Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[med6753]

Working on the 465B “parts” unit.

Deoxit'ed the dirty switches and pots.
Cleaned up the front. Case is in good shape but needs a good cleaning.
Both Volts/Div knobs are cracked but still functional. If they get worse epoxy will fix.
Checked +55VDC reference. Dead on.
Checked all supply voltages for value and ripple. All in spec and ripple on all 2.0mv or less.
Checked HV. 2453V vs 2450V spec. Again, dead on.
Here's the best part. Did a DC continuity check of both channel attenuator switch decks and they are perfect. Don't even need cleaning.   

The bad: The trace has noise on it. It's not the power supply so could be only one thing. TANTS! If this guy winds up being a keeper I'm going to have to do a massive tant change at least on the vertical board. But I noticed as the scope warms up the noise clears slightly. All the more indication of bad caps somewhere. Going to leave the scope cook for a few hours. 

The 4X attenuator for the other 465B is somewhere over the Atlantic between Athens and JFK.

[med6753]

In other news. I look outside and it's snowing.  April snow storms are not unheard of but very unusual. Luckily the ground is too warm for the snow to stick so it's melting as soon as it hits the ground. And tomorrow is going to be sunny with temps around 65 F (18 C).     

[Cubdriver]

In other news. I look outside and it's snowing.  April snow storms are not unheard of but very unusual. Luckily the ground is too warm for the snow to stick so it's melting as soon as it hits the ground. And tomorrow is going to be sunny with temps around 65 F (18 C). 

  It's the northeastern US, and spring to boot.  If you don't like the weather, wait a few hours. 

-Pat

[mnementh]

[ ]

Fucking Caliber Collision. Get the message my wife's car is ready, so I go up to check it out. Guy pulls it around, and you can still see the dents from 10 feet away. They "fixed" both the liftgate and the original bumper skin, even though my insurance covers new, OEM parts. 

No way in Hell; that crappy repair is easily 2 grand off trade-in value. 

And they're a nationwide chain trying to pull that shit... just imagine what the average non-mechanic-type gets from 90% of the "corner shops" around here; like this poor Toyota Prius I resurrected for my bro-in-law, where they "fixed" the OEM headlights with pipe-hanger strap and drywall screws.   

[/ ]

mnem
*Time to get the kiddles*

[bd139]

That's total shit that is. I'd be pissed off. I made sure my insurance covers dealer only repair. Cost me £30 more a year for it but it's worth it.

Got to give my local citroen people their due. When you take the car in, they give it a full check over from top to bottom, send you an email with a link to a summary web page that has all the detail, photos, videos of the mechanic's findings (for example showing me brake disc thickness with calipers), use original parts only and get it unfucked in under 6 hours. Oh they also wash it inside and out. This is all fixed price quoted up front and is cheaper than the redneck garages around here as well where they take 3 days to do anything and everything involves calling their mate "dave the nutter" who's good with "electric shit"

Managed to get the dent out of my car today. Kettle + plunger = good shit.

[mnementh]

https://youtu.be/ql8v8mp6urM

NSFW:Lots of F-Bombs

This was you, wasn't it? 

I have USAA; they're one of the best you can get here in the States. They cover dealer repair, but the work warranty there is lifetime with that dealership shop. If I have it done at one of their network shops, ie Caliber, I get nationwide lifetime warranty. Since I'm planning to move to the other end of the country and then some, I think that warranty is important.

mnem
 

[Specmaster]

Just switched my computer on and checked the local news and discovered that there has been a major incident just a few hundred yards away my house today. https://www.essexlive.news/news/essex-news/chelmsford-kings-road-incident-armed-2723877 When this was going on I was out at the local airfield photographing some old warbirds.

I was there on monday as well, which also happens to be the base of the Essex and Herts Air Ambulance and on the way home I saw the Air Ambulance hovering over the town centre and slowly descending, turns out it was attending the scene of a stabbing, the 2nd one in 2 weeks in Chelmsford https://www.essexlive.news/news/essex-news/essex-police-issue-chelmsford-dispersal-2728095

These sort of things have been unknown in Chelmsford until recently and this is kicking off since we have suffered massive cuts to the police force and yet the PM refuses to accept that there is any correlation between these events and her cuts, get real and own your shit.  

[Specmaster]

 

https://youtu.be/ql8v8mp6urM

NSFW:Lots of F-Bombs

This was you, wasn't it? 

mnem
 

That's a good idea and I suspect that as the panel cools down the slight "outdent" might even pull back in a bit as the metal contracts. 

[bd139]

@specmaster: niiiice. Catching up with Isleworth now 

https://youtu.be/ql8v8mp6urM

NSFW:Lots of F-Bombs

This was you, wasn't it? 

I have USAA; they're one of the best you can get here in the States. They cover dealer repair, but the work warranty there is lifetime with that dealership shop. If I have it done at one of their network shops, ie Caliber, I get nationwide lifetime warranty. Since I'm planning to move to the other end of the country and then some, I think that warranty is important.

mnem
 

Hahaha no.  Was a piece of piss actually. Think the outdent there is because the car is made of tin foil.

[Specmaster]

Bd139, it certainly looks that way, I'll try and send it back your way if you like, heres the first stabbing https://www.essexlive.news/news/essex-news/chelmsford-stabbing-sees-teenager-suffer-2668591 It probably was one of the people displaced by London Boroughs who are dumping people in ex office blocks in Harlow that have been converted into flats. https://www.essexlive.news/news/essex-news/harlow-terminus-house-nightmare-tower-2721068 

[tggzzz]

Just switched my computer on and checked the local news and discovered that there has been a major incident just a few hundred yards away my house today. https://www.essexlive.news/news/essex-news/chelmsford-kings-road-incident-armed-2723877 When this was going on I was out at the local airfield photographing some old warbirds.
...
These sort of things have been unknown in Chelmsford until recently and this is kicking off since we have suffered massive cuts to the police force and yet the PM refuses to accept that there is any correlation between these events and her cuts, get real and own your shit.

Post hoc ergo prompter hoc?

This country is becoming nastier and less tolerant in many ways Wait until your/my local police have been sent to N Ireland and Kent.

[beanflying]

Just switched my computer on and checked the local news and discovered that there has been a major incident just a few hundred yards away my house today. https://www.essexlive.news/news/essex-news/chelmsford-kings-road-incident-armed-2723877 When this was going on I was out at the local airfield photographing some old warbirds.
...
These sort of things have been unknown in Chelmsford until recently and this is kicking off since we have suffered massive cuts to the police force and yet the PM refuses to accept that there is any correlation between these events and her cuts, get real and own your shit.

Post hoc ergo prompter hoc?

This country is becoming nastier and less tolerant in many ways Wait until your/my local police have been sent to N Ireland and Kent.

Given the House of Lords has devolved to the equivelent of 'would you like to step outside' there is a solution https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-zealand-visas

[tautech]

Just switched my computer on and checked the local news and discovered that there has been a major incident just a few hundred yards away my house today. https://www.essexlive.news/news/essex-news/chelmsford-kings-road-incident-armed-2723877 When this was going on I was out at the local airfield photographing some old warbirds.
...
These sort of things have been unknown in Chelmsford until recently and this is kicking off since we have suffered massive cuts to the police force and yet the PM refuses to accept that there is any correlation between these events and her cuts, get real and own your shit.

Post hoc ergo prompter hoc?

This country is becoming nastier and less tolerant in many ways Wait until your/my local police have been sent to N Ireland and Kent.

Given the House of Lords has devolved to the equivelent of 'would you like to step outside' there is a solution https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-zealand-visas

Here's a better solution:
https://www.australia.gov.au/information-and-services/immigration-and-visas
 

[bd139]

Bd139, it certainly looks that way, I'll try and send it back your way if you like, heres the first stabbing https://www.essexlive.news/news/essex-news/chelmsford-stabbing-sees-teenager-suffer-2668591 It probably was one of the people displaced by London Boroughs who are dumping people in ex office blocks in Harlow that have converted into flats. https://www.essexlive.news/news/essex-news/harlow-terminus-house-nightmare-tower-2721068 

It's ok we've got plenty thanks 

I don't think it's the displaced Londoners to be honest. It's more likely the fact that mental health services have collapsed in the last year. There are a lot of live wires out there and they're not getting the help they need. Basic waiting list is 9 months before you even get seen. Terminus House isn't as bad as the other options - street or hostel. People genuinely need to quit moaning. 99% of people are grateful, just the 1% make 99% of the noise.

Honestly the people I worry about more are the thickos who have suddenly been given an ideology on a plate by the media shenanigans in the last two years. Remember the last time some thickos got an ideology:

This country is becoming nastier and less tolerant in many ways Wait until your/my local police have been sent to N Ireland and Kent.

I genuinely don't think it has become worse. The vile things I've heard over the years in closed circles, even from my own family members, suggest that some people have been waiting quietly for their views to be legitimised. Unfortunately this has happened.

The problems we have are: education, austerity, propaganda, personality cults, religion and the fact that we transitioned to a service economy rather quickly.

[beanflying]

Just switched my computer on and checked the local news and discovered that there has been a major incident just a few hundred yards away my house today. https://www.essexlive.news/news/essex-news/chelmsford-kings-road-incident-armed-2723877 When this was going on I was out at the local airfield photographing some old warbirds.
...
These sort of things have been unknown in Chelmsford until recently and this is kicking off since we have suffered massive cuts to the police force and yet the PM refuses to accept that there is any correlation between these events and her cuts, get real and own your shit.

Post hoc ergo prompter hoc?

This country is becoming nastier and less tolerant in many ways Wait until your/my local police have been sent to N Ireland and Kent.

Given the House of Lords has devolved to the equivelent of 'would you like to step outside' there is a solution https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-zealand-visas

Here's a better solution:
https://www.australia.gov.au/information-and-services/immigration-and-visas
 

I like your PM a lot better than our 'current' interloper  Nice small Coffee shop with TEA and CNC in the back room somewhere up North of Auckland to continue my semi-retirement. 

[tautech]

Bean
We shouldn't descend into politics in the TEA thread but if you want to have a private chat about our (*** censored) esteemed leader    feel free to shoot me mail.

[bd139]

Wise move. Shall we return to insanity again? 

I spent the entire afternoon and evening today sorting my capacitors out. Down to one small box at last!

I've got about 10 boxes of parts I'm going to shift now. Considering doing a table at a hamfest soon to do it. £20 a box would be a good day out and a hell of a lot less of a pain in the arse than shifting them on ebay as they're basically full of crap and weigh more than the Royal Mail 2kg "sensible postage price" limit

[mnementh]

LOL... I'm up to my elbows in the same exact thing. I just sorted out 3 piles of Analog & LVDS patch cords into one 55L storage tote, sending a box of equal size to the Goodwill. I also did the same with my multiple-piles of scrap PCBs. And I've just started sorting 3 similar piles of assorted power-packs & wall-warts.

Guess what I just unearthed in the garage: A bin of each, as large or larger, already sorted similarly in one of our last two houses. 

So now I've dumped all the LVDS etc cables together in a wagon in the LR... allowing myself 2 or 3 of each kind (NO MORE!!! *SLAPS WRIST*), and the rest in boxes to the Thrift. Doing the same with the other 3 lots next...

mnem
Pray for me. 

[0culus]

I went to the container store (simultaneously one of the best and worst stores ever  ) and got more of these super handy bins that have a lid that's actually a small bin. Using them to round up small things around the lab as I prepare to move.

In other news, more AGC pr0n:

And bonus points for the tasty test gear pr0n in the background. 

[beanflying]

I went to the container store (simultaneously one of the best and worst stores ever  ) and got more of these super handy bins that have a lid that's actually a small bin. Using them to round up small things around the lab as I prepare to move.

In other news, more AGC pr0n:

And bonus points for the tasty test gear pr0n in the background. 

That's just nerdy on a whole other level 

[0culus]

I went to the container store (simultaneously one of the best and worst stores ever  ) and got more of these super handy bins that have a lid that's actually a small bin. Using them to round up small things around the lab as I prepare to move.

In other news, more AGC pr0n:

And bonus points for the tasty test gear pr0n in the background. 

That's just nerdy on a whole other level 

The fellow whose real job is as an engineer at SpaceX is a real whiz at cranking out those FPGA designs. 

[Neomys Sapiens]

Wise move. Shall we return to insanity again? 

I spent the entire afternoon and evening today sorting my capacitors out. Down to one small box at last!

I've got about 10 boxes of parts I'm going to shift now. Considering doing a table at a hamfest soon to do it. £20 a box would be a good day out and a hell of a lot less of a pain in the arse than shifting them on ebay as they're basically full of crap and weigh more than the Royal Mail 2kg "sensible postage price" limit

Any 2AG (5x15) fuses among your surplus?

[0culus]

Getting things organized is hard. I dedicated 1 bin (and several small crafts type organizers for SMA stuff) to RF connections, cables, etc. Other bins for other things, but it's scary how quickly bins become catch alls when you get lazy and just want the clutter gone yesterday.

One thing's for sure, when I get moved and have proper benches, I'm going to get at least a couple of these for organizing RF plumbing and small parts.

[BravoV]

Yeah, seriously. For that price take it hand & all, providing you get to confirm it works or have right of return. 

I have that beast at work: great signal generator - clean spectrum and advanced modulation capabilities - go for it!

At that price I wouldn't think twice since you could get easily more if it isn't repairable and you'd offer it as defective/for parts.
Get it and don't worry.   

Thanks, done deal, its on the way ... <$200 excl s/h cost. 

Edit : Shot from seller

[tggzzz]

This country is becoming nastier and less tolerant in many ways Wait until your/my local police have been sent to N Ireland and Kent.

I genuinely don't think it has become worse. The vile things I've heard over the years in closed circles, even from my own family members, suggest that some people have been waiting quietly for their views to be legitimised. Unfortunately this has happened.

The problems we have are: education, austerity, propaganda, personality cults, religion and the fact that we transitioned to a service economy rather quickly.

People will always be people. The legitimisation is indeed the problem, together with the "don't trust the experts" mantra beloved of some Dunning-Kruger politicians and svengalis.

When it all goes wrong, we'll be transitioning out of a service economy rather quickly

But all that is too close to politics. 'Nuff said.