Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[neo]

What's a heathkit id-22 worth?

Not much. £10-15 in the U.K.  they have 12AU7+12AX7 tubes in which are worth more individually if they are from one of the “magic audio tube” manufacturers (Mullard etc). I had one and it had a Brimar tubes in it.

I'm considering bidding on one to go with my 0-12. But it's expensive at 40 dollars.

[bd139]

If it’s for your own personal satisfaction then why not

(I just spent way too much on a pretty dumb Fluke 8000A for that reason)

[Specmaster]

If it’s for your own personal satisfaction then why not

(I just spent way too much on a pretty dumb Fluke 8000A for that reason)

Yes, but it is a Fluke after all and should last for many more years.

Sent from my SM-J510FN using Tapatalk

[bd139]

Dunno with this one. Two ASICs that like to blow up regularly, hooky power supply design, very old LED displays, flexible PCB, live mains on the main board right next to all the signal lines with no solder mask and latching changeover switches. What could go wrong? 

This was made in the early 1970s when safety was putting your kids in the back of your van against the bulkhead so if your father crashed after drinking five pints at the Sunday lunch you’d get a face full of toolboxes instead of being thrown out of the windscreen.

[neo]

I'll always remember the 8000A fondly, it was my first good multimeter.

[Zucca]

I'll make myself unpopular with this one, but screw metcat! I found my love for soldering irons in ERSA.

ohhh ERSA... the holy ERSA... never got one... but from what I read it is the only one which can fight against the Metcal powerful kingdom.
I would like to give them a shot one day, just out of curiosity, it's like Lamborghini against Ferrari...

Weller are also very good don't get me wrong, but still behind in my eyes.

PS: Irons are like girls or religions: you don't have to try all of them to find the right one. You fall in love with one and spend the rest of your life with it. 

[bd139]

I think it’s more about tolerating each other until you’re dead

WRT Fluke 8000’s, They are pretty good meters when they’re working.

It does make my heart sink slightly whenever I get my hands on an 8000 series which has the battery option. The cells are always toast and the power supply is a headache.

[Mr. Scram]

After leaving it turned on for a few days once too often, I finally decided to add the power indicator that my WD-1 should have had from the factory.  It lives on the upper shelf of my bench and thus the LCD is not easily seen and it can be on and not obviously so.  I had an old push-in neon panel indicator that came from Rat Shack probably 30 or more years ago, so I opened the base unit up, drilled a hole just above the power switch and put the indicator in there after splicing longer leads onto it and crimping on a pair of stacking faston terminals.  They go to the transformer primary, and the primary leads now go to the piggyback blades on the new terminals.

Now I have no excuse for not seeing that it's on, and I'm pleased that it doesn't look terribly kluged.







As an aside, does anyone else get incredibly frustrated trying to edit posts on an iPod, like to the point where you find yourself yelling at it and come close to flinging it into a wall like a frisbee because if you want to select the text it will offer to do anything but that; if you want to place the cursor it wants to replace a nearby word (for instance, trying to add a line break after an image tag), etc., etc., etc?  I wish they'd add some bloody arrow keys to move the frigging cursor!!

-Pat

Does yours make any sound? My WD2M has an audible buzz. I tightened the mounting screws of the transformer, but no improvement.

[Specmaster]

I think it’s more about tolerating each other until you’re dead

No, you can change an iron with ease and the only penalty is small pain in the wallet region, now a wife on the other hand if you try and change her will leave you and your wallet smarting and just maybe, if you're really lucky, leave your small change alone 

[BU508A]

After leaving it turned on for a few days once too often, I finally decided to add the power indicator that my WD-1 should have had from the factory.  It lives on the upper shelf of my bench and thus the LCD is not easily seen and it can be on and not obviously so. 

I've added some LED side light to my Weller WD-1M because I was annoyed of the LCD which is nearly unreadable under dim conditions.
Will add some pictures this evening.

[ChrisLX200]

I think it’s more about tolerating each other until you’re dead

No, you can change an iron with ease and the only penalty is small pain in the wallet region, now a wife on the other hand if you try and change her will leave you and your wallet smarting and just maybe, if you're really lucky, leave your small change alone 

Nor do you need to remember the iron's birthday or celebrate the aniversary for when you bought it

[bd139]

I think it’s more about tolerating each other until you’re dead

No, you can change an iron with ease and the only penalty is small pain in the wallet region, now a wife on the other hand if you try and change her will leave you and your wallet smarting and just maybe, if you're really lucky, leave your small change alone 

Nor do you need to remember the iron's birthday or celebrate the aniversary for when you bought it

That's what smartphones were invented for; remembering important dates!

[VK5RC]

After leaving it turned on for a few days once too often, I finally decided to add the power indicator that my WD-1 should have had from the factory.  It lives on the upper shelf of my bench and thus the LCD is not easily seen and it can be on and not obviously so.  I had an old push-in neon panel indicator that came from Rat Shack probably 30 or more years ago, so I opened the base unit up, drilled a hole just above the power switch and put the indicator in there after splicing longer leads onto it and crimping on a pair of stacking faston terminals.  They go to the transformer primary, and the primary leads now go to the piggyback blades on the new terminals.

Now I have no excuse for not seeing that it's on, and I'm pleased that it doesn't look terribly kluged.







As an aside, does anyone else get incredibly frustrated trying to edit posts on an iPod, like to the point where you find yourself yelling at it and come close to flinging it into a wall like a frisbee because if you want to select the text it will offer to do anything but that; if you want to place the cursor it wants to replace a nearby word (for instance, trying to add a line break after an image tag), etc., etc., etc?  I wish they'd add some bloody arrow keys to move the frigging cursor!!

-Pat

Does yours make any sound? My WD2M has an audible buzz. I tightened the mounting screws of the transformer, but no improvement.

pat - really nice job - fortunately I have a master switch near the door of my Ham shack that has saved my WD1's bacon a few times.
Mr S - No sound from my WD1. 

[AF6LJ]

After leaving it turned on for a few days once too often, I finally decided to add the power indicator that my WD-1 should have had from the factory.  It lives on the upper shelf of my bench and thus the LCD is not easily seen and it can be on and not obviously so.  I had an old push-in neon panel indicator that came from Rat Shack probably 30 or more years ago, so I opened the base unit up, drilled a hole just above the power switch and put the indicator in there after splicing longer leads onto it and crimping on a pair of stacking faston terminals.  They go to the transformer primary, and the primary leads now go to the piggyback blades on the new terminals.

Now I have no excuse for not seeing that it's on, and I'm pleased that it doesn't look terribly kluged.







As an aside, does anyone else get incredibly frustrated trying to edit posts on an iPod, like to the point where you find yourself yelling at it and come close to flinging it into a wall like a frisbee because if you want to select the text it will offer to do anything but that; if you want to place the cursor it wants to replace a nearby word (for instance, trying to add a line break after an image tag), etc., etc., etc?  I wish they'd add some bloody arrow keys to move the frigging cursor!!

-Pat

Nicely done Pat, the mod looks great.
As for posting from anything other than a computer, I feel if it doesn't have a real keyboard it is not worthy of anything except a reading or viewing device for videos.
I'll only use voice to text on my phone, I hate the virtual keyboard.

[Zucca]

I had an old push-in neon panel indicator

Little tiny Neon indicator? You should have done better...

[Specmaster]

Important Update
This applies to my post on 11th October 2017, post #2674 in this thread and is about changes I made to my Heathkit VTVM Model V-7AU.

I have today spotted that there is a safety flaw in this meter and today I was checking on the state of the internal battery for corrosion and thought I'd fit an insulated AA battery holder and while exploring this option I discovered that under the right conditions (wrong conditions really  ) the whole case could be connected to the live (hot) side of the AC supply when measuring AC volts.

If anyone does these modifications, beware that there is an inherent safety issue when measuring AC volts, the case could become live with the 1/4" jack socket left in place as the battery negative uses the chassis and case as its connection to the meter. This means that the common socket is still connected to the chassis via the 1/4" jack  while measuring AC voltage, particularly if the lead connected to the AC live pole was to be plugged into the common socket then the chassis and case would be live.

To cure this potential problem, I have decided to remove the 1/4" jack socket, which was originally retained to allow the use of a suitable RF probe, and in its place I'm fitting a 10mm LED panel indicator 6v to be wired across the old connections for the 6v MES bulb that previously served as a power on indicator. The old battery holder, (spring and C cup) is being removed and all insulted AA battery holder is being installed and the negative terminal will be wired directly to the common terminal, thus removing all connections to the case and chassis so removing any shock hazard.

I may also replace the current 2 core mains cable and fit a 3 core and earth the chassis, while this is strictly not essential as the whole VTM was designed in the first instance to be a insulated system, although this potential hazard has always been there as far as I'm aware and I'm not aware of anyone receiving a shock from it so maybe it is as much of a problem as I perceive it to be, none the less, I'm making these changes to my own meter, just to be safe.

[bd139]

Well spotted 

Glad you didn't kill yourself before you noticed it.

Incidentally there's a "floating" mod here which may be of interest: http://www.heathkit.nu/heathkit_nu_V-7A.html

[Specmaster]

Well spotted 

Glad you didn't kill yourself before you noticed it.

Incidentally there's a "floating" mod here which may be of interest: http://www.heathkit.nu/heathkit_nu_V-7A.html

Well what do you know, thats exactly what I trying to achieve when I set out on the modifications and everything's there except the isolated battery terminals (being modded as soon as parts arrive) and then at the last minute I decided to leave the jack socket so that, the RF probe could still be used if I found one. I left the pilot light in its original location but changed it to a led as well to accommodate the jack socket remaining  I even had a safety warning on the original post that caution must be exercised to ensure that the neutral must be plugged into the common socket or else the case would connected to the live supply.

I must have been running on auto pilot that day in Oct, just shows how things can bite you when you get to complacent, electricity takes no fucking prisoners, take care. 

[mnementh]

Ok then, soldering irons done and dusted?

Back on track , has anyone ever come across anything quite this at all?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DAETRON-MULTIMETER-4IN1-DIGITAL-MULTI-METER-C-W-5-CABLES-AND-CASE/232397279179

EDIT;
Photo added

Ummm... since when are soldering gear not part of the affliction?      I can say with some conviction that I'm a shameless soldering gear addict.   

I'll make myself unpopular with this one, but screw metcat! I found my love for soldering irons in ERSA.

ohhh ERSA... the holy ERSA... never got one... but from what I read it is the only one which can fight against the Metcal powerful kingdom.
I would like to give them a shot one day, just out of curiosity, it's like Lamborghini against Ferrari...

Weller are also very good don't get me wrong, but still behind in my eyes.

PS: Irons are like girls or religions: you don't have to try all of them to find the right one. You fall in love with one and spend the rest of your life with it. 

ERSA, JBC, Weller and Hakko are all roughly equal footing as long as we're talking prehistoric tech temperature-controlled irons that create heat by making angry pixies beat their heads against a piece of iron wire; it's just like listening to folks argue over whether Lincoln or Miller welders are best. The difference is both of their top of the line weld like crap compared to a mid-range ESAB; and neither of them can even get close to ESAB's plasmarc gear. Their technology is just that much better.


Similarly, MetCal (and clone/spinoff company ThermalTronics) have better technology; it works completely differently than ANY conventional iron. Their irons use high-frequency current to inductively heat an alloy slug to it's curie point, which by its elemental nature then operates at a fixed temperature. But the high-tech doesn't end there; the way it senses and closes the loop temperature-wise is similarly unique.

Instead of using a closed-loop circuit monitoring wherein the control cycle is: Tip at temp, tip touches work and cools, thermo senses drop in temp & turns on heat, heater heats metal slug and work, thermo senses tip at temp again, etc... the SmartHeat system monitors the HF inductance of the tip, and as soon as the tip touches the work that inductance changes, so the increase in applied energy is instantaneous. The "tip touches work and cools, thermo senses drop in temp" part of the loop is effectively eliminated.

This is true of both MetCal and Thermaltronics SmartHeat systems.

The (un)Holy Trinity of ERSA, JBC, Weller and Hakko will ALWAYS have their loyal followers; especially among those with a "turn it up to 11" mentality who simply MUST HAVE a knob/button they can mess with. But those who solder to get the soldering DONE AND DONE RIGHT prefer MetCal and Thermaltronics, because they know their gear will always be at the RIGHT temperature for the job at hand, and they will always be able to get the exact right tip for that job. I learned that lesson long ago with my Weller GT7 soldering gun; when you need bigger, you simply need bigger, not higher temperature. It has 150W power, 6-second heat-up time and solid-state temperature control. It is old-school tech, but sometimes it simply is the right tool for the job.

The difference for me is a matter of cost-effectiveness; from the parts I linked to earlier, I can build a 70W clone T12 cartridge system with multiple presets, motion-sense sleep mode and a dozen assorted tips for ~$50 that has proven reliability, flexible 12-30V input power requirements, and an OLED display with rotary-encoder GUI that is incredibly intuitive to use.

Bang/Buck wise, the clone T12 tips and OLED T12 based system beats all others by a wide margin.

mnem


Start 'em young.

[Specmaster]

Arh, now I can see the magic of the Metcal system and put that way it kind of makes sense and has given me the itch to get one apart from one problem, as a retired person I can't afford expensive items like that 

While you may well be a shameless soldering addict, a soldering iron is still not a piece of actual test gear is it? 

[nctnico]

The (un)Holy Trinity of ERSA, JBC, Weller and Hakko will ALWAYS have their loyal followers; especially among those with a "turn it up to 11" mentality who simply MUST HAVE a knob/button they can mess with. But those who solder to get the soldering DONE AND DONE RIGHT prefer MetCal and Thermaltronics, because they know their gear will always be at the RIGHT temperature for the job at hand, and they will always be able to get the exact right tip for that job. I learned that lesson long ago with my Weller GT7 soldering gun; when you need bigger, you simply need bigger, not higher temperature. It has 150W power, 6-second heat-up time and solid-state temperature control. It is old-school tech, but sometimes it simply is the right tool for the job.

You can also get big tips for other irons. I've found many people use tips which are way too small and they crank up the temperature instead of using a better suitable tip. I got some big ass tips for my Ersa iron and they work great for soldering chunky stuff.

[mnementh]

Arh, now I can see the magic of the Metcal system and put that way it kind of makes sense and has given me the itch to get one apart from one problem, as a retired person I can't afford expensive items like that 

While you may well be a shameless soldering addict, a soldering iron is still not a piece of actual test gear is it? 

Of course not... as long as every piece of test gear you collect arrives and remains 100% fully functional, and you never ever have a need, or even a whim to upgrade anything on any of them.   


mnem
9 out of 10 cannibals prefer vegetarians.

[Specmaster]

Arh, now I can see the magic of the Metcal system and put that way it kind of makes sense and has given me the itch to get one apart from one problem, as a retired person I can't afford expensive items like that 

While you may well be a shameless soldering addict, a soldering iron is still not a piece of actual test gear is it? 

Of course not... as long as every piece of test gear you collect arrives and remains 100% fully functional, and you never ever have a need, or even a whim to upgrade anything on any of them.   


mnem
9 out of 10 cannibals prefer vegetarians.

When that happens I get my cheap arse Hakko clone out do the job with that, if I need more heat, I pop on a larger tip and I'm not in anyway taking anything away from these high frequency irons, I love that sort of technology just unable to justify its high cost on a fixed low income thats all, so I and many others will have to do what we have to do to get by 

[bitseeker]

After leaving it turned on for a few days once too often, I finally decided to add the power indicator that my WD-1 should have had from the factory.

+1 for real power indicators, especially on mains-powered equipment. Sheesh. Nice mod, Pat.

As an aside, does anyone else get incredibly frustrated trying to edit posts on an iPod, like to the point where you find yourself yelling at it and come close to flinging it into a wall like a frisbee because if you want to select the text it will offer to do anything but that; if you want to place the cursor it wants to replace a nearby word (for instance, trying to add a line break after an image tag), etc., etc., etc?  I wish they'd add some bloody arrow keys to move the frigging cursor!!

-Pat

Nicely done Pat, the mod looks great.
As for posting from anything other than a computer, I feel if it doesn't have a real keyboard it is not worthy of anything except a reading or viewing device for videos.
I'll only use voice to text on my phone, I hate the virtual keyboard.

Having a real keyboard is just like having a real power indicator. Don't settle for less, Pat.

[bitseeker]

While you may well be a shameless soldering addict, a soldering iron is still not a piece of actual test gear is it? 

Granted, it's not an actual piece of test gear. However, it's so intimately related to test gear, especially the slightly less than perfect test gear that we tend to get a hold of, that we could give the soldering/desoldering/rework equipment an honorary invitation to the TEA house.

What say ye?