What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!

[mendip_discovery]

After a few weeks of travelling a parcel from @doktor pyta arrived today.

However, I did have a lol moment when I opened the packaging...


A few bits missing but hopefully I can get this working soon so I can play with the various things I would like to measure here.

[artag]

A few hours and a couple of shorted caps later :


Now, where do I find some paper ?

[McBryce]

A few hours and a couple of shorted caps later :
(Attachment Link)

Now, where do I find some paper ?

A roll of suitably sized cash register paper perhaps?

McBryce.

[artag]

A roll of suitably sized cash register paper perhaps?

McBryce.

Yes, likely a start.
Though I think it's supposed to have index markings. @TexasPyro has some notes about it elsewhere.

The trace is rather misshapen but that's with no test cable and two power filter capacitors missing from the supply to the output driver. It should improve when they're replaced. The intensity variation is due to the camera shutter.

[Wallace Gasiewicz]

A Wild Guess........Maybe find some old Medical ECG paper.  The old ECG single trace machines had rolls of paper about the size I  see in your photo.

[Jay_Diddy_B]

Now, where do I find some paper ?

https://w140.com/tekwiki/images/e/eb/070-5160-00.pdf

The last two pages contain the Tektronix part numbers of the paper.

From reading the manual, the paper is:

1) Thermal Paper
2) It is print with a grid
3) It has sprocket holes to drive the paper.

I think you are looking for 006-1658-01 (one roll) or 006-1658-02 (100 rolls) 


Regards,
Jay_Diddy_B

[RAPo]

I've bought a Farnell TOPS 2.
(TOPS = triple output power supply).

[Alex Eisenhut]

Picked up a random-looking project box with a DC 0-12V voltmeter movement and AC cord while thrifting. I couldn't open it in store but applying my "hardness and weight figure of merit" (if it's heavy and hard it's likely valuable) I bought it. 12$.
Inside is a Hammond 120V to 18V CT 5A transformer that still sells for around 50$. It's perfectly fine for me, one half of the secondary is 9VAC, perfect for a Commodore 64 or VIC-20.
And the movement works well.

The next store had a weird Lacie DVD duplicator in a box, also 12$. Also heavy and hard! There's no information about the specific model but it works very simply. Just put in a blank in the bottom drive, close, put in the source in the top drive, close it, and it just does its thing and pops out both trays when done.

Inside is a Spartan XC3S250 FPGA board glued to one drive and PATA cable to the other drive.

It reminded me of the Fast Hack'em program on the C64, with two drives it would program each drive to work as a tag-team disk duplicator that didn't need the 64 in the loop and worked the same way. Hilarious!

Did I need any of this? Noooooooooooooooo!

[gamalot]

Just ordered this FNIRSI tweezers on Taobao, based on past experience it should arrive within two weeks.

---

Update: I saw some very negative reviews about this tweezers on a Chinese electronics forum, I will do a test once I get it.

[Zucca]

Just ordered this FNIRSI tweezers on Taobao, based on past experience it should arrive within two weeks.

---

Update: I saw some very negative reviews about this tweezers on a Chinese electronics forum, I will do a test once I get it.

https://shannontweezers.top/

very happy with them.

[RAPo]

The Farnell T.O.P.S. 2 arrived.

[gamalot]

I gave my 11 year old son a cheap rollerball pen the other day (from a Chinese seller from whom I bought Belden RF cables), and he told me it was the best pen he had ever used, so I bought him 6 dozen. 

[shapirus]

I gave my 11 year old son a cheap rollerball pen the other day (from a Chinese seller from whom I bought Belden RF cables), and he told me it was the best pen he had ever used, so I bought him 6 dozen. 

This is funny. One of the absolute best pens I have ever had came as a gift included with my cheap handheld JDS6052 scope bought on Aliexpress

[paulca]

I gave my 11 year old son a cheap rollerball pen the other day (from a Chinese seller from whom I bought Belden RF cables), and he told me it was the best pen he had ever used, so I bought him 6 dozen. 

This is funny. One of the absolute best pens I have ever had came as a gift included with my cheap handheld JDS6052 scope bought on Aliexpress

After 4 years in my career I had eaten about 12 Bic Biros bit by bit until the ink leaked...

I decided to buy a stainless steel roller ball pen.  "Ha!  Chew on that!"

It last a whole year before the constant dismantle and rebuild cycles during meetings took it's toll on the threads, catches and springs.  I had it down like a marine and his rifle drill.  Could dismantle and rebuilt it in about 15 seconds.

Since working from home I have tended to just a digital notebook.  It's much less tasty and difficult to take apart and rebuild.

Really what I needed was a fidget spinner.

[coppercone2]

put grease on the threads

[artag]

HP3468A - the one with the HP-IL interface.
Seems to work, too - now I need to post a photo of my HP DVM selection, from 3 1/2 to 6 1/2 digit.
I wonder if there was a 2 1/2 digit DVM way back ?

[ZGoode]

A few hours and a couple of shorted caps later :
(Attachment Link)

Now, where do I find some paper ?

Ooo, nice.  TDR's are awesome.  I recently got a 1502B and have had a blast restoring it.  I didn't know they had the roll chart like that.  Mine just has a standard thermal printer.

[wkb]

be ambitious: go for 8.5 digits 

I stopped being ambitious at 6.5 digits btw.

HP3468A - the one with the HP-IL interface.
Seems to work, too - now I need to post a photo of my HP DVM selection, from 3 1/2 to 6 1/2 digit.
I wonder if there was a 2 1/2 digit DVM way back ?

[artag]

Oh, totally after 8.5 digits. But I only buy bargains so it could take a long while !

[wkb]

Need some total blind luck for that 

[rogerggbr]

Now available in the UK, Testec 4kv probe, arrived today. Previously tried to get one from Europe but brexit makes small orders difficult for some suppliers. I won't be using this at 4kv but it's nice to have some margin ;-)

[artag]

Now available in the UK, Testec 4kv probe, arrived today. Previously tried to get one from Europe but brexit makes small orders difficult for some suppliers. I won't be using this at 4kv but it's nice to have some margin ;-)

Useful. What's the bandwidth ?

[PA0PBZ]

Useful. What's the bandwidth ?

It says 300MHz on the sticker?

[rogerggbr]

Useful. What's the bandwidth ?

300MHz but only 1MHz at 4kV - the data sheet is clear
https://warwickts.com/1140/Testec-TT-HV-400-x100-Passive-Oscilloscope-Probe-300MHz-4000V

[DaneLaw]

A cheap Chinese transistor-tester..

18$ incl. 25% EUVAT & Delivery