Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[mansaxel]

Thats what me and my boys all thought, but its the same in Firefox, Edge and Chrome. I was wondering if it might be Windoze 10 related as I don't recall noticing that before downloading the Novemeber update.

Nope, also happens on OS X. Only tried on Chrome, but I suspect it is the web site that does it, nothing else. Aliexpress have done it for ages, so I suppose Ebay just figured they'd sell more if they did too.

[factory]

Did anyone here get the HP LogicDart that was in the PP aucton?

Didn't see that one, was it hidden amongst a pile of other TE? Did it make any less than the one on EPay last week?

David

[ch_scr]

Здравствуйте товарищ милливольтметр! https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/175033826065

Oohh that's a special one, it says "Millivoltmeter". They usually say "Voltmeter", regarding of features, number of digits etc.
The seller has thankfully provided a high res shot of the schematics, now we can see, it's an AC-Millivoltmeter:

And look at that glory!
Fet input, mystery ic, opamp, transistor amplifier - it's even powered by a self-oscillating switch mode supply
No expense spared on that one!
In the bottom left of the display we can see some of the specs "0.1mV-300V 2.5% 20Hz-1MHz B3-55A"
2.5% is a bit of a bummer, but I'll guess there is a good chance it is still in spec...

[Robert763]

Did anyone here get the HP LogicDart that was in the PP aucton?

Didn't see that one, was it hidden amongst a pile of other TE? Did it make any less than the one on EPay last week?

David

Doh It was Ramco not PP.  I wasn't able to watch either auction end.

[Robert763]

Not heard of this manufacturer before, no doubt Robert, Cerebus, or tggzzz can elucidate: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/224708780108

Not me.

Someone's going to have fun with that mains cable.

Nor me. The S+E logo vaguely rings a bell, but only a tiny handbell; that means I've seen it before but I can't add any useful information beyond that.

Found this: https://www.radiomuseum.org/dsp_hersteller_detail.cfm?company_id=12221

Yes, best known for their big reel to reel instrumentation tape recorders. I think the recorders were the main reason EMI bought them. The recorders were still in active use in the aviation industry well in to the 1990's. I know one company that only destroyed their archive 1" tapes around 2015. The tapes probably outlived the aircraft whose data was on them.

Ah! Now instead of C₈ handbell I think I'm getting G₆. Yes, I think I can remember seeing S+E tape machines rack mounted for data logging or telephone logging.

7000 recorder
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vSLl92J68OgTXttoL2nugCa_MGHp0d3w/view
Seems Penny and Giles took them over from EMI.
Their recorders were used for early "digital" (recording was FM) audio work at Abby Road Studios

It says "portable". For Geff Capes maybe. Damm things are at least 43kg (95 lbs). They are a awkward shape / size too.

[Ice-Tea]

Did anyone here get the HP LogicDart that was in the PP aucton?

No. But I tried

[AVGresponding]

Cool, I haven't seen a chess computer for years. I used to have one, but cannot remember what happened to it 

Did you pawn it? You should rook in the attic, it knight be there. You really should check, mate.

[mnementh]

"Used" Spectrum Analyser fro ProAvit on ebay
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/255248173936
 

They can keep it 

"cables have been cut on the internals "

"Oh fer cryin' in the mud; that's the one I stomped to bits, then rubbed my balls all over it..."

mnem
"...to make sure nobody would ever touch it again. And somebody still dug it out of the dirt to sell online..."

[AVGresponding]

This has to be the oldest Solartron I've seen so far: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/334232124623

Hmmmmm... I do believe I see 3DP spacers made to refit that with modern output terminals and color coding. While I personally couldn't care less, it does set off the ol' anachronism detector something fierce... 

Another thought... do we really know if that was even made by the same Solartron we know & love for their "special" connectors...?

mnem
no    for me...

Yes. https://www.radiomuseum.org/dsp_hersteller_detail.cfm?company_id=8231

[mnementh]

7000 recorder
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vSLl92J68OgTXttoL2nugCa_MGHp0d3w/view
Seems Penny and Giles took them over from EMI.
Their recorders were used for early "digital" (recording was FM) audio work at Abby Road Studios

It says "portable". For Geff Capes maybe. Damm things are at least 43kg (95 lbs). They are a awkward shape / size too.

Huh.... that's actually quite a interesting bit of dinosaur tech right there. Thanks for bringing it to light in here!

mnem
 

[AVGresponding]

Hey Med, is that mess in the scope not just sawdust ?

Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. Who the freak knows until I start cleaning. But it DOES stink so I suspect more than "just" sawdust.

Some woods do stink as you know but the smell is normally lost after a while as sawdust. Maybe a rat pee'd on the scope and it soaked some in to retain the stink.
Anyways it's probably been stored in a small workshop to get such a coating of dust.....I'm sure it will be just fine Med.

If you think that's bad you should have seen the state of aircooled avionics equipment back in the days when they allowed smoking on aircraft....

If you think that's bad, you should try rummaging around for truck-cab components in an inch of green liquid charitably described as "decomposing animal proteins". I can still remember the smell, and that was more than 30 years ago...

[cyclin_al]

I don't even want to touch that.  The fate of this Type 547 is sealed. Parts unit only and will never be brought inside. I'll vacuum it out as best I can. I don't even want to speculate how all that crap got in there but you can bet rodent pee and crap is mixed in with it. Yuck. 

That does not look as bad as you describe.  I do not see anything that looks like rodent poop.  What I see looks more like sawdust, so I am inclined to suspect a gorilla, rather than a rodent.  Rodent piss tends to cause rapid corrosion, which I do not see evidence of either.

For example, I left a box with my nail guns in the kennel a couple of weeks ago.  A mouse got in and chewed up all the styrofoam and ruined the box.  The mouse piss destroyed the racks of nails, there was little left of the nails.  Yep, in weeks it was as bad as an exposed nail outdoors for 20+ years.  Luckily, the nail guns themselves were spared.

[AVGresponding]

Здравствуйте товарищ милливольтметр! https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/175033826065

Oohh that's a special one, it says "Millivoltmeter". They usually say "Voltmeter", regarding of features, number of digits etc.
The seller has thankfully provided a high res shot of the schematics, now we can see, it's an AC-Millivoltmeter:

And look at that glory!
Fet input, mystery ic, opamp, transistor amplifier - it's even powered by a self-oscillating switch mode supply
No expense spared on that one!
In the bottom left of the display we can see some of the specs "0.1mV-300V 2.5% 20Hz-1MHz B3-55A"
2.5% is a bit of a bummer, but I'll guess there is a good chance it is still in spec...

2.5% over that bandwidth and voltage range is pretty impressive imo. It looks to be in great condition too, but the price is too salty for me, given I'm not a wobbly-pointy meter licker.

[Specmaster]

Did anybody get that voltage divider or even know how much it went for, I forgot to bid on it 

[ch_scr]

Здравствуйте товарищ милливольтметр! https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/175033826065

Oohh that's a special one, it says "Millivoltmeter". They usually say "Voltmeter", regarding of features, number of digits etc.
The seller has thankfully provided a high res shot of the schematics, now we can see, it's an AC-Millivoltmeter:

And look at that glory!
Fet input, mystery ic, opamp, transistor amplifier - it's even powered by a self-oscillating switch mode supply
No expense spared on that one!
In the bottom left of the display we can see some of the specs "0.1mV-300V 2.5% 20Hz-1MHz B3-55A"
2.5% is a bit of a bummer, but I'll guess there is a good chance it is still in spec...

2.5% over that bandwidth and voltage range is pretty impressive imo. It looks to be in great condition too, but the price is too salty for me, given I'm not a wobbly-pointy meter licker.

The price is too damn high for sure! Also, look at the sheer size of that damn case - which reminds me:
"How do you know the KGB has bugged your bedroom? You come home to find an additional wardrobe..."

[mnementh]

Cool, I haven't seen a chess computer for years. I used to have one, but cannot remember what happened to it 

Did you pawn it? You should rook in the attic, it knight be there. You really should check, mate.

mnem
"I... I... I just can't... There isn't enough stockpile to mount an appropriate response; I'd have to import boatloads of soggy ol' boots from England, just to lob them all back across the pond..."

[factory]

You guys need to tell me your user names in the future. I don't really want to bid against you if I can avoid it. 

Mine, yours and David's aren't difficult to work out Glad you got lots of 7151s

Mine is easy to work out, but "factory" on it's own was already taken.

All that RIFA (Schaffner) madness smoke just waiting to be released. 

And he got some of the old Fluke calibrators, just keep them away from Zhoefler.

Did anybody get that voltage divider or even know how much it went for, I forgot to bid on it 

Not me, the KVD went for £55.
https://www2.ppauctions.com/lot/161450/lot-202

David

[med6753]

Just goofing around here. Giving that repaired Type 1A1 some burn-in and a good workout. 10MHz square wave on a 50MHz B/W scope and plug-in as verified on the 7260A. Sweep on scope max'ed out and set to X5 mag. Not too shabby. 

[mnementh]

Ah! Now instead of C₈ handbell I think I'm getting G₆. Yes, I think I can remember seeing S+E tape machines rack mounted for data logging or telephone logging.

Heh! You should talk shop with my wife; been years since she got her last fix of Bell Choir...

mnem

[Ice-Tea]

Mine is easy to work out, but "factory" on it's own was already taken.

Yeah, I think I may have cost you a fair bit and vice versa. 

[mnementh]

Another Solartron 7081 from UK.   https://www.ebay.com/itm/284541597525

Look like crap and it's already more than what I would be willing to pay. Too bad, shipping to Canada was actually acceptable     

Christ... couldn't even be arsed to run a damp rag across it. 

Yup... that's been one of my laments for as long as I can remember. While I have gotten some good deals as a result, I've also gotten stuff that wasn't worth even that little bit of assache... 

mnem
 

[AVGresponding]

Cool, I haven't seen a chess computer for years. I used to have one, but cannot remember what happened to it 

Did you pawn it? You should rook in the attic, it knight be there. You really should check, mate.

mnem
"I... I... I just can't... There isn't enough stockpile to mount an appropriate response; I'd have to import boatloads of soggy ol' boots from England, just to lob them all back across the pond..."

I make no apologies.

In this pad, buns and bad puns are King and Queen, and you bishop remember it!

[AVGresponding]

Oh, and the stupidly cheap GenRad LCR arrived. It's currently toasting off the seasonal delivery condensation by the fire. I'll give it a poke with the mains in a bit.
Weighed in a small quantity of offcuts today, sandwich money for all the team next week...

Snow is forecast in 10 minutes. Quattro says: "meh."

[Robert763]

Hey Med, is that mess in the scope not just sawdust ?

Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. Who the freak knows until I start cleaning. But it DOES stink so I suspect more than "just" sawdust.

Some woods do stink as you know but the smell is normally lost after a while as sawdust. Maybe a rat pee'd on the scope and it soaked some in to retain the stink.
Anyways it's probably been stored in a small workshop to get such a coating of dust.....I'm sure it will be just fine Med.

If you think that's bad you should have seen the state of aircooled avionics equipment back in the days when they allowed smoking on aircraft....

If you think that's bad, you should try rummaging around for truck-cab components in an inch of green liquid charitably described as "decomposing animal proteins". I can still remember the smell, and that was more than 30 years ago...

Ugh, I've been behind a knackers truck on the road before. You can still smell them miles after you have passed.

[factory]

This has to be the oldest Solartron I've seen so far: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/334232124623

Hmmmmm... I do believe I see 3DP spacers made to refit that with modern output terminals and color coding. While I personally couldn't care less, it does set off the ol' anachronism detector something fierce... 

Another thought... do we really know if that was even made by the same Solartron we know & love for their "special" connectors...?

mnem
no    for me...

Yes. https://www.radiomuseum.org/dsp_hersteller_detail.cfm?company_id=8231

Looks to be a newer version of the SRS153 here;
https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/showthread.php?t=160377

The terminals might be replacements but I doubt the spacers are 3DP, but they are fairly old too, probably the sort RS components used to sell.
Note: these are unregulated PSU's.

More history of Solartron here;
https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Solartron_Electronic_Group

David