvageable looking at it. The snap sound looks like it was some moist dirt being vaporised by the fresh burn mark around the rectifiers. The secondary on it is 100v which is quite high. . Looks like minimally new caps, new trim pots, check out and switch cleaner galore. The binding posts are stuck solid as well. The main voltage control pot is a bit “crunchy”.

[Specmaster]

Cor this looks nice and skanky. Clean up ahead!

What do you mean, thats positively clean when compared to this

[Specmaster]

It’s definitely 220v.

I’ve been talking to the seller and negotiating a large discount so I think this might end up a keeper.

I think it’s salvageable looking at it. The snap sound looks like it was some moist dirt being vaporised by the fresh burn mark around the rectifiers. The secondary on it is 100v which is quite high. . Looks like minimally new caps, new trim pots, check out and switch cleaner galore. The binding posts are stuck solid as well. The main voltage control pot is a bit “crunchy”.

Some folk on Ebay lie through their teeth, I bet thats not been used in years, did the barn that was found in have no roof 

[bd139]

Haha yes. "oh you mean you found it in the charred remains of a barn". That's an impressive amount of crap in that 1740A!

I see a lot of crap inside your average PC periodically. My in-law's Compaq was so bad a few years ago that I opened it and it was solid nicotine and cat hair to the side panel. No wonder it kept turning off. Told them to bin it and buy another one. No way was I going in there.

This one was used in a lab environment which was slightly damp so probably the root cause of this carnage.

[Specmaster]

Yeah, that crap was in that parts mule from down the A414 and there's no way on earth that he powered that sucker up cos I'd expect with amount of crap on the bottom of that, all over the power board and the regulators that it would have burst into flames 

[bd139]

Ew that's nasty! Not seen anything like that for a while!

Good outcome here. Paid £55 for the supply. Just got a £40 refund so total expenditure was £15

Refurb time!

[Cubdriver]

Good outcome here. Paid £55 for the supply. Just got a £40 refund so total expenditure was £15

Refurb time!

Nice!!   

How old is that one?  I was pleasantly surprised that the caps on the 46 year old 6289A I recently cleaned up were still good.

-Pat

[bd139]

All the Sprague cans are dated 1973 week 43 so 44 years old. I haven't checked ESR yet but there is a lot of ripple. This might be by design as it's a 60v supply and the peak voltage is 100v. Am only concentrating on finding the power supply under all the shite so far. Going well so far. Cant' say the same for SWMBO's paint brush which I'm using to clean it out

[Specmaster]

Ew that's nasty! Not seen anything like that for a while!

Good outcome here. Paid £55 for the supply. Just got a £40 refund so total expenditure was £15

Refurb time!

Yep, its nasty alright. I was going to try for a partial refund on it seeing as it was not complete, the vertical output amp was missing altogether, but I was so overjoyed at getting the timebase controls working again, plus the fact that I'd already got the price down from £59 to £30, so I thought I'd let it go. I got a ton of hopefully (now all cleaned up) useful boards and other parts, knobs etc. from it too.

You did OK too I see, you don't mind spending a bit on it if the initial outlay was reasonable, otherwise you'd end paying similar prices to ones that are working and that then sure sucks.

[bd139]

Yeah £30 for a duff scope isn't a total write off. Especially as it mostly seems complete.

Just found a couple of turds in this supply that will need rectifying. There is a bodge wire on the bottom off one of the transformer taps which needs analysing and a ton of screws missing. Also the are American screws which are difficult to get here