Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[med6753]

When I went to ITT tech from 1997-1999, our scope du jour was the BK Precision 2120, 20 MHz scope.  I don't remember what other TE we had, just the scope.  I wouldn't mind having one, but it isn't worth the money to get one, they are going for about $100 and up with shipping.  Also, I just don't have the room for yet another scope.  It would, however, look at home on my ham radio desk with my Yaesu FT-1000MP.

   Ahem.     (And no, it's not for sale  )

I have the signal gen and counter that go widdat. You wannem? 

mnem
No, seriously. Have the NTSC/PAL Pattern generator too.

Signal generator and counter.....sure. 
Pattern generator.....nah. 

Want me to pay shipping? You still have my address?

[beanflying]

Decided it was time for a short weight before my next bit of Electrical TEA 

Much better spread over the 50 and 100g ones I already have and will be useful in a little load cell job I have coming up. Also maybe a proper sanding, shellacing and relining of the box for no good reason.

[Specmaster]

Thank you all who responded to my question about transistors and data books etc, you have yielded some good useful resources, some I already knew about but many I didn't and those have been most helpful. How ever, nothing beats have a proper book with the information laid both in alpha-numerical and in tables sorted by applications, power dissipation etc. Makes finding a suitable replacement so much easier then sifting through literally thousands of items, particularly when there is no known direct equivalent but it may be that another in a different case outline would be a suitable replacement if it can mounted etc.

[mnementh]

When I went to ITT tech from 1997-1999, our scope du jour was the BK Precision 2120, 20 MHz scope.  I don't remember what other TE we had, just the scope.  I wouldn't mind having one, but it isn't worth the money to get one, they are going for about $100 and up with shipping.  Also, I just don't have the room for yet another scope.  It would, however, look at home on my ham radio desk with my Yaesu FT-1000MP.

   Ahem.     (And no, it's not for sale  )

I have the signal gen and counter that go widdat. You wannem? 

mnem
No, seriously. Have the NTSC/PAL Pattern generator too.

Signal generator and counter.....sure. 
Pattern generator.....nah. 

Want me to pay shipping? You still have my address?

Oh crap... I'm sorry, med. I had a total brainfart. It was the PROTEK units on my bench I was thinking of that look like that scope; my B&Ks are a wee bit older. 

I blame the cold medicine and lack of sleep.  If you still wannem, they're yours.

mnem
*back into my hole*

[med6753]

Oh crap... I'm sorry, med. I had a total brainfart. It was the PROTEK units on my bench I was thinking of that look like that scope; my B&Ks are a wee bit older. 

I blame the cold medicine and lack of sleep.  If you still wannem, they're yours.

mnem
*back into my hole*

Well....I'm a wee bit older too.  Sure.....I'll take'em if you don't want them. Adding that frequency counter will bring the total to 3 plus the frequency counter readout on the 2465DMS. I can become a time nut and fret over none of them matching.   

Lemme know what you wanna do via PM.

[bd139]

Well screw Monday.

Firstly RM didn't deliver the grey slip today for my thing from Elecraft so I went and paid the customs fee online and the payment process fell over resulting in a charge being made but no confirmation of redelivery. Fortunately paid by paypal so I am disputing it but i'll probably get the grey slip tomorrow and have to pay the customs fee again (£35 no less) and then deal with it. Argh.

Now my entire road is police taped off and I have no idea why.

[kj7e]

Now my entire road is police taped off and I have no idea why.

Some ideas may be found here;
https://kernelmag.dailydot.com/features/report/7074/six-of-the-uks-strangest-offences/

[med6753]

Well screw Monday.

Firstly RM didn't deliver the grey slip today for my thing from Elecraft so I went and paid the customs fee online and the payment process fell over resulting in a charge being made but no confirmation of redelivery. Fortunately paid by paypal so I am disputing it but i'll probably get the grey slip tomorrow and have to pay the customs fee again (£35 no less) and then deal with it. Argh.

Now my entire road is police taped off and I have no idea why.

What's a grey slip?

Are you sure the cops aren't after you? 

[bd139]

Grey slip is something they post through your door instead of the post which they hold ransom until you pay the amount on the slip. Which today didn’t work because their systems are borked. But I still got charged.

Wasn’t me for once. Found out someone got splatted by a car.

[Specmaster]

@bd139 or of course it could be this? https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/isleworth-station-latest-police-descend-on-west-london-station-after-shots-fired-a4019901.html

[med6753]

@bd139 or of course it could be this? https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/isleworth-station-latest-police-descend-on-west-london-station-after-shots-fired-a4019901.html

Shots fired and they find a knife? 

Obviously someone broke a golden rule. 

"You don't bring a knife to a gun fight"

[bd139]

@bd139 or of course it could be this? https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/isleworth-station-latest-police-descend-on-west-london-station-after-shots-fired-a4019901.html

Shots fired and they find a knife? 

Obviously someone broke a golden rule. 

"You don't bring a knife to a gun fight"

That’s my favourite bit of any film ever that.

@bd139 or of course it could be this? https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/isleworth-station-latest-police-descend-on-west-london-station-after-shots-fired-a4019901.html

Lol no that was months ago. I think we’ve had a few stabbings and shootings here. It’s perfectly safe though unless you’re of a certain type of person.

Edit: it’s all action today: https://news.sky.com/story/stowaway-found-dead-in-garden-after-falling-from-plane-near-heathrow-11752788

I long to live somewhere nothing ever happens.

[med6753]

I can finally get back to TEA activity now that the kitchen is done. Walls and ceiling re-painted. First order of business is ripping the Tek 7904 PSU apart and find out who let out magic smoke. 

Later this Summer going to re-paint living room. That will be an absolute hoot with all the benches and crap that will have to move. 

[Specmaster]

@bd139 or of course it could be this? https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/isleworth-station-latest-police-descend-on-west-london-station-after-shots-fired-a4019901.html

Shots fired and they find a knife? 

Obviously someone broke a golden rule. 

"You don't bring a knife to a gun fight"

That’s my favourite bit of any film ever that.

@bd139 or of course it could be this? https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/isleworth-station-latest-police-descend-on-west-london-station-after-shots-fired-a4019901.html

Lol no that was months ago. I think we’ve had a few stabbings and shootings here. It’s perfectly safe though unless you’re of a certain type of person.

Edit: it’s all action today: https://news.sky.com/story/stowaway-found-dead-in-garden-after-falling-from-plane-near-heathrow-11752788

I long to live somewhere nothing ever happens.

Doh, I never saw the date, and I specifically searched for today's news in Isleworth 

[bitseeker]

I can finally get back to TEA activity now that the kitchen is done. Walls and ceiling re-painted. First order of business is ripping the Tek 7904 PSU apart and find out who let out magic smoke. 

Later this Summer going to re-paint living room. That will be an absolute hoot with all the benches and crap that will have to move. 

Nice 'n' shiny! What are the little bottles on the range?

[med6753]

Nice 'n' shiny! What are the little bottles on the range?

Samplers of Bailey's Irish Cream. All "sampled" and empty. 

[mnementh]

Oh... I was thinkin' the bottle of Emmet's on the nukebox had babies... 

mnem
Just watched the Dr Who Christmas Special; I miss my curmudgeonly old Doctor who was always on about doing the right thing and played rock & roll guitar to decompress... *sigh*

[bd139]

Dr who is just shit now. My ass could squeeze out a more shapely turd.

Shit since about 2003 that is.

Currently chilling out for the evening pending my GPSDO arrival tomorrow. Watching Ghost in the Shell (the new one).

[mnementh]

Bite me. I grew up on reruns of the Peter Davidson & Tom Baker years, and even sought out the older series when such material came available on the intardnet.

I like the reboot; a LOT. I even felt cheated that Eccleston didn't get more than one season; I liked the dark edge he brought to the Doctor. We'll see; I've had the same misgivings about every new incarnation, and every time the new Doctor has eventually earned a place in my heart. Just not sure if I'm ready for a chirpy female version of the Tennant Doctor. 

I Liked GITS:SAC, but found 2nd Gig a little disjointed and dystopian even for my warped sensibilities. I've been watching Arise as I find chunks of it online. Still undecided.

mnem
*back to my hole*

[bd139]

Yeah after Eccleston bailed that was it for me. He was good. After that, recycled shite with the whole airy fairy arrogant wonder bollocks around it literally does my head in. Haven't watched SAC (yet). Also currently watching Star Trek Discovery. Really on the fence on that one. About 8 episodes in and it's a bit wanky. Also attempting to watch Agents of Shield. Also a bit wanky with angry Coulson which is just basically cheating because they shouldn't have killed him off. Need more of the off-Earth stuff like Guardians of the Galaxy.

Anyway back on TE, my OCXO hasn't blown up for 2 days now and is currently running as the reference oscillator for the 5334B now. Still haven't got all the damn prescaler bits in yet 

Also geting some ringing on the driver. Think there's too much inductance there as the impedance match is right. I will probably design a carrier board for the OCXO and see if that improves it.



Rise time is good. <3ns driving 6 feet of RG58.

Edit: also scored a bag of 17x MRF237 RF PA transistors for £5. Can squeeze 20W out of four of them. Interesting RF burns ahead!

[med6753]

Oh... I was thinkin' the bottle of Emmet's on the nukebox had babies... 

mnem
Just watched the Dr Who Christmas Special; I miss my curmudgeonly old Doctor who was always on about doing the right thing and played rock & roll guitar to decompress... *sigh*

That bottle is empty too. 

[kj7e]

Currently chilling out for the evening pending my GPSDO arrival tomorrow. ...

Which GPSDO do you have coming?

[bd139]

Currently chilling out for the evening pending my GPSDO arrival tomorrow. ...

Which GPSDO do you have coming?

http://www.leobodnar.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=107&products_id=301

This is just to cal the OCXO box and have an absolute reference I can trust in short term.

[kj7e]

I've been having fun hot rodding my BG7TBL GPSDO's.  Started with one, then upgraded the OCXO from the single oven Trimble to the double oven UCT 108663.  Then upgraded the u-blox NEO-M7 to the M8T.  Picked up a second one and did the same to it as well.  Learning a ton about GPS and all the various settings.







100 second gate, -10MHz offset, difference between the two GPSDO's


Fired up the extra NOS UCT 108663's to burn them in some and come up with a default EFC voltage;

[bd139]

nice set up  . I'll probably head in the distribution amplifer and upgrade this Leo Bodnar one into something similar when I move house. At the moment I'm constrained by having no place to stick a GPS antenna. I'm going to be sitting in the garden with this 

The Leo Bodnar one has a Ublox GPS in it but not sure which it is. I assume it's a T spec one rather than the usual 1pps one. I'll take it to bits and find out

Just bought a hooky 100W linear PA kit from aliexpress. Wonder if it'll work