Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[beanflying]

Mixed signal quantitative analysis seems to be a little noise on top of the main signal

Summer is about here in Southern Oz 

[Zucca]

Today's Lesson: never trust HR.

[BU508A]

Summer is about here in Southern Oz 

Can't await autumn 2021.

[mansaxel]

Also, I received a recent impulse shopping, another microphone... A beyerdynamic M80.  It arrived in the cutest package yet. I immediately swapped the DIN plug for a XLR. Haven't tried it yet, except by driving a 400H VTVM and "eye-listening" to the meter. The connection did not match any of the standard Schaltschema für Diodenstecker, so wiring it to a XLR is sort of experimental. Which is why I got some motivation for fixing the mixer...

Neat! How does the M80 perform in this day and age? Is it worth it rewiring an old beyerdynamic or sennhesier microphone for voice recording? It's something I've contemplated, but I figured I should just save up for a proper sennheiser MKH416.
Thanks!

I'll let you know as soon as I've tested it -- so far I've only seen output from it; not heard it. Just have to finish up the recapping of my Studer mixing desk and its peripherals. The current medical situation makes the demand for mixing desks in live performance very cold, so I've sort of put that on the back burner.

Having said that, I mostly bought it as a "directional MD21", with an idea to make a mock news presenter setup for WFH video conferencing. With the supplied desk stand (can be unscrewed into foot and clamp, and it's BSW 3/8" thread, ie. European standard microphone stand thread, so a definitive win there.) I'll only have to construct a setup with a screen behind me playing aircraft carrier accident videos off of Youtube, don a three-piece suit and serious expression, get an external camera selected in Teams, and I'm good to go. 

As to using the microphone for location work, I think that the tried combination of MKH series shotguns (the engineering in those is fantastic, being a HF modulation system, etc), a wider yet directional boom mike, and lavaliers for spot work works better than a medium-sensitivity dynamic with a fair bit of handling noise.

[med6753]

Mixed signal quantitative analysis seems to be a little noise on top of the main signal

Summer is about here in Southern Oz 

I think the heat is frying your brain there mate....better get into some A/C. 

It has been a very mild Winter here so far. One major snow storm and perhaps one or two nights where the temp approached near 0 F (-18 C). That's unusual. By now we usually have at least one cold snap with temps below 0 F.

Oh, I tossed a $10 bid on that resistance box. The auction ends in a few hours. But if someone out bids me they can have it.

[mansaxel]

Today's Lesson: never trust HR.

I'd argue that HR departments must be judged against their perception of the world, and what constitutes a problem vs good outcome for them.  More often than not the illusion of the company as a coherent force striving towards a common goal



is shattered and turns into the usual departmental infighting.



The individual is nothing but a means to an end in this.

[McBryce]

Today's contender for the most stupid valuation of a bench meter, shocking presentation of an alleged working unit.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TTI-Thurlby-Thandar-1906-Computing-multimeter-ABR335/174419946985

How about this idiot, with the classic "Well that's what HP were asking for in 1993" argument:

https://www.ebay.de/itm/Hewlett-Packard-Agilent-54622D-2-16-Channel-100-MHz-Mixed-Signal-Oszilloskop/224319631509

A HP 54622D for a mere €1,200.

McBryce.

[mansaxel]

A more sensible valuation here: eBay auction: #154300997825. I'd love to, but...

[Robert763]

Take care with the NIM (Nuclear Instrumentation Module) bin you choose. That HP scaler needs +6V and not all bins hve it, especially later ones. The HP radiation measuring instrmentation is pretty rare. I've never seen any of it in the UK.

[BU508A]

A more sensible valuation here: eBay auction: #154300997825. I'd love to, but...

I'd rather go for the 3456A:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/HP-Model-3456A-Digital-Voltmeter/154299815088

[bd139]

Today's Lesson: never trust HR.

I'd argue that HR departments must be judged against their perception of the world, and what constitutes a problem vs good outcome for them.  More often than not the illusion of the company as a coherent force striving towards a common goal



is shattered and turns into the usual departmental infighting.



The individual is nothing but a means to an end in this.

I've decided that I like HR but you need to learn to exploit their key weakness: clue. Some fun at the moment. They know nothing of the job or the requirements but need to tick a corporate box. Who better to ask how to tick the box? Well the people who are domain experts. And our key domain expertise, being IT consultants, is not IT but increasing cash and decreasing work .

[Robert763]

I think the description of this item speaks for itself:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Agilent-G3870-60340-Foreline-Trousers-Assembly-Turbo-Boxed/265022472593

Good old autotranslate.
Bit pricey, they are only £596 new https://www.agilent.com/store/en_US/Prod-G3870-60340/G3870-60340
Part of a mass spectrometer vacuum pump setup.

[Specmaster]

Today's Lesson: never trust HR.

Oh dear, I sense great foreboding here! HR is never on your side, really, they pretend to be but in reality they always favour the hand that feeds them. My last brush with HR involved a private HR consultant who was as corrupt as a nine bob note (an English phrase, meaning dodgy, bent) and as a result it was me versus a handful of corrupt company directors and HR, mission impossible.

[med6753]

A more sensible valuation here: eBay auction: #154300997825. I'd love to, but...

That's the same seller where I bought the Fluke 8505A last year. It took USPS 2 weeks to get it to me and it was only 120 miles away. But despite USPS bumbling it arrived in excellent shape and it works fine.

If I had the room I'd grab this hp.

Did I just say that? 

[Specmaster]

Seeing as AVGresponding posted the heads up about a Thandar portable scope on eBay the other day, I was wondering if it was anyone here who did win it in the end?

[capt bullshot]

Shipped these poor guys to the friend of Saskia for repair.



Just because this is TEA, I did an impedance measurement before:

[Ice-Tea]

Also someone got a bargain on those three Atec counters at $25. eBay auction: #143918205641

David

Guilty as charged, on both counts.  (no pun intended)

Oh, please. Who are you kidding? 

[Saskia]

@Zucca uh oh.
good luck sorting out the mess.

Now don't say they let you buy the house and then cancel your transfer ...

[Saskia]

bought an anchor.

https://www.ebay.de/itm/Hawllett-Packard-716-A-Klystron-Power-Supply/293940381537?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

Not that I actually *need* it, but I hope it will help me for my quest for world domination ...

[Ero-Shan]

For those, which aren't that familiar with Blackadder (this includes myself  ):

Well, we know what to get you for next Christmas ... the box set. (Start with series two, watch all the series to the end, then go back and watch the considerably inferior series one as a curiosity.)

Edit: Really, you must watch Blackadder.  It's one of the best things that has been on TV in my lifetime. I suspect that it would just suit your sense of humour. Watch it in English, yours is good enough that you'll get the few bits of wordplay in it (e.g. Tim McInnery playing "Captain Darling" developing a nervous tic every time Captain Blackadder says "Hello, Darling" to him. I'm sure you'll get that without me saying "Hauptmann Schatzie".)

After buying my first sattellite dish I watched Season 4 ("Blackadder goes forth") on Sky One as my first. It still is my favorite season. With an exceptionally apt ending - they make fun of WWI, but not of all those who were killed.
As soon as the box became available, I had to have it!

[Ero-Shan]

Do we have here fans of frequency counters with dotted LED displays? 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/402653938052



NAWTS as usual

Thanks. I like counters with any display, but this kind I do not have yet. 

[Ero-Shan]

And here's some more TEA.

Amazingly, I did not own a signal generator from hp (I do not count my 8018 serial data generator as such).
It didn't have to be a boat anchor (considering that I'm already overstuffed), so when I saw one offered as part of a bundle (I like bundles - several new things at once!), I just overbid all others.

That's the new lot (sorry for the substandard picture):



The Oscillator oscillates nicely but, wearing a hp badge, of course is missing its feet.

The ELV "Kapazitätsmeßgerät" (Capacitance measuring device) seems to work at first glance, but the values are off. I don't care much, never liked ELV. The housing must be one of the dumbest I've seen in a while. Getting the 2 screws back into the holes is a daunting task.

And then there's a Heathkit VTVM, probably the one I loved so deerly during my "Radio- und Fernsehtechniker" days.
However, this gave me an inkling that the battery might be a few minutes past its "best before" date:



It is not even that old. I've seen much older ones that still looked good!



The Philips PM2400 has a broken plastic handle (just like hp never have feet, Philips just have to have some broken plastics  ) and corroded (more like standard rust) battery clips. Having no fitting batteries, I'm too lazy to check it out.

Nevertheless, I'm quite happy considering what I paid for the lot.

[BU508A]

And here's some more TEA.

Amazingly, I did not own a signal generator from hp (I do not count my 8018 serial data generator as such).
It didn't have to be a boat anchor (considering that I'm already overstuffed), so when I saw one offered as part of a bundle (I like bundles - several new things at once!), I just overbid all others.

That's the new lot (sorry for the substandard picture):

I do like the "Schopf" in the background.   

The Oscillator oscillates nicely but, wearing a hp badge, of course is missing its feet.

The ELV "Kapazitätsmeßgerät" (Capacitance measuring device) seems to work at first glance, but the values are off. I don't care much, never liked ELV. The housing must be one of the dumbest I've seen in a while. Getting the 2 screws back into the holes is a daunting task.

+1 for ELV. I don't like them as well. Never convinced me what they are doing or offering in their shop.

Nevertheless, I'm quite happy considering what I paid for the lot.

That's the important part it. 

[bd139]

Ah a Duracell. Unlucky

I got one with an Ever Ready battery in it a couple of years back that hadn't leaked. The battery was circa 37 years old at the time:



I was surprised at this!

[Cerebus]

Having said that, I mostly bought it as a "directional MD21", with an idea to make a mock news presenter setup for WFH video conferencing. With the supplied desk stand (can be unscrewed into foot and clamp, and it's BSW 3/8" thread, ie. European standard microphone stand thread, so a definitive win there.) I'll only have to construct a setup with a screen behind me playing aircraft carrier accident videos off of Youtube, don a three-piece suit and serious expression, get an external camera selected in Teams, and I'm good to go. 

Don't forget the carafe of water with a glass on top, and a stack of papers for you to tap and square up on the desk when you're signing off. Also, you need a hooked over earpiece for one ear that you can occasionally put your hand to and say "I'm just being told that...".

Also you'll need a prepared item for immediately before you sign off. Something like this:

[Rostrum camera]

"And finally. A rare bird native only to mid-New York State has been spotted in Malmö. It was seen in the yard of an electronics recycling faculty where it was collecting brightly coloured components that had fallen from items waiting to be recycled. It was identified by Professor Mankell from Uppsala university by its call, which sounds like 'Gå av min gräsmatta!' and this is the first time it has been seen in Sweden.

Goodnight."