Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[med6753]

This morning we were awakened by our phones going off with an Emergency Broadcast notifying us that we are again in Stage 1 lockdown... sortof.

"Stay home, save lives, don't go out unless it is absolutely necessary. If you can work from home, you must do so; it's the law."

Of course, we wouldn't have this "emergency" if fearless leaders had stood up to the merchants' cabal and kept Stage 2 in place during the Christmas shopping season... the only difference here is the level of common sense of the average public is a few notches higher on the food chain. But only a few.

https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/ontario-addresses-confusion-about-new-stay-at-home-rules-these-are-the-answers-to-your-top-questions-1.5264068

You Might Be In Canada If...

...This makes the scroll on your evening news:  MANITOBA RCMP INTERNAL INVESTIGATIONS TAKES OVER CASE INVOLVING REPORTS THAT AN OFFICER INTENTIONALLY HIT A DOG.

Anywhere in the US, that would read "...AN OFFICER INTENTIONALLY HIT A CHILD."

Saw that in a video posted in the link above discussing the perils facing our front-line healthcare workers right now... Just an indicator of the difference in the level of fooked-oop-ness between here and where we just escaped from.

mnem
*the lighter side of the Dark Side*

When are you finally going to get a clue that bullshit like this does nothing but incite discord and disagreement? Us poor slobs south of the border all get how you feel about the land you left. You don't need to toss it in our faces everyday. And you always jump to the extreme to make sure you can justify your choices.

I wish to hell you would keep your political views to yourself but I know I'm talking to a brick wall.     

[factory]

Well I'm not sure if a gorilla was responsible for the burnt resistors being lower than 100kΩ, as I discovered the very first batch of HP 5325A's (prefix 820) came with a 82Ω resistor for R3, but this counter is a later 844 prefix and the input amplifier boards have no space for the capacitor C20 that is in parallel with the 100kΩ. I wouldn't normally do this but I decided to modify both boards to match the 844 prefix manual, i.e. how it should have left the factory.


First I had to strip all the components from the burnt areas & clean the carbonised remains away, some Araldite was needed to fill in where one board was damaged.



The components were all tested, one Zener diode had failed, testing the remaining ones I have decided a 3.3V Zener matches the spec of the rest of them (approx 3.8V at 10mA), one of those has been temporarily fitted & I have ordered a couple of the original 3.83V part as they weren't too expensive (part no. 1902-3059).



I replaced a couple of the resistors that had faded markings, fitted the 100kΩ for R3 and a 1000pF capacitor on the rear of the boards, I also added a link on the back to properly repair a damaged track that previously had a bit of IC leg bodged on.
Both boards tested OK on all attenuator settings, guess I'm lucky the protection circuit did it's job & didn't EOL the dual FET. 




David

[factory]

A few extra pictures of the HP 5325A after repair.



And a comparison between the input amplifier from my 5325A & 5325B (also used in Tony's 5323A).


David

P.S. If anyone wants a 5325B there is one on ePay.de at the moment (with timebase fault), same seller has a whole pile of HV probulators.
https://www.ebay.de/itm/353347583163

[factory]

Some vintage TE for those in the US, a lot of 3 Atec dual display counters;
https://www.ebay.com/itm/143918205641


David

[Cerebus]

Yes, it was in my watch list, and now I have to fight everyone else in TEA for it!   

If it is a good deal there is at least one bastard here who will be your enemy.
I am sure in the past we have done bid battles between us, and evilbay is drinking the 10% of them.

Hey, I resemble that remark  But I don't need it or really want it as it doesn't do the most important parameter for me, ESR 

It'll give you \$C\$ and \$\tan(\delta)\$, and it's a small step with a calculator to get \$ESR = \omega C \tan(\delta)\$. As it is \$tan(\delta)\$ is probably a more useful thing to know than ESR as it's direct indicator of the amount of loss rather than having to go off and calculate the loss by first calculating \$X_c\$.

[Cerebus]

Yup. That was my guess; very little preload. I just have this thing for feeling my bearings...  maybe a bit unhealthy, I dunno.

Not as long as you use adequate lube and a suitable protective barrier, like rubber.

[Brumby]

Some vintage TE for those in the US, a lot of 3 Atec dual display counters;
https://www.ebay.com/itm/143918205641


David

Normally, I'd clean off stickers from second hand gear - but I might be tempted to leave this one as is.....



.... not that I could entertain getting them.  Shipping would be extortionate.


*Thinks*
It IS, however, very appealing to have something like that on my test bench....  I like the thought of even the uninitiated who may be mildly disinterested in all the gear being told I have some NASA test gear - and point to the sticker.  They won't have any idea of the age, but it'll get their attention!

[BU508A]

Whoa, not sure, if I'm wanting such a beast. 

A Guildline Standard Cell Enclosure with four! Weston-cells in it!



I've putted it on my watchlist, because I'm curious for how much it will go.

[Cerebus]

This morning ...

Of course, we wouldn't have this "emergency" if fearless leaders had stood up to the merchants' cabal and kept Stage 2 in place during the Christmas shopping season... the only difference here is the level of common sense of the average public is a few notches higher on the food chain. But only a few.

https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/ontario-addresses-confusion-about-new-stay-at-home-rules-these-are-the-answers-to-your-top-questions-1.5264068

You Might Be In Canada If...

...This makes the scroll on your evening news:  MANITOBA RCMP INTERNAL INVESTIGATIONS TAKES OVER CASE INVOLVING REPORTS THAT AN OFFICER INTENTIONALLY HIT A DOG.

Anywhere in the US, that would read "...AN OFFICER INTENTIONALLY HIT A CHILD."

Saw that in a video posted in the link above discussing the perils facing our front-line healthcare workers right now... Just an indicator of the difference in the level of fooked-oop-ness between here and where we just escaped from.

mnem
*the lighter side of the Dark Side*

Oh, cum on, Canadia was the only place I have ever been to where they charged me as a crime victim 65 CAD for reporting the crime and getting a crime report that I could turn in at the insurance.

No, if you ask for a copy of a crime report for insurance purposes here you'll get charged for it, they assume the insurer's paying. There's a list of charges here https://www.met.police.uk/SysSiteAssets/foi-media/metropolitan-police/services_we_offer/corporate/met-hq---commercial--finance---mps-general-fees-and-charges---201920 - £162.68 for a motor vehicle accident report.

Similarly, you will get a bill for hospital treatment here if it's pursuant to a road accident, as the (mandatory) third party motor insurance is expected to foot the bill. It's the only time that an NHS hospital will charge a (nominally tax-paying) resident for treatment.

[Cerebus]

This morning we were awakened by our phones going off with an Emergency Broadcast notifying us that we are again in Stage 1 lockdown... sortof.

"Stay home, save lives, don't go out unless it is absolutely necessary. If you can work from home, you must do so; it's the law."

Of course, we wouldn't have this "emergency" if fearless leaders had stood up to the merchants' cabal and kept Stage 2 in place during the Christmas shopping season... the only difference here is the level of common sense of the average public is a few notches higher on the food chain. But only a few.

https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/ontario-addresses-confusion-about-new-stay-at-home-rules-these-are-the-answers-to-your-top-questions-1.5264068

You Might Be In Canada If...

...This makes the scroll on your evening news:  MANITOBA RCMP INTERNAL INVESTIGATIONS TAKES OVER CASE INVOLVING REPORTS THAT AN OFFICER INTENTIONALLY HIT A DOG.

Anywhere in the US, that would read "...AN OFFICER INTENTIONALLY HIT A CHILD."

Saw that in a video posted in the link above discussing the perils facing our front-line healthcare workers right now... Just an indicator of the difference in the level of fooked-oop-ness between here and where we just escaped from.

mnem
*the lighter side of the Dark Side*

When are you finally going to get a clue that bullshit like this does nothing but incite discord and disagreement? Us poor slobs south of the border all get how you feel about the land you left. You don't need to toss it in our faces everyday. And you always jump to the extreme to make sure you can justify your choices.

I wish to hell you would keep your political views to yourself but I know I'm talking to a brick wall. 

Lighten up, "You know you're in Canada when" stories are a cliche (like two guys in a fender bender completing to see who can apologise the most profusely). If you don't like Mnem's drawing a parallel with his home country, ignore it. Drawing attention to it actually gives it more impact, not less.

I get fed up with your "chip on your shoulder" references to Tea and harbours, and to engineers, but I either ignore them or give as good back, I don't whinge about it.

[Cerebus]

Some vintage TE for those in the US, a lot of 3 Atec dual display counters;
https://www.ebay.com/itm/143918205641


David

Normally, I'd clean off stickers from second hand gear - but I might be tempted to leave this one as is.....



.... not that I could entertain getting them.  Shipping would be extortionate.


*Thinks*
It IS, however, very appealing to have something like that on my test bench....  I like the thought of even the uninitiated who may be mildly disinterested in all the gear being told I have some NASA test gear - and point to the sticker.  They won't have any idea of the age, but it'll get their attention!

I suspect the sticker is more valuable than what it's stuck to. 

[Specmaster]

Yes, it was in my watch list, and now I have to fight everyone else in TEA for it!   

If it is a good deal there is at least one bastard here who will be your enemy.
I am sure in the past we have done bid battles between us, and evilbay is drinking the 10% of them.

Hey, I resemble that remark  But I don't need it or really want it as it doesn't do the most important parameter for me, ESR 

It'll give you \$C\$ and \$\tan(\delta)\$, and it's a small step with a calculator to get \$ESR = \omega C \tan(\delta)\$. As it is \$tan(\delta)\$ is probably a more useful thing to know than ESR as it's direct indicator of the amount of loss rather than having to go off and calculate the loss by first calculating \$X_c\$.

I’m pretty sure that my tester already provides the loss and the other results along with the ESR all on the same screen, simultaneously.

[SilverSolder]

Some vintage TE for those in the US, a lot of 3 Atec dual display counters;
https://www.ebay.com/itm/143918205641


David

Normally, I'd clean off stickers from second hand gear - but I might be tempted to leave this one as is.....



.... not that I could entertain getting them.  Shipping would be extortionate.


*Thinks*
It IS, however, very appealing to have something like that on my test bench....  I like the thought of even the uninitiated who may be mildly disinterested in all the gear being told I have some NASA test gear - and point to the sticker.  They won't have any idea of the age, but it'll get their attention!

I suspect the sticker is more valuable than what it's stuck to. 

We live in the age of fake news -  knock up some stickers in Photoshop and print your own! 

[mnementh]

Yup. That was my guess; very little preload. I just have this thing for feeling my bearings...  maybe a bit unhealthy, I dunno.

Not as long as you use adequate lube and a suitable protective barrier, like rubber.

Thanks old friend; I knew you wouldn't leave me hangin'. 

mnem

[Cerebus]

I’m pretty sure that my tester already provides the loss and the other results along with the ESR all on the same screen, simultaneously.

It probably does if it's using an LCD or similar. Getting from ESR to \$\tan(\delta)\$ and vice-versa is just simple arithmetic, all you need is the room to display them simultaneously. Older meters with just a couple of 7 segment LED displays or similar are just space constrained in what they can display simultaneously. The really super-dooper modern bridges will draw the equivalent circuit of what they're measuring and label the components with the measured values.

[Cerebus]

Yup. That was my guess; very little preload. I just have this thing for feeling my bearings...  maybe a bit unhealthy, I dunno.

Not as long as you use adequate lube and a suitable protective barrier, like rubber.

Thanks old friend; I knew you wouldn't leave me hangin'. 

mnem

I'm British and a Londoner, I never knew a double entendre that I couldn't reduce to a simple Anglo-Saxon seule entendre in 0.3 seconds flat. 

[mnementh]

0.3 seconds...? You slowin' down in yer old age, or just takin' time to savor the possibilities...?

mnem
 

[Specmaster]

This morning we were awakened by our phones going off with an Emergency Broadcast notifying us that we are again in Stage 1 lockdown... sortof.

"Stay home, save lives, don't go out unless it is absolutely necessary. If you can work from home, you must do so; it's the law."

Of course, we wouldn't have this "emergency" if fearless leaders had stood up to the merchants' cabal and kept Stage 2 in place during the Christmas shopping season... the only difference here is the level of common sense of the average public is a few notches higher on the food chain. But only a few.

https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/ontario-addresses-confusion-about-new-stay-at-home-rules-these-are-the-answers-to-your-top-questions-1.5264068

You Might Be In Canada If...

...This makes the scroll on your evening news:  MANITOBA RCMP INTERNAL INVESTIGATIONS TAKES OVER CASE INVOLVING REPORTS THAT AN OFFICER INTENTIONALLY HIT A DOG.

Anywhere in the US, that would read "...AN OFFICER INTENTIONALLY HIT A CHILD."

Saw that in a video posted in the link above discussing the perils facing our front-line healthcare workers right now... Just an indicator of the difference in the level of fooked-oop-ness between here and where we just escaped from.

mnem
*the lighter side of the Dark Side*

When are you finally going to get a clue that bullshit like this does nothing but incite discord and disagreement? Us poor slobs south of the border all get how you feel about the land you left. You don't need to toss it in our faces everyday. And you always jump to the extreme to make sure you can justify your choices.

I wish to hell you would keep your political views to yourself but I know I'm talking to a brick wall. 

Lighten up, "You know you're in Canada when" stories are a cliche (like two guys in a fender bender completing to see who can apologise the most profusely). If you don't like Mnem's drawing a parallel with his home country, ignore it. Drawing attention to it actually gives it more impact, not less.

I get fed up with your "chip on your shoulder" references to Tea and harbours, and to engineers, but I either ignore them or give as good back, I don't whinge about it.

Note to self  "Add a huge tub / bag of pop corn and grab a few bottles Coke" to shopping list for the morning, it could be getting towards entertainment time soon 

[tggzzz]

Whoa, not sure, if I'm wanting such a beast. 

A Guildline Standard Cell Enclosure with four! Weston-cells in it!



I've putted it on my watchlist, because I'm curious for how much it will go.

I wonder how they will legally ship it, given that it will contain liquid mercury (and cadmium) and doesn't like being inverted or shaken:



 https://entertaininghacks.wordpress.com/2016/12/28/a-weston-standard-cell-an-introduction-to-voltnuttery/

[mnementh]

I’m pretty sure that my tester already provides the loss and the other results along with the ESR all on the same screen, simultaneously.

It probably does if it's using an LCD or similar. Getting from ESR to \$\tan(\delta)\$ and vice-versa is just simple arithmetic, all you need is the room to display them simultaneously. Older meters with just a couple of 7 segment LED displays or similar are just space constrained in what they can display simultaneously. The really super-dooper modern bridges will draw the equivalent circuit of what they're measuring and label the components with the measured values.

Yeah... ESR as used in most multifunction testers was developed more as a quick & dirty diag aid than anything else. I was very confused at first by the \$\tan(\delta)\$ function on my DE-5000, but it has both available when set manually to Cap mode. Once I started using it, I realized how much more useful \$\tan(\delta)\$ is when you're trying to compare a large, expensive cap against a datasheet. I'm math defective, so it's easier. 

mnem
 

[Cerebus]

Note to self  "Add a huge tub / bag of pop corn and grab a few bottles Coke" to shopping list for the morning, it could be getting towards entertainment time soon 

[mnementh]

Nope. I started to write a response, but it was downright snarky and I realized that C had already said everything I could think of that was even marginally friendly, so I decided to /dev/null it in consideration of years of friendship.

mnem
I would rather be happy than right.

[Specmaster]

Nope. I started to write a response, but it was downright snarky and I realized that C had already said everything I could think of that was even marginally friendly, so I decided to /dev/null it in consideration of years of friendship.

mnem
I would rather be happy than right.

Remember also that Med has had a big disappointment today so he's a little pissed off and rightly so

[mnementh]

Whoa, not sure, if I'm wanting such a beast.      A Guildline Standard Cell Enclosure with four! Weston-cells in it!      I've putted it on my watchlist, because I'm curious for how much it will go.

I wonder how they will legally ship it, given that it will contain liquid mercury (and cadmium) and doesn't like being inverted or shaken:   

 https://entertaininghacks.wordpress.com/2016/12/28/a-weston-standard-cell-an-introduction-to-voltnuttery/

Why am I reminded of that episode where Bart pranks Homer with a can of beer taken straight off a paint mixer...?

mnem
 

[mnementh]

EDIT: Those dot matrix displays are truly drool-worthy. The only thing that could be better, would be a nixie dot matrix display...

PLATO computer terminal from the early 70s   

Yup. 512 x 512 plasma display, with simultaneous text and graphic modes (well, alt-paged, but still)... literally changed the way people thought aboot computers.

That platform is as old as I am, BTW. 

EDIT: https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/tech-history/silicon-revolution/sxsw-2018-a-look-back-at-the-1960s-plato-computing-system

mnem