Author Topic: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread  (Read 20977280 times)

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Online TERRA Operative

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #137050 on: December 25, 2024, 08:32:33 am »
Where does all this test equipment keep coming from?!?

https://www.youtube.com/NearFarMedia/
 
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Offline squadchannel

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #137051 on: December 25, 2024, 09:20:47 am »
are there Easter eggs in modern TE? :popcorn:
 

Offline Peter_O

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #137052 on: December 25, 2024, 09:56:00 am »
@Peter_O You are aware of the wonderful Easter egg inside that wonderful beast? There is a pretty good story behind it as well - as the story goes - the HP engineer died and only released it in his Will! (If not true - sounds good anyway 😁)

Thx for bringing it up here!  :-+
Yes, as an TEA guy, I've put "HP3314A" into every search prompt of the WWW before buying one.  :D

Quote
Mine initially would only work on 110V - someone had been mucking with the socket/voltage selector😒, fixed it eventually 👍

The two-switch configuration with that special labeling might mislead some people who then take special measures.  :d
To be honest, I went back to the manual to get assured before switching to 240V. 
 

Offline Peter_O

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #137053 on: December 25, 2024, 10:04:07 am »
>>snip:>>
I always wanted to play with a HP3314A function generator.



Here are two pictures of the insides.
 

Offline wkb

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #137054 on: December 25, 2024, 10:37:43 am »
merry christmas to all .

I am sitting on my HP8593A with a display problem.

Story. The hp arrived dead. The PSU was fail, and the storage battery empty.
I have done, the PSU , and the battery, all is now working.
But the screen have problem: seems to be no sync in both directions. I have a double or triple line vertical, and horizontal only a part of the pic.
I got a instruction how to adjust display blind, from hßp group. I can adjust it, but it dont save the problem, there is anything in the monitorbox to repair.
 Is there anywhere a application for this par?

Martin


I think I read somewhere that if the CMOS RAM battery had gone flat you need to get some sensible data in there before the monitor will sync.

But where did I read that, and, better yet, what was the fix?
 

Offline wkb

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #137055 on: December 25, 2024, 10:46:10 am »
For reference this might be of interest. Not what I refered to as far as the CMOS RAM goes though..

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/repair/hp-8590l-no-display/

As a first check I would connect a monitor for composite video to the external monitor out to see what is shown there (or not).
« Last Edit: December 25, 2024, 10:51:07 am by wkb »
 

Offline wkb

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #137056 on: December 25, 2024, 10:54:02 am »
And finally, Google played ball for me  :)

On the subject of the CMOS contents resulting in garbled display.
Although the original poster has a different HP859x series SA, the solution offered might work for you..

https://groups.io/g/HP-Agilent-Keysight-equipment/message/111566
« Last Edit: December 25, 2024, 10:56:09 am by wkb »
 

Online tautech

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #137057 on: December 25, 2024, 11:42:41 am »
are there Easter eggs in modern TE? :popcorn:
Yes in some Siglent analyzers, discovered by another member a year or 2 back:

Avid Rabid Hobbyist.
Some stuff seen @ Siglent HQ cannot be shared.
 
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Offline m k

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #137058 on: December 26, 2024, 12:49:15 pm »
Seems that HP 859x monitor setting is origin.
If data is 16 bit wide the picture can be pretty far away.
Advance-Aneng-Appa-AVO-Beckman-Danbridge-Data Tech-Fluke-General Radio-H. W. Sullivan-Heathkit-HP-Kaise-Kyoritsu-Leeds & Northrup-Mastech-OR-X-REO-Simpson-Sinclair-Tektronix-Tokyo Rikosha-Topward-Triplett-Tritron-YFE
(plus lesser brands from the work shop of the world)
 

Offline salvagedcircuitry

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #137059 on: December 29, 2024, 05:40:58 pm »
Alright guys, what do you think. Is this a great deal or what?  :palm:
On this episode of bat $hit crazy ebay sellers:    :scared:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/405438628857

$6k for a well loved msox4000 series scope!  :-DD
Condition:
  • Has been sitting in a lake for an unknown amount of time
  • Looks like it was dragged behind a truck for a few dozen feet
  • Knobs missing and encoders look bent
  • Front BNC connectors are bent and dented
  • Tilting bale broken
  • All external metal surfaces corroded
  • Rear BNCs look like they are growing into an inorganic coral reef

I'm going to take a guess and say this was found outside in a heaping pile of junk in an open dumpster.
What's a reasonable offer here? $50? $100? I'm being generous here. I bet he has auto decline on too!  :rant:









« Last Edit: December 29, 2024, 05:51:30 pm by salvagedcircuitry »
 
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Offline wkb

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #137060 on: December 29, 2024, 06:49:41 pm »
Keysight engineering watching this are having a  :palm: :scared:  :wtf: day, no doubt.

But it does work! For some definition of work presumably...
 
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Offline factory

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #137061 on: December 29, 2024, 07:53:51 pm »
Seller is in India & has only 31 feedback left, but ebay claims they have sold 250+ items, something smells dodgy to me. Plus it says Keyshite on the front, the dumpster is where it belongs  >:D (along with it's buddies from Siglol & Riglent  :box:).

David
 
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Offline McBryce

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #137062 on: December 30, 2024, 12:14:44 pm »
Alright guys, what do you think. Is this a great deal or what?  :palm:
On this episode of bat $hit crazy ebay sellers:    :scared:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/405438628857

$6k for a well loved msox4000 series scope!  :-DD
Condition:
  • Has been sitting in a lake for an unknown amount of time
  • Looks like it was dragged behind a truck for a few dozen feet
  • Knobs missing and encoders look bent
  • Front BNC connectors are bent and dented
  • Tilting bale broken
  • All external metal surfaces corroded
  • Rear BNCs look like they are growing into an inorganic coral reef

I'm going to take a guess and say this was found outside in a heaping pile of junk in an open dumpster.
What's a reasonable offer here? $50? $100? I'm being generous here. I bet he has auto decline on too!  :rant:


The owner obviously misunderstood when they heard people calling scopes "boat anchors".

McBryce.
30 Years making cars more difficult to repair.
 
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Offline Robert763

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #137063 on: December 30, 2024, 01:34:21 pm »
From the sellers name and location this 'scope was probably found in some dark oily corner of a ship being scrapped.

On a related note has anyone else noticed that since ebay UK stopped charging fees for private sellers the selecion of TE has been terible and over-priced?
There also seem to be a lot of private sellers who look a lot like businesses. ebay UK have also changed the reporting system and no longer have an option for reporting that a seller is a business. I've not bought a single piece of TE on ebay since October.
 
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Offline factory

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #137064 on: December 30, 2024, 10:34:30 pm »
I've not noticed any difference since fees for private sellers ended, it's always been full of high priced stuff, that spends months & years cluttering the servers up with unnecessary noughts & ones. The low priced stuff disappears before we can find it.
Ebay probably don't need this part of the reporting system anymore, as there was ployticks created to have this data collected & shared with the relevant authorities. The reporting system is a waste of time anyway, as they never seem to act on anything.

David

 

Offline Hydron

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #137065 on: December 30, 2024, 10:35:08 pm »
I thought terrible and overpriced was the norm for UK eBay TE already? Or has it gotten even worse?

Most of my stuff these days comes from when I make work trips stateside and get sucked in by brown-era Keithley deals.
 

Offline Martin.M

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #137066 on: December 31, 2024, 01:44:08 pm »
https://youtu.be/li5Q5eANok4?si=xwUYeLNQNPj_vfOo

hard working battery tubes radio  :box:
 
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Offline 44kgk1lkf6u

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #137067 on: January 03, 2025, 03:24:32 am »
I thought terrible and overpriced was the norm for UK eBay TE already? Or has it gotten even worse?

Most of my stuff these days comes from when I make work trips stateside and get sucked in by brown-era Keithley deals.

Did you ever have to explain to the customs people what it is?
 

Offline m k

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #137068 on: January 03, 2025, 12:04:55 pm »
I'm currently getting .com upay filters like it used to be if I search something of my own.
Clicking ready made selections is different, no filters on left and location missing without advanced tab.
Advance-Aneng-Appa-AVO-Beckman-Danbridge-Data Tech-Fluke-General Radio-H. W. Sullivan-Heathkit-HP-Kaise-Kyoritsu-Leeds & Northrup-Mastech-OR-X-REO-Simpson-Sinclair-Tektronix-Tokyo Rikosha-Topward-Triplett-Tritron-YFE
(plus lesser brands from the work shop of the world)
 

Offline Robert763

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #137069 on: January 03, 2025, 12:30:47 pm »
I knew free selling from ebay was too good to be true!
Just had a email saying they are "improving buyer protection". What that actually means is they are adding 4% +75p "buyer protection fee" on top of your listing price AND not releasing funds until the item has been delivered.
This is basically the Vinted model and that has had lots of complaints. I'f you list an item at £10 it appaers to buyers at £11.15

It's not obvious how the buyer fee works for an auction but I guess if the buyer bids £10 the seller only sees a bid of £8.85 (£10 -4% -75p) So that is a seller fee not a buyer fee. I cant see tham letting a buyer bid £10 and then making them pay £11.15.

 >:(
 

Online tggzzz

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #137070 on: January 03, 2025, 01:04:28 pm »
I knew free selling from ebay was too good to be true!
Just had a email saying they are "improving buyer protection". What that actually means is they are adding 4% +75p "buyer protection fee" on top of your listing price AND not releasing funds until the item has been delivered.
This is basically the Vinted model and that has had lots of complaints. I'f you list an item at £10 it appaers to buyers at £11.15

It's not obvious how the buyer fee works for an auction but I guess if the buyer bids £10 the seller only sees a bid of £8.85 (£10 -4% -75p) So that is a seller fee not a buyer fee. I cant see tham letting a buyer bid £10 and then making them pay £11.15.

 >:(

i haven't had that email - yet.

How would the "no payout until delivered" work with untracked deliveries? That and the delay wouldn't bother me as a seller[1], but would be a problem when I buy low-priced items.

Just received the "we'll hold on to your cash for up to 3 months, unless you transfer it yourself" email.

[1] except as an example of creeping enshittification. (I'm typing that word so often now that I've just added it to my dictionary :( )
There are lies, damned lies, statistics - and ADC/DAC specs.
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Offline factory

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #137071 on: January 03, 2025, 01:50:39 pm »
Guess it not going to be obvious until this buyer fee (really a seller fee IMO) starts on the 4th of Feb.

Wonder how this is going to work with, buying multiple low value items from one private seller, are they going to charge the 4% + 75p per item, or 4% + 75p per transaction with that seller.  :-//

Edit: Will this also lead to asking prices increasing? e.g. when sellers look at completed listings & see the sold price, list their item at that price, which then becomes 4% + 75p more to the next buyer and repeat.
Next seller look at completed listings & sees the higher sold price, list their item at that even higher price, which then becomes 4% + 75p more to the next buyer and repeat......

David
« Last Edit: January 03, 2025, 02:20:04 pm by factory »
 

Offline Robert763

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #137072 on: January 03, 2025, 02:54:13 pm »
Indeed, It's 79% fee on a £1 item.
 

Offline factory

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #137073 on: January 03, 2025, 05:48:56 pm »
Indeed, It's 79% fee on a £1 item.

And to compete with business sellers on a £1 item, a private listing for the same item would need to be priced at 21 pence, makes it even less worth bothering with. I can't remember what they charged before (probably what they wanted to happen).

Business sellers (with no shop) seem to have a minimum of 30p per listing + 30p per order + variable final value fee.

There also seem to be a lot of private sellers who look a lot like businesses. ebay UK have also changed the reporting system and no longer have an option for reporting that a seller is a business. I've not bought a single piece of TE on ebay since October.

Found this on ePay's forum, relating to finding business sellers hiding as private sellers, wonder if they will ever find that trader (of TE & TE parts) that has multiple private accounts & turn them into business accounts.

Quote
https://community.ebay.co.uk/t5/Announcements/Changes-to-selling-fees-for-private-sellers-amp-new-benefits-for/ba-p/7684924

More steps to address false private sellers

At eBay, we are dedicated to ensuring a fair and equitable marketplace for all business sellers. To achieve this, we monitor trading activities, and we’ll continuously help business sellers using a private account to transition to a business account, or restrict selling activity as necessary. In addition, we’ve reduced the number of free listings available to private sellers.

Over the next few months, we'll be ramping up our marketing initiatives to highlight the benefits of using eBay for both sellers and buyers, and showcase what makes it such a unique marketplace. Our goal is to continuously attract new customers and ensure they receive exceptional service.

David
« Last Edit: January 03, 2025, 05:57:21 pm by factory »
 

Offline Vince

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #137074 on: January 03, 2025, 09:35:51 pm »




A little distraction from Ebay. I never go there, instead I just search Leboncoin.fr. It's like walking around a giant flea market. I like being surprised at what I might find whenever I visit. And before X-max I found this :

https://www.leboncoin.fr/ad/equipements_industriels/2897609579

I have enough hollow-state Tek scopes here, so a couple years ago or so, I started changing the goal, and now enjoy going after smaller TE of that same era, that accompanied these scopes. Like special / uncommon plug-ins, special TE to calibrate this or that in the scope. Makes for a more vibrant and interesting "ecosystem", than just having bare scopes, doesn't it ? Yes it does, to me at least.

So in this vein I have managed to find so far :

- A type 107 fast pulse generator, to check B/W and frequency response of vertical amps.
- A type 1121 wide band pre-amp
- A type 180A time mark / comb generator to calibrate the horizontal amplifier of the scope

and today... this.... thing, which I can't even tell you what "type" it is because it doesn't even have one !  :-DD
It's purely a calibration fixture, and often Tek didn't give them a type number, but instead a long sequence of digits that looks very much like the part-number of a... single part, not a complete instrument.

This thing they call a "Amplitude calibrator and comparator".
Looked in the manual, it's designed solely to fine tune the amplitude of the calibrator output of the scope. The scope already has a trimmer to fine tune this, but I guess with a calibrator it's more... accurate. I don't know, I just found this thing cool and cute, so I could not resist buying it. I am very excited to welcome the fourth member of my debuting collection of 500 scope "peripherals" so to speak  :D

At first, it was advertised at 80 or 90 Euros IIRC. Too expensive for such a small TE, especially since it was untested, no pics of the inside (so for all I knew there could be missing parts and tons of corrosion), and more worrying, at the rear : a missing foot, missing fuse holder, and the (hard wired) power cord has an American plug ! So clearly that instrument has been messed with, and chances are it's still wired for 120V and maybe someone plugged it straight to the 240V and fried the transformer and 90% of the components inside the instrument...

So yeah, all that considered, 90 Euros was a bit much to me ! So I waited a few weeks, luckily nobody bought / "stole" it from me.... and eventually price got dropped to 45 Euros ! That's much more like it... but still a bit dear given all I said above. So I asked the seller pics of the inside... to my surprise he agreed and sent them to me. Inside it looked complete and like new, zero sign of corrosion or mould. Ah... that's nice. Still, TE might be fried, so I used that to bargain him and offered 35 instead of 45. He agreed, and today here it is on my bench !!!  :D

It came as a "kit".... of course he had no clue how to open the cabinet to take the requested pics of the inside, so he removed lots more parts that he needed to ! But he put all the bits nicely in a plastic bag to make sure nothing got lost.

So I will try to put it all back in one piece...

Inside, of special interest... look at the wafer switch / attenuator with tons of high precision flat wire-wound resistors ! Gorgeous  8)
And there is a miniature electro-mechanical "chopper" switch/relay as well. I hope it works fine or I am screwed, good luck finding a replacement for this thing I guess...

The transformer looks "mundane" though : it doesn't have a nice painted Tek blue stamped cover on top. Oh well...

Front handle oozes quality, a nice cast alloy part.

Will try to find a moment to play with it this week-end. Clean it best I can, re-assemble it, check the wiring and health of the transformer, add a fuse holder, fit a Euro cord so I can power it up to test it. I guess it will be a perfect excuse to use my newly acquired variac. Will start at 120V and see what comes out...  before I dare to give it the full 240V.

« Last Edit: January 03, 2025, 10:43:40 pm by Vince »
 
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