What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!

[rollatorwieltje]

I needed something to easily test SPDIF sources. Turns out DealExtreme sells this for almost nothing:

http://www.dx.com/p/ourspop-m704-digital-to-analog-audio-converter-dac-converter-black-eu-plug-273502

Apparently €10 gets you:
A Cirrus Logic CS8416 chip that costs roughly €7 in small quantities
All the connectors
A 5V power supply landfill item (granted, haven't opened it yet, but there's already something rattling inside)
A powdercoated folded steel case

And it works fine. Not even a tiny amount of noise. Only minor issue is that the output level seems a bit low, but not a big deal. Ok, the PCB is really crusty, all the holes for the connector support pins are too big and the power LED is probably a class 4 laser diode, but functionally it's fine and the case is actually quite nice.

[Vgkid]

One of these for 63.xx tot. No extended warranty, not going to use it often enough.

[TheSteve]

HP 3458A 8.5 digit meter (bought as parts/not working)
Keithley 2700 6.5 digit meter with 7703 and 7705 plugins(supposed to all be working)
HP 8753A 3 GHz network analyzer(bought as parts/not working)
A few Agilent 1152A active probes.

So many good deals on the 'bay lately!

[NottheDan]

Found this beauty in a charity shop today, together with a TI-83 Plus.  One of the wheels seems stuck. No idea yet how hard it will be to fix.

[McBryce]

Found this beauty in a charity shop today, together with a TI-83 Plus.  One of the wheels seems stuck. No idea yet how hard it will be to fix.

I restored a very similar one of these a few years ago. Mine is a "Triumphator". Inside it will look something like this: http://modellsammlung.uni-goettingen.de/data/html/triumphator_files/triumphatorCN.jpg
The mechanics were built to survive a nuclear invasion, so it's rare that anything actually breaks inside, they usually just need a good cleaning and some new oil.

McBryce.

[NottheDan]

Found this beauty in a charity shop today, together with a TI-83 Plus.  One of the wheels seems stuck. No idea yet how hard it will be to fix.

I restored a very similar one of these a few years ago. Mine is a "Triumphator". Inside it will look something like this: http://modellsammlung.uni-goettingen.de/data/html/triumphator_files/triumphatorCN.jpg
The mechanics were built to survive a nuclear invasion, so it's rare that anything actually breaks inside, they usually just need a good cleaning and some new oil.

McBryce.

Beautiful. And I really hope so. I'm no genius when it comes to mechanics (or anything else) so I'm hoping for a fairly easy fix.

[nctnico]

I bought this:

Not to play ice hockey but to use together with a garage jack to project the car's metal. Works like a charm!

[razberik]

I once read an interview with ORL surgeon that they use hockey puck as a slicing board for very fine structures during surgeries. Hockey puck can be sterilized in sterilizer with other surgery equipment.
Hockey puck doesnt blunt scalpel sharpness.

[SeanB]

Not really buy, but got for free. 1 APC 1000VA UPS, of course has a very dead and deceased battery pack. Ar well an Eaton evolution 200 series UPS, ditto on the battery pack side, so will dig up 2 12V SLA cells to test it ( got them free as well in a collection of dead cells, looks like they just took all and put in the dud pile, 6 were perfect out of the 20).

Next is a HP2055 printer, put in a CE505 cartridge ( use them a lot, so put in one destined for refill sometime, but still has 100 odd pages left in it) and powered it up, selected usage page and it has done 18k pages. free duplexing printer, and these are from experience good for 100k before needing a new fuser roller, which i actually have on hand for another in the "Awaiting me feeling like doing this long job" pile. Likely only replaced because they went for a networked version, this is the USB only one, but I have the HP bridge for this as well if needed.

[gamalot]

Hakko FS-100 solder tip cleaning paste

[Bud]

Hockey puck doesnt blunt scalpel sharpness.

Thanks, this is interesting and can be useful in the shack.

[TheSteve]

Hockey puck doesnt blunt scalpel sharpness.

Thanks, this is interesting and can be useful in the shack.

All good Canadian kids should have a few pucks around.

[nowlan]

BWD 141 - Sine & Square wave generator from the archives.
Tear down by somebody else here.

[george graves]

I've been thinking of picking one up, and prices seem to be dropping.  But that depth man.  So deep! 

[Sbampato12]

A non powering up PTS 500. Never heard about PTS before... something like US$30,00....

[Vgkid]

Nice, those pts sources are pretty neat.

[Sbampato12]

Nice, those pts sources are pretty neat.

Let's see if I could make it turn on, and do some cleaning stuff....

[japasetelagoas]

A few parcels from Aliexpress just got here. 10 "RobotDyn" arduino knockoffs + 10 16x2 LCD displays + 20 spools of solder wick + 2 protoboard jumper kits. As a Brazilian I'd rather wait months to get my stuff than pay abusive prices for them, I'd buy only 3 Arduinos if I had decided to buy locally.

[Kalvin]

It seems that Father Xmas came early this year:

- Analog Circuit Design Vol. 1 - 3

  http://www.linear.com/designtools/acd_book.php
  Father Xmas was clever enough to use the coupon code to get 30% off.

- Test Driven Development for Embedded C (Pragmatic Programmers)
- Practical UML Statecharts in C/C++: Event-Driven Programming for Embedded Systems
- Making Embedded Systems: Design Patterns for Great Software
- Design Patterns for Embedded Systems in C: An Embedded Software Engineering Toolkit

[Nx-1997]

So I recently purchased Tektronix 2246 100 MHz 4 Channel Oscilloscope for $107 USD, shipping and tax included. The scope seems to be in good condition. Can any of you guys tell me if this purchase was worth it?

Link here, http://www.ebay.com/itm/322370820559

[Cubdriver]

I'd say you did okay.  I have one and am happy with it.

-Pat

[Nx-1997]

Thanks man. Also, I find it a bit funny that the shipping costed more then the scope. $50 USD for the scope, $57 USD for shipping it.

[TerraHertz]

"a bit funny" - Oh you are spoiled by being on the same landmass and hemisphere as the seller.
Here in Australia the shipping for large heavy items can easily be multiple times the equipment cost.

[Nx-1997]

Well as an undergraduate computer engineering student, I greatly appreciate the fact that I live near USA. Its glorious buying old high-end gear from USA sellers.

[nanofrog]

You did rather well IMHO. In fact, a "you suck  " is probably in order (~$25CAN/channel @100MHz/chan.).   

Granted, although a modern DSO has more features, you did well. 

For disclosure, I've both a Tek 2445B + Rigol DS1054Z that's been unlocked. Guess which gets used the most? That said, I won't give up my Tek 2445B any time soon (call it whatever you want, but I wouldn't shine away from the term "nostalgic gear acquisition syndrome (aka NGAS)").  The adverts of the time were more interesting to me than a Playboy or other pornographic magazine at the time. 

Yeah, I know... What a shame.  It would definitely explain why I only have lab assistants though (aka cats) rather than actual kids.  On the plus side, no alimony or child support, so it can't be all bad.