Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[bd139]

Well this is a pleasant surprise. The macOS version of LTspice is, well how shall we say, crap. Turns out the Windows one actually works better on arm64 macOS (with Crossover) than it does on x86-64 windows 10 with the high DPI shenanigans going on. Also crossover comes with a package manager so you can just run it in that 

[Saskia]

ok, the DP47f is experiencing technical oopsies.
therefore I decided to find a workaround ..
which is a DP37f and a Revox B 790 as a backup ...

[paschulke2]

Well this is a pleasant surprise. The macOS version of LTspice is, well how shall we say, crap.

Agreed.

Turns out the Windows one actually works better on arm64 macOS (with Crossover) than it does on x86-64 windows 10 with the high DPI shenanigans going on.

Yes, but unfortunately only until Apple removes Rosetta 2 from Mac OS. My Guess: Monterey + 2 = No more Rosetta 2. Remember Rosetta and the transition from Power PC to Intel.

[mnementh]

Hmmmm... mnem..?

Bastards been robbing my outhouse! 

I need that slurry; nothing else will fertilize my floating toadstools!
Widdout it, they're just... regular amphibian butt-perches!!!

mnem

[Vince]

Well this is a pleasant surprise. The macOS version of LTspice is, well how shall we say, crap. Turns out the Windows one actually works better on arm64 macOS (with Crossover) than it does on x86-64 windows 10 with the high DPI shenanigans going on. Also crossover comes with a package manager so you can just run it in that 

Well I guess simulation is your best way to solve your real estate problem : no need for actual space hungry TE and component cabinets.... it's all in the laptop !!! 

Want to play with simulation too, later. Lab and house still aren't to that point just yet.

I think the first and last time I used Spice was at Uni in Hatfield between 1998/2001. Only very, very vague recollections...

[bd139]

Well this is a pleasant surprise. The macOS version of LTspice is, well how shall we say, crap.

Agreed.

Turns out the Windows one actually works better on arm64 macOS (with Crossover) than it does on x86-64 windows 10 with the high DPI shenanigans going on.

Yes, but unfortunately only until Apple removes Rosetta 2 from Mac OS. My Guess: Monterey + 2 = No more Rosetta 2. Remember Rosetta and the transition from Power PC to Intel.

I don’t think they’re going to do that for quite a while yet. Jobs and Ive aren’t at the helm thank fuck.

[Cerebus]

Oh ! Sorry BU I didn't mean to be pushy at all, I thought you ALREADY had them in stock, that you bought them XX time / weeks/ months ago, I misunderstood it seems, my bad ! 

To spare your blushes I also read it that way; but I was just skimming, I didn't have the particular interest in the topic that you do.

And at this point I have to stop skiving, sipping coffee and idly surfing here, and go and do some proper work. Specifically: window cleaning. At least it's a nice day for it: sunny, 23.4ºC and a light breeze.

Edit: Ha! I forgot to press "Post" so this has been sitting here for about 4 1/2 hours while I washed 4 windows, 2 cars, 4 wheelie bins and polished 1 car.

[AVGresponding]

[Saskia]

fixed the Denon DP47F. yayyy, I claim victory over the soulless minions of orthodoxy.

Now bidding on a Vixen VC200L. After that: join Atonality ...

[tautech]

And todays invite link is: https://discord.gg/GbHw8f8f

Not sure if you need be registered first. 

[Vince]

Now deep into sorting all my T0220 trannystors. I counted them beforehand... almost 200 of them, 192 IIRC.

Slow progress, have to spend time researching each and evry one of them, as none of them are familiar.
But, at least I get to learn lot of new part number, and specs I didn't even know existed.

The award of the shittest data sheet I have just awarded a second ago to Sanyo.

Have a 2SA1968 here. Datasheet says it's a NPN. I test it and the cinese meter says it's a ... PNP not NPN 

How hard is it Sanyo to know your NPN from your PNP ? IF you design and make transistors, I would hope that it should be within the realm of possibilities, no ? 
Luckily the data in the tables are unambiguous... they show negative Vce and Ic, as you always see with PNP transistors.

Also... I found two versions of their datasheet. One extremely old, horrible quality scan, which as this mistake, then anothr version of it, much more modern, clean native PDF file made on a computer.
It ALSO has the error ?! 

Dear me....


Another good one was a datasheet that gave a peak collector current of 50mA and a sustained current of 10nA ! Yes NANO amp not mA ! 

You do need to keep your brain and common sense turned on when looking at these datasheet ...... 

Oh, and there are datasheet made by some "ISC" company, with a green logo. Run away from these datasheet if you can... they have only 2 pages when the OEM one had 12, and for BJT thy do NOT tell you on the first page (or anywhere !) what is the part number for the complementary type.... like pretty much any other datasheet would tell you right at the top of the first page 

Think I have processed 45 transistors... 25% done. If I keep at it, maybe in 2 days I will be done.. just maybe.

[tautech]

And todays invite link is: https://discord.gg/GbHw8f8f

Not sure if you need be registered first.

Just checked.....you can login or create a new user. This ^ link opens a Discord webrowser window however you may instead choose to download the Discord app and run Discord as a standalone application.

[Vince]

Chinese meter does not seem to like Darlington devices ! ... Having here a 2SD1022A, given for a hFE of anywhere between 1,500 and 30,000. Tester says hFE is 24.....

[Vince]

Geez it's getting better and better !

Now having a BUT11A NPN transistor... made ST apparently( datasheet attached). Guess what ? They do NOT even specify hFE !!! 
OK, they do say it's for fast switching application.... but still it's a freaking BJT, it's got to have an hFE figure please.... please ?! 


Had another good one ealier today I forgot to mention.... datasheet attached. A diode FMB-G14L made by " Sanken Electric ".   It says it's for " HIGH FREQUENCY RECTIFICATION "... yet fails to tell you HOW FAST it is ! There is no indication of reverse recovery time, or any time related figure whatsoever !

You just can't make this shit up... sorting through this eclectic mix of parts is an eye opener on  just how crap datasheet can really be

[AVGresponding]

Geez it's getting better and better !

Now having a BUT11A NPN transistor... made ST apparently( datasheet attached). Guess what ? They do NOT even specify hFE !!! 
OK, they do say it's for fast switching application.... but still it's a freaking BJT, it's got to have an hFE figure please.... please ?! 


Had another good one ealier today I forgot to mention.... datasheet attached. A diode FMB-G14L made by " Sanken Electric ".   It says it's for " HIGH FREQUENCY RECTIFICATION "... yet fails to tell you HOW FAST it is ! There is no indication of reverse recovery time, or any time related figure whatsoever !

You just can't make this shit up... sorting through this eclectic mix of parts is an eye opener on  just how crap datasheet can really be

The datasheet may not have a column for beta/hfe but it's easy enough to work out, it's 2.5

[Vince]

Why would people have to figure it out ? Everybody elese states it.

Also 5 is only valid for 2.5 Amp and Vce sat, and only for AC / pulsed.

All other data sheet specify hFE for various conditions of Vc and Ic, at DC, not AC, and it varies wildly.

I understand the rationale... it's a so highly tuned for fast switching for SMPS applications that it's become completely useless, pointless, stupid to use it a a general putpose transistor.. I get it.

Still, I am kinda shocked. It's the first datasheet I see that simply "forces" you to use it for want they want you to use it.

All other transistors states they can do fast switching but also be used for amplification. It's first time I see one that really, really, reallly can "not" be used for anything other than fast switching.

I will now be looking carefully at MOSFET datasheet. 90% of them are sued for SMPS switching so... does that mean they too will remove any data not strictly necessary to use them as a switch ?! 

Anyway. 23H10 here. Will sort a few more transistors and then 

[srb1954]

Now having a BUT11A NPN transistor... made ST apparently( datasheet attached). Guess what ? They do NOT even specify hFE !!! 
OK, they do say it's for fast switching application.... but still it's a freaking BJT, it's got to have an hFE figure please.... please ?! 

But they do give you a nicely detailed and dimensioned drawing of the TO-220 package to compensate for the lack of electrical parameters.

I think the probable reason that they didn't include the h_FE was that the figure was embarrassingly low and they were too ashamed to state it.

[vk6zgo]

The difference with a camera is how much more range it can detect and of course the fact of once again, parallel bus for the eye vs serial for a camera.

mnem
 

Real cameras are parallel devices, as the photochemical process happens across the whole frame simultaneously.

[vk6zgo]

Now having a BUT11A NPN transistor... made ST apparently( datasheet attached). Guess what ? They do NOT even specify hFE !!! 
OK, they do say it's for fast switching application.... but still it's a freaking BJT, it's got to have an hFE figure please.... please ?! 

But they do give you a nicely detailed and dimensioned drawing of the TO-220 package to compensate for the lack of electrical parameters.

I think the probable reason that they didn't include the h_FE was that the figure was embarrassingly low and they were too ashamed to state it.

High h_FE isn't always their plan, & their emphasis is on other parameters.

[vk6zgo]

Why would people have to figure it out ? Everybody elese states it.

Also 5 is only valid for 2.5 Amp and Vce sat, and only for AC / pulsed.

All other data sheet specify hFE for various conditions of Vc and Ic, at DC, not AC, and it varies wildly.

I understand the rationale... it's a so highly tuned for fast switching for SMPS applications that it's become completely useless, pointless, stupid to use it a a general putpose transistor.. I get it.

Still, I am kinda shocked. It's the first datasheet I see that simply "forces" you to use it for want they want you to use it.

All other transistors states they can do fast switching but also be used for amplification. It's first time I see one that really, really, reallly can "not" be used for anything other than fast switching.

I will now be looking carefully at MOSFET datasheet. 90% of them are sued for SMPS switching so... does that mean they too will remove any data not strictly necessary to use them as a switch ?! 

Anyway. 23H10 here. Will sort a few more transistors and then 

Before the current era, MOSFETS were almost entirely low power devices, used for such things as RF amplifiers in radio receivers, especially the dual gate types.
Unfortunately, these days, if someone says MOSFET, the immediate connotation is "power switching device".

I belong to the following school of thought with BJTs--"If it has three legs, the right package, & is NPN or PNP, as required, try it!"
Many applications are not very critical.

[mnementh]

The difference with a camera is how much more range it can detect and of course the fact of once again, parallel bus for the eye vs serial for a camera.

mnem
 

Real cameras are parallel devices, as the photochemical process happens across the whole frame simultaneously.

Yeah, but the render times are fucking atrocious. 

mnem
and OCR...? fuggettaboutitt...

[Zucca]

lots of pop corns and drink

 

there is always a bigger fish...

EDIT: Now that I finished watching it, 57 minutes and something worth every single second. Goose bumps.

[Brumby]

(Looking for an image...)   Found it!

[bd139]

That’s absolutely brilliant and straight to the point. I had that argument with someone back at university. You can’t add stuff that wasn’t there when it was mastered.

Keeping it relatively on topic, should own two more HP items today. Keep ‘em crossed for me.

So this morning sucks. Two trains then a rail replacement bus. On the third and final train now and the shitter is bust 

[tggzzz]

That’s absolutely brilliant and straight to the point. I had that argument with someone back at university. You can’t add stuff that wasn’t there when it was mastered.

Oh, but we do: second harmonic distortion (apparently good) or slew-rate/transient distortion (apparently bad) And that's just the start.

Keeping it relatively on topic, should own two more HP items today. Keep ‘em crossed for me.

I'm glad I didn't bother to hump stuff to the Barry hamfest yesterday: there were only a couple of component traders there, and given the distance one travelled I doubt they recovered their petrol money.

I wouldn't have gone, but it gave me an excuse to see sproglet briefly (between a farmers' market and a wedding) and give her dog a walk. The walk in the centre of Cardiff was fine; dog enjoyed inhaling the River Taff when returning to shore with a stick in its mouth, but the picnics provided a target-rich environment.

So, for the Luton Dunstable Downs hamfest, should I:

• be a seller with nothing to sell, thus avoiding a long hike back to the car with heavy equipment
• take a rickety trolley, for the long hike across fields back to the car
• be a trolley-less seller, thus discouraging myself from buyng boat anchors