Author Topic: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread  (Read 14554932 times)

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Offline Specmaster

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #73250 on: October 26, 2020, 03:54:12 pm »
Thanks for the info, only 1 is compatible, the rest are earlier marks or the MOD adapted Mk5 without the 3KV inputs and different chassis.
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Offline mansaxel

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #73251 on: October 26, 2020, 04:27:53 pm »
Gah that's a shame.

I've noticed that a lot recently. The glut of decent and not buggered stuff is over. It's heading in the direction of all buggered  :--

Or expensive.

Offline mansaxel

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #73252 on: October 26, 2020, 04:34:23 pm »
Thanks for the info, only 1 is compatible, the rest are earlier marks or the MOD adapted Mk5 without the 3KV inputs and different chassis.

The MoD ones are otherwise quite nice. Fully tropicalised and with the screening box. At least the "Test Set Multirange No1", NSN 6625-99-105-7049 are such. In Sweden, it, or something very close, was called "M3618-144010 "URl-meter"

Edit: A lot of the reasons for our military to have them of course was the Hawker Hunter and the Bloodhound missiles, and also the Marconi parts of our command/control systems.
« Last Edit: October 26, 2020, 04:35:55 pm by mansaxel »
 

Offline Specmaster

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #73253 on: October 26, 2020, 05:11:24 pm »
Yes you're right, I have an ex MOD one but the previous Model 8 version with ohms trimmers set out in a triangle. It to is all tropicalised and comes in a metal back box instead of the normal plastic one and it weighs a bleeding metric ton. I doubt that those would be in within my budget anyway. The only reason they are on sale now is because the equipment they used for has all been upgraded and now needs DMM's to ensure that the voltages printed on the schematics match the reading on a DMM, all the early gear was measured using 20,000opv meters such as the Avo's and they often specified as the official meter to be used in the service manuals. :-+ 
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Offline URI

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #73254 on: October 26, 2020, 05:34:28 pm »
Diary of a stupid project I wish I didn't start:

So I started with a project to get a z80 "quidboard" off the ground so I have a Z80 box lying around, just because why the hell not (and they were basically free + postage). I wrote a simple "hello world" program that'll poke the CTC and SIO into the right shape (I hope). So next thing was get it on an EPROM. Now I've only got a couple of 2716's and a Willem programmer which won't program 25V EPROMs. Grr. So I found a 27C64 in an old board and pulled it. I fired up my UV PCB box to erase it as I don't have an eraser and the tube is gone. Grr! So I dig around further and find an AT28C64. So I go to program that and then find I don't have a parallel port for the programmer. Fuuuuuu. Roll on digging in the junk box I found a couple of Amazon finest 328p based Arduino Pro Minis. Figured I could hack something together to blast some code onto one of them and patch it into the EPROM socket. So I tried to program one of them with a USBasp. Oh no can't get the fucking toolchain working in windows (yes i did use winusb). Doesn't want to talk to the infernal bastard thing properly. So an hour later I've installed debian on my junker HP Elite 8100, which now contains an old xbox 360 hard disk I had to extract from the deceased 360. I'm now SSH'ing into that and doing all the work with vim and avr-gcc/avrdude. Managed to get some code onto the AVR and use an FT232RL to receive a hello world from the AVR finally! Now to write an interpreter to get it to write EEPROMs and a program to parse intel-hex and send to the AVR as write commands.

Now what was the original problem?

 :palm: :palm: :palm: :palm: :palm: :palm: :palm:

OMG!   :palm:   :popcorn:

In my words: you got carried away. I still haven't repaired and calibrated my tape deck all started with. And my TE is too accurate for the job meanwhile  :palm:  :scared:  :-DD
« Last Edit: October 26, 2020, 07:28:33 pm by URI »
A life without TEA is possible but pointless.
 
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Offline AVGresponding

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #73255 on: October 26, 2020, 06:18:24 pm »
Well the Thandar SC110 is a runner. The fleabay pic showed a static dot but I guessed (correctly) the thing was just switched to external trigger for the sweep.

The rotary switches all need a clean, but other than that it works fine.

I was pleasantly surprised to find the battery compartment spotlessly clean, and without any chemical timebombs installed.

Teardown pics will have to wait until work is less hectic, as I'm too knackered to do anything except vegetate when I get home at the moment.
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Offline bd139

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #73256 on: October 26, 2020, 06:28:55 pm »
Nice. That’s a winner. Enjoy it. Those are pretty cool little scopes.

Edit: pre-TEA picture attached  :-DD
« Last Edit: October 26, 2020, 06:31:16 pm by bd139 »
 
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Offline Saskia

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #73257 on: October 26, 2020, 07:58:02 pm »
ok, headache is subsiding. still feel like sheeeet.

In other news, what do you need to listen to to get into the mood to grab an axe and loot a monastery ?



hope to be back on my feet tomorrow.

If not I'll listen to Helvegen ...


 
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Offline Saskia

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #73258 on: October 26, 2020, 08:19:50 pm »
cleanin up stuff. Found my motor tester in an old plastic bag, probably from clearing out my old Forester after it died ...

Acer Netbook with OBD-2 cable.
Might just qualify as TE. Albeit not of highest quality. My Autel MD806 is a lot better ...
 

Offline mnementh

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #73259 on: October 26, 2020, 08:46:08 pm »
Is Q2 C to E shorted?
It's going to be something like that. Not much different to the output stages on TTi stuff.

I'd load the output with 50 ohms and then work back up the signal chain from the output until you get a signal that isn't sick.

Naaahhh... I already checked the obvious stuffs: MCP at output tests good with junction tester, no obviously shorted diodes, relays or tants (this thing is peppered with the little black ones, but all being run minimum of 10V below rated) in my original post before I even started searching for tech ref.

My money is on the AD811ANs; they're being run at +/- 15.5V on a 15V nominal/18V max rated part. They also have heat-sinks made from hand-cut scraps of U-channel bonded to the chip with silicone sealant; hardly the best choice for thermal conductivity. :o

My personal suspicion is that this unit was one of the dregs... the last few mainboards bought from Berkeley Nucleonics... whipped out with whatever they had in the lab that didn't require any cash outlay in an effort to stave off the creditors for another quarter. :-//

Given all the other sins committed therein, and where they tapped into for +5V to run the thing (that requires a pretty intimate knowledge of the mainboard, as it is not an obvious first choice) off one of the solder pads for the RESET button, I wouldn't be surprised if the 30mm-fan-in-a-40mm-hole came out of the B&K Labs that way too.  :scared:

That said... I think I'm going to step away from the bench for a afternoon... spend some time widda wife & kidzz. Bondene to fix my 54645A should be here soon, and I want to have my scope back in one piece before I go poking around this thing's innards. Using it nekkit to do triage on this thing was enough taunting Murphy for one project. ;)

mnem
Everything is a learning opportunity.

   

Well, that was wholly unsatisfying... didn't even get to turn on my freshly-resurrected 54645A.  >:(

Did a little cleanup on the schematic I'd glommed to make it printable; noticed that the analog signal path is neatly divided at several points by a few resistors. "I have a good feeling aboot R69..." I said to myself... so slid it off and with the soldering iron and BAM! (-12V) on the output goes bye-bye... so not the MCP, probably not U52 AD811AN feeding it. Remove R59 & R63, reinstall R69, -12V is back. Remove U48, (-12V) on the output goes away again... no DCV at open R59 or R63 from further up the chain.

Just to be sure, plug u48 back in the holes,  -12V is back.

So... now shopping a couple AD8911ANs & a few resistors somewhere in Canada, and some proper heat-sinks with frag tape to put on 'em.

*sigh*

mnem
*toddles off to like... school the kiddzz or sumthin' *
« Last Edit: October 26, 2020, 08:47:48 pm by mnementh »
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Offline Ice-Tea

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #73260 on: October 26, 2020, 08:55:20 pm »
10 off Avo8s in next week's Ramco auction.

Recurring reminder: I will probably bid on quite some items here. I feel no need to battle it out with any of you, so if you had something in mind feel free to PM me and I won't bid on it if your bid is leading.


Offline med6753

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #73261 on: October 26, 2020, 09:05:18 pm »
cleanin up stuff. Found my motor tester in an old plastic bag, probably from clearing out my old Forester after it died ...

Acer Netbook with OBD-2 cable.
Might just qualify as TE. Albeit not of highest quality. My Autel MD806 is a lot better ...

I have this automotive diagnostic program. ODBwiz. Works well and with all protocols I've tried it on.

   
An old gray beard with an attitude.
 
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Offline Saskia

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #73262 on: October 26, 2020, 09:24:24 pm »
got suckered once when somebody sold me a fucking land rover that some ECUs swapped out for some fucked up ones without the proper programming. Your normal OBD thingie will not find this as it will most likely miss the specific programming for such car and fraudulent bastard (may he catch necrotizing fascitis in his scrotum ...). Result was that when the air suspension gave, I would have needed to rent a car hauler, get this across the channel to one of those "We'll reprogram your ECU with the correct dataset and VIN". That endeavor would have cost me a couple of thousands, so I just blew up the car and wrote it off as a total loss (which it was).

Since then I have this nice little super tester which does indeed crosscheck the VIN and programming in those ECUs and spits out various error messages.

Call it rip off prevention if you will. Prevented us from getting a CNG Volvo where it found a transmission issue. Would have cost 8k€ to fix ...
 
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Offline med6753

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #73263 on: October 26, 2020, 09:39:12 pm »
ok, headache is subsiding. still feel like sheeeet.

In other news, what do you need to listen to to get into the mood to grab an axe and loot a monastery ?



hope to be back on my feet tomorrow.

If not I'll listen to Helvegen ...

Reminds me of this parody.  :-DD

An old gray beard with an attitude.
 
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Offline med6753

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #73264 on: October 26, 2020, 09:40:08 pm »
got suckered once when somebody sold me a fucking land rover that some ECUs swapped out for some fucked up ones without the proper programming. Your normal OBD thingie will not find this as it will most likely miss the specific programming for such car and fraudulent bastard (may he catch necrotizing fascitis in his scrotum ...). Result was that when the air suspension gave, I would have needed to rent a car hauler, get this across the channel to one of those "We'll reprogram your ECU with the correct dataset and VIN". That endeavor would have cost me a couple of thousands, so I just blew up the car and wrote it off as a total loss (which it was).

Since then I have this nice little super tester which does indeed crosscheck the VIN and programming in those ECUs and spits out various error messages.

Call it rip off prevention if you will. Prevented us from getting a CNG Volvo where it found a transmission issue. Would have cost 8k€ to fix ...

Very true. That OBDwiz program is not that sophisticated.
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Offline SilverSolder

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #73265 on: October 26, 2020, 09:45:39 pm »
got suckered once when somebody sold me a fucking land rover that some ECUs swapped out for some fucked up ones without the proper programming. Your normal OBD thingie will not find this as it will most likely miss the specific programming for such car and fraudulent bastard (may he catch necrotizing fascitis in his scrotum ...). Result was that when the air suspension gave, I would have needed to rent a car hauler, get this across the channel to one of those "We'll reprogram your ECU with the correct dataset and VIN". That endeavor would have cost me a couple of thousands, so I just blew up the car and wrote it off as a total loss (which it was).

Since then I have this nice little super tester which does indeed crosscheck the VIN and programming in those ECUs and spits out various error messages.

Call it rip off prevention if you will. Prevented us from getting a CNG Volvo where it found a transmission issue. Would have cost 8k€ to fix ...

Very true. That OBDwiz program is not that sophisticated.

The manufacturers shouldn't be permitted to block repairs like this...  Theft prevention is all well and good, but stopping a legitimate repair is just...  wrong.
 

Online McBryce

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #73266 on: October 26, 2020, 09:53:03 pm »
ok, headache is subsiding. still feel like sheeeet.

In other news, what do you need to listen to to get into the mood to grab an axe and loot a monastery ?



hope to be back on my feet tomorrow.

If not I'll listen to Helvegen ...

Having to listen to Coldplay is enough to make me run amok! :D

McBryce.
30 Years making cars more difficult to repair.
 

Offline mnementh

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #73267 on: October 26, 2020, 10:00:25 pm »
Urrgh. Spent all day trying to find the parts for my 4070A from a CA warehouse... ANY CA warehouse... eventually gave up and paid the moosefucker tax; ordered it from DigiKey.  :palm:

Now facing exactly the same fucking headache, only it's the keyboard on my Lenovo Flex-3... which, joy of joys, uses the same keyboard as the Yoga (incorporated into the top cover) so it costs a fucking fortune, even from Shanghai. Or Shenzhen. Or Hong Kong... you get the drift. ::)

mnem




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Offline Specmaster

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #73268 on: October 26, 2020, 10:15:36 pm »
got suckered once when somebody sold me a fucking land rover that some ECUs swapped out for some fucked up ones without the proper programming. Your normal OBD thingie will not find this as it will most likely miss the specific programming for such car and fraudulent bastard (may he catch necrotizing fascitis in his scrotum ...). Result was that when the air suspension gave, I would have needed to rent a car hauler, get this across the channel to one of those "We'll reprogram your ECU with the correct dataset and VIN". That endeavor would have cost me a couple of thousands, so I just blew up the car and wrote it off as a total loss (which it was).

Since then I have this nice little super tester which does indeed crosscheck the VIN and programming in those ECUs and spits out various error messages.

Call it rip off prevention if you will. Prevented us from getting a CNG Volvo where it found a transmission issue. Would have cost 8k€ to fix ...
Wow, he really did get you wound up didn't he? I had to google it but I think you're right, he deserved it.
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Online Kosmic

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #73269 on: October 26, 2020, 10:56:46 pm »
Urrgh. Spent all day trying to find the parts for my 4070A from a CA warehouse... ANY CA warehouse... eventually gave up and paid the moosefucker tax; ordered it from DigiKey.  :palm:

Yeah Digikey is your best bet. 8$ for shipping is quite reasonable. Mouser shipping fee is a bit more expensive. Arrow was great when they offered free shipping on everything. But it's now something like 50$US on small orders  :(

I normally try to order from Digikey first, then Mouser.
« Last Edit: October 26, 2020, 11:05:20 pm by Kosmic »
 

Offline 0culus

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #73270 on: October 26, 2020, 11:03:58 pm »
Urrgh. Spent all day trying to find the parts for my 4070A from a CA warehouse... ANY CA warehouse... eventually gave up and paid the moosefucker tax; ordered it from DigiKey.  :palm:

Yeah Digikey is your best bet. 8$ for shipping is quite reasonable. Mouser shipping fee is a bit more expensive. Arrow was great when they offered free shipping on everything. But it's now something like 50$US on small orders  :(

Whoa...that's insane. I rather like Mouser, actually, because they are right next door to me in the tinker dwagon's favorite state.  :-DD Shipping is cheap and fast, even with ground options. But paradoxically, I've found that sometimes UPS second day air is actually cheaper than ground with Mouser. I'll take it.
 

Offline bd139

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #73271 on: October 26, 2020, 11:04:20 pm »
Ok putting curve tracer project away for a few weeks. My attempts to build a suitably powerful ramp generator with 100v compliance are not going well. I need to scale it up to 500v. So I can do 60v fine but anything above that seems to break out into wild oscillation if I load it with more than a few mA. What’s even worse is the oscillation lasts a couple of cycles and then ends the pass BJT rather spectacularly which isn’t enough time to suss what’s going on even with the SDS1202X-E on the case.
 
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Offline 0culus

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #73272 on: October 26, 2020, 11:09:59 pm »
Ok putting curve tracer project away for a few weeks. My attempts to build a suitably powerful ramp generator with 100v compliance are not going well. I need to scale it up to 500v. So I can do 60v fine but anything above that seems to break out into wild oscillation if I load it with more than a few mA. What’s even worse is the oscillation lasts a couple of cycles and then ends the pass BJT rather spectacularly which isn’t enough time to suss what’s going on even with the SDS1202X-E on the case.

Electroboom moment?  :-DD
 
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Offline med6753

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #73273 on: October 26, 2020, 11:13:32 pm »
Urrgh. Spent all day trying to find the parts for my 4070A from a CA warehouse... ANY CA warehouse... eventually gave up and paid the moosefucker tax; ordered it from DigiKey.  :palm:

Now facing exactly the same fucking headache, only it's the keyboard on my Lenovo Flex-3... which, joy of joys, uses the same keyboard as the Yoga (incorporated into the top cover) so it costs a fucking fortune, even from Shanghai. Or Shenzhen. Or Hong Kong... you get the drift. ::)

mnem


Moosefucker tax? Eh?  :-DD :-DD :-DD

Hoser!  ;D
An old gray beard with an attitude.
 
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Offline bd139

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #73274 on: October 26, 2020, 11:14:06 pm »
Ok putting curve tracer project away for a few weeks. My attempts to build a suitably powerful ramp generator with 100v compliance are not going well. I need to scale it up to 500v. So I can do 60v fine but anything above that seems to break out into wild oscillation if I load it with more than a few mA. What’s even worse is the oscillation lasts a couple of cycles and then ends the pass BJT rather spectacularly which isn’t enough time to suss what’s going on even with the SDS1202X-E on the case.

Electroboom moment?  :-DD

ElectroFizzle anyway. The thing blew a smoke ring which was rather fun.
 
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