Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[bd139]

Most WAN stuff these days is a complete bodge I have found even if the protocol stack being used is sensible. Right in the middle of one now which involves 4 parties (DC, us, Amazon, MPLS provider) trying to get a redundant 10GbE link up to two DCs. No one appears to have thrown any failure scenarios at it. "oh so if this port goes down, what happens?". Silence apparently!  I'm not even the bloody network guy but in the kingdom of the blind, the one eyed man is king. And my remaining eye has astigmatism.

Well, I am the network guy ;-)  And I've been around long enough to realise that "MPLS Provider" and "10GE link" are sort of mutually exclusive. It'll be more like a "7,2Gbit link". We found out the hard way. Wavelengths and not only that, waves that occupy an entire ITU Grid channel (so ${CARRIER} can't chaos-TDM them via the Netgear-class switch in the WDM "multiservices" card.. ) are the only way to be certain. That, and nukes from orbit.

Yes exactly that. I started asking awkward questions about encapsulation, encryption and throughput. I'm still trying to get someone to draw a damn picture of what it looks like. At the moment it's all unicorn shit and sales folk. Mention BGP and they switch to parseltongue.

Ask them if the "redundancy" goes via the Isle of Dogs (or relies on a NOC on there) and then ask them whether they go through both the fibre pinch points there or only one of them.

Hopefully this isn't true any more, but a few years back there were only two routes that fibre took into the Docklands. Not just one service provider's fibre but everybody's. Essentially there were two manhole covers and if you blew both of them up then the UK's Internet and telephones basically stopped working. It turned out that a lot of people's 'redundant' routing ran through two or more service providers, but the actual physical fibre routes went through just one of the pinch points. We discovered this when we started considering the LINX as National Critical Infrastructure and had the muscle to actually force people to show us their fibre maps. We also later discovered that we weren't the first people to spot this. Anybody who knew this at the time kept quiet about it as advertising a target like that would be somewhat irresponsible - especially considering that the IRA once managed to detonate a lorry full of ANFO in the middle of the Docklands. There's been enough fibre dug around there since that I'm reasonably confident that this is no longer true, but you know how these things work so I wouldn't be overly surprised if it still wasn't fixed.

Interesting point. I think you'd have to be insane to put all your eggs in the Telehouse / LINX basket in this day and age for exactly that reason anyway regardless of diverse connectivity. If someone took out one core LINX or LONAP router or took out a physical site, which is honestly a pretty large and obvious target you'd be up shit creek anyway. TH North lost just a single floor about 5 years ago and took out half the UK's internet in one go[1]. you can't test this either without actually turning shit off which is a risk. I'll be happy when all this is in AWS. The whole VPC and availability zone model makes this entirely someone else's shit show to manage. They have better peering and redundancy that we can ever approach with DC cages even if they are disparate providers and peering. AZ goes down? Latency increases / capacity reduces and that's it. I am sceptical AWS can handle an instance count ramp through autoscaling if this happens though. Azure hit a wall when covid hit for example.

[1] https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/telehouse-north-power-outage-causes-uk-internet-failures-impacts-bt-openreach/

[Ice-Tea]

*Crud*

Did an auction yesterday, only had a little luck which is worse than none at all because the base cost of logistics is hideous.

So, I'm looking for a solution. Anyone here with family/friends/acquaintances/enemies in the San Jose area that could pickup this beauty with a sad face:



It would either be for "own consumption", forwarding inside the US or outside the US. Payment in Karma, cold hard cash or a monumental discount on the unit itself.

Alternatively, I was looking into "odd job" platforms in the US to get this done. If anyone has recommendations, I'm all ears.

[mnementh]

Agilent 54622D carbon pad restoration

As I said in a previous post, scrubbing / cleaning the carbon pads again with IPA did not help the conductivity, nor did it even remove much of anything. I say "again" because when I got it several years ago I did the same cleaning. That being said, I tested the keys again after cleaning this time and they did not function any better. They all worked but needed to be pressed "hard".

Taking a look at the pads under the microscope, and comparing them to new pads on a comparison keypad removed from a remote control that was never used, it was clear that a crusty layer needed to be removed. I decided to gently use a 600 grit wet sanding paper. Don't picture Magilla Gorilla with an electric belt sander now!

After the first specks came off (see pic), I cleaned the pad with IPA and it looked much better. I then tried rubbing again with the same light touch, but nothing more to note came off. You would have to scrub a lot harder to get anything more off - the pads are pretty tough - but after the first specks come off there is no need to do any more. And that is good because you are removing the crusty film and nothing more. In other words, these pads are not delicate.

You can check the pics - before and after. Also included is a pic of a good pad from a remote control. The Agilent pad is now has a much smoother surface and presents much more surface area upon a light press of the key.

The carbon pad is ~0.5 mm thick. I tried to measure any difference in thickness before and after the light scrubbing, but I could not detect any measurable difference with my micrometer. And certainly with the naked eye it looks as if nothing is different in the thickness. You could do this many times before you would even measure a difference with anything available to the average hobbyist. The amount of crusty material that comes off is extremely small, and after that the 600 grit wet sanding paper does little more to the pad.

Yet, it makes the pad work nearly like new. The buttons respond as any other "newish" gear I own does, with the slightest push on them. I will look at these buttons in a year (remind me if I forget), and we'll compare the condition of the pads.

*sigh*

Yeah... this is exactly what I was expecting.  You got lucky on this one; the carbon matrix on THIS KEYPAD is thick enough to suffer this attack. SOME silicone membrane keyboards are NOT made this way; even 800 grit will wipe the carbon off down to the rubber with just a couple swipes.

THAT is why I only recommend a Q-tip dipped in alcohol; it is MORE THAN ABRASIVE ENOUGH to properly clean the glazing off any carbon pad, yet gentle enough that it takes real Magilla Gorilla action to do real damage. If you had taken the care to observe observed before & after with magnification the last time as you did this time, and scrubbed a little longer with the Q-tip, you would have achieved the same results with much less chance of doing damage.

You're not the only one here who uses magnification to double-check his work.   

It is SO easy to permanently destroy SOME examples of this type of keypad; abrasives simply are a bad idea as a rule of thumb. There's a difference here; and that lies in the fact that what we recommend here can be seen by complete noobs who may NOT have our experienced, cautious hand when applying such methods.

mnem
Please, for the love of little kids & kitty cats... learn from my mistakes, don't repeat them.

[tautech]

No nail guns in them days and the oldies didn't like the piss thin nails they shot so reckoned they were only good for sissies ! 

Eh? Did you not have real nail guns in NZ back then? Back in those days here in Blighty we had the .22 short powered nail guns and those definitely didn't have the anaemic little brads that pass for nails in modern nail guns. I well remember the first time I saw one in operation, someone putting up studding for a partition wall driving 4" nails straight though 2x4s into masonry in one fell swoop.

Oh yes we had Ramset guns alright and used them heaps on some sites after I got my ticket to use them without supervision.
I was fascinated shooting pins into steel and in a shed the son and I built a few years back we shot the 6x2 (for the Yanks 2x6  ) plate for purlins onto a 6x9 RSJ.
Don't own one but a couple of mates still have J20's that I can grab when I need one.

The nail guns mentioned where pneumatic and back in the 70's they were just getting started here but by the late 70's we used them a lot for shooting down sheet flooring. Having done a good bit of T&G and then having to punch it all off we just loved air guns !
Now of course it's all Paslode Impulse framing guns of which I have 2 framers and a fence stapler.
The boy got a late model Hitachi finishing gun to do his house finish lines with and they're pretty novel as they don't use gas canisters but just electromagnetic drive.

[psykok]

Amazing  hoe many people have moved and adopted VScode.

For py stuff I use pycharm community. Should I give VScode a shot?

You should definitely try and specially if you are not ONLY doing python

Mostly  all my colleges have moved to VScode

[mnementh]

   the RigLOL below looks sad and worried now.

Now a bit annoyed with myself that I let myself be talked out of the one I was looking at up here for $225 delivered. ESPECIALLY as it appears the vendor has come to his senses and raised the price to a more typical $300 + S/H. 

mnem
*sigh*

[xrunner]

If you had taken the care to observe the last time as you did this time, and scrubbed a little longer with the Q-tip, you would have achieved the same results with much less chance of doing damage.

Ahem - I take care in everything I do sir.

[mnementh]

Yeah, yeah... I'm AWARE. This too is covered under "Given the right conditions and enough time etc..."   As in "theoretical conditions" and "theoretical amounts of time"... say those at either end of the Universe, for example. 

mnem
 

Nope, sorry, I'm going to be pedantic here...

Admitting you have a problem is the first step...

Please... this is a nit we really don't have to pick anymore. You win; eat it in good health. I'll just channel Douglas Adams over here in the corner for my own amusement; you don't need to participate.

mnem
*quietly plugs in a small SEP field generator and leans back contently*

[mnementh]

If you had taken the care to observe the last time as you did this time, and scrubbed a little longer with the Q-tip, you would have achieved the same results with much less chance of doing damage.

Ahem - I take care in everything I do sir.

No slight was intended, I promise. My cautions are for those playing along at home, not for those with actual experience doing this kind of repair.   

I've gone back and edited my response to more accurately reflect what I  intended to convey; hope that feels better.

mnem
"Don't call me sir; I work for a living." ~grand-dad

[tautech]

You missed the best pro framing hammer Estwing ever made:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000224V9/ref=dp_cerb_1

Nope. I've had several, and the 25-oz Big Blue beats 'em all hollow; and honestly, so do the Utra Series for getting work done. Estwing's implementation of the magnetic nail starter is a game-changer.

When I worked interior construction & make-ready out of a Bucket Boss, the E22L (same hammer in leather grip) was my "everyday" hammer; again, an awesome peg-beater. Too effing long for a toolbox hammer tho.

Grand-dad was a great bear of a man... he favored a E30L in leather grip. That fucking this is a toothpick short of a post maul. 
mnem
*mallet-head*

Right, 45 years ago as a new apprentice we were issued with ya std blue 20oz Estwing and they were a pretty good hammer and a few years later I bought a leather handled one that I used for some years and it's still with me minus a few leather rings. 
Way back when, Estwing made their name with leather handled offerings as it was before the days synthetic handles yet in a lifetime affiliated with the trades it's very rare to see a tradesman swinging leather handled Estwings here, maybe the climate here doesn't suit the leather as it's not unusual to need to work in the wet when a job has to be done.
There's very good reason the 20oz has been the universal trademans hammer as it's versatile enough for framing and finishing but more the weight of it is such that the average guy can spend his working life swinging 20oz without the wrist or elbow problems that force some from the trade.
I well remember my first day being assigned to a 3rd year apprentice nailing bone dry ceiling battens underneath bone dry trusses.....I thought my arm was gunna fall off !
No nail guns in them days and the oldies didn't like the piss thin nails they shot so reckoned they were only good for sissies ! 
Used the 24oz's later in life but didn't like them as they are too heavy for the av guy and not versatile like the little 20oz. An uncle got the 24oz when in the states and he loved it primarily for fencing where he could reach staples on the bottom wire from the wrong side of the fence.
The 22oz I have now is hard to beat except for finishing as it's got the cross hatched head but the straight claw for demo work is better than anything else I've used except in close quarters work where you can stab yourself with the backswing if not awake to it. 
Cross hatched heads are something many have never had experience with but when you've never lost staple since using one speaks volumes IME.
Only had mine for 10 years now and would replace it with the same in an instant......now we can get them in NZ. 

Yes the 24oz can bash a 4" nail in with a single hit but try that all day and you'll be wishing for a hammer with a little less weight

Yeah, I think the difference here is the user for sure.

After winning our yearly local school fundraiser nail driving comp for 2 years in a row and being asked politely not to enter again.....yes the difference IS the user. 

I always liked the feel of the 22L for general use, but Estwing's Ultra series are simply a better balanced (more weight at the head) hammer with just the right arc for my old ape arms. I can get more different kinds of work done correctly and quicker with one of them without damaging the base material. But if I'm JUST framing... I prefer the big guns. A 22-25 oz Big Blue is still my preferred hammer for rough carpentry work; but ALWAYS in smooth-face. I don't need the crutch of a milled face, and I loathe the damage it does to the base material and to wiring especially.

Not heard of nail punches ? 
Never sent a nail fizzing into the wild blue yonder ?
You showed a drawer fulla hammers so one expects you have the right one for each job, maybe not ? 
Well mnem, you haven't done much fence stapling as the cross hatch head can't be beaten for that task. Period.

[Specmaster]

Bit of an ebay themed post...

If anyone from here is the one with a £30 bid on an 8060A, speak up, and I'll leave it be. If it's not one of us, I'll be having a snipe at it...

Here's a couple of items the hairy cornflake types here might be interested in:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Cleartone-CM7000XF-Commerical-VHF-UHF-Base-Station/353089564507
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/iCom-IC-4PE-4PE-Commercial-Radio-Base-Station-BNSQ1288/353089579935

These are nice, and worth an insulting lowball offer (I paid £60 for mine, £120 is way too much):
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TTI-5-5-Digit-High-Resolution-Computing-Multimeter-1906-Thurlby-Thandar/283893678124

How can a non-genuine one be worth £100?:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Non-Genuine-Hakko-FX-951-Soldering-Station-Station-Only/114237199525

That TTi multimeter would look great with my counter.....
for this mounth i am done buying...

Look out for a TTI 1705. Seen a few going relatively cheap, usually when I had no cash available 

Datasheet: http://imex.co.uk/WebRoot/Store15/Shops/20249b99-f30f-43a5-8f50-a5e2562eae4e/58E5/0250/B001/95E7/FF81/0A48/3535/8344/prec-1705-4p.pdf

Yeah, there was one about 5 weeks ago but it got a bit too pricey for my liking rather quickly in the last few minutes 

[robca]

For people in the Seattle area, this seems an interesting opportunity. Two identical HP 3225a in what looks like very good conditions. No ideas of what options are installed, the pictures are rather poor

https://seattle.craigslist.org/see/ele/d/allyn-hp-agilent-3325a-synthesizer/7131694521.html

(I'm not the one selling those, just have an automatic search for signal generator and these popped up)

[Cerebus]

The boy got a late model Hitachi finishing gun to do his house finish lines with and they're pretty novel as they don't use gas canisters but just electromagnetic drive.

A Nail Rail Gun, yaaay! Just needs lasers... 

[tautech]

The boy got a late model Hitachi finishing gun to do his house finish lines with and they're pretty novel as they don't use gas canisters but just electromagnetic drive.

A Nail Rail Gun, yaaay! Just needs lasers... 

They've come some way in quite short time and a chippy we use to help us with bigger jobs has their new framing gun which is more compact and lighter than the Paslode framers but no they're not rail guns as such as a piston and pin anvil is what pushes the nail home.

[mnementh]

As for SDH, I think we should make all system software programmers configure and use a E1 circuit run over some damp ethernet pairs bought from a hamfest, close to numerous squirrels for six months before being allowed near anything production grade.

And all web programmers should be behind 200ms latency, and only be allowed a text console.

Is this something akin to the old saw about how Hell for pool sharks should be only tilted trapezoidal tables, egg-shaped balls and cues that look like a pretzel...?

That's all well and good... but they need to be able to SEE their work to suffer from it. Perhaps an iPad behind a glass window in a locked room two buildings away, that refreshes on a random 20-200 minute timer...? 

mnem

[McBryce]

@BU508A Many thanks for your piece of filter material, it arrived today along with your surprise package to keep it company during the posting, it does get kind a lonely I guess in an envelope  I'm sure that I can find a use for them somewhere along the way. Here are a couple of photos with the filter installed and lit, beautiful contrast now 

My pleasure. 

That was exactly my thought. Traveling alone can be sooo boring.      I got an omnibus volume of some electronic parts from Rohde & Schwarz and it contained a huge amount of those µA709 OpAmps and I thought, they could be a nice company. 

Glad, that you've enjoyed it.   

The x-tal tester is looking much nicer with that filter, isn't it?   

... just a question: Does you omnibus also contain vintage transistors (TO-18) ? I am working on some esoteric oscillator project where I need *old* parts that have not been made using modern production processes.

regards
  Wolfgang

Any particular part No.s you are looking for? I have boxes of old TO-18 transistors and probably a few of those Germanium ones like the AC128 (no idea what the case name is).

McBryce.

My project uses old HF and NF transistors like 2N2222A, 2N2857, but also any others that have been made by "old" processes. I found out that these are a lot less
noisy than modern parts when used in high-Q crystal oscillators.

As long as it is pre-90ies all parts are welcome.

regards
   Wolfgang

Just checked, I have a shit load of things like BC107 and BC108, some 2N2222 from 1997, SF127 from 1990 etc. Let me know if you need any of them and I can send some over.

McBryce.

[mnementh]

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/10000199637975.html

Ummm... oklay... so this isn't the correct vendor on AliEx anymore...? Or is the difference that the ones being sold on the Tindie Store have been "calibrated"...?

Kindof discouraging, especially since they're now showing 144 pieces in stock with delivery by end of June...   

mnem
 

Crab.... there is a V2 ??   

There is a V2 Nanovna. There is also an H4. And a fork focused on higher frequency performance (don't remember the name). There is a lot of discussion about clones, fakes, etc, too.  If you are wanting to follow the drama that is nanovna, join the group over on groups.io... 

 

Ummm.... yeah. In general, I'd rather set foot in a tub full of piranhas than anywhere over there... that's why I asked in here.

I figured I MIGHT get a answer from somebody who knows their arse from a onion bagel, instead of being dogpiled just for asking and a few random clopper links thrown in for seasoning.

mnem
...or worse; did somebody mention crabs...?

[Wolfgang]

@BU508A Many thanks for your piece of filter material, it arrived today along with your surprise package to keep it company during the posting, it does get kind a lonely I guess in an envelope  I'm sure that I can find a use for them somewhere along the way. Here are a couple of photos with the filter installed and lit, beautiful contrast now 

My pleasure. 

That was exactly my thought. Traveling alone can be sooo boring.      I got an omnibus volume of some electronic parts from Rohde & Schwarz and it contained a huge amount of those µA709 OpAmps and I thought, they could be a nice company. 

Glad, that you've enjoyed it.   

The x-tal tester is looking much nicer with that filter, isn't it?   

... just a question: Does you omnibus also contain vintage transistors (TO-18) ? I am working on some esoteric oscillator project where I need *old* parts that have not been made using modern production processes.

regards
  Wolfgang

Any particular part No.s you are looking for? I have boxes of old TO-18 transistors and probably a few of those Germanium ones like the AC128 (no idea what the case name is).

McBryce.

My project uses old HF and NF transistors like 2N2222A, 2N2857, but also any others that have been made by "old" processes. I found out that these are a lot less
noisy than modern parts when used in high-Q crystal oscillators.

As long as it is pre-90ies all parts are welcome.

regards
   Wolfgang

Just checked, I have a shit load of things like BC107 and BC108, some 2N2222 from 1997, SF127 from 1990 etc. Let me know if you need any of them and I can send some over.

McBryce.

Always welcome ! I am searching for the old "holy grail" transistor with low 1/f noise at low to medium currents. All the modern stuff is no good or
too specialized like Audio with large capacitances. Anyway: Personal data is at:

https://electronicprojectsforfun.wordpress.com/ueber/

Thanks !

[0culus]

After a nice long warm up, alignment, and much control exercising, the 184 is 95% working. The other 5% is the H.F. sine marker function, which appears to be dead as a doornail. 

Also, FWIW, the power supply is completely in spec. All three rails are correct voltages and ripple is better than specified.

Deoxit and IPA wash on the RF selector get back the 5ns but the 2ns output level still noisy and below the required level on my unit.

What's your scope+probe/cable's bandwidth? Even my 350MHz Tek485 won't show the 2ns at full amplitude.

The 184 works by "stealing" power from the 10MHz crystal and amplifying the 50th harmonic. It is easy to not have enough input power or gain.

Don't forget that the 184 is designed to set the horizontal scale, so the amplitude isn't that important.

I don’t know whether you were talking to me or syau, but I’m testing mine with both 7a29 amplifiers in my 7104 and a 7a19 amp in my 7904A, both with direct coax connections.

[mnementh]

Not heard of nail punches ? 
Never sent a nail fizzing into the wild blue yonder ?  You showed a drawer fulla hammers so one expects you have the right one for each job, maybe not ?    Well mnem, you haven't done much fence stapling as the cross hatch head can't be beaten for that task. Period.

Ummm... okay. First off, I didn't know this was a competition. Secondly, I thought we were talking carpentry, not farmwork; so the staples I was talking about were on ROMEX.

While most of the barbed wire I've hung was electrified, I HAVE hung enough deer mesh to enclose a township... and all of it with a pair of Channellock 85s and whatever framing hammer (yes, smooth face) I happened to be favoring at the time. Pull the mesh tight, set the staple with one swing of the pliers, drive it in with the next. After all the staples are set, go over them with the framing hammer then on to the next post. 

mnem
 

[mnementh]

not directly TEA, but I've bought today this nice printer:   Brother MFC L8690CDW       https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/283773255940

I needed a printer with scan / copy functionality, because my old beloved HP LaserJet 4000N doesn't have this.   And, as a bonus: I can print now colours

Nice Brother, brother! 

Should be really good for hammering in fence posts when you get sick of Brother's Toner Cartridge Counter BS. 

mnem

[med6753]

Gee, we go from keyboards, to VPN's, to hammers. What's next? Which loo's flush better? 

[Ice-Tea]

*Crud*

Did an auction yesterday, only had a little luck which is worse than none at all because the base cost of logistics is hideous.

So, I'm looking for a solution. Anyone here with family/friends/acquaintances/enemies in the San Jose area that could pickup this beauty with a sad face:

(Attachment Link)

It would either be for "own consumption", forwarding inside the US or outside the US. Payment in Karma, cold hard cash or a monumental discount on the unit itself.

Alternatively, I was looking into "odd job" platforms in the US to get this done. If anyone has recommendations, I'm all ears.

Jumping through a lot of hoops to get this thing shipped after all, but, eh, what? No love for DDA-260 aka WavePro 960 aka 2GHz/16GSa/64mpt goodness? If you manage to pick it up/have it picked up you could have it for, like, real cheap. Or I wouldn't mind spending a few hundred $ for the privilege...

[tonyalbus]

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/10000199637975.html

Ummm... oklay... so this isn't the correct vendor on AliEx anymore...? Or is the difference that the ones being sold on the Tindie Store have been "calibrated"...?

Kindof discouraging, especially since they're now showing 144 pieces in stock with delivery by end of June...   

mnem
 

Crab.... there is a V2 ??   

There is a V2 Nanovna. There is also an H4. And a fork focused on higher frequency performance (don't remember the name). There is a lot of discussion about clones, fakes, etc, too.  If you are wanting to follow the drama that is nanovna, join the group over on groups.io... 

 

Ummm.... yeah. In general, I'd rather set foot in a tub full of piranhas than anywhere over there... that's why I asked in here.

I figured I MIGHT get a answer from somebody who knows their arse from a onion bagel, instead of being dogpiled just for asking and a few random clopper links thrown in for seasoning.

mnem
...or worse; did somebody mention crabs...?

Was not making fun of you...its just that i bought a H4, and now i here there is a V2... just arrived today and its old allready....

[mnementh]

Oh, no... I was talking about groups.io etc... my experiences within that portal (at least since they've been invaded by the Yahoo groups crowd) have been less than beneficial most of the time.

mnem