Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[bd139]

Bought recently my very first full scale bench SA - Advantest U4341.
Finally decided to be little bit bolder with disassembly in order to chase off all those 25+year old dust bunnies 

One of the boards (pic attached) is sporting ungodly amount of jump wires. Hm Advantest/TR isn't your random back alley garage shop. How could this happen?!?

They probably had a shit load of boards populated before they realised there was a problem so they had to be reworked. I've been the poor jump wire guy. Oh yes of course I'll sit here for 3 hours a board, trying not to drop any tears on it.

[tautech]

Ugh one of those days.

50/50 on the Dunstable Downs boot sale now. Had a bit of a sore right foot when I got back from hiking on Sunday which isn't unusual. Well roll on today and I got out of bed and fell on my arse instantly when I put weight on it. It turns out I managed to fuck up my right leg achilles tendon completely . Got a nice large bag of naproxen and codeine to play with from the hospital though. Hopefully it'll be good enough for a Sunday drive and hobble through a field of stinky old hams (present company excepted from that - I think  ).

Some good news though. When I was hobbling around earlier I found some more test leads lurking in a bag that had fallen down the back of the hall cupboard shelves. Including a couple of Pomona BNC ones. Still devoid of anything suitable for firing up the Heathkit counter yet. Grr.  Also found a roll of really nice pink teflon hookup wire I bought about 10 years ago and forgot about.

Oh hell and just when you were planning on shifting to new digs.
Moon boot for a fashion accessory ?

[bd139]

Ugh one of those days.

50/50 on the Dunstable Downs boot sale now. Had a bit of a sore right foot when I got back from hiking on Sunday which isn't unusual. Well roll on today and I got out of bed and fell on my arse instantly when I put weight on it. It turns out I managed to fuck up my right leg achilles tendon completely . Got a nice large bag of naproxen and codeine to play with from the hospital though. Hopefully it'll be good enough for a Sunday drive and hobble through a field of stinky old hams (present company excepted from that - I think  ).

Unpleasant.

Consider putting some scrap in the car and paying £10 to be a trader. If you sell something,that would be a bonus!

If I had some scrap, other than the item I divorced, I would indeed do that. Will bear in mind for future.

[bd139]

Ugh one of those days.

50/50 on the Dunstable Downs boot sale now. Had a bit of a sore right foot when I got back from hiking on Sunday which isn't unusual. Well roll on today and I got out of bed and fell on my arse instantly when I put weight on it. It turns out I managed to fuck up my right leg achilles tendon completely . Got a nice large bag of naproxen and codeine to play with from the hospital though. Hopefully it'll be good enough for a Sunday drive and hobble through a field of stinky old hams (present company excepted from that - I think  ).

Some good news though. When I was hobbling around earlier I found some more test leads lurking in a bag that had fallen down the back of the hall cupboard shelves. Including a couple of Pomona BNC ones. Still devoid of anything suitable for firing up the Heathkit counter yet. Grr.  Also found a roll of really nice pink teflon hookup wire I bought about 10 years ago and forgot about.

Oh hell and just when you were planning on shifting to new digs.
Moon boot for a fashion accessory ?

Not so lucky. Tubigrip, prescription and frown while being told to fuck off is all you get on the NHS.

I actually broke my ankle once and it was the size of a small melon and purple and I had to argue with them to get some crutches. The dude looked at me like I was a serious inconvenience for actually asking for something that meant I could fuck off quicker and quieter.

[Robert763]

The shape of certain controls is mandated for most classes of aircraft.

[mnementh]

You forgot the knobber control knob. 

mnem

[tggzzz]

Ugh one of those days.

50/50 on the Dunstable Downs boot sale now. Had a bit of a sore right foot when I got back from hiking on Sunday which isn't unusual. Well roll on today and I got out of bed and fell on my arse instantly when I put weight on it. It turns out I managed to fuck up my right leg achilles tendon completely . Got a nice large bag of naproxen and codeine to play with from the hospital though. Hopefully it'll be good enough for a Sunday drive and hobble through a field of stinky old hams (present company excepted from that - I think  ).

Some good news though. When I was hobbling around earlier I found some more test leads lurking in a bag that had fallen down the back of the hall cupboard shelves. Including a couple of Pomona BNC ones. Still devoid of anything suitable for firing up the Heathkit counter yet. Grr.  Also found a roll of really nice pink teflon hookup wire I bought about 10 years ago and forgot about.

Oh hell and just when you were planning on shifting to new digs.
Moon boot for a fashion accessory ?

I keep all the medical appliances I've had to use over the decades. In this case I still have the skeleton boot that allows the ankle to flex between a min and max angle. Even 15 years ago, the design was so old that I had to show the technician how to set it!

[xrunner]

Hopefully it'll be good enough for a Sunday drive and hobble through a field of stinky old hams (present company excepted from that - I think  ).

Thanks. I surely don't stink, I take a shower once a week whether I need it or not ... 

[med6753]

Well that was easy. Calibration complete on this Type 547. The Type 1A1 plug-in used was previously calibrated in my other Type 547 so all I had to do with the vertical is just verify that the overall gain was equal between the 2 scopes. And it is. All the parameters I checked in the mainframe (sweep timing, triggering, etc) are right on the money. No adjustments required. This scope was owned by General Electric and apparently they were very meticulous with maintenance/calibration. And during the restoration I found no evidence of any gorilla activity. So all that's left to do is install the covers and call it complete. 

[mnementh]

Bought recently my very first full scale bench SA - Advantest U4341.
Finally decided to be little bit bolder with disassembly in order to chase off all those 25+year old dust bunnies 

One of the boards (pic attached) is sporting ungodly amount of jump wires. Hm Advantest/TR isn't your random back alley garage shop. How could this happen?!?

They probably had a shit load of boards populated before they realised there was a problem so they had to be reworked. I've been the poor jump wire guy. Oh yes of course I'll sit here for 3 hours a board, trying not to drop any tears on it.

Amen. 

And then you realize you cut a wrong trace on the one you're working on... and the immediate mad dash to triple-check every one you've still got in the outbound bin... 

mnem
 

[Neper]

Hopefully it'll be good enough for a Sunday drive and hobble through a field of stinky old hams (present company excepted from that - I think  ).

Thanks. I surely don't stink, I take a shower once a week whether I need it or not ... 

"Each time I take a bath or a shower, there's someone ringing at the door or there's a phone call. Last year was the same and the year before as well."

[Specmaster]

Well that was easy. Calibration complete on this Type 547. The Type 1A1 plug-in used was previously calibrated in my other Type 547 so all I had to do with the vertical is just verify that the overall gain was equal between the 2 scopes. And it is. All the parameters I checked in the mainframe (sweep timing, triggering, etc) are right on the money. No adjustments required. This scope was owned by General Electric and apparently they were very meticulous with maintenance/calibration. And during the restoration I found no evidence of any gorilla activity. So all that's left to do is install the covers and call it complete. 

Nice job, love that crisp trace.

[Cubdriver]

Been a while since we've done one of these...



-Pat

[mansaxel]

The perversity of the Universe tends to the maximum.

No, this time, you're just whining. Sorry to blunt it to you, but this is so completely the wrong tree to bark up against.

Seatbelts save lives. STFU and buckle up. End.

[med6753]

The perversity of the Universe tends to the maximum.

No, this time, you're just whining. Sorry to blunt it to you, but this is so completely the wrong tree to bark up against.

Seatbelts save lives. STFU and buckle up. End.

I've always worn seat belts. Right from the very first day I got behind the wheel with a learner's permit. Back then cars were lap belts only and you had to fish them out from under the seat because no one used them.

[tautech]

The perversity of the Universe tends to the maximum.

No, this time, you're just whining. Sorry to blunt it to you, but this is so completely the wrong tree to bark up against.

Seatbelts save lives. STFU and buckle up. End.

I've always worn seat belts. Right from the very first day I got behind the wheel with a learner's permit. Back then cars were lap belts only and you had to fish them out from under the seat because no one used them.

Likewise and don't need to be nagged to buckle up....ever !
However when I take a vehicle offroad there is no legal or moral responsibility to buckle up however if I judge the risk against not wearing one while on very steep country with my tractor ....... it isn't so much to protect me if I flip it but to fasten me firmly to the seat so that every control is always in the same relative position and I can operate it in the safest manner on occasions when risk is high.

Things we should teach our kids at a young age is to accept personal responsibility which engages their brain and not have them become brainless drones that need be told at every instance how to protect themselves.   

[Cerebus]

The perversity of the Universe tends to the maximum.

No, this time, you're just whining. Sorry to blunt it to you, but this is so completely the wrong tree to bark up against.

Seatbelts save lives. STFU and buckle up. End.

I've always worn seat belts. Right from the very first day I got behind the wheel with a learner's permit. Back then cars were lap belts only and you had to fish them out from under the seat because no one used them.

Ditto, including the fishing for it bit. Mandatory seatbelts were introduced here in '83 if memory serves and it made no difference to me because I'd been habitually using them since the year dot in any vehicle they were fitted to (they were an optional fitment in pre '65 cars). I put them on as I get into the car and before I turn the ignition on. The only time I ever hear the seatbelt reminder is in the second or two between taking my seatbelt off to turn around in my seat for a tricky reverse and actually engaging reverse gear.

It still surprises me how often I get into the back of someone else's car and have to fish for the seatbelt because so many people don't bother to wear them in the back. Never mind that in the event of a frontal crash they become the projectile that hurtles into the front seat occupants who are wearing their belts and would have been fine if they hadn't been bludgeoned with a fat headed idiot who wasn't.

[mnementh]

The perversity of the Universe tends to the maximum.

No, this time, you're just whining. Sorry to blunt it to you, but this is so completely the wrong tree to bark up against.

Seatbelts save lives. STFU and buckle up. End.

EDIT to reduce unintended aggro tone.

I've never once advocated not wearing seatbelts. I advocate not being distracted by my car bitching at me because I haven't gotten there yet . So if all y'alls wanna jump in my shit because I'm honest enough to admit I don't do it before I put the car in gear every time, go for it. You have that right.

It still doesn't make it any of my fucking car's business; my car is not a person, it does not have any rights. For the same reason, I don't want my car talking to me; at least, not until it can carry a fucking conversation.

On that note, please piss off. As you say, STFU and MYOB. Cordially, of course.

mnem
Also, woof. 

[vk6zgo]

The perversity of the Universe tends to the maximum.

No, this time, you're just whining. Sorry to blunt it to you, but this is so completely the wrong tree to bark up against.

Seatbelts save lives. STFU and buckle up. End.

I've always worn seat belts. Right from the very first day I got behind the wheel with a learner's permit. Back then cars were lap belts only and you had to fish them out from under the seat because no one used them.

Way back in antiquity, my car came without seatbelts, so after a while, I fitted lap/sash belts, & became used to wearing them.
The car was in the 'shop for some work, so I hired a second generation Ford Cortina, which was fitted with lap belts only.
Clicked the belt on OK, but when I reached my destination, and tried to alight, "something" was stopping me.
Yep!, after becoming used to lap/sash belts, plain lap belts felt like no belts at all!

[Zucca]

Since I burned my fingers with the evil raspberries (I do not like them...) this time I ask before.

Are you happy with the ESP32 based boards? Is the ESP32 running stable for you? Can be used in production?´
Many thanks.

[bd139]

Since I burned my fingers with the evil raspberries (I do not like them...) this time I ask before.

Are you happy with the ESP32 based boards? Is the ESP32 running stable for you? Can be used in production?´
Many thanks.

I’ve stayed away after reading horror stories. Things like crashes when you write to flash during interrupts, undocumented behaviour and the ADC sucking complete balls. However there are very few SoC at that level which have the out of box features you might need and you can actually still get the things.

Ergo I’d put the engineering hat on, write your feature requirements down, do a KT decision analysis against that and STM32 and see what comes out.

As for seatbelts, I only wear them on Mondays, Thursdays and occasionally Sundays  *

_{* oh the power of carefully misstating positions}

[med6753]

Yes, I am awake at 0230 hours local time. I'll putter around for a while and go back to bed. I mentioned last week that after starting low dose insulin that my fasting blood sugar was reduced but still slightly above the ideal mark. Got permission and blessing from doc to increase that dose from 10 units to 15 units and track it.

Next TE project? A few minor things and then beyond that I have no clue.  I can hear the sirens of Ebay calling my name.     

[Saskia]

*wail* <--- siren

ESP32: I hear they are great to hook up Commodore C64 to the internet.

Other than that, what do you mean by "production" ?
If you want production grade boards, get a decent chipset with the decent interfacing.
*fruit* pies are generally not production grade, but "tinkerer grade".
What are your requirements ?

[med6753]

*wail* <--- siren

Not exactly. More like these deadly creatures. 

[BU508A]

Yes, I am awake at 0230 hours local time. I'll putter around for a while and go back to bed. I mentioned last week that after starting low dose insulin that my fasting blood sugar was reduced but still slightly above the ideal mark. Got permission and blessing from doc to increase that dose from 10 units to 15 units and track it.

Next TE project? A few minor things and then beyond that I have no clue.  I can hear the sirens of Ebay calling my name.     

The second HV unit is still around, I think ...