PP November Auction

[veedub565]

Who had fun today acquiring more test equipment at the latest PP auction? 

There was quite a few items without bids on last night, and then SKycontrols came and bid on what seems like everything. I'm guessing either a business hoovering everything up, or... maybe something else. Weird

Anyway, I didn't win everything I was watching, some things went for more than I wanted to snag them at but I still won a few. I'm afraid I might have bid against one or two of you, sorry :/

Weinschel 150W 10dB attenuator
2x Leica GLS 100 lamps  - They're missing the light pipes, but I fished a couple of these from a skip a while ago. So all good, assuming the bulbs aren't dead in which case may be a waste of money.
HP 8011A Pulse Generator - It's a nice little unit, will fit well on the bench.
Narda 150W 3dB attenuator - I do actually need this to go between the output of my 2m radio rig and the input to my amplifier.
HP 5326B Timer/Counter/DVM - I'm a sucker for nixie's
HP8662A Sig Gen - Got a bit carried away, but I do like boat anchors 
HP8132A Pulse Generator - Spares or repair, may be an easy fix, may be a lost cause. Good unit if I can fix it though ! I noticed that one had an Agilent asset number on it, it actually belonged to them at some point.

[Specmaster]

I couldn't find anything this time that I was interested in 

[veedub565]

I like the phew at the end  

There was far too much to tempt me, I did quite well resisting some of the items I was watching when the bids started going up. I still spent more than I planned too though. I'm beginning to think I have some sort of hoarding or addiction problem.

Forgot to say, I'm going to be collecting these items in person. I've only got a Toyota Aygo so I can't fit much in, but I might be able to do someone a favour if they want anything collected.

[veedub565]

Got my PP bill yesterday    Actually not a massive shock, but still seeing that invoice.  I was trying to keep track of it as I was going along.  When I got to £500 credit I knew I was in it for several hundred.

Paid it all yesterday but it's still showing as invoice not paid. I guess they have a lot to get through and don't work weekends. I used my invoice No. as a reference.

Planning on going to collect Wed all being well, I want my new toys 

[Jackster]

Managed to get one of the Farnell H60/25 (0-60v, 0-25A) and a Kepco ATE 55-20M (0-55v, 0-20A) power supplies.
£45 and £50 plus hammer/VAT.

Got some LED light panels in the works so need around 50-60V at decent amps.
Thought the Farnell unit would be a good investment as I hear parts and manual/repair is easy to come by and do.
Kepco was a shot in the dark and probably over paid. Thought the Farnell unit would go for more.

Did want the HP unit but I was AFK just as they ended. Does anyone know for what price?
If it is less than what I paid for these two, don't tell me.


I also had my eye on some of that camera gear. Not to use but to flog on but some others had the same idea xD

Overall, few bits went for cheap, but a lot went for near the asking price on the bay.

[veedub565]

Nice score on the PSU's, looks like a useful output range on them. I was watching the HP supplies, I wasn't that interested in the system PSU's (only if they went cheap, and they didn't) I've already got a 120V HP System PSU and I've never used it. The HP 6012A I wanted though for powering HAM radio gear, went for over £400 I think. More than I wanted to pay.

I would agree, a lot of items seemed to be going for not that much less than you can get them for on Ebay anyway... trade price if you like.

I don't think I overpaid on anything, was having a look at it this morning. The two attenuators, I needed to buy them from somewhere anyway, and got them cheaper then I've seen them 2nd hand, and much cheaper than new. So that's a bargain I suppose, just not a big one.

[factory]

Who had fun today acquiring more test equipment at the latest PP auction? 

There was quite a few items without bids on last night, and then SKycontrols came and bid on what seems like everything. I'm guessing either a business hoovering everything up, or... maybe something else. Weird

Anyway, I didn't win everything I was watching, some things went for more than I wanted to snag them at but I still won a few. I'm afraid I might have bid against one or two of you, sorry :/

Skycontrol (or whatever random name they use next time) = reserve not met
Read through the T&Cs and you'll understand what is going on, I was told about this some time ago by another forum member.

You'll find the same items reappear at the next sale(s). Quite annoying after 3 or 4 times and I lose interest completely, especially considering the costs to drive there each time & time off work, as their hours are the same as my working hours.

I would agree, a lot of items seemed to be going for not that much less than you can get them for on Ebay anyway... trade price if you like.

In some ways ePay is better as you can return "used condition" items if they don't work, at PP the pictures are quite poor quality & most items I bid on weren't even powered up, making it harder to assess if they were worth bidding on, or burnt to a crisp inside.

Last thing it's worth checking for RIFA madness capacitors & Schaffner madness line filters, due to the storage being a agricultural building (aka barn), it's highly likely the paper caps will be loaded with dampness, ready to release the magic smoke.

David

[Jackster]

When I first got into buying at auction, I picked up 3-4 graphics cards for about £500. RRP they were about £2000 together.
None of them worked. But I listed them on eBay as "not working/for parts" and people paid double what I paid on auction... 

None of the buyers were able to return them as I contacted eBay every time they inevitably would open up a case even though the listing was clear about them not working. eBay always sided with me back then.
Things have changed now so they basically just accept whatever the buyer states even if they are full of it.

Got one buyer this week who clearly swapped out £4 fan for a bit of metal junk and is claiming that is what I sent him.
I suspect he will open a case next week and ill just have to refund them otherwise I get charged £3 plus VAT for the return shipping label.
In total, one would be out of £1.05 postage, £3.60, and the value of the goods if it went to that. Buyers know it so abuse the money-back system all the time.

Slightly off-topic....

I plan on opening up both of my PSUs and seeing what I have. Might post on here for you lot to see and give your opinions on.
Hopefully, I have 2 fully working units.

[veedub565]

Who had fun today acquiring more test equipment at the latest PP auction? 

There was quite a few items without bids on last night, and then SKycontrols came and bid on what seems like everything. I'm guessing either a business hoovering everything up, or... maybe something else. Weird

Anyway, I didn't win everything I was watching, some things went for more than I wanted to snag them at but I still won a few. I'm afraid I might have bid against one or two of you, sorry :/

Skycontrol (or whatever random name they use next time) = reserve not met
Read through the T&Cs and you'll understand what is going on, I was told about this some time ago by another forum member.

You'll find the same items reappear at the next sale(s). Quite annoying after 3 or 4 times and I lose interest completely, especially considering the costs to drive there each time & time off work, as their hours are the same as my working hours.

I would agree, a lot of items seemed to be going for not that much less than you can get them for on Ebay anyway... trade price if you like.

In some ways ePay is better as you can return "used condition" items if they don't work, at PP the pictures are quite poor quality & most items I bid on weren't even powered up, making it harder to assess if they were worth bidding on, or burnt to a crisp inside.

Last thing it's worth checking for RIFA madness capacitors & Schaffner madness line filters, due to the storage being a agricultural building (aka barn), it's highly likely the paper caps will be loaded with dampness, ready to release the magic smoke.

David

Ahh that's interesting about Skycontrols, Why don't they just say reserve not met when you're bidding. They won a couple of items I was watching lol ah well maybe they'll come around next time, and I'll bid the same again

Yes you do generally get better pictures on ebay, usually more of a description and pictures showing it at least powered up. PP did say my 8131A was spares or repair, but the 8662A I bought could also turn out to be an expensive doorstop. I don't even know if that thing powers on, or if there's some issue with the RF circuits. big risk and no comeback. Def worth checking the RIFA caps and, letting it sit in a warm room for a few days before even plugging it in.

Ebay seems totally geared towards the buyer these days, I mean if something says spares or repair then I wouldn't expect to be able to return it as not working. Madness that Ebay would let me do it though and I'd get a refund !

[artag]

Ahh that's interesting about Skycontrols, Why don't they just say reserve not met when you're bidding. They won a couple of items I was watching lol ah well maybe they'll come around next time, and I'll bid the same again

I guess they think it will give rise to more competitive bids if people think someone else is interested. Thanks for pointing it out though. I actually prefer to know the reserve price so this is better than just failing to win and being told 'reserve not met'.

[artag]

Managed to get one of the Farnell H60/25 (0-60v, 0-25A) and a Kepco ATE 55-20M (0-55v, 0-20A) power supplies.
£45 and £50 plus hammer/VAT.

That sounds pretty good. Kepco are the sort of company we love (assuming they still exist). A few years ago I bought an ancient one from another auction and emailed them asking if I could get a manual. They sent me a printed copy FOC. And this PSU was so old that it used valves for the output devices (Kepco HB525 projector lamp supply). 500V at 500mA.

[Jackster]

Managed to get one of the Farnell H60/25 (0-60v, 0-25A) and a Kepco ATE 55-20M (0-55v, 0-20A) power supplies.
£45 and £50 plus hammer/VAT.

That sounds pretty good. Kepco are the sort of company we love (assuming they still exist). A few years ago I bought an ancient one from another auction and emailed them asking if I could get a manual. They sent me a printed copy FOC. And this PSU was so old that it used valves for the output devices (Kepco HB525 projector lamp supply). 500V at 500mA.

Their website is still up and you can buy stuff by the looks of it. https://www.kepcopower.com/index.htm
$100 for a service physical manual. Free downloads https://www.kepcopower.com/support/opmanls.htm

$5300 for a new ATE 55-20M though!

[veedub565]

I went to collect the lots I won today. Jeez the conditions the items are stored in is appalling, it's an open fronted barn, basically the stuff is stored outside under cover.

The 8662A Is all corroded on the back panel (not shown in the auction pictures funnily enough). The front panel that goes over the display is peeling off, and wet underneath ! God knows what it's like inside, but to be honest it's probably scrap now, no way worth the £290 I paid for it. Probably not even worth £50 for the parts if the outsides anything to go by.

8131A also corroded, and as expected spares or repair. There's something heaving clunking about inside (havent opened it up yet) and a sticker over the mains connectors saying do not energise. Maybe just a PSU fault. Well, originally anyway, I'm not sure how resistant to corrosion the the sensitive custom components inside it are. It's possibly totally fvked now.

The HP Nixie counter doesn't look too bad. Apart from a small split in the front panel (top left of the display). Looks like something heavy has taken a chunk out of the case which is a shame, and the metalworks a bit scuffed up. It may clean up ok though. ANd hopefully works too.

The HP 8011A also looks ok, the metalwork seems to be suffering from the damp. It's not corroded, but like that whiteworm you get on aluminium. Hopefully also works

The two Leica light sources. One had a dead bulb, the other a broken PSU with wires hanging off. Made one good one out the two dead ones so that's kinda ok. And I had the light tubes already.

And the two attenuators both ok.


The cardboard boxes they put a couple of the smaller items in. The cardboard was all damp, everything wet to touch.  I wouldn't buy from them again, having seen how the stuff is stored. And the fact it isn't much cheaper than ebay anyway. Which as mentioned before has better pictures, descriptions, and comeback.


See pictures here (hopefully the links work)

[veedub565]

Sorry didn't mean to put all the pictures in so large. I don't know how to do it with small thumbnails 

[tggzzz]

A couple of points from all the preceeding posts.

Yes, PPAuction storage is suboptimal. I've seen them drape hessian sacks over the racks to attempt to reduce the condensation on the equipment. I'm slightly surprised it is so bad this time, since it has been a long hot dry autumn. Not so in the spring sales!

A couple of things I had from there I simply junked. There was a Philips counter, and an HP5371 MDA/TIA. The latter lives on in the form of bits of scrap metal and a good 10MHz oscillator.

I picked up a couple of Tek1502 TDRs; the damp shouldn't worry them since they can be used in rain and stored under a foot of water. Or at least they could when new. They won't work due to the "imaginative" PSU based around a PUJT, and requiring a working NiCd battery. Hot tip 1: those fleabay 1502s marked as "used" won't work, unless the pictures show a trace. Hot tip 2: ignore using NiMH or capacitors to fake a NiCd cell; if they work it will be temperamental.

Also got some HP DMM probes sealed in their bag, a Time Interval Analyser (hope it works, so I can compare it with my Agilent MDA), and a scrotty Instek PSU.

As for reserve not met, Hunt4Auctions also does that. Most irritating. Curiously the stuff in the PPAuction located in Bicester will be hunt4auctions stuff that hasn't sold in Bidspotter/i-bidder auctions.

The ingur links don't work - and won't, since I can't be bothered to let 10 sites (expecially farcebook) run their javascript in my browser.

[veedub565]

To be honest, apart from the two attenuators, the lot can go on ebay, or up the tip, it's a pile of sht, mostly thanks to how it's been stored.

I just noticed the HP 5326B has one original brass DVM terminal post, and the other is a cheap replacement that doesn't fit properly (and good luck finding an original replacement). With the split in the display panel, damage to the top cover, the poor condition of the metalwork due to damp. I opened it up and some of the metal components are oxidising. I can't imagine the front panel switches are going to be working very well either.

First and last time I buy anything from PPAuction.

[Jackster]

Great. Looks like my £100 is going to waste...

[veedub565]

Well you never know you might be lucky. Those Tek TDR's are pretty tough, I've had to build a new NiCd battery pack for these before.

[factory]

To be honest, apart from the two attenuators, the lot can go on ebay, or up the tip, it's a pile of sht, mostly thanks to how it's been stored.

I just noticed the HP 5326B has one original brass DVM terminal post, and the other is a cheap replacement that doesn't fit properly (and good luck finding an original replacement). With the split in the display panel, damage to the top cover, the poor condition of the metalwork due to damp. I opened it up and some of the metal components are oxidising. I can't imagine the front panel switches are going to be working very well either.

First and last time I buy anything from PPAuction.

Not surprized with the rust/corrosion, some of the lots I bought in Febuary were exactly the same, ending up scrapping most of the HP 180 series SA modules (both very incomplete & badly corroded), I did get the display sections working. 
It wasn't all bad though, the AVO lamp foot, Racal counter and HP 651B all worked fine, other than needing minor repairs.
 
Can't imagine the six lots I'm collecting tomorrow will be in any better state then. 
I'm hoping the HP 3330B isn't in doorstop condition (noting it has over a dozen ancient PROMs in it), the 8403A & 1645A I'm less bothered about as they weren't too much.

The 5326B input jack plastic on those is often cracked or missing, if your lucky there might be another pair of the back (one of the rare options), the logos often fall off too.

David

[veedub565]

The 5326B input jacks plastic, the on those is often cracked or missing, the logos often fall off too.

Yeah it's little things, that prob by themselves wouldn't be an issue, but added to everything else. Hope you have better luck than me.

I took the lid off the 8662A, pulled one of the RF modules out. And yep, even deep inside it is white furry aluminium oxide.

[tggzzz]

Great. Looks like my £100 is going to waste...

Wait and see.

I've had some good stuff from PPAuctions in the past, e.g. all this stuff worked except where noted...

Sullivan T2900 megohmmeter in wooden case
Muirhead D-825-P decade resistance box
Solartron / Schlumberger 7151 computing digital multimeter
Aluminium transit cases
PDA 102 induction loop amplifiers, Canford Parrell box etc
2x Xytronic 426DLX fume extractor with spare filters
Datron 4903, 4902S, 4901 DC current, voltage, cal bridge convertor * doesn't work, but good condition. Put off repairing it because there is (by design) 1kV on lots of bits of exposed metal. Has got ~200 resistors that are £30 each
Tektronix 1502B metallic TDR cable tester
Phillips PM6671 1200MHz high resolution timer / counter * rusted
HP5373A modulation DC main pulse analyser with 2x 53702A modules, Agilent Infinium oscilloscope (spares or repairs - possibly bits missing) * used for scrap
LDJ Electronics 511P GAVSS meter & Omnitest HY Trak 100D with probes
Lecroy 9310AM dual oscilloscope, 400MHz, 100ms/s, 200kpts/ch
Boonton Electronics 93AD True rms voltmeter * can't remember!
24x RS 757-5097 label remover aerosol tins * scrap
HP 3310A function generator
Qty various modules, function chips, circuit boards etc in 2 boxes
Agilent Technologies 1682AD logic analyser
Metrix MX67 electrical tester, multimeters
Advance transformer GT 650/B, load 650VA
Tektronix 2465 oscilloscope, 300MHz
Qty various resistance boxes
Farnell L30-2 power supply, 0-30v, 2A & Coutant LB500.2 power supply
GW Laboratory GPQ 3030 DC power supply, 5v, 3A * can't remember this!
Farnell L30AT power supply, 50v, 500MA
2x Farnell L30B stabilised power supplies
5x Fluke 25 multimeters in carry cases
Tektronix 1502
2x Philips PM 5190 LF synthesizers
Tektronix 485 350MHz oscilloscope
Fluke 25 hand held multimeter in case
L2x Farnell E30/1 stabilised power supplies
Tektronix 1502 TDR cable tester
Brandenburg 109M Solid State HV meter, 40kV
Tektronix P6013A compensation box in carry case

[Oldtestgear]

I have only ever bought from PPAuctions IF the goods are still at the original site & not been moved to Lincolnshire. Partly because of the poor conditions that stuff is stored in & also because it is too far to travel. I miss the days when they just lotted up decent quantities of kit & let the auction run. Back then bargains could be found even allowing for long distance collection. These days I very rarely even look at their auctions because of the very high prices that stuff goes for. 

Phil

[tggzzz]

I have only ever bought from PPAuctions IF the goods are still at the original site & not been moved to Lincolnshire. Partly because of the poor conditions that stuff is stored in & also because it is too far to travel. I miss the days when they just lotted up decent quantities of kit & let the auction run. Back then bargains could be found even allowing for long distance collection. These days I very rarely even look at their auctions because of the very high prices that stuff goes for. 

I don't disagree. Nowadays I won't trek there for a single item.

Certainly "not at Aunby" increases the prices I am prepared to pay, and "at Aunby" decreases the type of things I'll look at.

I tend to see how the bidding is going, and if I win an early item at a good price, then I'll bid on more.

The advent of "off the wall bidding" is a distinct annoyance; I would prefer the starting price was the reserve price.

[factory]

Well I found out what is going on, as soon as I got there I commented "I've never seen this place so empty", the barn had almost nothing inside apart from a couple of pallets of items, I was told they are storing the lots elsewhere on site and moving them into the barn building as needed for collection.

And the barn was more open than normal, because they are rebuilding it with new cladding, hopefully will be better once finished, here is what it looked like last year (from google maps).


My lots weren't too bad, some rust on the chrome bits of the 8403A (quite a common problem) and a little corrosion to BNC connectors on that & the 3330B, opened the 3330B and no signs of corrosion inside, I'm sure the BNCs will clean up fine.

David

[veedub565]

I was told they are storing the lots elsewhere on site and moving them into the barn building as needed for collection.

Probably in a muddy field under a tarpaulin then judging by the state of what I collected. You must have got lucky.