Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[McBryce]

I hate all of you!   I can't afford a 3DP right now.   

Neither can I.       https://www.amazon.ca/Mayflash-F300-Arcade-Joystick-SWITCH/dp/B019MFPLC0/

I have ~$400 and dwagon man-weeks of fettling tied up in mine; I'm right now approximately day 5 of a project that will essentially let me build one of these from scratch.

And (unlike bean) this is probably my most adventurous and USEFUL project so far. 

mnem
*fettle-fettle*

Just because I haven't posted a link to this for a while....



McBryce.

[mnementh]

If the F-15 is the POS that's being implied here then the Russian MIG's must REALLY be an absolute POS because the F-15's are damn good at knocking them out of the sky. 

No, that isn't the argument... the argument is over how many trillions of dollars and essential resources go essentially into a fucking shredder to provide this "air security". Dollars and resources which could go to making all of humanity better off.  And I get it... as a shameless raging liberal progressive I agree.

But until we as a species abandon the entire concept of the zero-sum game and stop living as if that were the way it should be; there will always be someone just around the block looking to take away what little we've managed to make ourselves better with for their own greed.

And in the meantime, those people who've managed to make themselves a little better do still need to be protected from bombs and missiles.   

mnem
"A rising tide lifts all boats."

[med6753]

Have all the parts now on hand to hopefully restore the HV on the Type 561B.



The TO-66 transistor is Q219 which I carelessly blew up trying to check the oscillator waveform. I also ordered Q214 just in case I fried that one too. That's in the envelope on the left. I'll check to old one and if good this will be a spare. And I have plenty of 125ma fuses.

D221 is the HV rectifier that was replaced in the past and is clearly the wrong P/N and as Dragon suggested might actually be for a microwave oven. I found an original part at Talon Electronics in Virginia so I didn't have to order it from Qservice in Greece and wait forever for delivery.

I'm hopeful that replacing that HV rectifier I'll restore the HV from -1.6KV to -3.3KV and I won't have to pull out the entire assembly and check all the resistors. But if not I'll do what I gotta do. Tomorrow's project is get all these new parts installed and fire it up.




In the meantime must keep the other stuff in tip-top shape.

The 8505A: 9.99691V vs 9.99694V 

The Type 535A: 50Khz and 0.5V p-p   
 

And finally, The Type 106 Square Wave Generator should be here Tuesday.

[Cerebus]

No, the point is you just won't admit that the ultimate purpose of these craft... that AIR SUPERIORITY... is a lot more complex than that of a hammer. This is a tool which REQUIRES training and maintenance of its USER; part of the aircraft's job is to DO THAT. And like it or not, now that these "fighter-type" aircraft have been invented, THERE IS NO OTHER TOOL that can provide this at ANY PRICE. At least, until we invent region-sized force-field projectors like in Star Wars.

A hammer requires little to no training; just hand one to a chimpanzee and s/he'll get it working correctly in no time. 

And YES; that is an expensive proposition. But protecting the PEOPLE who pay for these aircraft requires it; any government which decides it is not worth it will soon find itself at the mercy of some tinpot dictator with a few third-hand bombers or warships. Just look at the Middle East for pretty much continuous historical examples thereof.

You may not LIKE the definition of "air superiority" (as a dragon, I find the whole concept amusing to say the least); but like it or not, it IS part of the world in which we live.

mnem

I was right, you're missing the point entirely. You can't see an alternative method might exist because you think "air superiority" means "fighters". It might mean a better ground to air missile system, better electronic warfare, hunter killer drones, barrage balloons, huge flocks of armoured pigeons, tagging enemy air assets with the scent of bacon and releasing flocks of dragons, ...

You're hung up on this "hammer" thing. If all you've got is fighter jets, all air superiority problems look like a dogfight.

[mansaxel]

And YES; that is an expensive proposition. But protecting the PEOPLE who pay for these aircraft requires it; any government which decides it is not worth it will soon find itself at the mercy of some tinpot dictator with a few third-hand bombers or warships.

Some people first get to spend all that money, then are duped into ELECTING some tinpot [wanna-be] dictator. Surely must be better.

[mnementh]

Now you're getting into politics... and I've already spent my allotment for the day on social commentary.  Maybe some other time.   

mnem
 

[mnementh]

No, the point is you just won't admit that the ultimate purpose of these craft... that AIR SUPERIORITY... is a lot more complex than that of a hammer. This is a tool which REQUIRES training and maintenance of its USER; part of the aircraft's job is to DO THAT. And like it or not, now that these "fighter-type" aircraft have been invented, THERE IS NO OTHER TOOL that can provide this at ANY PRICE. At least, until we invent region-sized force-field projectors like in Star Wars.

A hammer requires little to no training; just hand one to a chimpanzee and s/he'll get it working correctly in no time. 

And YES; that is an expensive proposition. But protecting the PEOPLE who pay for these aircraft requires it; any government which decides it is not worth it will soon find itself at the mercy of some tinpot dictator with a few third-hand bombers or warships. Just look at the Middle East for pretty much continuous historical examples thereof.

You may not LIKE the definition of "air superiority" (as a dragon, I find the whole concept amusing to say the least); but like it or not, it IS part of the world in which we live.

mnem

I was right, you're missing the point entirely. You can't see an alternative method might exist because you think "air superiority" means "fighters". It might mean a better ground to air missile system, better electronic warfare, hunter killer drones, barrage balloons, huge flocks of armoured pigeons, tagging enemy air assets with the scent of bacon and releasing flocks of dragons, ...

You're hung up on this "hammer" thing. If all you've got is fighter jets, all air superiority problems look like a dogfight.

Those have also already been done. We also have multi-billion-dollar boondoggles in the forms of missiles, helicopters, warships, drones, etc... but the apex predator in this class (sadly, BOTH the product and the boondoggle aspects) is still the fighter jet. SO FAR. 

I really like your idea of bacon-tagging enemy assets for dragon assault tho... lets spend billions of dollars on THAT for a while.

mnem
That is my considered, impartial opinion. Honest. 

[bd139]

Apex predator is dropping a nuke on the nation causing the immediate issue of air superiority. Russia worked out that was cheaper than having a competent Air Force and they’re probably right.

[mansaxel]

Apex predator is dropping a nuke on the nation causing the immediate issue of air superiority. Russia worked out that was cheaper than having a competent Air Force and they’re probably right.

Looking at what has leaked in terms of their "race to the Atlantic coast" plans from the cold war, they at times felt it was the solution for pretty much anything. Chernobyl, especially experiencing the hassles of operating in a contaminated environment, allegedly put some damper on that enthusiasm.

[Cerebus]

Apex predator is dropping a nuke on the nation causing the immediate issue of air superiority. Russia worked out that was cheaper than having a competent Air Force and they’re probably right.

Looking at what has leaked in terms of their "race to the Atlantic coast" plans from the cold war, they at times felt it was the solution for pretty much anything. Chernobyl, especially experiencing the hassles of operating in a contaminated environment, allegedly put some damper on that enthusiasm.

Missed by the "News" a few weeks back, what with everything else going on to keep them busy, was a forest fire in the Chernobyl region that caused radiation levels to spike across all of Europe.

[bd139]

Don’t forget they also blew themselves up last year. They haven’t quite taken their foot off the pedal yet. Read up on the Nyonoksa radiation accident

[mnementh]

Apex predator is dropping a nuke on the nation causing the immediate issue of air superiority. Russia worked out that was cheaper than having a competent Air Force and they’re probably right.

No, that's the (insert personal favorite holocaust archetype here) Apocalypse; it doesn't give a flying fuck about your air superiority or your apex predators. We're talking about keeping that from happening and actually having grandchildren to tell the tale to, thank you.

There's ALWAYS some fucknugget who just wants to watch the world burn. These are the tools we use to keep that fucker at bay. I don't like it either; but as Jefferson has been alleged to have said... "Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty."

mnem
"The wolf is always at the door."

[Cerebus]

Why buy resistors when you can make your own with these special pliers?

[Specmaster]

I don't think a hammer is really the right analogy to use with a F-15E. I mean when it comes to using tools as the yard stick, then the F-15 is really much more akin to a top oscilloscope with all of its complex electronics that you have to master 

Anyway, enough of this, just watch this video of some training dog fights in one and see just how much the G-forces place the airframe and the crew under such tremendous stress, pay attention to the panel in front of the pilot and also the tail fins when they start chucking these about in the air. For a 47-year-old design, that plane is just as awesome today as it was then, OK, its had some avionic upgrades but the basic concept still holds well today.

[BU508A]

There's ALWAYS some fucknugget who just wants to watch the world burn. These are the tools we use to keep that fucker at bay. I don't like it either; but as Jefferson has been alleged to have said... "Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty."

Jean-Luc Picard: "Vigilance, Mr. Worf, that is the price we have continually to pay."¹



¹Learned that lesson from a dude from Wales: "You can't split the infinitive!". He told me this, when I quoted "to boldly go".

[Neomys Sapiens]

Apex predator is dropping a nuke on the nation causing the immediate issue of air superiority. Russia worked out that was cheaper than having a competent Air Force and they’re probably right.

Truth from the interdictor/strike community:
'If my country wanted me to be a fighter pilot, they would have given me a cheap airplane and a big watch!'

The correct application of airpower to the air superiority problem is by taking out an adversaries airfields along with the planes, pilots, maintainers before they realise that there is a war going on.

/Loaded for bear. Please bring your PLZT goggles./

[med6753]

The Russians like to say that the F-15 victories were made against MIG's flown by other countries with lesser trained pilots and if those pilots had been Russian the outcome would have been different.

Bullshit. We faced the Russians before once confirmed and possibly a 2nd time unconfirmed and beat their drunk behinds. First time was Korea. You think those brand spanking new MIG-15's were flown by Koreans or Chinese? Nope, and after years of suspicion the truth was confirmed. Despite the F-86 being a little outclassed by the MIG-15 the kill ratio was very much in our favor. Tactics, training, and the aircraft itself all played a role.

2nd time as been unconfirmed. Vietnam. Yep, that cluster fuck. During the bombing of North Vietnam the F-105's, which were loaded to the gills with bombs, were being picked off by North Vietnam AF with brand new MIG-21's. But every time the F-4's showed up to assist they would scatter and return to base and we were not allowed to attack their bases for fear of killing Russians and Chinese “advisors”.
But we got them. They took the F-4's and equipped them with F-105 transponders and flew same route as the F-105's would. The MIG-21's came up and got a nasty surprise. The F-4 is heavy, had no gun at the time, and the missiles were unreliable. Approx half of their fleet of MIG-21's never returned to base. Were they Russian pilots? Who knows but I'd lay odds at least some were. And guess what? The MIG-21's never came up again. They went chicken shit and stayed on the ground.          

[Neomys Sapiens]

Almost forgot......

One broken one working... just in today

At least this generationof Philips gear is hopefully not affected by the plastic rot problem. I repeatedly had my eyes on the newer ones, but if you look closer at the pictures, they are all affected - mostly around the jacks. A pity.

[Neomys Sapiens]

Guess I should be happy we don't have something like that in Germany. At least I'm not aware of it.

https://www.vebeg.de/web/de/start/index.htm

Somehow I knew this was coming ...

There isn't much TE, and no trace of of any price. No minimum bid, nothing. Or have I gone blind?

Still happy. 

I did not check their current offers. AFAIK the more interesting things are not in the online auctions.
But VEBEG is the main instrument for selling off federally owned material here. For coverage of the states, further enquiry is needed. Maybe they use VEBEG, maybe they don't.
Another site: https://www.zoll-auktion.de/auktion/

[med6753]

Why buy resistors when you can make your own with these special pliers?

(Attachment Link)

OK, but using that same wire and wanting say, a 10K resistor, would it not be just a little long? Like maybe several hundred feet?   

[Neomys Sapiens]

post(wo)man dropped off a TinyVNA V2 today. At least it seems to be one.

Hmm.

Saskia, what are you up to? There is no RF in FPGAs, nor is there any in pinball machines!
 
I'm thinking about whether it is possible to do some cross-checking on it, beyond TOSM.
Maybe we need to enquire with some people that already use it. My VNA is freshly calibrated.

[Specmaster]

The Russians like to say that the F-15 victories were made against MIG's flown by other countries with lesser trained pilots and if those pilots had been Russian the outcome would have been different.

Bullshit. We faced the Russians before once confirmed and possibly a 2nd time unconfirmed and beat their drunk behinds. First time was Korea. You think those brand spanking new MIG-15's were flown by Koreans or Chinese? Nope, and after years of suspicion the truth was confirmed. Despite the F-86 being a little outclassed by the MIG-15 the kill ratio was very much in our favor. Tactics, training, and the aircraft itself all played a role.

2nd time as been unconfirmed. Vietnam. Yep, that cluster fuck. During the bombing of North Vietnam the F-105's, which were loaded to the gills with bombs, were being picked off by North Vietnam AF with brand new MIG-21's. But every time the F-4's showed up to assist they would scatter and return to base and we were not allowed to attack their bases for fear of killing Russians and Chinese “advisors”.
But we got them. They took the F-4's and equipped them with F-105 transponders and flew same route as the F-105's would. The MIG-21's came up and got a nasty surprise. The F-4 is heavy, had no gun at the time, and the missiles were unreliable. Approx half of their fleet of MIG-21's never returned to base. Were they Russian pilots? Who knows but I'd lay odds at least some were. And guess what? The MIG-21's never came up again. They went chicken shit and stayed on the ground.          

Totally agree, there is no substitute for training, those F15s are out in force almost 5 days a week flying maybe 3 to 5 sorties a day which consists of, practising low level through the Mack Loop in Wales, Dog fighting, bombing range in the Wash or in flight refuelling with tankers from Mildenhall, and they go out on duty tours around the world. There are 3 squadrons at Lakenheath and each squadron be away for 6 weeks at a time on front line service and the other 2 remain here training so they are always ready for action if needed. Compare them to any Royal Air Force base, which on any day you will be lucky to see even a training flight.

[0culus]

Got this "for parts or not working" PD 2005A thanks to Kosmic tipping me off to the listing. Guess what? It works! Two of the indicator lamps are dead, so someone probably turned it on and thought it was dead. It's a wee bit off according to my voltmeters, but I am hesitant to adjust it right now because it could be right and my voltmeters wrong for all I know.

[VK5RC]

Don't be in too much of a rush to adjust, often the zener diode is ovenised, my old power design psu takes a good hour to get up to temp - then it is spot on.
I don't use it much in reality - if I need a psu I always am in a rush - other s**t going down. It also needs a 110V, supply (230v here)
Rob

[0culus]

Don't be in too much of a rush to adjust, often the zener diode is ovenised, my old power design psu takes a good hour to get up to temp - then it is spot on.
I don't use it much in reality - if I need a psu I always am in a rush - other s**t going down. It also needs a 110V, supply (230v here)
Rob

I'm not going to touch it. Probably let it run for a good long while first.