Author Topic: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread  (Read 14561981 times)

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Offline med6753

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #92825 on: June 25, 2021, 08:37:10 am »
This is in Albany CL, about 90 miles (145km) from me. Tempting but no. If I didn't currently have a hernia I would after trying to move that beast. And I just don't have the room. And yes, I think floor loading would definitely have to be a consideration.  ;D

And frankly it ain't worth $1000 USD although I'm sure some fool will pony up the cash. It just won't be this fool. My take is $500 USD tops.

And notice it says "ran when parked"  :-DD



I want one of those in a big way, but not $1k big!  Maybe $3-400 but that'd be about my limit, especially in relatively unknown condition.

-Pat

So would I. But even if I had the room I wouldn't pay his price. ::)
An old gray beard with an attitude.
 

Offline McBryce

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #92826 on: June 25, 2021, 09:24:03 am »
This arrived today (Sinclair DM350). Neither a particularly good nor accurate DMM, but as a big 8-Bit computer fan, I wanted to own one of Sir Clive's meters. Needs quite a bit of fixing and cleaning still.

McBryce.

30 Years making cars more difficult to repair.
 
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Offline VK5RC

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #92827 on: June 25, 2021, 09:33:21 am »
When I had hair and it had colour (color for my 'merican colleagues) I was a  'ranga in Aus lingo. 😂 My barber now charges a search fee.
Whoah! Watch where that landed we might need it later.
 
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Online tautech

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #92828 on: June 25, 2021, 09:57:29 am »
When I had hair and it had colour (color for my 'merican colleagues) I was a  'ranga in Aus lingo. 😂 My barber now charges a search fee.
LOL.
Our Larry in Perth best mate is a real freckly Ranga too though he keeps his dome clean shaven these days yet when any discussion of a Ranga comes up we all know exactly of whom it is !
Larry and Ranga flatted together and were a wild pair in their youth and I don't want to know the mischief they got up to after watching their shenanigans at Larry's Stag night in Bangalore Rd, Patong Beach, Thailand.  :scared:
Real larrikins the both of them !
Some things are best left where they happened !  :-X
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Offline Specmaster

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #92829 on: June 25, 2021, 09:59:05 am »

My Budget is below £100, which would rule out new scopes & the common Fluke/Philips & Tek ones mentioned previously. It's mainly to fill a gap in portability, a few months ago I was talking to a work colleague who was having car problems (old 90's Ford) and was asking for advise, I couldn't help as I haven't got the right TEA to properly diagnose the electrical fault.

Anyway, I would probably be best to find something that will take regular alkaline batteries as it probably wouldn't get used often, I think it would be easier to remove the batteries when not needed and not have to worry about them. Vintage scopes would be OK too, as I'm more likely to be able to repair older stuff without SM parts.


David

Stewart of Reading are advertising Fluke 97's for £75 that will just about hit your budget with VAT and post. They have 99b's for £125.

Well, I've emailed them regarding the Fluke PM77, yesterday, and I'm still waiting for a reply. Judging from their market presence on the web, it really does not inspire much confidence. Yes I know that they have been going for many a year now but really, you would have thought that by now they would have been able to master the internet and present themselves in a more professional fashion? Does just having a list of their stock cut the mustard, not a single photo or anything to attract attention etc. http://www.stewart-of-reading.co.uk/index.htm

Today I rang them about it, and they are not even sure that they have that PM77 and are going to phone me back later, I'm not holding my breath.

Who let Murphy in?

Brymen-Fluke-HP-Thurlby-Thander-Tek-Extech-Black Star-GW-Avo-Kyoritsu-Amprobe-ITT-Robin-TTi
 

Offline capt bullshot

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #92830 on: June 25, 2021, 10:04:35 am »
New stuff on the bench:



No, no new TEA but some experiments in time-nuttery:



It's a circuit that takes two 10MHz inputs and multiplies their frequency by 10 (using a 100MHz VCXO and an ADF4001 PLL chip).
One of the PLLs can be offset by a small amout (up to 1kHz ballpark) by mixing a I/Q IF signal (said frequency offset) into the PLL feedback. It's on the right hand side of the board, with the 1kHz I/Q signal fed into the mixers. The white boxes are 90° phase shifters operating at 100MHz, say one input @100MHz and two outputs by 90° at the same frequency. Two small mixers add or subtract the IF from the 100MHz. Their output is fed into the PLL chip. This causes the VCXO to tune at said frequency offset.

The other PLL is just a x10 multiplier.
Both PLL outputs are fed into another I/Q mixer, this one revealing the beat frequency of the two 100MHz VCXOs at its IF output. By measuring this IF frequency, one can detect small differences between the 10MHz reference inputs. At least this is the plan ...
Some more stuff to do, at this point it's just a proof of concept the PLLs and I/Q mixers are working as expected.
Safety devices hinder evolution
 
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Offline VK5RC

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #92831 on: June 25, 2021, 10:08:27 am »
When I had hair and it had colour (color for my 'merican colleagues) I was a  'ranga in Aus lingo. 😂 My barber now charges a search fee.
LOL.
Our Larry in Perth best mate is a real freckly Ranga too though he keeps his dome clean shaven these days yet when any discussion of a Ranga comes up we all know exactly of whom it is !
Larry and Ranga flatted together and were a wild pair in their youth and I don't want to know the mischief they got up to after watching their shenanigans at Larry's Stag night in Bangalore Rd, Patong Beach, Thailand.  :scared:
Real larrikins the both of them !
Some things are best left where they happened !  :-X
Some of the events that may or may not have happened - I am so glad in my youth that there was no internet - even if someone took a photo - they can very easily vanish-be forgotten unlike the ones on FB etc now.
Whoah! Watch where that landed we might need it later.
 
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Online tautech

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #92832 on: June 25, 2021, 10:20:08 am »
When I had hair and it had colour (color for my 'merican colleagues) I was a  'ranga in Aus lingo. 😂 My barber now charges a search fee.
LOL.
Our Larry in Perth best mate is a real freckly Ranga too though he keeps his dome clean shaven these days yet when any discussion of a Ranga comes up we all know exactly of whom it is !
Larry and Ranga flatted together and were a wild pair in their youth and I don't want to know the mischief they got up to after watching their shenanigans at Larry's Stag night in Bangalore Rd, Patong Beach, Thailand.  :scared:
Real larrikins the both of them !
Some things are best left where they happened !  :-X
Some of the events that may or may not have happened - I am so glad in my youth that there was no internet - even if someone took a photo - they can very easily vanish-be forgotten unlike the ones on FB etc now.
;D
Yep Farcebook wasn't around when those 2 buggers got up to their skullduggery but NZ Motorway Patrol was and Larry was quite proud of being on TV when his mates car got pulled over by the cops.  ::)
His mother was NOT amused.  :-DD
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Offline med6753

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #92833 on: June 25, 2021, 11:10:04 am »
For the past 2 weeks or so the Type 547 has been flopped on it's side looking like a beached whale and taking up all of bench 2. No more. As I'm sure everyone knows I hate disorganized messes. Since I probably won't work on it again for a week or more the Type 547 has been returned to it's designated space and the balance of the other equipment also returned to it's spot. Sorry, but I'm just anal that way. Disorganized and crap thrown here and there drives me nuts.  :o

Edit...almost forgot. Lady Cop coming up today. On Saturday we will be going out to dinner to celebrate my b day which is Sunday. So I definitely will not be on Discord on Saturday.

 
« Last Edit: June 25, 2021, 11:13:32 am by med6753 »
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Offline Specmaster

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #92834 on: June 25, 2021, 11:16:52 am »
For the past 2 weeks or so the Type 547 has been flopped on it's side looking like a beached whale and taking up all of bench 2. No more. As I'm sure everyone knows I hate disorganized messes. Since I probably won't work on it again for a week or more the Type 547 has been returned to it's designated space and the balance of the other equipment also returned to it's spot. Sorry, but I'm just anal that way. Disorganized and crap thrown here and there drives me nuts.  :o

Edit...almost forgot. Lady Cop coming up today. On Saturday we will be going out to dinner to celebrate my b day which is Sunday. So I definitely will not be on Discord on Saturday.

 
Have a good birthday med and I hope that the dinner is a good one for you both  :-+ :clap:
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Offline Wolfgang

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #92835 on: June 25, 2021, 11:21:13 am »
For the past 2 weeks or so the Type 547 has been flopped on it's side looking like a beached whale and taking up all of bench 2. No more. As I'm sure everyone knows I hate disorganized messes. Since I probably won't work on it again for a week or more the Type 547 has been returned to it's designated space and the balance of the other equipment also returned to it's spot. Sorry, but I'm just anal that way. Disorganized and crap thrown here and there drives me nuts.  :o

Edit...almost forgot. Lady Cop coming up today. On Saturday we will be going out to dinner to celebrate my b day which is Sunday. So I definitely will not be on Discord on Saturday.



Looking at the workbenches of Jim Williams and Bob Pease indicates that your way is just one possibility for success. There might be others. Never underestimate the power of self-organizing chaos and entropy  >:D
 
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Offline med6753

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #92836 on: June 25, 2021, 11:29:05 am »

Looking at the workbenches of Jim Williams and Bob Pease indicates that your way is just one possibility for success. There might be others. Never underestimate the power of self-organizing chaos and entropy  >:D

I have to upmost respect for both of them and I've seen their benches. I couldn't work with it looking like a bomb hit it but if they can (and did) I'm not faulting them.

And if anyone sez "empty desk, empty mind" I kindly invite you to kiss my bony and glow in the dark white ASS.  :P :-DD 
An old gray beard with an attitude.
 
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Offline BU508A

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #92837 on: June 25, 2021, 11:35:06 am »
Looking at the workbenches of Jim Williams and Bob Pease indicates that your way is just one possibility for success. There might be others. Never underestimate the power of self-organizing chaos and entropy  >:D

So, you've read my signature then?   :-DD
“Chaos is found in greatest abundance wherever order is being sought. It always defeats order, because it is better organized.”            - Terry Pratchett -
 
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Offline BU508A

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #92838 on: June 25, 2021, 11:37:19 am »

Looking at the workbenches of Jim Williams and Bob Pease indicates that your way is just one possibility for success. There might be others. Never underestimate the power of self-organizing chaos and entropy  >:D

I have to upmost respect for both of them and I've seen their benches. I couldn't work with it looking like a bomb hit it but if they can (and did) I'm not faulting them.

And if anyone sez "empty desk, empty mind" I kindly invite you to kiss my bony and glow in the dark white ASS.  :P :-DD

Certainly not, because that gives heartburn!

 :P :-DD
“Chaos is found in greatest abundance wherever order is being sought. It always defeats order, because it is better organized.”            - Terry Pratchett -
 

Offline med6753

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #92839 on: June 25, 2021, 11:42:20 am »

Looking at the workbenches of Jim Williams and Bob Pease indicates that your way is just one possibility for success. There might be others. Never underestimate the power of self-organizing chaos and entropy  >:D

I have to upmost respect for both of them and I've seen their benches. I couldn't work with it looking like a bomb hit it but if they can (and did) I'm not faulting them.

And if anyone sez "empty desk, empty mind" I kindly invite you to kiss my bony and glow in the dark white ASS.  :P :-DD

Certainly not, because that gives heartburn!

 :P :-DD

 :P :P :P

An old gray beard with an attitude.
 

Offline bd139

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #92840 on: June 25, 2021, 11:44:23 am »

My Budget is below £100, which would rule out new scopes & the common Fluke/Philips & Tek ones mentioned previously. It's mainly to fill a gap in portability, a few months ago I was talking to a work colleague who was having car problems (old 90's Ford) and was asking for advise, I couldn't help as I haven't got the right TEA to properly diagnose the electrical fault.

Anyway, I would probably be best to find something that will take regular alkaline batteries as it probably wouldn't get used often, I think it would be easier to remove the batteries when not needed and not have to worry about them. Vintage scopes would be OK too, as I'm more likely to be able to repair older stuff without SM parts.


David

Stewart of Reading are advertising Fluke 97's for £75 that will just about hit your budget with VAT and post. They have 99b's for £125.

Well, I've emailed them regarding the Fluke PM77, yesterday, and I'm still waiting for a reply. Judging from their market presence on the web, it really does not inspire much confidence. Yes I know that they have been going for many a year now but really, you would have thought that by now they would have been able to master the internet and present themselves in a more professional fashion? Does just having a list of their stock cut the mustard, not a single photo or anything to attract attention etc. http://www.stewart-of-reading.co.uk/index.htm

Today I rang them about it, and they are not even sure that they have that PM77 and are going to phone me back later, I'm not holding my breath.

Last time I spoke to them it was a shit show. Take the price, add £15 for packaging, add £15 for delivery, add VAT. On a £65 item that appears on eBay for £65 shipped. GTFO
 
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Offline Robert763

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #92841 on: June 25, 2021, 11:47:36 am »
I'm firmly at the  Williams / Pease end of the spectrum, or maybe off the scale  :-DD
 
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Offline bd139

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #92842 on: June 25, 2021, 11:54:40 am »

So you bought a modern version of a Violet Ray Machine?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violet_ray

-Pat

No, he bought a violet wand machine. Quite a different Wikipedia page from the one for violet ray: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erotic_electrostimulation#Violet_wands . And he's trying to pretend he doesn't know what it is? I should cocoa!

The nurse will see you now:



I'll take three!

Really? Remember, you aren't any longer in your twenties!   :-DD :=\

Challenge accepted!  :-DD
 
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Offline Wolfgang

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #92843 on: June 25, 2021, 11:56:05 am »

Looking at the workbenches of Jim Williams and Bob Pease indicates that your way is just one possibility for success. There might be others. Never underestimate the power of self-organizing chaos and entropy  >:D

I have to upmost respect for both of them and I've seen their benches. I couldn't work with it looking like a bomb hit it but if they can (and did) I'm not faulting them.

And if anyone sez "empty desk, empty mind" I kindly invite you to kiss my bony and glow in the dark white ASS.  :P :-DD

My desk is not ultra clean, but I can still see the surface of it. I clean up after a major step in a project or at the end, but not all the time between. So my mind is half way between empty and cluttered. This is probably the most productive state, at least for me, so no need to kiss asses. Yuck.  >:D
 
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Offline Specmaster

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #92844 on: June 25, 2021, 12:08:08 pm »

My Budget is below £100, which would rule out new scopes & the common Fluke/Philips & Tek ones mentioned previously. It's mainly to fill a gap in portability, a few months ago I was talking to a work colleague who was having car problems (old 90's Ford) and was asking for advise, I couldn't help as I haven't got the right TEA to properly diagnose the electrical fault.

Anyway, I would probably be best to find something that will take regular alkaline batteries as it probably wouldn't get used often, I think it would be easier to remove the batteries when not needed and not have to worry about them. Vintage scopes would be OK too, as I'm more likely to be able to repair older stuff without SM parts.


David

Stewart of Reading are advertising Fluke 97's for £75 that will just about hit your budget with VAT and post. They have 99b's for £125.

Well, I've emailed them regarding the Fluke PM77, yesterday, and I'm still waiting for a reply. Judging from their market presence on the web, it really does not inspire much confidence. Yes I know that they have been going for many a year now but really, you would have thought that by now they would have been able to master the internet and present themselves in a more professional fashion? Does just having a list of their stock cut the mustard, not a single photo or anything to attract attention etc. http://www.stewart-of-reading.co.uk/index.htm

Today I rang them about it, and they are not even sure that they have that PM77 and are going to phone me back later, I'm not holding my breath.

Last time I spoke to them it was a shit show. Take the price, add £15 for packaging, add £15 for delivery, add VAT. On a £65 item that appears on eBay for £65 shipped. GTFO
I rang them nearly 3 hours ago, and I'm still waiting for them to call back. It gives the impression that they don't want to sell anything. In fact, I think I have had this problem with a few years back. I think Robert763 must have better patience than most people. Geez, if I kept people waiting so long for a simple answer to a simple sales enquiry, then I'd deserve to be fired  :palm:
Who let Murphy in?

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Offline Cerebus

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #92845 on: June 25, 2021, 12:08:53 pm »
Oh, that was my hair color when I was younger

Sorry, have I accidentally doxed you?  :)
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Offline bd139

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #92846 on: June 25, 2021, 12:13:38 pm »
I'm firmly at the  Williams / Pease end of the spectrum, or maybe off the scale  :-DD

Something always slightly scared me about Jim Williams’ bench setup. Those HP supplies yet had stacked up aren’t known for state of the art mains safety. Surprised he didn’t touch his pile of junk and get electrocuted through a resistor leg creeping in under them  :-//
 
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Offline Cerebus

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #92847 on: June 25, 2021, 12:14:04 pm »
This arrived today (Sinclair DM350). Neither a particularly good nor accurate DMM, but as a big 8-Bit computer fan, I wanted to own one of Sir Clive's meters. Needs quite a bit of fixing and cleaning still.

McBryce.

I used to know a couple of people who worked for Clive Sinclair (and for Alan Sugar after he took over the Sinclair brands). Tales have been told over beers that were not complimentary to either owner of the Sinclair business. No names, no pack drill for obvious reasons.
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Offline Wolfgang

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #92848 on: June 25, 2021, 12:21:58 pm »
I'm firmly at the  Williams / Pease end of the spectrum, or maybe off the scale  :-DD

Something always slightly scared me about Jim Williams’ bench setup. Those HP supplies yet had stacked up aren’t known for state of the art mains safety. Surprised he didn’t touch his pile of junk and get electrocuted through a resistor leg creeping in under them  :-//

No worry:

 >:D
 
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Offline McBryce

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #92849 on: June 25, 2021, 12:27:57 pm »
I'm firmly at the  Williams / Pease end of the spectrum, or maybe off the scale  :-DD

If your place got broken into and ransacked, it would probably look tidier after they'd left!

McBryce.
30 Years making cars more difficult to repair.
 
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