Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[URI]

in other news..
TNT fucked up the delivery of a HP 3225B front panel. Delivered this afternoon with nobody at home. 
No note left where or to whom it was delivered.   

Have to call the customer service tomorrow to get it, hopefully.

Had to compensate my frustration so I bought an Agilent 3499A switch control system 5-slot mainframe chassis:

(Linked in from *bay)

$50 plus shipping US->GER plus customs&taxes.  Will be going through ebays global shipping program.

[mnementh]

I know someone who delivers a project with a Parallax Basic stamp. What matters really is the delivery if you’re in control of the whole product cycle. If I was selling myself I’d be on STM32 a long time ago. I don’t use ADC. I’ve got a USB audio device doing that.

Let’s not go down the PowerShell hole. I don’t.

ATmega32U4 Is $2.25 more expensive per unit than a cheap AVR and CH340. Also a point to note, it’s a lot harder debugging an integrated USB peripheral than a UART with RX and TX test points

I get where you're coming from... I only dabble, so not really proficient in ANY of them. 

The GPIOs on STM32Fxxx are actually a bit of a marvel. As bad of an idea as they SEEM, in practice they really do seem to work better than advertised.

In all honesty, debugging isn't that much of a problem thanks to the nature of the bootloader. As long as your driver installs both serial and DFU interfaces correctly, which you can easily determine through Device Manager, it's going to connect and respond from within the terminal. If you have a comms problem it's the driver, period.

I wasn't trying to be a dick. It seems obvious to me that STM32 dominance is pretty much inevitable, so if you're in the "making stuff using uPCs" game it's better to get into them sooner rather than later.  My own weak skillz is all that stands in MY way.

As for PowerShell... My own weak skillz is all that stands in my way. 

mnem
*packing my life away*

[med6753]

When engineers collide. 

[Neomys Sapiens]

I just hit Ctrl+S and it disappears! Windows build is bog standard.

Cheapduino here - CH340 chipset. China's finest 

I usually use a USBasp programmer, bare AVR and AVR-gcc / AVR-libc / avrdude / make because that's closest to home (C + linux toolchain) for me.

And fuck STM32. I can't even work out where to start. I look into it and the "can't be arsed" switch goes off.

Then I think you need to take The Blue Pill.  It's made for guys like us.

mnem

Combined IQ of all involved of about 150. With the chimp scoring 70. What a bunch of morons. 

Kind of reminds me of upper manglement cutting newbies loose with minimal training.  Oops, did I say that out loud?

Hey! Be careful - that chimp is at the Ugandan staff college now!

[Neomys Sapiens]

in other news..
TNT fucked up the delivery of a HP 3225B front panel. Delivered this afternoon with nobody at home. 
No note left where or to whom it was delivered.   

Have to call the customer service tomorrow to get it, hopefully.

Had to compensate my frustration so I bought an Agilent 3499A switch control system 5-slot mainframe chassis:

(Linked in from *bay)

$50 plus shipping US->GER plus customs&taxes.  Will be going through ebays global shipping program.

At least - something without nixies. Does it have cards? I'm interested in one too, but it is rather down on the list.

[URI]

in other news..
TNT fucked up the delivery of a HP 3225B front panel. Delivered this afternoon with nobody at home. 
No note left where or to whom it was delivered.   

Have to call the customer service tomorrow to get it, hopefully.

Had to compensate my frustration so I bought an Agilent 3499A switch control system 5-slot mainframe chassis:

(Linked in from *bay)

$50 plus shipping US->GER plus customs&taxes.  Will be going through ebays global shipping program.

At least - something without nixies. Does it have cards? I'm interested in one too, but it is rather down on the list.

Nope, doesn't have cards for this price.
But I have a collection of cards for my HP 3488A that are compatible with the 3499A.

For me it's just an upgrade: the 3499A has the more modern UI, has SCPI whereas the 3488A is a bit uncomfortable to handle UI and GPIB wise. It's a bit like stepping up from assembler to Pascal.   

[Addicted2AnalogTek]

Did someone say "Holy Grail caps"??

[mnementh]

Well, there's YOUR retirement all settled... 

mnem
...as long as you sell before everybody who still gets off on Tek CROs goes tits up. 

[Kosmic]

I'm sooo deep in the rabbit hole. The only things I'm seeing is shiny copper gold plated spade connectors and bright white PTFE cables.

[beanflying]

  and your source of the materials? I need to add some better leads to my gear before I get into serious some more serious tweakage of my Calibrators.

[Kosmic]

and your source of the materials? I need to add some better leads to my gear before I get into serious some more serious tweakage of my Calibrators.

The big 16 AWG cable came from here: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Wire-Mil-Spec-PTFE-16-AWG-4-Cond-Shielded-SPC-Stranded-5-ft/273799295024?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649

Smaller one was also bought on ebay some times ago.

For the spade connectors, I took a deep breath, activated my translator and bought from Taobao. The link at your own risk : https://xuanyiled.taobao.com/search.htm?spm=a1z10.3-c.w1017-1801570779.19.d166332c2Xuqlr&search=y&viewType=grid&orderType=_hotsell&pageNum=1#anchor

[Kosmic]

Also bought a shorting plug at the same time.

[beanflying]

Thanks

there was a member here a while back selling a shorting PCB and there was a thread with another in the Metrology section from memory mainly about 4mm jacks.

[bd139]

I know someone who delivers a project with a Parallax Basic stamp. What matters really is the delivery if you’re in control of the whole product cycle. If I was selling myself I’d be on STM32 a long time ago. I don’t use ADC. I’ve got a USB audio device doing that.

Let’s not go down the PowerShell hole. I don’t.

ATmega32U4 Is $2.25 more expensive per unit than a cheap AVR and CH340. Also a point to note, it’s a lot harder debugging an integrated USB peripheral than a UART with RX and TX test points

I get where you're coming from... I only dabble, so not really proficient in ANY of them. 

The GPIOs on STM32Fxxx are actually a bit of a marvel. As bad of an idea as they SEEM, in practice they really do seem to work better than advertised.

In all honesty, debugging isn't that much of a problem thanks to the nature of the bootloader. As long as your driver installs both serial and DFU interfaces correctly, which you can easily determine through Device Manager, it's going to connect and respond from within the terminal. If you have a comms problem it's the driver, period.

I wasn't trying to be a dick. It seems obvious to me that STM32 dominance is pretty much inevitable, so if you're in the "making stuff using uPCs" game it's better to get into them sooner rather than later.  My own weak skillz is all that stands in MY way.

As for PowerShell... My own weak skillz is all that stands in my way. 

mnem
*packing my life away*

100% agree on STM32 dominance. It’s cheap, fast and available in crazy quantities. My next project will rely on a Cortex M4 so that should be interesting and will probably head down that road.

PowerShell is something I recommend people walk away from. It has more nuances than an unusually highly nuanced thing from planet nuance. It’s so vastly different to anything else that it has a lot of newly discovered mistakes baked in. They should have started with plan 9’s rc and worked out how to cram objects in that. In principle it’s a good idea let down by a steamer of an implementation

[Zucca]

At least - something without nixies.

Speaking of which, do you guys have a nixies clock? I can't decide if I want one or not.

Meanwhile:
1) Got a U1272A, batteries had vomited their acid everywhere. Seller says "sorry, oh no" 1000 time.
PLAN A: I contacted Keysight, maybe I can have a replacement because the EMC problem.
PLAN B: I ship it back.
2) My stuff from free_electron is being delivered, I can't pay the import taxes online because UPS website spits an error out. Let's see what happens next.

 

[Ero-Shan]

I just hit Ctrl+S and it disappears! Windows build is bog standard.

Cheapduino here - CH340 chipset. China's finest 

I usually use a USBasp programmer, bare AVR and AVR-gcc / AVR-libc / avrdude / make because that's closest to home (C + linux toolchain) for me.

And fuck STM32. I can't even work out where to start. I look into it and the "can't be arsed" switch goes off.

My IDE is Unix https://sanctum.geek.nz/arabesque/series/unix-as-ide/ (in the Linux variant). I can't stand those monster IDEs. They need hours to start up, eat all your RAM and even a full HD display is way too small for them. I use vi/vim/gvim since ages and have real problems when working with other editors (hey, it's kind of a 'RPN' editor!). I want my build environment documented in plain text, not in binary configuration files where you can examine the compiler options by opening a dialog in the menu and browsing through a dozen tabs. The dependencies are clearly described by a Makefile (SConstruct for me). I'm sure glad I'm allowed to use a Linux box at work - always told my manager that the day he takes it away from me I'll resign.

And I've never worked with an Arduino or ARM*. May day job is writing firmware for an industrial field device based on a Renesas RX MCU. I was allowed to take home several boards of early production runs. So I'm rather familiar with this board and use it for most everything (though the ports are already tied to various peripherals, but usually can be diverted away). My build environment is identical to the one at work, but I use a different toolchain (gcc).

* Alright, I've got a Renesas Synergy (ARM based) dev board too, but used it just once. And a bunch of ESPs, used not at all so far.

[Zucca]

vi/vim/gvim since ages

When I manage to do something useful with vi I open a bottle of Prosecco everytime.
It's hard to learn it, but it's very powerful once you manage to control that blind beast.

My problem is two days later I forgot everything and I have to start from beginner level every time.

[bd139]

vim user here. Spent at least 4 hours a day in it and have done for over 20 years. It's built into my firmware now.

And talking of which, my day today is evaluation of centos 8. Fun fun fun. Can't be arsed!

[tggzzz]

vi/vim/gvim since ages

When I manage to do something useful with vi I open a bottle of Prosecco everytime.
It's hard to learn it, but it's very powerful once you manage to control that blind beast.

My problem is two days later I forgot everything and I have to start from beginner level every time.

Vim has an advantage: it is available without having to copy-paste the relevant "apt-get install" command. Vim is easy: all you need are the arrow and delete keys, esc G g 10dd wq wq! For anything more than that, use an editor that wasn't designed in the 70s.

My other favourite editor, Digital's EDT, had the equally wonderful mode feature where the "delete word" operation deleted either the previous or the next word, depending on whatever you had been doing 5 minutes ago.
No, I haven't used TECO.
Yes, I have used predecessors to edlin: paper tape plus teletype machines.

Thank the deities for progress

[bd139]

Careful now there. You're getting into EMACS territory

[Zucca]

I should go back to school, I am at 40 wpm best case.
My fingers are so slow.

[BU508A]

Speaking of which, do you guys have a nixies clock? I can't decide if I want one or not.

Yes, I had. I bought here some kits

http://www.nixiekits.eu/

Some examples (sadly, they are discontinued)


and gave them away as a gift. The cases are well-built and the kit itself is nicely engineered.
I can recommend them. (I have no affiliations beside happy customer).

HTH

[BU508A]

My problem is two days later I forgot everything and I have to start from beginner level every time.

You need the right tool for the right job. 
In this case, something like this:



 

[beanflying]

I blame early exposure to UNIX and a clunky crashing HP9000 mainframe for my aversion to Linux based anything ..... 

[BU508A]

Careful now there. You're getting into EMACS territory

EMACS is not alone an editor, it is a complete OS.