Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[PA0PBZ]

Out of interest, did the seller state that he has more than one of these for sale and that the one that is in the photo may not be the one that you receive? If he did then it might not be quite such an open and shut case, you need to really examine the description and any other notes on the page that you purchased against. If there was no mention that your one might have other issues etc, then you have him by the short and curlies 

Ehm well... Taken from the auction: "The pictures presented at the auction show an example item." 

i don't see that.... its this one
https://www.ebay.nl/itm/Anritsu-MS610C-Spectrum-Analyzer-9-kHz-2-GHz-Good-Condition-hs/283917433715

Sorry Tony, I was looking at the wrong item: https://www.ebay.nl/itm/283915084566

[mnementh]

I went to McDonald’s in a Cessna. 

I have licked, and been licked in, a Cesnna. 

mnem
Well, two different ones...

Ooerr 

Didn't think that there was enough space for that kind of "Pleasure Flying" in the average Cessna 

*does best imitation of a George Takei "Oh, myyyy..."

More than the average commercial aircraft lav if you have fold-downs in the cargo area. I was young & toothpick-ish back then... (had that whole "starving artist" thing going on for a while) and thought nothing of getting it on in the back of a Honda Civic as well.  The things you'll do when you're full of raging hormones and don't know any better...

mnem
*sigh*

[McBryce]

you guys were right about this ebay seller. tdm_electronics   a seller in poland
i am totaly scruwed with this Anritsu... bottons missing, tube all pushed back in de back.... no arm, feet missing completely defferent from what they sell..
 

Out of interest, did the seller state that he has more than one of these for sale and that the one that is in the photo may not be the one that you receive? If he did then it might not be quite such an open and shut case, you need to really examine the description and any other notes on the page that you purchased against. If there was no mention that your one might have other issues etc, then you have him by the short and curlies 

The fact that others are already well aware of this seller suggests that he is well known for this type of thing, so I would go straight for a refund via the eBays system and do everything via them, give them all the details and loads of photos and you should get a refund within hours I think.

It was one item and it did not say that the pictures where a sample or for reference they made it apear it was that actial device.
Problem.. ebay sents me to paypal and paypal to ebay...

I'm pretty sure that the ebay rules state that any pictures posted for a used item must be a picture of the actual item being sold.

McBryce.

[mnementh]

Just noticed gnif was watching this topic. He must be wondering where 91,7% of his resources are going...

I noticed that too since his name shows up red. Sort of stands out. 

Edit...oops, we scared him off. 

Or, simply he was in need of some entertainment. 

He was probably poking around looking for the trail of breadcrumbs, trying to figure out how I borked the pics database. I'm still having problems, and I've been talking with him about them. I'm trying to hold off on posting new pics until he gets back to me... I feel like I'm boxing with one arm tied behind my back.

mnem
*Impairing productivity since nineteen-mumblety-mumble*

[SilverSolder]

It was one item and it did not say that the pictures where a sample or for reference they made it apear it was that actial device.
Problem.. ebay sents me to paypal and paypal to ebay...

Huh?  You opened an "Item not as described" case, and eBay referred you to PayPal??  Never happened to me.  I can only imagine that you somehow opened a case based on some reason other than "Not as described" (if so, that was a BIG mistake, because that is the only reason eBay accepts).

Phone eBay customer support, and keep saying "Item was not as described" and absolutely nothing else, it just confuses matters.

[med6753]

More work on the Type 106 Square Wave Generator. Ran into an unexpected issue and didn't get as much accomplished as I wanted to.

Decided to change out the 150uf/350V capacitor for the “A Supply” since I had it on hand and figured it would be a quick change out. Wrong. Once I got all the wiring disconnected I suddenly discovered that the original can comes out through the bottom rather than top of chassis.  That means multiple components mounted underneath on the ceramic strip had to be removed. Several hours and one near fubar later the capacitor is changed out and the unit is working fine.

The balance of those cans in the picture luckily come out via the top of the chassis. They still have to be ordered and I have the BOM written up. I have some of the smaller axial's still to change out plus troubleshoot the – fast rise GR connector. Another day.   

[mnementh]

This is the Big Mandingo of the Z-series; DTS 5.1, 10" sub and 505 THX-certified watts of power. Favorite Lindström flush-cutters shown for scale and to keep it somewhat TEA.  

Nice score! I have a pair of those Lindström cutters and they are indeed excellent. Hide em so no one else used them on too big a gauge wire   

Here is my little bunch of Lindström pliers. Together with the Belzer tweezers  it was a gift for my birthday from some very kind friends.      I'm using them rarely but when I do, they are a dream to work with.   

For more mundane jobs I have here this Schmitz sidecutter with sintered carbides as inserts for the cutting edges.

Lindström:
RX 8233 - sidecutter
RX 7490 - flat nose plier
RX 7890 - jaw snipe nose plier

Belzer tweezers:
5463 AMT  3-TA  (made of Titanium, really really nice!)

Schmitz:
3417 HS 22 - sidecutter

https://www.amazon.ca/Precision-Anti-Static-Non-Magnetic-Electronics-Laboratory/dp/B07F2L5F3H

I'm a bit of a tool-whore... while I certainly do appreciate and love great tools like my Lindström cutters, and I will fight you if you try to take them, I ALSO appreciate a "well-enough-made" tool like my XOOL tweezers, especially if I can buy them cheap enough that I don't mind hacking them up when I need to make a custom tool.      Bottom line is there's a world full of every tool a fixer can imagine... and a limited amount of money to spend on them.

mnem
"Pretty is as pretty does."

[Cubdriver]

Hey Mike, if you're up for making another 'care package' at some point and are willing to hold onto those can caps till you have another handful of them worthy of a trip to the P.O., please do.

-Pat

[mnementh]

Completely agree. I had a cap that was pissing out acid like something out of Alien that was testing good ESR. It's one of many metrics for evisceration determination.

Well, I was talking about leaking current at operating voltage, but yeah. Probing the PCB around the base of suspect caps with a soldering iron to release the telltale stink is another way of detecting those kinds of leaky caps without desoldering every one. 

mnem
*tsssst*

[med6753]

Hey Mike, if you're up for making another 'care package' at some point and are willing to hold onto those can caps till you have another handful of them worthy of a trip to the P.O., please do.

-Pat

OK Pat, I'll hang onto them until I get all of them changed out. But unfortunately the one I did a few days ago went into the trash. 

[med6753]

To change all old capacitors or not???

Yeah; whether a cap is good or not has to do with a LOT more than just ESR. I had one of the Dick Smith ESR meters; chunked it in favor of the Atlas ESR70+ when I discovered it would read a leaky cap as low ESR. 

ESR is a good QUICK & DIRTY test to save time diag-ing a board full of suspect caps. Using it as a "definitive answer" as to whether a cap is actually doing its job by testing out of circuit... that just shows this guy's complete ignorance. 

mnem

He's no dummy. His expertise is stereos, VCR's, TV's, etc. I've seen him pull off some amazing repairs....especially when it comes the VCR, CD, and discrete tape transport assemblies. But one time his oscilloscope took a dump. An obvious HV issue. He was probing around trying to determine what was wrong and he seemed to be completely out of his element. I think he wound up scrapping it.   

[bitseeker]

Yeah, didn't he end up getting a Uni-T scope or similar?

[bd139]

In the land of the blind, the one eyed man is king. That pretty much sums up most repair folk.

[med6753]

Yeah, didn't he end up getting a Uni-T scope or similar?

Yes, I think it did and he hated it. He now has a 2465. 

I like him. 

[Specmaster]

To change all old capacitors or not???

Yeah; whether a cap is good or not has to do with a LOT more than just ESR. I had one of the Dick Smith ESR meters; chunked it in favor of the Atlas ESR70+ when I discovered it would read a leaky cap as low ESR. 

ESR is a good QUICK & DIRTY test to save time diag-ing a board full of suspect caps. Using it as a "definitive answer" as to whether a cap is actually doing its job by testing out of circuit... that just shows this guy's complete ignorance. 

mnem

I know, thats why I have many test instruments for caps, BUT, this guy makes his living running a repair shop all day and I don't think I have ever seen him fail to repair something yet, so he can't be that ignorant or he would have gone out of business, or knowing how gungho a lot of your fellow ex countrymen are, he'd have been shot or had his arse sued by now.

[graybeard]

Here is my $200 Craig's List test cable buy for today:


nine IEEE-488 Cables



seven 50 Ohm N connector cables



six 50 Ohm SMA connector cables



two Chinese scope probes and four 36" Pamona Electronics Banana Cables



odd balls, I thought it was a HP power sensor cable, but the pin pattern is different



four N 50 ohm attenuators , two N 50 ohm terminations, 6 SMA attenuators



various coaxial adapters



eleven 50 Ohm Japanese BNC cables



two Agilent 18 GHz SMA relays



six silicone probe tip to grabbers, 4 insulated silicone banana to grabber or alligator clip leads, two silicone grabber jumpers, one 75 ohm BNC to car radio antenna adapter cable

[tautech]

Here is my $200 Craig's List test cable buy for today:


nine IEEE-488 Cables



seven 50 Ohm N connector cables



six 50 Ohm SMA connector cables



two Chinese scope probes and four 36" Pamona Electronics Banana Cables



odd balls, I thought it was a HP power sensor cable, but the pin pattern is different



four N 50 ohm attenuators , two N 50 ohm terminations, 6 SMA attenuators



various coaxial adapters



eleven 50 Ohm Japanese BNC cables



two Agilent 18 GHz SMA relays

Good score Chris. 
Plenty you can use with your SVA.

[med6753]

.....snip

 so he can't be that ignorant or he would have gone out of business, or knowing how gungho a lot of your fellow ex countrymen are, he'd have been shot or had his arse sued by now.

He's Canadian and I think he's in Vancover, B.C.

[graybeard]

Good score Chris. 
Plenty you can use with your SVA.

Did you see my new SVA video?

[tautech]

Good score Chris. 
Plenty you can use with your SVA.

Did you see my new SVA video?

Not yet mate but will put it on my 'to watch list'.
Been following along with your emails to the factory but had nothing to add.
You might want to CC hendorog in too.  He has the 7.5 GHz model. 

[Neomys Sapiens]

Ooooh, Belzer, very nice.

I still have some Belzer Polynova Whitworth/BSF ring spanners from the 1980s. Good tools.

Indeed? 
I see potential to send you drooling for times to come! 646 occurences of 'Belzer' in my tool list, and quite a few of them are summary for more than one item!

This company has been robbing me since my teen years.  And the 3mm screwdriver that I bought from them as the first item is still with me. And they really put some extra thought and care into the tools they made. Also, they did expand into parts of tooling which no other general toolmaker cared to cover.
If anyone can be said to have made the finest tools of the world, it was them. When I gave a lady who is an EE some very basic tools from them I told her that now her possible offspring must go into engineering too, as they will outlive her if not abused.

Among the few things that I am hunting desperately is a set of BA spanners from them.

Just so that you see what I meant:

[Neomys Sapiens]

Here is my $200 Craig's List test cable buy for today:

Not bad!

[Neomys Sapiens]

I found a really cool company today.
All precision abrasives that one will ever need accessible and rather affordable.
Direct webshop with low minimum order value. And all that without buying from dubious orientals via murky websites.

https://www.joke-technology.de

At once it doesn't suck to be in continental Europe. Just saying.
They are named joke, but I am not making fun of you.
If you hear strange sounds, that is my account whimpering. I'll be shopping now.

[mnementh]

Either way if the image is a real one it must not misrepresent the item. Which it clearly did here.

Just got a refund on PayPal today after a dispute where they sided with me lol. £45 up 

Yeah, the saga of the errant packet of buck converters is finally come to a close after 2.5 months; got my whole $9.45 back the other day.

mnem
*twirls finger* woo-ooo!

[mnementh]

To change all old capacitors or not???

Yeah; whether a cap is good or not has to do with a LOT more than just ESR. I had one of the Dick Smith ESR meters; chunked it in favor of the Atlas ESR70+ when I discovered it would read a leaky cap as low ESR. 

ESR is a good QUICK & DIRTY test to save time diag-ing a board full of suspect caps. Using it as a "definitive answer" as to whether a cap is actually doing its job by testing out of circuit... that just shows this guy's complete ignorance. 

mnem

He's no dummy. His expertise is stereos, VCR's, TV's, etc. I've seen him pull off some amazing repairs....especially when it comes the VCR, CD, and discrete tape transport assemblies. But one time his oscilloscope took a dump. An obvious HV issue. He was probing around trying to determine what was wrong and he seemed to be completely out of his element. I think he wound up scrapping it.

Didn't say he was dumb; just ignorant of some crucial engineering aspect of capacitors. the fact he used THAT tool in that manner proves that without a doubt.

Back when I worked the "recycled electronics" trade I knew lots of guys who "fixed" VCRs & CD players I'd have JUXed as NCE.  Learned some useful tricks too; also learned a lot of the ugly shit-fixes a lot of shops did just to keep cash flow positive. 

Doesn't matter what kind of mechanic you are; there's going to be the ones who bother to get the schoolin' to know what they're doin', and then there's gonna be the ones who learn as they go, and YOUR borked machine is their "learning experience". I tried to be the former as much as I could; it meant my "minimum standard of service" was something I could be proud of, rather than booty-fab for extortion. 

mnem
"It comes with their famous 20/20 warranty; 20 seconds or 20 feet. You get it 20 feet out the door and it breaks in half, you own 2 pieces."