Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[beanflying]

Another one... Not as much cool as a 1960s' heathkit, but I like the late 80's ascetic and it works.. (And I swapped a couple of motherboards for it).

You want another one? I have one I need to put on the market  https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/test-equipment-anonymous-(tea)-group-therapy-thread/msg2350647/#msg2350647

[bd139]

New arrival today. Have to buy the service manual if I got the thing 

[beanflying]

I think we need a term for the relapsed Tek Never going to buy another syndrome

[bd139]

I was waiting for that 

Arguably it’s the 4xx I’m done with (apart from the 4x3). So no more 465/475 derivatives.

[med6753]

Yea, right. Sure. OK. Anything you say.

 

[med6753]

New arrival today. Have to buy the service manual if I got the thing 

(Attachment Link)

(Attachment Link)

Hardcopy is nice but Artek Manuals has it PDF for only $6.95 USD. And they do an excellent job of capturing even the fold outs.

[bd139]

I prefer the hard copy manuals myself. I’ve had too many bad scans over the years to trust that as the only source of info. Usually you only find out it’s a bad scan right in the middle of a problem solving session.

We have mauritron here who are the equivalent and some of their scans are just the worst.

[med6753]

I prefer the hard copy manuals myself. I’ve had too many bad scans over the years to trust that as the only source of info. Usually you only find out it’s a bad scan right in the middle of a problem solving session.

We have mauritron here who are the equivalent and some of their scans are just the worst.

Artek scans are top notch. The issue I keep running into is the schematic not matching what I got in front of me. Tek was always updating stuff and the ONLY way you could insure you had the correct manual is to have the original that came in the box with the equipment. 

[bd139]

Yes been there myself a few times. I have noticed that it didn't happen with the 1980s era units as much though. Only minor part changes like MOSFET subs. No "what the fuck - they have changed everything".

[AVGresponding]

Just to put this right.

You convicts all drink Victoria Bitter, don't you?

[med6753]

It also helps to know exactly what you have too.

When I first got the 2465 DMS I ordered a 2465B manual not realizing that when looking at the A5 board it's a whole different animal. Talk about confused.  . Then I stumbled upon a 2465A manual. Nope, that ain't right either. 

[Specmaster]

 Talking about Tek 2445a scopes, if anyone is interested there is one listed this morning in Swindon on Gumtree for £100 or near offer.

https://www.gumtree.com/p/other-miscellaneous-goods/tektronix-2445a-4-chanel-oscilloscope-used-/1366342106

[med6753]

Talking about Tek 2445a scopes, if anyone is interested there is one listed this morning in Swindon on Gumtree for £100 or near offer.

https://www.gumtree.com/p/other-miscellaneous-goods/tektronix-2445a-4-chanel-oscilloscope-used-/1366342106

Would have been nice if the dingbat said it worked, doesn't work, dog chewed a knob, or even lied about it's condition. 

[beanflying]

Just to put this right.

You convicts all drink Victoria Bitter, don't you?

I do not drink beer made by CUB period  They are Ex customers of mine and I know what goes in and how their so called rapid brew process works = NON Beer.

VB is still the most common of theirs sold in Can or Stubbie form. It retails fairly cheap but for an everyday drink the Cooper Pale or Stout takes some beating.

[Specmaster]

Funny just how popular it still is in the UK Like a lot of Branded anythings it has little or nothing of quality inside the packet someone somewhere thought the label was worth a buck

Just shows the power of a reasonable advertising campaign, with it you can sell shit that normal sane people wouldn't touch. That really sums up why we have Brexit, the Brexiters had the catchy 3 word slogan and sound bites and the remainers didn't.

[Specmaster]

Talking about Tek 2445a scopes, if anyone is interested there is one listed this morning in Swindon on Gumtree for £100 or near offer.

https://www.gumtree.com/p/other-miscellaneous-goods/tektronix-2445a-4-chanel-oscilloscope-used-/1366342106

Would have been nice if the dingbat said it worked, doesn't work, dog chewed a knob, or even lied about it's condition. 

Haha, agreed, but that is where Gumtree can help you make a score really easy, rather like Craigs List, you are supposed to meet in person when you deal on Gumtree and so you could get to see it working before parting with the cash, also that way, sometimes you can drive price down once the true condition is clearly visible.

[GreyWoolfe]

But all the Hispanics I know drink this, despite it being made from donkey piss. 

The lime or lemon helps to kill the smell. 

Any beer that you have to add fruit to it to make it taste better should be avoided like the plague.  I made the mistake of trying a Blue Moon.  Sadly, it did taste better with a slice of orange in it, which isn't saying much.  I will try almost anything once with the exception of Fugu and eating live baby octopus, I won't eat anything that has the potential to kill me. I was raised with: "You can't say you don't like it if you don't try it."  Thankfully, there have been very few fails with that attitude.

[AVGresponding]

That's a pretty damn good win that. Also the first Thurlby thing which has a battery compartment in it that has been mint that I've ever seen 

Last thing was a TM351 I got for £5



Ended up scrapped. Bottom of board was beyond fucked.

That sure looks nasty, I was looking at one of them on evilbay but decide that it was going backwards and left it there. I'm loving my other Thurlby units, 7 of them now, 3 of which are TTi branded so I'm getting loads of good English products in my toolkit now which is nice to support home producers like this.

They made, and still make, some nice stuff.

Including my Black Star stuff, I've 8 pieces of their gear now. The Jupiter sig gen is a bit basic and flaky, but the 4503 4.5 digit DMM is nice, the 1906 is amazing for what I paid for it, and the 1905a is nice too.
The cheapest one I have is a Black Star 3210MP 3.5 digit, and it gets quite a bit of use as it has the best continuity tester I've ever seen, super fast and loud too.


I haven't had a Fosters or Castlemaine since I was a teenager, these days if I'm drinking beer I like a Special Brew mixed with Weston's Vintage Cider (I'm an old school rocker so snakebite is the order of the day!), or sometimes a Jamaican Dragon Stout (one for mnem to try...) or Elephant Beer.

[Cerebus]

And BTW....I will be on Discord again Saturday at 2100 hours UTC. I expect to see some British participation or else you'll be permanently branded as complete wankers. 

Why the or when it's obviously and?

Since when did Grammer and Semantics have anything much to do with calling someone a Wanker 

Maybe 'Weak Pommie Bastards' , meant with the usual love and respect from an Aussie might be appropriate too if non appearance happens again. 

Oh god, he's been drinking the sheep dip again hasn't he?

Who didn't do the child-proof top up properly last time they used it?

[Cerebus]

Talking about Tek 2445a scopes, if anyone is interested there is one listed this morning in Swindon on Gumtree for £100 or near offer.

https://www.gumtree.com/p/other-miscellaneous-goods/tektronix-2445a-4-chanel-oscilloscope-used-/1366342106

Would have been nice if the dingbat said it worked, doesn't work, dog chewed a knob, or even lied about it's condition. 

Haha, agreed, but that is where Gumtree can help you make a score really easy, rather like Craigs List, you are supposed to meet in person when you deal on Gumtree and so you could get to see it working before parting with the cash, also that way, sometimes you can drive price down once the true condition is clearly visible.

Yes, but to do that you'd have to go to Swindon. I generally only go to Swindon if people pay me to go and only if they pay me handsomely at that. The idea of going there at my own expense and then paying more once I'm there seems alien. 

Moreover, my route would take me within smelling distance of Slough. 

[Cerebus]

Any beer that you have to add fruit to it to make it taste better should be avoided like the plague.

In principle, yes. But there are exceptions for some beers that have been brewed with fruit like some of the Belgian Framboise and their kin.

[bd139]

Ahh Swindon: at least it’s not Bracknell. Or Harlow

[Specmaster]

That's a pretty damn good win that. Also the first Thurlby thing which has a battery compartment in it that has been mint that I've ever seen 

Last thing was a TM351 I got for £5



Ended up scrapped. Bottom of board was beyond fucked.

That sure looks nasty, I was looking at one of them on evilbay but decide that it was going backwards and left it there. I'm loving my other Thurlby units, 7 of them now, 3 of which are TTi branded so I'm getting loads of good English products in my toolkit now which is nice to support home producers like this.

They made, and still make, some nice stuff.

Including my Black Star stuff, I've 8 pieces of their gear now. The Jupiter sig gen is a bit basic and flaky, but the 4503 4.5 digit DMM is nice, the 1906 is amazing for what I paid for it, and the 1905a is nice too.
The cheapest one I have is a Black Star 3210MP 3.5 digit, and it gets quite a bit of use as it has the best continuity tester I've ever seen, super fast and loud too.


I haven't had a Fosters or Castlemaine since I was a teenager, these days if I'm drinking beer I like a Special Brew mixed with Weston's Vintage Cider (I'm an old school rocker so snakebite is the order of the day!), or sometimes a Jamaican Dragon Stout (one for mnem to try...) or Elephant Beer.

I never knew that they also made the Black Star stuff, I've had some of their gear and I wasn't TBH particularly impressed with them, however the gear I now have, I'm very impressed with. I have a 1905a and I really like that but it doesnt get used as much as it should do and that is purely down to being spoilt with my other meters being auto-rangers.

[Specmaster]

Ahh Swindon: at least it’s not Bracknell. Or Harlow

Yeah, Harlow has really gone down hill lately, not that I can ever say that it was ever wonderful, but it has been used as a dumping ground by the London Boroughs with their difficult families and now it seems as if there are areas of Harlow that are rapidly becoming a no-go zone

[bd139]

I’m surprised it managed to go downhill. That must have taken some real effort!