Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[bd139]

Quick actual test gear picture. As the 1740A is out of action again (stopped sweeping) I figure I’d steal the knob caps off it for my 6236b which is working nicely and hurts me more to see uncapped 

[mnementh]

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.

Yeah, I'll give Artek their due; after scouring the usual haunts like BAMA and the Radio Museum, I gave in and bought a service manual for the 2230 from them for like $20 more than a decade ago. Schematics on that thing are huge; must've been 4x4 foldout format. Took the file to KINKO's, had 'em print them all out on 20x24 paper and every part number was crisp & clear.  In retrospect I should've gone 24x36, but the 20x24 was unwieldy as hell already... 

In all honesty, .pdf format was just plain better in that case; they included OCR subtext so you could actually search for a part # on the schematic rather than having to go back to the parts list for each component.

mnem

[AVGresponding]

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.

According to this website http://www.azurelectronics.com/Black%20Star%20Stack.htm TTi bought Black Star in 1999.
As to whether they continued to make anything under that brand afterwards, idk, though the 1905a uses the Black Star standard case and buttons. All I do know is, when I needed a service manual for my 4503, TTi was where I had to go, and they were very helpful indeed.

Since you like the 1905a, I'd say if you see a 1906 for sensible money, jump at the chance; it's effectively an updated 1905a with autoranging and 4-wire measurement added. I paid something like £60 shipped, and it pretty much keeps up with my Fluke 8840.


They've sent the Army in here to help with the flooding, which may be necessary given that some of the scaffolding on the £30m flood defence project got partially washed away last week, and they haven't managed to repair it yet!

[McBryce]

Just to put this right.

Could be worse. I mean who in their right mind would drink this?? Oh, wait... 

McBryce.

[Specmaster]

Quick actual test gear picture. As the 1740A is out of action again (stopped sweeping) I figure I’d steal the knob caps off it for my 6236b which is working nicely and hurts me more to see uncapped 

It shows that you have robbed something else for the knobs, they've got pointers on them where not required.

Yeah, with Harlow, its proof that even if you're considered to be at rock bottom, you can still get lower 

[med6753]

Just to put this right.

Could be worse. I mean who in their right mind would drink this?? Oh, wait... 

McBryce.

Smurf blue beer? Absolutely not! 

I hate you. 

[Specmaster]

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.

According to this website http://www.azurelectronics.com/Black%20Star%20Stack.htm TTi bought Black Star in 1999.
As to whether they continued to make anything under that brand afterwards, idk, though the 1905a uses the Black Star standard case and buttons. All I do know is, when I needed a service manual for my 4503, TTi was where I had to go, and they were very helpful indeed.

Since you like the 1905a, I'd say if you see a 1906 for sensible money, jump at the chance; it's effectively an updated 1905a with autoranging and 4-wire measurement added. I paid something like £60 shipped, and it pretty much keeps up with my Fluke 8840.


They've sent the Army in here to help with the flooding, which may be necessary given that some of the scaffolding on the £30m flood defence project got partially washed away last week, and they haven't managed to repair it yet!

Yeah, I'm keeping my options open on getting a 1906, it would be handy to have a continuity tester on a bench meter I must admit, but I remember seeing it demonstrated on a video somewhere and that feature sucks on it, which TBH, I'm amazed at considering how they managed to get everything else about right. TTi continued to use that style of case for some time. I have the 1905a, TGP110, TG120 and the CM200, all of which use the same style of case with the exception that the CM200 does not have middle infill panels. The 1905a is from their brown period, the CM200 and TG120 are from the grey era and TGP110 is from their current cream period as is my TF930.

Are you affected by the flooding or are not one of those directly affected?  When I was a child and indeed even in my teens I remember we used to have county wide, river authorities who always kept them dredged and the natural flood barriers in good order, and we never had flooding like we do now. Perhaps they should reinstate these authorities, they worked well.

[AVGresponding]

Yeah that CM200 has the same case as the Black Star 3210 DMM.

I am, sort of. I'll not flood myself, I'm far enough up the side of the hill.
It could block my route to work though; my boss texted me last Sunday saying he'd understand if I couldn't get in on Monday.

The biggest problem is the local shops though, they're all in the firing line.
The Co-Op in Mytholmroyd took months just to reopen at all in 2015, and a few years before they finally rebuilt it and the attached petrol station properly. They only finished that just over a year ago!

[mnementh]

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.

It ALLL tastes like pee. Every beer discussion boils down to one thing: Which particular animal you put the bucket under for the current batch.

mnem
 

[mnementh]

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.

   

Ummm... unless there's significant THC content in that Jamaican brew, not likely.

mnem
We ALL know what animal they put THAT bucket under.

[McBryce]

Could be worse. I mean who in their right mind would drink this?? Oh, wait... 

McBryce.

Smurf blue beer? Absolutely not! 

I hate you. 

I consider it a privilege to be included on your hate list!

But, regarding coloured beers. I've been to Boston on St. Patricks day, where someone obviously thought that it would be a good idea to put green colouring in the finest beer in existance (Guinness). I mean why???

McBryce.

[med6753]

Could be worse. I mean who in their right mind would drink this?? Oh, wait... 

McBryce.

Smurf blue beer? Absolutely not! 

I hate you. 

I consider it a privilege to be included on your hate list!

But, regarding coloured beers. I've been to Boston on St. Patricks day, where someone obviously thought that it would be a good idea to put green colouring in the finest beer in existance (Guinness). I mean why???

McBryce.

It's not just Boston. It's everywhere on St. Paddy's Day. Nothing like ruining a good Guinness. 

Edit....it belongs in the harbor with the tea. 

[Cerebus]

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

I can't hear 'Harlow' without thinking about "Get 'Em Out by Friday" by Genesis and its tale of the 'Winkler' muscling people out of their homes:

[Mr. Hall - The Winker sounding obsequious]
"Here we are in Harlow New Town, did you recognise your block
Across the square, over there
Sadly since last time we spoke, we've found we've had to raise the rent again
Just a bit."

[Mrs. Barrow]
"Oh no, this I can't believe
Oh Mary, and we agreed to leave."

[med6753]

So....are any of you Brits gonna show up today at 2100 hrs UTC or just continue to huff and puff and piss and moan? 

[bd139]

Probably the huff and piss and moan because I've got additional teenager incursion this evening now so nowhere to hang out that's quiet

[med6753]

A teenage girl's sleep over? They'll be awake all night and tomorrow morning look like they're hung over. 

[bd139]

I woke them up early this morning and hid the coffee so they will pass out at midnight. Usually works. 

Edit: as I'm waiting for the final bits for my sampler to arrive from China, mostly connectors, I have decided on an intermediate project that will last a couple of weeks at least. I'm going to attempt to build GK's oscilloscope pong game as mentioned at [1]. In the interest of being somewhat lazy I'm skipping the transistors and will use LM358s, 555s and some 4066's series ICs which I have an absolute ton of.

[1] https://www.eevblog.com/forum/projects/oscilloscope-pong-for-1-or-2-players/

[Cerebus]

So....are any of you Brits gonna show up today at 2100 hrs UTC or just continue to huff and puff and piss and moan? 

I'll have you know that pissing and moaning is the national sport. If we didn't piss and moan we'd have to do something like get off our collective arses, toss all the idiots in Westminster into the North Sea, and get on and actually do something. Where's the fun in that for the average man in the street? As for huffing and puffing and blueing Med's house down, we'll leave that to the dragon.

[mnementh]

   

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/jan/03/like-a-beautiful-painting-image-of-new-years-mayhem-in-manchester-goes-viral

I dunno; I think y'all have raised getting pissed in the street to an art form. And it appears others have noticed as well. 

mnem
 

[bd139]

Just found an interesting problem with the 3466A. Digits jumping around all over the place. Cracked it open, problem gone. Hmm. Put it back together, problem appeared again!

So after thinking for a bit and isolating all the variables I worked it out. It only jumps around if I stick it straight on top of the 6236B. Great so magnetic coupling 

[med6753]

I dunno; I think y'all have raised getting pissed in the street to an art form. And it appears others have noticed as well. 

mnem
 

That's just New Years or Saturday night drunkenness.

[mnementh]

That song was literally the soundtrack of my life as a rowdy teenager growing up half in the hills of upstate NY and half in the streets of Pittsburgh.

Also why I gave up beer. It gave me headaches & made me a asshole drunk; started fights, more often than not got the shit kicked outta me and/or wound up in the drunk tank looking like something out of Mad Max.

mnem
Actually, the whole damned album...

[tggzzz]

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. 

Oh Swindon has redeeming features, e.g. the magic roundabout which actually works well

and the museum of computing (naturally that is lower brow than TNMoC) ).

OTOH, there's Slough (which should be pronounced to rhyme with "pig trough")...

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

[tggzzz]

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

Bracknell has good roads out of Bracknell. And (had?) a food market under one of the ring roads. Presumably market traders liked the added weight to the items on sale.

I worked there for 3 months, long ago. The most interesting shop in the town centre was "Holland and Barratts" health food shop! There I discovered that people would buy "green lipped mussel pills", with zero indication of what that would achieve - except the packaging did indicate how much your wallet woud be lightened.

[mnementh]

Huh... TIL about green-lipped mussel homeopathy: https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-830/new-zealand-green-lipped-mussel

Appears to be mostly some small amount of Omega3 and a whole lot of wank.

mnem
But wait; it also comes in a powder! Now how much would you pay...?