Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[med6753]

But if they offered peanut butter and banana sandwiches I'd definitely considering come back. 

*throws all the UK supply of peanut-butter in the water at Liverpool docks*

 

[beanflying]

But if they offered peanut butter and banana sandwiches I'd definitely considering come back. 

*throws all the UK supply of peanut-butter in the water at Liverpool docks*

Offer mandatory Tea breaks should sort it 

[med6753]

Burning the midnight oil here. I just spent hours completing the compensation adjustments on the Type 1A1 plug-in. It's not perfect and some compromises had to be made. I think the only way to make it better is to re-tube all the nuvistors. But at this point that's not happening. The biggest compromise is I can't get this spike out at frequencies greater than 500kHz. 1 MHz shown as example. But at lower frequencies it's OK.



This is 50kHz and looks great.



And the issue is definitely the plug-in. The Type 1A2 plug-in across the same frequency ranges is fine. So in summary. DC balance perfect. Vertical gain is fine. Compensation: mostly OK. 

AND.....would you know it. When I put the Type 547 back on it's side the intermittent sweep issue showed up again. WTF.  This HAS to be some sort of mechanical or connection issue. When I put the Type 547 upright all was well again. See those wires going down under the 12AU7 HV Oscillator? Those are the wires to the Horizontal Deflection Plates. On a hunch I moved those wires with a pencil and wouldn't you know it.....the sweep went wonky. Found it! Apparently loose or corroded connections. Now I just have to figure out how to get in there and check. After I sleep on it.

[mansaxel]

Hmm just won an auction for "SELECTION OF ELECTRICAL MULTI TASTERS"  for <£20 shipped. Second time it was listed....
It has a lovely Sinometer 830B 

More usefully there is one of the little "credit card wallet" Micronta digitals. And the money shot, a Fluke 11 
OK not the best Fluke ever but handy for electrical work as it has a low imedance mode so you don't get false readings due to cable capacitance. Now all I need is a 12 and I'll have the 10,11,12 set.
There is also a pipe and stud finder.
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SELECTION-OF-ELECTRICAL-MULTI-TASTERS-PLUS-STUD-ETC-TESTER-/265356958367
I will probably pass these on to others starting off in electronics.

The Sinometer is interesting. I've never seen (claimed) IEC Cat. rating and classic component tester in the same multimeter.

The bitter me simply assumes they made up an updated paint scheme incorporating the new logos and incantations. 

"Web frontend programmer me" (i.e. "gullible optimist") truly believes they've gone far out in new directions and found new insulation classes and borderline magic withstanding  components.

The Microntas are slightly familiar. I confess to having had one in my toolbox in my first tech job (the one where the boss didn't want to spend on a scope; which is the trigger condition for my TEA.) and measuring voltages that should not be even close to such a toy.

The Fluke is cute. I have the 10, had since new, always in the tool bag.

Congratulations!

[TERRA Operative]

Talking about Tek scopes in 2021.

I got two quotes for my company at work.
One is $153K (6 Series) the other one (5 Series) is about $140K.

Problem is in both over 70% of the money are just SW options... go piss a rope Tek!

I'll keep an eye out on Yahoo Auctions for you.... 

[mansaxel]

Good to know I'm not weird in thinking that's weird... 

Ummm... Yes.

I used to do it in certain forums and chats occasionally for flavour; but since I got up here, just aboot all the time.

mnem
but don't tell my wyfe, ehh...!

You are healing. Good for you. Now I wish your job and immigration to heal as quick.

[mansaxel]

A poster over on QRZ.com a few years back, in a thread about tech stuff in movies, thought they had a "gotcha, & asked " Where are the transmitters?"
Somebody had to be the Grinch, & I gladly obliged, pointing out the movie got it right, & HF stations commonly used separate receiving & transmission sites.

They still do. Also for VHF and UHF, but it does get a bit more involved there.

[med6753]

Good to know I'm not weird in thinking that's weird... 

Ummm... Yes.

I used to do it in certain forums and chats occasionally for flavour; but since I got up here, just aboot all the time.

mnem
but don't tell my wyfe, ehh...!

You are healing. Good for you. Now I wish your job and immigration to heal as quick.

I'm not getting the need for extra letters when "or" is sufficient as opposed to "our". So "color" me confused. 

[Brumby]

That sounds like an intro into justification of "TXT speak"   

[med6753]

That sounds like an intro into justification of "TXT speak"   

Ya thnk? I woodnt go tht far. 

[Brumby]

Well, the complete works of Shakespeare would fit on a postcard....

2B or ¬2B
2B|¬2B


Yeah .... Nope!

Edit: Corrected verbosity.

[vk6zgo]

A poster over on QRZ.com a few years back, in a thread about tech stuff in movies, thought they had a "gotcha, & asked " Where are the transmitters?"
Somebody had to be the Grinch, & I gladly obliged, pointing out the movie got it right, & HF stations commonly used separate receiving & transmission sites.

They still do. Also for VHF and UHF, but it does get a bit more involved there.

You got caught by a quirk of Australian English-----the use of the past tense where other English speakers would not do so.
"Used" may not mean something no longer done, depending on the context.------Go figure!

[Specmaster]

But if they offered peanut butter and banana sandwiches I'd definitely considering come back. 

*throws all the UK supply of peanut-butter in the water at Liverpool docks*

Payback 

[mansaxel]

A poster over on QRZ.com a few years back, in a thread about tech stuff in movies, thought they had a "gotcha, & asked " Where are the transmitters?"
Somebody had to be the Grinch, & I gladly obliged, pointing out the movie got it right, & HF stations commonly used separate receiving & transmission sites.

They still do. Also for VHF and UHF, but it does get a bit more involved there.

You got caught by a quirk of Australian English-----the use of the past tense where other English speakers would not do so.
"Used" may not mean something no longer done, depending on the context.------Go figure!

Aha  -- so the tempus will flow from the one used in the narrative. Or would you say to me, in conversation: "Today, HF stations often used separate reception annexes and transmitter sites" and mean that they still do?

[med6753]

A poster over on QRZ.com a few years back, in a thread about tech stuff in movies, thought they had a "gotcha, & asked " Where are the transmitters?"
Somebody had to be the Grinch, & I gladly obliged, pointing out the movie got it right, & HF stations commonly used separate receiving & transmission sites.

They still do. Also for VHF and UHF, but it does get a bit more involved there.

You got caught by a quirk of Australian English-----the use of the past tense where other English speakers would not do so.
"Used" may not mean something no longer done, depending on the context.------Go figure!

Aha  -- so the tempus will flow from the one used in the narrative. Or would you say to me, in conversation: "Today, HF stations often used separate reception annexes and transmitter sites" and mean that they still do?

Starting the sentence with the word "Today" implies that they still do have separate receive/transmit sites. If "Today" were left out it could go either way. If they no longer had separate sites it should be worded......"HF stations used to have separate, etc"

[mnementh]

Good to know I'm not weird in thinking that's weird... 

Ummm... Yes.

I used to do it in certain forums and chats occasionally for flavour; but since I got up here, just aboot all the time.

mnem
but don't tell my wyfe, ehh...!

You are healing. Good for you. Now I wish your job and immigration to heal as quick.

I'm not getting the need for extra letters when "or" is sufficient as opposed to "our". So "color" me confused. 

Local colour. 

mnem
*poking papa smurf in the arse with a stick*

[mnementh]

But if they offered peanut butter and banana sandwiches I'd definitely considering come back. 

*throws all the UK supply of peanut-butter in the water at Liverpool docks*

Payback 

Wouldn't that just make the water all tarry and gummy and dag-nasty...?



mnem
Oooohhhhh.... right.

[tggzzz]

But if they offered peanut butter and banana sandwiches I'd definitely considering come back. 

*throws all the UK supply of peanut-butter in the water at Liverpool docks*

Payback 

Wouldn't that just make the water all tarry and gummy and dag-nasty...?

When I was young, lore had it that the R. Mersey regularly used to catch fire - so the fire would just have burned a little longer.

[mnementh]

 Hmm just won an auction for "SELECTION OF ELECTRICAL MULTI TASTERS"  for <£20 shipped. Second time it was listed.... It has a lovely Sinometer 830B 

More usefully there is one of the little "credit card wallet" Micronta digitals. And the money shot, a Fluke 11  OK not the best Fluke ever but handy for electrical work as it has a low imedance mode so you don't get false readings due to cable capacitance. Now all I need is a 12 and I'll have the 10,11,12 set. There is also a pipe and stud finder. I will probably pass these on to others starting off in electronics.   eBay auction: #265356958367

The Sinometer is interesting. I've never seen (claimed) IEC Cat. rating and classic component tester in the same multimeter.

The bitter me simply assumes they made up an updated paint scheme incorporating the new logos and incantations. 

"Web frontend programmer me" (i.e. "gullible optimist") truly believes they've gone far out in new directions and found new insulation classes and borderline magic withstanding  components.

The Microntas are slightly familiar. I confess to having had one in my toolbox in my first tech job (the one where the boss didn't want to spend on a scope; which is the trigger condition for my TEA.) and measuring voltages that should not be even close to such a toy.

The Fluke is cute. I have the 10, had since new, always in the tool bag.

Congratulations!

Looks to me like one of the classic Horror Fraught "Little box of Damifino" meters I usedta get as freebies back in the day, only with a cheap vinyl bootie.  All I could say aboot them is "Better than nothing. Slightly." I used to collect them by the dozen every time HF had them as a door prize, then give them away at my local model airfield to poor noobs who had nothing to check their packs with.

I dunno.... I suppose that if you made sure you were on the other side of the little vinyl booty before applying power... it might be safe to 600V...?

The little Micronta was the first digital meter that I ever actually bought one new; think I was like 14 or 16? Several jobs I actually kept one just as they were intended to be: in my shirt pocket. Wore out the leads on probably half a dozen of them or dropped things on them that were heavy enough to smash them even in the vinyl folder... they were just too handy. And cheap enough to be disposable.

EDIT: Weird to think that now... they would actually qualify as "vintage TE." 

mnem
 

[Andrew_Debbie]

A few days ago it got down to about 15C in the house and the Dana 5100 DC offset was a bit drifty.   As good a time as any to fix the broken thermal bond on the reference.

I used Gorilla glue and a factory supplied clamp.   Dual transistor Q5 has a Dana part number  on the can 'MPS 200201'.   Next step is to coat the assembly in a layer of thermal epoxy.  I don't want the washer to come apart....

Afterwards, the meter failed in an entirely new way.   There are two distinct fail modes.  Power cycle will select one.   In one there is no decimal point and the meter refuses to range, even on manual.  In the other it hunts. 

I double checked Q3  to make sure I didn't short the leads to case.  - nope.         I'll have to work through the various subassembly tests, starting with the power supply and main board.








 









*per earlier discussion  -  I'm an American expat in the UK.  My computer is set to UK English and I use an ISO-DE keyboard.   I ignore the red underlines and despise autocorrect.    Catalog Katalog catalogue.   

[mnementh]

That sounds like an intro into justification of "TXT speak"   

Ya thnk? I woodnt go tht far. 

FFS... jst STFU. 

mnem
*agit8ing-ily*

[mnementh]

A few days ago it got down to about 15C in the house and the Dana 5100 DC offset was a bit drifty.   As good a time as any to fix the broken thermal bond on the reference.

I used Gorilla glue and a factory supplied clamp.   Dual transistor Q5 has a Dana part number  on the can 'MPS 200201'.   Next step is to coat the assembly in a layer of thermal epoxy.  I don't want the washer to come apart....

Afterwards, the meter failed in an entirely new way.   There are two distinct fail modes.  Power cycle will select one.   In one there is no decimal point and the meter refuses to range, even on manual.  In the other it hunts. 

I double checked Q3  to make sure I didn't short the leads to case.  - nope.         I'll have to work through the various subassembly tests, starting with the power supply and main board.

   

*per earlier discussion  -  I'm an American expat in the UK.  My computer is set to UK English and I use an ISO-DE keyboard.   I ignore the red underlines and despise autocorrect.    Catalog catalouge Katalog catalogue.   I'm so confused.

I would be concerned aboot that connecting the two transistor cases both thermally and electrically in a manner that affects the deliberate isolation provided by that BeO disc.

mnem
 

[mansaxel]

The Sinometer is interesting. I've never seen (claimed) IEC Cat. rating and classic component tester in the same multimeter.

Looks to me like one of the classic Horror Fraught "Little box of Damifino" meters I usedta get as freebies back in the day, only with a cheap vinyl bootie.  All I could say aboot them is "Better than nothing. Slightly." I used to collect them by the dozen every time HF had them as a door prize, then give them away at my local model airfield to poor noobs who had nothing to check their packs with.

Yes, it is crap, no doubt. I just pondered over the apparent brazenness  in having both the component socket and normal jacks on a Category >1 meter. That usually is a big fat no-no, because creepage distances in component sockets and good cat rating are not easily combined.

[Andrew_Debbie]

]I would be concerned aboot that connecting the two transistor cases both thermally and electrically in a manner that affects the deliberate isolation provided by that BeO disc.[/size][/b][/i][/color]

mnem
 

Gorilla glue is an insulator.    

Nevertheless  I should check they aren't somehow electrically connected.

[GreyWoolfe]

On top of that, it was fitted with a silencer, which, from all I've ever read, don't work with revolvers (certainly the 1960s  ones didn't).

It won't work on 2021 revolvers either.  The reason is the bore to cylinder gap.  The gap is typically 6 to 7 thousandths of an inch.  More than enough to allow plenty of gas and noise to escape.  It was neat to see on TV in the 60's as a kid but just smoke and mirrors