What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!

[tautech]

More scopes, just 8 this time, an AWG, 4 PSU's, a 12ch scanner card bench meter not stocked, a dozen various scope probes, some differential probes and a 200A current probe.

[beanflying]

Hi,

Arrived yesterday:


A set of ten 36 inch leads, stacking banana plug to grabber. These are fairly heavy-duty, 18 awg wire rated at 4A. I have purchased the 18 inch version about 7 years ago and they are still good and used frequently.

Not cheap, but probably good value.

link: https://e-z-hook.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/601W.pdf

Regards,
Jay_Diddy_B

Nice Range of bits and the costs are not to bad https://e-z-hook.com/ Shame they won't be finding there way downunder while they think this postage charge is remotely fair the other options were more than this

[Jay_Diddy_B]

Nice Range of bits and the costs are not to bad https://e-z-hook.com/ Shame they won't be finding there way downunder while they think this postage charge is remotely fair the other options were more than this

Beanflying,

Take a look at 601W series. These are available from Digikey.com.au  If you buy 8 pieces you get free shipping.
The 601W is the same grabber as the 201W, the banana plug is different.



No connection, a very satisfied customer ...

Jay_Diddy_B

[beanflying]

YouTube recommended video late night recommendation. Seems Potentially really really Dangerous and it was really really cheap and Bangemgood added free Respirator & Goggles as a sweetner also all the bits were in Oz so only a few days away. 

Cheapest option with the least safety  https://www.banggood.com/4-Inch-800W-Electric-Chain-Saw-Handheld-Logging-Saws-For-Makita-18V-21V-Battery-p-1784777.html?cur_warehouse=USA&ID=6287830&rmmds=category

30 second reportage - winner winner chicken dinner  Had a neighbors tree drop over the fence and take aim at the Lemon tree so under 1/2 a 5Ah battery for this lot including some cuts to bar length plus a bit. Zero instructions in the box but a bit of oil on the chain and bar and tweaked to appropriate tension and let it rip. Thermal cutout on the motor is both a good thing and a PITA but it keeps the coffee breaks regular. $25 well spent and will make it really easy and much safer to come back with a real saw for the heavy work.

[DrG]

YouTube recommended video late night recommendation. Seems Potentially really really Dangerous and it was really really cheap and Bangemgood added free Respirator & Goggles as a sweetner also all the bits were in Oz so only a few days away. 

Cheapest option with the least safety  https://www.banggood.com/4-Inch-800W-Electric-Chain-Saw-Handheld-Logging-Saws-For-Makita-18V-21V-Battery-p-1784777.html?cur_warehouse=USA&ID=6287830&rmmds=category

30 second reportage - winner winner chicken dinner  Had a neighbors tree drop over the fence and take aim at the Lemon tree so under 1/2 a 5Ah battery for this lot including some cuts to bar length plus a bit. Zero instructions in the box but a bit of oil on the chain and bar and tweaked to appropriate tension and let it rip. Thermal cutout on the motor is both a good thing and a PITA but it keeps the coffee breaks regular. $25 well spent and will make it really easy and much safer to come back with a real saw for the heavy work.

I'm amazed! I have seen many of these advertised, as well as the table saws, and just scratched my head with my "thinking" brain overruling my "wanting" brain to avoid pulling the trigger [how could anything that cheap really work?], but...there it is...what is the diameter of the largest trunk and how long did it take, including heat-induced breaks?

[beanflying]

Now into 2 minute teardown territory. Sort of lucky as QC is up to the $25 level too. Solderer #157 waved their tip near it at least 

Wiring is 'sensible' for the current, flux ring on the Mabuchi540/Clone is nice to see as it generally bumps the efficiency and the torque.

Thermal cutoff isn't an issue with the light trimming and only kicked in after 5 or 6 larger branches. If I was keen I would have broken out the pruning saw and kept going but coffee is important  Compared to even a pruning saw the ability up a ladder to keep your body still and supported by one hand is the safety win. Last up the ladder lopping I did with a little Stihl 011 was way more sketchy.

Re cheap table saws just DONT unless you want to be called Lefty Buy a cheap Tracksaw instead way safer and way more useful.

EDIT: Ready for the big boy chainsaw now. This lot was just over one batteries worth of ergs and 3-4 coffees   

[TMM]

Picked up this thing to satisfy my urge to work on some valves/tubes. AWA R7077 beat frequency oscillator. Basically two 100kHz oscillators (one variable 87-100kHz), a mixer and an audio amplifier in a box which gives you a 10Hz-13kHz sine wave output.
First pic as it was listed - doesn't look too dirty here but it was filthy. Probably stopped working 20+ years ago and has lived in someone's garage ever since.

Gave it good clean, replaced the line cord, some crusty internal wiring, a few resistors conducting less electrons than they should and a few capacitors conducting too many - kept original components where they weren't too far off value or where their leakage wouldn't cause a valve's bias to increase. The resistors in series with the rectifier and most of the resistors on the plates were burnt out, presumably because leaky caps were causing everything to bias too high. Someone has had a go replacing some of the resistors, otherwise everything including the valves are original as far as I can tell. Made in Australia circa 1944

[chickenHeadKnob]

Re cheap table saws just DONT unless you want to be called Lefty Buy a cheap Tracksaw instead way safer and way more useful.

My first exposure to table saws when I was a teen had me thinking that way but now I have made my peace with them. Over the subsequent decades I gained enough proficiency by learning how to use roller exit feed extensions and the fences to tame the worst flaws of the saw type. I see track saws (which I like) as an adjunct. If I am home making cabinets the compact makita table saw I now have is still my go to primary tool.

If I compared the portable makita  to a professional grade fullsize heavyweight table saw I have used  my toy comes off a poor second, but that just means the operator needs a bit more skill  to get good results.

[beanflying]

I suspect the table Saws being referred to were another level of 'quality' down again. The Circa $100 AUD ($70USD) and below stuff has no exit feeds and in most cases no riving knife or splitter.



This one is our local bottom of the barrel big box ones 2000W and as flimsy as all get out on the sides tables for circa $150USD equivalent. Same importer/brand imports a very capable Tracksaw for the same $.

[DrG]

There was a thread on cheap table saws for pcb cutting https://www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews/mini-table-saw-for-pcb-cutting-worth-buying-from-china/msg3591261/?topicseen;PHPSESSID=9dqtv92nl0abpi60hpes6e5vm7#msg3591261

That got me wondering and wandering around and saw this:


I believe that is the model here - for US$110 https://www.banggood.com/Raitool-T4-Mini-Table-Saws-Wood-Working-Bench-Lathe-Electric-Polisher-Grinder-DIY-Model-Cutting-Saw-p-1190146.html?rmmds=product_topselling&cur_warehouse=USA&act_poa=SKU746927

I don't need one but that price makes me wonder if it is just suitable for very light duty or just junky - I really do not know.

[beanflying]

Last of my EOFY toy buy up arrived. Call me really happy given I swore off cheap cordless tools back in the NiCad era when Ryobi and a bunch of them really really sucked.

Really Cheap and cheerful Chinese 18Ga bradder/stapler. Simply couldn't justify the $ for a Makita or similar. The 'sample' brads and staples went in the bin as they were horrid and rough (likely to jamb) and fed with some better grade 30mm long brads no problem when dialed in for depth. eBay auction: #131056994361

Won't be rushing out to jump ship from Makita but a pleasant surprise.

[TerraHertz]

Some glue & stuff. Mostly for an attempt to fudge a replacement HP front panel power button. See https://www.eevblog.com/forum/repair/hp-3326a-two-channel-synthesizer-repair/
I found another button on something else that is the right size. I don't want to sacrifice it, so will try using it as a molding master. To end up with a cast duplicate. Going to be an experiment.

Can anyone recommend a two-part epoxy casting material, that is low viscosity when liquid, sets hard, and can be spray painted?
And a good mold release coating. Spray silicone?

Also some pics related to the bench saws mentions above.
I find my most useful saw is the slide saw in pic 3. It probably has a better name. The bit of plywood and clamped-on rear guide allow using G-clamps and bits of wood as hold-downs when cutting smallish bits of metal. NEVER hold small obects with fingers to cut it with one of these. They can rotate and jam the blade. You wouldn't believe how violent and sudden that can be. (Experience!)
This is for cutting soft stuff - wood, aluminium, brass, and some plastics.
Yes, I do have the safety shield clipped up out of the way. It's annoying, and I'm happy to rely on just never putting my hands anywhere near while the blade is rotating.

For a table saw and router table, I improvised. Bought a cheap hand/plunge router, and the cheapest hand circular saw I could find. (It was VERY cheap.) Fitted them to sheets of laminex coated particle board (that I'd found for free), with some back-reinforcing beams. Use milk crates as a base. Two or four crates depending on how high you want the work surface. I made one control box with an on/off switch and emergency stop button. It clips onto whichever table I'm using. It's rare to need both tables at once.
I have one planed-straight bit of wood that I clamp onto either table as a slide backing.
Overall these take up little space when not in use, and the G-clamps, crates and back-slide all get used elsewhere.
Mostly I set these up out on the lawn when I need to use them. They make a LOT of dust, and my 'really messy stuff' workshop is still unfinished (but progressing.)

Btw, with table saws and routers, ALWAYS use two sacrificial pusher sticks to steer and push the wood you are cutting. Never fingers. Cut the ends of the sticks to V-shapes so they can grip on workpiece edges.

[beanflying]

Last lot of Epoxy I brought for some casting came from these guys eBay auction: #143806513270 also consider colouring the resin close to the final colour then painting. They also have molding Silicone and mold release. Should still be a few local bricks and mortar stores around Sydney depending on where you are if you take a look.

Some good sleds on Saws help keep the pinkies out too along with push sticks blocks and feather boards. This one is a bandsaw sled (14" 1.5kW) for cutting 2020 Aluminium or thin timber/plastic strips.

[tautech]

Some good sleds on Saws help keep the pinkies out too along with push sticks blocks and feather boards.

Yep push sticks and featherboards save fingers and are so simple to make that one needs a kick in the arse when choosing not to use one. 
A real must have in any woodworking shop.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Featherboard

[TerraHertz]

A HP 6623A triple output system power supply.
'Bought' in the sense that it was free ( https://www.eevblog.com/forum/buysellwanted/fs-hp-6623a-triple-output-system-power-supply-free-seems-to-work-okay/ )  but the related cost was US$450.
  ( $53  US postage, $348  Airfreight, reshipper fees,  and Australian GST on those, $49  Original service manual )

It arrived today. Works, and is very nice! Thanks iroc86 !

I think I know the general cause of the mystery 'error on channel 1'. I have a rule to ALWAYS open stuff up to inspect and clean before powering on. Learnt that lesson after A PC I'd picked up seemed to work OK despite a lot of dust. Left it on overnight thinking I'd clean it later. It was dead the next morning and had tripped the mains circuit breaker. VERY dead - a dust bunny in the PSU had caused a main cap HV DC arcover to the frame, and killed the motherboard.

Anyway this HP unit was very dusty inside. An amount of dust that can cause strange faults on PCBs due to leakage paths.
Didn't try turning it on till after cleaning. Everything I've tried works, and no errors yet.

One minor thing - each of the three supply boards has three RIFA caps near the output terminals. So they are probably only subjected to low voltages. But still... They are starting to show a little of the typical cracking of the shell. To avoid sleepless nights I will replace them all. That will also allow for really cleaning the boards too, not just blowing with compressed air and a superfiicial light brush dusting.

[thm_w]

MX-5200, thanks to SDG. Just needs a new power switch.

Interesting construction, every little thing glued down with white silicone, except for... the three huge inductors that could rattle and hit into the metal case

[luiHS]

It's been a month now, but I had to spend quite a bit of money to buy a large number of ARM Cortex M7 32-bit microcontrollers to be able to work at least this year, given the total shortage of electronic components that could last until at least 2022.

At this moment there is practically no stock of anything in Europe, and I think not in China and the rest of the world either. The chipageddon.

[TerraHertz]

A pile of old equipment manuals, HP App notes, Tek 'measurement concept series', and one small book.

[Mortymore]

A couple of 25w Russian potentiometers.



A new addition to my mini meters collection, a Dual J/K Thermometer, Uni-T UT320D

[Ground_Loop]

I have never purchased a new instrument for myself.  My bench is populated with ancient EBay instruments that generally required some form of maintenance before being usable.  One of those instruments is a HP 3457A multimeter that I had professionally calibrated at my local Tek cal lab.  While poking around a piece of equipment the input low lead hit mains hot releasing the dreaded smoke from my 3457.  Now having a gut feeling for what just happened and understanding the slim probability of successfully repairing my best bench meter I made a snap decision to finally get a quality, new multimeter.  Nonetheless, while waiting for the new meter to arrive I thought I would have a look at the 3457.  I immediately found 5 traces burned open and repaired those.  Continuing on I found 4 diodes shorted, a fuse open, and a shorted opamp.  I replaced all those and the meter fired up without complaint.  The self-test and calibration passed, and readings are still spot on.  In the mean time I have a brand new meter headed my way and it just arrived today to take a front and center position on my bench.  Now I don't need to break out the Fluke for diode and continuity checks any more.  Which is nice.

[DrG]

Not a new purchase, a new gift, but I don't have it yet. Hopefully, there is no change of mind. I checked this out and it is absolutely amazing. Blaupunkt Ideal,: Barcelona 2340 - 1956/57. The care and design and functionality - astounding! The schematic is still inside and it works very well! I don't know squadoosh about old radio restoration, but this thing blows me away. Sheesh!

[rsjsouza]

Nice radio, DrG! The service manual is shown below:
https://elektrotanya.com/blaupunkt_2340_barcelona_s-n_am-fm_receiver_sch.pdf/download.html

A few weeks ago I got a nice one which, although not as pristine as yours, it is still a nice radio: a Philips 614B

The quirk with the radio I got is that it has a complete different circuit than what is shown in the schematics and service information around the web. It was either a variant from the factory (it certainly seems very authentic and old) or was a retrofit to use mains power (the original was a battery radio).

My unit uses 100mA heater "U" series valves (2 × UCH4, UBL1, UY1N) and the information around the web uses 1.4V heater "D" series (DK21, DF21, DAC21, DL21).

[DrG]

Nice radio, DrG! The service manual is shown below:
https://elektrotanya.com/blaupunkt_2340_barcelona_s-n_am-fm_receiver_sch.pdf/download.html

A few weeks ago I got a nice one which, although not as pristine as yours, it is still a nice radio: a Philips 614B

The quirk with the radio I got is that it has a complete different circuit than what is shown in the schematics and service information around the web. It was either a variant from the factory (it certainly seems very authentic and old) or was a retrofit to use mains power (the original was a battery radio).

My unit uses 100mA heater "U" series valves (2 × UCH4, UBL1, UY1N) and the information around the web uses 1.4V heater "D" series (DK21, DF21, DAC21, DL21).

I have only glanced it (inside and out) but the number of speakers (5), the band pass stuff, the point-to-point wiring, the "gauges" the planing (output jacks for several device to use the amplifier) - it just amazes me.

I think that this is a relatively common model, but I am thinking pretty high end. There is a lot on it and I appreciate the link.

I looked yours up and it is quite nice. In my case, the whole conversation started because he saw an AM/FM/SW radio (Si4844) that i built on a breadboard, where it remains. I mused that I always wanted to find an old radio cabinet and install it inside (sacrilege to some)...he said he knew of one that was being tossed. Well, that unit is far too nice, too large and works well - I would never do that - I meant a small blown one. But, I am happy if it works out!

Again, I hope there is no change of mind.

[ChuckDarwin]

@thm_w, You are likely good with the big inductors. The half dozen MX-5x00 I have had open all had the inductors gooed, one by someone who was very, very, very concerned about vibration, or just angry that day .  Top town it is usually not visible.  Nice machines.

[rsjsouza]

I think that this is a relatively common model, but I am thinking pretty high end. There is a lot on it and I appreciate the link.

That is quite a good looking and high end radio indeed. I hope you get it.