Author Topic: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread  (Read 14553917 times)

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Offline Cubdriver

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #2950 on: October 18, 2017, 06:25:17 pm »
That's an interesting frequency setting. "Yeah, can you make us a special 10 MHz TCXO? Set it 1.0 Hz high, please."  ;D

Yeah, I'm curious about that too.  There must have been some method to their madness.

-Pat
If it jams, force it.  If it breaks, you needed a new one anyway...
 

Offline Vgkid

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #2951 on: October 18, 2017, 06:35:52 pm »
That's an interesting frequency setting. "Yeah, can you make us a special 10 MHz TCXO? Set it 1.0 Hz high, please."  ;D

Yeah, I'm curious about that too.  There must have been some method to their madness.

-Pat
I have seen another hp crystal that had an offset by 5.5Hz oscillator in it. I think  it was in a teardown of a quartz thermometer.
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Offline khs

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #2952 on: October 18, 2017, 08:58:38 pm »
With my new scope (Tektronix 7704A) does it require probes built special for it or will common probes work?

Common probes should work.  Run of the mill generics may not have the signal pins that Tek probes have; on many of the scopes those tell the scope that it's, for instance, a 10x probe so the scope can display the correct vertical scale automatically.  You might need to do some mental math in some cases with regular probes.  Just make sure that the probe frequency limit is greater than whatever you're measuring with it.

-Pat

From my experiences until 100 MHz more or less all passive probes work fine. From 100 MHz a 50 Ohm probe is better.

I know here is the wrong place to save money and use the gear, but a DIY 1:100 probe is very simple. Just solder a 5 KOhm resistor at the end of a 50 Ohm cable and terminate the other end with 50 Ohm and connect it to your oscilloscope.

I've tested it with a S52 pulse generator and a 7A26 in a 7904 mainframe. The 50 Ohm termination is not critical.
 
The screenshot shows the probe (soldered to a BNC connector) with he termination for the pulse generator.

The risetime is about 1 ns. It is limited by the 7A26.
 
« Last Edit: October 18, 2017, 09:00:47 pm by khs »
 
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Online bd139

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #2953 on: October 18, 2017, 11:10:56 pm »
Just a note. Probemaster sell probes with the sense pin on the BNC so they work with older tek scopes.

I’m seriously considering buying a set.
 

Offline neo

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #2954 on: October 19, 2017, 12:31:57 am »
Just a note. Probemaster sell probes with the sense pin on the BNC so they work with older tek scopes.

I’m seriously considering buying a set.

The ones with readout option?  I'd love to get some but it ain't happening anytime soon, if i got them it would be 95 bucks a probe for a grand total of a  $370 set of 4.

Not bad considering but with what i have spent this month i may as well be on a ramen diet and i have barely spent $200 :-DD
A hopeless addict (and slave) to TEA and a firm believer that high frequency is little more than modern hoodoo.
 

Offline Specmaster

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #2955 on: October 19, 2017, 12:43:15 am »
Just a note. Probemaster sell probes with the sense pin on the BNC so they work with older tek scopes.

I’m seriously considering buying a set.

The ones with readout option?  I'd love to get some but it ain't happening anytime soon, if i got them it would be 95 bucks a probe for a grand total of a  $370 set of 4.

Not bad considering but with what i have spent this month i may as well be on a ramen diet and i have barely spent $200 :-DD
Thats not good, way to much Sodium for you.  :popcorn:
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Offline Cerebus

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #2956 on: October 19, 2017, 12:44:35 am »
That's an interesting frequency setting. "Yeah, can you make us a special 10 MHz TCXO? Set it 1.0 Hz high, please."  ;D

Yeah, I'm curious about that too.  There must have been some method to their madness.

-Pat

Perhaps characterisation told them that this part always drifted downward in frequency as it did its early ageing. i.e. By the time it passed out of production burn in and test it would have typically settled to a nice round 10MHz. Then again, perhaps not.
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Offline neo

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #2957 on: October 19, 2017, 12:47:59 am »
Just a note. Probemaster sell probes with the sense pin on the BNC so they work with older tek scopes.

I’m seriously considering buying a set.

The ones with readout option?  I'd love to get some but it ain't happening anytime soon, if i got them it would be 95 bucks a probe for a grand total of a  $370 set of 4.

Not bad considering but with what i have spent this month i may as well be on a ramen diet and i have barely spent $200 :-DD
Thats not good, way to much Sodium for you.  :popcorn:

 :-DD :-DD

I did say may as well, i still have a full freezer that i can pick over. Anything for more test equipment.
A hopeless addict (and slave) to TEA and a firm believer that high frequency is little more than modern hoodoo.
 

Offline bitseekerTopic starter

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #2958 on: October 19, 2017, 01:09:49 am »
I suppose you could start out with a set of the bargain 100 MHz probes. Then, get one Probemaster probe per quarter, semi-annually, or whatever works with your savings efforts and project requirements.
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Offline mnementh

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #2959 on: October 19, 2017, 02:01:34 am »
That's an interesting frequency setting. "Yeah, can you make us a special 10 MHz TCXO? Set it 1.0 Hz high, please."  ;D

Yeah, I'm curious about that too.  There must have been some method to their madness.

-Pat

Perhaps characterisation told them that this part always drifted downward in frequency as it did its early ageing. i.e. By the time it passed out of production burn in and test it would have typically settled to a nice round 10MHz. Then again, perhaps not.

Because it starts counting at zero, duh. ;)


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Offline neo

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #2960 on: October 19, 2017, 03:58:49 am »
I am beyond hope.  :palm:

Found probes for my scope www.ebay.com/itm/222681528551.
A hopeless addict (and slave) to TEA and a firm believer that high frequency is little more than modern hoodoo.
 

Offline bitseekerTopic starter

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #2961 on: October 19, 2017, 04:03:31 am »
Nice! Maybe you'll get lucky again and be uncontested.
TEA is the way. | TEA Time channel
 

Offline neo

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #2962 on: October 19, 2017, 04:09:02 am »
Nice! Maybe you'll get lucky again and be uncontested.

I can hope, but i really must quit looking at ebay now. She's tying the noose and picking the tree to use the next time i say ebay.  :-DD
A hopeless addict (and slave) to TEA and a firm believer that high frequency is little more than modern hoodoo.
 

Offline Cubdriver

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #2963 on: October 19, 2017, 04:21:18 am »
The downside of my cleaning the bench the other night is that now there's room for the damned cat to get up there again :palm: which seems to make her very happy.  I've lost count of how many times I've removed her tonight. 





 |O

To keep this TEA related, she's cavorting on an HP 8662A Synthesized Signal Generator I got from the 'bay a month or so ago.  It powered up and ran for a bit, then some of the magic smoke came out.  I just ordered a hard copy manual set for it, but in the mean time have just spotted a rather unhealthy looking axial tantalum cap on the display board (the location from whence said puff of smoke appeared to have come), so perhaps it will be a very simple fix.  <fingers crossed>

-Pat
If it jams, force it.  If it breaks, you needed a new one anyway...
 

Offline neo

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #2964 on: October 19, 2017, 04:22:32 am »
Good luck, Pat and have fun.
A hopeless addict (and slave) to TEA and a firm believer that high frequency is little more than modern hoodoo.
 

Offline bitseekerTopic starter

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #2965 on: October 19, 2017, 04:49:50 am »
Good ol' tantalums. Going off at the most inopportune times. Here's to a quick fix, Pat.
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Offline neo

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #2966 on: October 19, 2017, 04:57:17 am »
Should i be at all concerned that there is only one ground clip in that lot of 4 probes?
Fortunately it is on the best probe in the lot.
« Last Edit: October 19, 2017, 05:02:57 am by neo »
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Offline BU508A

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #2967 on: October 19, 2017, 05:16:42 am »
I think we've found what awesome14 uses to solder his D-105 voltage references with!

Oh no!  :o Every time when I see a picture of this awful soldered thing, it gaves me headaches and eye-cancer...  :--
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Offline mavu

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #2968 on: October 19, 2017, 07:30:01 am »
Hi, my name is mavu and I have SCOPE sine 1989 which expressed itself in mostly useless very useful things like building my own keyboards, buying new stuff before it dies out (PlamPilots, WebOS phones etc), and lately 3dPrinters.

I just ordered my first scope (which I should have done years ago).
It's a Hameg 208 Analog/Digital scope for 93€ which is possibly a bit much, but I don't care :) (first problem indication right there)

I currently suffer  a mild case of SAD (only checking ebay for shiping information every hour, so mild?) and have already read the manual twice.

Oh, and I might be in the first stages of OSCAR too, because I have bid on 2 other auctions for analog scopes, and have mailed my wife a link to a shop that sells DSOs as christmas present suggestions ...

So... Hi?
 

Offline neo

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #2969 on: October 19, 2017, 08:00:22 am »
Hi, my name is mavu and I have SCOPE sine 1989 which expressed itself in mostly useless very useful things like building my own keyboards, buying new stuff before it dies out (PlamPilots, WebOS phones etc), and lately 3dPrinters.

I just ordered my first scope (which I should have done years ago).
It's a Hameg 208 Analog/Digital scope for 93€ which is possibly a bit much, but I don't care :) (first problem indication right there)

I currently suffer  a mild case of SAD (only checking ebay for shiping information every hour, so mild?) and have already read the manual twice.

Oh, and I might be in the first stages of OSCAR too, because I have bid on 2 other auctions for analog scopes, and have mailed my wife a link to a shop that sells DSOs as christmas present suggestions ...

So... Hi?

Welcome to TEA, you are certainly a welcome addition by my standard. Just remember TEA is like the Hotel California, you can check in anytime you like but you may never leave.
A hopeless addict (and slave) to TEA and a firm believer that high frequency is little more than modern hoodoo.
 

Offline Specmaster

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #2970 on: October 19, 2017, 08:20:39 am »
Cubdriver: My two cats do the same thing and I have mental images of them getting fried by walking over the open DUT while its powered, but so far thats not happened, mainly because I rapidly switch it off.
Maybe they want become electronic engineers as well and help me? Nah, more like telling me that their hungry  :-DD
Who let Murphy in?

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Offline URI

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #2971 on: October 19, 2017, 08:33:10 am »
Hi mavu,

welcome aboard! You'll feel comfortable here as you don't have to justify for buying test equipment over and over.   :)
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Offline URI

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #2972 on: October 19, 2017, 08:36:34 am »
My two cats do the same thing and I have mental images of them getting fried by walking over the open DUT while its powered, but so far thats not happened, mainly because I rapidly switch it off.

Perhaps they learn better if you're not switching off..?   >:D  :-DD
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No, no, I do like cats. Don't do that at home.
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Offline Specmaster

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #2973 on: October 19, 2017, 08:44:31 am »
My two cats do the same thing and I have mental images of them getting fried by walking over the open DUT while its powered, but so far thats not happened, mainly because I rapidly switch it off.

Perhaps they learn better if you're not switching off..?   >:D  :-DD
.
..
...
....
.....
......
No, no, I do like cats. Don't do that at home.
Its fine in the workplace then  :popcorn:
Who let Murphy in?

Brymen-Fluke-HP-Thurlby-Thander-Tek-Extech-Black Star-GW-Avo-Kyoritsu-Amprobe-ITT-Robin-TTi
 

Offline Cubdriver

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #2974 on: October 19, 2017, 08:50:51 am »
My big concern is that she likes to gnaw and lick things, and sometimes bites at the AC mains cords plugged into the power strips mounted to the underside of the shelf.  She hasn't bitten through one, but it could get ugly if she does.  She gets yelled at and rather unceremoniously dropped to the floor when she starts doing that!  (This, as might be expected, does little or nothing to deter her.)

-Pat
If it jams, force it.  If it breaks, you needed a new one anyway...
 


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