Again. I did it AGAIN. I ordered something from Keysight that I don't need. I have way more than enough of these damn things taking up room in my home already, and DID NOT NEED another one! Except... I did. Really. Sort of. I mean. It looked cool. And it will get use. I promise.
At least this didn't break the bank like last time.
Here it is... my newest acquisition:
[...]
So just when you think things might be okay... the finished crimp doesn't quite fit in the Dupont shell.
However, this is easily fixed. Just the slightest little bit of a squeeze with some flat-jawed pliers on the insulation crimp...
...and it slides right in. No other fiddling to the body or the inner conductor crimp is necessary; and yes, it does "float" inside the shell like it should so the contacts can self-align against the pin.
[...]
Well it's a gamble. Might fit but it's not exactly the same part.
Personally, since it's probably aluminum, I would simply try to use those brazing rods to repair the frame.
https://canadaweldingsupply.ca/products/blue-demon-triple-play-brazing-rod?variant=14453377925164
I have better, I know the difference. I'm only promoting this cheap kit for occasional personal use where one can spend the time to make sure it is done right, and then not for mission critical fab; and I thought that was clear from my review. It is obviously not appropriate for someone who does this shit for a living; for the same reason my networking bag is full of GreenLee, Ideal and Fluke. Your time is your livelihood.
mnem
I have better, I know the difference. I'm only promoting this cheap kit for occasional personal use where one can spend the time to make sure it is done right, and then not for mission critical fab; and I thought that was clear from my review. It is obviously not appropriate for someone who does this shit for a living; for the same reason my networking bag is full of GreenLee, Ideal and Fluke. Your time is your livelihood.
mnem
Yes, it was clear to me that you meant it for occasional personal use.
But even though: if I would work with that cheap chinesium tool it will allways nag at me, if the connections is really properly done. There is nothing more annoyingly for me than to open a device again, because such connection failed. Even though it is for my hobby.
And, besides that: I'm a German and as you are surely aware of, we are damned perfectionists.
Well it's a gamble. Might fit but it's not exactly the same part.
Personally, since it's probably aluminum, I would simply try to use those brazing rods to repair the frame.
https://canadaweldingsupply.ca/products/blue-demon-triple-play-brazing-rod?variant=14453377925164
Danger Will Robinson!
If I'm about to tell you how to suck eggs, I apologise.
It is possible to successfully braze aluminium but the right flux, the right filler rod, and the right technique is essential. Do not trust any brazing product for Aluminium that is 'flux free' or 'contains its own flux' - they don't none of them work. I've tired several of the supposed miracle products - on meticulously prepared test pieces - and while some will provide a superficial sheen of new aluminium on a workpiece, none will provide a braise with any strength and you can chip the new material off with next to no effort.
I have better, I know the difference. I'm only promoting this cheap kit for occasional personal use where one can spend the time to make sure it is done right, and then not for mission critical fab; and I thought that was clear from my review. It is obviously not appropriate for someone who does this shit for a living; for the same reason my networking bag is full of GreenLee, Ideal and Fluke. Your time is your livelihood.
mnem
Yes, it was clear to me that you meant it for occasional personal use.
But even though: if I would work with that cheap chinesium tool it will allways nag at me, if the connections is really properly done. There is nothing more annoyingly for me than to open a device again, because such connection failed. Even though it is for my hobby.
And, besides that: I'm a German and as you are surely aware of, we are damned perfectionists.
Hi again folks,
I was able to score an HP3577A, it looked really well in the pictures (see below) but when it arrived (from the US to Switzerland) it had a crack on the bottom right corner of the front panel bezel. The crack can't be seen when the instruments is laying on the bench, but the front panel has deformed a little bit in the corner. The rear panel bezel also has a small hit. Functionality wise, it passes all self-confidence tests and I plan to tear it apart to the last piece for rectifiying the front panel, recaping electrolytics, fan replacement, changing the EPROMs to EEPROMs, etc.
Now guys, I want to take advantage of you knowledge, so some questions follow:
Looking at the service manual, I was able to find the replacement parts for the front and rear bezels in ebay, but those are for the HP3577B. Please, can someone confirm that these are equivalent? In the service manual these parts appear with different codes for the 3577A (front: 5020-8807, rear: 5020-8808) and 3577B (front: 5021-8407, rear: 5021-5808)
Also, does somebody know if Keysight is still selling parts for this instruments? it seems that this frame/chassis is used in many other HP/Agilent instruments. I would prefer to buy it from them than from ebay.
Are the bezels made of steel or aluminum? Maybe I can repair the crack on the front bezel with one of this metal-epoxy glues sold as "cold welding".
I also plan to install the front handles, since the thing weights 28 kg (62 lbs) and I want to be able to move it a little bit more easily. Would any 5U front handle from HP/Agilent work? The one the service manual specifies (5062-3991) look very familiar to the new versions. Are they compatible? (Attachment Link) (Attachment Link) (Attachment Link)
Any advice you may have is welcome!
I have better, I know the difference. I'm only promoting this cheap kit for occasional personal use where one can spend the time to make sure it is done right, and then not for mission critical fab; and I thought that was clear from my review. It is obviously not appropriate for someone who does this shit for a living; for the same reason my networking bag is full of GreenLee, Ideal and Fluke. Your time is your livelihood.
mnem
Yes, it was clear to me that you meant it for occasional personal use.
But even though: if I would work with that cheap chinesium tool it will allways nag at me, if the connections is really properly done. There is nothing more annoyingly for me than to open a device again, because such connection failed. Even though it is for my hobby.
And, besides that: I'm a German and as you are surely aware of, we are damned perfectionists.
I'm in two minds about this. I have used good, bloody expensive, crimp tools and you just do the job, no muss, no fuss, and walk away knowing that the joint will still be good in twenty years, maybe even a hundred years. I've also used cheap crimp tools and if you're lucky they'll do the job but you have not too much confidence that the joint is properly consolidated or guaranteed to last long term. If you're unlucky the cheap tools won't even do the job first time (I'm looking slitty eyed at the crimp tool I have for insulated spade and butt connectors), and you waste a lot of parts getting the job done at all.
The problem is that for the good tools you need exactly the right one for each job, and you can end up needing a lot of them. When the cheap tools are a factor of 10, 20 or more times cheaper than the good ones it's very hard to justify them for your own use if it is for something you do 1, 5 or 10 joints with a year. If you do it every day or, better still, someone else's money is involved, then the good tools are worth it every time.
In the end I find it hard to justify the thousands, literally, that I'd have to spend to get the set of crimp tools that would cover my most common needs. At the same time I resent the few hundred wasted on tools that aren't quite up to the job.
You are in a maze of twisty passages, all the same...
There is good, there is fabulous, and there is good enough.
I don't need fabulous with a stoopit PC speaker or RESET switch wire; good enough is... good enough. I am more than capable of evaluating whether a crimp is good or bad; the tool doesn't change that, it just makes a good crimp easier.
I presented this so that other people with similar knowledge could make an informed decision about a readily available tool that might get them out of a jam. I think that knowledge is just as important as choosing the right tool for a job.
I disagree aboot the idea of this tool harming KNIPEX in any way... it simply is not the same market. People looking at this tool are not going to be buying KNIPEX unless they find they really enjoy the kind of work this tool makes possible. Those people are going to buy upwards when this cheap tool wears out, probably sooner once the hassle of triple-checking every crimp starts to cost them real time & money. For those people, the cheap tool often serves as a gateway drug.
If you look at how many variants there are of it out there, it is obvious that the similarities are entirely due to the nature of the tool, not attempting to look like any particular brand.
As I've said many times... The best tool is always the one you have when you need it.
Knowing aboot things like this means a person can have a lot more tools when they need it, not wishing they had it. It also means that folks like you, who have good reason to choose the best, can point to my review with line item reason for reason to recommend a tool that costs literally 15 times as much.
This is why you see me avoiding the hell out of crimped stuff. I’ll spent £4 for a clamp on BNC instead of £0.50 and a crimp tool just so I don’t have to deal with that crap.
Also any nasty little SIL and spade connectors get soldered. I don’t care if you’re not supposed to
While looking for JST-SH connectors to make up a few cables for my new PC case project (I was planning to do it the hard way with pliers and soldering), I discovered this kit on Amazon.ca for ridiculously cheap (Cad$42/US$35):
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B082234HSS/
Well it's a gamble. Might fit but it's not exactly the same part.
Personally, since it's probably aluminum, I would simply try to use those brazing rods to repair the frame.
https://canadaweldingsupply.ca/products/blue-demon-triple-play-brazing-rod?variant=14453377925164
Danger Will Robinson!
If I'm about to tell you how to suck eggs, I apologise.
It is possible to successfully braze aluminium but the right flux, the right filler rod, and the right technique is essential. Do not trust any brazing product for Aluminium that is 'flux free' or 'contains its own flux' - they don't none of them work. I've tired several of the supposed miracle products - on meticulously prepared test pieces - and while some will provide a superficial sheen of new aluminium on a workpiece, none will provide a braise with any strength and you can chip the new material off with next to no effort.
Good to know. The youtube video is really convincing
Edit: the Amazon reviews are not that bad. I might buy some, just to see if it's really working or not. I think I have an instrument with a broken frame somewhere.
https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Demon-BDTP-125-01T-Aluminum-Zinc-Brazing/dp/B01MCTUIUN/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Blue%2BDemon%2BBDTP-125-01T%2BTriple%2BPlay%2BLow%2BTemp&qid=1616109581&sr=8-1&th=1
I found an inappropriate Police Academy GIF and decided to be good
So my 500Meg probed arrived today and was hiding in the mail box so playtime tomorrow. In unrelated news Aliexpress seems to know way more about what 50+ year old Single blokes want and need than they even know themselves.
"The suggestions has been presented to you because of your browsing history."
This is why you see me avoiding the hell out of crimped stuff. I’ll spent £4 for a clamp on BNC instead of £0.50 and a crimp tool just so I don’t have to deal with that crap.
Also any nasty little SIL and spade connectors get soldered. I don’t care if you’re not supposed to
I'm in two minds about this. I have used good, bloody expensive, crimp tools and you just do the job, no muss, no fuss, and walk away knowing that the joint will still be good in twenty years, maybe even a hundred years. I've also used cheap crimp tools and if you're lucky they'll do the job but you have not too much confidence that the joint is properly consolidated or guaranteed to last long term. If you're unlucky the cheap tools won't even do the job first time (I'm looking slitty eyed at the crimp tool I have for insulated spade and butt connectors), and you waste a lot of parts getting the job done at all.
The problem is that for the good tools you need exactly the right one for each job, and you can end up needing a lot of them. When the cheap tools are a factor of 10, 20 or more times cheaper than the good ones it's very hard to justify them for your own use if it is for something you do 1, 5 or 10 joints with a year. If you do it every day or, better still, someone else's money is involved, then the good tools are worth it every time.
In the end I find it hard to justify the thousands, literally, that I'd have to spend to get the set of crimp tools that would cover my most common needs. At the same time I resent the few hundred wasted on tools that aren't quite up to the job.
You are in a maze of twisty passages, all the same...
With the Dupont sized connectors they get used in R/C and I have been making looms for ages with the set of semi cheapies in front which work way better than the big ones. A few mates of mines 'workplaces' went to the expense of buying some very nice Japanese ones from RS Components but I thought I would be hard pressed to get it past my bean counters at the time.
Not a recommendation but these have nice small anvils for the Dupont stuff too https://hobbyking.com/en_us/hobbyking-jst-sh-connector-crimping-tool.html?queryID=19c51d8efe42c85da3927b73afc7c0c4&objectID=17691&indexName=hbk_live_magento_en_us_products
I disagree aboot the idea of this tool harming KNIPEX in any way... it simply is not the same market. People looking at this tool are not going to be buying KNIPEX unless they find they really enjoy the kind of work this tool makes possible. Those people are going to buy upwards when this cheap tool wears out, probably sooner once the hassle of triple-checking every crimp starts to cost them real time & money. For those people, the cheap tool often serves as a gateway drug.
If you look at how many variants there are of it out there, it is obvious that the similarities are entirely due to the nature of the tool, not attempting to look like any particular brand.
Perhaps. But then, why must the design look like as Knipex?
In my opinion it is not only the price of the tool itself. If you are using a cheap tool and destroy something, then it will cost you lifetime and effort to fix it. That's not worth it to me. And if I have only proper tools, then I don't need to think about the quirks etc. which probably may come with a cheap one. To me, it is that simple.
Cheers,
Mounty
And now we come full circle to the same argument Cerebus and I were making...
And now we come full circle to the same argument Cerebus and I were making...
To be clear I fall between two stools. I can't justify going Mounty's route ("Madam" insists on fancy cat food and SWMBO isn't going to live on ramen either), but I feel a bit grubby going down the cheap route - I know it will bite me in the arse at some point.
This is why you see me avoiding the hell out of crimped stuff. I’ll spent £4 for a clamp on BNC instead of £0.50 and a crimp tool just so I don’t have to deal with that crap.
Also any nasty little SIL and spade connectors get soldered. I don’t care if you’re not supposed to
...The connector that defines what is bad with ham radio, the PL259, is forbidden at my place, except on radios.