Author Topic: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread  (Read 14555163 times)

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Offline Neomys Sapiens

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #6550 on: January 19, 2018, 07:14:07 pm »

I was looking for a PG50x (preferably one of the faster ones, of course), but never found one with an acceptable price tag. TM500 plugins are rather scarce in Germany.

(Just a few days busy with other things, and the thread has grown several pages ... catching up takes a lot of time, and replies come latish.)
So now it consists of (updated):

Here's my stock:
Mainframe, 5 slot portable TM515
Mainframe, 4 slot   TM504
Mainframe, 4 slot   TM504
Mainframe, 3 slot   TM503
Mainframe, 1 slot   TM501
Extender for TM500-Series   097-0645-02
Accessory compartment 016-0362-01
Power Supply, Precision   PS501-1
Power Supply, Dual   PS503A
Generator, Pulse, High Voltage PG505
Generator, Pulse, 50MHz; dual Output   PG507
Generator, Function, 3MHz     FG503
Generator, Function, 40MHz   FG504
Generator, Leveled Sine; 0.05...250MHz   SG503
Counter/Timer, universal 125MHz 8Digit   DC503A
Delay, Digital   DD501
Latch, Digital   DL502
Multimeter, Digital; 4.5Digit RMS   DM501A
Amplifier, Operation   AM501
Amplifier, Differential   AM502
Amplifier, Current Probe   AM503
Oscilloscope, 15MHz 2Ch Analog Storage SC503

BTW, both generators arrived and are working to spec!
 

Offline bitseekerTopic starter

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #6551 on: January 19, 2018, 10:49:55 pm »
My HP 3310A arrived. Hopefully, I'll have some time this weekend to check it out...inside and out. Stay tuned.
TEA is the way. | TEA Time channel
 

Offline bd139

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #6552 on: January 19, 2018, 10:59:14 pm »
Good good  :-+

The inside of them is a thing of beauty :)
 

Offline bitseekerTopic starter

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #6553 on: January 19, 2018, 11:04:09 pm »
I did a quick search and there doesn't seem to be many posts about it. So, I'll make a thread for it.
TEA is the way. | TEA Time channel
 
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Offline Specmaster

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #6554 on: January 19, 2018, 11:27:45 pm »

Found it. Did a reset and the problem went away. Appears to have been software related! :(

Had you left it running for a while but not been using it? I was wondering if it had a later firmware installed that had the same function as the Hakko controller whereby once the set parameters for the sleep function had been met, it went into sleep mode (150C) and if no movement of the handle for a time (user set) it might have gone into power off mode in which case the display would be on but either displaying 0C or the room temp and then you pressing the encoder would bring it back to life?

Not 100% sure to be honest. It wasn't left for more than a couple of minutes. Seems ok now. I spent some time this morning throwing some more LEDs on this UV board. It's killing me this; wish I'd just bought a bloody UV box now.

Going to be a little short on time and money for TEA over the next few weeks. Got a moving house date finally so so much crap to organise.  Expecting a month of realistic down time.  Boooooooooooooo.

The annoying thing is I've got a pile of shit coming from Aliexpress coming that might actually arrive after I've moved  :palm: ... RM are crap at postal redirections.
Well good luck with your moving, its one of the most stressful things in life. We'll miss you if your off for a whole month  :(  :--

On the T12 bit, I've been playing around with the menus and there is an option there under Wake up to select handle & encoder or just encoder, how is your set up? If you select encoder only it operates like this, if the iron has not moved for the time out period, it goes into sleep mode and once that has happened it enters the time out period counting down to Power off mode. If you pick up the iron during this timing out to power off period, the vibration switch with instantly bring the iron back to life again. Once the iron has timed out and gone into power off mode and shut off all power to the handle, just picking the handle will not activate the iron, what it will do however is to turn the vibration indicator on and off in the display as you move/shake the iron. To activate the iron when in power off mode, you have to rotate or push the encoder to bring it back to life again, so if yours in this state, that would explain the apparent malfunction?

I have just conducted an experiment with mine and it works perfectly in this mode so I'm thinking that I'll leave mine like this as I have 2 cats who like to jump up on the bench at times so if they do knock the iron out of its holder, they wont operate the encoder. On the Hakko controller (not sure if is the STM32 or not) to bring the iron out of power off mode you do have the physically push the encoder, rotating it does nothing.
« Last Edit: January 19, 2018, 11:31:16 pm by Specmaster »
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Offline Specmaster

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #6555 on: January 19, 2018, 11:43:22 pm »
I've been following the T12 discussion on here for awhile and have been going back and forth between the STM32 controllers and the cheaper Quicko one.  I think I settled on the Quicko DIY Kit that includes one tip but should I get the default T12-K or ask for something different?  I'm looking for something I could use for most tasks and plan on getting the real Hakko tips in the future if I need something more specific.


The T12-K is a good tip and I also like the T12-C4, both of these tips will should do you for most general soldering, but really it would very much depend on what your doing. If you work on mobile phones for instance then you would require one of the finer tips. I can tell you that the C4 seems to be good for most TH works, especially if there are large ground planes that would wick away heat quickly, because the C4 has a reasonable mass to give you more thermal capacity to reduce dwell times.

I think, personally the Quicko although cheaper, is the better of the options, especially as a kit because the display is far brighter, clearer and you do not have to solder onto the controller, get the pre-wired plug leads so you only need to solder to the PSU and the iron socket meaning the controller can left in the box until the final assembly after all the soldering is done.

Good luck with your new iron when you get it. 
Who let Murphy in?

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Offline mnementh

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #6556 on: January 21, 2018, 04:20:17 am »
Having used both of my T12 solder sets, I can confidently say that my favourite is the Quicko, it has the best set of options in the menu system and they are all quite intuitive to use with the exception of number 8 which reads "Battery Guard" presumably it did something naughty and needed to be incarcerated? 

It gives you the ability to select a voltage between 10v and 24v. Seeing as these all come without a manual it is useful if you're powering the iron from batteries maybe to switch the set off if the voltage falls below a pre-set value?

Here is a list of the various menu options on each of the controllers:

Quicko                                     Blue OLD controller (branded Hakko)
1  Calibration                            1  Temperature Adjust
2  Auto Sleep                            2  Wake Set
3  Auto Poweroff                       3  Standby
4  Boost Duration                      4  Sleep
5  Boost Degree                        5  Boost Temp
6  Wakeup Method                    6  Boost Time
7  Buzzer Switch                       7  Buzzer
8  Battery Guard                       8  Init
9  Firmware
A  Factory Reset

There is a more complete set of options on the Quicko and the control is more logical in as much as when you get to either 1 or A you stop scrolling to change menu option you scroll the reverse direction, whereas on the Hakko, it's a endless loop. Standby on the Hakko is the same as sleep on the Quicko where both irons go 150C and the moment you pick the irons up they switch back to the last set temp ready for soldering literally in mere seconds.

It therefore follows that the Auto Poweroff on the Quicko equates to Sleep on the Hakko and here there is subtle difference, once in this mode, picking up the iron on the Quicko switches it back on again and withing seconds you be soldering. The Hakko though really does mean OFF and just picking up the iron does nothing, to wake it up again you need to give the encoder a quick press and its switches back on again and is ready for use in seconds. This may or may not be a useful feature for you but there is no way of changing it on the Hakko. On the Quicko, you can disable the handle motion detector so it will only respond to the encoder being pressed, but that also deactivate the motion sensor in the sleep mode.

Menu option 1 on them both is where you can adjust the actual temperature at the tip if you have a suitable thermocouple or a Hakko 191 to use. Number 8 on the Hakko whatever setting you store (0- or 1) it never changes from the default which is 0?
To get into the menu mode you need to press and hold the encoder for 2 seconds.  In normal mode a quick press of the encoder invokes different responses, Quicko you get the instant boosted temperature but Hakko puts in standby mode. A slightly longer press on the Quicko puts it into Poweroff mode. Double press on the Hakko invokes Boost mode.

The Quicko makes more use of the buzzer, for instance all the time when in boost mode it emits short bursts followed by a longer tone at the end of the boost period which I find reassuring so you don’t need to look at the display to affirm that you’re in boost mode.

On switching on, the Quicko emits a longer beep and the screen springs to life and displays “T12 Soldering Iron Station” briefly and switches to the normal display with the top line in yellow, top left shows the set temp and top right shows the amount of power being used in terms of percentage points. Centre line has a larger font and shows current tip temp in blue and the bottom line is also blue and bottom left shows psu output in volts while bottom right shows current internal temp of the case, any change in status is shown the top left corner in reverse contrast.

The Hakko display on switch ON there is delay and then a quick beep on the buzzer and the display springs to life and follows largely the same format as the Quicko except for the following changes, top right is the internal temperature bottom right shows 3.30V and I have no idea what is, it does not change. When heating up from cold or a standby mode, the unit gives a little beep as it reaches the set temp.
When soldering there is nothing to choose between them, they are both very confident at soldering, although I have noticed on the odd occasion with the 9051 handle a faint crackling can be heard like the tip is not making good contact with the handle connections, something I have not experienced when using the 907 handle which has really big contacts in the handle but the contacts on the 9501 are not visible so they may not be as beefy.

I do like the feel of the 9501, it provides greater control of the tip but if the crackling continues I may consider using the 907 and see if it cures it.
Which one would I recommend to anyone, without a moment’s hesitation it would be the Quicko, it just seems to be the more balanced setup and the controller does in my opinion play a big part in user satisfaction, plus the Quicko controller uses plug and sockets for its connections to the iron socket so is easier to both wire up and also replace if needed at any point.

The blue Hakk0 controller is a pretty simple 8-bit design; it was the first of the lot ported over from the original open-source project.

The voltage in the lower right corner is the CPU operating voltage as reported by the CPU internally; I suppose this is useful info for debugging or for compensation if the firmware uses it as a reference voltage for the temp. The temp in the upper right corner is the temp of the external thermistor in the handle; valuable for determining if there is heat creep up the T12 element from long duration soldering, and to warn you if there is a bad connection causing heat buildup at the connector inside the handle. I see it as a very important watchdog, myself. If you watch the OLED right between these two numbers, you'll see an occasional blip whenever you move the handle; this indicates that the micro has sensed an "activity event" from the ball switch in the handle, resetting the standby/sleep timers.

I disagree with you on the plug in connectors; I see them as a point of failure rather than a convenience. I'd much rather solder everything on a tool like this that I plan to use every day.

Those bare 0.100" headers can still easily accommodate plugs if you MUST; but leaving them unpopulated makes it easy to solder on over-sized silicone wires, which is my preference with this kind of build. Once you preinstall plugs & pigtails, you're pretty much locked into whatever wires the vendor decides to include, which are almost always smaller than I would like.





I agree that the display is pretty dim, especially through the smoked acrylic lens. That said, I feel the lens is a still good thing; it allowed me to make this look quite acceptable with a minimum of work. As an aside; I'd be quite surprised if the metal enclosure faceplate you have couldn't pretty easily be made to work with the OLED display; worst case scenario, just desolder the OLED PCB from the mainboard and mount it to the aluminum bezel. It's only 4 wires, which is exactly how I did it on mine so I wouldn't have to chop up the case until I was sure I wanted to make the mod permanent.

I spent some time trying to modify mine to make it brighter; I was certain it must be as simple as modifying some bias voltage to the panel. But after following that rabbit hole to the point of going to bed at the butt-crack of dawn with my eyes watering (See below), I eventually decided to just try replacing it with a 1.3" OLED screen and see if they're any brighter. Got a couple coming on the slow boat from China; I'll let you know what I find when they get here.





I also have one of the new KSGER V2.1 1.3" OLED T12 controllers on the way; it's supposed to ALSO have Vacuum Desolder and Hot Air optional menus as well, plus coin-cell backup for your personal settings. I'll let you know what I think of the quality of the parts that come with this kit as well. I know... I have a problem.  :palm: :o  >:D





In all honesty, I really like the looks of the KSGER aluminum shells; they scream quality with CNC recessed bezel and knob, stainless hex fasteners and flush lens... if they only weren't also completely Mentel. ;) I mean... not that it isn't true... I just don't feel the need to advertise it.  |O

Technical gobbledeegook:

The Hakko OLED T12 Controller uses an STC15W408AS CPU; a 28-pin TSSOP based on the venerable 8051 architecture and evidently using the 8051 extended instruction set. Chip comparison page is here; the feature page for the 15W40xx family is here. At the bottom are links to the datasheet and an ISP programming suite that appears very similar to the STMicro programming dashboard. Shocking. ;)





The OLED display is a UG-2864HMBE; internet research indicates it has the SSD1306 controller embedded on the ribbon which is native 128x64. It is soldered to a breakout PCB which is configured as I²C and running at 5V; there is a 3.3V regulator installed on the PCB. It has no processor of any sort; it is only a breakout board with a 3.3V regulator for 5v operation & some caps to support the SSH1106 and SSD1306 controllers in 0.96" & 1.3" variants.

Trying to understand how this display controls brightness is hugely confusing; documentation seems to be contradictory and seems to refer to both above controllers interchangeably. While documentation seems to indicate that this particular display uses the SSD1306 controller, capacitors on the PCB appear to be configured as external components for a charge-pump with 7.5V output to pin 28 to generate bias Vcc to drive the display (7-15V typ in both cases); however, datasheets seem to indicate only the SSH1106 has this charge pump built in. Both controllers appear to have 256-step brightness control; I'm pretty weak in this type of programming so haven't progressed past this initial research in trying to find a way to increase the brightness. I was hoping to find some simple analog hack like increasing the bias voltage to the panel, but as that appears to be generated by the embedded controller, I decided to drop back & punt with a different 1.3" display configured for I²C bus that might show up in a month or so.

If that sucks out loud as well, I may actually dig into the firmware on the CPU and see if I can find something that sets a brightness level; I don't hold out a lot of hope there, though... my Kung-Fu is way weak.


Cheers and don't git any on ya,


mnem
There is always room for eye scream.
« Last Edit: January 21, 2018, 04:41:09 am by mnementh »
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Offline Blake

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #6557 on: January 21, 2018, 04:21:39 pm »
Has anyone successfully used the $4 new user coupon on Aliexpress?  I tried it on my first order at the Quciko store and after a day it was cancelled do to a security reason.  I did a chat with support and they suggested trying again and that order was cancelled as well.  I emailed Quicko and they responded that they do not have a $4 coupon.  I'm still waiting for a refund for both orders then will either order at full price or try using the coupon on another store for the STM32 version.
 

Offline bd139

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #6558 on: January 21, 2018, 05:38:16 pm »
Yeah mine worked. I have a domain so I create a new email address and account and do this quite regularly.
 

Offline Blake

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #6559 on: January 21, 2018, 05:50:46 pm »
Yeah mine worked. I have a domain so I create a new email address and account and do this quite regularly.
That's annoying. Maybe I'll just try another account but will wait for the refunds first.

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Offline Specmaster

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #6560 on: January 21, 2018, 06:31:21 pm »
WTF just happened, I was watching a HP 3466A on fleabay and 10 seconds to go, put my bid in, away it went with 5 seconds to spare and then I got a message about more ways to get what I want, check the listing again and it went for over £5 LESS than what my bid was  :wtf: :rant:

Has some one found a way of slowing everyone's timer so that they bid after the event????  :rant:
Who let Murphy in?

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Offline bd139

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #6561 on: January 21, 2018, 06:40:07 pm »
That has happened to me a few times. It’s a consistency error. Basically the web is stateless and eBay is stateful and making ends meet is difficult so there are holes in the process.
 

Offline mnementh

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #6562 on: January 21, 2018, 07:02:09 pm »
This is why Gixen.com is your friend. You can even get a 10-day sub to their mirror service for $1 now, which you guys in the UK may need for reliable service. I haven't needed it yet; I live in the US and rarely lose a snipe other than the item just going crazy high. I just won 4 iPod Nanos for $6 and change.


Cheers,


mnem
Level the playing field. Use Gixen.com
alt-codes work here:  alt-0128 = €  alt-156 = £  alt-0216 = Ø  alt-225 = ß  alt-230 = µ  alt-234 = Ω  alt-236 = ∞  alt-248 = °
 

Offline Specmaster

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #6563 on: January 21, 2018, 08:01:29 pm »

Those bare 0.100" headers can still easily accommodate plugs if you MUST; but leaving them unpopulated makes it easy to solder on over-sized silicone wires, which is my preference with this kind of build. Once you preinstall plugs & pigtails, you're pretty much locked into whatever wires the vendor decides to include, which are almost always smaller than I would like.


Well here's the thing, my controller doesn't have any headers, all it has is plated holes into which I soldered the wires, had there been any I agree it would helped me with my oversized wires that I also used.






In all honesty, I really like the looks of the KSGER aluminum shells; they scream quality with CNC recessed bezel and knob, stainless hex fasteners and flush lens..


I agree I did look at them long and hard but what made go the other way was the fact that the face plate is so dammed big that you couldn't stack them.

Who let Murphy in?

Brymen-Fluke-HP-Thurlby-Thander-Tek-Extech-Black Star-GW-Avo-Kyoritsu-Amprobe-ITT-Robin-TTi
 

Offline Specmaster

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #6564 on: January 21, 2018, 08:11:00 pm »
This is why Gixen.com is your friend. You can even get a 10-day sub to their mirror service for $1 now, which you guys in the UK may need for reliable service. I haven't needed it yet; I live in the US and rarely lose a snipe other than the item just going crazy high. I just won 4 iPod Nanos for $6 and change.


Cheers,


mnem
Level the playing field. Use Gixen.com

If bd139 is correct, then using Gixen is not going to help is it, it too would have made the same bid that I did and it still would have been out of time.
Who let Murphy in?

Brymen-Fluke-HP-Thurlby-Thander-Tek-Extech-Black Star-GW-Avo-Kyoritsu-Amprobe-ITT-Robin-TTi
 

Offline bd139

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #6565 on: January 21, 2018, 08:18:39 pm »
Gixen probably uses the eBay API directly. There’s a latency advantage there. This is all verging on HFT territory though which is crazy for tat merchantry.

I wrote some auto bidding stuff a few years back and I couldn’t get the latency required for a guaranteed win. Think it topped out at about 1500ms which is shit (ebay is overloaded as hell most of the time). My code was built on some stuff recycled from a currency trading engine  :-DD
 

Offline Specmaster

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #6566 on: January 21, 2018, 09:59:53 pm »
Gixen probably uses the eBay API directly. There’s a latency advantage there. This is all verging on HFT territory though which is crazy for tat merchantry.

I wrote some auto bidding stuff a few years back and I couldn’t get the latency required for a guaranteed win. Think it topped out at about 1500ms which is shit (ebay is overloaded as hell most of the time). My code was built on some stuff recycled from a currency trading engine  :-DD
Well I'm giving it quick test on some heat shrink tubing, never expensive I know but going by past sold for prices, I've pitched in just below to see if it works, I needed some coloured tubing anyway, if it doesn't  win it for, I'm not fretting about it  :-+
Who let Murphy in?

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Offline Mr. Scram

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #6567 on: January 21, 2018, 10:12:36 pm »
This is why Gixen.com is your friend. You can even get a 10-day sub to their mirror service for $1 now, which you guys in the UK may need for reliable service. I haven't needed it yet; I live in the US and rarely lose a snipe other than the item just going crazy high. I just won 4 iPod Nanos for $6 and change.


Cheers,


mnem
Level the playing field. Use Gixen.com
Level the playing field. Don't use Gixen. Sniping ruins the eBay fun.
 

Offline Specmaster

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #6568 on: January 21, 2018, 10:18:51 pm »
This is why Gixen.com is your friend. You can even get a 10-day sub to their mirror service for $1 now, which you guys in the UK may need for reliable service. I haven't needed it yet; I live in the US and rarely lose a snipe other than the item just going crazy high. I just won 4 iPod Nanos for $6 and change.


Cheers,


mnem
Level the playing field. Use Gixen.com
Level the playing field. Don't use Gixen. Sniping ruins the eBay fun.
I agree generally for items that are as common horse shit but when the becomes as common as rocking horse shit then an extra helping hand might make the difference  :-DD
Who let Murphy in?

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Offline beanflying

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #6569 on: January 21, 2018, 11:58:40 pm »

That's along the lines of what I ultimately expect to do.  Or find a similar small circular connector that's currently available and make up replacement boxes.

-Pat

Apologies to Pat but unobtainium with a large pinch of Rocking Horse Poo and some dumb luck backed with $$ gets this.  >:D
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Offline mnementh

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #6570 on: January 22, 2018, 12:15:07 am »

Those bare 0.100" headers can still easily accommodate plugs if you MUST; but leaving them unpopulated makes it easy to solder on over-sized silicone wires, which is my preference with this kind of build. Once you preinstall plugs & pigtails, you're pretty much locked into whatever wires the vendor decides to include, which are almost always smaller than I would like.


Well here's the thing, my controller doesn't have any headers, all it has is plated holes into which I soldered the wires, had there been any I agree it would helped me with my oversized wires that I also used.






In all honesty, I really like the looks of the KSGER aluminum shells; they scream quality with CNC recessed bezel and knob, stainless hex fasteners and flush lens..


I agree I did look at them long and hard but what made go the other way was the fact that the face plate is so dammed big that you couldn't stack them.

Okay... when I said "bare 0.100" headers" I meant just plated holes spaced specifically for 0.100" pins... they tend to have pretty small holes, but still big enough to easily solder 20 ga fine strand wires to.

As for stacking... did you see these? They're pretty much MADE for stacking.

And then of course, they have their ready-made CNC 2in1 and 3in1 enclosures... if you have the dosh. Of course, you could always spring for the BattleStar if you have a couple hundred burning a hole in your pocket. ;)

This is why Gixen.com is your friend. You can even get a 10-day sub to their mirror service for $1 now, which you guys in the UK may need for reliable service. I haven't needed it yet; I live in the US and rarely lose a snipe other than the item just going crazy high. I just won 4 iPod Nanos for $6 and change.


Cheers,


mnem
Level the playing field. Use Gixen.com
Level the playing field. Don't use Gixen. Sniping ruins the eBay fun.

Where's the fun in getting outbid by 30¢ (sometimes a dozen times in one day) by someone else who is using a script they got online or a sniping provider? At least with gixen you're supporting an actual person who did the work to make a sniping service that works; getting servers close to eBay's to minimize latency and maximize success, and wrote all the code himself.


mnem
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Offline Cubdriver

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #6571 on: January 22, 2018, 12:58:09 am »

That's along the lines of what I ultimately expect to do.  Or find a similar small circular connector that's currently available and make up replacement boxes.

-Pat

Apologies to Pat but unobtainium with a large pinch of Rocking Horse Poo and some dumb luck backed with $$ gets this.  >:D

 :-DD :-DD  Yeah, I had a chuckle when just after posting about how rare they were, that popped up in my feed.  Someone got it, but it wasn't me.  I just couldn't bring myself to pay nearly what I did for the whole instrument for the input box.  Maybe another will pop up in 2019.

-Pat
If it jams, force it.  If it breaks, you needed a new one anyway...
 

Offline Cubdriver

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #6572 on: January 22, 2018, 01:01:32 am »
This is why Gixen.com is your friend. You can even get a 10-day sub to their mirror service for $1 now, which you guys in the UK may need for reliable service. I haven't needed it yet; I live in the US and rarely lose a snipe other than the item just going crazy high. I just won 4 iPod Nanos for $6 and change.


Cheers,


mnem
Level the playing field. Use Gixen.com
Level the playing field. Don't use Gixen. Sniping ruins the eBay fun.

I'll keep sniping (though I do it manually).  Paying more than I have to for something is not my idea of eBay 'fun'.

-Pat
If it jams, force it.  If it breaks, you needed a new one anyway...
 

Offline Specmaster

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #6573 on: January 22, 2018, 01:28:55 am »
This is why Gixen.com is your friend. You can even get a 10-day sub to their mirror service for $1 now, which you guys in the UK may need for reliable service. I haven't needed it yet; I live in the US and rarely lose a snipe other than the item just going crazy high. I just won 4 iPod Nanos for $6 and change.


Cheers,


mnem
Level the playing field. Use Gixen.com
Level the playing field. Don't use Gixen. Sniping ruins the eBay fun.

I'll keep sniping (though I do it manually).  Paying more than I have to for something is not my idea of eBay 'fun'.

-Pat

I agree, way pay more than necessary for something, especially with a lot of ebay sellers, it might turn out to be a turd with no return.
Who let Murphy in?

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Offline beanflying

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #6574 on: January 22, 2018, 02:02:10 am »

 :-DD :-DD  Yeah, I had a chuckle when just after posting about how rare they were, that popped up in my feed.  Someone got it, but it wasn't me.  I just couldn't bring myself to pay nearly what I did for the whole instrument for the input box.  Maybe another will pop up in 2019.

-Pat

'Someone' had to spend some of his hard earned Doughnut dough somewhere so it might as well have gone on TEA :-DD

Only one more box to go  :-+

I started to cost up the bits to make them from scratch and $100USD was dissapearing quickly per box.
« Last Edit: January 22, 2018, 02:03:58 am by beanflying »
Coffee, Food, R/C and electronics nerd in no particular order. Also CNC wannabe, 3D printer and Laser Cutter Junkie and just don't mention my TEA addiction....
 


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