What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!

[Back2Volts]

Today arrived HP8595E spectrum analyzer with options (004 010 015 041 053 101) and valid calibration till 07.2017  price + customs + shipping 1789EUR 

That instrument appears to be in excellent condition!   
What is the slot for ?   Diskette?

[nfmax]

The slot takes a solid-state memory card that you can use to load 'measurement personalities' for various applications (e.g. GSM, EMC testing) instead of using GPIB. They still surface on eBay from time to time (I have an 8591E)

[Fortran]

A DS1054Z finally!


And..    a 5.5m (18ft) mahogany speedboat from the 1950's.

Borrowed picture.  Mine sitting under a tarp in the rain didn't quite do it justice. Pretty much the same finish and condition.
Surprisingly cheap to buy and own actually.

The WAF on one is significantly higher then the other

[BFX]

Today arrived HP8595E spectrum analyzer with options (004 010 015 041 053 101) and valid calibration till 07.2017  price + customs + shipping 1789EUR 

That instrument appears to be in excellent condition!   
What is the slot for ?   Diskette?

It's memory card.

Yes I'm very happy with it. I have already 8595A but without tracking generator. (Now It's for sale.)
It came also with front panel cover and nice bag which I never seen before.

[alexanderbrevig]

I got some Cherry MX keys and keycaps for my https://www.eevblog.com/forum/projects/an-attempt-to-make-a-diy-gaming-kaypad/msg1014659/#msg1014659


Then I needed some tinned copper wire and got some various [a|s]wg of that.

Lastly I got this:

[Mr.B]

Lastly I got this:

The greatest small gauge wire stripper I have ever used.
I have been using one for years and years.
Make sure you buy a spare set of blades - you always realize they are blunt when all the shops are shut and you need to strip 100 jumpers...

[vinicius.jlantunes]

It's been a few weeks past already, but I bought a Hakko FX-888D station plus a bunch of tips, all from TEquipment while in a trip to US. It cost about 40-50% of what it would have costed here in Brazil, even with the dollar being so strong against the Real (our currency, it's about 1:3.5 at the moment) - about 100 USD.

Oh boy, I know it's an "entry level" station but I'm in love with it. My trusty but crappy Toyo TS-900 (local brand, attached picture) served me well and is now enjoying a happy retirement.

[nanofrog]

New monitor (LG 34UM95C). 

Not my photo, as I still need to open it as there's a loose screw inside and do some work to finish the desk (will be mounted on an arm).  Still waiting on the Display Port cable to arrive as well. 

[nanofrog]

That's a serious LCD! Very cool thing.

Thanks. 

Coming from a single 24" NEC, this should be a huge improvement.


No bezels in your view vs. a multiple monitor configuration is appealing to me.  It should improve productivity with ~ the size of 4 sheets of paper side-by-side (less switching between applications), and I'm hoping it will make viewing schematics easier as well.

They're expensive new (~$800), but the unit I have is a factory refurbished unit I got shipped for $463 (30 day no-hassle return policy & free return shipping + 1yr. manufacturer warranty). Just too nice a deal to pass up IMHO, as the risk seems low with the free return shipping. 

[gamalot]

My Kikusui DC load arrived couple days ago 

[Cubdriver]

That's a serious LCD! Very cool thing.

Thanks. 

Coming from a single 24" NEC, this should be a huge improvement.


No bezels in your view vs. a multiple monitor configuration is appealing to me.  It should improve productivity with ~ the size of 4 sheets of paper side-by-side (less switching between applications), and I'm hoping it will make viewing schematics easier as well.

They're expensive new (~$800), but the unit I have is a factory refurbished unit I got shipped for $463 (30 day no-hassle return policy & free return shipping + 1yr. manufacturer warranty). Just too nice a deal to pass up IMHO, as the risk seems low with the free return shipping. 

Wow - that's a sweet looking monitor!   

-Pat

[MosherIV]

Nothing major but a bargin :

Desoldering iron for £4.50 

[nanofrog]

Not cursing you, but most of the time, RMAed units are either with excessive dead pixels or with huge amount of IPS glow/backlight bleeding.
Perfect panels don't usually end up being returned.

Sadly, you're quite right in most cases. 

But as it happens, these monitors have had issues with the user input 4-way pad + center button, and I suspect this is the more likely reason it was returned rather than the panel from what I've read of all of the Amazon & Newegg reviews (most common defect from what I read). This is ultimately what I'm gambling on. I need to test it of course, and I'll have to wait until Saturday to find out for sure as that's when my DP cable will show up (I guess I could use the HDMI->DP cable or HDMI cables I have, but they won't run at the full 60Hz refresh rate). Call me picky, but I've more than enough time to test it properly IMHO (shouldn't take long to figure it out IME). For disclosure, my NEC wasn't a NIB unit either, and it's been great (had it for 7 years). Perhaps mine was an exception. 

The free return shipping is what ultimately caused me to give it a go, so worst case, I'll have to return it and either accept a replacement or wait for a refund to post to my CC account. 

FWIW, I went to open the back and fish out the loose screw, but there's nary a screw to remove to get the rear cover off. Seems the back cover uses tabs & notches to hold it in place.  Which makes me nervous, as it can't have any visible damage should I need to return it. I'll still give it a go I guess, but will have to be exceptionally cautious.

[TerraHertz]

FWIW, I went to open the back and fish out the loose screw, but there's nary a screw to remove to get the rear cover off. Seems the back cover uses tabs & notches to hold it in place.  Which makes me nervous, as it can't have any visible damage should I need to return it. I'll still give it a go I guess, but will have to be exceptionally cautious.

Heh. Maybe the screw is their 'anti-return' trap?  Either to make people open it, or to 'prove' they did open it even if they didn't.
Anyway, don't go prying at the edge join. That's not the way to do it, and WILL break off retaining tabs and leave marks.
There are some videos around of how to open LCD screen cases. Basically it boils down to getting your fingernails under the edge of the bezel where it meets the screen face, and twisting up and out. Once the edges are released, the corners become easier (not easy, just possible.)

[nanofrog]

Heh. Maybe the screw is their 'anti-return' trap?  Either to make people open it, or to 'prove' they did open it even if they didn't.

Anyway, don't go prying at the edge join. That's not the way to do it, and WILL break off retaining tabs and leave marks.
There are some videos around of how to open LCD screen cases. Basically it boils down to getting your fingernails under the edge of the bezel where it meets the screen face, and twisting up and out. Once the edges are released, the corners become easier (not easy, just possible.)

Appreciate the tip. 

There's a couple of slots on the bottom of the rear panel, which looks like it's an entry/access point. Figure it's similar to IR remote controls (fine tabs that run along the perimeter). FWIW I've found it best to use something thin to tuck in-between the plastic shells so they don't snap back together as it's pryed, and work my way around (i.e. using a nylon spudger + plastic strips cut from a margarine lid). I've some other tools that are very thin steel as well, should that become necessary (would rather not, as they'll definitely leave marks on the rear shell & bezel).

But I will certainly check out YouTube and Google it before proceeding (might get lucky and this model is one that's covered). 

[zapta]

Got that macro lens from amazon for my Nexus X5 phone https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0191NXYAE.  Works pretty good considering the price. It works as a live magnifier glass and as a camera.





Here is a sample image, after cropping (this is a USB/Serial adapter from ebay, not my soldering):

[bitseeker]

Thanks for the sample photo, zapta. A friend told me about those and it looks pretty good for being so inexpensive.

[Macbeth]

My Kikusui DC load arrived couple days ago 

That really looks the business. I've never seen them before. Puts my Maynuo M9710 to shame thats for sure!

Looks expensive too 

[richnormand]

Just got my eBay $124 LeCroy 9370M that was listed for parts.

Pretty dirty, fixed the floppy disk belt, changed the backup CMOS battery.
The two missing knobs are just the shaft that is broken. The encoders work just fine. That should be an easy repair, even if the knobs don't quite match the rest it will be functional.
It has most of the options, but I hear that, apparently, LeCroy has released a way to program the PAL for the rest but I have not found it yet.

Anyone knowledgeable about these: suggestions are welcome

[FlyingHacker]

This bad boy... Wavetek 145. 20MHz function/Pulse generator.

All analog. None of this DDS rubbish... No stair stepping no R2R crossovers... 

(Also no accuracy, no stability )

Had a bad cap or two. I replaced about 14 electrolytics. Had a bad transistor, and a cold solder joint too. All fixed.

[VK5RC]

When the frustrations of electronic restoration get to me, I will get out my new battery powered pole saw

[MosherIV]

When the frustrations of electronic restoration get to me, I will get out my new battery powered pole saw

Well done for making safety first priority but it is not wrong to destroy something just because it frustrates you 

[Jeff_Birt]

I picked up a HP 3478A from EBay for less than $90 with shipping. We have a fancy calibration machine at work (university) used for calibrating all the test equipment so I'll be able to check the calibration (though it had a 2003 calibration stick on it that does not mean someone has not screwed it up.)

[McBryce]

I picked up a HP 3478A from EBay for less than $90 with shipping. We have a fancy calibration machine at work (university) used for calibrating all the test equipment so I'll be able to check the calibration (though it had a 2003 calibration stick on it that does not mean someone has not screwed it up.)

Swap the battery first to make sure the good cal. lasts a few years longer.

McBryce.

[Jeff_Birt]

I was reading up on that. It amazes me that they did not make it a plug in battery, so you could easily change it with power on. Or at least make an easy method of reading out the cal data and putting it back in.