Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[Kosmic]

Replace the Schaeffner. Like, now.

Wait what ? can't see your message with all the smoke!

If his mains were 240V I agree, change it now. But it seems those filters rarely blow with mains of 120V which is what he has.

Interesting. It's true that the Schaeffner problem come mostly from Europe. I might try my luck.

[mnementh]

Grrr... off to Home Despot to buy a SAE socket set for the 9/32" I need to take apart a mower. 

   Got by up here for over a year with nuthin' but metric in my little bag o' dirty tricks, then I move into a place with an actual LAWN. 

mnem
meh.

[bd139]

Attempt 5 of toner transfer. Kill me. With a spoon.!

Remove all flame producing items out of the house before you do something stupid. 

I'm warming up my can of isopropyl at the moment with the iron just to make sure 

[SilverSolder]

It's quite scary how much old HP stuff you can get new parts for.

Don't say that out loud or some fuckwit management type at Keysight is gonna hear you and figure out a way to reduce costs by cutting inventory.

It's the commitment to doing things like keep decent stock of spares for a decent period of time that is what made choosing HP a no-brainer back in the day. With all the mergers, takeovers, demergers and other f'ing about in recent years I don't have the confidence in anything that was once part of HP in the way I used to have confidence in HP back before the f'ing about started.

It's a sign of the times -  airheads get in power and think things are easy to do, so let's just change them overnight just because.

[med6753]

Grrr... off to Home Despot to buy a SAE socket set for the 9/32" I need to take apart a mower. 

   Got by up here for over a year with nuthin' but metric in my little bag o' dirty tricks, then I move into a place with an actual LAWN. 

mnem
meh.

Proof that metrication is such   

[mnementh]

...I hope fervently that nobody discovers my familiarity with the Siemens M-series. Those are strange machines.

   In present company, you're ashamed of being too familiar with this...? 

It also appears you aren't the only one who has a unnatural relationship with their espresso machine... 

https://www.nabto.com/the-coffeepi-part-1-of-2/

mnem
Dang.... now I'm missing bean again...

   Not exactly. And no, not the mobile phones either.

The process control computer series which was finally named Siemens Sicomp-M and which is behind anything nuclear build/supplied by Siemens in the special safety modified versions. Process control computers with votong logic in the HW.

I know. 

Personally, I think the fact they recycled the "M-Series" plaque so many times was a inside joke somewhere... perpetrated by some grizzled old gnome who got stuck in middle management for half a century, or maybe just the ghost in the machine flexing its muscles a little.

mnem
*off my runner*

 

[alextwin007]

Not a counter. 

8600A was cheap..status unknown, but display works..
8200A was not cheap i actualy bidded up-to my max i almost stepped out...Then the seller said he watched my movies and he stopped the bidding and sold it to me :-)
But the NIXIES are still bright and teh meter seems to work fine,,,

I already have a 8600A, and an 8200A is on my short list.  I guess you beat me to it.

[mnementh]

   Grrr... off to Home Despot to buy a SAE socket set for the 9/32" I need to take apart a mower. 

   Got by up here for over a year with nuthin' but metric in my little bag o' dirty tricks, then I move into a place with an actual LAWN. 

mnem
meh.

Proof that metrication is such   

The way they've done it up here, yes it is. 

But the fact that B&S still uses that bastard size on all their stuff is no proof thereof... they'll still be that way when the oceans have boiled away under the heat death of our sun, and men are aught but fairy-tales in stories told by rabbits...

mnem
And there will STILL be outhouses in upstate New York. 

[Robert763]

My HP 8924C Radio Test Set must have sensed the presence of the 8920B downstairs. It's gone in huff and won't turn on 
4 Philips and 32 Torx fastners later and I've got the PSU out. Nothing on the +15V standby output so a definite PSU fault.
s it was working fine last time I used it I guessing a srt-up resistor gone high resistance. Another 17 screws and I'll have the lid off th PSU.

[med6753]

   Grrr... off to Home Despot to buy a SAE socket set for the 9/32" I need to take apart a mower. 

   Got by up here for over a year with nuthin' but metric in my little bag o' dirty tricks, then I move into a place with an actual LAWN. 

mnem
meh.

Proof that metrication is such   

The way they've done it up here, yes it is. 

But the fact that B&S still uses that bastard size on all their stuff is no proof thereof... they'll still be that way when the oceans have boiled away under the heat death of our sun, and men are aught but fairy-tales in stories told by rabbits...

mnem
And there will STILL be outhouses in upstate New York. 

Briggs and Stratton engines may be the most antiquated mechanical devices manufactured today but they run despite all the pinheads who never maintain them.

Tomorrow I have to go out and dig a new hole and move the outhouse.   

[capt bullshot]

Just got a private message recently thru Whatsapp from my local industrial complex recyler/salvager company, as I'm their regular addict buying customer. 

Them : Dude, got a new toy here, from our latest recyling from a factory, for you since you're regular, its cheeeepp 
Me : Huh ? Whats that ?
Them : You do like zapping stuffs with high voltage right ? (last time they gave me a NOS 15KV neon sign transformer, as a gift (free) as part of the deal I made)
Me : Hmm .. well .. sort of and depends, but again whats that ?
Them : Its made in Korea, its quite heavy too, about 9kg (20lbs), and you do like heavy electronic stuffs right ?
Me : ... (Oh no, damn it  ... they know my weak heart on these kinda things) ..
Them : It does output 0-5kV, and inside it has a big transformer "AND" a variac, want it ?
Me : ... (reading the words big transformer "AND" variac inside really ignited my interest) ...

... and later on ... after many chats exchanges, photos and bargaining ... for about $27 ... here I am with this thing. 

As usual, don't need it, but at least I've done my obligatory TEA ritual properly, that hopefully made TEA's GOD happy, and getting closer to the promised TEA heaven gate, am I ?   

Tear down photos coming next.

Kewl!

Yesterday, at work a colleague did scavenge a few parts (a 2A / 230V variac and a quite beefy looking HV transformer) from a similar unit. Would have taken them too, but he claimed first. The remains were properly scrapped.

Anyway, scrap fest at work yesterday ("Aufräumen befohlen" by DoD "Dragon of Department"), some random scored stuff:

[capt bullshot]

As some of you might have expected, yesterday a package from Belgium was delivered to me:



What might be inside?
Some kind of Ice-TEA?

[Fungus]

I'm warming up my can of isopropyl at the moment with the iron just to make sure 

Am I the only one who uses a soldering iron to make cups of tea?

[Kosmic]

Replace the Schaeffner. Like, now.

Wait what ? can't see your message with all the smoke!

If his mains were 240V I agree, change it now. But it seems those filters rarely blow with mains of 120V which is what he has.

Who are you and what have you done with the grump-smurf?  The real med would NEVER recommend against "symphony-of-blunderbusses" style changing out anything with capacitance.

We all have a mellow side I guess.  Notice I did NOT say you need to change it yesterday or risk airing out the house. With 120V you can do it whenever. Hell, both my 2465's still have their factory "whenevers" in them. 

On my side, I seen one 120V instrument with an exploded Rifa. Not happen to me directly, I bought the instrument with the Rifa already exploded. Probably why I got a good deal

[bd139]

Friday night fake finding part 1. MAV-11SVM. Bought a load of these for £2.80 or so. Figured it was worth a punt for half a pint at London prices.

So how do you test 'em? Well you can't really dead bug these easily so it's board time.

So kicad here we go:



Board output. I didn't bother with via studding which would probably improve the higher frequency end somewhat but there's not much point as the NanoVNA only really goes up to 300MHZ properly...



After 5 attempts of toner transfer (got the hang of it now  ):



Board stuffed:



NanoVNA plot:



That'll do nicely. I only care for a roughly flat curve between 150-250MHz for this as it's an LO buffer amp for my slow and probably never going to be finished SA design I started on about 5 years ago . I suspect the top end flakeyness is related to shit board design or missing vias etc.

[Kosmic]

I'm warming up my can of isopropyl at the moment with the iron just to make sure 

Am I the only one who uses a soldering iron to make cups of tea?

Other than soldering, I only use it to light up my Cohibas.

[factory]

Here are two of this weeks purchases, a pair of HP 3490A Multimeters (first I've seen on ePay UK for a long time), as expected neither are working, one only displays zeros and the other does pass the first self test (logic test) but not much else works.


Also never realized these have a lot of case parts made from cheese, the top & bottom of the front panel are falling apart, as are the brackets inside that hold the internal chassis (lot of bits rattling around inside the bottom one), I bet Keyshite don't have replacements for those.  On the plus side they both have a full set of feet. 

Also arrived this week is a HP 5340A, still waiting for an unusual 4 digit Erie counter that uses some odd triodes & dekatrons inside.

David

P.S. Finally remembered to escalate the smashed number readout bulbs™ from China on ePay, they refunded very quickly, the seller kept wasting my time repeating "would a partial or 50% refund be OK?" no thanks.

[tautech]

...................
mnem
Dang.... now I'm missing bean again...

I'll give him a nudge/elbow for ya.
Had a wee chat with him a couple days back and he's doing gardening  but he's all good.

[Robert763]

8924C now fixed.
Not a start-up resistor, bad capacitor in the 15V standby circuit. 47uF 50V read 41uF. Didn't bother with ESR. Repalcement fixed it.
I wish I could claim credit but for a brillant bit of diagnostics on a complex hard to work on SMPSU but I can't. I actually had an old PDF from unkown source, probably the old Yahoo groups, that Ihad kept. Titled Repairing the 8924C Powe Supply. The author of the PDF is unknown and Interestingly it had gone from the WWW. No sign of it when I searched. Fortunatly I make a habit of keeping local copies of this sort of data. You can never be sure if it will be on the web when you need it. These are the new dark ages. There is now a copy on the 8920 IO group. Thank you whoever you are.

[SilverSolder]

8924C now fixed.
Not a start-up resistor, bad capacitor in the 15V standby circuit. 47uF 50V read 41uF. Didn't bother with ESR. Repalcement fixed it.
I wish I could claim credit but for a brillant bit of diagnostics on a complex hard to work on SMPSU but I can't. I actually had an old PDF from unkown source, probably the old Yahoo groups, that Ihad kept. Titled Repairing the 8924C Powe Supply. The author of the PDF is unknown and Interestingly it had gone from the WWW. No sign of it when I searched. Fortunatly I make a habit of keeping local copies of this sort of data. You can never be sure if it will be on the web when you need it. These are the new dark ages. There is now a copy on the 8920 IO group. Thank you whoever you are.

Agree about keeping local copies.  The Internet is akin to quicksand in many ways...

[Kosmic]

8924C now fixed.
Not a start-up resistor, bad capacitor in the 15V standby circuit. 47uF 50V read 41uF. Didn't bother with ESR. Repalcement fixed it.
I wish I could claim credit but for a brillant bit of diagnostics on a complex hard to work on SMPSU but I can't. I actually had an old PDF from unkown source, probably the old Yahoo groups, that Ihad kept. Titled Repairing the 8924C Powe Supply. The author of the PDF is unknown and Interestingly it had gone from the WWW. No sign of it when I searched. Fortunatly I make a habit of keeping local copies of this sort of data. You can never be sure if it will be on the web when you need it. These are the new dark ages. There is now a copy on the 8920 IO group. Thank you whoever you are.

Agree about keeping local copies.  The Internet is akin to quicksand in many ways...

The way back machine is working sometimes https://archive.org/web/

[BU508A]

Well it turns out she called me after I posted this morning. She did not feel well last night with some sort of stomach bug and was hoping she'd feel better this morning. Not the case. She called out of work today and won't be coming up this weekend. She'll come up next weekend. So.....I can resume my bad boy activities and the first thing I did was go back to bed and nap for a few hours. Such a rebel I am. 

And here is your T-Shirt:




 

[Kosmic]

Impressive, got a seller on ebay refund me part of the shipping fee because is estimate (auto calculated?) was higher than the real cost. I think I never seen anyone doing that.

[BU508A]

Attempt 5 of toner transfer. Kill me. With a spoon.!

It will be deliverd by the Sheriff of Nottingham?  Oh dear ....   

[mansaxel]

These are the new dark ages. There is now a copy on the 8920 IO group. Thank you whoever you are.

Agree about keeping local copies.  The Internet is akin to quicksand in many ways...

Yes, disk is cheap. I'm slowly building a stash of manuals and other docs. Everything I buy (and that is not only TE, I did the same with our new fridge / freezer pair.), I try to find the electronic manual for and save a local copy. If I'm interested in some gear, even before I've got it, I try to get the docs. Patience and mad google skills are worth a lot. And local caching!