Author Topic: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!  (Read 2801030 times)

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Online macboy

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #12325 on: July 15, 2023, 12:19:35 am »
Arrived in the post today - Kasap Principles of Electronic Materials and Devices 3rd Edition (McGraw-Hill International Edition, 2006)

I had gotten it recently, from Oxfam, but that printing was a little washed out and had missing pages (an Indian edition maybe?)  :palm: well was for charity
Dr. Kasap was my materials science and optoelectronics professor in uni. I might still have a zero-th edition of that textbook... He gave the class a pre-print version as the text for his class, and offered extra credit for finding mistakes. I don't recall anyone collecting on that.
 
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Offline armandine2

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #12326 on: July 15, 2023, 11:36:31 am »
just ordered a couple potentiometers with 1/4-inch shafts, on the basis that my haul of old knobs will not be 6mm diameter.

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/projects/fitting-6-26mm-pot-shaft-to-a-6mm-knob/

initial count was 4 to 3 metric to imperial  :palm:
Funny, the things you have the hardest time parting with are the things you need the least - Bob Dylan
 

Offline RAPo

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #12327 on: July 15, 2023, 04:12:52 pm »
A Micsig STO1004 for field work.
 

Offline iJoseph2

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #12328 on: July 15, 2023, 05:31:52 pm »
Hioki 3664 optical power meter
 

Offline gamalot

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #12329 on: July 17, 2023, 06:20:43 am »
Jameco breadboards from Amazon US.


Offline jonpaul

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #12330 on: July 17, 2023, 12:43:17 pm »
My HP linear/triple power supplies 6205C, 6236B, 6237B are my benchtop favorites.

Recently found  pair of 6205C in fine condition.....very reasonable cost. One needed a lot of cleaning but ISO alcohol and a bit of time yielded a clan unit.

All meters, controls and functions were fine after some contact cleaner and exercising controls.

The regular  version has a 10 turn Helipot voltage control but just a plain HP gray knob.
A friend in Netherlands scrounged 4 pcs of the rare miniature Beckman 10 turn count dials with special mounting nut and collar.
Alignment requires a spanner pliers and the exact hex key: Three different dial components  need to be setup.

Thus I converted the pair of 6205C into the precision dial option.

Plot is the stability of one PSU under lad with warmup drift.

These 1980s vintage units built in USA with typical HP gold plated high quality PCB and components. Huge HS on the back.

Your thoughts?

HAVE AN ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC DAY!

Jon





« Last Edit: July 18, 2023, 01:42:34 am by jonpaul »
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Offline deadlylover

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #12331 on: July 17, 2023, 02:20:10 pm »
Picked up a basically free Precor C956i commercial treadmill that wasn't running. The original motor drive died and a used replacement is in the hundreds (new is nearly a grand). Even if I changed it I'll be at the mercy of the top controller board in the future so I decided to just plop in a VFD.

Hats off to Omron Australia they are extremely well priced here (~220USD) and I got the thing 36 hours after I ordered. It's a 3G3MX2-AB0015-V1(Q2), a single phase input 1.5KW VFD.

First time I've ever installed a VFD but their manual is solid. Now I've never used a commercial treadmill before but uhhh it's slightly terrifying because I can stomp on the belt at speed and it doesn't really slow down much if at all. I need to figure out how to let it "slip" slightly on foot strike(down the PID rabbit hole?).

When walking/jogging the motor draws 400W-700W so nothing seems stressed. After 75 minutes the heatsink of the VFD is 10C over ambient if that, and the internals a touch higher. The 2HP motor was hard to measure but the highest hotspot I could read was ~48C (18C ambient), on my previous crappy home treadmill it would be 100-120C (and slightly smoking which prompted this upgrade). This was a fun little project.  ^-^
 

Offline MathWizard

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #12332 on: July 17, 2023, 06:45:27 pm »
I don't listen to Taylor Swift music, but I'm amazed at the ticket prices, people selling them for 10,000 UKpounds, like 14k USD.
 
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Offline armandine2

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #12333 on: July 18, 2023, 07:30:31 am »
... expensive items  ::)

my lightly used Molex crimp tool (63811-8200) just arrived - ebay has saved me from most of its pretty high new price  :palm:

[ed. not an inexpensive first day]



« Last Edit: July 19, 2023, 08:29:42 am by armandine2 »
Funny, the things you have the hardest time parting with are the things you need the least - Bob Dylan
 

Offline ledtester

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #12334 on: July 18, 2023, 10:42:28 pm »
Found a pair of used Soldapullt III PT109's for $5 each at my local surplus store. One of them stutters when you trigger it with the tip blocked which is a good sign. They need new end caps -- a nice little 3D printing exercise.
 

Offline ledtester

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #12335 on: July 19, 2023, 09:59:04 pm »
Found a pair of used Soldapullt III PT109's for $5 each at my local surplus store. One of them stutters when you trigger it with the tip blocked which is a good sign. They need new end caps -- a nice little 3D printing exercise.

Turns out the static-safe PT409 is on clearance at Edsyn's website for $5.90:

https://www.edsyn.com/product/PT409.html

However, there is shipping and a $25 minimum order amount.

 
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Offline jonovid

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #12336 on: July 21, 2023, 05:50:36 pm »
cheap 1080p camcorder to add to my collection.
its not 4K but 2K will do.
Hobbyist with a basic knowledge of electronics
 

Offline DiTBho

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #12337 on: July 21, 2023, 08:06:40 pm »
Campagnolo Record Thermo Bottle 500ml
It uses aerogel.
I tested it today, immediately after the purchase:
from water at 1C
to water at 14C
in 5 hours
at the ambient temperature of 21C

Aerogel looks interesting  :o :o :o
The opposite of courage is not cowardice, it is conformity. Even a dead fish can go with the flow
 

Online PlainName

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #12338 on: July 21, 2023, 08:11:59 pm »
Supvan E10 thermal printer

Wasn't too sure about this so got a cheap used one for evaluation, and it's OK. I already have a bunch of different Dymo labellers but they are all tethered in some way to a desktop or laptop. Or USB cable or power supply. The software is a bit sucky too, although it does let you create frames for different styles and orientations of text, at least. Many of my labels do get created at the desk but sometimes I am out in the garage with a bunch of things to label, and going back and forth to create and print each one is just too tedious. Portable labellers abound, but you're limited to what you can get on the lable - text, symbols if you're lucky, and that's about it.

The Supvan uses bluetooth to a phone, and the thing that caught my eye was the ability to use the label as a drawing surface. Use a finger or stylus as a variable-sized pen and draw whatever the hell you want, then print. That's in addition to the usual text, symbols, smileys, photos, lines, etc.

Takes continuous 6m tape or pre-cut labels of various sizes and colours, but all with a width of 15mm. Two bad points I've noticed so far:

1. Replacement tapes may Dymo look cheap, but that's normal for these things (and since they are a small brand there's no third-party clones, or none that I found). Aliexpress halves the price, though.

2. A single press of the power button reprints the last label. Useful in some circumstances, but stupidly it can't tell the difference between a single press and a power-on press, so every time you turn it on it reprints the last label! Workaround is to open the tape drawer before hitting the power button, then close to use after it's woken up.
 

Offline Howardlong

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #12339 on: July 21, 2023, 08:18:37 pm »
Today I picked up an Agilent/Keysight DSO6104A 1GHz scope today from a local seller that was on eBay for £800. For the uninitiated, the 6000A series was the portable version of the 7000A/B series. This is not to be confused with the current DSOX/MSOX6000 series.

I'm quite the fan of the venerable Agilient/Keysight MSO7000 scope, mostly because its UI is fast, easy, and intuitive to use. Indeed, my daily driver has been a 1GHz MSO7104B for nearly ten years, with a unit I bought it for about £6,000 from Keysight used.

In its eBay listing, none of the dozen or so pics showed any of the channels working, and it was "for parts or not working". As it was only 25 miles away I asked if they could show the channels working, or alternatively I could check it out in person.

The response was "unfortunately we do not have any experience or knowledge in this type of equipment which is why we have done very little in the testing of the item" which we've all heard before, and usually would point to a known duff item.

But then they said this... "We would be more than happy for you to come over and take a look and test out the machine to see if it's suitable for yourself"

So I took a punt and popped over there with a probe to test the channels. It turned out to be fully working. I've since updated the firmware and otherwise liberated it with all the decodes and the digital channels etc. I also cleaned up the knobs that were grubby in an ultrasonic cleaner with my usual SWAS detergent, and they came out a treat.

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Online Martin72

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #12340 on: July 21, 2023, 10:43:04 pm »
Arrived today, Siglent SDM3065X....


Offline jonpaul

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #12341 on: July 22, 2023, 06:18:06 pm »
Bonjour! 

Was missing a Function gen in Paris.

At the lab in US unearthed  a vintage1980s HP 3312A in the archives, untouched since 2010.  $25 at ham flea.
Spec is attached.

Turned on, Power LED flickers and SMOKE!
Usual:  self immolated Tant on PSU bus. Beautiful HP FR4G10 gold plated PCB burned.
Cleaned up, new tant and works 100% even still in cal...13 MHz 20V, AM/FM/Burst/sweep..
Cap and PCB pix....

By accident another on epay, but panel blemis and "for parts"

It was worse condition than #1 but made a deal so $53 with freight, tax.

Needed a through switch and control cleaning and lube, eventually came to life but VERY odd and deep symmetry issue in current source of the integrator.
Finally found a flaky Schottky diode in the bridge, VOILA! Working 100% also in cal...was quite lucky....

HAVE AN ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC DAY!

Jon

« Last Edit: July 23, 2023, 12:42:05 am by jonpaul »
Jean-Paul  the Internet Dinosaur
 
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Offline RAPo

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #12342 on: July 23, 2023, 02:05:38 pm »
I bought a Hameg 208.
Anyone wants a Hameg 205? (I am living in the Netherlands, no overseas distribution).
 

Online Aldo22

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #12343 on: July 23, 2023, 05:45:31 pm »
I bought the cheapest NanoVNA-H for about 35 CHF delivered.
Didn't expect much, but the device looks quite reasonable.

It has cleanly shielded inputs, a working SD card r/w and a surprisingly large battery (1300 mAh).
It has a MS5351M instead of a SI5351A.
HW version: 3.6_MS.

I am rather positively surprised.
« Last Edit: July 24, 2023, 06:58:05 am by Aldo22 »
 

Offline paulca

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #12344 on: July 24, 2023, 11:15:51 am »
Nuclear power plant simulator!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1428420/Nucleares/

Spent 3 hours last night, did produce power, but could not for the life of me get the stream generators, turbines and condensors balanced.  Ended up running out of generator fuel, then battery power, so I "Sigh quited" and went to bed.

This I figured it out, will retry tonight.  The trouble for me was I was either not condensing enough or I was putting far too much of the steam heat into the condensor and not enough through the turbines.  So the condenser overheated and the generator stalled.  To fix that you can inject water into the condensor, however, doing so "shocks" the system and kills all your steam pressure.
"What could possibly go wrong?"
Current Open Projects:  STM32F411RE+ESP32+TFT for home IoT (NoT) projects.  Child's advent xmas countdown toy.  Digital audio routing board.
 
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Offline SiliconWizard

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #12345 on: July 24, 2023, 08:41:57 pm »
You can simulate the Tchernobyl catastrophe.
 
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Online Martin72

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #12346 on: July 25, 2023, 10:54:25 pm »
 
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Offline Ground_Loop

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #12347 on: July 26, 2023, 01:03:29 am »
Nuclear power plant simulator!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1428420/Nucleares/

Spent 3 hours last night, did produce power, but could not for the life of me get the stream generators, turbines and condensors balanced.  Ended up running out of generator fuel, then battery power, so I "Sigh quited" and went to bed.

This I figured it out, will retry tonight.  The trouble for me was I was either not condensing enough or I was putting far too much of the steam heat into the condensor and not enough through the turbines.  So the condenser overheated and the generator stalled.  To fix that you can inject water into the condensor, however, doing so "shocks" the system and kills all your steam pressure.

I’m going have to give that a try.  I’m a former operator.  I’ll let you know how I do.
There's no point getting old if you don't have stories.
 
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Offline paulca

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #12348 on: July 26, 2023, 09:55:10 am »
Nuclear power plant simulator!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1428420/Nucleares/

Spent 3 hours last night, did produce power, but could not for the life of me get the stream generators, turbines and condensors balanced.  Ended up running out of generator fuel, then battery power, so I "Sigh quited" and went to bed.

This I figured it out, will retry tonight.  The trouble for me was I was either not condensing enough or I was putting far too much of the steam heat into the condensor and not enough through the turbines.  So the condenser overheated and the generator stalled.  To fix that you can inject water into the condensor, however, doing so "shocks" the system and kills all your steam pressure.

I’m going have to give that a try.  I’m a former operator.  I’ll let you know how I do.

Epic!  It completely lacks any nuclear physics or chemistry.  So you don't need to worry about the make up of your main loop water etc.  No PH, Gas content, dissolved salts, conductivity and what not.  Nor do you need to deal with moderator poisons.   Basically the only properties of the coolant it handles is temp, pressure, flow rate and phase change.

The core is very simple.  The only primary controls are a single control rod position setting.  Single fuel bundle.  Flooded pool type.  It does have a pressurizer which is the bain of the operators existance, it is the dog you need to keep feeding when you change any power settings.  Or you can just ignore the steam alarms and "Yolo" it. 

That later doesn't work when you fire up the reactor to critical and THEN notice you didn't fill the pond and the pressurizer has boiled dry.  Many flashing red lights! Then you have to figure out how the hell you are meant to refill the pressurizer while watching the core temp, 112, 116, 120....  "Low coolant level!", "Low steam volume", "No electrical voltage", Lights go out, batteries kick in, lights come on.  You get a bollocking from teh AI.

The steam generators I think I have figured out a little further.  It's also a lot easier to run 3 loops than 2 or 1.  The plant doesn't have the power to easily overwhelm 3 prim/sec loops.  Well, not as easily.  The different loops also tend to respond to each other so if one gen is a little low on liquid volume and one is a bit high they will slowly thermally balance themselves.

The hardest part to get right is the much finer balance on the core pumps, steam gen coolant pumps and the condensor.  You can run them in so many different equilibriums it's easy to get lulled into a false "knee" and think you are max power when in fact you are just dumping 20% of your power into the condensor by running the steam gen loops to hard.

I'm on day 15.  I have all 3 steam gen loops up and running.  30MW peak, tends to only need to run around 20MW to meet all objectives.  The issue with that and 3 steam gens is that they are just as sensitive at the low end of running as they are at the top end.  Turn your back too long and the stall out and drop pressure.  So tonights plan is to experiment with 2 gen loops overnight and see if I can bring the 3rd on during the day without "dropping all the spinning plates".
 
"What could possibly go wrong?"
Current Open Projects:  STM32F411RE+ESP32+TFT for home IoT (NoT) projects.  Child's advent xmas countdown toy.  Digital audio routing board.
 
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Offline richnormand

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Re: What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!
« Reply #12349 on: July 26, 2023, 06:59:52 pm »
Got it today. Looks like a steep learning curve.

Repair, Renew, Reuse, Recycle, Rebuild, Reduce, Recover, Repurpose, Restore, Refurbish, Recondition, Renovate
 


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