Author Topic: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread  (Read 14407659 times)

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Online tonyalbus

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #62225 on: July 01, 2020, 10:49:11 am »
even the seller made a mistake, it did a nice correction, and did not mention anything about sending back the other unit.....
i did mention in my former message, that if they want me to send it back, i am happy to receive a label and will do so.

happy end..... did not expect it to be this easy...
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Offline Specmaster

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #62226 on: July 01, 2020, 10:53:34 am »
even the seller made a mistake, it did a nice correction, and did not mention anything about sending back the other unit.....
i did mention in my former message, that if they want me to send it back, i am happy to receive a label and will do so.

happy end..... did not expect it to be this easy...
Thats really good news Tony, I doubt that it would have turned out quite as well if you had not got eBay involved though. If they don't  send you a returns label, then you also got yourself a parts mule  :-+
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Offline bd139

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #62227 on: July 01, 2020, 10:56:12 am »
That's an excellent outcome. You might even have a parts unit left afterwards which is never a bad thing :)
 
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Offline xrunner

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #62228 on: July 01, 2020, 11:02:33 am »
happy end..... did not expect it to be this easy...

They knew that bad press from the TEA group would be devastating to them.  :box:

Congrats!
I told my friends I could teach them to be funny, but they all just laughed at me.
 
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Offline med6753

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #62229 on: July 01, 2020, 11:30:12 am »
I'd be very surprised if he sends you a return label. He's already lost money on the deal and I doubt he'll want to have the additional shipping expense to send the bad one back.

As others have said you now have a parts unit.  :-+
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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #62230 on: July 01, 2020, 11:36:01 am »
Thanks guys, for all your help in solving this,   these things you need to do right the first time, it was a huge help!
a lot of expiriance here in this group.
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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #62231 on: July 01, 2020, 11:38:17 am »
today massive switches arrived



Dimensions.....  :-DD
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Offline med6753

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #62232 on: July 01, 2020, 11:40:51 am »
Among all the shipping woes the parts I ordered Sunday PM to complete the Type 106 Square Wave Generator are on the UPS truck for delivery today.  :-+
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Offline Saskia

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #62233 on: July 01, 2020, 11:49:00 am »
The RockPI is back amongst the living.
It is now booting off an eMMC module mounted on the critter. Time to get the SPI rom off to be able to remount the head sink. Otherwise it would be Dremel time (SPI is too high and too near to the CPU, there is not enough clearance to fit the heat sink).
 
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Offline bd139

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #62234 on: July 01, 2020, 12:33:14 pm »
I'd have hit that RockPi to death with a hammer by now  :-DD
 
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Offline Zucca

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #62235 on: July 01, 2020, 01:23:59 pm »
What I can not understand is why it is so hard to build a reliable SBC for production, check this discussion for example.  :-//
At least RockPi can play with a SSD nvme.... it looks like...
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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #62236 on: July 01, 2020, 01:25:24 pm »
busy day running to the door,
this one may not be very a interesting device ... but is was super cheap...i just.....i just....
so why not... i can clean it up and sell or give it to a starter and give it a second life.



it works and it is TE ;-)
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Offline bd139

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #62237 on: July 01, 2020, 01:32:41 pm »
What I can not understand is why it is so hard to build a reliable SBC for production, check this discussion for example.  :-//
At least RockPi can play with a SSD nvme.... it looks like...

It's because they are all under the price point for the balance of quality and reliability. You have to look slightly higher up the chain for industrial PCs and some "embedded" desktop PCs that fit the space nicely. They are generally much much better engineered. Lenovo M600, Mac Mini, NUC etc would make a better embedded or industrial computer than half the bits of corn encrusted shit floating around now.

We have embedded displays around the (empty) office now and they are all running off industrial PCs running Linux rather than low ball ARM boards because they are expected to last more than about 6 months.

Edit: for people with integration and expansion needs, you can connect a thunderbolt PCIe/PCI enclosure to the machine with all your IO in it and that'll give you a 40GB/s lane quite happily and some simple hot swap redundancy of the node fails!

Edit 2: or just buy an NI crate with a PC inside it :D
« Last Edit: July 01, 2020, 01:38:00 pm by bd139 »
 
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Offline Zucca

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #62238 on: July 01, 2020, 01:37:05 pm »
I HATE WHEN THEY SAVE $ AND CREATE LOTS OF PROBLEMS TO THE USERS.

well said bd...

tonyalbus, impressive keep going!
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Offline bd139

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #62239 on: July 01, 2020, 01:39:01 pm »
Yeah if you cheap out the problems you just spend time instead which is possibly more expensive. Unless you have lots of time. Which you don't because you're going to be dead one day :)
 

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #62240 on: July 01, 2020, 01:40:55 pm »
As some will be aware from the Discord sessions, I'm busy trying recalibrate and repair a slightly sick AVO 8 Mk5 meter. I have started a repair thread https://www.eevblog.com/forum/repair/re-calibrating-a-avo-model-8-mk5/here you can follow the progress of this missions which is producing a few unexpected twists and turns. :-DD
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Offline bd139

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #62241 on: July 01, 2020, 01:44:30 pm »
Do you want to borrow my hammer?  :-DD
 

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #62242 on: July 01, 2020, 01:54:14 pm »
Not at the moment, I think I'm turning the corner with this now, just have to resolve the varying resistances between contacts on the range switches which O/C seems to vary with temperature and humidity  :palm:
Who let Murphy in?

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #62243 on: July 01, 2020, 02:01:43 pm »
I HATE WHEN THEY SAVE $ AND CREATE LOTS OF PROBLEMS TO THE USERS.

well said bd...

tonyalbus, impressive keep going!
I think if he keeps going at this rate, one of or possibly both of these things may happen to him, 1/ he runs out of space, or the more likely outcome 2/ his wife leaves him because unlike AA, we don't attempt to help him stop the addiction to TEA, we fuel it   :-DD :-DD :-DD >:D
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Offline mnementh

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #62244 on: July 01, 2020, 02:02:37 pm »
   ...ATX Power Distribution Board.
Quality, especially that of the binding posts, is not stellar. But the design is solid, the PCB seems heavy enough and I've long wanted one of these for random purposes. The fuse slots also make a convenient place to pop a ammeter in circuit.  :-+

mnem
*toddles off to ded*
Congrats on some successful toy arrivals. That breakout board is a nice idea.
That ATX breakout is pretty cool. *me wants*

It's cheap as chips, guys...   ;D

http://www.diymalls.com/XH-M229-Desktop-Chassis-Power-Supply-ATX-Adapter-Takeout-Board

https://www.aliexpress.com/wholesale?catId=0&initiative_id=SB_20200701054035&SearchText=XH-M229

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=XH-M229&_sacat=0&_sop=15

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=XH-M229&s=price-asc-rank&qid=1593611399&ref=sr_st_price-asc-rank

I figured for ~$4, even if I had to re-solder every connection it would be worth it just for the board & connectors. Still feel it was worth it, even after the month-long wait due to Canada Porscht.   :-+

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Offline mnementh

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #62245 on: July 01, 2020, 02:22:47 pm »
   Yes! ..unbelivable .. a working unit errived allready today!

   Indeed!



So... how much did you ultimately pay for all this Japanese Steel...?

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #62246 on: July 01, 2020, 03:09:52 pm »
The Chinese government should have a package tracking service since they probably know where they all are and what's in the boxes. :-DD
If so, this government can be a huge logistics company. The government will not care about this. China's logistics companies all have timely transportation information. Are we not talking about the same China? :phew:
Analog instruments can tell us what they know, digital instruments can tell us what they guess.
 

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Analog instruments can tell us what they know, digital instruments can tell us what they guess.
 

Offline Saskia

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #62248 on: July 01, 2020, 03:58:03 pm »
ok, dremeled down the SPI chip (oh, racism alert  :palm: )

Heatsink fits, RockPi is booting. All is well, hubby happy.
 
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Offline mnementh

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mnem's Bench: MasTech MS-8911 LCR Tweezer Mini-Review
« Reply #62249 on: July 01, 2020, 04:09:51 pm »


So... yesterday's Canada Post had 2 packages; it was package number B that REALLY made me go SQUEEEE!!!

As a result of goading by Kosmic (and because I felt a need for something NEW on the bench), I bought a MasTech MS8911 just to see if it was as much better than my MS8910 as people say... 

eBay auction: #283341251476 : Delivered to Canada & through Customs in 8 days; 20 more days delay thanks to Canada Post.  ::)



First off... it does NOT use cheap CR2302s like the MS8910. It uses a CR2450, which is much larger and like 3x as thick. You MIGHT be able to booty-fab a CR2302 in there with some cardboard shims in a pinch, tho. Nice that the battery cover screw mates to a brass insert. Well-done, MasTech.  :-+

Fortunately for this article, I had some CR2450s I bought by accident via unnatural prescience off Amazon a few months back.   >:D

A slight annoyance; not only is the box all in Chinese, so is the manual. Any English on them is clearly incidental... my guess would be that this particular unit was produced for Chinese Domestic sale. :o  Fortunately, the English manual is here on the MasTech website: http://www.mastech-group.com/download_s.php?id=234 (and attached below ;))




the MS8911 comes with very little; the manual above, a probe cover, spare set of probes and warranty card. It has good heft though; plastic feels like glas-impregnated nylon or polycarbonate as used in quality power tools.  :-+ The pics just don't do the screen justice; it is SO much crisper and clearer than the MS8910. Also, it has a proper lens over the fragile LCD; another thing that makes it feel more like a tool than a toy.   :-+ :-+




While fondling the bits, I noticed that the probe cover comes apart. Interestingly, there's a little chamber in there that seems made to be storage for the spare tips. Noice! No worries over losing them!    :-+ :-+ :-+




First usage; testing one of the 1206 SMD resistors I just got in. HERE... here is where the MS8911 proves itself almost instantly.     :-+ :-+ :-+ :-+

The MS8910 feels flimsy and toylike; the tweezers are weak and the sharp points deflect constantly rather than gripping the DUT properly. Parts CONSTANTLY flicked away because of missed grip; I am not kidding when I say that I am sure I lost more SMDs than I accurately measured with that thing.  :palm:

More annoyingly, after using THIS LCR Tweezer, I can admit to myself just how BAD that 8910 was at actually GETTING a reading; the MS8910 was SO finicky about exact probe placement that I WOULD ACTUALLY CRINGE when I had to try and readjust the tips to get a proper grip. I just KNEW the part  was going flick away somewhere beyond the bench; lost to the Grelber's demesne for all eternity. |O 

In contrast, the MS8911 tweezers are firm and precise with virtually NO deflection; the forked tip grips easily and surely even on these 1206 size parts, and I had no fear of losing them even while using it as tweezers, turning and flipping the part over and over. While the tweezers are pretty stiff and require a fair amount of force, the build quality is the polar opposite of the MS8910; the control provided over the DUT is impeccable. :-+ :-+ :-+ :-+ :-+

in full AUTO mode, testing takes about 3 seconds; good "as-expected" results from an assortment of random and known value resistors, caps and inductors.

I did some testing on parts in-circuit as well; while results often did NOT match marked components, it DID detect correct part type and give a reasonable value. The MS8910 rarely gave any useful results in circuit; most often just erroring out.

Once I get a chance to tinker a bit using the MS8911 with manual in hand, I expect the low-voltage/hi-impedance modes will yield more useful results when testing in-circuit. Here's a few more shots of it testing various other parts:




1KΩ 1% DALE resistor from my "Standards" baggie: Same results as my 189.  8)




Random unmarked Inductor:




22uF/31.5V MMLCC:

The MS8911 tweezers' grip on all the above components (and many more) was easy to manage and sure once gripped. It never errored out, and always gave valid results in ~3 seconds. When I have more bench time, I'll try it side x side against my Chinese Component Tester and my DE-5000. This tweezer appears to have a Delta Tan reading in the secondary data field on Capacitance mode; I want to see how it compares to the DE-5000 as well.

Final word: Just from a few minutes playtime on the bench, I can see that the MS8911 is pretty much EVERYTHING the MS8910 promises but can't deliver. This tool is a joy in the hand, and I already regret the $20 spent on its predecessor.  ::) If you can find it for less than $50 delivered like I did, it will quickly become one of those tools you KEEP OUT on the bench, and it will bring a smile to your face every time you reach for it.  ;D

mnem
 :-/O
« Last Edit: March 20, 2021, 08:17:43 pm by mnementh »
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