Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[Robert763]

Some good news here. My daily insulin routine is having some positive effects. Since upping the daily shot from 10 units to 15 units my fasting blood sugar has come down dramatically. Tuesday was 120mg/dL. Yesterday 113mg/dL. This morning 109mg/dL. For a non-diabetic should ideally be 100mg/dL or less. But anything under 120mg/dL is considered "acceptable". So I'm getting there. 

Good news.

A word of caution if I may, and I'll add that you've said nothing to make me suspect you're doing this, so treat this as a public service announcement and not directed at you. A doctor I was talking to once said that it was "Important to remember to treat the patient or disease, not treat the numbers". With any physiological process that can spit out numbers ostensibly characterising how 'good' or 'bad' things are there's a tendency for both doctors and patients (also public health authorities and policy makers) to fixate on the numbers, sometimes to the detriment of the person/people being treated.

In a perfectly healthy individual you can expect the numbers to bounce around from day to day and it's important to remember that you're measuring a noisy process, with the analytical equivalent of 2 or 3 digit DVM, and also that the 'normal' figures are derived from population norms that are themselves noisy and sometimes from such small sample sizes that it'd be embarrassing to be caught relying on them. Thus the practical difference between 109mg/dL and 'normal' is a bit like the practical difference between 5.25V on a rail and the nominal 5V figure. Sure, if you've got a handy adjustment and an accurate enough meter you'd probably adjust that rail to 5.00V but you don't actually have to. As long as the device is working well 5.25V is fine, and similarly with disease processes that have 'numbers', as long as the patient is healthy that's the important thing, not that the 'numbers' are spot on. On the particular subject of diabetes I wonder what effect happens  in the US where 3 digit mg/dL figures are used, versus places that use mmol/L figures that are usually expressed as two digits - that 109 mg/dL would come out as 6.1 mmol/L. Does it predispose people to inappropriate over-precision because there are 3 rather than 2 digits in the number?

With diabetes we're quite lucky that HbA1c figures give a much better picture than regular blood sugar readings, so those are the numbers to pay attention to. Of course with HbA1c being a long term measurement they are much harder to tune in (long phase delay in the control loop). Beware doctors who inappropriately obsess on short term measures of physiology (like instantaneous blood sugar measurements) versus long term ones (like HbA1c) and/or the actual health of their patients. For the avoidance of doubt there are, of course, values of short term measurements that need treating as medical emergencies, it's quite right to react to 'numbers' that are so statistically significantly off the norm that they indicate an immediate or immanent problem.

Indeed. Everytime a new medical professional takes SWMBO's blood pressure they think she is about to keel over because it's so low, but it's perfectly normal for her and she has history to prove it.
 

[med6753]

Just spent the better part of 2 hours insuring the compensation on all four channels of this Type 1A4 was correct. It is, finally. The one tricky part was the final output to the mainframe high frequency adjustment. 3 trim caps and 3 trim pots to futz with and constantly re-adjust. Couldn't get it exactly as shown in the manual but got it damn close and good enough.

Now to jackass the Type 547 back up and re-claim bench 2. I am done with boat anchors for a while. The next few projects on tap will be much easier to work on. 


   

[med6753]

"Primate Posturing" That's a new one. Is it something like this? 

You may kiss it if you like. 

[nixiefreqq]

was hoping to see results from people cutting the tops off of transistor cans and actually using them as phototransistors.

BUT the thread has taken a turn.......to monkeys assholes.

(seem to remember that decapitating 2n404's was a thing maybe 50 years ago.  but could find no details on the interweb)

 

[Cerebus]

I have seen what uncontrolled diabetes does to a person and it ain't pretty.

Yeah. Retinas, toes, and feet are such useful things to have, aren't they.

[mnementh]

"Primate Posturing" That's a new one. Is it something like this? 

You may kiss it if you like. 

Precisely.

Not with rented lips.

mnem
I knew you'd not leave me hangin'... 

[Cerebus]

"Primate Posturing" That's a new one. Is it something like this? 

You may kiss it if you like. 

You do realise, don't you, that the one on the right is (1) female, and (2) doing the chimpanzee equivalent to saying "Come and take me right now, big boy!"?

[AVGresponding]

Indeed. That large pink target is not an arse.

[med6753]

I am fully aware of what the picture implies.

I took dramatic license to make a point. 

[xrunner]

Monkey butts and multimeters - I guess we have it all covered in one thread! 

[mnementh]

As for "run away, run away", there was a house nearby that fell (no pun) into that category....

It was sold in Jan 2020, and the new owners decided to update it. The problem was that it was a "listed" house (like my parents' house), which means you have to get formal official permission before making changes.

When it came on the market, the slideshow indicated that the floorboards were up, there were significant gaps in the wall, and an RSJ was visible. WTF?!

Our estate agent sold the house in 2020, and he said the new owners had been sufficiently incompetent about the updating that it had caused large cracks in the neighbouring property, and hence large lawsuits. Apparently the bank repossessed the property after it initially failed to sell. My daughter said people would have to pay her to take it off their hands!

That is a shame... because, as realtors are oft fond of saying... "the house has good bones". Def worth saving rather than demolished and replaced with some popup ticky-tacky(s). 

mnem
 

[med6753]

Monkey butts and multimeters - I guess we have it all covered in one thread! 

 

[mnementh]

Wow BD I am not sure I understand... Googled this "Lightroom"' thing... image post processing S/W OK... so you mean that the camera captured a blinding sky that's 100% white, and the S/W managed to find 50% blue skies and little clouds in that ?! 

So I assume your eyes were seeing these blues skies and clouds, and it's just the camera that decided to turn it all white.... but it wasn't really white, the S/W managed to find nuances in that white sky to reconstruct the original blue skies parts ?!  Well, I am rather baffled !
But that's incredibly cool !
... but would be much better if the camera captured the skies properly to being with ! 
and I still don't understand when one is supposed to write sky or skies, and brains instead of brain ! 

The grass looks much better as well. Vibrant bright green rather than dull darker green. Obviously that's only morally acceptable if the grass was indeed vibrant light green to begin with, otherwise it's just digital makeup and cheating ! 

Nice ruins. Plenty of space to install your lab there, just needs some kind of a roof...

Roof is no good. Gets in the way when it's time to deploy his latest 'Inator. 



mnem
 

[Specmaster]

Indeed. That large pink target is not an arse.

Don't go there

[AVGresponding]

Indeed. That large pink target is not an arse.

Don't go there

Such an exhortation is unnecessary from my point of view, though of course I can't speak for others...

[mnementh]

was hoping to see results from people cutting the tops off of transistor cans and actually using them as phototransistors.

BUT the thread has taken a turn.......to monkeys assholes.

(seem to remember that decapitating 2n404's was a thing maybe 50 years ago.  but could find no details on the interweb)

I s'pect that's a thing lost in the murky depths of usenet... like the actual origins of the HP "Stick of Wisdom"...

mnem

[Cerebus]

Indeed. That large pink target is not an arse.

Don't go there

Such an exhortation is unnecessary from my point of view, though of course I can't speak for others...

Like the inhabitants of Hartlepool, who have a traditional inability to distinguish between monkeys and Frenchmen.

[mansaxel]

On the annual suspension renovation subject, the car's now been supplied with new front ABS rings, new front right sensor, new front control arms, and been bolted together and test driven. Both ABS and traction control improved back to working, and handling also restored.   

Remaining are rear shocks and springs, oil change and MOT.

[bd139]

Indeed. That large pink target is not an arse.

Don't go there

Such an exhortation is unnecessary from my point of view, though of course I can't speak for others...

Like the inhabitants of Hartlepool, who have a traditional inability to distinguish between monkeys and Frenchmen.

That’s absolutely hilarious. Never heard of that before 

[Vince]

was hoping to see results from people cutting the tops off of transistor cans and actually using them as phototransistors.

BUT the thread has taken a turn.......to monkeys assholes.

I did play with that today. I got a 1:10 ratio between dark and light  collector-emitter current (similar to hFE then, if that's any relevant ?! ).... I think, because soon it stopped working, don't know what I did. I guess poking the die directly with my SMD sharp probe tip got the best of that transistor eventually ! 

[mnementh]

On the annual suspension renovation subject, the car's now been supplied with new front ABS rings, new front right sensor, new front control arms, and been bolted together and test driven. Both ABS and traction control improved back to working, and handling also restored.   

Remaining are rear shocks and springs, oil change and MOT.

* makes sign of the cross*

"Dominy, Dominy, Dominae... grace of God go with you my son on all your travels... may you return with a clean MOT and enough money left over for a cold one at the pub on your way home."

mnem

damn, these robes are itchy...

[tggzzz]

As for "run away, run away", there was a house nearby that fell (no pun) into that category....

It was sold in Jan 2020, and the new owners decided to update it. The problem was that it was a "listed" house (like my parents' house), which means you have to get formal official permission before making changes.

When it came on the market, the slideshow indicated that the floorboards were up, there were significant gaps in the wall, and an RSJ was visible. WTF?!

Our estate agent sold the house in 2020, and he said the new owners had been sufficiently incompetent about the updating that it had caused large cracks in the neighbouring property, and hence large lawsuits. Apparently the bank repossessed the property after it initially failed to sell. My daughter said people would have to pay her to take it off their hands!

That is a shame... because, as realtors are oft fond of saying... "the house has good bones". Def worth saving rather than demolished and replaced with some popup ticky-tacky(s). 

mnem
 

If they demolished a listed building, they would be criminally liable for reinstating it to the condition when it was listed. That adds >50% to the non-listed rebuilding costs.

2020 selling price: £1M.
2022 selling price of house next door: £1.4M
2022 asking price: £1.4M, selling price £1M

So the idiot owner lost £400k (40%) in 2 years!

[bd139]

was hoping to see results from people cutting the tops off of transistor cans and actually using them as phototransistors.

BUT the thread has taken a turn.......to monkeys assholes.

I did play with that today. I got a 1:10 ratio between dark and light  collector-emitter current (similar to hFE then, if that's any relevant ?! ).... I think, because soon it stopped working, don't know what I did. I guess poking the die directly with my SMD sharp probe tip got the best of that transistor eventually ! 

Used to do that with the old OC series transistors. They were basically glass envelopes which were painted black. You could just scratch off the black paint and you had a phototransistor. Also somewhat more resilient to damage than decapping the cans. Not quite as much fun though as staring at the die of something.

Wonder if this was photosensitive after the decap with sidecutters  :



LM723 - burned up bond wire

[tggzzz]

was hoping to see results from people cutting the tops off of transistor cans and actually using them as phototransistors.

BUT the thread has taken a turn.......to monkeys assholes.

I did play with that today. I got a 1:10 ratio between dark and light  collector-emitter current (similar to hFE then, if that's any relevant ?! ).... I think, because soon it stopped working, don't know what I did. I guess poking the die directly with my SMD sharp probe tip got the best of that transistor eventually ! 

Used to do that with the old OC series transistors. They were basically glass envelopes which were painted black. You could just scratch off the black paint and you had a phototransistor. Also somewhat more resilient to damage than decapping the cans. Not quite as much fun though as staring at the die of something.

Wonder if this was photosensitive after the decap with sidecutters  :



LM723 - burned up bond wire

Late 70s Burr-Brown thick film hybrids. The red one is an optoisolator.

[Vince]

Wow looks beautiful.. must have cost a fortune to assemble/manufacture !