Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[Berni]

Those shipping stories are sure not fun.

Long time ago TNT somehow misplaced my package as it sat in the same place for way too long according to tracking. So i called them up and they first claimed everything is fine but then changed there mind that something is indeed weird with it. An hour later they found it and got it back on its way.

Tho USPS did give me a bit of a scare recently when a $500 HP scope plugin module seamed to sit in one place for nearly 2 weeks before  it made its way across the Atlantic.

[tggzzz]

With regard to your awaited parcel, if its any consolation, I had a Fluke 8505A shipped from the states to me in the UK and I too watched it crawl its way from the west coast to Erlanger, Kentucky where it was processed by the Global Shipping Center and then onto the air carrier where it sat according to the tracking data. then it was in the air for 2 days, landed in UK and then a further 5 days to me, so you may not to have to wait much longer.

That was simple Have a look at a recent GSP journey...

Of interest are the loops and the "suboptimum" tracking after 13ten enters the picture. What it doesn't show is the tardiness with which the latter tracking events were posted.

Tuesday, 16. Jan 2018 1:18 PM    Delivered
Tuesday, 16. Jan 2018 1:42 AM    XXXXXX SERVICE CENTRE    In Transit with Destination Carrier
Monday, 15. Jan 2018 10:40 AM    13ten    In Transit with Destination Carrier
Monday, 15. Jan 2018 12:00 AM    ALFRETON SERVICE CENTRE    In Transit with Destination Carrier
Sunday, 14. Jan 2018 6:15 PM    N/A    Customs Cleared
Thursday, 11. Jan 2018 9:00 PM    N/A    In Transit with Destination Carrier
Thursday, 11. Jan 2018 5:41 PM    13ten    In Transit with Destination Carrier
Wednesday, 10. Jan 2018 3:46 PM    Erlanger , Kentucky    Shipped from the Global Shipping Center to International Destination
Wednesday, 10. Jan 2018 12:07 PM    On its way to ERLANGER , KY    In Transit to Destination
Wednesday, 10. Jan 2018 12:07 PM    On its way to ERLANGER , KY    In Transit-In Transit to Destination
Wednesday, 10. Jan 2018 7:31 AM    Erlanger , Kentucky    Customs Documentation and Labeling
Wednesday, 10. Jan 2018 6:06 AM    Erlanger , Kentucky    Processing at Global Shipping Center
Tuesday, 9. Jan 2018 12:07 PM    On its way to ERLANGER , KY    In Transit to Destination
Tuesday, 9. Jan 2018 12:07 PM    On its way to ERLANGER , KY    In Transit-In Transit to Destination
Monday, 8. Jan 2018 12:07 PM    On its way to ERLANGER , KY    In Transit to Destination
Monday, 8. Jan 2018 12:07 PM    On its way to ERLANGER , KY    In Transit-In Transit to Destination
Sunday, 7. Jan 2018 7:07 PM    CINCINNATI OH NETWORK DISTRIBUTION CENTER    Departed USPS Regional Facility
Sunday, 7. Jan 2018 7:07 PM    CINCINNATI OH NETWORK DISTRIBUTION CENTER    In Transit-Departed USPS Regional Facility
Sunday, 7. Jan 2018 6:42 PM    CINCINNATI , OH    Arrived at Hub
Sunday, 7. Jan 2018 6:42 PM    CINCINNATI , OH    In Transit-Arrived at Hub
Sunday, 7. Jan 2018 6:41 PM    CINCINNATI OH NETWORK DISTRIBUTION CENTER    Arrived at USPS Regional Destination Facility
Sunday, 7. Jan 2018 6:41 PM    CINCINNATI OH NETWORK DISTRIBUTION CENTER    In Transit-Arrived at USPS Regional Destination Facility
Sunday, 7. Jan 2018 12:08 PM    On its way to ERLANGER , KY    In Transit to Destination
Sunday, 7. Jan 2018 12:08 PM    On its way to ERLANGER , KY    In Transit-In Transit to Destination
Saturday, 6. Jan 2018 9:08 AM    NORTHWEST ROCHESTER NY DISTRIBUTION CENTER    Departed USPS Regional Facility
Saturday, 6. Jan 2018 9:08 AM    NORTHWEST ROCHESTER NY DISTRIBUTION CENTER    In Transit-Departed USPS Regional Facility
Friday, 5. Jan 2018 10:01 PM    NORTHWEST ROCHESTER NY DISTRIBUTION CENTER    Arrived at USPS Regional Origin Facility
Friday, 5. Jan 2018 10:01 PM    NORTHWEST ROCHESTER NY DISTRIBUTION CENTER    In Transit-Arrived at USPS Regional Origin Facility
Friday, 5. Jan 2018 9:01 PM    NORTHWEST ROCHESTER NY DISTRIBUTION CENTER    Accepted at USPS Regional Facility
Friday, 5. Jan 2018 9:01 PM    NORTHWEST ROCHESTER NY DISTRIBUTION CENTER    In Transit-Accepted at USPS Regional Facility

[bd139]

I had a Farnell order shipped by UPS last year from:

Leeds to Manchester Airport to somewhere in Belgium to Germany to Heathrow to local depot to home, which never arrived and was dropped off at a shop about three miles away.

Took 3 days for a next day inland delivery and it got a better holiday than I did last year 

[tggzzz]

I had an AliExpress order 'claimed' to have been sent twice after 2 months I contacted them to be offered a 'gift' and to 'resend' all I wanted was a refund at this stage and they still sooked about it. None of the tracking numbers seem to have been genuine on the $12USD order. 

I had an ebay shipment from Israel.

It was very quickly dispatched and had a courier tracking number, but that never updated.
After the delivery date expired plus a period of grace, I forced the supplier to refund, with the threat of getting ebay involved.
A week after the refund, the supplier said it had been "returned to the sender", and did I still want it.

My bet: it was never dispatched because it wasn't in stock in the first place.

Makes me distrust Israeli suppliers.

[bd139]

I wouldn't buy anything from Israel myself. I worked for a company a few years ago that dealt with some outsourcers there and there was nothing reputable from the individual programmers right to the state officials which is how far they went legally.

Sure there are a few bad eggs from China, but mostly they want to do business and do it well.

[Specmaster]

With regard to your awaited parcel, if its any consolation, I had a Fluke 8505A shipped from the states to me in the UK and I too watched it crawl its way from the west coast to Erlanger, Kentucky where it was processed by the Global Shipping Center and then onto the air carrier where it sat according to the tracking data. then it was in the air for 2 days, landed in UK and then a further 5 days to me, so you may not to have to wait much longer.

That was simple Have a look at a recent GSP journey...

Of interest are the loops and the "suboptimum" tracking after 13ten enters the picture. What it doesn't show is the tardiness with which the latter tracking events were posted.

Tuesday, 16. Jan 2018 1:18 PM    Delivered
Tuesday, 16. Jan 2018 1:42 AM    XXXXXX SERVICE CENTRE    In Transit with Destination Carrier
Monday, 15. Jan 2018 10:40 AM    13ten    In Transit with Destination Carrier
Monday, 15. Jan 2018 12:00 AM    ALFRETON SERVICE CENTRE    In Transit with Destination Carrier
Sunday, 14. Jan 2018 6:15 PM    N/A    Customs Cleared
Thursday, 11. Jan 2018 9:00 PM    N/A    In Transit with Destination Carrier
Thursday, 11. Jan 2018 5:41 PM    13ten    In Transit with Destination Carrier
Wednesday, 10. Jan 2018 3:46 PM    Erlanger , Kentucky    Shipped from the Global Shipping Center to International Destination
Wednesday, 10. Jan 2018 12:07 PM    On its way to ERLANGER , KY    In Transit to Destination
Wednesday, 10. Jan 2018 12:07 PM    On its way to ERLANGER , KY    In Transit-In Transit to Destination
Wednesday, 10. Jan 2018 7:31 AM    Erlanger , Kentucky    Customs Documentation and Labeling
Wednesday, 10. Jan 2018 6:06 AM    Erlanger , Kentucky    Processing at Global Shipping Center
Tuesday, 9. Jan 2018 12:07 PM    On its way to ERLANGER , KY    In Transit to Destination
Tuesday, 9. Jan 2018 12:07 PM    On its way to ERLANGER , KY    In Transit-In Transit to Destination
Monday, 8. Jan 2018 12:07 PM    On its way to ERLANGER , KY    In Transit to Destination
Monday, 8. Jan 2018 12:07 PM    On its way to ERLANGER , KY    In Transit-In Transit to Destination
Sunday, 7. Jan 2018 7:07 PM    CINCINNATI OH NETWORK DISTRIBUTION CENTER    Departed USPS Regional Facility
Sunday, 7. Jan 2018 7:07 PM    CINCINNATI OH NETWORK DISTRIBUTION CENTER    In Transit-Departed USPS Regional Facility
Sunday, 7. Jan 2018 6:42 PM    CINCINNATI , OH    Arrived at Hub
Sunday, 7. Jan 2018 6:42 PM    CINCINNATI , OH    In Transit-Arrived at Hub
Sunday, 7. Jan 2018 6:41 PM    CINCINNATI OH NETWORK DISTRIBUTION CENTER    Arrived at USPS Regional Destination Facility
Sunday, 7. Jan 2018 6:41 PM    CINCINNATI OH NETWORK DISTRIBUTION CENTER    In Transit-Arrived at USPS Regional Destination Facility
Sunday, 7. Jan 2018 12:08 PM    On its way to ERLANGER , KY    In Transit to Destination
Sunday, 7. Jan 2018 12:08 PM    On its way to ERLANGER , KY    In Transit-In Transit to Destination
Saturday, 6. Jan 2018 9:08 AM    NORTHWEST ROCHESTER NY DISTRIBUTION CENTER    Departed USPS Regional Facility
Saturday, 6. Jan 2018 9:08 AM    NORTHWEST ROCHESTER NY DISTRIBUTION CENTER    In Transit-Departed USPS Regional Facility
Friday, 5. Jan 2018 10:01 PM    NORTHWEST ROCHESTER NY DISTRIBUTION CENTER    Arrived at USPS Regional Origin Facility
Friday, 5. Jan 2018 10:01 PM    NORTHWEST ROCHESTER NY DISTRIBUTION CENTER    In Transit-Arrived at USPS Regional Origin Facility
Friday, 5. Jan 2018 9:01 PM    NORTHWEST ROCHESTER NY DISTRIBUTION CENTER    Accepted at USPS Regional Facility
Friday, 5. Jan 2018 9:01 PM    NORTHWEST ROCHESTER NY DISTRIBUTION CENTER    In Transit-Accepted at USPS Regional Facility

Oh dear, thats sure is less than satisfactory, well if your still waiting fore it, where did they deliver to???

[beanflying]

740B should be just flying back over it's starting destination of Utah after it's weeks road trip 

Shipped from the Global Shipping Center to International Destination
Jan-25-2018, 14:47 PST, Erlanger, Kentucky

The unobtanium cable to go with it that was in California has also arrived from a longer road trip.

Customs Documentation and Labeling
Jan-26-2018, 00:53 AM, Erlanger, Kentucky

[TheUnnamedNewbie]

So speaking of shitty delivery problems - I have a order I placed on ebay and payed on Tuesday morning. At what point do you get to become impatient regarding the seller not shipping it? I'm an impatient man and I'm very aware of this but I was hoping to work on this during my break that starts next Wednesday thinking just over a week is sufficient for something to get from France to Belguim...

Related: R&S are awesome. One of the two things I ordered in the above is a big R&S 20 V 10 A supply that is supposed to be broken (always has maximum output voltage, so I suspect failed feedback network or output MOSFETs are blown...). Couldn't find much documentation online so sent them a message - 25 minutes later I had the original datasheet, user manual and service manual with almost all schematics in it. They even apologized that they only had German documentation for some parts, and not English!

[Specmaster]

I'm beginning to think I'm being lied to here, further to my earlier posting, here is the email telling me that my order had been dispatched on the 14th Jan and yet on the 18th of Jan the seller on the message board informs me that they are ready to ship it to me. Then today I get another message in reply to question as to why the order status now says Cancelled by Seller??

 

[tggzzz]

Oh dear, thats sure is less than satisfactory, well if your still waiting fore it, where did they deliver to???

The delivery was to my house, within the time stated before sale. I have no cause for complaint, merely mild bewilderment.

I did check where Erlanager and Cincinatti are and, despite being in different states, they are only a few 10s of miles apart.

If I was young I would presume "they" knew what they were doing. As I get older, I realise the "cockup theory of history2 is more often the correct explantion than the "conspiracy theory of history".

[bd139]

Indeed. Never trust a professional. Especially not me

[AF6LJ]

Indeed. Never trust a professional. Especially not me

This could be a problem.

[ChrisLX200]

Just can't trust those satnavs...

[HalFET]

Indeed. Never trust a professional. Especially not me

This could be a problem.

UPS Cargo Services now Disembark (c)(tm) directly from the ship to deliver your parcels.

[mnementh]

In reading through the group therapy thread, I'm not sure that there is a term that appropriately covers the challenges of storing and accessing gear.

... I say this as I'm now on day 4.. or is 5.. of trying to fit computing, electronics, 3d printing, R/C, and music all in my office at one, accessible and "tidy". ... while waiting on a keithley 2015 to arrive and complicate things again.

Some suggestions....

RAM:  Random Access Management.  The process of locating various pieces of test equipment in a manner so that they are quickly and easily accessible.  This process can be applied to both equipment storage areas as well as the active work bench.  Failure to implement a RAM protocol will result in equipment getting buried, requiring the moving of several other pieces of equipment to gain access to a specific item or, even worse, to prevent that specific item from being found.

(SNIP)

TETRIS:  Test Equipment Torment - Reorganization In Situ.  The equivalent of changing spark plugs while driving down the highway, this is the high stress process of rearranging equipment - but being limited to doing so in the existing space.  Any attempt to 'borrow' space in another area of the premises is met with threats of items found outside the boundaries of toleration will be immediately disposed of.  Protests are met with references to some storage area that was temporarily borrowed 3 years ago - that you still occupy.

BOT:  Boundaries Of Toleration.  The limits of acceptability for the physical and/or financial impact of one's hobby - as defined by other members of the household.

The nature of my Electronics/RC Hobby workbench make it a perpetual TETRIS zone; I call it "Organized Chaos" while my wife calls it "A study in Surrealism". That is, when she does more than just give me that "Spock Raised Eyebrow" look. Similarly, the needs of Laundry & Storage space make my Wood-Metal-Welding Shop/Garage into a combination JENGA: Junk Engulfing Nearby Garage Areas (wherein all garage space is subject to a constantly moving and contested scrimmage line) and DMZ: De-Mobilized Zone (wherein all manner of junk accumulates in precisely the perfect manner to produce a nigh-immovable obstruction between you and some object you desperately need).


These three phenomena form a symbiotic Quantum Entanglement; whenever there is a decrease in one, the others increase to eliminate any net free space.


JENGA is not a simple single entity; it encompasses a constellation of several sub-phenomena:

JENGA: Junk Encroaching Nonpermissible General Areas (usually defined by other household members and their "need" to use nonessential spaces like living rooms, kitchens and bathrooms);

JENGA: Junk Engulfing Nonvertical Geometric Areas (the inevitable spontaneous accumulation of all manner of tools and junk on any available table-like horizontal surface);

JENGA: Junk Emigrating Non-Garage Areas (the inexplicable migration of entire stacks to other rooms, often discovered by other household members with a hand truck still underneath); and quite possibly the most relevant,

JENGA: Junk Engulfing Nonhorizontal Growth Areas (the accumulation of box-shaped objects stacked from floor to ceiling, and the inevitable need to remove one object from the middle of the stack without all of it falling down on your head).


Your discovery of the BOT phenomenon and my own observations of how it seems to ebb and flow in relation with the frequency and severity of localised TETRIS and JENGA outbreaks makes me suspect that it may also be part of this quantum entanglement; I think we as a group should make an empirical study and publish our findings.

We'll need a number of households and lots of time to document various types of outbreaks against the general BOT level in each household and cumulatively. This will require many data points collated against several timelines; possibly years of accumulated junk... err, data... to be absolutely sure. 

I've got so little RAM that I'm swapping all the time 

I've found that my RAM appears to have become considerably more random of late; there appears to be a geometric progression over time. Interestingly, I have also noticed a similar aging effect in my own personal Random Access Memory; I suspect that there may be some relationship between the two, but so far, actual observation has been too random to document with any consistency.   

Dicks! Can you shitpost some bad feedback?

Too bloody right I will, as you know I have the dammed thing on my bench preventing me from getting with much else, because I was under the impression that it was on its way. I've messaged them to find out what the hell is going on. Looks like I might be back at the drawing board on this one now.

Trouble is it's in mint condition overall and it seems a shame to have to junk it.

Sounds like you may need to commit some TETRIS and maybe a little JENGA to the garage, at least until you determine if that T-con is still available. 

Seriously though... sucks that this project is turning into such a total charlie-foxtrot. 

Oh dear, thats sure is less than satisfactory, well if your still waiting fore it, where did they deliver to???

The delivery was to my house, within the time stated before sale. I have no cause for complaint, merely mild bewilderment.

I did check where Erlanager and Cincinatti are and, despite being in different states, they are only a few 10s of miles apart.

If I was young I would presume "they" knew what they were doing. As I get older, I realise the "cockup theory of history2 is more often the correct explantion than the "conspiracy theory of history".

Last week, I had 3 packages "delivered" by USPS the day after MLK Day in the middle of a freak freezing rainstorm we had here where half the city streets were closed down and every mailbox on my street was cased in 1/2" of ice; some like mine, with a "pickup" flag still up since Sunday.

Fortunately, the day after that, once everything had thawed, my packages mysteriously appeared in my box... but I was convinced they'd been delivered to somebody else AGAIN  until I heard folks talking on the radio about stuff being marked "Delivered" even though there was no way it could have happened.


mnem
*Frosty*

[bitseeker]

Added those, mnementh. You're the first to get a term that starts with 'J' (and multiple definitions to boot).

[bd139]

Gah ebay are being a cunch of bunts today.

They've got bots and shit that pick up on outside trading. Just because I don't want to be fucked for £30 for them doing precisely sweet fuck all while they run their private ads monopoly disguised as an auction site so I can shift a trivial item of TEA in the scale of things.

Got a nice warning saying that they might take the final value fee anyway.

Not that I'm a vengeful bastard or anything but if that happens I'm going to ruin the bastards. I will make it my life's purpose to end their entire business one way or another. Most likely by doing a better and less abusive job of crap shifting than they do. Take the private market back and leave them to run their overpriced glorified aliexpress wannabe into the ground.

Grr.

[Specmaster]

Gah ebay are being a cunch of bunts today.

They've got bots and shit that pick up on outside trading. Just because I don't want to be fucked for £30 for them doing precisely sweet fuck all while they run their private ads monopoly disguised as an auction site so I can shift a trivial item of TEA in the scale of things.

Got a nice warning saying that they might take the final value fee anyway.

Not that I'm a vengeful bastard or anything but if that happens I'm going to ruin the bastards. I will make it my life's purpose to end their entire business one way or another. Most likely by doing a better and less abusive job of crap shifting than they do. Take the private market back and leave them to run their overpriced glorified aliexpress wannabe into the ground.

Grr.

Does this mean you sold your Rigol then?

[Brumby]

But ... Would you have got the price if you had sold it without the help of eBay's "private ads monopoly disguised as an auction site"?

[bd139]

Yes rigol gone.

I would have sold it for the same price elsewhere. Apathy took over though. I had an offer £5 less  elsewhere.

[Specmaster]

Yeah, that was one of Ebays new rules when they recently updated the terms and conditions that they sent to everyone. Anyone not agreeing had their account closed so you must have agreed without reading the small print. I guess they discovered that many listings where being ended suddenly so they started to investigate more of them and thats what came out of it.

I try to wait until there's an offer on the selling fees which they do from time to time.

[mnementh]

Added those, mnementh. You're the first to get a term that starts with 'J' (and multiple definitions to boot).

Suh-WEET! 

I see you also added DMZ: De-Mobilized Zone (wherein all manner of junk accumulates in precisely the perfect manner to produce a nigh-immovable obstruction between you and some object you desperately need).


mnem

[bitseeker]

Yeppers. DMZ: Because moving any part of it would ruin its perfect construction.

[bd139]

Yeah, that was one of Ebays new rules when they recently updated the terms and conditions that they sent to everyone. Anyone not agreeing had their account closed so you must have agreed without reading the small print. I guess they discovered that many listings where being ended suddenly so they started to investigate more of them and thats what came out of it.

I try to wait until there's an offer on the selling fees which they do from time to time.

There was a £3 selling fee offer on that one. Next time I just do this then raise the price to £2000 and wait until it doesn’t sell 

[ElektroQuark]

In Spain they have just upgrade the selling fees to 10%. Add Paypal fees to that.