Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[beanflying]

The power in some of the new 'gaming' phones is getting interesting for on the move use instead of carrying a Laptop. Still prefer a proper keyboard and Laptop that said.

[tggzzz]

The power in some of the new 'gaming' phones is getting interesting for on the move use instead of carrying a Laptop. Still prefer a proper keyboard and Laptop that said.

Your last sentence is the key point. Phones and tablets are fine for consuming, but are "suboptimal" for creating.

[notfaded1]

Perhaps someday soon we won't need a big device because we'll have some augmented reality overlay from glasses or possibly someday contact lenses or... God forbid an implant!!!  The new Google Pixel 4 phones that are going to be announced at end of October have a Soli radar so you can control the phone without even touching the screen!  I'm 100% in on this and have been using nexus and pixel phones since the beginning.  I think this will be the first big tech change for phone in a while:  https://www.pocket-lint.com/phones/news/google/134079-what-is-google-project-soli-and-will-it-forever-change-the-way-we-use-wearables

Regards,

Bill

[tggzzz]

Perhaps someday soon we won't need a big device because we'll have some augmented reality overlay from glasses or possibly someday contact lenses or... God forbid an implant!!! 

Implants are nothing new. Indeed I'm almost (but not quite, yet) eligible for an implant into my head.

The new Google Pixel 4 phones that are going to be announced at end of October have a Soli radar so you can control the phone without even touching the screen!  I'm 100% in on this and have been using nexus and pixel phones since the beginning.  I think this will be the first big tech change for phone in a while:  https://www.pocket-lint.com/phones/news/google/134079-what-is-google-project-soli-and-will-it-forever-change-the-way-we-use-wearables

Will that interface technology improve the ability to create, in the form of entering information. Or is merely yet another technology aimed at those who consume information? If the latter, it is boring.

[VK5RC]

Re laptops etc, my eldest daughter uses MacBook Air, middle daughter a PC laptop and the youngest an iPad with a clamshell keyboard / protector case. Ages 16-22. They together have 2 iPhones and one Android phone - bizarrely the one with the PC laptop has an iPhone!

[med6753]

Perhaps someday soon we won't need a big device because we'll have some augmented reality overlay from glasses or possibly someday contact lenses or... God forbid an implant!!! 

Implants are nothing new. Indeed I'm almost (but not quite, yet) eligible for an implant into my head.

It will be a cold day in hell before I'll put an implant in my head......unless medically necessary. 

[BU508A]

It will be a cold day in hell before I'll put an implant in my head......unless medically necessary. 

"Resistance is futile!"

 

[xrunner]

It will be a cold day in hell before I'll put an implant in my head......unless medically necessary. 

Oh I could really go with that but I'm not even going to do it. 

[mnementh]

I was thinking along those lines long before he said it... 

mnem
"I know there's a name for what's wrong with you; but I bet it's hard to pronounce." ~ Grand-dad

[med6753]

Progress report on the stuff from mnem....

The B&K Frequency Counter was set to exactly 10MHz last night and then cooked all night and it held it dead nuts. So for now electrically it's done but at some point I may re-cap the power supply. Front panel cleaned. The case is getting a coat of paint today.

The B&K Function Generator as noted yesterday shit the bed. I do have a schematic and user manual so it will go into the repair cue. In the meantime it's been cleaned up and it's case will also get a coat of paint today.

The TI-95 Procalc. Mnem, when was the last time you used it? I put batteries in it but it refuses to power up. So I'll have to pull it apart and see if I can determine why.

The Heath IM-1202 DMM. It's all done. Calibrated and cleaned up.   

[tggzzz]

Perhaps someday soon we won't need a big device because we'll have some augmented reality overlay from glasses or possibly someday contact lenses or... God forbid an implant!!! 

Implants are nothing new. Indeed I'm almost (but not quite, yet) eligible for an implant into my head.

It will be a cold day in hell before I'll put an implant in my head......unless medically necessary. 

"Necessary" leads to an easy decision. "Advantageous", as it might be in my case, leads to a far more interesting choice. The world is grey, not black and white!

[worsthorse]

This board, with the nuvistor, is loose. There's no mounting hardware that I can see. There was a bunch of decayed foam in there, too. Does anyone here have a 3400A? I'd like to know how this board was secured in the meter.

It was embedded in foam plastics to fight the microphonics of the nuvistor. The board should not have any solid contact with the chassis. I cut a slit in some foam plastics and placed the input amplifier board in it:

- Thomas

Thanks for the video link, Thomas. The arrangement makes a lot more sense now.

[Zucca]

I can't keep up with this thread anymore. It's too much, I like it too much.

[mnementh]

This board, with the nuvistor, is loose. There's no mounting hardware that I can see. There was a bunch of decayed foam in there, too. Does anyone here have a 3400A? I'd like to know how this board was secured in the meter.

It was embedded in foam plastics to fight the microphonics of the nuvistor. The board should not have any solid contact with the chassis. I cut a slit in some foam plastics and placed the input amplifier board in it:

- Thomas

Thanks for the video link, Thomas. The arrangement makes a lot more sense now.

Having dealt with a number of similarly mounted vibration-isolated microphones, I suspect that the weight of the board has caused the bottom side foam to compress to a thin film or it has crumbled to a fine powder and blown away. The gap above the board in yours indicates that is probable. As does the video from Thomas, of course.

Progress report on the stuff from mnem....

The B&K Frequency Counter was set to exactly 10MHz last night and then cooked all night and it held it dead nuts. So for now electrically it's done but at some point I may re-cap the power supply. Front panel cleaned. The case is getting a coat of paint today.

The B&K Function Generator as noted yesterday shit the bed. I do have a schematic and user manual so it will go into the repair cue. In the meantime it's been cleaned up and it's case will also get a coat of paint today.

The TI-95 Procalc. Mnem, when was the last time you used it? I put batteries in it but it refuses to power up. So I'll have to pull it apart and see if I can determine why.

The Heath IM-1202 DMM. It's all done. Calibrated and cleaned up.

A decade easily, & it may have been a victim of Coppertopinoma. Sorry; I should've looked before I threw it in the box.

Glad you've had success with most of the rest; hope you had fun puttering around with it. 

mnem
Do not consume orally.

[med6753]

No need to be sorry. Might be just dirty contacts. I'll pull it apart when I get a chance. 

[paschulke2]

Having dealt with a number of similarly mounted vibration-isolated microphones, I suspect that the weight of the board has caused the bottom side foam to compress to a thin film or it has crumbled to a fine powder and blown away. The gap above the board in yours indicates that is probable. As does the video from Thomas, of course.

The weight should not be a problem because the board is "mounted" vertically (if you place the 3400A on its feet). And yes, the foam crumbles, but unfortunately it's not blown away. Instead it can be found everywhere inside the chassis and on the bench after you have opened the case …

As does the video from Thomas, of course.

The photo is mine, but the video is not (don't want to adorn myself with borrowed plumes …).

- Thomas

[worsthorse]

This board, with the nuvistor, is loose. There's no mounting hardware that I can see. There was a bunch of decayed foam in there, too. Does anyone here have a 3400A? I'd like to know how this board was secured in the meter.

It was embedded in foam plastics to fight the microphonics of the nuvistor. The board should not have any solid contact with the chassis. I cut a slit in some foam plastics and placed the input amplifier board in it:

- Thomas

Thanks for the video link, Thomas. The arrangement makes a lot more sense now.

Having dealt with a number of similarly mounted vibration-isolated microphones, I suspect that the weight of the board has caused the bottom side foam to compress to a thin film or it has crumbled to a fine powder and blown away. The gap above the board in yours indicates that is probable. As does the video from Thomas, of course.
Do not consume orally.

The foam has been transformed into a pile of crumbs, liberally distributed throughout the interior of the unit.  Before I worry about microphonics, though, I am going to figure out how to apply power to see what other problems there might be.  If it doesn't power up, for instance, dis-assembling it to remount the board in foam will become a low priority item.

That said, I love the look and feel of these old HP meters, even if they are not practical enough to rank space on my very tiny bench. So if I can get it running, I will, though I will probably try to sell it rather than keep it.

And Thomas, thanks for sharing the photo, too. 

[bd139]

They are surprisingly handy things those HP meters. I was using my 400E earlier to measure return loss with an RLB as it's got better resolution and accuracy than my scope.

[SoundTech-LG]

Your lab must have excellent temp regulation. My B&K 1801 seems to drift very easy with minor temp changes...  but the display is red, so maybe keep it around a while longer??? easily my least useful counter.

[med6753]

Your lab must have excellent temp regulation. My B&K 1801 seems to drift very easy with minor temp changes...  but the display is red, so maybe keep it around a while longer??? easily my least useful counter.

My "lab" is my living room and the temperature did dip last night but the 1801 remained steady. But it's not going to be my primary counter anyway.

[med6753]

I think I found out why the TI-95 won't power up. 

[bd139]

Battery spooge!

[xrunner]

I think I found out why the TI-95 won't power up. 

[med6753]

So.....fixed the battery problem. Now have 6 volts to the board. The TI-95 came up said "Memory Cleared" and then died. Completely dead. Went down in a blaze of glory.

Oh well. 

[beanflying]

Replace the negative side wire as it is most likely black as death.