What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!

[Specmaster]

Bought some new flux to try from Amazon - M G Chemicals Flux Paste. Supposed to be as good as Amtech stuff but heck, it's not cheap.

It is good, I use it but it does leave a nasty sticky residue that really takes a lot of cleaning with IPA unless someone knows a better way of cleaning it up. I know it says "No clean" but it doesnt look nice if you leave it behind afterwards and just attracts dust etc to stick to it which cannot be a good thing can it.

[Specmaster]

Just won on Ebay a nice nixie tube meter that I was not initially drawn to until I noticed that it not only reads up to 1G ohms but also has dedicated uA and nA ranges as well so nicely extends my measuring capabilities.   

[ChrisLX200]

Bought some new flux to try from Amazon - M G Chemicals Flux Paste. Supposed to be as good as Amtech stuff but heck, it's not cheap.

It is good, I use it but it does leave a nasty sticky residue that really takes a lot of cleaning with IPA unless someone knows a better way of cleaning it up. I know it says "No clean" but it doesnt look nice if you leave it behind afterwards and just attracts dust etc to stick to it which cannot be a good thing can it.

Agreed. I would make the effort to remove any residue regardless even if only for aesthetic reasons.

I do have an issue with these syringe applicators, not too easy to control the flow. I'll have to make/buy some sort of dispensing device which offers more precision. Do you know if this stuff reacts with any metals or seal materials directly? I could use stainless steel to make a reservoir and perhaps Viton or PTFE seals in a pump mechanism. There must be a commercial applicator but I'm guessing it would be a prohibitive price for hobby use..

ChrisH

[Specmaster]

Agreed. I would make the effort to remove any residue regardless even if only for aesthetic reasons.

I do have an issue with these syringe applicators, not too easy to control the flow. I'll have to make/buy some sort of dispensing device which offers more precision. Do you know if this stuff reacts with any metals or seal materials directly? I could use stainless steel to make a reservoir and perhaps Viton or PTFE seals in a pump mechanism. There must be a commercial applicator but I'm guessing it would be a prohibitive price for hobby use..

ChrisH

I don't know about that, it is dispensed via a stainless steel tube so that is OK. The label states serious eye injury will result from getting in your eyes and also suggests that it is corrosive on skin. I suppose that once soldered with, the corrosive element is used up or neutralised by the reaction of heat and solder? I notice that a lot of the Youtube content creators use a flux that is almost liquid, this one is a paste. 

[rdl]

The MSDS for the 8341 flux paste only lists a couple of glycol ethers which are not very aggressive solvents. It's notable that they don't use any alcohol, but that may be part of the reason it's a paste and not a thin, runny liquid.

[TheSteve]

Just won on Ebay a nice nixie tube meter that I was not initially drawn to until I noticed that it not only reads up to 1G ohms but also has dedicated uA and nA ranges as well so nicely extends my measuring capabilities. 

Very nice! I have one of these, it's a classic.

[Jay_Diddy_B]

Hi group,

I didn't buy it today, but I got it last week. I obtained a Rode & Schwartz FSH3 Hand Held Spectrum Analyzer from eBay.

The datasheet can be found here:

https://cdn.rohde-schwarz.com/pws/dl_downloads/dl_common_library/dl_brochures_and_datasheets/pdf_1/FSH_dat_en.pdf

There are three models of the FSH3.

The .03 has the preamplifier
The .13 has the tracking generator
The .23 has both the generator and tracking generator.

There is a teardown and repair video (The Signal Path) of another unit here:



I had bought another FSH3.23 and attempted repair. The repair is documented here:

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/repair-rohde-shwarz-fsh3-portable-spectrum-analyzer/

I had limited success with the repair.

1) fixed the 30V power supply, as documented in the thread.
2) I fixed the RF module, this is not documented. But it was a 3.3 Ohm resistor that was open circuit which prevent -5V from getting to the ADC driver.
3) The main board had an issue that the contrast adjustment was broken
4) The LCD module was damaged.
5) The LCD module is khs057qv1cr-g01. The one in the unit has 22 pin connector. I did find some displays with the same part number but they had a 16 pin connector.

I was trolling eBay for a couple of years before a suitable unit showed up.


Here is a picture from the eBay listing:



And some detailed pictures:

 



One of the previous owners must have damaged the screen. They cut the center out of the screen and replaced just the center. 

I asked R&S for the prices on some parts. I got $360.00 USD for the plastic window and $1150.00 for the LCD module  These are approximate conversions from Canadian dollars.

I took the RF section and the case from the from the first unit that I bought and used the main board and display from the eBay unit.
I now have a very nice unit.





I am using the tracking generator to measure the frequency response of a mini-circuits 10.7MHz low pass filter.

Regards,

Jay_Diddy_B

[GreyWoolfe]

Bought some new flux to try from Amazon - M G Chemicals Flux Paste. Supposed to be as good as Amtech stuff but heck, it's not cheap.

It is good, I use it but it does leave a nasty sticky residue that really takes a lot of cleaning with IPA unless someone knows a better way of cleaning it up. I know it says "No clean" but it doesnt look nice if you leave it behind afterwards and just attracts dust etc to stick to it which cannot be a good thing can it.

I take a simple alcohol wipe and work it on the board with an old tooth brush.  Cleans up pretty good for me.

[gamalot]

This morning I received my most expensive package, everything is custom except the solder paste.

[Specmaster]

Bought some new flux to try from Amazon - M G Chemicals Flux Paste. Supposed to be as good as Amtech stuff but heck, it's not cheap.

It is good, I use it but it does leave a nasty sticky residue that really takes a lot of cleaning with IPA unless someone knows a better way of cleaning it up. I know it says "No clean" but it doesnt look nice if you leave it behind afterwards and just attracts dust etc to stick to it which cannot be a good thing can it.

I take a simple alcohol wipe and work it on the board with an old tooth brush.  Cleans up pretty good for me.

I do that already but I find parts of the wipe left on the component ends and other bits and bobs.

[McBryce]

Sounds like fun In Germany ants are not that often. Found once some in the woods: https://goo.gl/photos/Xd2BzshRVVme1f9L8



but they were on the list of endangered species (they are probably Formica polyctena), so I couldn't take some for my ant farm, and they need winter rest as well, which would be boring.

I think I live about 1.5km from you and my garden is teaming with ants. You can come around and collect them any time you want

McBryce.

[fcb]

This morning I received my most expensive package, everything is custom except the solder paste.

The membrane keypad - did you get just one made? Was it expensive?

I've got another project that needs a membrane keypad here - but they are so expensive to get made in the UK.

[tautech]

Bought some new flux to try from Amazon - M G Chemicals Flux Paste. Supposed to be as good as Amtech stuff but heck, it's not cheap.

It is good, I use it but it does leave a nasty sticky residue that really takes a lot of cleaning with IPA unless someone knows a better way of cleaning it up. I know it says "No clean" but it doesnt look nice if you leave it behind afterwards and just attracts dust etc to stick to it which cannot be a good thing can it.

I take a simple alcohol wipe and work it on the board with an old tooth brush.  Cleans up pretty good for me.

I do that already but I find parts of the wipe left on the component ends and other bits and bobs.

Have a look at the lint free pads that member Defpom uses ~10mins in:

[Specmaster]

Bought some new flux to try from Amazon - M G Chemicals Flux Paste. Supposed to be as good as Amtech stuff but heck, it's not cheap.

It is good, I use it but it does leave a nasty sticky residue that really takes a lot of cleaning with IPA unless someone knows a better way of cleaning it up. I know it says "No clean" but it doesnt look nice if you leave it behind afterwards and just attracts dust etc to stick to it which cannot be a good thing can it.

I take a simple alcohol wipe and work it on the board with an old tooth brush.  Cleans up pretty good for me.

I do that already but I find parts of the wipe left on the component ends and other bits and bobs.

Have a look at the lint free pads that member Defpom uses ~10mins in:

I asked him what he uses and got 3 packs from Banggood and they are good but not that good, still leave some fibres on the joints and the toothbrush still slides around on them. Somehow Defpom seems able to make the brush cling to the cleaning pad, I can't. [emoji53]

Sent from my SM-J510FN using Tapatalk

[BU508A]

Received today:

- 2x AD588BQ
- 10x Styroflex capacitors, 2,2µF / 100V

bought here:
AD588BQ: http://www.ebay.com/itm/182764566859
Styroflex cap: http://www.ebay.com/itm/182755197845

Picture:

[Mr. Scram]

This morning I received my most expensive package, everything is custom except the solder paste.

The membrane keypad - did you get just one made? Was it expensive?

I've got another project that needs a membrane keypad here - but they are so expensive to get made in the UK.

I'm interested in some more information too.

[Rbastler]

Received today:

- 2x AD588BQ
- 10x Styroflex capacitors, 2,2µF / 100V

bought here:
AD588BQ: http://www.ebay.com/itm/182764566859
Styroflex cap: http://www.ebay.com/itm/182755197845

Picture:

After seeing some people getting AD588, I bought some too, from China, for around 3€ a piece. I'm curious to find out if they are fakes or not.
http://www.ebay.de/itm/1PCS-High-Precision-Voltage-Reference-IC-ANALOG-DEVICES-CDIP-16-AD588AD/272620322915

[djos]

Just ordered a new wireless keyboard and mouse for my WorkshopPi.

[tooki]

A bunch of electronics chemicals:

• Kontakt LR (Contact PC) flux remover (what I’ve normally used, but it’s the most expensive)
• Techspray E-Line flux remover/general cleaner
• Kontakt LS general cleaner
• Kontakt WS general cleaner
• 99.7% IPA

I know that these overlap in function significantly, but I wanted to try them out and see how they compare. (I’m open to tips/experiences if you have anything to share!)

and

• Kontakt 61 contact lubricant/protector (I made the mistake in the past of just getting the Kontakt 60 cleaner, not knowing that it needs to be rinsed off with Kontakt WL and then protected with Kontakt 61.)

I also grabbed:

• twin-lead wire ferrules
• an assortment of 5x20mm fuses (German-made, not crap)
• Sn62/Pb36/Ag2 silver-bearing solder
• some precision current shunt resistors for modifying INA226 modules

[gamalot]

It was about $200CNY for 10 pcs, I think.

[tautech]

Bits and bobs, some sold, some stock and some to keep.

4x Differential probes 25 and 50 MHz
8 KV 1000:1 40 MHz scope probe
Kelvin clip 4 wire lead to Banana plug assembly.....don't like how stiff the leads are. Grrr
50 Ohm 1:1 BNC 2 GHz 2W feed though
3x 300 MHz 100:1 scope probes with readout pin

[Mr. Scram]

It was about $200CNY for 10 pcs, I think.

Is that $200 or 200CNY? Can you tell a little more about the how, where and when?

[thm_w]

I would be surprised if its 200RMB, thats about $40. Unless of course the factory already had that style and the only custom part was the screen printing.

I did some custom membranes from China, two buttons and two LEDs, most of the cost was NRE:
- Tooling $312 USD
- Membranes $207 for 300pc
- Shipping $80

Rated as waterproof and had adhesive backing + reinforced carbon connections. Without the LEDs, price could probably be halved.

[gamalot]

It was 250CNY, my younger brother ordered it for me on Taobao, he lives in China.

[rdl]

Received today:

USB floppy drive
Compact Flash to IDE adapter
AD584LH Voltage Reference Board