Author Topic: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!  (Read 2755483 times)

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Offline Kilrah

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #8925 on: October 25, 2019, 04:16:44 pm »
Built my nixie tube audio spectrum analyzer kit: https://www.nixiekits.eu/product.php?key=nixielyzer
Had backed on Kickstarter and it arrived last week.

Looks awesome :)

« Last Edit: October 25, 2019, 04:20:36 pm by Kilrah »
 
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Offline TheHolyHorse

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #8926 on: October 25, 2019, 05:56:42 pm »
Now you got me intrigued, I might do the same. yeah, cheap Chinese solder wires are not the best for the serious stuff. :-+

Never cheap out on solder wick and flux too!, speaking of which...

Bit of a tool haul from China, the wick was only a couple bucks and I was expecting it to be fake but I think it's the real deal.  ^-^

I also ordered some connector pliers from Japan, the KTC AD101. I'm just sick and tired of busting my fingers unplugging connectors that haven't been touched for 25 years, so I'm hoping this tool works well. It's like 80 dollarydoos so not a cheap one!
I've been getting by using normal needlenose pliers and slipping in a screwdriver to undo the "locks" but sometimes when you're upside down head first in a footwell trying to unplug the blower fan on an air-conditioning unit in a 1993 Toyota Supra because the heater core is leaking...yeah...I'll gladly pay $1000 for some damn pliers that work.

Those self locking pliers are a joy to use, got a pair at work and love em. :-+
 

Offline TheHolyHorse

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #8927 on: October 25, 2019, 05:59:38 pm »
Got the scope up and running. 861154-0
 

Offline Johnny10

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #8928 on: October 25, 2019, 07:14:29 pm »
HP 8568B !

Traded time for a spectrum analyzer in very good shape.

Was also surprised my HP209A Oscillator had such clean output.
Tektronix TDS7104, DMM4050, HP 3561A, HP 35665, Tek 2465A, HP8903B, DSA602A, Tek 7854, 7834, HP3457A, Tek 575, 576, 577 Curve Tracers, Datron 4000, Datron 4000A, DOS4EVER uTracer, HP5335A, EIP534B 20GHz Frequency Counter, TrueTime Rubidium, Sencore LC102, Tek TG506, TG501, SG503, HP 8568B
 

Offline Terry01

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #8929 on: October 25, 2019, 10:29:27 pm »
Built my nixie tube audio spectrum analyzer kit: https://www.nixiekits.eu/product.php?key=nixielyzer
Had backed on Kickstarter and it arrived last week.

Looks awesome :)

(Attachment Link)

Now that is cool buddy! Real nice!  :-+
Sparks and Smoke means i'm nearly there!
 

Offline johnh

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #8930 on: October 26, 2019, 06:37:22 am »
Bought a new Goot solder sucker from Jaycar to replace the old one that died.

The circular lock ring had been broken for while, but it was still working fine.
Then something came loose as I was depressing the plunger and pinged across room, never found it.



 

Offline tautech

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #8931 on: October 26, 2019, 07:30:26 am »
Then something came loose as I was depressing the plunger and pinged across room, never found it.
Yes the E clip breaks from the continual pounding when you press the release button.
When mine broke I didn't have an E clip of the right size so I just twisted some 1.6mm soft steel wire into the groove and it's still there many years later.  :)
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Online Ed.Kloonk

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #8932 on: October 27, 2019, 07:56:53 pm »


It looks like a nice meter at first. But trying to work out where 12v is on the scale gets annoying fast.

iratus parum formica
 

Offline Cubdriver

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #8933 on: October 27, 2019, 08:01:17 pm »


It looks like a nice meter at first. But trying to work out where 12v is on the scale gets annoying fast.

Yeah, that 15V scale isn't exactly 'user friendly', is it?

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

Online McBryce

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #8934 on: October 27, 2019, 08:34:47 pm »


It looks like a nice meter at first. But trying to work out where 12v is on the scale gets annoying fast.


Open it up and make a red mark at the 12V point. I did that with my first analogue meter, way back when. It made life a lot easier.


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Online Ed.Kloonk

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #8935 on: October 27, 2019, 08:36:22 pm »

Yeah, that 15V scale isn't exactly 'user friendly', is it?

-Pat
It's distracting. I can't think of any simple way I could mess with it to make it better. Reprint the scale maybe?

iratus parum formica
 

Online Ed.Kloonk

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #8936 on: October 27, 2019, 08:39:36 pm »


Open it up and make a red mark at the 12V point. I did that with my first analogue meter, way back when. It made life a lot easier.


McBryce.

I thought about that. But it just seems criminal to vandalize an otherwise fine-looking meter.

And there's no screws so it's not easy to open, either. Well, anything is easy to open...

iratus parum formica
 

Offline vk6zgo

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #8937 on: October 28, 2019, 07:08:04 am »

Yeah, that 15V scale isn't exactly 'user friendly', is it?

-Pat
It's distracting. I can't think of any simple way I could mess with it to make it better. Reprint the scale maybe?

Ooh, we do like to be spoon-fed, don't we? :palm:

12V is 2.4 on the bottom scale.
 

Online Ed.Kloonk

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #8938 on: October 28, 2019, 07:16:21 am »

Yeah, that 15V scale isn't exactly 'user friendly', is it?

-Pat
It's distracting. I can't think of any simple way I could mess with it to make it better. Reprint the scale maybe?

Ooh, we do like to be spoon-fed, don't we? :palm:

12V is 2.4 on the bottom scale.

 ;D
iratus parum formica
 

Offline Mortymore

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #8939 on: October 28, 2019, 11:10:14 am »
Each division equals 0.5v on the top scale

Not hard to read, but not immediate either.

Offline TheSteve

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #8940 on: October 30, 2019, 03:50:42 am »
Finally got an HP (Symmetricom) 58503B GPSDO with opt 001(VFD display). It has been fully recapped and has just over 7 years on the clock. Performing extremely well so far. It sits nicely on the 58502A distribution amplifier.


VE7FM
 
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Offline Cubdriver

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #8941 on: October 30, 2019, 05:00:49 am »
Sweet!  I've been half-heartedly looking for one of those, but thus far all I've seen have been going for more than I'm inclined to spend.  ...some day...  Nice piece of kit!

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

Offline Black Phoenix

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #8942 on: October 30, 2019, 05:18:27 am »
Finally got an HP (Symmetricom) 58503B GPSDO with opt 001(VFD display). It has been fully recapped and has just over 7 years on the clock. Performing extremely well so far. It sits nicely on the 58502A distribution amplifier.




So if you remove the sticker who says Symmetricom under it it would be HP right?

Another thing, since i never used that equipment, what is the meaning of the sphere on the bottom right with the different colours? Position of the satellite constellation and their respective signal strength?

Or how many different satellite signals the equipment is receiving? So that's why the up corner of the sphere is currently empty, because it can't receive?

Sorry for the noob questions.
 

Offline TheSteve

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #8943 on: October 30, 2019, 06:22:17 pm »
Finally got an HP (Symmetricom) 58503B GPSDO with opt 001(VFD display). It has been fully recapped and has just over 7 years on the clock. Performing extremely well so far. It sits nicely on the 58502A distribution amplifier.

So if you remove the sticker who says Symmetricom under it it would be HP right?

Another thing, since i never used that equipment, what is the meaning of the sphere on the bottom right with the different colours? Position of the satellite constellation and their respective signal strength?

Or how many different satellite signals the equipment is receiving? So that's why the up corner of the sphere is currently empty, because it can't receive?

Sorry for the noob questions.

Yes, it does say Hewlett Packard under the Symmetricom label(and I am very tempted to peel it off).
The sphere in the bottom right of Lady Heather shows the signal strength(indicated by color) of the satellites over time at the antenna location. There is a hole to the north because I'm in the northern hemisphere and there are no GPS satellites over the poles. If you were below the equator you'd have the hole without signals to the south of you.
At the time this screenshot was taken the GPS receiver is receiving and using 8 satellites, the GPS antenna is mounted outside on an antenna tower.
Lady Heather is an amazing program that supports a vast array of GPSDO's, it is worth checking out if you have one.
VE7FM
 
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Offline TheSteve

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #8944 on: October 30, 2019, 06:24:57 pm »
Sweet!  I've been half-heartedly looking for one of those, but thus far all I've seen have been going for more than I'm inclined to spend.  ...some day...  Nice piece of kit!

-Pat

I highly recommend one if you can find it for a reasonable price. The VFD and entire front panel are from the 5313x series of frequency counters. However the entire inside front panel was sprayed with conductive shielding paint, I don't recall seeing that on the frequency counters I have taken apart.
VE7FM
 

Online xrunner

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #8945 on: October 30, 2019, 07:05:05 pm »
Lady Heather is an amazing program that supports a vast array of GPSDO's, it is worth checking out if you have one.

Thanks for the mention of Lady Heather. After a few fits  :box: I got it working on my setup.  :-+
I told my friends I could teach them to be funny, but they all just laughed at me.
 

Offline FrankBuss

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #8946 on: October 30, 2019, 09:13:54 pm »
I got a few YM2151 today, EUR 5 per chip. Finally I could test my board with it:



I got some fake YM2151 last week, about EUR 1 per chip, refund request sent. I guess if the price is too good to be true, then I shouldn't buy it.
So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish
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Offline Kjelt

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #8947 on: October 31, 2019, 12:08:47 pm »
I got a few YM2151 today, EUR 5 per chip. Finally I could test my board with it:
Is there a topic about this ?
Are you going to build your own 128 voice poly synth with it or ?
 

Offline FrankBuss

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #8948 on: October 31, 2019, 12:19:45 pm »
No, there is no topic here for it. I posted more details about it in a Facebook group about the upcoming Commander X16 (I think you need to be member of the group to see it)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/CommanderX16/permalink/536904327060666/

This computer will probably use the YM2151 as one of two sound chips. I already implemented a software emulation for it in the Commander X16 emulator, thought it would be fun to compare it with the real chip. I probably will only populate the 10 boards I have and give it away to friends (I got already 2 requests), and sell the rest, I don't plan to build something big with it. It has an integrated SAMD21, which can be programmed over USB with the Arduino IDE, and which was another reason for me to build it, to have a reusable SAMD21 circuit component with USB and Arduino for other projects, and it can be connected to the expansion port of a Commodore 64 and used from there. But probably not worth the trouble to build more of it, with the uncertainty to get enough working YM2151 chips for it.
So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish
Electronics, hiking, retro-computing, electronic music etc.: https://www.youtube.com/c/FrankBussProgrammer
 
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Online McBryce

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #8949 on: October 31, 2019, 12:27:57 pm »
Nice to see someone bringing an alternative sound chip to the C64 instead of just claiming that the SID rules them all.

McBryce.
30 Years making cars more difficult to repair.
 


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