Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[ch_scr]

Anyone from the Dresden area? 

Why, has Lagerwerk finally got the auction for the HF stuff together? Took 'em long enough (maybe a year late, or more?) ...
I'm from there, but have only a tiny car.
Edit: Oh I see they've finished already 

[Ice-Tea]

The stuff I got actually isn't all that big..

Any chance of doing me a solid? I'm not expecting charity, I'd be happy to pay. I'd also be happy to let to play around with it for a few days if you wish before sending it to me ;-)

[ch_scr]

Yeah, shoot me a PM.

[AVGresponding]

The stuff I got actually isn't all that big..

Any chance of doing me a solid? I'm not expecting charity, I'd be happy to pay. I'd also be happy to let to play around with it for a few days if you wish before sending it to me ;-)

Did you manage to make any headway with the WEEE issue?

[Ice-Tea]

Kinda. I'm basically licensing a "brand" which gives me a registration number. In theory I suppose this would allow me only to sell items under that brand but it doesn't look like eBay gives a flying fart for the moment.

So, for the time being I'm probably good...

[tggzzz]

Kinda. I'm basically licensing a "brand" which gives me a registration number. In theory I suppose this would allow me only to sell items under that brand but it doesn't look like eBay gives a flying fart for the moment.

Fleabay has demonstrated that it has one and only one priority: ensuring items are sold on its platform. It will do anything necessary and the minimum sufficient to ensure that continues.

[oz2cpu]

i need Therapy.. please help me.. just got another cool instrument for my collection,
I really wanted a nice tube tester for a long time, here it is

AVO VCM 163 Tube Tester

https://youtu.be/TeYwA7bDco8

[Ice-Tea]

I'm afraid you misunderstood. This is the place where people will tell you you're perfectly normal, that you should acquire more gear and how to accomplish that...

[oz2cpu]

thanks a lot mate, all i needed to hear for a better day :-)

[McBryce]

i need Therapy.. please help me.. just got another cool instrument for my collection,
I really wanted a nice tube tester for a long time, here it is

AVO VCM 163 Tube Tester

https://youtu.be/TeYwA7bDco8

You don't need therapy, you need motivation and support to help you make the "right" decision. So you are in the right place. Go for it.

McBryce.

[wkb]

No you dont't, this addiction is Mostly Harmless!

[wkb]

Will be heading psat there next week, will keep you posted.

Your design has been 3D printed, epoxied in and the binding posts have been mounted. It has an Übergeeky sense cable to the rear: Teflon isolated, silvered-shield cable. HP-classic TE designers would have approved. 

[factory]

I'm afraid you misunderstood. This is the place where people will tell you you're perfectly normal, that you should acquire more gear and how to accomplish that...

I disagree on this occasion, AVO VCMs are an expensive liability for fooked meters (very easy to damage too), best thing to do is get rid of them before they fail, plenty of audiophools to flog them to.
Keeping known good spare valves for restoring vintage test gear, is much cheaper than buying a VCM 163, some TE manufacturers recommended this way too, I'm sure I've seen something like "change the tube, if no difference refit the original tube" in a HP manual.
Plus disturbing all the valves that have been in place for 50+ years, can sometimes cause them to break at the seal.

David

[factory]

Getting somewhere with Kicad and the TE related Panaplex footprints (need to double check the NPTH size), going to build a test board.

Very good !  Thanks, now I fdo'nt have to mess around doing the same thing, you can just send me your Kicad file ! 

.. and I will just add a DIL footprint to it, wire up the traces and call it a day...

That's one messed up footprint those things have....

One must wonder what kind of a pre patent application pin arrangement study group was formed.

Very messed up datasheets too, it seems.

Datasheet I used last week;
http://www.tube-tester.com/sites/nixie/dat_arch/Sperry_01.pdf
Found another datasheet;
https://www.waynekirkwood.com/images/pdf/Sperry_Information_Displays_Catalog_1973.pdf
Oddly this datasheet gives 0.025-0.028 hole diameter for the pins, the one I used before gives 0.028-0.031. 
And fill tube dimensions are different on both datasheets, need to check which matches the devices I have, it's not the only difference in the two datasheet, display height & fill tube dimensions are also different.



Will have to finish the Kicad footprint sometime next week, hopefully I can add it here.

I'm glad I didn't upload the Kicad footprint I had drawn for the SP-352 without double checking the pinout and fill tube position, seems there are quite a few pin order errors on the datasheet, plus one pin labelling error I did on the previous pictures I uploaded.









Attached below are the Kicad 6.0 footprints to cover SP-351/352 & SP-353/354, also I've done some symbols for these & the DD700 driver IC. Hopefully no more errors now, but please double check before getting any boards made.

David

[AVGresponding]

Getting somewhere with Kicad and the TE related Panaplex footprints (need to double check the NPTH size), going to build a test board.

Very good !  Thanks, now I fdo'nt have to mess around doing the same thing, you can just send me your Kicad file ! 

.. and I will just add a DIL footprint to it, wire up the traces and call it a day...

That's one messed up footprint those things have....

One must wonder what kind of a pre patent application pin arrangement study group was formed.

Very messed up datasheets too, it seems.

Datasheet I used last week;
http://www.tube-tester.com/sites/nixie/dat_arch/Sperry_01.pdf
Found another datasheet;
https://www.waynekirkwood.com/images/pdf/Sperry_Information_Displays_Catalog_1973.pdf
Oddly this datasheet gives 0.025-0.028 hole diameter for the pins, the one I used before gives 0.028-0.031. 
And fill tube dimensions are different on both datasheets, need to check which matches the devices I have, it's not the only difference in the two datasheet, display height & fill tube dimensions are also different.



Will have to finish the Kicad footprint sometime next week, hopefully I can add it here.

I'm glad I didn't upload the Kicad footprint I had drawn for the SP-352 without double checking the pinout and fill tube position, seems there are quite a few pin order errors on the datasheet, plus one pin labelling error I did on the previous pictures I uploaded.









Attached below are the Kicad 6.0 footprints to cover SP-351/352 & SP-353/354, also I've done some symbols for these & the DD700 driver IC. Hopefully no more errors now, but please double check before getting any boards made.

David

Ehhhh... I made my test socket by sticking the pins in pcb header sockets chopped to single units, then epoxying it all together. No soldering, I need to sell some SP-352's!

The pics you posted have two different pinouts, I can tell you the one in the first pic is correct for the DP and KA (pins 9 and 10), for the SP-352. I shall investigate the abfg segments.

[oz2cpu]

Hi David, I am not sure i understand all your lines, or want to :-)
I know most tube testers are fragile, when it comes to wrong use, wrong settings, shorted tubes, and such,
high voltage, and micro amp sensitive meters, sounds like a possible way to trash open a meter,
and there is no relacement to get.
this unit works perfectly, was only used by a top pro the last 40 years, it was used every day and maintained,
I am super happy about it, i plan to keep it and use it, and to keep beeing carefull about it.

I did find one bad thing so far : for rectifier diode tubes, it is really not that smart or accurate or easy to use

[factory]

Ehhhh... I made my test socket by sticking the pins in pcb header sockets chopped to single units, then epoxying it all together. No soldering, I need to sell some SP-352's!

The pics you posted have two different pinouts, I can tell you the one in the first pic is correct for the DP and KA (pins 9 and 10), for the SP-352. I shall investigate the abfg segments.

I'm intending to build a test board for the four types of display & the driver ICs commonly used in my TE, sockets will be used for the PCB. I've found some TE has the displays soldered in place and I've found with the Anadex counter a defect in one of the NOS displays I used, after soldering it in place (it will stay, as it's not unusable).

I thought the footprints might be useful, to those that want to build PCBs using these displays. Vince was interested in the footprints, to make DIL adaptor boards, to get away from the interesting pinout. 

The pictures are to highlight the errors in both datasheets (links are in the original post). Anadex used the wrong position spacing for the fill tube, they also didn't bother use the sockets listed in the service manual, for unknown reasons. 

David

[Vince]

Thanks Factory for the update !

Wow, two datasheet and not one of them is correct... great 
Thanks for correcting them for me 

... though I am getting paranoid now, so would want to test them by myself anyways, to be 500000% sure.

Yes I would like to make PCB adapters for convenience but, at least at the beginning, I would also like to mount the displays on said PCB's, using sockets.

So... which one did you and AVG use successfully ?  I ask because I tried the two types of 0.1" headers I have here, and none of them fit properly. They are either too tight or too loose.... 

EDIT : I must be very bad with Kicad. I fail to open/import either the footprints or the symbols. Oh well... 

[factory]

I've not got as far as looking at pin headers, currently figuring out everything I want to add to my tester schematic, to allow it to test the four display types &  all functions of the decoder/driver IC.

Which Kicad version are use using? I've found importing symbols & footprints to be a PITA before.
Anyone managed to add them OK?

Edit: I've got the symbols file to import OK into a test project, but not the footprint files.

For the symbol file (_sym) in Kicad 6, click "Preferences" menu at the project start screen and select "Manage Symbol Libraries", then select "Project Specific Libraries" tab, click the folder icon for "Add existing library to table" then open the "_sym" file.

Edit 2: The footprints are opened as a folder, not by the footprint "_mod" file.

For the footprints (mod) in Kicad 6, click "Preferences" menu at the project start screen and select "Manage Footprint Libraries", then select "Project Specific Libraries" tab, click the folder icon for "Add existing library to table" then select the entire folder containing the " _mod" files.

David

[AVGresponding]

The fill tube centres are 0.564" from datum Y by my measurements. I forgot about checking the segment pins, I'll set up and do it now.

I used these to make my test socket. It's worth noting that if you insert it fully, it'll be a swine to remove; 20 pins adds up to a lot of friction!

[Vince]

Thanks AVG.

Dave, I use the latest v5 of Kicad not v6.

Time flies and I guess v6 has been released many months ago now. The major bugs probably have been shaken out and it's "safe" to use by now... will try and update to v6 whenever I get round to playing with Kicad again.

[AVGresponding]

It looks like a simple typo on the SP-352 drawing, someone forgot that 2 follows 1...

So, on the drawing, the top B1 is correct, the other B1 should be B2, the B2 should be B3, and the B3 should be B8.

[TERRA Operative]

Lots of things happening here...

I won a NI GPIB-USB adapter for 13,000yen on Yahoo Auctions. Will be used for the calibration of the TDS200 series scopes. Using Hakan's TDS software (only compatible with NI GPIB adapters) it will semi-automate the calibration with my SG5030.
If only I could do the same with the voltage reference, but I'll need to find a Fluke 510x calibrator unless I write my own software (not happening.... I can't do the software thing..)

I also won another TDS scope, also on Yahoo Auctions. Took a punt and didn't expect to get it so cheap...
This one is a faulty TDS520 that I got for a little over 4000yen shipped. Will be another fun diversion seeing as the last TDS680B was fixed in no time flat with the usual power supply problems.

And finally, I just laid out the PCB design for a replacement flat flex PCB for the front panel controls in the THS700 series scopes. One of mine had multiple fractured traces at the connector making it unusable.
Once it's verified to fit (It'll feature in a THD700 series scope mega video I'm putting together) I'll release the gerbers etc.

[Vince]

Wow, well done Terra on the FlexPCB !
I know you already have some experience with this, IIRC you made one for the front panel of another Tek scope in the past.
But still, you're the man to fix all these old Tek scopes ! I doubt many, f any, would go through the trouble of making a nice shiny new Flatflex 

Can't wait to hear about fixing that new TDS 500 you just got.

Japan is such a beautiful place for old Tek stuff, I am jealous... but I like Frogland so much that not even an abundance of dirt cheap Tek scopes would make me consider moving there.... so I am happy you are there to be my Tek man in Japan ! 

[oz2cpu]

ups i did it again..
one more tube equipment, a very large DC supply
0-500V 500mA it uses 5 x EL34
you can see all details here : https://youtu.be/afcPvG-CZMI

the only problem as i see it, is its size and lack on current limit and CC modes
also it is quite expensive just to get 5 x EL34