Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[xrunner]

Of course seller will say he can't test anything, no test leads etc...so won't even bother asking... but maybe if there is a self test this thing perform on its own ? A magic key combination to trigger it ? Or some menu somewhere ? I guess if tell the guy/gal what button to press, in what sequence... he could reasonably be expected to do it... maybe.

It performs a self-test upon power on. More complete self-test can be done as shown here -

Front-Panel Operation: You can perform some of the tests (complete
self-test) individually or you can perform all tests together at once.
4: TEST (SYS MENU)
Another way to perform the complete front-panel self-test is as follows:
Hold down Shift as you press the Power switch to turn on the
multimeter; hold down the key for more than 5 seconds. The selftest
will begin when you release the key

[vk6zgo]

That is handling anything one would classify as "yucky" (like cleaning out the dustbin) or physically sticky.

I'd like to add mineral wool to the list. The kind they use in loudspeakers. Makes me want to scratch myself to the moon and back if I only see the stuff.

One of my first jobs as a "Trainee Tech" at a TV studio in 1965 was, complete with white overalls, to lie on my back in loose fibreglass insulation in the ceiling, trying to remove a big welding "dag" on the inside of a section of wide-ish aluminium pipe which was provided to allow a large round multi-way connector to access the STL on the roof.
 In those days, the "head " unit of STLs contained the Klystron & the stuff needed to modulate it, whilst the rest of the "guts" was in a rack inside the building----hence, the big connector.

It was seriously hot in there, & the large "rat tail" file took forever to make enough progress.
Eventually, the connector would fit through, so I came down, looking like a boiled lobster, & itching like mad, despite the Boiler suit!

The station had overestimated the number of staff they needed, & I was "let go" a few months later!

Next job was an "old school" Broadcast/HF comms site.
The B/C side had automatic EPP in case of a power failure, but the comms site had the EPP in an underground bunker, manually started & switched over.

Alongside the Diesel, was what was termed, for some reason, a "top tank".
This was refilled by rolling a 44gallon drum up a wooden ramp to a funnel sticking out of the outer wall.

The Postmaster General's Dept had kindly designated me as an "Exempt Tech", which meant, on this, day, I had my very own Trainee.
After setting up the drum, we just had to wait till we filled the "top tank".
We had been doing this for a while, so I asked the Trainee to check progress.
"All OK!" said he, but after a bit longer, I started to get a bit "antsy", so checked myself.

Diesel fuel was pouring over the top of the tank, & the "chases" cut in the concrete floor were half full of it.
About this time, the Trainee's shift finished, & he "buggered off"!

For some reason, lost in the mists of time, that day, I had worn a white shirt & good trousers, so there I was, for the rest of the day,
grovelling round with huge bundles of "waste", sopping up the horrible stuff-----scratch one white shirt!

I already didn't much like Diesel fuel (Diesoline, Distillate, or whatever you might call it),
When I was a kid, our neighbour in the bush kept his drums near the pig pen, so in my mind the smell of pig Shit & Diesel are forever linked, but this episode changed dislike to hate!

[Vince]

Of course seller will say he can't test anything, no test leads etc...so won't even bother asking... but maybe if there is a self test this thing perform on its own ? A magic key combination to trigger it ? Or some menu somewhere ? I guess if tell the guy/gal what button to press, in what sequence... he could reasonably be expected to do it... maybe.

It performs a self-test upon power on. More complete self-test can be done as shown here -

Front-Panel Operation: You can perform some of the tests (complete
self-test) individually or you can perform all tests together at once.
4: TEST (SYS MENU)
Another way to perform the complete front-panel self-test is as follows:
Hold down Shift as you press the Power switch to turn on the
multimeter; hold down the key for more than 5 seconds. The selftest
will begin when you release the key

Thanks !

Question : since it does a self test at power up automatically.... if it DOES find something wrong, but not a fatal issue... can the user bypass the error message and get the DMM to work..

That is : on the picture we see it's working, it displays a voltage.. but is that proof the POST went OK? Or could there have been an error but the user can still use the DMM anyway and present a "working" display / DMM when in fact there was a POST Error but he was able to just ignore it and carry on ?

[xrunner]

Thanks !

Question : since it does a self test at power up automatically.... if it DOES find something wrong, but not a fatal issue... can the user bypass the error message and get the DMM to work..

That is : on the picture we see it's working, it displays a voltage.. but is that proof the POST went OK? Or could there have been an error but the user can still use the DMM anyway and present a "working" display / DMM when in fact there was a POST Error but he was able to just ignore it and carry on ?

I'm not sure since I can't produce an error because mine is OK. I might be able to find out in the manual. I'd just ask the seller to force the power on test and tell you what they saw. Even a monkey can make it do the full test per the instructions.

[vk6zgo]

May the gods of oscilloscopes listen to you !   
I guess he could monitor the inpuit of the HV multiplier to see if that goes bad when the problem happens.
If it does go bad then great probably means the multiplier is OK and the fault is upstream i.e. the likelihood of being to fix it is x1000 higher !

Never had much good luck with that !
As you well know sometimes you really have to earn a successful repair.

Monitoring the EHT is working is darn easy with a RF loop without even a physical connection.
Let's see if Dave is prepared to show such simple tricks.

That's why I like CRT type picture monitors----all you needed to check for the presence of EHT was a few hairs on your forearm!

For those not so familiar with such devices,------- holding the forearm close to the screen, not the EHT lead!

[Vince]

Thanks !

Question : since it does a self test at power up automatically.... if it DOES find something wrong, but not a fatal issue... can the user bypass the error message and get the DMM to work..

That is : on the picture we see it's working, it displays a voltage.. but is that proof the POST went OK? Or could there have been an error but the user can still use the DMM anyway and present a "working" display / DMM when in fact there was a POST Error but he was able to just ignore it and carry on ?

I'm not sure since I can't produce an error because mine is OK. I might be able to find out in the manual. I'd just ask the seller to force the power on test and tell you what they saw. Even a monkey can make it do the full test per the instructions.

Oh OK, I misunderstood you I think !

When you said that the Power + SHIFT combination was for a " complete front panel self-test  " I read that as " it tests only the front panel itself, not the main board "... but you probably meant front panel as in  " The self test looks at the entire unit, but is being activated / triggered via the front panel " ? If so that's cool then, will ask the seller to do that ! 

[xrunner]

Oh OK, I misunderstood you I think !

When you said that the Power + SHIFT combination was for a " complete front panel self-test  " I read that as " it tests only the front panel itself, not the main board "... but you probably meant front panel as in  " The self test looks at the entire unit, but is being activated / triggered via the front panel " ? If so that's cool then, will ask the seller to do that ! 

Yea it will test the whole unit. I said even a monkey can cause it to initiate the complete self-test per the simple procedure ... but that assumes the seller has the intelligence of a monkey.

Might be debatable ... 

[TaylorD93]

Just picked up a WEIR 4000T 30V 1A Linear PSU from ebay for £10.

Not bad shape, work(ed) well but metal work was bent/dented. Only issues were;

- Fine Adjust Pot was intermittent open circuit.
- Mains Cord would go open cct when the cable was flexed at the Strain relief.

I plan to keep it, so i replaced the mains cord with a new cable gland. Then set about replacing the fine pot. Replaced it ok, but I damaged the LED Voltmeter display Flexi cable, so i whipped it out to solder in a bit of ribbon cable instead. Fiddly but got it done, then powered it up to find one of the LED segments on one digit is now dead.

Reverse engineered the connections and then knocked up a PCB and sent to JLC so that i can use a new modern 4 Digit 7 segment unit instead.

But it does mean its currently out of action!

[Vince]

Oh OK, I misunderstood you I think !

When you said that the Power + SHIFT combination was for a " complete front panel self-test  " I read that as " it tests only the front panel itself, not the main board "... but you probably meant front panel as in  " The self test looks at the entire unit, but is being activated / triggered via the front panel " ? If so that's cool then, will ask the seller to do that ! 

Yea it will test the whole unit. I said even a monkey can cause it to initiate the complete self-test per the simple procedure ... but that assumes the seller has the intelligence of a monkey.

Might be debatable ... 

Cool that's great, sending the seller a message right now to ask him to perform that test !

Let's see if he is a clever monkey or a dumb one !

Or... a clever one that plays it dumb because he knows the unit has a problem and he doesn't want me to see any error message ! 

The point is, at such a low price I CAN afford to take the risk of a buying a lemon, because I could sell it as is on Ebay and get my money back probably... so basically I am not taking that much of a risk I think.
Not going for the TTi DC load though... too much money for too many unknowns and zero I/O.

[Vince]

Just picked up a WEIR 4000T 30V 1A Linear PSU from ebay for £10.

Not bad shape, work(ed) well but metal work was bent/dented. Only issues were;

- Fine Adjust Pot was intermittent open circuit.
- Mains Cord would go open cct when the cable was flexed at the Strain relief.

I plan to keep it, so i replaced the mains cord with a new cable gland. Then set about replacing the fine pot. Replaced it ok, but I damaged the LED Voltmeter display Flexi cable, so i whipped it out to solder in a bit of ribbon cable instead. Fiddly but got it done, then powered it up to find one of the LED segments on one digit is now dead.

Reverse engineered the connections and then knocked up a PCB and sent to JLC so that i can use a new modern 4 Digit 7 segment unit instead.

But it does mean its currently out of action!

Where are all the pics to go with that ?! It's TEA here, we need pics ! 

[TERRA Operative]

Send help!

(Just joking, everything is fine here) ^{Furiously blinks twice...}

[xrunner]

Cool that's great, sending the seller a message right now to ask him to perform that test !

Let's see if he is a clever monkey or a dumb one !

Or... a clever one that plays it dumb because he knows the unit has a problem and he doesn't want me to see any error message ! 

The point is, at such a low price I CAN afford to take the risk of a buying a lemon, because I could sell it as is on Ebay and get my money back probably... so basically I am not taking that much of a risk I think.
Not going for the TTi DC load though... too much money for too many unknowns and zero I/O.

I'm sure the seller can perform the test. I wouldn't worry myself about it ... unless they want payment in bananas.

 

I really hope you can get it though and join the exclusive 34401A club! 

[Vince]

Message to the seller has just been SENT !!!

Waiting for the reply !!! 

[mnementh]

The reproduction of the original Boonton 4220 setup procedures sticker is finished. I left the original sticker in-place underneath for preservation. Thanks for the tips and comments leading up to the finished product.

Very nicely done! Doesn't look the least bit booty-fab; one might even think it was done as a dealer-prep add-on! 

What was the process you ultimately used to lay it down so tidily...?

mnem
 

[Vince]

Send help!

(Just joking, everything is fine here) ^{Furiously blinks twice...}

I WILL help you !!!

Just follow my easy instructions :

1) Get rid of the mega monstrous super huge enormous gigantic titanic like TV I see in the background.

2) Now that you don't waste valuable time watching Netflix or movies or god knows what on stupid TV, you have FREED yourself a lot of time.

3) Use that time to buy and fix MORE TDS SCOPES   !!!! 


No need to thank me, I just like to help people in distress ! 

[mnementh]

Hey! That better smells good, or else..!

It doesn't. When I was a kid I was forever being smothered in calamine lotion for every little injury short of anything that actually bled properly. The stuff we had was scented with the same anodyne scent that women's face powder of the time (and possibly still to this day) was scented with which I personally find revolting along with the ubiquitous, anodyne, yet still deeply penetrating scent used in baby powder.

Calamine lotion never seemed to do any good, and probably because of the similarity in name to 'camomile' and the ineffectiveness I had always assumed that it was some herbal folk remedy. I was a little surprised to discover that it was zinc oxide with a bit of ferric oxide thrown in for good measure. Confirming my childhood belief that it was about as effective as a chocolate teapot is the fact that it is actively discouraged in actual medical circles nowadays, although it is recommended to dry up weeping rashes purely on its harmless absorptive properties.

Ewwww! Such a MONSTER!

While I cannot in good faith dispute being a monster  , calamine lotion certainly ranks low on the "evils of the day" scale.    I have no idea what C is talking about re: perfume; the stuff I nearly drowned in (during my bout of chicken pox) smelled like, felt like, and once it started to dry and clump a bit, even looked like pink cottage cheese. 

The reasoning behind it was simple: I tried to imagine (if there were such a beast) what would be the most potent warding against a Rockwool Monster; calamine lotion seemed the obvious choice on a visceral level. When I realized the potential for amusing video on antisocial media, that was the clincher.

mnem
*toddles off to find another joke for C to dismember*

[xrunner]

Very nicely done! Doesn't look the least bit booty-fab; one might even think it was done as a dealer-prep add-on! 

What was the process you ultimately used to lay it down so tidily...?

mnem
 

Thanks. I tested a piece of film the day before on the case and I was satisfied it would not come off easily and would last a long time. I made the cuts to the film and paper in another room where I have a cutting mat with guide lines. I make all the cuts with a stainless steel ruler and razor blade - not scissors. I cut the paper a few mm larger than the original sticker so it would be sure to cover it. Then cut the film about 13 mm larger than the paper on all sides. I placed the film sticky side up on the mat and carefully set the paper on it starting at the middle. I pressed outward from the middle so the paper was stuck well to the film.

Then I set that on top of the damaged sticker on the top of the case exactly and sprayed mist on it and worked it out from the center so as to get the film pressed hard onto the paper. At the edges it stuck to the top of the case where I had cleaned it with alcohol before. I worked it for a while so it looks very well adhered now.

[Neomys Sapiens]

Send help!

(Just joking, everything is fine here) ^{Furiously blinks twice...}

You ARE crazy! If you accumulate so many of those scopes, where will you put the TDS5xxx and TDS7xxx?!?

[mnementh]

*calls down to engineering*

Scotty!!! We. Need. More. POWER!!! If we are... To ever... ecape...  the TERRA Operative's... event... horizon!!!

Ahhh giving yeh all she got Cap'n, but we're jusst goooin' arooond in cirrrcles; and aht warp 10, that's gittin' noowhere mighty faasst!!!

*Begin Starship TEA-enterprise spaghettification sequence now...*

mnem
*toddles off to ded*   

[Zucca]

ALSO from this seller... another item I am interested in : an electronic load. 400 Euros so quite expensive but... it's a nice TTi unit and is beefy at 400 Watts !!! 

https://www.leboncoin.fr/equipements_industriels/2102353188.htm

BUY IT QUICKLY, BARGAIN ALARM!
I HAVE IT AND I LOOOOOOVE IT! I paid it new 3 times more!

remember TTi give you the schematics if you ask nicely. 34401A schematics available!
250€€€ ? BUUUUUUYYYYYYY IT

When the schematics are there the real value doubles!!!

[Cubdriver]

After meandering around New England for a few days, the gallivanting 5340A Counter finally made its appearance on Saturday.  Fortunately it was pretty well packed, and seems not to have suffered any mishaps during its travels.  Based on an initial quickie test, it appears to be functional - drove it with a signal generator through both inputs and all three ranges, and got realistic looking numbers in all cases.  Unfortunately the highest frequency I was able to feed it was 2 GHz, so I'm not sure how it operates on the high end of its capabilities, but I've no reason to think that it shouldn't be ok at that end of the range, too.  I'm going to explore putting in an OCXO to replace the standard oscillator it currently sports; this will entail adding a small power transformer, making up a small power supply board and adding the OCXO.  Time to dust off my OrCAD skills.

25 kHz into 1 MΩ input:


1.5 GHz into 50Ω input:


2.0 GHz into 50Ω input


And a very short video of the counter:


-Pat

[TERRA Operative]

After meandering around New England for a few days, the gallivanting 5340A Counter finally made its appearance on Saturday.  Fortunately it was pretty well packed, and seems not to have suffered any mishaps during its travels.  Based on an initial quickie test, it appears to be functional - drove it with a signal generator through both inputs and all three ranges, and got realistic looking numbers in all cases.  Unfortunately the highest frequency I was able to feed it was 2 GHz, so I'm not sure how it operates on the high end of its capabilities, but I've no reason to think that it shouldn't be ok at that end of the range, too.  I'm going to explore putting in an OCXO to replace the standard oscillator it currently sports; this will entail adding a small power transformer, making up a small power supply board and adding the OCXO.  Time to dust off my OrCAD skills.

25 kHz into 1 MΩ input:
https://photos.smugmug.com/Electronics/HP-5340A-Microwave-Counter/i-CbmHJtb/0/c738c3dc/XL/HP%205340A%2025%20kHz%20-34%20dBm%201%20M%20input-XL.jpg

1.5 GHz into 50Ω input:
https://photos.smugmug.com/Electronics/HP-5340A-Microwave-Counter/i-cZLC32D/0/f388ba22/XL/HP%205340A%201.5%20GHz%20-45%20dBm-XL.jpg

2.0 GHz into 50Ω input
https://photos.smugmug.com/Electronics/HP-5340A-Microwave-Counter/i-HkZC4BZ/0/c97eee9b/XL/HP%205340A%202.0%20GHz%20-0.5%20dBm-XL.jpg

And a very short video of the counter:
youtube.com/watch?v=nqm4EnKUgMA

-Pat

I can send you a bare OCXO PSU PCB, a replica I made of the original one if you like.

[TERRA Operative]

Send help!

(Just joking, everything is fine here) ^{Furiously blinks twice...}

You ARE crazy! If you accumulate so many of those scopes, where will you put the TDS5xxx and TDS7xxx?!?

Well, there's a reason I buy borked scopes to fix and sell for profit, working my way up to a TDS7000 series...

[Cubdriver]

After meandering around New England for a few days, the gallivanting 5340A Counter finally made its appearance on Saturday.  Fortunately it was pretty well packed, and seems not to have suffered any mishaps during its travels.  Based on an initial quickie test, it appears to be functional - drove it with a signal generator through both inputs and all three ranges, and got realistic looking numbers in all cases.  Unfortunately the highest frequency I was able to feed it was 2 GHz, so I'm not sure how it operates on the high end of its capabilities, but I've no reason to think that it shouldn't be ok at that end of the range, too.  I'm going to explore putting in an OCXO to replace the standard oscillator it currently sports; this will entail adding a small power transformer, making up a small power supply board and adding the OCXO.  Time to dust off my OrCAD skills.

25 kHz into 1 MΩ input:
https://photos.smugmug.com/Electronics/HP-5340A-Microwave-Counter/i-CbmHJtb/0/c738c3dc/XL/HP%205340A%2025%20kHz%20-34%20dBm%201%20M%20input-XL.jpg

1.5 GHz into 50Ω input:
https://photos.smugmug.com/Electronics/HP-5340A-Microwave-Counter/i-cZLC32D/0/f388ba22/XL/HP%205340A%201.5%20GHz%20-45%20dBm-XL.jpg

2.0 GHz into 50Ω input
https://photos.smugmug.com/Electronics/HP-5340A-Microwave-Counter/i-HkZC4BZ/0/c97eee9b/XL/HP%205340A%202.0%20GHz%20-0.5%20dBm-XL.jpg

And a very short video of the counter:
youtube.com/watch?v=nqm4EnKUgMA

-Pat

I can send you a bare OCXO PSU PCB, a replica I made of the original one if you like.

I may take you up on that offer, but am at the moment inclined to try laying it out myself for the practice.  I revisited the other thread where you mentioned making up the board and documented the repairs you did on yours last week while waiting for its release from the clutches of FedEx - you did a great job reviving the one you got.

-Pat

[BU508A]

ALSO from this seller... another item I am interested in : an electronic load. 400 Euros so quite expensive but... it's a nice TTi unit and is beefy at 400 Watts !!! 

https://www.leboncoin.fr/equipements_industriels/2102353188.htm

BUY IT QUICKLY, BARGAIN ALARM!
I HAVE IT AND I LOOOOOOVE IT! I paid it new 3 times more!

remember TTi give you the schematics if you ask nicely. 34401A schematics available!
250€€€ ? BUUUUUUYYYYYYY IT

When the schematics are there the real value doubles!!!

What Zucca is saying screaming.
If a 34401A would appear in the German ebay Kleinanzeigen for EUR 250.- it would not last longer than five minutes.
Buy it. This instant!
You'll never regret it.