Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[bitseeker]

Two comments
1. I can only switch on about 3 or 4 at any one time!
2. They are stored on palet racking that can take 200kg per shelf, the middle shelf is getting close to the limit.

Beware of overloaded shelves: 

[0culus]

Look up graphviz. It is used to generate these things

Yep, have used it. Been a while though. 

[0culus]

Two comments
1. I can only switch on about 3 or 4 at any one time!
2. They are stored on palet racking that can take 200kg per shelf, the middle shelf is getting close to the limit.

Beware of overloaded shelves: 

That's the stuff of nightmares. 

[Wolfgang]

Two comments
1. I can only switch on about 3 or 4 at any one time!
2. They are stored on palet racking that can take 200kg per shelf, the middle shelf is getting close to the limit.

Beware of overloaded shelves: 

If you want to see a real forklift desaster, try this one (in German, but the pictures say everything):



women and children better leave the room. 

[bitseeker]

Anyway back on topic. I haven't posted this for a long time and we have some new members.

HP wallpaper archive: http://hparchive.com/wallpaper <-- TEA pr0n

Edit: there are a huge amount of new wallpapers since I last posted

Sample image

Very cool. Added to the POI.

[bitseeker]

Sample image

OMG - that 3478A has the special anti-gravity "option G".   

I believe that would be option -G. 

[Wolfgang]

Now I want to see one that dives *into* the table. 

[bitseeker]

Now I want to see one that dives *into* the table. 

 

[bd139]

If you want to see a real forklift desaster, try this one (in German, but the pictures say everything):



women and children better leave the room. 

I first saw that at a club chill out area (if you can call it that - google “slimelight”) back in early 00s. I nearly pissed myself from laughing 

[bitseeker]

It's the Monty Python of safety videos.

[Wolfgang]

It's the Monty Python of safety videos.

Yeah. Its the best example how to convey knowledge in a very short time that forever sticks in the memory of the people who watch this.

Way better than explaining safety rules on paper !!!

[beanflying]

Very cool. Added to the POI.

This is the original artists work here I posted a few weeks back https://www.flickr.com/photos/144543740@N05/ while looking for 740B info.

[bitseeker]

Woah! Even more! 

[0culus]

Welp, I love that I can have many desktops with different pictures because guess where they are all from now? 

I pulled the trigger on an HP 8568B spectrum analyzer. Should be here next week, along with the requisite TEA pr0n. 

[GreyWoolfe]

Anyway back on topic. I haven't posted this for a long time and we have some new members.

HP wallpaper archive: http://hparchive.com/wallpaper <-- TEA pr0n

Edit: there are a huge amount of new wallpapers since I last posted

Sample image

Thanks, BD, this is now the wallpaper on my workbench computer.    After all, I now own 2 of these beauties.

[Neomys Sapiens]

@MNEMETH:
AARDVARK?

[Specmaster]

If you want to see a real forklift desaster, try this one (in German, but the pictures say everything):



women and children better leave the room. 

I first saw that at a club chill out area (if you can call it that - google “slimelight”) back in early 00s. I nearly pissed myself from laughing 

Reminds me of all the health and safety videos I've seen starring John Cleese.

[Neomys Sapiens]

Aaand a TEAtime-story with a happy end:
I aquired an Anritsu Sitemaster 251B for the explicit purpose of lending it to my company (told somewhere here). But then the fun started.
Battery missing - check. Was known and is available.
It came with two leader cables: a super flexible, low PIM heavy duty SUCOFLEX and one that looks like RG400. I tried the Sucoflex - and couldn't measure anything. I would have gotten better results with a random piece of TV coax from a garbage heap, as it is completely dead. I recalibrated and retried, but it took me a day to discover that the supposedly better cable was the culprit.

Then came the Software issue: the measurements must be documented of course. I downloaded the latest SW and installed it on a W7 PC. Nogo. (+1day) I phoned support (+2days) and was somehow misunderstood as having a 251C. So I was send off to a full blown jackalope chase with the wrong SW, the wrong config and the wrong Baudrate.
Turns out that this SW never worked under W7 and never was able to handle the 251B. (contrary to the manual)
Got the old SW and found out (after another day) that it works under XP and W10, but nothing in between. And got send off again, with TWO different wrong solutions. For a moment I held the device and pondered the question if a sledgehammer or a shotgun would yield greater satisfaction.
Finally, I got behind the Baudrate BS and it works.

[Wolfgang]

Anritsu and Software is not always a good combo. I have an MS2036A VNA/SA, and I must really say that the MST (master software tools) is a bit of a drag. Another issue is the unstable USB 1.1 connection. Nice hardware, but the user interface and software design is old and still buggy.

[mnementh]

If you want to see a real forklift desaster, try this one (in German, but the pictures say everything):

[StaplerFahrvergnügen Video]

women and children better leave the room. 

I first saw that at a club chill out area (if you can call it that - google “slimelight”) back in early 00s. I nearly pissed myself from laughing 

Reminds me of all the health and safety videos I've seen starring John Cleese.

Also delicious over my dinner of squishy BBQ pork and avocados! 

@MNEMETH:
AARDVARK?

Indubitably. But more importantly, rattling Cerebus' chains to see if he's still alive.

mnem

[tautech]

But more importantly, rattling Cerebus' chains to see if he's still alive.

mnem

He has been quiet, I too miss his wit.

[mnementh]

[RANDOM MODE]

When Shipping with USPS, Is It Okay to Reuse Boxes with Amazon/Target Tape, and leave that tape on?

Kind of a dumb question, but I wasn't sure. Do I have to remove the tape completely off of these boxes and reseal them with clear tape only if I'm shipping with USPS. Or is it fine to leave the tape, and just use clear to reseal the top of the box? Thanks

DISCUSSION:

USPS does not care about that at all. The only thing that would cause issues is if it had Priority Mail tape on it and you were using it for a different service. Just make sure the old addresses, labels, and barcodes are removed or covered up.

    FedEx is a little whiny bitch and has silly rules like "no packages wrapoed in brown paper"
    USPS will ship pretty much anything as long as you aren't abusing their free materials
    you can stick a shipping label to a coconut and USPS will ship that coconut no issues

Have you shipped coconuts before? I feel like this is something you would only know from experience lol.

There are stores here in Florida that sell "coconut postcards." They are coconuts that have been cleaned up and have a little message box on the side. USPS sends them no problem.

USPS will not ship a box with an alcohol logo or name on it.

The wrapped in brown paper is not allowed as the paper can tear and with that goes the address label

Works fine for UPS and USPS. Huge assumption here, but I suspect it is just a poor solution to a non-problem that was pushed through by someone that realized "Hey! An opportunity to sell more packaging when we reject packages!"

I put my eBay sales in Amazon boxes and use eBay tape. I laugh manically when I do.

I put my FBA shipments in eBay boxes! Muahahaha.

Yes. I do it all the time but I just black out any bar codes that may be on the packaging and remove any other stickers that might have been used for shipping purposes. They don't care. The only thing they really look at is the shipping label.

I reuse boxes from other places to ship for eBay all the time. Helps the environment

[/RANDOM MODE]

mnem
I put sunglasses on statues, and I cackle nefariously while I'm doing it.

[URI]

As announced, here are the photos of my newly arrived HP 53132A:
Checked with my naked but working Trimble 57963-D against itself it's spot on showing a nice 12 digit resolution:   


For a little surprise (because not mentioned in the description or on the photos of the ebay-ad) it's equipped with the 200MHz-12,4GHz input channel C (Option 124)!   


The calibration was due to Nov. 22nd, 2018. Ok, then the calibration can't be void by braking the seal..   
Let's tear it apart!   

First impression on the inside of the casing: something left sticky residue...:


...it's the bumper underneath the mainboard: It has melted/deteriorated as described in the service note 53132A-06:


I'll follow that service note and try to clean that up using isopropyl alcohol.

Bottom view:


Top view:


To be continued..

[URI]

..continuing with photos of HP 53132A:
Detail showing channel C 200MHz - 12.4GHz frontend/divider assembly. I was surprised to see this compact board:


Here's a close-up of the switching power supply module:


Top view with...


...and without obstructing flat ribbon cable:


still to be continued..

[URI]

..continuing with photos of HP 53132A:

Mainboard close-up view of the input section of channel A and B:


And the other way around..   


Mainboard close-up view of the rear part with standard oscillator, serial and GPIB connector:


even further to be continued..