Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[med6753]

In Other News...

Water heater problem appears to have been little more than a loose screw. Elements measure 10.8 Ω, ∞ against the tank, so should be healthy. Contact on t-stat and screw itself cleaned up nicely with minimal effort and a brass brush; no burnt metal. Cut the melty wires back to good core and restripped; tightened all screws and will come back in a couple weeks with IR gun to follow up.

*Puts post-it on monitor*

mnem
Now I can get back to my regularly scheduled misery...

And back to Dawn.........

The reason why that struck a cord with me is that a few years back I was attending a residential sales training course in a hotel near Birmingham (UK) and at breakfast one morning we were having breakfast (what else) and the waitresses name was Dawn and as the lecturer was explaining his jogging habits, he was telling the group of attendees that he "liked to be at the crack of dawn" for his daily jog. Unbeknown to him was that at that precise moment was standing just behind him when he said that and she screamed out and dropped the plates full of "full english" breakfasts she was carrying, all over him and ran off to the hotel manager and lodged a complaint against him.

We never used that sales lecturer or that hotel ever again.... I wonder why.

Reminds me of a bumper sticker I saw once......."I'm so horny even the crack of dawn looks good". 

[mnementh]

*SNARRRFFF!!!*

The phrase "Up at the butt-crack of dawn" was actually passed down to me by my mother-in-law; a staunchly conservative southern WASP woman, she in fact spent some time as working the secretary of our family's church. Of course, I've become accustomed to "colorful" language from my grandfather, also of southern descent; but to hear such a phrase from mom-in-law utterly blew my fuzzy little mind.

Of course, I immediately snurched it for my own repertoire.

mnem
*Paying billz*

[Specmaster]

What is your opinion on these found on Ebay today, realistic pricing or what?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/QUALITY-Fluke-8842A-Digital-Bench-Multimeter-5-5-Digit-DMM-Digital-MultiMeter/283223234228?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Chauvin-Arnoux-DP25-Differential-Probe/153164711177

[tggzzz]

What is your opinion on these found on Ebay today, realistic pricing or what?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/QUALITY-Fluke-8842A-Digital-Bench-Multimeter-5-5-Digit-DMM-Digital-MultiMeter/283223234228?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Chauvin-Arnoux-DP25-Differential-Probe/153164711177

Expensive.

Anything from MicroLease is expensive. Looks like their offers are accepted at 80% of the asking price - but that is significantly weak evidence!

[mnementh]

TEDepot.com lists a used "Fluke 8840A-05-09 Digital Multimeter with IEEE-488 and True-RMS AC options" at $675, but when I click on it for details it goes nowhere. TEquipment.net shows the 8845 new for $1115.

Here's a similar differential probe new for $325; for used without warranty both eBays seem a bit high.

If you're looking to set price on your own gear... It may sell, but will probably linger, IMHO.

mnem
*tzzzt*

[Specmaster]

TEDepot.com lists a used "Fluke 8840A-05-09 Digital Multimeter with IEEE-488 and True-RMS AC options" at $675, but when I click on it for details it goes nowhere. TEquipment.net shows the 8845 new for $1115.

Here's a similar differential probe new for $325; for used without warranty both eBays seem a bit high.

If you're looking to set price on your own gear... It may sell, but will probably linger, IMHO.

mnem
*tzzzt*

No, I'm not after valuing my own gear, just amazed at the prices. I know that when I purchased meters and probes of the same models, I paid considerably less than these prices being asked for. That got into thinking did, I just get a jammy git price on all of them or were these prices massively optimistic as the cheapest item was just £35 and the most expensive price I paid was £95 

[mnementh]

[RANDOM MODE]

Let the platform wars begin anew!!!   

...In 2016, IBM said Apple products were cheaper to manage when you looked at the entire life cycle:
IBM is saving a minimum of $265 (up to $535 depending on model) per Mac compared to a PC, over a 4-year lifespan. While the upfront workstation investment is lower for PCs, the residual value for Mac is higher… The program’s success has improved IBM’s ability to attract and retain top talent – a key advantage in today’s competitive market.   https://9to5mac.com/2018/10/23/ibm-open-sources-macibm-code/

[/RANDOM MODE]

mnem
*Agitating-ily*

[mnementh]

TEDepot.com lists a used "Fluke 8840A-05-09 Digital Multimeter with IEEE-488 and True-RMS AC options" at $675, but when I click on it for details it goes nowhere. TEquipment.net shows the 8845 new for $1115.

Here's a similar differential probe new for $325; for used without warranty both eBays seem a bit high.

If you're looking to set price on your own gear... It may sell, but will probably linger, IMHO.

mnem
*tzzzt*

No, I'm not after valuing my own gear, just amazed at the prices. I know that when I purchased meters and probes of the same models, I paid considerably less than these prices being asked for. That got into thinking did, I just get a jammy git price on all of them or were these prices massively optimistic as the cheapest item was just £35 and the most expensive price I paid was £95 

Yeah, I hear you. For me, $130 on that 189 was a big chunk of change. I can't justify spending $700 on any single piece of TE; I'm not doing it for a living any more. On the flip side of that; yeah, you and I probably won't buy anything not deserving of The Jammy ; we're used to shopping carefully and waiting patiently for the right deal to come along.

A person in the trade usually doesn't have the luxury of time; they need to gear up for a certain kind of work within a certain timeframe, and they're usually busy working at the same time. I mean, if I lost my TraceTone or my LANTracker, I'd be looking to see who can get one to me ASAP, not where I can find it $30 cheaper.

THAT is the market TEDepot and TEquipment are in; but there are a lot of people who just don't get that their used bit of TE on fleaBay, no matter how nice, is NOT the same, as it doesn't come with the same support network as that $675 8840A does. That is an important "value added" part of their price. 

mnem
*Back into hell*

[Specmaster]

TEDepot.com lists a used "Fluke 8840A-05-09 Digital Multimeter with IEEE-488 and True-RMS AC options" at $675, but when I click on it for details it goes nowhere. TEquipment.net shows the 8845 new for $1115.

Here's a similar differential probe new for $325; for used without warranty both eBays seem a bit high.

If you're looking to set price on your own gear... It may sell, but will probably linger, IMHO.

mnem
*tzzzt*

No, I'm not after valuing my own gear, just amazed at the prices. I know that when I purchased meters and probes of the same models, I paid considerably less than these prices being asked for. That got into thinking did, I just get a jammy git price on all of them or were these prices massively optimistic as the cheapest item was just £35 and the most expensive price I paid was £95 

Yeah, I hear you. For me, $130 on that 189 was a big chunk of change. I can't justify spending $700 on any single piece of TE; I'm not doing it for a living any more. On the flip side of that; yeah, you and I probably won't buy anything not deserving of The Jammy ; we're used to shopping carefully and waiting patiently for the right deal to come along.

A person in the trade usually doesn't have the luxury of time; they need to gear up for a certain kind of work within a certain timeframe, and they're usually busy working at the same time. I mean, if I lost my TraceTone or my LANTracker, I'd be looking to see who can get one to me ASAP, not where I can find it $30 cheaper.

THAT is the market TEDepot and TEquipment are in; but there are a lot of people who just don't get that their used bit of TE on fleaBay, no matter how nice, is NOT the same, as it doesn't come with the same support network as that $675 8840A does. That is an important "value added" part of their price. 

mnem
*Back into hell*

I can understand the tradesman point of view, but I think I'd ask myself in that position, could I get away with a cheaper item until I could find something better at a better price? I could sell the cheaper option on again to recoup some of the cost.

[xrunner]

Want.

Says it has "knobs you can turn" 

“COMES AS SHOWN! Was used hanging in the classroom of a technical college . Has knobs you can turn and adjust in order to teach a classroom using the meter. Great, unusual collectible! 19"WIDE x 23"HIGH . Some wear and tear from use!”

https://www.ebay.com/itm/TRIPLETT-MODEL-60-CLASSROOM-TEACHING-AID-SIGN-DISPLAY-19-WIDE-x-28-HIGH/362461337135?hash=item546461162f:g:A2wAAOSwS~Fbx3Aq:rk:23:pf:0#viTabs_0

[mnementh]

Yeah, I hear you. For me, $130 on that 189 was a big chunk of change. I can't justify spending $700 on any single piece of TE; I'm not doing it for a living any more. On the flip side of that; yeah, you and I probably won't buy anything not deserving of The Jammy ; we're used to shopping carefully and waiting patiently for the right deal to come along.

A person in the trade usually doesn't have the luxury of time; they need to gear up for a certain kind of work within a certain timeframe, and they're usually busy working at the same time. I mean, if I lost my TraceTone or my LANTracker, I'd be looking to see who can get one to me ASAP, not where I can find it $30 cheaper.

THAT is the market TEDepot and TEquipment are in; but there are a lot of people who just don't get that their used bit of TE on fleaBay, no matter how nice, is NOT the same, as it doesn't come with the same support network as that $675 8840A does. That is an important "value added" part of their price. 

mnem
*Back into hell*

I can understand the tradesman point of view, but I think I'd ask myself in that position, could I get away with a cheaper item until I could find something better at a better price? I could sell the cheaper option on again to recoup some of the cost.

https://youtu.be/j2kp4OOA14A

That, as always, depends on the specific gear. One time I had a Makita cordless drill grow legs on a job site. I was tapped; had lunch money for the week and just enough gas to get to payday. I ran out to Horror Fraught and bought one of their $19 drills on sale for $16 just to get me by so I could keep hanging TVs.

It was a cheap POS, but it worked. I could quick-charge it with one of my LiPo chargers that had a NiMh function, so I didn't NEED extra batteries. That drill stayed in my bag almost a year, until my wife bought me one of these Kobalt Brushless Drill/Impact Driver combos last Father's Day. Then, a few weeks later, I found some guys on a teardown crew where I was doing a rack & stack; 3 of them sharing one of the HFT drills like my old one. So I dug it out of my trunk and gave it to them, so they could work better.

But if I'd had the money for Makita at the time...? I'd have bought another just like the one that grew legs, no hesitation. That gig paid by the unit, and I know I could've hung enough MORE TVs with the Makita to pay for itself; plus getting to HFT & back cost me a couple hours on top of that while the nearest Homeowner Hell was 5 minutes away. At a guess, I'd say I lost easily 10-15 installs over the week to other crews that I could have done if I hadn't lost my Makita. at $80 a pop, that's not chump change.

Remember too, that time spent in the office shopping for tools has to be accounted for; my base rate is $85/hr, but the nature of my business is that every billable hour has 1-2 hours of support time involved before & after the fact.

mnem


Speaking of standees... 

[URI]

Hi all! Thanks for your positive reactions on my DSOX3034A!
It's still a little bit surrealistic having such an instrument now. Came home from work late yesterday and went straight to my bench to ensure myself it's really there. 

As we're speaking of oscilloscopes:

I fetched my repaired DSPX3034A today and put it on my bench having activated the easter egg screen saver as my nearly first step for a nicer photo.   
[..]
I'll play around with it now...       

Play with the hack ? 

Nope, still waiting for the DSOXLAN-adapter to be delivered.

   Okay... not to be the wag of the channel, but... have you confirmed it's the same serial number and they didn't just exchange it for a Keysight refurb?
Either way, you gambled and won... and definitely have earned The Jammy this week... Eat it in good health!!!

Thanks. I take pride in.. no, not the right dimension.
I'm happy to see the Jammy Git being awarded to next lucky TEA-member soon.   

The scope has the same serial number. But that's not hard to do for Keysight: It's noted on the back of the housing only and of course somewhere in a nonvolatile RAM on the main board Keysight can freely assign as the manufacturer.

I suspect that they indeed just reused the back half of the housing as the display of the repaired scope looks better than the one I sent to them (there was a streak under the display glass that isn't present with my repaired scope).
I just won't find out because I didn't mark the main board nor the front half of the housing. And I won't take it apart because it now has a "varranty void" sticker along with the calibration sticker on it..   

I took some photos unpacking the DSOX3034A and of my first steps.
This is my first original Keysight cardboard package still sealed:


Padding was done with this system of self expanding foam in plastic bags. Protected the scope very well:


It was calibrated on oct, 17th, 2018  ..but has also a seal on it now.    The seal looks nearly damaged already though being untouched by me and otherwise only being transported. 


And here's the info screen and a snapshot of signals from my HP 3325B and my 3335A:


The 3325B has issues being -3dBm off in comparison to my validated 3335A. New output attenuator already here somewhere in my repair queue. I wonder if the output buffer has issues or not... Next rabbit hole.   

[bitseeker]

Looks great! A well-deserved Jammy Git, for sure.

[Specmaster]

Yeah, I hear you. For me, $130 on that 189 was a big chunk of change. I can't justify spending $700 on any single piece of TE; I'm not doing it for a living any more. On the flip side of that; yeah, you and I probably won't buy anything not deserving of The Jammy ; we're used to shopping carefully and waiting patiently for the right deal to come along.

A person in the trade usually doesn't have the luxury of time; they need to gear up for a certain kind of work within a certain timeframe, and they're usually busy working at the same time. I mean, if I lost my TraceTone or my LANTracker, I'd be looking to see who can get one to me ASAP, not where I can find it $30 cheaper.

THAT is the market TEDepot and TEquipment are in; but there are a lot of people who just don't get that their used bit of TE on fleaBay, no matter how nice, is NOT the same, as it doesn't come with the same support network as that $675 8840A does. That is an important "value added" part of their price. 

mnem
*Back into hell*

I can understand the tradesman point of view, but I think I'd ask myself in that position, could I get away with a cheaper item until I could find something better at a better price? I could sell the cheaper option on again to recoup some of the cost.

https://youtu.be/j2kp4OOA14A

That, as always, depends on the specific gear. One time I had a Makita cordless drill grow legs on a job site. I was tapped; had lunch money for the week and just enough gas to get to payday. On the way home I stopped at Horror Fraught and bought one of their $19 drills on sale for $16 just to get me by so I could keep hanging TVs.

It was a cheap POS, but it worked. I could quick-charge it with one of my LiPo chargers that had a NiMh function, so I didn't NEED extra batteries. That drill stayed in my bag almost a year, until my wife bought me one of these Kobalt Brushless Drill/Impact Driver combos last Father's Day. Then, a few weeks later, I found some guys on a teardown crew where I was doing a rack & stack; 3 of them sharing one of the HFT drills like my old one. So I dug it out of my trunk and gave it to them, so they could work better.

But if I'd had the money for Makita at the time...? I'd have bought another just like the one that grew legs, no hesitation. That gig paid by the unit, and I know I could've hung enough MORE TVs with the Makita to pay for itself; plus getting to HFT & back cost me a couple hours on top of that while the nearest Homeowner Hell was 5 minutes away. At a guess, I'd say I lost easily 10-15 installs over the week to other crews that I could have done if I hadn't lost my Makita. at $80 a pop, that's not chump change.

Remember too, that time spent in the office shopping for tools has to be accounted for; my base rate is $85/hr, but the nature of my business is that every billable hour has 1-2 hours of support time involved before & after the fact.

mnem


Speaking of standees... 

People that take a workman's tools are shitbags, they are not just stealing the tools but time, money and his very lively hood, they are the lowest form of scum possible.

[Specmaster]

Hi all! Thanks for your positive reactions on my DSOX3034A!
It's still a little bit surrealistic having such an instrument now. Came home from work late yesterday and went straight to my bench to ensure myself it's really there. 

As we're speaking of oscilloscopes:

I fetched my repaired DSPX3034A today and put it on my bench having activated the easter egg screen saver as my nearly first step for a nicer photo.   
[..]
I'll play around with it now...       

Play with the hack ? 

Nope, still waiting for the DSOXLAN-adapter to be delivered.

   Okay... not to be the wag of the channel, but... have you confirmed it's the same serial number and they didn't just exchange it for a Keysight refurb?
Either way, you gambled and won... and definitely have earned The Jammy this week... Eat it in good health!!!

Thanks. I take pride in.. no, not the right dimension.
I'm happy to see the Jammy Git being awarded to next lucky TEA-member soon.   

The scope has the same serial number. But that's not hard to do for Keysight: It's noted on the back of the housing only and of course somewhere in a nonvolatile RAM on the main board Keysight can freely assign as the manufacturer.

I suspect that they indeed just reused the back half of the housing as the display of the repaired scope looks better than the one I sent to them (there was a streak under the display glass that isn't present with my repaired scope).
I just won't find out because I didn't mark the main board nor the front half of the housing. And I won't take it apart because it now has a "varranty void" sticker along with the calibration sticker on it..   

I took some photos unpacking the DSOX3034A and of my first steps.
This is my first original Keysight cardboard package still sealed:


Padding was done with this system of self expanding foam in plastic bags. Protected the scope very well:


It was calibrated on oct, 17th, 2018  ..but has also a seal on it now.    The seal looks nearly damaged already though being untouched by me and otherwise only being transported. 


And here's the info screen and a snapshot of signals from my HP 3325B and my 3335A:


The 3325B has issues being -3dBm off in comparison to my validated 3335A. New output attenuator already here somewhere in my repair queue. I wonder if the output buffer has issues or not... Next rabbit hole.   

That sure is a nice piece of kit you scored there, the stars were lined up for you then, ought to have brought a lottery ticket as well. Jammy Git award was well deserved there, look after it well. 

[tautech]

Hi all! Thanks for your positive reactions on my DSOX3034A!
It's still a little bit surrealistic having such an instrument now. Came home from work late yesterday and went straight to my bench to ensure myself it's really there. 

As we're speaking of oscilloscopes:

I fetched my repaired DSPX3034A today and put it on my bench having activated the easter egg screen saver as my nearly first step for a nicer photo.   
[..]
I'll play around with it now...       

Play with the hack ? 

Nope, still waiting for the DSOXLAN-adapter to be delivered.

Is LAN not standard ?

[Ero-Shan]

What is your opinion on these found on Ebay today, realistic pricing or what?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/QUALITY-Fluke-8842A-Digital-Bench-Multimeter-5-5-Digit-DMM-Digital-MultiMeter/283223234228?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Chauvin-Arnoux-DP25-Differential-Probe/153164711177

650 Pounds for a 5.5 digit meter? That's ridiculously expensive. HP 34401A (6.5 digits) go for 300 or 400 Euro!

Can't say anything about the probe. I have no idea what their usual price is.

[Specmaster]

I have been offered 2 British Watch Timers Ltd., Type W930A scopes and while they are dedicated bits of kit, I just wondered if they had any real value or could be repurposed for anything else?

 

[med6753]

No TEA here for a while. My Mother's health is failing and on Friday morning I'm flying out to Colorado to spend a week out there. Will be having a family pow wow with my 2 brothers to discuss and decide as to what to do when, and if, she gets out of the hospital. This is the 2nd time in less than a month she's been hospitalized and it's clear that she can no longer remain in her home without constant assistance. And assisted living doesn't seem like a good alternative so we may have no choice but to put her in a nursing home. Definitely not fun stuff and something I never wanted to come about but clearly we have to face facts. Really sucks but unfortunately a part of life.

I may be able to check in once in a while but my priority for now will be family.

[Specmaster]

Good luck and hope that may not be necessary and that you mum's health improves sufficiently so that she can living life her way, growing old is no fun I'm afraid. Best of luck, we'll miss you while your away.

[bd139]

@med6753 I’m sure I speak for everyone here as well but my thoughts are with you.

My mother is in the same situation at the moment. Two heart attacks and surgeries so far but she is stubborn as a mule and refuses to change anything though to make her life easier. She did discover amazon prime recently though which is probably a bad thing as she can’t even see the computer screen properly or understand what is going on. Ordered an SSD the other day instead of a book  so I’m going over there on Saturday to organise a return.

Talking of which and this is TEA related, I need to clean the loft out of her house. It has all my old stuff in it. There’s probably some test gear in there too! Certainly there are several boxes of components left at least. I’m hoping the Z80 computer I built in about 1984 is in there. RAM and CPU cost me my Christmas and birthday money.

[Housedad]

I have been offered 2 British Watch Timers Ltd., Type W930A scopes and while they are dedicated bits of kit, I just wondered if they had any real value or could be repurposed for anything else?

Send the 1PPs signal from your GPSDO to it.  It will still be doing what it was made for, checking the timing of a clock, and will look really cool doing it.  Be sure to hook up the sound.

[Specmaster]

I have been offered 2 British Watch Timers Ltd., Type W930A scopes and while they are dedicated bits of kit, I just wondered if they had any real value or could be repurposed for anything else?

Send the 1PPs signal from your GPSDO to it.  It will still be doing what it was made for, checking the timing of a clock, and will look really cool doing it.  Be sure to hook up the sound.

Nah, I declined the offer, although they did come with the special stands and microphones but there is absolutely diddley squat information out there on these devices and they don't come with any manuals either. I don't use any old mechanical watches these days so I'm going to bother with them. They will clog up my house even more and I really need to have a clear out rather than adding more gear in.

[URI]

Hi all! Thanks for your positive reactions on my DSOX3034A!
It's still a little bit surrealistic having such an instrument now. Came home from work late yesterday and went straight to my bench to ensure myself it's really there. 

As we're speaking of oscilloscopes:

I fetched my repaired DSPX3034A today and put it on my bench having activated the easter egg screen saver as my nearly first step for a nicer photo.   
[..]
I'll play around with it now...       

Play with the hack ? 

Nope, still waiting for the DSOXLAN-adapter to be delivered.

Is LAN not standard ?

Nope.

But has been delivered as I can see in the tracking information. Will fetch it after work.   

[med6753]

@med6753 I’m sure I speak for everyone here as well but my thoughts are with you.

Thanks, I really appreciate it. Luckily my Mother has come to realize that her failing health is affecting her ability to get around and to live alone. For example, 2 years ago she came to the conclusion that due to her eyesight she could not longer drive. She came to that decision on her own without any prodding from us boys. My youngest brother lives 2 blocks away so it fell upon him to drive her around for errands, doctor's appointments, etc. It wasn't too bad until recently when her health suddenly took a downward spiral and it's fallen more and more upon my brother to keep things afloat. I live in New York and my other brother in North Carolina so the only thing we can do is provide moral support. That's not cutting it anymore so both of us are coming out to try to help out and decide what to do.

I haven't been out there in almost a year so I think I better prepare myself for the shock of what I might see. I dread it but it's gotta be done. In happier times last November at Thanksgiving I was there and for the first time the woman was able to get time off from the NYPD and come out with me. I took her up to Estes Park which is at the gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park. It's also the location of the Stanley Hotel which was the setting for the movie "The Shining". Her reaction to seeing the Rocky Mountains for the first time? "Yea, OK".  You just can't impress city girls.