Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[Cerebus]

I am no Zucca for sure ! For I can't tell a router from a smartphone, and the only Italian I know is limited to "Pizza" and "Lamboghini Diablo", that's not much ! 

And "Bella ragazza" surely? As a Frenchman you have your national reputation "pour l'amour" to keep up. 

[Robert763]

Anybody is looking for a good old 26GHz VNA for 450$ ? Shipping might be a bit expensive though

https://www.ebay.com/itm/284461294599



This is sad but I don't think I have the place for a giant like that.

NOoooo run away.....
Two big issues, no RF source (needs a 8341A) and that big slot on the top right side marked "Tape" 
About the only bit of any value is the S parameter test set and even that needs major mods to work with other analysers.
Then there all the cables, calibration and verification kits.
You can do much better for les total outlay unless you really need ultimate performance.

[Kosmic]

Anybody is looking for a good old 26GHz VNA for 450$ ? Shipping might be a bit expensive though

https://www.ebay.com/itm/284461294599



This is sad but I don't think I have the place for a giant like that.

NOoooo run away.....
Two big issues, no RF source (needs a 8341A) and that big slot on the top right side marked "Tape" 
About the only bit of any value is the S parameter test set and even that needs major mods to work with other analysers.
Then there all the cables, calibration and verification kits.
You can do much better for les total outlay unless you really need ultimate performance.

True about the source, this is a problem.

You can have it. I'm not interested anymore 

[med6753]

Personally I'm fond of my desk being tidy, also my house being tidy. However, both are signs that I have done nothing other than tidying. Tidy is a situation that lasts around me only for so long as I am not doing anything productive. Therefore I am deeply suspicious of anyone with a tidy desk or house, to my natural way of being it suggests that they have nothing productive to do.

No, tidy takes no effort nor waste of time if you put something back in it's place after you're done using rather than just tossing it aside for "later". And I have a specific schedule for "tidying" the place which wastes very little time. All it takes is discipline.

And as you can see by my project posts I am VERY productive. 

[med6753]

This is as "untidy" as it gets since I have 2 projects going on at once. The Type 547 occupying bench 2 which forced other equipment to the floor underneath. And the 212 in pieces on bench 1. This is a very rare event and not a normal occurrence and if I decided to clean it up within 10 minutes you'd never know it was this messy.   

[Cerebus]

Personally I'm fond of my desk being tidy, also my house being tidy. However, both are signs that I have done nothing other than tidying. Tidy is a situation that lasts around me only for so long as I am not doing anything productive. Therefore I am deeply suspicious of anyone with a tidy desk or house, to my natural way of being it suggests that they have nothing productive to do.

No, tidy takes no effort nor waste of time if you put something back in it's place after you're done using rather than just tossing it aside for "later". And I have a specific schedule for "tidying" the place which wastes very little time. All it takes is discipline.

And as you can see by my project posts I am VERY productive.

I didn't say that it was de facto a sign of an unproductive person, just that to someone with my nature it makes me suspicious of apparently innate tidiness. Having a suspicion ought to be regarded as separate from judging, condemning and sentencing someone. One doesn't jump straight from the former to the latter unless one is an arsehole.

As to being generally suspicious of you personally. Well, you were the man who originated the eighty year old stripper thing. If that isn't grounds to at least cast a skeptical, "What's up with that fella?" sideways look at you, then I don't know what is. 

[mnementh]

...But in this video he simply substituted NiMH packs. I thought they had different charge requirements vs NiCad. Is that really a good idea without modifying the charge circuit?

In principle, yes... in practice, modern low-impedance and LSD NiMH AAs as sold for consumer use are amazingly abuse-tolerant and will serve for many years, as long as you get in the habit of fully discharging them and recharging them like once a month or so, and don't leave them on a constant trickle charge. I've swapped over to NiMH on oodles of RC transmitters and calculators over the last couple decades with zero change in the charge circuitry.



Alternately, could build a cheap 18650 pack with a cheap BMS PCB, but you'd need to add a CV/CC regulator set to 12.6V/~.5A in the charging circuit. That's what I did for the boi's BT speaker here:

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/3d-printing/3d-printer-yet/msg3566783/#msg3566783

Works a treat!

mnem
*juicy*

You know if they sell a board somewhere that include the charger and protection for lithium battery ? on aliexpress I only find protection boards

They are called a BMS board; provides charging/balancing/OVP/OCP/Over-discharge function. All you have to provide is a regulated charging voltage per the datasheet; usually Number of Cells x 4.2V + 0.5-2V or so. Oh, and make sure your charge supply is not grossly excessive current capacity for desired charge rate; while they usually do provide OCP in discharge mode, not always so in charge mode.

I bought assorted oodles of them at Banggood for $40 back when I started my eBike project.



mnem
 

[Vince]

I am no Zucca for sure ! For I can't tell a router from a smartphone, and the only Italian I know is limited to "Pizza" and "Lamboghini Diablo", that's not much ! 

And "Bella ragazza" surely? As a Frenchman you have your national reputation "pour l'amour" to keep up. 

"Bella" what ?! 

No doesn't ring a bell at all sorry ! 

Don't care about national reputation ! 
We also have the reputation to be all sorts of negative things, should I also make sure they are all true ?! 

Besides I am the antithesis of your typical French. By French standards I am an outsider, abnormal, the ugly duck... don't take any of what I might say or do as a reference, French people are NOT like me !   

[Kosmic]

...But in this video he simply substituted NiMH packs. I thought they had different charge requirements vs NiCad. Is that really a good idea without modifying the charge circuit?

In principle, yes... in practice, modern low-impedance and LSD NiMH AAs as sold for consumer use are amazingly abuse-tolerant and will serve for many years, as long as you get in the habit of fully discharging them and recharging them like once a month or so, and don't leave them on a constant trickle charge. I've swapped over to NiMH on oodles of RC transmitters and calculators over the last couple decades with zero change in the charge circuitry.



Alternately, could build a cheap 18650 pack with a cheap BMS PCB, but you'd need to add a CV/CC regulator set to 12.6V/~.5A in the charging circuit. That's what I did for the boi's BT speaker here:

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/3d-printing/3d-printer-yet/msg3566783/#msg3566783

Works a treat!

mnem
*juicy*

You know if they sell a board somewhere that include the charger and protection for lithium battery ? on aliexpress I only find protection boards

They are called a BMS board; provides charging/balancing/OVP/OCP/Over-discharge function. All you have to provide is a regulated charging voltage per the datasheet; usually Number of Cells x 4.2V + 0.5-2V or so. Oh, and make sure your charge supply is not grossly excessive current capacity for desired charge rate; while they usually do provide OCP in discharge mode, not always so in charge mode.

I bought assorted oodles of them at Banggood for $40 back when I started my eBike project.



mnem
 

Thanks 

[med6753]

212 first power up attempt. Installed jumpers which bypass batteries. Reassembled boards. Applied power. Nothing. Checked mains fuse. Is OK. Checked board connections. Are OK. Plugged in mains again. Got a snap and pop and a tiny smoke signal.     Mains fuse didn't blow.

Guess I gotta study the schematic. 



 

[med6753]

As to being generally suspicious of you personally. Well, you were the man who originated the eighty year old stripper thing. If that isn't grounds to at least cast a skeptical, "What's up with that fella?" sideways look at you, then I don't know what is. 

Well, that's easy to explain. Don't pussy foot around. Go for the throat. It's either "shock and awe" or fold your tent and go home. 

[mnementh]

As to being generally suspicious of you personally. Well, you were the man who originated the eighty year old stripper thing. If that isn't grounds to at least cast a skeptical, "What's up with that fella?" sideways look at you, then I don't know what is. 

Well, that's easy to explain. Don't pussy foot around. Go for the throat. It's either "shock and awe" or fold your tent and go home. 

Yes, well... Cerebus tends to be more of the "surgeon's scalpel and razor wit" camp; you tend more towards the "blunt force" approach.

Both have their pros and cons.

mnem
Out. Standing. In my field.

[Zucca]

And "Bella ragazza" surely? As a Frenchman you have your national reputation "pour l'amour" to keep up. 

A real italian talk sweet only 5%, the rest 95% is cussing.

Believe me no other language can compare to Italian for cussing....

[AVGresponding]

Also a cheap HP 3457a with scanner card for 160$ on the bay

https://www.ebay.com/itm/124913065280

bloody shipping costs!

[mnementh]

And "Bella ragazza" surely? As a Frenchman you have your national reputation "pour l'amour" to keep up. 

A real italian talk sweet only 5%, the rest 95% is cussing.   Believe me no other language can compare to Italian for cussing....

I thought this was the generally accepted metric... aside from that guy who likes to "wipe his ahh-sss with silk"...?

mnem
Never do anything half-assed. Go whole-ass or stay home.

[Cerebus]

As to being generally suspicious of you personally. Well, you were the man who originated the eighty year old stripper thing. If that isn't grounds to at least cast a skeptical, "What's up with that fella?" sideways look at you, then I don't know what is. 

Well, that's easy to explain. Don't pussy foot around. Go for the throat. It's either "shock and awe" or fold your tent and go home. 

Yes, well... Cerebus tends to be more of the "surgeon's scalpel and razor wit" camp; you tend more towards the "blunt force" approach.

Both have their pros and cons.

mnem
Out. Standing. In my field.

Nice of you to say, but I suspect that I'm more notable for my pratfalls and encyclopaedic knowledge of perversions, fetishes and other paraphilias and tendency to spot the double entendre  potential for the latter in anything.

[Cerebus]

And "Bella ragazza" surely? As a Frenchman you have your national reputation "pour l'amour" to keep up. 

A real italian talk sweet only 5%, the rest 95% is cussing.

Believe me no other language can compare to Italian for cussing....

I'm pretty certain that Arabic can give you a run for your money. But yes, Italian cussing is almost poetic.

[mnementh]

Well, that would explain this variant on the above meme which I just stumbled across...

mnem
I'm certain I'll have more than adequate exposure before too long...

[mnementh]

As to being generally suspicious of you personally. Well, you were the man who originated the eighty year old stripper thing. If that isn't grounds to at least cast a skeptical, "What's up with that fella?" sideways look at you, then I don't know what is. 

Well, that's easy to explain. Don't pussy foot around. Go for the throat. It's either "shock and awe" or fold your tent and go home. 

Yes, well... Cerebus tends to be more of the "surgeon's scalpel and razor wit" camp; you tend more towards the "blunt force" approach.

Both have their pros and cons.

mnem
Out. Standing. In my field.

Nice of you to say, but I suspect that I'm more notable for my pratfalls and encyclopaedic knowledge of perversions, fetishes and other paraphilias and tendency to spot the double entendre  potential for the latter in anything.

Says the guy who just said "para-feel-ya"...    

mnem
I like to think I fall in that camp; but honestly, more often I just fall...                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

[tggzzz]

Oh hell... someone hide all my bank cards and hit me in the head before I do something foolish...

Current price is about the same as the cost of the Fischer connector (with a minumum order of £250, IIRC).

You just need to install some proper binding post. Not those Fischer rubbish

Vandals, the lot of 'em

The Fischer connectors are wonderful to handle; they ooze high precision engineering (as well as causing money to ooze from bank accounts).

Besides, I was just trying to be friendly and provide a disincentive to buying it. It has to be noted that your comments are more in keeping with TEA/GAS ethos!

You might be interested in this then (80$).

https://www.ebay.com/itm/234198036430

Fortunately I have two Fischer connectors; must make a cable for the second one sometime.

[Neomys Sapiens]

I am no Zucca for sure ! For I can't tell a router from a smartphone, and the only Italian I know is limited to "Pizza" and "Lamboghini Diablo", that's not much ! 

And "Bella ragazza" surely? As a Frenchman you have your national reputation "pour l'amour" to keep up. 

No need for such vocabulary. When a Frog approaches, only 'Mamma paffuta' remains in the open. The fleet-footed girls will have safely escaped. 

[tggzzz]

Here's an old photo to show how bad it can get here 

Bad? That's normal

[med6753]

Nice of you to say, but I suspect that I'm more notable for my pratfalls and encyclopaedic knowledge of perversions, fetishes and other paraphilias and tendency to spot the double entendre  potential for the latter in anything.

That's all very clever but when dealing with Neanderthals like me the true meaning, be it an insult or whatever, may not be realized until sometime later when the light bulb comes on or you may be dealing with a burnt out light bulb. Blunt force is always so much more effective and satisfying and it leaves no doubt that you've been kicked in the nuts.     

[nixiefreqq]

And "Bella ragazza" surely? As a Frenchman you have your national reputation "pour l'amour" to keep up. 

A real italian talk sweet only 5%, the rest 95% is cussing.

Believe me no other language can compare to Italian for cussing....

I'm pretty certain that Arabic can give you a run for your money. But yes, Italian cussing is almost poetic.

had a guy in vicenza yell at me once.   had to get a local to translate.  it came out:

"i piss in the milk of your mother."

had to think about it for a couple of days before i got mad.  (and even then it was still funny).

(didn't hemingway use that one too?)

[Saskia]

A loaded gun on my table certainly helped improve my negotiation skills.  J/k 

In reply to med ...