Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[Brumby]

But i already have too many PSUs

Huh?  Say ... what?!!

[bd139]

Just remember when you have too many, another one doesn’t make the problem any worse.

[Specmaster]

Jeezus... how does Amazon make profit doing this?

   

I bought from them [urlhttps://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00R465F94/]a metal and bentwood slat bed frame[/url] similar to a couple of the Premier Flex bed frames I already have in my home.

I expected similar quality to the ones I have, but what arrived... well, it wasn't even close. The Premier is made of mandrel-bent tubing, so is light and rigid and strong, the Europa is square-cut tubes with a bit of flat steel bracket and plastic tube corners. So I called them and tried to return it, and they told me that due to the weight, it wasn't eligible for return, but since I wasn't happy with the quality, they'd issue me a return and I could dispose of it as I see fit. 

After I got off the phone, I realized it was probably a matter of cost of return shipping being more than the product cost them.

But still... the question I have to wonder is... how in the hell do they make a profit overall doing this shit? I can't be the first to tell them their bed is a POS and want a refund...

mnem
"But hey, Customer Service!!!"

I hate beds like that, mattress tends to zag between slats and if your of a larger frame you can feel the pressure points of the slats. Makes it very uncomfortable and hard to get a decent night's sleep.

[Specmaster]

Just remember when you have too many, another one doesn’t make the problem any worse.

Confusious SAYS "Just remember when you have too many, another one doesn't make the problem any worse"

I can just imagine that being one of his sayings [emoji23]

[tggzzz]

Some people have commented on the dearth of good TEA porn on fleabay at the moment. Well, it seems it isn't just fleabay...

Last week Peaker Pattinson was listing its usual bi-monthly "collective" sale in November. Today that has been dropped and replaced by their January collective sale.

Shame, since their storage area is an open farm building, and I've seen hessian sacking draped across the electronic equipment to prevent reduce condensation. Yes, there can be fog in the building.

[Specmaster]

Not good news at all. I got a good combiscope 200Mhz from them earlier in the year.

[med6753]

Could it be partially due to the economic uncertainty of Brexit? When does the final shoe drop? Quite honestly I haven't been keeping up to date with that.

[bd139]

I think it's just not got cold enough to kill off some of the older amateur radio operators yet 

[med6753]

Oh OK.  But I did discover personally that you folks in the UK seem to always been somewhat suspicious of foreign currency.

Back in 2001 when I visited your fine land (Scotland mostly) Traveller's checks were still a popular method of payment. After all, American Express advertised that they were accepted world wide. Wrong Sherlock.    Everywhere in the world except the UK. I had many hundreds of USD of them and NO ONE would accept them. So it was switch to credit card and hit an ATM and get some coin of the realm. And of course when it was time to leave I had pounds left over which were no good to me. So naturally I took Her Majesty's royal hosing on exchanging them back to Yankee sawbucks.

How come you guys don't like Yankee dollars when everyone else loves them? Is it revenge for booting your arse out in 1789? 

   

[bd139]

No one accepts American Express here because the charging structure in Europe is evil. VISA is pretty much the standard here.

Main problem with accepting USD is that we get hosed with exchanging them instead. The local currency bureaus, usually in supermarkets and post offices charge a fair bit of commission. Plus no one knows what the hell a dollar is worth here apart from those of us who do online shopping.

Also it was Scotland and they're a bit weird up there.

I've never acutally used or seen a travellers cheque myself. Always work in cash or VISA.

[Berni]

I think it's just not got cold enough to kill off some of the older amateur radio operators yet 

Over here we are having a record warm fall this year, so you might be on to something.

Not yet time for turning on the real big boatanchors to keep the place warm.

Just remember when you have too many, another one doesn’t make the problem any worse.

Confusious SAYS "Just remember when you have too many, another one doesn't make the problem any worse"

I can just imagine that being one of his sayings [emoji23]

Good point there...

Tho a bunch of these big rackmount system PSUs take up quite a lot of space. I would prefer that a network analyzer would be using up there space instead (But the fleabay gods ware never in my favor for one of those).

[tggzzz]

I think it's just not got cold enough to kill off some of the older amateur radio operators yet 

I doubt their estates flogs stuff via PP - PP seem to specialise in company/military clearouts.

Perhaps the RAF has sold all the family silver, and we don't have many manufacturing companies left to flog their stuff?

[tggzzz]

Oh OK.  But I did discover personally that you folks in the UK seem to always been somewhat suspicious of foreign currency.

Back in 2001 when I visited your fine land (Scotland mostly) Traveller's checks were still a popular method of payment. After all, American Express advertised that they were accepted world wide. Wrong Sherlock.    Everywhere in the world except the UK.

When backpacking around India I've taken both Thomas Cook and AmEx travellers cheques. Just as well as some towns accept Thomas Cook but not AmEx, and others are vice versa.

Not sure what I'll take when I go back to the subcontinent again; I like having a diversity of cash/cards/TC.

[bd139]

That reminds me of an outsourcing job I got a few years back. I declined the trip to Hyderabad because the company policy was not to bribe anyone. Also it's India.

[med6753]

No one accepts American Express here because the charging structure in Europe is evil. VISA is pretty much the standard here.

Main problem with accepting USD is that we get hosed with exchanging them instead. The local currency bureaus, usually in supermarkets and post offices charge a fair bit of commission. Plus no one knows what the hell a dollar is worth here apart from those of us who do online shopping.

Also it was Scotland and they're a bit weird up there.

I've never acutally used or seen a travellers cheque myself. Always work in cash or VISA.

I don't have an AmEx card and never will. Strictly VISA or MasterCharge. And traveller's checks have pretty much fallen out of favor and if I ever travel to Europe again it will be strictly credit card and a small amount of cash. I'll let my bank figure out the appropriate exchange rate.

Travel to India? That's not on my bucket list. It's on another type of list that ain't so nice. My Brother had to visit once on company business and he sent me pictures. Holy shit....literally. And he has a weak stomach and he was sick for months afterwards. No thank you. 

[tggzzz]

That reminds me of an outsourcing job I got a few years back. I declined the trip to Hyderabad because the company policy was not to bribe anyone. Also it's India.

I haven't been to that part of India, but Kerala is a lovely place. They even have excellent technical bookshops in the capital (or at least they did a decade ago).

[Specmaster]

I think it's just not got cold enough to kill off some of the older amateur radio operators yet 

I doubt their estates flogs stuff via PP - PP seem to specialise in company/military clearouts.

Perhaps the RAF has sold all the family silver, and we don't have many manufacturing companies left to flog their stuff?

I think that the RAF and other military services tend to use specialist auctioneers whereas PP is more company orientated.   

[bd139]

That reminds me of an outsourcing job I got a few years back. I declined the trip to Hyderabad because the company policy was not to bribe anyone. Also it's India.

I haven't been to that part of India, but Kerala is a lovely place. They even have excellent technical bookshops in the capital (or at least they did a decade ago).

The best thing about India's technical books is they have special "international editions". They are cheaper, lighter, smaller but just as good quality. I had the red international edition of TAOE 2nd edition for a few years I managed to snag off a student who bailed out back to India. Much smaller and less dangerous to read than the big silver edition.

Apparently they're illegal to sell in the UK or so the publisher would have us believe judging by the list of threats all over the back cover.

[tggzzz]

I think it's just not got cold enough to kill off some of the older amateur radio operators yet 

I doubt their estates flogs stuff via PP - PP seem to specialise in company/military clearouts.

Perhaps the RAF has sold all the family silver, and we don't have many manufacturing companies left to flog their stuff?

I think that the RAF and other military services tend to use specialist auctioneers whereas PP is more company orientated.

I've certainly had RAF stuff from PP, as well as others such as Ramco. The latest examples were DVMs in custom plywood boxes and with "RAF Coningsby" stickers / cal tags on them.

[tggzzz]

That reminds me of an outsourcing job I got a few years back. I declined the trip to Hyderabad because the company policy was not to bribe anyone. Also it's India.

I haven't been to that part of India, but Kerala is a lovely place. They even have excellent technical bookshops in the capital (or at least they did a decade ago).

The best thing about India's technical books is they have special "international editions". They are cheaper, lighter, smaller but just as good quality. I had the red international edition of TAOE 2nd edition for a few years I managed to snag off a student who bailed out back to India. Much smaller and less dangerous to read than the big silver edition.

Apparently they're illegal to sell in the UK or so the publisher would have us believe judging by the list of threats all over the back cover.

Yes, but I'm delighted to find any decent technical bookstore nowadays

As for TAoE, I have a paper 1st edition, I avoided the 2nd edition but have a crappy probably illegal scan, I have the paper 3rd edition and the pdf 3rd edition.

[nixiefreqq]

In other TEA news, I, on the spur of the moment, rescued an HP 5321A. It's missing feet and one of the four Nixies doesn't light up, but it's still got its HP badge (can't win 'em all, eh?). I'll let you know how dead it is when I get it.

Sweet.  Those seem to be rather rare.  Good luck with it, and I hope the issue is driver and not Nixie tube related - those use the (also pretty rare) upside-down nixies.  Fingers crossed for you.

Yeah, I'm not quite sure why they're as rare as they are. They're not that good, technically. Perhaps not many were sold. The B model has more functionality and 5 or 6 digits (vs only 4), but originally cost twice as much as the A model. There was a 5321B that recently sold for $200. That's a bit too much moolah for a little old counter.

sorry......am a couple of days behind on this thread.   congratulations on the 5321a.

Thanks, and no worries on getting behind. Sometimes I'm half a dozen pages behind or more.

those drivers are pretty rare too  (and not compatible with standard 74141 or 7441 drivers).  BUT if it turns out you need a couple, PM me with an address and i'll stick these in an envelope.

Many thanks in advance. Hopefully, they'll be operational, but then that might mean the choob is dead  . I will certainly let you know.

the upside down nixies...….wow.....now those really are unobtanium.

Yeah, I saw them listed on Sphere before, but even then they were out of stock. Now I don't even see them listed.

I see you have a 5221B there. Very nice. Does it have the sixth digit option?

this is not my proudest moment.  if fact.....if this story were for anyone but bitseeker i would lie and say this was someone else's ham fisted mess.

could not find upside down nixies for love or money.   at first it looked like the tubes were soldered in.....but low and behold they are in individual pin recepticles.   BUT the down side is that because of either corrosion or dried out conductive lube they are very very very difficult to remove.  even managed to break the envelope on one (no big deal since it was dead already).  had some spare smallish nixies from some long dead device......so it was flying wire time.   24 awg tinned solid wire is a snug fit in those little recepticles.  oh by the way, the msd and lsd are the easiest positions to stuff all the wires back behind the display.


ok, the digits are a little off.   BUT in my defense.......if a miracle occurs and stock of upside down nixies appears on the bay it will be a trivial matter to pull out my cluster f&%k and restore the little bastard to original.

if you want a couple of those 5750s let me know and i'll stuff 'em in an envelope.

ps  please warn cubdriver not to look at this post.  at the start i really thought it would turn out better than this.........the horror.....the horror.   

[tggzzz]

That's not a bug, its a feature. If it makes you feel better, add the word "steampunk" when you make your excuses!

[mnementh]

The devil's in the data. If they get too many returns, I'm sure they'll can the product. Amazon + analytics = megaprofit. At the scale of an individual buyer, some things they do can seem counterproductive. At the scale that they operate, though, reality can be very different. They're not hurting for profit, that's for sure.

Yeah, I know... economies of scale. I've had to try and explain this concept more than few times myself in threads like this one. 

Here's an "Economies of Scale" example that I profited nicely from just recently...

    Last weekend I put in my bedroom a brand-new 43" 4K TV. I made approx $320 on the deal, and my cost for the TV was approx $9 in fuel and less than an hour's labor.

How? I had a work order two weeks prior to assemble and wire up a media display for a trade show here in Houston; it was a two-trip ticket, hourly at a pretty good rate. My gross on the first trip was $320, parts/supplies provided by client. They even paid me mileage to pick up the TV from Fry's. The return trip was to unwire everything and dismantle the display (an MDF contraption that goes together like IKEA furniture) and stack it in the corner of the booth, then collect the electronics and return ship. I expected to be returning the TV as well; they gave instructions keep the box for shipment. All together, took less than an hour.

Then when I'm all done, my tech support agent gives me the option of getting paid for my time on the return trip and shipping the TV to them, or taking it home and closing the ticket for $0 labor; all they wanted back was the custom-flashed media player and game controller they'd sent out to me, all of which fit in a carton the size of a shoebox.   Of course I took the latter option; they even paid my parking. He explained that it actually would cost them more to ship it back safely and inventory it and warehouse it than it cost them; they were, and I quote, "not interested in warehousing hundreds of TVs for the value of this single campaign."   

The ironic part is... that TV replaced a 32" LG commercial display acquired similarly; as part of an e-Menu "equipment refresh" gig. I bought 6 such displays for $25 each from another client a couple years ago; still made a decent profit on the gig, kept one for the BR and sold the remaining units locally for $75 each in 2 days. Probably could've gotten more if I'd been willing to sit on them;  but with a house full of children, I had no interest in warehousing 5 32" TVs for the value they represented...   

mnem
I loathe commercial broadcast. As the name suggests, it exists to broadcast commercials; any actual content is just an afterthought.

[bd139]

Scope screensaver (bouncy ball thing) issue 1 schematic attached if anyone wants to have a go.

Requirements, easily fulfilled by TEA members:

1. Scope, preferably analogue.
2. More than one power supply that will kick out ~15V.

Instructions:

1. Locate parts
2. Build it
3. Connect to scope and power supply.
4. Twizzle RV1 until something interesting happens.
5. When nothing interesting happens, debug it.
6. Come back here and blame me for a schematic error 

Edit: BOM

Code: [Select]

C1,4,7            = 100nF film
C2,3,5,6          = 1uF film
C8-19             = 100nF ceramic
D1,2              = 1N4148

J1,2              = 2 pin header
J3                = 3 pin header

R1                = 1K
R2,3,12,13        = 470K
R4-10,17,19,21,22 = 10K
R11,16            = 15K
R14,15            = 4.7M
R18,20            = 100K
R23,24            = 51R

RV1               = 100K trimmer

U1-5              = LM358


[mnementh]

      (SNIP)
mnem
"But hey, Customer Service!!!"

I hate beds like that, mattress tends to zag between slats and if your of a larger frame you can feel the pressure points of the slats. Makes it very uncomfortable and hard to get a decent night's sleep.

You haven't tried one of these Flex frames then. They're NOT rigid hardwood slats; they're laminated bentwood. You are sleeping on an array of leaf springs, and there are a set of springs in the lumbar area that have adjustable tension. I bought the first one on the advice of an orthopedist who told me it was the single best thing I could do for my back for $100; the frame is rated for 1000 lbs, and it handles my 300lbs and my wife, who is slightly less, fabulously for over a year. It even gave us a little more life on a very well worn out mattress we didn't want to replace yet due to need for a new car. Lumbar set to MAX is simply AWESOME; feels better than the mattress lying on the floor or 11-ply-plywood, which has always been my preferred ultra-firm setup.

I've since bought several sets for my kids and other family members. Even bolted my own to a really nice headboard I have from my last conventional bedframe. Best part is it is made to replace the utterly worthless mattress "foundation" (nothing more than a wooden freight pallet with fabric over it anymore) commonly sold with all but the most expensive mattresses nowadays with something that provides actual support. AND... you get 12" of underbed storage out of the deal. These bins fit under it perfectly.

You can hide a multitude of sins... err, multitude of TEA in that newly-reclaimed space. 

And now, since slAmazon just gifted me with this other bedframe for the holidays, I have spare slats for ALL my beds... I can even double up in the lumbar area if I want.   

mnem
*Currently moving the entire house around*