Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[Saskia]

But if I am to choose, I'll always vote for BSD.
why settle for a toy if you can get the real thing ...

fully agree, the problem is the world still prefer to play with toys rather than use the real thing.

BTW thanks to all for the discussion about OSs, I think the next upgrade on my desktop workhorse will be pure software: get rid of windoze.
It is a software upgrade that could have better performance boost than a real $$$ HW upgrade.

PS: then I will try to install a no fan silent liquid cooling system with a car cooler

Why on earth would you want to do that, the liquid requires air passing through radiator to cool the liquid before passing it back to the CPU again.

The area of the car cooler is so large, just the literal heat radiation might be enough for a medium cpu. If you want convection, because of the tight fins, not sure if horizontal or vertical would increase performance. Maybe slight angle, so some air goes through? Also, with this size, we can have a loooong discussion before it does break the "quote thread" size

if you want a reasonably acceptable system on convection cooling, fanlesd and noiseless, I could offer an i5 8600 based mini ITX system ...

[Specmaster]

But if I am to choose, I'll always vote for BSD.
why settle for a toy if you can get the real thing ...

fully agree, the problem is the world still prefer to play with toys rather than use the real thing.

BTW thanks to all for the discussion about OSs, I think the next upgrade on my desktop workhorse will be pure software: get rid of windoze.
It is a software upgrade that could have better performance boost than a real $$$ HW upgrade.

PS: then I will try to install a no fan silent liquid cooling system with a car cooler

Why on earth would you want to do that, the liquid requires air passing through radiator to cool the liquid before passing it back to the CPU again.

The area of the car cooler is so large, just the literal heat radiation might be enough for a medium cpu. If you want convection, because of the tight fins, not sure if horizontal or vertical would increase performance. Maybe slight angle, so some air goes through? Also, with this size, we can have a loooong discussion before it does break the "quote thread" size

But it would require a decent sized pump to ensure sufficient pressure to keep liquid flowing through the CPU block to prevent localized overheating or maybe boiling even. Strikes me as being counter productive just to save fan noise to be replaced by more pump noise and bigger energy bills 

[vk6zgo]

Tethered Trawling because I am bored 

Melbourne Pickup or I might consider grabbing it for a look see and a play eBay auction: #334229618283



[..]

Wow- that Wandel & Goltermann oscilloscope is very rare, even here in Germany where it was produced.
It surely had a loooong travel to Australia. W&G had stopped developing oscilloscopes after this model AFAIK.

Here's a bit of background: http://koschuh.com/museum/wandel_goltermann/wago.htm German only, I am afraid - you may just pick your favourite online translator....

Cheers,

THDplusN_bad

Telecom Australia & their predecessor, the Postmaster General's Dept made extensive use of Wandel & Goltermann equipment for testing of frequency multiplexed carrier equipment, on multiple conductor trunk cables, long distance coax cables, & microwave systems, back in the day, along with Rohde & Schwarz .

Interestingly, W&G had an agreement with R&S that at least, some of their equipment was compatible, so a Module or whatever from one company worked seamlessly if plugged into stuff from the other company.

The sweet little OS2 may have found its way into Oz along with one of those orders.

That said, after looking at your link, I've fallen in love with the "BLS-218 Blauschreiber'!
I remember reading about such "back to front" (dark trace on light background) CRT displays many years ago, but I've never seen one in real life.

[mnementh]

But if I am to choose, I'll always vote for BSD.
why settle for a toy if you can get the real thing ...

fully agree, the problem is the world still prefer to play with toys rather than use the real thing.

BTW thanks to all for the discussion about OSs, I think the next upgrade on my desktop workhorse will be pure software: get rid of windoze.
It is a software upgrade that could have better performance boost than a real $$$ HW upgrade.

PS: then I will try to install a no fan silent liquid cooling system with a car cooler

Why on earth would you want to do that, the liquid requires air passing through radiator to cool the liquid before passing it back to the CPU again.

The area of the car cooler is so large, just the literal heat radiation might be enough for a medium cpu. If you want convection, because of the tight fins, not sure if horizontal or vertical would increase performance. Maybe slight angle, so some air goes through? Also, with this size, we can have a loooong discussion before it does break the "quote thread" size

But it would require a decent sized pump to ensure sufficient pressure to keep liquid flowing through the CPU block to prevent localized overheating or maybe boiling even. Strikes me as being counter productive just to save fan noise to be replaced by more pump noise and bigger energy bills 

meh. Long before gnif made his with a car radiator, I did similar with a car AC condenser. Fan and pump were located outdoors, so who cares about the noise they make? 

I also made one using an old air conditioner for active refrigeration, and another with a heater core out of a dump truck (massive honeycomb core that held more than 3 gallons) which was entirely convective cooling. It chugged like a coffee pot until I gave up on check valves put a pump in it. 

Seriously... This is literally shadetree mechanic stuff; you learn a lot more by sitting down at the bench with some plumbing fittings and making stuff for a few hours than by reading and discussing online for days.

And you guys have it so much easier nowadays; water cooling is now so common it is a commodity product. Decent cooling blocks are cheap and plentiful; you can get anything else you need for your dream water-cooled PC for a pittance next day from Amazon, and when you give up in disgust  you can get an amazingly efficient and quiet All-in-One that's Lego easy to assemble the day after that for two pittances. 

mnem
 

[25 CPS]

I bought an LCR/semiconductor tester on eBay from a seller in China and I love the way the tracking is written up:


I'm glad the recovery from airline was successful and hope it endured the third degree getting worked over under the bright lights in the surveillance warehouse.

Fingers crossed it makes its way to my house now that the surveillance warehouse has finished with it.

[mnementh]

I just bought a $11 multi-plier tool on Amazon just to have something in my pocket and because it didn't look like complete junk in pictures.  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B091Q73JD5

It might get here before I have to check out on Friday.

mnem
This should end well...

[Zucca]

It was a long time I did not listen to some of my favorites FLAC files... after so much youtube, alexa, and other streaming junk...

How heaven could be better?

.....Shiiiiiiiine On You Craaaaaaaazy Diamond....

[cyclin_al]

You Germans here have some really wonderful organs in your churches, I wonder if any of you actually fully appreciate them. Its no wonder YT is full of videos of the world's greatest organists playing your organs. While this is off topic, they are in their own right very complicated and delicate at the same time, instruments.

There are some impressive ones in the GWN as well.  Last time I heard this one play, the organist's hair colour was quite different 


EDIT:  This one in the GWN uses electrical to control the pipes to some extent.  What really impresses me about the German one is the careful arrangement of the mechanical system used to control the pipes; made of wood no less.

[Peter_O]

You Germans here have some really wonderful organs in your churches, I wonder if any of you actually fully appreciate them. Its no wonder YT is full of videos of the world's greatest organists playing your organs. While this is off topic, they are in their own right very complicated and delicate at the same time, instruments.
...

... an some smaller but marvellous ones here in the Hamburg region, like the Arp Schnitger organs from 17th century, e.g. 1693 in St. Jacobi.   
https://www.orgelstadt-hamburg.de/arp-schnitger-fuer-einsteiger/

sorry: text in german, but some pics and sound files.

[Andrew_Debbie]

America, of course, has the worlds largest.  It may not be the best sounding but it is inside a Department Store.

[Neper]

I'll never forgive the Beeb for getting rid of Nigel Ogden's weekly programme about theater organs on Radio 2.

[Specmaster]

America, of course, has the worlds largest.  It may not be the best sounding but it is inside a Department Store.

I know this one, isn't it also known as Macey's?

[Specmaster]

I'll never forgive the Beeb for getting rid of Nigel Ogden's weekly programme about theater organs on Radio 2.

Me too, it was called "The organist entertains" IIRC?

[Neper]

It was indeed.

[mnementh]

Reminds me of a joke read somewhere (probably Reader's Digest) as a kid; about a widow who inadvertently posted her ad in the personals:

"AVAILABLE IMMEDIATELY:
My husband died, so I'm selling his organ; £2000.
Call Aberdeen 43555 as soon as possible;
I can't wait to get this thing out."

mnem
Yeah, yeah... I know.      

What really worries me is the fact that lame-ass joke has been lying in wait written on some very random brain cell for 40-something years, yet still bubbled back to the surface...

[Andrew_Debbie]

I know this one, isn't it also known as Macey's?

Macy's acquired  Wannamakers department store and refurbished the organ.


Wikipedia has a good article - search on Wannamakers.

[med6753]

First power up of "dirty dawg" Type 547. It's on it's side so I can watch for smoke from the PSU and also check the voltages.

Initial bring up with no plug-in. We have a trace. Reference voltage is -150.4V. Can't ask for better than that. And all the PSU voltages in spec. Looking excellent so far.  Next step is to put back upright and install a plug-in.

[Andrew_Debbie]

Not exactly an Organ but perhaps a little closer to on-topic.


https://youtu.be/ByD8gH7kYxs


https://youtu.be/tTKPW92ndUA

[mnementh]

It was a long time I did not listen to some of my favorites FLAC files... after so much youtube, alexa, and other streaming junk...   How heaven could be better?   .....Shiiiiiiiine On You Craaaaaaaazy Diamond....

I am quite surprised you didn't get in on the PONO thing, especially when they were blowing them out for $59 each. Even with 4-years-out-of-date hardware at the time, they supported 128GB SD cards and still play FLAC at up to 192K natively with TRRS DAC/amplifier designed to drive high-ish impedance headphones directly, IIRC.

And I think there was a open-source project to port the RockBox UI to it as well...

mnem
 

[med6753]

I guess I deserve an easy one for a change. 1kHz calibrator. Initially Time Base A refused to trigger. Adjustment of DC Trigger Level fixed that. Time Base B shown. Triggered with no adjustment. I haven't even deoxit'ed anything yet and most controls are smooth but a little stiff.

Going to let it cook for a while. Yes, a complete re-cap will be done but not until after the new year.

Hopefully next week I'll get to "dusty dawg"

[mnementh]

Looks promising, med. 

Here's hoping the dusty dawg gives you just enough grief to be interesting.

mnem

[Cerebus]

Reminds me of a joke read somewhere (probably Reader's Digest) as a kid; about a widow who inadvertently posted her ad in the personals:

"AVAILABLE IMMEDIATELY:
My husband died, so I'm selling his organ; £2000.
Call Aberdeen 43555 as soon as possible;
I can't wait to get this thing out."

mnem
Yeah, yeah... I know.      

What really worries me is the fact that lame-ass joke has been lying in wait written on some very random brain cell for 40-something years, yet still bubbled back to the surface...

I'm sure that there's a Herr Lipp quote about "Lotte's organ" in there somewhere too.

[THDplusN_bad]

Congratulations, med! 

What a nice surprise - and what a bold proof of Tektronix' design and build quality from that era.
People should just appreciate this- that old girl is 50 years old!

Cheers,

THDplusN_bad

[med6753]

I guess I spoke too soon. After being on for about an hour the trace got dimmer and finally disappeared. Uh oh, looks like the known HV transformer issue has reared it's ugly head. Powered off for a few minutes and then back up and trace is nice and bright again. But I suspect if I leave it running it will fail again. Not troubleshooting this now. I want to concentrate on getting all the plug-in's done first. 

[Specmaster]

Congratulations, med! 

What a nice surprise - and what a bold proof of Tektronix' design and build quality from that era.
People should just appreciate this- that old girl is 50 years old!

Cheers,

THDplusN_bad

Agreed, I really doubt that there will not be many if any at all of the modern type of scopes still in working or, even repairable when the current crop of them reach that age, mainly I would suggest because of all the custom IC's.