Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[wkb]

For the money they most likely cost gold plating should have been included 

[med6753]

It took 2 days to go from Virginia to New Jersey. Then for nearly 6 days it kicked around two New Jersey USPS distribution centers. Freaking ridiculous but it's finally here. 

[Robert763]

thanks, no. Hubby is currently complaining that he cannot bid on the axe collection he is eyeing as we are out of space.

Any special types...throwing, double bit, racing ?

all kinds of, preference would most likely be battle axes, sacrificial axes, just about anything that can be used to ruin someone's day.

He's such a romantic, at one time he went to pick up his viking style fighting axe and gifted me with a sacrificial axe (for when I have the need to sacrifice a goat to Odin).

Think yourself lucky to have the option. While having an axe  without good reason was illegal in public since 1959, recent UK law makes this kind of weapon illegal to have even in your own home. An axe is a bladed article and the is no good reason to have a fighting or sacrificial axe.  No swords (unless pre 1959 and traditional construction) or "zombie" knives either.

[kj7e]

It took 2 days to go from Virginia to New Jersey. Then for nearly 6 days it kicked around two New Jersey USPS distribution centers. Freaking ridiculous but it's finally here. 

 My tubes wont fit on your desk.

[Saskia]

thanks, no. Hubby is currently complaining that he cannot bid on the axe collection he is eyeing as we are out of space.

Any special types...throwing, double bit, racing ?

all kinds of, preference would most likely be battle axes, sacrificial axes, just about anything that can be used to ruin someone's day.

He's such a romantic, at one time he went to pick up his viking style fighting axe and gifted me with a sacrificial axe (for when I have the need to sacrifice a goat to Odin).

Think yourself lucky to have the option. While having an axe  without good reason was illegal in public since 1959, recent UK law makes this kind of weapon illegal to have even in your own home. An axe is a bladed article and the is no good reason to have a fighting or sacrificial axe.  No swords (unless pre 1959 and traditional construction) or "zombie" knives either.

 

They are outlawing a lot of stuff over here, too.
As if you could not use a Halligan tool to achieve a similar result as with an axe ...

[bd139]

It took 2 days to go from Virginia to New Jersey. Then for nearly 6 days it kicked around two New Jersey USPS distribution centers. Freaking ridiculous but it's finally here. 

 My tubes wont fit on your desk.

Looks like you’ve been x-rayed by that tube as well 

[Kosmic]

I needed a high impedance meter for something I'm working on, so I decided to move the old Keithley 610CR, that I got a while ago, to the front of the repair queue. The unit I have was produced in 1972 and last calibration was in 1983.

Finished the calibration procedure of the 610CR. Most went without issue excepted the full range adjustment.



The potentiometer R179 didn't had the range to fully adjust the meter. So I simply switched R180 and increased the value from 500\$\Omega\$ to 3.9k\$\Omega\$.





The meter is now fully functional and calibrated 

[Kosmic]

I needed a high impedance meter for something I'm working on, so I decided to move the old Keithley 610CR, that I got a while ago, to the front of the repair queue. The unit I have was produced in 1972 and last calibration was in 1983.

Finished the calibration procedure of the 610CR. Most went without issue excepted the full range adjustment.

So, while I was working on this instrument, I decided to get rid of the awful UHF connector and replace it with a proper triaxial connector. Since the new connector has 3 conductors, I added a switch to active the guard on the center shield for the Ohm and Volt mode (Similar to the Keithley 617).


The final result after a good cleanup.


Measuring a Russian 1Teraohm resistor

[kj7e]

It took 2 days to go from Virginia to New Jersey. Then for nearly 6 days it kicked around two New Jersey USPS distribution centers. Freaking ridiculous but it's finally here. 

 My tubes wont fit on your desk.

Looks like you’ve been x-rayed by that tube as well 

Haha, the curse of being Irish Scott and riding 100-150 miles a week in the SoCal sun.

[kj7e]

I needed a high impedance meter for something I'm working on, so I decided to move the old Keithley 610CR, that I got a while ago, to the front of the repair queue. The unit I have was produced in 1972 and last calibration was in 1983.

Finished the calibration procedure of the 610CR. Most went without issue excepted the full range adjustment.

So, while I was working on this instrument, I decided to get rid of the awful UHF connector and replace it with a proper triaxial connector. Since the new connector has 3 conductors, I added a switch to active the guard on the center shield for the Ohm and Volt mode (Similar to the Keithley 617).


The final result after a good cleanup.


Measuring a Russian 1Teraohm resistor

When making measurements in that range, I found I had to use a guard can for good, stable measurements.  Or in this case, a Starbucks Pumpkin Spice cookie can.

[tautech]

thanks, no. Hubby is currently complaining that he cannot bid on the axe collection he is eyeing as we are out of space.

Any special types...throwing, double bit, racing ?

all kinds of, preference would most likely be battle axes, sacrificial axes, just about anything that can be used to ruin someone's day.

He's such a romantic, at one time he went to pick up his viking style fighting axe and gifted me with a sacrificial axe (for when I have the need to sacrifice a goat to Odin).

Think yourself lucky to have the option. While having an axe  without good reason was illegal in public since 1959, recent UK law makes this kind of weapon illegal to have even in your own home. An axe is a bladed article and the is no good reason to have a fighting or sacrificial axe.  No swords (unless pre 1959 and traditional construction) or "zombie" knives either.

At times I really do wonder what the world is coming to. 
Sharp cutting tools are all around us and where I sit now in my garage I see last century cutting tools that I have hoarded and collected all my life. 3 wood axes, a shipwrights lip adze (farmers preferred grubbing tool), knives, chisels and all manner of things that could cause harm in the hands of some deranged nitwit however these are all tools and just tools to the practical man.
FFS a baseball bat is just as dangerous. 

[bd139]

Just remember the law is only enforced when you are caught. Apart from that it’s a vague concept no one gives a flying fuck about. I own an axe, several knives and the deadliest biological weapon of all: small children.

Edit: to be clear I actually carry what you’d consider to be illegal most outdoor trips I do: a simple frost mora knife. It’s absolutely fine. Just stick it in your bag. If you’ve got a machete in your pocket outside a tube station it might attract some attention however! Be sensible. Play the grey man. Don’t draw attention to yourself and don’t look suspicious as fuck.

[tautech]

Just remember the law is only enforced when you are caught. Apart from that it’s a vague concept no one gives a flying fuck about. I own an axe, several knives and the deadliest biological weapon of all: small children.

@~14 I was helping in the woolshed and the flip over box on the woolpress sconed me as it was being lowered and pop had to run me into Auckland hospital for a dozen stiches just above one eyebrow.
No one had time to change or even clean up and the nurse asked me why pop had a sheath knife on his hip. 

We thought nothing of carrying our 'tools of the trade' anywhere back in them days and it wasn't after I explained that she calmed down. 

[bd139]

Depends where you are as always. If someone walks into a London city hospital A&E and has a knife on their belt they're either a Sikh or up to no good 

[25 CPS]

This is how you properly instrument a barbecue rotisserie motor while cooking a chicken:



The setup with the rotisserie motor in action.



Look how bad the power factor is!



For chair side viewing.  Note the current is a tenth of the displayed value because the clamp meter is on the x10 socket on the line spreader.



The motor test load, aka a chicken, aka dinner with some potatoes to get roasted underneath it.

Dinner under Test ?

You bet.  The actual reason for putting all that instrumentation on it was to use it as an example in a video I shot for some friends.

Dinner passed the most important test though which was the taste test:

[vk6zgo]

I have an electric mower. It's got a cord. I aggressively avoid battery-powered devices, especially when they don't have to be (that is, the usage pattern would allow them to be powered by mains directly). When I saw a battery Dremel the other day, I thought "Oh, no, not another thing they've ruined". Then I went back to using my Proxxon FBS240E, which is mains powered. 

I concur. The last thing I need is another rechargeable battery to maintain. I love my corded electric mower. No hassle. (Practically) no maintenance. No fuel storage. Little noise. I've had it so long I can't even get replacement parts for it anymore.

Same here. It came with the house many years ago and still working fine 

I think the dividing line here is how much of an actual "yard" you have to deal with. Our last place had a front yard approx 4m x 8m... and the back was patio. The house came with a .4m cut electric mower, and even tho wrangling the cord was a PITA, it was only a few minutes a few times a month, so I put up with it.

This place is tiny inside, but large front & back yards (for the 'burbs); more like 10m x 15m plus 25m x 50m in the back. That takes over an hour just to mow even with a .55m cut self-propelled gas mower. Even if it weren't half the usable cut of my gas mower, no way in hell I'd put up with wrangling a cord over that area.

The trick to gas-powered lawn tools is maintenance; and it doesn't take much to ensure your gas-powered freedom works every time and with little difficulty starting. Anything made in the last 30 years has electronic ignition which is crazy reliable, so even the black magic of points & condenser is no longer a factor. Just keep the carb clean and not gummed up by using high-octane fuel and fuel stabilizer and you're 90% of the way there; the rest for the most part is simple cleaning and filters.

It used to be that learning these very basic mechanicking skills was considered a rite of passage to manhood; nowadays, anything with "learning" in it seems to be a dirty word. 

mnem

Way back in the day, corded electric mowers were relatively common in Oz, but that was when I was subteen, which is  pretty much early to mid 1950s.

They were all made from diecast metal, & well pre double insulation-------add 240/250v Mains supplies, & "what could go wrong?"
Idiots galore ran over the power cord, many fatally.

I can't remember an actual ban, but they disappeared from use, having not been sold new for some time.

I have never had a lot of success with petrol (gasoline) driven garden tools, although the second hand 4 stroke "Rover" rotary mower I had in the 1970s was pretty reliable.(& it had a "recoil start")

All the others were a serious "pain in the bum" to keep running, both 2 & 4 stroke.

I have no problem with "mechanicking" on cars, as the bits are big enough to get a grip on, & they are/were designed to be dismantled.

I have been seriously looking at battery mowers, but they are not cheap, if you want something with a bit of grunt.
I was also looking at maybe having a goat to keep the grass down, but due to a series of mishaps, I now have dogs, who, I must say, have kept the unruly grass down, by incessantly running back & forth.

As an old fart, I now get gardeners to come & tidy up the front yard, so I occasionally "put the dogs into lockdown", & get them to do the back.

Somehow, the back yard grass has never reached the "early DSO aliasing" levels it did before, so I guess I don't need a mower at all.

[Kosmic]

When making measurements in that range, I found I had to use a guard can for good, stable measurements.  Or in this case, a Starbucks Pumpkin Spice cookie can.

Yes, you discover quickly that a high resistance meter make a good movement detector 

That was just a quick test. Got a grounded/guarded box project coming 

[vk6zgo]

thanks, no. Hubby is currently complaining that he cannot bid on the axe collection he is eyeing as we are out of space.

Any special types...throwing, double bit, racing ?

all kinds of, preference would most likely be battle axes, sacrificial axes, just about anything that can be used to ruin someone's day.

He's such a romantic, at one time he went to pick up his viking style fighting axe and gifted me with a sacrificial axe (for when I have the need to sacrifice a goat to Odin).

Think yourself lucky to have the option. While having an axe  without good reason was illegal in public since 1959, recent UK law makes this kind of weapon illegal to have even in your own home. An axe is a bladed article and the is no good reason to have a fighting or sacrificial axe.  No swords (unless pre 1959 and traditional construction) or "zombie" knives either.

At times I really do wonder what the world is coming to. 
Sharp cutting tools are all around us and where I sit now in my garage I see last century cutting tools that I have hoarded and collected all my life. 3 wood axes, a shipwrights lip adze (farmers preferred grubbing tool), knives, chisels and all manner of things that could cause harm in the hands of some deranged nitwit however these are all tools and just tools to the practical man.
FFS a baseball bat is just as dangerous. 

A mattock handle is better!

[vk6zgo]

Depends where you are as always. If someone walks into a London city hospital A&E and has a knife on their belt they're either a Sikh or up to no good 

A well dressed Scot will have one in their sock!

[bitseeker]

See here for HP 53310A Power Supply repair BOM;

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/repair/hp-53310a-power-supply-troubles/msg2365593/#msg2365593


BOM direct link;
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/repair/hp-53310a-power-supply-troubles/?action=dlattach;attach=716793

Thanks! Looks like I missed your thread when you originally posted it. Hopefully, mine isn't swimming in goo.

[beanflying]

thanks, no. Hubby is currently complaining that he cannot bid on the axe collection he is eyeing as we are out of space.

Any special types...throwing, double bit, racing ?

all kinds of, preference would most likely be battle axes, sacrificial axes, just about anything that can be used to ruin someone's day.

He's such a romantic, at one time he went to pick up his viking style fighting axe and gifted me with a sacrificial axe (for when I have the need to sacrifice a goat to Odin).

Think yourself lucky to have the option. While having an axe  without good reason was illegal in public since 1959, recent UK law makes this kind of weapon illegal to have even in your own home. An axe is a bladed article and the is no good reason to have a fighting or sacrificial axe.  No swords (unless pre 1959 and traditional construction) or "zombie" knives either.

At times I really do wonder what the world is coming to. 
Sharp cutting tools are all around us and where I sit now in my garage I see last century cutting tools that I have hoarded and collected all my life. 3 wood axes, a shipwrights lip adze (farmers preferred grubbing tool), knives, chisels and all manner of things that could cause harm in the hands of some deranged nitwit however these are all tools and just tools to the practical man.
FFS a baseball bat is just as dangerous. 

A mattock handle is better!

Under the false floor on my Vehicle lives my new 3/4 Hultafors Axe and in my cooking bag behind the front seat sits my 'spare' Chefs knife and a few small knives and that before you get to the Console <------- Terrorist or wannabe prepper

[bitseeker]

When making measurements in that range, I found I had to use a guard can for good, stable measurements.  Or in this case, a Starbucks Pumpkin Spice cookie can.

Mmm. Pumpkin spice.

[bitseeker]

Dinner under Test ?

You bet.  The actual reason for putting all that instrumentation on it was to use it as an example in a video I shot for some friends.

Dinner passed the most important test though which was the taste test:

Everyday instrumentation video for friends? Sounds like a TEA recruiting video.

[mnementh]

   https://xkcd.com/806/

I swore I was going to find and marry that girl...

mnem
wow... Was I ever wrong... 

[mansaxel]

Don’t draw attention to yourself and don’t look suspicious as fuck.

And don't prove the scared people right by acting as a fuckhead wielding the tool you've brought. I regularly open-carry a Finnish m/95 sissipuukko to and from scout meetings, and that includes going to the local supermarket on my way home.

We, like UK, have a knife law in Sweden that makes it illegal to be stupid around sharp objects. I'd be up shit creek twice over if I did something wrong, so won't.