What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!

[Red Squirrel]

I seem to have a thing for AC transformers lately, picked this up at the post office today (it was funny to see their reaction when they picked up that heavy box.  ).  Ebay purchase:



1500va and steps up to 480 depending on winding config.  It's to provide isolation when working on mains stuff, figured I'd go all out in case I decide to get into high power SMPSes and I can actually do a high load test if I want to.  What I want to do is combine this with the variac I bought earlier and build a big AC power supply. Probably in a 4U rackmount form factor and make it look retro with some panel meters and stuff.  To control the variac I'd probably look at playing with a stepper motor and belt drive or something.  I would probably rarely go much higher than 120v but the extra voltage would be available if I decide to go photonicinduction on something.   

This transformer has a nice hum to it too. When hooked up to the variac the hum intensifies as I bring the voltage up.  I can play with that knob all day. 

[Specmaster]

Received a Racal 2202R today and after preparing space to accommodate it found it's longer than expected. Doh! I thought it had the same dimensions as the 1998     Oh well, more re-adjustments required.

This is the Rb version and it provides a 10MHz reference output which I will use to sync the 1998, SDG1025, and the Tek scope so they play together nicely. That's the plan anyway. In this photo the gear has been powered up for 30min, the SDG1025 is using its internal reference (an upgraded TCXO).

Edit: Ok, fully warmed up now I should think after 3 hours. The SDG1025 is using the external 10MHz reference provided by the 2202, it is outputting 20MHz back to the 2202 (which reads 20 MHz exactly - hardly surprising), the 1998 reads a little under @ 19.999,999,7MHz (using its internal OCXO), while the cheap Chinese 8-digit counter is reading 20.000,001 MHz (amazingly accurate for an £8 counter).

Yep, those cheap chinese counters are very impressive, mine is equally as close to the frequency displayed on my main proper frequency counter, just not as sensitive though.

[Urs42]

I go a broken CityEL/MiniEL from an auction, i did only pay about 600 USD for it. I only had to replace one microswitch to get it to drive again. I need some new lifepo4 cells because one of the old cells does have a to high internal resistance, i can't drive up the hill in front of my house because the voltage drops below the cutoff voltage of 2.5V on that cell and the BMS shuts everything down, which is not too funny on steep road 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CityEl

[AF6LJ]

That's a cute little car.

[cdev]

Interesting way to use ribbon cable! 

Also, I've never seen that car before, not just here in the US, anywhere. Good luck with it, that's just a great deal, seems like you may just need one new battery or perhaps even just to remove it to  get it running.

[sleemanj]

Love the CityEl, right up my alley, unfortunately I bet the NZ Transport Authority would not remotely be interested in allowing something like that on the road here, I don't think even Renault got any Twizy road legal (they had a couple of demonstrator models for carpark/track drives but that was it).  I have to make do with my Daihatsu Midget II as the most obscure micro vehicle I could find, still it does come in handy, not many single seaters you can use to move house or take a load to the dump.

[Urs42]

The CityEl is street legal here, it is classified as motorcycle but you need a car dirvers license to drive it. The good thing is that nobody at the motor vehicle inspection station knows how a such exotic vheicle should look, and i guess that they do not know much about electric vehicles.

They will only look for stuff like brakes and lights...

[bitseeker]

That's a cool EV, Urs42. First time I've seen one, too. Sounds like you got a great deal.

[Digby]

Bought a Rigol DS1054Z scope.

[VK5RC]

Yes, and the time I live longer I spend collecting dogpoop. 

The time spent in collecting dogpoop counts as exercise which will increase your lifetime 

So you can collect even more dog poop, says the owner of 2 dogs myself 

Griffin was Airedale number 3 in our household, our garden is growing really well!

[Rbastler]

Bought some new tables, because the Ikea ones are bending. Not surprising, because they are made of thin wood and cardboard....I should've done more research before I bought the Ikea ones.
And also I got a new antistatic desk mat.

Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk

[Mr. Scram]

Bought some new tables, because the Ikea ones are bending. Not surprising, because they are made of thin wood and cardboard....I should've done more research before I bought the Ikea ones.
And also I got a new antistatic desk mat.

Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk

Yeah, the cheaper stuff tends to do that. The somewhat more expensive stuff is a lot better.

[tablatronix]

replacement panels for my instek sfg 2010, was bought with damage.

[Cubdriver]

Bought some new tables, because the Ikea ones are bending. Not surprising, because they are made of thin wood and cardboard....I should've done more research before I bought the Ikea ones.
And also I got a new antistatic desk mat.

Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk

Yeah, the cheaper stuff tends to do that. The somewhat more expensive stuff is a lot better.

Yup.  Learned long ago - buy once, cry once.  Often turns out to be cheaper in the long run.

-Pat

[bitseeker]

And less painful.

[Mr. Scram]

Yup.  Learned long ago - buy once, cry once.  Often turns out to be cheaper in the long run.

-Pat

Yes. People tend to think of Ikea as selling crappy furniture, but that's because they only buy the cheapest stuff. Some of their slightly more expensive stuff is quite nice and good value for money. You can spend a lot more and end up with a lot worse.

[Mr. Scram]

replacement panels for my instek sfg 2010, was bought with damage.

Did you get that from GW-Instek directly?

[jonovid]

a analog video 5.8 GHz 16 channal AV sender/receiver pair.   Chinese
all is good at fire up, but
one of the pair of (AC to 5 volt DC ) plug-pack's failed 10 minutes after power up with a pop! no signs of smoke on the pcb 
the AV sender sill works over 10 meters ok    with a new 6 volt input from the bench.

[HighVoltage]

I have a good day today, and once in a while, we can get lucky on ebay Germany.

Lots of stuff from one single ebay auction for 57 Euro.
Many new low thermal original MC test cables in there.
Almost everything new and unused.

[Specmaster]

Wow, that really is a good haul for just 57 euros, well done lucky sir.

[McBryce]

Nice haul, it would have cost you a bit more if I had spotted it on ebay

McBryce.

[BU508A]

Lots of stuff from one single ebay auction for 57 Euro.
Many new low thermal original MC test cables in there.
Almost everything new and unused.

Happy tinkering. 

[blueskull]

A microscope camera (body with AF and passive lens set) from Shenzhen HQB, for 3450 CNY.

[Cubdriver]

I have a good day today, and once in a while, we can get lucky on ebay Germany.

Lots of stuff from one single ebay auction for 57 Euro.
Many new low thermal original MC test cables in there.
Almost everything new and unused.

So....  Do you currently have the proper crimper for the wire ferrules, or do you now have justification to buy a proper crimper for the wire ferrules?   



 

-Pat

[HighVoltage]

Nice haul, it would have cost you a bit more if I had spotted it on ebay

McBryce.

My sniper was set to 70 Euro.
So, it would have been yours for 71

I guess I was lucky, usually these "collections" go much higher.

So....  Do you currently have the proper crimper for the wire ferrules, or do you now have justification to buy a proper crimper for the wire ferrules?   



 

-Pat

The ferrules I was not much interested in, since I have plenty already.
And yes, I must admit, I have already more than one ferrule crimper.