Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[bd139]

I need to stop reading this thread walking along. Nearly landed my foot in the middle of a gigantic dog turd 

What are you off to buy ? More components ?
Has penis fingers stuck again ?

Kids dropped off at school. I was hurrying back as I'm expecting more components to arrive today however 

[Specmaster]

And I'm awaiting a collection this morning.

EDIT
Update, meter collected at 10:10 on parcelforce 24hr service so it will be in RS tomorrow, cracking service.

[Specmaster]

The doorbell rang a few minutes ago and I thought thats odd, all the delivery and collection people have already been today and as I was working on the 3466A I asked my son to go but he said he couldn't and that it was a probably a parcel for me anyhow. I sort of mumbled that was impossible but went anyway, fearing the worst that it some sort of doorstep sales person or a bible basher etc.

Imagine my surprise when I opened the door there stood a delivery man with a parcel in hand which he thrust at me and then asked me to sign for it. It was addressed to me, strange I thought, surely my 3478A hasn't already been delivered to RS, calibrated and returned all within the space of 4 hours surely not, the parcel was certainly large and heavy enough for that.

I took it upto my lab and opened it up with baited breath and yes it was a meter OK, a Philips PM2521 that a very nice forum member had sent me as he knew that I had one that was broken and was looking for another one to see if I make one of them work by parts form the other.

I wont mention this members name as I don't know if he wants to be publicly named or not, I have already PM'd him and said thank you but thought I'd share this information with the other forum members on here, many of whom I look on as friends although not ever knowingly meeting anyone in person.

I'll now publicly say a very warm and heart felt thank you to this person for his very kind and generous gesture and I'll be looking into the restoration, at part restoration if possible very shortly, I have a warm spot for my Philips even though it shares a common failing which is understandable given its age, the screen is not backlit .

Once again a big thank you to you, you know who you.   

[BravoV]

Not test equipment though  , but in this case these are categorized as Test Component as these will be used for the GPSDO board. A Huber+Suhner outdoor GPS antenna and Rosenberger N type male connectors.

[Mr. Scram]

I need to stop reading this thread walking along. Nearly landed my foot in the middle of a gigantic dog turd 

I nearly hit two people absorbed in their phones yesterday, and that wasn't because I was driving carelessly. One managed to end up on my side of the road and required some evasive action, the other almost ignored the traffic lights.

I'd rather have they'd not, it tends to be bad for the paint.

[Specmaster]

Advert seen today on Shpock, quick someone snap up this Autroranging Digital Multimeter in black leather, yours for £30, available from London N19. 

[bd139]

 

[Specmaster]

Did you pop your Leader on the scope last night at all?

[GerryBags]

a common failing which is understandable given its age, the screen is not backlit .

Seeing as it's going to be taken apart and restored, what about adding a backlight to the display, as someone did with their HP3478A?

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/hp3478a-backlight-my-version/msg1506169/?topicseen#msg1506169

[Specmaster]

a common failing which is understandable given its age, the screen is not backlit .

Seeing as it's going to be taken apart and restored, what about adding a backlight to the display, as someone did with their HP3478A?

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/hp3478a-backlight-my-version/msg1506169/?topicseen#msg1506169

Its not possible, I already looked at doing that when I got the first Philips. The display is recessed into the front panel in such a why that is impossible to edge lights it and the thing is so well screened internal with metal plates that also double up as strengthening for the brittle plastics and at same time retaining items such as the display which is sandwiched between the plastic and the metal screening.

As to restoring it, it was only restoring it back hopefully back to working condition, the case is always going to be broken as I've yet to see one that is better shape then mine and thats held together with plastic cement 

[Ero-Shan]

Speaking of handles, do you all actually use them? Although I've kept them on the instruments thus far so as not to misplace them, I find them to just be in the way and interfere with a nicely stacked arrangement.

For the most part, I don't need the handles, as I don't carry the instruments around much. Some devices like the HP34401A have handles that fold back such that they lay flat on the bottom without protruding more than the feet. However, the bulges on the sides are still annoying.

[Ero-Shan]

Not test equipment though  , but in this case these are categorized as Test Component as these will be used for the GPSDO board. A Huber+Suhner outdoor GPS antenna and Rosenberger N type male connectors.

As I have ordered my TruePosition GPSDO this very day, I'm now in need of an antenna, too. All I can find are terribly cheap antennas for cars and a few for boats. I have no real idea, though, whether they work with this board.

[Mr. Scram]

For the most part, I don't need the handles, as I don't carry the instruments around much. Some devices like the HP34401A have handles that fold back such that they lay flat on the bottom without protruding more than the feet. However, the bulges on the sides are still annoying.

With that many 34401A's present you have, what, a cubic metre of 34401A handles?

[tautech]

Yeah they fold right underneath on Siglents too but they do stick out the side some but luckily they can rotate to a position where they they can be sprung form the case and easily removed. Without tools too. 

My best customer (teaching lab), students broke the tilting tits off one so it wouldn't stay in the tilt setting so I had to get a new one.......cost me $4  and I sent it to them gratis. 

[mnementh]

Makes sense actually. Did you stick one of those Yuasa 6V gel ones in or something similar instead?

Not sure if it was gel, it was sold as sealed lead acid, works a treat. Slightly larger capacity I think.

From mobile device so predictive text might have struck again [emoji83]

Gel cell/SLA, same aren't they ?

Nope. Gel cells have, as the name suggests, a gel electrolyte. SLA are usually liquid electrolyte in a fiberglas mat. This makes most Gel-Cells a high IR battery, while SLA tends to be low IR. The difference IRL is considerable as well; gel cells are easily destroyed by high surge current draws which SLA takes in stride, however if treated with care gel cells tend to have greater longevity than SLA. Some long-term standby power applications get decades of service from a set of gel-cells.


Woops! Family time!


mnem
*beep-beep*

[Specmaster]

Whats this obession with handles that stick out on the side? Surely thats a good thing isn't it? Its called air flow for cooling, also provides space to get your hands in to remove, rearrange or reach cables etc. When I get a new piece of gear the last thing I want to do is having to dismantle most of the stack(s) to be able to slot in the new piece in the optimum position in relation to the rest of the gear. Those spaces/gaps allow me to get to the particular stack that I want to work on with the new gear directly without disturbing the rest of the kit.

[Mr. Scram]

Whats this obession with handles that stick out on the side? Surely thats a good thing isn't it? Its called air flow for cooling, also provides space to get your hands in to remove, rearrange or reach cables etc. When I get a new piece of gear the last thing I want to do is having to dismantle most of the stack(s) to be able to slot in the new piece in the optimum position in relation to the rest of the gear. Those spaces/gaps allow me to get to the particular stack that I want to work on with the new gear directly without disturbing the rest of the kit.

It's how you get an ovenized DMM without an actual oven.

[Specmaster]

Whats this obession with handles that stick out on the side? Surely thats a good thing isn't it? Its called air flow for cooling, also provides space to get your hands in to remove, rearrange or reach cables etc. When I get a new piece of gear the last thing I want to do is having to dismantle most of the stack(s) to be able to slot in the new piece in the optimum position in relation to the rest of the gear. Those spaces/gaps allow me to get to the particular stack that I want to work on with the new gear directly without disturbing the rest of the kit.

It's how you get an ovenized DMM without an actual oven.

And you get deafened by all the cooling fans spooling up to force cool the equipment which is not being used, just sitting there idling waiting for its turn to come.

[tautech]

Whats this obession with handles that stick out on the side? Surely thats a good thing isn't it? Its called air flow for cooling, also provides space to get your hands in to remove, rearrange or reach cables etc. When I get a new piece of gear the last thing I want to do is having to dismantle most of the stack(s) to be able to slot in the new piece in the optimum position in relation to the rest of the gear. Those spaces/gaps allow me to get to the particular stack that I want to work on with the new gear directly without disturbing the rest of the kit.

It's how you get an ovenized DMM without an actual oven.

And you get deafened by all the cooling fans spooling up to force cool the equipment which is not being used, just sitting there idling waiting for its turn to come.

Some designers have thought of that scenario and put stackable horns that protrude slightly over the side and therefore provide an unrestricted airflow path gear stacked side by side. 

[Specmaster]

Whats this obession with handles that stick out on the side? Surely thats a good thing isn't it? Its called air flow for cooling, also provides space to get your hands in to remove, rearrange or reach cables etc. When I get a new piece of gear the last thing I want to do is having to dismantle most of the stack(s) to be able to slot in the new piece in the optimum position in relation to the rest of the gear. Those spaces/gaps allow me to get to the particular stack that I want to work on with the new gear directly without disturbing the rest of the kit.

It's how you get an ovenized DMM without an actual oven.

And you get deafened by all the cooling fans spooling up to force cool the equipment which is not being used, just sitting there idling waiting for its turn to come.

Some designers have thought of that scenario and put stackable horns that protrude slightly over the side and therefore provide an unrestricted airflow path gear stacked side by side. 

So you have protrusions that make the item wider then it would be without the protruding horns or handles, much the same thing then, taking up space   

[tautech]

Whats this obession with handles that stick out on the side? Surely thats a good thing isn't it? Its called air flow for cooling, also provides space to get your hands in to remove, rearrange or reach cables etc. When I get a new piece of gear the last thing I want to do is having to dismantle most of the stack(s) to be able to slot in the new piece in the optimum position in relation to the rest of the gear. Those spaces/gaps allow me to get to the particular stack that I want to work on with the new gear directly without disturbing the rest of the kit.

It's how you get an ovenized DMM without an actual oven.

And you get deafened by all the cooling fans spooling up to force cool the equipment which is not being used, just sitting there idling waiting for its turn to come.

Some designers have thought of that scenario and put stackable horns that protrude slightly over the side and therefore provide an unrestricted airflow path gear stacked side by side. 

So you have protrusions that make the item wider then it would be without the protruding horns or handles, much the same thing then, taking up space 

Providing necessary cooling ventilation ! 

[bd139]

Quick test run of the Leader 17A on the scope.

6.5MHz. Nice clean sines!



Now lets apply MORE POWER and hit 164MHz, the top end of the generator. Still nice and clean although the scope is an LPF here. Rock solid display and triggering at 164MHz though on a 100MHz scope! Tektronix FTW. Don't ask me what the attenuation is but it's baaad.



Incidentally the Rigol I had fell off a cliff at 110MHz. Got a lot more megs for just shy of £40 there...

Edit: also Rigol didn't have sexy graticule illumination or light bulbs in it

[Specmaster]

They are really clean, thats an excellent score there then and a mere fraction of the Rigol price, winner chicken dinner 

[Specmaster]

Whats this obession with handles that stick out on the side? Surely thats a good thing isn't it? Its called air flow for cooling, also provides space to get your hands in to remove, rearrange or reach cables etc. When I get a new piece of gear the last thing I want to do is having to dismantle most of the stack(s) to be able to slot in the new piece in the optimum position in relation to the rest of the gear. Those spaces/gaps allow me to get to the particular stack that I want to work on with the new gear directly without disturbing the rest of the kit.

It's how you get an ovenized DMM without an actual oven.

And you get deafened by all the cooling fans spooling up to force cool the equipment which is not being used, just sitting there idling waiting for its turn to come.

Some designers have thought of that scenario and put stackable horns that protrude slightly over the side and therefore provide an unrestricted airflow path gear stacked side by side. 

So you have protrusions that make the item wider then it would be without the protruding horns or handles, much the same thing then, taking up space 

Providing necessary cooling ventilation ! 

Bulls-eye, my point precisely, much needed ventilation 

[Specmaster]

I'll do some experimenting on the scope with my Advance Generator once I've made up a conversion lead as the thing is so old it uses Co-ax sockets as the outputs and I'm kinda of in a quandary now about do I make up adaptors to go from Co-ax to BNC or should I just replace the Co-ax with BNC jacks? The former would keep it all original but introduce yet another set of leads to growing mass of spaghetti hanging from hooks and handles, decisions decisions.