Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[bd139]

Edit: considering taking an amble out tomorrow and visiting this. Not sure I can be arsed or not yet https://westrally.weebly.com/ ... need to get out for a day though so it’s a good excuse

I could do with a day out too. If I still lived your side of the Smoke I might seriously consider going, but dragging myself across London and then on to Zomerset feels a bit too much like work rather than a relaxing 'day out'.  Shame, we could have worked out some obscure and devilish recognition symbol. A tea-bag loaded 1/4 wave antenna perhaps?

Indeed. It’s a bit of a trek even from here. I certainly wouldn’t want to fight either of the circular roads of doom or the M25 first. I’m not 100% sure I can be arsed yet. Depends on the ETA after I’ve had my sausage and egg McMuffin and how much it’s pissing down 

We do indeed need a symbol of recognition or a logo. I’m liking that idea. Unfortunately devoid of tea bags ironically here

[bd139]

The irony of that sketch is Cleese has turned into one of them...

Seriously? Have you seen him in interview recently, and seen something I haven't? Every thing I've seen from the man indicates that while he is quite active in political process, he's also pretty progressive in his views.

He lives in the Carribean, and tweets that London "is not really an English city any more"
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-48451384

He’s also supported the Leave EU campaign from the perspective of being a crack smoking idiot while simultaneously complaining about the lies that were told.

He runs like a British colonial wanker.

[bd139]

Edit: considering taking an amble out tomorrow and visiting this. Not sure I can be arsed or not yet https://westrally.weebly.com/ ... need to get out for a day though so it’s a good excuse

I'm going because it is relatively local. I'm not expecting to find anything wonderful, but you never know.

There's the M4/A34 Newbury rally next weekend, but it is in a field not a community centre. http://www.nadars.org.uk/rally.asp

Yes I was going to do that too but I suspect it will be chucking it down so figured I’d take the one with at least a roof over half of it first.

[Specmaster]

The irony of that sketch is Cleese has turned into one of them...

Seriously? Have you seen him in interview recently, and seen something I haven't? Every thing I've seen from the man indicates that while he is quite active in political process, he's also pretty progressive in his views.

He lives in the Carribean, and tweets that London "is not really an English city any more"
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-48451384

He’s also supported the Leave EU campaign from the perspective of being a crack smoking idiot while simultaneously complaining about the lies that were told.

He runs like a British colonial wanker.

Hmmm living in the Caribbean he should not have been allowed to vote, whatever happens here wont affect his day to day life in the slightest. I smell a fix here just like the EU elections, EU nationals living here never received their voting cards in the post thus possibly altering the outcome.   

[Specmaster]

I actually left this ↓ scene for my wife to find one morning when we first got together. 

My those eggs are sure anaemic looking, never seen such white shells 

[tggzzz]

Edit: considering taking an amble out tomorrow and visiting this. Not sure I can be arsed or not yet https://westrally.weebly.com/ ... need to get out for a day though so it’s a good excuse

I could do with a day out too. If I still lived your side of the Smoke I might seriously consider going, but dragging myself across London and then on to Zomerset feels a bit too much like work rather than a relaxing 'day out'.  Shame, we could have worked out some obscure and devilish recognition symbol. A tea-bag loaded 1/4 wave antenna perhaps?

Indeed. It’s a bit of a trek even from here. I certainly wouldn’t want to fight either of the circular roads of doom or the M25 first. I’m not 100% sure I can be arsed yet. Depends on the ETA after I’ve had my sausage and egg McMuffin and how much it’s pissing down 

We do indeed need a symbol of recognition or a logo. I’m liking that idea. Unfortunately devoid of tea bags ironically here

You'll have the opportunity to travel on "the gateway to the sun" and see our oldest stately pile - but only from a distance, unlike when I was a kid and had picnics on it. Fortunately there are still places where you can do that, e.g. Avebury or Stanton Drew.

As for recognition, just ignore most of the people that don't look like <deleted observations of radio hams, for decency's sake>.

[mnementh]

The irony of that sketch is Cleese has turned into one of them...

Seriously? Have you seen him in interview recently, and seen something I haven't? Every thing I've seen from the man indicates that while he is quite active in political process, he's also pretty progressive in his views.

He lives in the Carribean, and tweets that London "is not really an English city any more"
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-48451384

Ummm... yeah. And if you read the article you linked to, it is pretty obvious that his actual views are still as progressive as ever. Its the tabloid media trying to make him sound like a bigoted arse using moronic sound-byte manipulation, as is their stock in trade.

The full interview is here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p06df6qd

If you listen to the guy, he says he's spent enough of his life fighting the good fight and is moving just to get away from the right-wing nuttery. He chose Nevis  because they're A) Generally well-educated in the traditional English style and 2) he's tired of the constant BS level of Western tabloid press, which in his opinion, ALL press is severely right-wing slanted and full of  BS. He likes Nevis because "their press is very tiny", not necessarily any less full of it.

It appears to me that he's leaving Britain because of the BREXIT circus, not that he's necessarily a BREXITer. His complaint above was that there simply was no discussion between the left and the right on BREXIT; it was all knee-jerk sensationalism on both sides of what he correctly characterized as "it's terribly complicated..." I can generally agree with all of these attitudes; there's a reason I'm moving my children to Canada.

Of course, as is the case over here, the one thing politics cannot stand up to is the light of day; ANY reasoned consideration of actual facts and outcomes vs the greater good will always be drowned out by whomever can lie the loudest with the biggest megaphone in a 10-second soundbyte. 

[EDIT]

While I generally believe that BREXIT was the second biggest sham putup fleece job of the millenium, that is also predicated upon a very limited understanding of all the ramifications. I know Cleese to be frightfully intelligent and a shameless intellectual with a greater-than-average understanding of British politics. I can see him weighing a lot more stuff than I really know about & deciding in favor of BREXIT as cauterizing a wound; really painful but needing to be done to save the patient. Especially as he is generally very "traditional Brit" in his sensibilities.

[/EDIT]

Cheers,

mnem

[Ice-Tea]

Got a HP8563E (26.5GHz). That doesn't start up. Tries to, hickup after that. Currently watching a TSP video that might give some pointers!



Does this:

Back at this again. Going to take a bit of a gamble, TSP mentioned in fact he only had to replace the main regulator chip, he probably means NE5560. Chances are the failure is exactly the same, so I'm not going to spend too much time on it and just give it a go.

But...

I noticed... RIFAs!!  They seem in good enough shape, but still... RIFAs!!  So, what do you guys think? To replace or not to replace?

[mnementh]

I actually left this ↓ scene for my wife to find one morning when we first got together. 

My those eggs are sure anaemic looking, never seen such white shells 

Yeah; that's the way they come over here. Brown eggs cost more, like they're somehow different on the inside; same with bleached sugar and flour. 
Obviously simple douchebag prejudice does still prevail in may fundamental ways; like white bread, rice and pasta being 5-10x more popular, yet having precisely zero actual flavor or nutritive value. 

mnem

[mnementh]

   Back at this again. Going to take a bit of a gamble, TSP mentioned in fact he only had to replace the main regulator chip, he probably means NE5560. Chances are the failure is exactly the same, so I'm not going to spend too much time on it and just give it a go.

But... I noticed... RIFAs!!  They seem in good enough shape, but still... RIFAs!!  So, what do you guys think? To replace or not to replace?

I forget now... Have you tried tracing out for short/very low resistance on the rails that don't light up at all? If so, I'd certainly remove those RIFAs and check resistance again for any major change. They need to go under any circumstances.

mnem
 

[Ice-Tea]

   Back at this again. Going to take a bit of a gamble, TSP mentioned in fact he only had to replace the main regulator chip, he probably means NE5560. Chances are the failure is exactly the same, so I'm not going to spend too much time on it and just give it a go.

But... I noticed... RIFAs!!  They seem in good enough shape, but still... RIFAs!!  So, what do you guys think? To replace or not to replace?

I forget now... Have you tried tracing out for short/very low resistance on the rails that don't light up at all? If so, I'd certainly remove those RIFAs and check resistance again for any major change. They need to go under any circumstances.

mnem
 

Nah, I'm of the "nothing dignifies labor so much as the saving of it" school. If the odds say 90% chance its the same fault, that works for me.

Except for the RIFAs, I agree they have to go. They's on the primary, though, so I doubt they are to blame for the PSU not starting. But replace them with what? New RIFA's from Farnell? I would assume they solved the cracking by now? And would restore the unit as close to original as possible?

[Ice-Tea]

Also, the new RIFAs have series resistances you can choose between 22 and 470 Ohm... Whu?

[bd139]

The irony of that sketch is Cleese has turned into one of them...

Seriously? Have you seen him in interview recently, and seen something I haven't? Every thing I've seen from the man indicates that while he is quite active in political process, he's also pretty progressive in his views.

He lives in the Carribean, and tweets that London "is not really an English city any more"
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-48451384

Ummm... yeah. And if you read the article you linked to, it is pretty obvious that his actual views are still as progressive as ever. Its the tabloid media trying to make him sound like a bigoted arse using moronic sound-byte manipulation, as is their stock in trade.

The full interview is here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p06df6qd

If you listen to the guy, he says he's spent enough of his life fighting the good fight and is moving just to get away from the right-wing nuttery. He chose Nevis  because they're A) Generally well-educated in the traditional English style and 2) he's tired of the constant BS level of Western tabloid press, which in his opinion, ALL press is severely right-wing slanted and full of  BS. He likes Nevis because "their press is very tiny", not necessarily any less full of it.

It appears to me that he's leaving Britain because of the BREXIT circus, not that he's necessarily a BREXITer. His complaint above was that there simply was no discussion between the left and the right on BREXIT; it was all knee-jerk sensationalism on both sides of what he correctly characterized as "it's terribly complicated..." I can generally agree with all of these attitudes; there's a reason I'm moving my children to Canada.

Of course, as is the case over here, the one thing politics cannot stand up to is the light of day; ANY reasoned consideration of actual facts and outcomes vs the greater good will always be drowned out by whomever can lie the loudest with the biggest megaphone in a 10-second soundbyte. 

[EDIT]

While I generally believe that BREXIT was the second biggest sham putup fleece job of the millenium, that is also predicated upon a very limited understanding of all the ramifications. I know Cleese to be frightfully intelligent and a shameless intellectual with a greater-than-average understanding of British politics. I can see him weighing a lot more stuff than I really know about & deciding in favor of BREXIT as cauterizing a wound; really painful but needing to be done to save the patient. Especially as he is generally very "traditional Brit" in his sensibilities.

[/EDIT]

I think you've bought the PR a bit there.

He's fed up with the press because literally every single paper here, not just the tabloids, keeps digging up the gigantic turds he keeps laying everywhere such as acting as a paid mouthpiece for the lib dem/conservative coalition, then strangely disappearing off the planet when this turned sour leaving our universities in ruins with tuition fees hiked at £9k a year. Oh and buggering off to Monaco, a tax haven, to avoid a hefty unpaid tax bill after his ex wife ended up with a large alimony payment.

He naively blunders around using his celebrity credentials to mouth off on politics only leverage speaking appointments, following popular ideologies to their destruction quickly running away, throwing all his cash in funds and hooky tax dodge schemes.

The ONLY reason he buggered off to Nevis is the EU dropped it form the tax haven black list in 2018 conveniently just before he made this decision. It's now on the grey list, which is a sort of "we promise to get our shit in order but we're still a tax haven tee hee".

The reason he decided to support leave and fuck off to Nevis was the same reason our politicians do, which is increasing financial regulation (boo hoo less rolexes). The main impending thing which might even possibly be the entire reason for Brexit is the introduction of ATAD: https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/business/company-tax/anti-tax-avoidance-package/anti-tax-avoidance-directive_en

Bear in mind taxation in EU is higher but we basically get things like healthcare for it. Some people resent paying that, probably like Cleese as he's been seen going in and out of a BMI private hospital a few times here...

There's another suitably British person with a higher profile that might be of interest if you wish to read up on well spoken British intelligent sorts of people: Jacob Rees-Mogg ... 

[Specmaster]

Got a HP8563E (26.5GHz). That doesn't start up. Tries to, hickup after that. Currently watching a TSP video that might give some pointers!



Does this:

Back at this again. Going to take a bit of a gamble, TSP mentioned in fact he only had to replace the main regulator chip, he probably means NE5560. Chances are the failure is exactly the same, so I'm not going to spend too much time on it and just give it a go.

But...

I noticed... RIFAs!!  They seem in good enough shape, but still... RIFAs!!  So, what do you guys think? To replace or not to replace?

For me it would depend on their age and condition, any signs of bulges and or cracks. But I would put them on a back burner for now and change the chip if it works then, change consider changing the RIFAs.

Sent from my POT-LX1 using Tapatalk

[bd139]

I'd yank them out then make sure it mostly works, then replace them. Saves you fishing out for replacements if it's a lemon.

The one time I trusted the fuckers, it exploded after only 2 minutes.

[Specmaster]

@bd139 I totally agree with you on Jacon Rees Mogg, he is very well spoken and comes across as a well educated and intellectual person with vast knowledge of political history. I still think that he and the other prominent Brexiters are scared of the pending "Anti Tax Avoidance" plan of the EU.. Just saying that would explain a hell of a lot.

Sent from my POT-LX1 using Tapatalk

[mnementh]

[EDIT]

While I generally believe that BREXIT was the second biggest sham putup fleece job of the millenium, that is also predicated upon a very limited understanding of all the ramifications. I know Cleese to be frightfully intelligent and a shameless intellectual with a greater-than-average understanding of British politics. I can see him weighing a lot more stuff than I really know about & deciding in favor of BREXIT as cauterizing a wound; really painful but needing to be done to save the patient. Especially as he is generally very "traditional Brit" in his sensibilities.

[/EDIT]

I think you've bought the PR a bit there.

He's fed up with the press because literally every single paper here, not just the tabloids, keeps digging up the gigantic turds he keeps laying everywhere such as acting as a paid mouthpiece for the lib dem/conservative coalition, then strangely disappearing off the planet when this turned sour leaving our universities in ruins with tuition fees hiked at £9k a year. Oh and buggering off to Monaco, a tax haven, to avoid a hefty unpaid tax bill after his ex wife ended up with a large alimony payment.

He naively blunders around using his celebrity credentials to mouth off on politics only leverage speaking appointments, following popular ideologies to their destruction quickly running away, throwing all his cash in funds and hooky tax dodge schemes.

The ONLY reason he buggered off to Nevis is the EU dropped it form the tax haven black list in 2018 conveniently just before he made this decision. It's now on the grey list, which is a sort of "we promise to get our shit in order but we're still a tax haven tee hee".

The reason he decided to support leave and fuck off to Nevis was the same reason our politicians do, which is increasing financial regulation (boo hoo less rolexes). The main impending thing which might even possibly be the entire reason for Brexit is the introduction of ATAD: https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/business/company-tax/anti-tax-avoidance-package/anti-tax-avoidance-directive_en

Bear in mind taxation in EU is higher but we basically get things like healthcare for it. Some people resent paying that, probably like Cleese as he's been seen going in and out of a BMI private hospital a few times here...

There's another suitably British person with a higher profile that might be of interest if you wish to read up on well spoken British intelligent sorts of people: Jacob Rees-Mogg ... 

My opinion of the guy is based on watching a lot of what he actually says in interview and paying attention; not what "the press" has to say about what he says.
That said,  of course my entire window on the guy is through popular media sources, all of which have their own axe to grind.

I really don't get the "local color" aspect like you biscuit & tea lot do, just as you don't get the same with our celebrities. Short version is I still believe the guy is generally pretty progressive in intent, but like all of us as we get older, is sick of the BS and probably has decided "Fuck it all... I've only got a few years left and I'm gonna live them for me, not what other people think I should live for."

like Alan Alda and Dennis Miller, who were childhood liberal-intellectual heroes to me but turned shameless right-wingnut as they got older... we have no idea what's really going on inside their heads. But I can tell you, especially after watching my mother change as she fought cancer... people change; old age and infirmity change not only the appearance, but the mind inside. She was not the same person towards the end as she was the rest of her life.

If what you say is true, it does make me sad. I'd hate to add him to the list of Miller, et al. 

mnem
"A conservative is just a liberal who's been mugged."
"A liberal is just a conservative who's been jacked-up by the cops."

I've been BOTH... and I'll tell you from personal experience, the latter is 10 times scarier. FUCK. THAT. NOISE.

[Neomys Sapiens]

One of the small engine workshop tricks when I twisted spanners for a bit was to charge up Bosch points caps on the SEM ignition tester and gracefully lob them at a mate to catch. ZAP ! Gottcha ! 

You are such a joke cookie   (Scherzkeks in German, or, correct english: joker)

I have repeatedly used charged foil caps placed into coat pockets or thrown to catch as a disciplinary measure in the workplace. One time was really epic, as we were all miffed about the guy always leaving on time and not caring at all when things got really thick. He just said that he's going and put his hand into his pocket right where I had hoped for.
For ensured effect, I charged them with a diode, of course. Later I have build a little doubler into a plug, but I did not have to use it until now.

[Neomys Sapiens]

I've always thought, possibly incorrectly, that a maisonette was a two story dwelling somewhere in a skyscraper. So it is more-or-less a "flat" with an internal private staircase, and the "street level" might be a "street in the sky".

That description would fit, I believe - but am more than open to correction, what our North American cousins would call a 'duplex' in a 'condo' - both terms unheard outside the continent of North America.

Maisonette is almost always used (around these parts anyway) to refer to low-rise buildings. Go beyond two dwellings in one (vertical) building and I'd start talking about a 'block of flats' or a 'flatblock' as some would have it. Maisonette might stretch to more dwellings in some of the older London houses that have been retrospectively converted into upper flats that share a street level entrance and a basement flat with it's own entrance. I think the essence of 'maisonette' is that the envelope of the building ought to fit the idea of 'house' in that locale.

I'm not sure where "there" is, but here a definition (other than "small house") is "An apartment occupying two or more floors of a larger building and often having its own entrance from outside."

Example; note the two storey repeat pattern:


Source: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.4465564,-2.5909768,3a,75y,292.04h,107.67t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s9tsSLo8OQFjGWJMwVYXp1w!2e0!5s20170401T000000!7i13312!8i6656

That is where you are living? So please, enlighten us regarding the purpose of a 'eel slap center' in your neighborhood!

[bd139]

That is where you are living? So please, enlighten us regarding the purpose of a 'eel slap center' in your neighborhood!

Common London insult. "I'll slap you with an eel you crestfallen gobdaw"

Ok I made that up. I have no idea.

....

If what you say is true, it does make me sad. I'd hate to add him to the list of Miller, et al. 

mnem
"A conservative is just a liberal who's been mugged."
"A liberal is just a conservative who's been jacked-up by the cops."

I've been BOTH... and I'll tell you from personal experience, the latter is 10 times scarier. FUCK. THAT. NOISE.

Indeed. The concept of a complete ideology is not something humans are compatible with. This is why I assume the subgenius position:



Edit: fuck imgur.

[tggzzz]

That is where you are living? So please, enlighten us regarding the purpose of a 'eel slap center' in your neighborhood!

No, that's not where I live, I'm pleased to say!

There's an old English expression, "as slippery as an eel". The accuracy of that cannot be completely comprehended until you have tried to handle a live eel. Or, for that matter, one that was killed a few hours ago but hasn't got the message yet.

Eel slapping is a close relative of "dwyle flonking" and "bog snorkling".

[mnementh]

I've always thought, possibly incorrectly, that a maisonette was a two story dwelling somewhere in a skyscraper. So it is more-or-less a "flat" with an internal private staircase, and the "street level" might be a "street in the sky".

That description would fit, I believe - but am more than open to correction, what our North American cousins would call a 'duplex' in a 'condo' - both terms unheard outside the continent of North America.

Maisonette is almost always used (around these parts anyway) to refer to low-rise buildings. Go beyond two dwellings in one (vertical) building and I'd start talking about a 'block of flats' or a 'flatblock' as some would have it. Maisonette might stretch to more dwellings in some of the older London houses that have been retrospectively converted into upper flats that share a street level entrance and a basement flat with it's own entrance. I think the essence of 'maisonette' is that the envelope of the building ought to fit the idea of 'house' in that locale.

I'm not sure where "there" is, but here a definition (other than "small house") is "An apartment occupying two or more floors of a larger building and often having its own entrance from outside."

Example; note the two storey repeat pattern:


Source: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.4465564,-2.5909768,3a,75y,292.04h,107.67t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s9tsSLo8OQFjGWJMwVYXp1w!2e0!5s20170401T000000!7i13312!8i6656

That is where you are living? So please, enlighten us regarding the purpose of a 'eel slap center' in your neighborhood!

My guess, given the reviews of the location, is some health care facility of some sort. Of course, if you click on the website icon, you are taken to www.eelslap.com    
Typical Eastender humor; to place a booby-trap like that on Guugle for unsuspecting 'merkins to fall into. 

mnem
*back into sorting-ily hell*

[beanflying]

Don't Panic Pommies Unca Boris will fix everthing up proper like for you...... Brexit will seem like a molehill on the Mountain sized turd he will no doubt dump

[worsthorse]

Damn. I skip being around my computer for nine hours and four pages get added to this thread in my absence. Worse yet, there are approximately four hundred obtuse and impossible to just skim and get on with it posts, which means I will spend two hours just sorting through whatever it is the lot of you has been ranting about, miss having a proper dinner, and not get any studying done for tomorrow's session.

 

The good news is I spent almost the entire day outside working first responder scenarios on a beautiful Portland summer day, demonstrated that I haven't forgotten how to do a proper patient assessment, and remembered enough of my signs/symptoms/diagnosis/treatment decision trees to feel comfortable that I will pass the recert test tomorrow.

Not that any of that has anything to do with TE, TEA, TEAS, and so on but apparently that lack is never much of an issue around here.   

[Carl_Smith]

I actually left this ↓ scene for my wife to find one morning when we first got together. 

I like how the one on the left seems to be far less concerned than the others, and the one on the right has unibrow.