Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[tautech]

My el cheapo digital calipers seem to love batteries. When you turn it off, it runs the battery dead in short order.

There's a hack to prevent them munching through LR44's .....just trying to remember where I've seen it so to provide a link.
I think a search on YT will find it
Here, last post:
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews/why-do-cheap-digital-calipers-deplete-batteries-even-when-off/

[bd139]

That was my be of my motivations to buy the decent ones. I’ve spent twice what I paid for the callipers on LR44s already

Hack decided. The things have a data port on them and the instructions have a logic timing diagram and electrical contract specifications. USB adapter would be boring so I figure a wireless analogue television calipers would be cool and totally pointless. VK3YE recently posted on how to use a cheap crystal module as a video transmitter with a rudimentary mixer so that and some video field generator code in a uC could do the trick. Need to scratch my head on that as I haven’t generated video for a very long time and it was a hack job at university.

I have an old 9” B&W low voltage TV somewhere I can use as the receiver.

[Brumby]

My el cheapo digital calipers seem to love batteries. When you turn it off, it runs the battery dead in short order. Boneheaded engineering at its finest (or they have a vested interest in a battery manufacturer ).

I had the same problem with my $19.95 special from Aldi.  I solved my problem by removing the battery when each session was finished.  Since they don't get used all that often, it's not really inconvenient - but my current battery is still good enough after more than a year.

[Specmaster]

Oh, so you don't have a lathe. 

Not that I am aware of. 

Ok then, lets put it another way, do you have a poor mans lathe....its called a drill 

Indeed.

That's it precisely, I was beginning to wonder if anyone would understand the reference 

[Specmaster]

Hey I have a couple of of the really cheap digital calipers, one day I might treat myself to something better. That said the cheap ones are not too bad as long as the battery is OK but I have noticed that if I use them too close to my desk magnifier lamp when it is switched on, all bets are out of the window as far reliable readings are concerned, it totally screws them up 

My el cheapo digital calipers seem to love batteries. When you turn it off, it runs the battery dead in short order. Boneheaded engineering at its finest (or they have a vested interest in a battery manufacturer ).

I got mine from that well known tool shop, "Lidl". My batteries seem to last about 6 months, not that I use them all that much, but you know, when you see them there in the shop, reasonably priced,...well it just seems rude not to, just incase I might need them someday, and then they are worth their weight in gold 

[Inverted18650]

Just snagged a Fluke 887A AC/DC Diff Unit...I have a disease, thats treated with HOT TEA. (Ice TEA in the summer. )

[beanflying]

Just snagged a Fluke 887A AC/DC Diff Unit...I have a disease, thats treated with HOT TEA. (Ice TEA in the summer. )

My latest HP Null meter is 15km away and I can't get to it until Monday  I blame the holiday it had in Hawaii on the way to get over the Snow Storm delays on the mainland.

I got mine from that well known tool shop, "Lidl". My batteries seem to last about 6 months, not that I use them all that much, but you know, when you see them there in the shop, reasonably priced,...well it just seems rude not to, just incase I might need them someday, and then they are worth their weight in gold 

If they are the same ones Aldi flog here they are a good cheapy. I just replaced mine a few months ago after 7 or 8 years use.

[Brumby]

That's it precisely, I was beginning to wonder if anyone would understand the reference 

I understood the reference.

As an extension to that idea, about 25 years ago I made a rather crude wood lathe to do a bit of simple turning on some dowel.  It sort of bridges the drill and the true lathe.

Found a pic....


What you see at left is only the front casing of an old drill which carries the chuck and bearing.  Same thing at the right.  The drive belt is missing in this picture.  It runs from the washing machine motor around the outside of the drill chuck.  I was amazed at how well it worked for the job I was doing.

[mnementh]

*Currently sick as a dog from food poisoning*

I'm sure I have the remedy for that....some left over cattle drench from my farming days. 

OR I can offer the wifes remedy for when anyone is sick around here......she starts polishing a bullet ! 
Enough to make you well in a real hurry. 

Thanks, I'll pass. After 4 bouts of projectile vomiting yesterday, I'm just easing into food again with some plain eggs and a little corn for a mix of protein & carbs. We'll see how that does. Hopefully warm food will do better than cold cottage cheese and yogurt, which are what I usually turn to for an upset stomach. My new antibiotic will hopefully stay down as well, so this hole in my jaw can heal up.

In all honesty, I should be a lot grumpier than I am, considering how downright horrible I've been feeling for the last few days...

mnem
Ohmmmmmmmm.... ohmmmmmmmmm... EMF... ohmmmmmmmm...

[Inverted18650]

Hope you feel better brotha, I drink the children's Pedialyte anytime I get that dehydrated or give myself an IV. I think you can even buy IV's now online, maybe Amazon...

[DC1MC]

OK then, so the 784D from the liquid(ated)tech  it's a no go, then where do I get a working attenuator for my 724A ?

 DC1MC

[mnementh]

Is this TEA material? Distance-nuttery?

Just ordered one of these dudes at last. Can sling the cheap jumpy one now 

To qualify, I think it needs to be accompanied by a teardown and then a hack of some sort.

Real Mitis (and some of the cheapies too) have serial out. 

Oh, so you don't have a lathe. 

Not that I am aware of. 

Ok then, lets put it another way, do you have a poor mans lathe....its called a drill 

   Indeed.

Watch out! bitseeker's getting his knobber on!   

In alll seriousness though... I have been known to to a little "precision grinding" with drill in one hand and Dremel in the other. Just enough to make a quick & dirty idler shaft, or switch plunger... but you get the idea. 

mnem
*Another bite or two*

[mnementh]

Watch AvE's video above 4:1 or there abouts current draw compared to the real deal and the same current even when 'off'   

I've owned 3 or 4 sets of the Horror Fraught cheapies; take them apart, clean the guts and they're a right serviceable piece of kit, as long as you pick and choose AT THE STORE for one that moves reasonably smoothly without skipping. Otherwise, you may have to break out the 180A PSU for a bit of spot-welding. No, I am NOT kidding.

Never had one do the "battery-eating monster" thing... though I haven't actually bought a new set in 4-5 years, as I haven't dropped/pinged the points on these. YET. Of course, now I just done gone and jinxed myself... 

mnem
That eggs & corn seems okay... think I'm going back to bed.

[mnementh]

From the "No Good Deed Goes Unpunished" Dept...



This is what I get for trying to fix one of those "Free" LED trouble lights from Horror Fraught. The plastic just crumbled in my hand, and I stabbed myself good and proper with my screwdriver.    I found the poor thing in the back-back of my toolbox, been sitting there for years. Fearful of the batteries, I checked and sure enough, rotten battery compartment, so I figured I'd take it apart for the LED array. 

Well, at least while I was doctoring myself I got a good show; I could see tendons moving back & forth inside the hole when I moved my fingers, like in that scene from the end of Empire Strikes Back with Luke's new robotic hand... 

mnem
That'll teach me to talk nice about Harbor Freight. 

[bd139]

Whoops. SWMNLBO managed to do that with a comb a few weeks back. A comb?!?!?  How!? Required stitches and everything.  At least you fought the devil from China

[neo]

Preparing to undertake a mission of vast importance to TEA, may the patron saints of GAS and TEA go with me.

All will explained later, with pictures.

[Specmaster]

Whoops. SWMNLBO managed to do that with a comb a few weeks back. A comb?!?!?  How!? Required stitches and everything.  At least you fought the devil from China

Haha, I had to think about this SWMNLBO for a while 

[mnementh]

Whoops. SWMNLBO managed to do that with a comb a few weeks back. A comb?!?!?  How!? Required stitches and everything.  At least you fought the devil from China

I know, right? I even tried to fix that corner, figured it would be good practice. Made a nice patch ring out of capacitor leg as it was around a screw hole, scraped & tinned a nice big section around the break and soldered it on, and the instant my iron touched the broken bit, the underlayment fell off. Tried to repair that, but the cheap phenolic board wasn't having any of it; even with super glue and accelerant, I couldn't get it to bond. 

In the end, I just stripped off the switch (nice little OFF-On1-OFF-On2 ratcheting beastie rated 50V/0.5A) and tossed the light producing bits in my parts bin for when I need a single white LED somewhere. Fortunately, the light's two brothers escaped without electrolyte decay... I dumped the batteries out of them as PM.

Now puttering on my OCZ PSU; as you can see in the photo above, my $4 worth of parts from DigiKey have arrived. w00t!

mnem
DigiKey.  Word.

[mnementh]

Preparing to undertake a mission of vast importance to TEA, may the patron saints of GAS and TEA go with me.

All will explained later, with pictures.

Excellent. In my current beleaguered state, a nice WWND?!? story is just the distraction I need. 

Carry on! 

mnem
What WOULDN'T mnem Do?

[Specmaster]

mnem
What WOULDN'T mnem Do?

I think you'd not break the law, anything else is fair game

[mnementh]

mnem
What WOULDN'T mnem Do?

I think you'd not break the law, anything else is fair game

I think you give me entirely too much credit. 

mnem
 

[Inverted18650]

Hopefully hes not a murderous psycho...

[mnementh]

https://youtu.be/mm6oYqBwNAg

mnem
 

[bd139]

FFS just got an actual Royal Mail depot dude turn up at my door with a package from China that was due to arrive early 2017. Apparently they found it when moving stuff around in the depot  .  At least they delivered it eventually.

What’s in it? Some diodes that I can’t even remember buying and probably forgot about the moment I ordered them.

[mnementh]

From the Ridiculous to the Sublime Dept...



You know... some folks would be annoyed at paying $5 shipping for $4 in parts... myself, I think it's a bloody bargain. Not only is there at least $5 worth of packing materials and labor here; all to ensure my 3 little capacitors arrive without so much as a bent leg... I'm getting more than $5 worth of a laugh at their expense. 

And get this... delivered in 2 ferking days, without having to shop for an hour to put together a freaking $35 order like slAmazon. 

Well played, DigiKey. Well played. 

mnem
I made that dot right there. No, not that one... this one.