Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[Carl_Smith]

You would think that since a good portion of the trucks crashing in the 11foot8 videos are rental Penske, Budget, or Enterprise trucks, that the rental companies in that city would warn everyone to not go under that bridge.   

The last one was good -- the truck goes the wrong way up the one way, then backs up into the crossing road to turn around, then goes the other way and slams into the bridge.

[Cubdriver]

If only there was some sort of a warning to let them know they were too tall to fit.     Maybe a sign or something.  Before the bridge.  Perhaps with flashing lights.  Yellow.  Yellow is pretty much the universal 'warning' color, isn't it?  Maybe that sign could be colored yellow.  And for clarity's sake, it could say something like "OVERHEIGHT WHEN FLASHING", so you would know what the lights meant, and why they were blinking...

Of course that might also require people to pay attention...   

Maybe they need this, a block in front of the bridge:


Who am I kidding.  That wouldn't work either.   

-Pat

[bitseeker]

TEAlert: eBay (US & Canada) 15% off, but you have to use the latest version of their app. See link for details.

I saved even more $$, because I didn't see this till after it had expired and as a result managed NOT to go sailing on the bay of evil.

Congrats on dodging that bullet, Pat.

My repair queue is way too long as it is, too...

Oh, that's just par for the course. We'd kick you out, otherwise.

[bitseeker]

Maybe they need this, a block in front of the bridge:


Who am I kidding.  That wouldn't work either.   

Um, yeah, how will they know that they hit the sign? A little thump probably wouldn't get their attention. Fifth-wheel drivers wouldn't even hear that much judging by all the air conditioners that were scraped off in that video.

[med6753]

If you look at more recent videos of the low bridge the state DID put in multiple warnings including a big "Overheight warning, turn now" that comes on automatically and turns the lights red if it senses a truck that may hit. And it's well in advance of the bridge but it still gets clobbered. 

[GregDunn]

Yes, if they're going to run a red light it's clear they weren't paying attention anyway...

[mnementh]

TEAlert: eBay (US & Canada) 15% off, but you have to use the latest version of their app. See link for details.

I saved even more $$, because I didn't see this till after it had expired and as a result managed NOT to go sailing on the bay of evil.  My repair queue is way too long as it is, too...

-Pat

I WAS SAVED from this fate... I saw this, but Play Store didn't wanna play nice... and then my dad, who's down from NYC visiting, took us all out for dinner at . By the time we got back, stuffed so full of brisket and baked topatoes we could barely waddle up the sidewalk, the eBay deal was long gone. WIN-WIN!!! 

So I consoled myself with a $200 "Asshole Tax" credit I got from slAmazon because first UPS screwed the football on a lift chair I ordered for my dad, then LIED to me twice about it, then shipped it back to slAmazon without ever even coming down my street.  THEN Amazon Customer Support had to shoot their wad all over things, screwing up my attempt at reordering by telling me they could turn the shipment around when they couldn't.   

You remember the POS bedframe they refunded and told me to just "Dispose of it as you see fit"? Its replacement arrived last week and I've already bought all the electronics/computer stuff I plan on this Christmas, so I burned that credit on a mattress for my daughter's bed I'd have to spend cash on anyways.

Now what can I spend that "saved" money on...   

mnem
Ooooohhh... SCUBA gear... *~POP!~*

[mnementh]

If you look at more recent videos of the low bridge the state DID put in multiple warnings including a big "Overheight warning, turn now" that comes on automatically and turns the lights red if it senses a truck that may hit. And it's well in advance of the bridge but it still gets clobbered. 

Need to hook the sensors up to a line of these... 

mnem
Overall, I bet it would still save money for everyone involved. 

[Cubdriver]

If you look at more recent videos of the low bridge the state DID put in multiple warnings including a big "Overheight warning, turn now" that comes on automatically and turns the lights red if it senses a truck that may hit. And it's well in advance of the bridge but it still gets clobbered. 

I did indeed see that - thus my sarcastic, over the top post suggesting they put in a sign that would be ignored by most of those stupid enough to hit the bridge.

Need to hook the sensors up to a line of these... 

mnem
Overall, I bet it would still save money for everyone involved. 

I rather like that idea - there seemed to be quite a few that appeared to be juuuust barely too tall - dropping them another six or eight inches would likely get 'em underneath without scraping!  I want dibs on a lot just beyond the bridge to set up a truck tire shop, though.   

-Pat

[med6753]

Many of you guys are talking about more TEA purchases but for me it's going to slow down for a while. I don't self fund the purchases by "buy, fix, sell". I rarely sell anything. So for me it's "buy, fix, keep". And I pretty much blew the budget with the SD3055. Plus Christmas is coming. Humbug...but yea...you have to get the presents for the grand kids. But that doesn't mean there's no TEA activity here. I've made the first tentative steps towards the renovation project. Some teaser shots:

The bookcase that occupied that area is gone. The cabinet with the plant is soon to follow.


That bookcase is now in the TEA closet. I told you I'd start filling it up.   And there's still a lot more room. As I make more changes more teaser pix to follow.

[bd139]

2235 update. Managed to source a suitable power supply. I found two no brand 24V 2A SMPS modules in the cupboard (among 8 other ones - I have too much crap!), confirmed they are floating and wired in series. They limit hard at 2.2A which is fine for this and can be adjusted down to 43V. Fluke 87V for current monitoring. One cheap solution!

New FETs in. Got IRF820. I saw other FETs with lower Rds(on) but this is still 0.3 ohms better than the original (which had been in there for a ton of years) and not too horrible gate capacitance which means it'll hopefully stay out of the linear region longer which is the big PD problem here.

Ordered some super fast recovery rectifiers and discovered that I didn't read the packaging properly and they are huge. Fail. I will find something better from RS today. New 1uF film caps arrived too. Those burned the wallet a bit.

If the preregulator is permanently knackered, it's getting replaced with a linear PS or COTS SMPS module

[mnementh]

Hmmm.... I will await that mechanation with interest; I have a couple 48V server supplies under my bench, so a little dickery there might help me isolate the problems in the 2230. 

mnem
*off to the in-laws for turkey-lurking day*

[bd139]

Well it's not going well so far. I managed to get it up with 2 bench supplies in the end. Only pulls 600mA from each supply. Should have worked that out to start with.

However the display is flickering. Power rails are 100% fine so this is HT related. No bloody VR37 resistors in stock on RS until December 12th either. This one might have to go away in the cupboard for a bit

Edit: I am now the owner for 5 broken analogue scopes (475A timebase still has problems but switch related). No more!

[bd139]

Ah it gets worse. Was reorganising everything, unplugged the metcal at the socket and touched the L/N pins on the plug. Ping! Yow! Fucking X2 capacitors! Bane of my existence!

[med6753]

You are a hazard to yourself and others around you.      Unplug the soldering iron and step away from the repair cue.  Go watch the boob tube or something useless.   

Perhaps you should take up knitting or something safe for a while until you get your mo jo back. 

[bd139]

I have decided to exactly that for a couple of evenings at least 

I have cleaned and tidied my bench though. Looks half respectable now 

[bitseeker]

Happy Thanksgiving! Gobble, gobble (mass quantities).

For those not in the US, feel free to consume a lot of whatever catches your fancy as well.

[bd139]

Happy thanksgiving to you lot.

BTW avoid the Wikipedia page for thanksgiving. Someone penis trolled it. 

Edit: forgot to mention this is “watch the wallies week” here. We watch the lesser brained of you Americans burning their houses down with turkey fryers on YouTube and get to spam F5 all day watching http://blackfridaydeathcount.com 

[GregDunn]

Looks like southern Wally Worlds are not the place to be this weekend...

[bitseeker]

Edit: forgot to mention this is “watch the wallies week” here. We watch the lesser brained of you Americans burning their houses down with turkey fryers on YouTube and get to spam F5 all day watching http://blackfridaydeathcount.com 

Oh, my! Goes well with a side order of low-bridge videos, I suppose.

[bd139]

Yeah I've got slightly addicted to 11foot8 now. It's mostly rental trucks by the looks and pool drivers.

To add insult to injury after zapping myself earlier, I just did my tax return myself because my accountant has buggered off somewhere and no one knows where he is (probably hitman got him) ... fortunately only £2 out on my calculation. When I hit the "view your calculation" button I always think "no TEA for the next 12 months" 

[Neomys Sapiens]

Snagged a weighty tome: Jane's Military Communications from 1989. I expect it to have consequences, because some gear I saw went unbought because I couldn't look it up fast enough.

[nixiefreqq]

188,888 blink of doom!


just zoorched my fluke 8810a.


fluke is very clear that when using an 80k40 high voltage probe you need to make sure the ground clip is secure:

"Notice that the divider depends upon a ground lead to complete the low side of the circuit path. Therefore, this connection must always be secure before attempting a voltage measurement. Otherwise, instrument damage or a shock hazard will result."


well it was secure...….just not to something that was grounded (or even conductive!).  really need to remember to put the bifocals on and check because sometimes plastic can look like metal.  (yes, i am dumb as a box of rocks).

would also have bet that the guard clip on the front was connected from "low" to "ground".  pretty clear from the pic that it was NOT.  so that did not ground things either.


when i stood back and flipped the power switch on the dut something inside the 8810 was arcing. (crack-crack-crack-crack-crack is never a good thing unless actual spark plugs are involved)

now the poor thing justs sits and blinks "188888".   it appears that the -18v supply is dead.  all of the descrete parts in the regulator appear to test ok, but the op amp gets too hot to touch.

have an ne5534 on order.  will pop it in upon delivery next week and see if the 8810 can be restored to life............or what other mischief trying to float 12,500v can cause.


maybe swmbo was right when she said i should never be without adult supervision?




 

 

[Specmaster]

I have decided to exactly that for a couple of evenings at least 

I have cleaned and tidied my bench though. Looks half respectable now 

Don't get zapped using a T12 and to think that it needed was a decent 24v PSU or even a 28v and you'd have had all the heat you need and NO zaps 

[Specmaster]

Well it's not going well so far. I managed to get it up with 2 bench supplies in the end. Only pulls 600mA from each supply. Should have worked that out to start with.

However the display is flickering. Power rails are 100% fine so this is HT related. No bloody VR37 resistors in stock on RS until December 12th either. This one might have to go away in the cupboard for a bit

Edit: I am now the owner for 5 broken analogue scopes (475A timebase still has problems but switch related). No more!

Things are going slightly better here, snagged a Sony mini hi-fi unit with a dodgy CD player, because I though the Minidisc deck would fit the Aiwa, Naah  But the CD player just wanted the laser cleaned and it sprung to live, works perfectly now, so it is all working perfectly, just awaiting the arrival of remote for it and it can on sale, CD, MiniDisc, Cassette, FM/MW/LW with speakers in almost new condition, hmmm chicken dinner