Stupd interconnect cables on HP8568

[tkamiya]

I guess I'm venting more than anything else, since I know the cause and the solution....

I had a good fortune of gaining 14 (yes, FOURTEEN) HP8568B and 6 HP85662A.  Of course, in between the two, there is that *(&% cables. 

I went through all of RF section and 12 were good.  I went through Displays and 3 are excellent.  1 is good, and the last one is hopeless.  (so dark, so dim)

But the cable is being a big pain in you-know-what.  I go through all of those 12 once.  Everything is good.  Mix it up and go through again to verify, a few fails with Check Instrument 1 error.  Most of the time, these were caused by the heavy and bulky BUS cable.  Yes, that 100 dollar cable!  Look at the male pins and they are all FLAT.  Reshape it and sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.  The problem is, it isn't consistent.  I replaced the cable but the replacement piece is also equally old.  Sometime works, sometimes NOT.  It's such a pain in a butt situation.  Have anyone else experienced this?  Only one time, the card inside was actually bad.  I transplanted a good one and everything is good - until 4th round of rechecking.

I guess this is what it means to nurse back 30+ year old equipment.  Stuipd thing fails.  (and the stupid thing is slightly propietary!!)  I never liked ribbon cables and those compression connectors.  They can be quite temperimental. 

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!

Now I feel slightly better....