Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[dazz1]

To ease your hurt, I did make the modification reversible. The alu plate with fan is mounted with the same four screws, as were used for mounting the original plotter.

Fair enough, Gertjan

A thermal printer is indeed less useful but I understand that there are also variants with a small plotter. That'd be amazing to have in an oscilloscope, for me. But I have a soft spot for such technology where mechanical engineering and electronics are combined.

This is a image of a oscilloscope with a built in printer that has just appeared on the local auction website.  Relevant to the discussion thread.

It's 8 channel

[Hydron]

You sure that's not a printer with a built in oscilloscope?

[Robert763]

Yep it's a "recorder" aka oscillograph. Primarily a low frequency chart recorder on paper.
The display is for setup.

[Robert763]

I am now the owner of a Tektronix 3001 GPX Logic Analyser.  When I first saw it, with a B&W curvy CRT, I thought it was 1980's vintage.  The IC dates it to 1994, so only 32 years old.

The LA also came with most of a matching kit of adapters to PLCC chips.  I suspect this is not a very common accessory.

I haven't been in the same room as a old school logic analyser since 1985 at University.  These are very rare where I live.

Some might think of asking why would I need a logic analyser that was probably obsolete before it left the factory.  To that I would say, I want it therefore I need it. 
It is the digital version of an oscilloscope and a perfect complement to my growing collection of oscilloscopes and other odd-ball instruments. 

Haven't put power on it yet.  The single pod is broken.  I am looking for pods and clips to buy if any one knows someone who wants to sell.    I see a lot of parts for these on e-bay.  I presume a lot have been scrapped to e-waste.  I imagine the market for obsolete old logic analysers is quite small.  Lots of sellers and not many buyers.

When buying a house "location, location, location" When buying a logic analyser "pods and leads, pods and leads, pods and leads"
There are far more analysers for sale without them than with.

[dazz1]

I am now the owner of a Tektronix 3001 GPX Logic Analyser.  When I first saw it, with a B&W curvy CRT, I thought it was 1980's vintage.  The IC dates it to 1994, so only 32 years old.

The LA also came with most of a matching kit of adapters to PLCC chips.  I suspect this is not a very common accessory.

I haven't been in the same room as a old school logic analyser since 1985 at University.  These are very rare where I live.

Some might think of asking why would I need a logic analyser that was probably obsolete before it left the factory.  To that I would say, I want it therefore I need it. 
It is the digital version of an oscilloscope and a perfect complement to my growing collection of oscilloscopes and other odd-ball instruments. 

Haven't put power on it yet.  The single pod is broken.  I am looking for pods and clips to buy if any one knows someone who wants to sell.    I see a lot of parts for these on e-bay.  I presume a lot have been scrapped to e-waste.  I imagine the market for obsolete old logic analysers is quite small.  Lots of sellers and not many buyers.

When buying a house "location, location, location" When buying a logic analyser "pods and leads, pods and leads, pods and leads"
There are far more analysers for sale without them than with.

Good advice
Let me just add some more information.

• I didn't hand over any money for this Tektronix logic analyser, but it is now mine.
• They are rare here.  There are no parts, no pods, no grippers.
• e-bay is the option of last resort and total desperation.   
• I'd rather have a HP, but I only had the opportunity for a Tektronix.
• It came with one damaged, but functional, pod and grabbers.  I'd like to get at least two "new" pods and grippers. 
  

I don't want to spend any $$ until I know the 3001GPX is operational. 
The 3001GPX is in a repair queue.  I probably won't get power on within 6 months.

[dazz1]

Hi
What could be better than a HP 3400A.
Maybe two HP 3400A. 

Haven't applied power, so don't know if they are operational. 

[m k]

Early model is clearly less portable rack mount version.

[Robert763]

More TE 
I don't didn't have an LCR bridge so when a Electro Scientific Industries 250DE turned up on ebay I had a punt. No other bids so it was mine for £28.15 including postage. This is a higher end portable bridge with higher performance than the common, in the UK at least, Marconi TF2700. It's not a lot bigger either. it has a "3 digit" variable element a "half maddona" decastat I did have some reservations mainly as there were some signs of battery leakage.
It arrived today and is in pristine condition apart from the battery leakage. But typical of ESI the battery compartment is separate and even has a sloping bottom so any leakage drains out. So that was easily cleaned up and the contacts were OK. No front cover which is a shame. Stuck some D calls in it and unfortunately found a couple of issues. The first a loose knob on the decastat was easily fixed. More worrying was a sticking needle on the meter  . It's a taut band movement. Investigation showed two issues, possibly related. First was the double sided tape holding the scale in place had dried out and failed. Second was the U  shaped leaf spring tensioning the taut band was bent or misplaced. This was causing the coil to rub on the magnet on one side. Some very careful manipulation finally sorted this out. It is all too easy to break the band while doing this as you have to bend it beyond it spring limit to give it a set. One of my previous day jobs included repairing aircraft instruments which gave me some skills. The inside is immaculate too. It appeas to be ex Dutch air force from the labels.
Some new 3M thin substrate double sided tape sorted the scale. And it all works. Very nostalgic...

[dazz1]

Hi
This Marconi Vacuum Tube Volt Meter is now part of my modest, but growing, collection of vintage test gear.
This meter includes both the "normal" and high voltage probes. 

[tautech]

Hi
This Marconi Vacuum Tube Volt Meter is now part of my modest, but growing, collection of vintage test gear.
This meter includes both the "normal" and high voltage probes.

Do you finally have that son's bedroom free for all this new old stuff Dazz ?
Or is the engineering workshop having to share its spare space ?

[dazz1]

Hi
This Marconi Vacuum Tube Volt Meter is now part of my modest, but growing, collection of vintage test gear.
This meter includes both the "normal" and high voltage probes.

Do you finally have that son's bedroom free for all this new old stuff Dazz ?
Or is the engineering workshop having to share its spare space ?

Lets just say space is at a premium.   

[wkb]

ex Dutch air force, does it have DELM stickers on it?

Depot Elecktronisch Materieel Luchtmacht that is. Used to be in Rhenen, not too far from here (Arnhem that is)

Wilko

[dazz1]

ex Dutch air force, does it have DELM stickers on it?

Depot Elecktronisch Materieel Luchtmacht that is. Used to be in Rhenen, not too far from here (Arnhem that is)

Wilko

It is ex-RNZAF = Royal New Zealand Air Force

[Robert763]

ex Dutch air force, does it have DELM stickers on it?

Depot Elecktronisch Materieel Luchtmacht that is. Used to be in Rhenen, not too far from here (Arnhem that is)

Wilko

It is ex-RNZAF = Royal New Zealand Air Force

Neither, I made a mistake, it's Danish air force not Dutch. Certainly not antipodean. Suppled by SC Metric in Nærum.

[Hydron]

I think there is confusion between dazz's RNZAF voltmeter and Robert's bridge!

Great deal on the bridge, at that price if it was beyond repair then it would be worth it just for the ESI binding posts alone.

I was recently tempted by another ESI portable bridge at Anchor electronics (silicon valley), but it had a mercury weston cell inside, so I'd have had a toxic waste disposal problem on my hands! (Would not have been allowed on a plane back to the UK with the cell fitted).

[Robert763]

Been playing with the bridge a bit more and it is very nice. The binding posts are unmolested with no plier or croc clip marks.
Fortunately as the meter is only used for null detection the displaced spring and my repair won't have affected the accuracy.
Unusually for a portable bridge, and even a lot of bench ones, it is both AC, DC and you can use an external source or/and detector.
I think I'll have to make a cover for the front.

Robert.

[dazz1]

Hi

The EIP 350D was an impressive frequency counter back in the 1970's.  With a frequency range of spanning 20 Hz to 12.4 GHz in 3 bands some might still be impressed.

It features a sectionalized 11 digit LED display for easy readout interpretation.  LEDs were probably quite high-tech and novel.

Input sensitivity is -30 dBm from 1.1 GHz to 12.4 GHz.

The Operator/Service manual is dated 1974, so a  vintage item of vintage test equipment. 

It is based around a YIG filter.  The manual goes into some detail to explain how YIG filters work.

All the  circuit diagrams are drawn by hand.  No PCs, no CAD.

The inside page of the manual has a stamp dated 21 April 1975 :  Cable and Wirless Limited, Earth Station, Suva.  I suspect not too many people have test equipment from Fiji.

This EIP 350D is fitted with options:
2  YIG Preset - Thumbwheel on the front panel
5 Oven Stabilized Oscillator (5 x 10 -10)

An old instrument with a useful set of specifications and features.

[TheDefpom]

It is funny seeing Dazz score 2 HP3400A...

I just scored 2 more as well... along with some other nice bits of gear from a (fairly) local auction house, probably the cheapest test gear purchase I have ever made.

[factory]

What are you hiding in those HP cases?

And I bought another HP 3400A fairly recently too, it's slightly more unusual from the outside, with the front output option and a 50 ohm decibel scale, from a message on the groups.io HPAK group I've been told it was probably an option H02-3400A made for the military, the option label is long gone, as was the original chopper board & panel meter.

A note for Dazz & others with these, the older ones use Ge transistors for the power supply & pass transistors, sometimes with previous repairs they get changed to Si parts without the full modifications, this causes incorrect supply voltages.

David

[TERRA Operative]

Oh 3400 day? I scored a 3400B a little while back, I just need to source a replacement power button for it if I can't find one in my pile of parts.

[dazz1]

A note for Dazz & others with these, the older ones use Ge transistors for the power supply & pass transistors, sometimes with previous repairs they get changed to Si parts without the full modifications, this causes incorrect supply voltages.
HP 3400A Upgraded PCB ? ? ?
David

Is that newish PCB a replacement chopper board upgrade?

If so, Defpom rolled a DIY version.
Defpom HP 3400A  Chopper board

I have a queue of test gear to rejuvenate so I won't be doing anything with the HP 3400A's for a while.

[factory]

A note for Dazz & others with these, the older ones use Ge transistors for the power supply & pass transistors, sometimes with previous repairs they get changed to Si parts without the full modifications, this causes incorrect supply voltages.
HP 3400A later PCB ? ? ?
David

Is that newish PCB a replacement chopper board upgrade?

If so, Defpom rolled a DIY version.
Defpom HP 3400A  Chopper board

I have a queue of test gear to rejuvenate so I won't be doing anything with the HP 3400A's for a while.

I wouldn't necessarily call it an upgrade, rather a redesign due to obsolete parts, a common thing to happen with items that were in production for several decades.
As the new to me 3400A had intact calibration seals, I was hoping it might have still contained the first version of the chopper board.

At least it was a HP redesign and not one of the DIY versions that people are flogging with plain solder finish, this is bad for the edge connector, with age it will get stuck and maybe even corrode, causing high resistance connections, from experience this is a real problem with older Racal counters & a DVM.
Boards with edge connectors should use gold or nickel, for reliability.

I've also created my own replacement, which is a clone of the later HP board, still haven't got round to building one of them yet.

David

[dazz1]

Hi
I have 3x HP 513A precision inductors, made to calibrate Q meters. 
You can read about them here:  Calibrating An Inductance Standard
They are known for being age stable.  These are old but good.

One of the inductors is in a nice wooden box.
The other two are in original card board boxes.

I have no idea what I might use these for, but I had to rescue them from going to e-waste.

[tautech]

Hi
I have 3x HP 513A precision inductors, made to calibrate Q meters. 
You can read about them here:  Calibrating An Inductance Standard
They are known for being age stable.  These are old but good.

One of the inductors is in a nice wooden box.
The other two are in original card board boxes.

I have no idea what I might use these for, but I had to rescue them from going to e-waste.

See what your ST42 thinks of them.

Do you have a nulling LCR bridge that might need precise L readjustment ?

[dazz1]

Do you have a nulling LCR bridge that might need precise L readjustment ?

No I don't own a nulling bridge.  Nothing so sophisticated.