Author Topic: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread  (Read 14562316 times)

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Online tggzzz

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #120225 on: May 19, 2022, 11:10:28 pm »
Well that was good. Think karma paid what it owes me now. Got a couple of things on the watch list. No integrated circuits in any of them. Hold my, err lack of beer  :popcorn:

Thali from this evening attached. Not bad for £9.50! Hand for size. Note I have huge hands  :-DD

Looks like a decent South Indian thali, i.e. veg, not much chilli, not much sugar, lots of flavour from tamarind, coconut, and spices.

Exactly spot on. Was very nice and was indeed only vegetables. Big fan of South Indian food - definitely more healthy!

Healthier than what? Lots of salt and fully saturated fat (i.e. coconut), which makes butter look life extending.

Having said that, I developed a taste for Keralan/Tamil Nadu food when backpacking round there with my daughter. It is the only vegan food I regard as delicious. Even Gordon Ramsay begrudgingly acknowledged it was very good.

Problem in this country is that too much of S Indian food is actually made by N Indian chefs - and they put too much chilli and sugar in it. Daughter even left a tripadvisor report to that effect at the last one we tried.

Regardless. If it has curry in it I won't touch it. Can't stand curry.....even the smell of it.  :--

It isn't the "curry" you are used to. There is no "curry" in S Indian food, only things you've never hear of such as avial, hopper, thoran, sambar, idli, vada, dosa, uthapam, mollee, porial, paratha, ulathiyathu.

A traditional breakfast of dosa, sambar, idli and coffee is delicious, and much nicer than greasy-spoon fry-ups.
There are lies, damned lies, statistics - and ADC/DAC specs.
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Online tggzzz

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #120226 on: May 19, 2022, 11:21:45 pm »
Well that was good. Think karma paid what it owes me now. Got a couple of things on the watch list. No integrated circuits in any of them. Hold my, err lack of beer  :popcorn:

Thali from this evening attached. Not bad for £9.50! Hand for size. Note I have huge hands  :-DD

Looks like a decent South Indian thali, i.e. veg, not much chilli, not much sugar, lots of flavour from tamarind, coconut, and spices.

Exactly spot on. Was very nice and was indeed only vegetables. Big fan of South Indian food - definitely more healthy!

Healthier than what? Lots of salt and fully saturated fat (i.e. coconut), which makes butter look life extending.

Having said that, I developed a taste for Keralan/Tamil Nadu food when backpacking round there with my daughter. It is the only vegan food I regard as delicious. Even Gordon Ramsay begrudgingly acknowledged it was very good.

Problem in this country is that too much of S Indian food is actually made by N Indian chefs - and they put too much chilli and sugar in it. Daughter even left a tripadvisor report to that effect at the last one we tried.

Well it's got a hell of a lot less ghee, sugar and bits of anything that happened to walk or slither by the back door of the restaurant in it :-DD. Agree with the chilli and sugar. Today's meal was flavoursome and not disguised at all. It was perfect.

On Keralan/Tamil Nadu, I may go to India at some point in the next couple of years so will keep eyes peeled. A friend of mine has threatened to drag me there so I will see where we end up.

As for vegan food, and I'm sure this will be smirked upon in present company, I actually find it more palatable and eat it regularly :popcorn:

Can recommend Caponata Pasta as a very nice dish: https://www.bosh.tv/recipes/pasta-caponata

I find most vegan food unpalatable compared to good English food. Too few vegan cooks are actually chefs, and they try to imitate meat-based dishes - and fail. S Indian vegan food doesn't pretend to be anything, and the breakfasts are delicious.

Kerala is "India lite", and a good introduction to the place. Lots of greenery, very literate, somewhat left-wing, English widely spoken (and actively preferred to Hindi), better technical bookshops in the capital than in our capital :(

Tamil Nadu is the other side of the Western Ghats, so more "heat and dust". Great (in both senses) temple at "mad mad" Madurai.

The Periyar nature reserve on the border between kerala and Tamil Nadu has, amongst other attractions, plants that flinch when you touch them. (Only twice; they can't manage a third flinch until they've recovered).

Don't book a package holiday. Just book air travel and find somewhere there when you arrive. Use public transport.

Ought to visit Assam sometime, to see the Himalayas and where my gharial and leopard originated.
« Last Edit: May 19, 2022, 11:23:55 pm by tggzzz »
There are lies, damned lies, statistics - and ADC/DAC specs.
Glider pilot's aphorism: "there is no substitute for span". Retort: "There is a substitute: skill+imagination. But you can buy span".
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Offline vk6zgo

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #120227 on: May 20, 2022, 12:35:39 am »
Fridge Timer Update

Dwagon yes I can assure you, really.... reallllllly.... not all fridges in the world are like the american ones.

You talking about fansin fridges had me fall off my chair.

Our fridges in Europe just have a freaking compressor controllled by a freaking mechanical thermostat.
EIther the compressors fails, otr the thermostat does. That's it.

Anything more complex than this has to be some super expensive state of the art exotic fridge that I have never seen and will probably never ever see in my life time.
Not saying it does not exist... apparently you say it's common on your side of the pond, I believe you of course.... so please believe me when I say that the average fridge here, 99.99999% of them, are juste extremely basic devices !  And it's better this way ! The less there is in them, the less there is to go wrong and the simpler it is to trouble-shoot and repair.


I have just finished soldering the proto board. "Of course " it doesn't work... so now I need to trouble shoot it.... and it's already 22H40 here, getting late...
Hoping for a simple fix, a wiring mistake or some such.

Worse case.... I can use the bread board !!!!  :-DD

OK so let's go trouble-shooting this freaking thing.

Yes, it's hot snot holding the relay ni place on the board. Its terminals were too big to fit in the pad holes.


@Captain  : EMI is perfect for now ! It does not work at all so that's ZERO EMIU issue  !!!  >:D


I did an exhaustive survey of the (two) fridges in our place. ;D
The approx 40 year old Philips one  shows no sign of having a fan---in fact " the bit what gets cold" is open for all to see in the rear of the ordinary "fridge" part, & the section of that component for the freezer is built into the freezer compartment walls.

The newer (30 year old) Westinghouse "Freestyle" makes a big deal about being "fan forced".

The Philips has had two lots of door seals over its life, the Westinghouse has had no work done, & they are still "soldiering on"!

Notably, these long lived devices, although they are "world names" were built in Australia.
 

Offline mnementh

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #120228 on: May 20, 2022, 12:36:40 am »
Fridge Timer Update

Proto board fixed !  8)   ...So I can now fit the board into the project box and add the power socket and give it a try !! Right=, right ?!!! NO !!!!  It's 00H50 and freaking tired, I can barely see what I am typing, never mind what I was soldering just a minute ago ! I am going to bed ! !!!   :=\

Uhhhh.... so... just out of curiosity buddy... when was the last time you manually power-cycled the fridge...? :o

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #120229 on: May 20, 2022, 12:37:49 am »
Question..

After all this, wouldn't it have been easier to just buy a new thermostat for the fridge? Or am I missing something?
Where does all this test equipment keep coming from?!?

https://www.youtube.com/NearFarMedia/
 
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Offline vk6zgo

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #120230 on: May 20, 2022, 12:41:57 am »
after some shit days at work I finally managed to complete my small retreat.
2 photos from opposite side of the room ...

Me like. And not too "girly"  :P :-DD

That's logical, Saskia is a grown woman, not a "girl!"
 
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Offline mnementh

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #120231 on: May 20, 2022, 12:58:54 am »
I did an exhaustive survey of the (two) fridges in our place. ;D The approx 40 year old Philips one  shows no sign of having a fan---in fact " the bit what gets cold" is open for all to see in the rear of the ordinary "fridge" part, & the section of that component for the freezer is built into the freezer compartment walls.

The newer (30 year old) Westinghouse "Freestyle" makes a big deal about being "fan forced". The Philips has had two lots of door seals over its life, the Westinghouse has had no work done, & they are still "soldiering on"!   Notably, these long lived devices, although they are "world names" were built in Australia.

Yeah... the convection-cooled operational model is only used on the cheapest $99 "pregnant ice chest" sized dorm room fridges over here. Anything big enough to store groceries for a couple or for a week in a bachelor pad... that's going to be frost-free and have the 2-cavity box with air circulation. The one in that vid is literally the cheapest 15-16 cu Ft model Whirlpool makes... often sold under the Roper nameplate. These sold for $600-700 new retail 15-20 years ago; looks like they still make the same unit for approx the same price.  :-DD

These are your basic 20-years zero-maintenance box; at that point you service the evap fan, replace the defrost thermostat and/or the defrost timer, then clean the drains, wipe it down with bleach and typically good for another 10 years or so before the compressor wears out and it starts to fry starting relays/thermal overload protector. By then the interior plastic has gotten brittle enough there's no point in trying to fix it; time to send it off to reclamation.

I think you hit the nail on the head... it's a matter of what kind of assache Americans are willing to put up with to save a few bux... and honestly, for me it's pretty much zero. I personally won't have a non-forced-air fridge in the house; I loathe cold/hot spots. I am not having my veggies freeze on one shelf and my cheese go bad early on another. Fuck that noizze.

mnem
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Offline mnementh

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #120232 on: May 20, 2022, 01:05:12 am »
Question...   After all this, wouldn't it have been easier to just buy a new thermostat for the fridge? Or am I missing something?

I think he's wanting to let his dad "save the day"... over here, the half-dozen generic thermostats you need to cover 95% of the fridges you're going to run into cost $10-15 next day via Prime. Prolly $5-10 more from a brick & mortar. You can buy a digital universal module with 2 zones/relays for $20 next-day via Prime as well.  :-//

Any of these are a helluva lot cheaper than a fridge full of spoiled food, for damn sure. :o

mnem
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Offline Zucca

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #120233 on: May 20, 2022, 01:29:55 am »
Yeah but sliding a credit card is less fun than playing McGyver



when I was a kid between McGyver and A-Team was a hard choice
« Last Edit: May 20, 2022, 01:41:49 am by Zucca »
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Offline cyclin_al

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #120234 on: May 20, 2022, 04:09:37 am »
A package arrived  :)
A clue inside.
New stuff for a change  8). Damm enablers  >:D
At least I can undo odd size connectors with flats up to 2mm wide without leaving plier marks. I have proper slim spanners for the common sizes.

Oh wow!  I have not heard the term "monkey wrench" in more than 25 years.
Now that I thing about it, it used to be very common.
 

Offline cyclin_al

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #120235 on: May 20, 2022, 04:38:07 am »
As for road vehicles, I somewhat like how the seatbelt helps hold oneself firmly in place for spirited driving.  >:D
Not those on the average runabout, for a proper track session you need a 5 point to stay in the same place in the seat to get the best performance from your wheels......much like the lap belt on my tractor when you're pushing things to the limit of what's capable.......one error and you're toast......pushing near the edge is always fun.  :)

BUT, but but a proper session is on gravel, not on the track  >:D
Honestly, a Rally or Solo I session are both fun...

I agree that you need a 5 point harness for that .  However, I prefer 6 point to keep the junk comfortable.

Last time I pushed a tractor to the limit was in snow.  Side-slipped and got stuck in a ditch.  :palm:
Called for a bigger tractor to continue the fun.
It took a bit over an hour for the bigger tractor to arrive.
We chained up and then I thought he pulled me out....
The other tractor driver was laughing.  ???
He then told me he had not started pulling yet.
It turns out over the waiting time the snow had re-crystallized and frozen, and that I drove it out on my own.
So much for playing it smart...  |O
 
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Online bd139

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #120236 on: May 20, 2022, 06:53:13 am »
I find most vegan food unpalatable compared to good English food. Too few vegan cooks are actually chefs, and they try to imitate meat-based dishes - and fail. S Indian vegan food doesn't pretend to be anything, and the breakfasts are delicious.

Well that there is the problem and one I see a lot: philistines. Most peoples idea of trying new cuisines here involve going to a foreign country and eating whatever dish they can get that looks the most English (or American) tailored. The same is true when changing dietary content. The result is eating terribly poor imitations of whatever they are used to eating and hordes of people fulfilling that market naively.

I never forget my father complaining rabidly about the burger and chips he ordered when we were in Belgium. “The chips are too thin! And I only eat a green salad. And where’s my bun!”  :palm: 

Kerala is "India lite", and a good introduction to the place. Lots of greenery, very literate, somewhat left-wing, English widely spoken (and actively preferred to Hindi), better technical bookshops in the capital than in our capital :(

Tamil Nadu is the other side of the Western Ghats, so more "heat and dust". Great (in both senses) temple at "mad mad" Madurai.

The Periyar nature reserve on the border between kerala and Tamil Nadu has, amongst other attractions, plants that flinch when you touch them. (Only twice; they can't manage a third flinch until they've recovered).

Don't book a package holiday. Just book air travel and find somewhere there when you arrive. Use public transport.

Ought to visit Assam sometime, to see the Himalayas and where my gharial and leopard originated.

Notes written up. Appreciated. Kerala sounds like my sort of place.

As for package holidays, hell no. I’d never do that. The friend in question is very well travelled has been there a couple of times solo so I will most likely follow her lead.
 
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Online bd139

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #120237 on: May 20, 2022, 06:58:39 am »
Question..

After all this, wouldn't it have been easier to just buy a new thermostat for the fridge? Or am I missing something?

That’s not how we work in these parts.

If it’s broken, we fix it, even if it’s financially and logically insane to do so.

If it’s not broken, we make it better, even if it’s perfectly good.

If it’s done, then we unfinish it so we can finish it again.

Disclaimer: some items may not be repaired, some may be ruined and most will never be finished and left in an eternal repair queue
 
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Offline Robert763

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #120238 on: May 20, 2022, 06:59:34 am »


If you throw that HP 32s in evilbay at an insane price, somebody in this planet will pull the trigger.
The real question is, do you want to?  >:D

Not a collection, just my desk drawer. There is a HP 48G in the grey case. the HP 41 is my go to calculator.
 
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Offline Robert763

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #120239 on: May 20, 2022, 07:36:16 am »
Fridge Timer Update

Proto board fixed !  8)

See schematics below.

Well the firsts phase was quick, it appeared the transistor that drives the relay coil had died. It's B-E emitter junction had died open. OK maybe bad luck. So I replace it but wary, I solder a "socket" for the new transistor. Well, a piece of female 0.1" strip header,  that is...

I am glad I did. 2 seconds later the new transistor dies of the exact same fate !  :wtf:

OK so there is indeed something wrong... but what...  only way to fry the B-E junction is too much base current... but that's limited to 2+ mA or so with my 4.7K pull-up, and that resistor measures just fine...

Anyway after much experimenting and probing around... turns out the relay coil had become a short. hFE must have been a bit more than the 75 specified in the datasheet, which means the transistor was able to draw way more than the 800mA it's rated for (I noted the power rail dropped from 12V to 6V when the coil was energized ! ).
I think I damaged the relay when I soldered the wires to the coil terminals. Being upside down it was a pain to get solder to stay in place to stick to the wires. So I had to make several attempts. I remember one of the terminal "wobbling" in its plastic base... meaning the plastic softened enough for the pin to move...
Looking through the clear case of the relay, I can see that pin internally, leaning towards, touching the coil enameled wire. Maybe it was so hot that it melted the enamel and shorted the coil. The latter measured only 3+ ohms .... far from it's original 220 ohms...

So I replaced that relay with the one in the picture below. This time with thinner terminals that can go through the pad holes, so I could solder it onto the board, eliminating the risk of overheating the terminals. I wanted to avoid soldering a relay to the board as it now means I have to solder wires to the board hence bring mains to the board, safety and all that. So I hope everything will be alright.

After that, the board came to life just fine, rely is clicking away.

So I can now fit the board into the project box and add the power socket and give it a try !! Right=, right ?!!! NO !!!!  It's 00H50 and freaking tired, I can barely see what I am typing, never mind what I was soldering just a minute ago ! I am going to bed ! !!!   :=\






Hi Vince,
Make sure you completly remove the unused protoboard pads around the ones the contacts of the relay are soldered too. Spikes on the mains (like those caused by fridges turning off) can easily cause the narrow gap between protoboard pads to arc over with unpleasant results like fire. You need at least a 2.5mm gap around any pad with mains (220/240 V not wimpy Dragonland 115 V) on it
An easy way to temove pads is to tin them with a hot iron and lift the pad with a sharp knife while it's still hot and the adheesive is weak.
 
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Offline Peter_O

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #120240 on: May 20, 2022, 07:38:45 am »
One of my small chinesium temperature and humidity Thingies stopped working, because the LR44 battery has died.

No problem, I have bought a reasonable supply fo LR44s recently .

Got one out of the blister packaging and was immediately disappointed: The fresh LR44 has leaked considerably.   |O

I have the nerdy habit to write the date of purchase on the backside of the packaging. '2006' it says.  :palm:

Seems, I'm getting old and 16 years are esealy bridget by a small word "recently".  :-DD
 
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Offline tautech

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #120241 on: May 20, 2022, 07:39:22 am »
As for road vehicles, I somewhat like how the seatbelt helps hold oneself firmly in place for spirited driving.  >:D
Not those on the average runabout, for a proper track session you need a 5 point to stay in the same place in the seat to get the best performance from your wheels......much like the lap belt on my tractor when you're pushing things to the limit of what's capable.......one error and you're toast......pushing near the edge is always fun.  :)

BUT, but but a proper session is on gravel, not on the track  >:D
Honestly, a Rally or Solo I session are both fun...

I agree that you need a 5 point harness for that .  However, I prefer 6 point to keep the junk comfortable.

Last time I pushed a tractor to the limit was in snow.  Side-slipped and got stuck in a ditch.  :palm:
Called for a bigger tractor to continue the fun.
It took a bit over an hour for the bigger tractor to arrive.
We chained up and then I thought he pulled me out....
The other tractor driver was laughing.  ???
He then told me he had not started pulling yet.
It turns out over the waiting time the snow had re-crystallized and frozen, and that I drove it out on my own.
So much for playing it smart...  |O
;D memories, memories.
Rarely did I go where I couldn't get out of with the 4wd Fiat with a bull blade but it did happen.... even in mid summer when traction conditions were at their best.
Worst was an unseen small dropoff when backing and rotary slashing brush weed and especially when you were already on a good grade and there was no chance of driving upward and out of it.
So with no options over we go....backwards and every effort was focused on keeping her straight until we got to the bottom and that sounds like we had full control....well hell no, we had enough to do just keeping it straight to stay right side up.  :phew:
Well one must never let these things beat you and despite it being some distance back to the top of the face to carry on clearing that's just what we did although now with a semi open path to the bottom it was an invite to explore how much more land could be cleared rather than poking about at the top of the bank.
When you got it wrong it was a fun and fast ride to the bottom and little more was cleared so rotary slasher was just carried to add weight to the rear axles, bull blade at the front in the best part of its arc to have it far forward as possible for best front ballast and differential lock engaged to slow descent best one could so to chew the brush weeds up enough that the tires could bite through the weeds to find what traction they could.
Many said I was nuts breaking in such country as it was so steep no tractor or standard dirt bike could drive straight up it however much of what I cleared is still in grass and feeding livestock some decades later.

Getting back to seatbelts......no way in hell was the above possible without a tight fitting lap belt just keeping you as part of the machine and in one position so that every control was just where it was last you used it.
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Offline AVGresponding

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #120242 on: May 20, 2022, 07:58:32 am »
And also missing from Vince's lab: a simple, commercial day or week timer switch.  :-//

I have multiples of these, perhaps I should send him one, in the spirit of Entente Cordiale.

That's very nice of you !  ;D

I guess it would not be economical though !....

But what would I do with such a thing, in the lab ?  Use case example please ?!  ;D
When you are not needing it to control your fridge
- you could switch something on and off repeatedly
- you could limit the charging time for a battery/charger which you do not trust to do it by itself
- you could activate something at a predetermined time for recording or generating a signal.

The one I thought about initially is electromechanic. It has a circle of little tabs with one tab equating 15minutes.
See? pull every 4th one out and plug the fridge in.

Ah these things... yes sure... old man said he has 3 at home. His wall thermostat also uses such a system to set on and off time for the heating.
He said that service techs often also used that to rescue customers when their fridge like mine was waiting for a new thermostat. Kept them going while the part was on its way.

Yeah OK might one....

The ones I have are all 2U DIN rail mount digital.



Not that exact make/model, but pretty much the same thing.
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Offline Specmaster

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #120243 on: May 20, 2022, 08:39:00 am »
Yeah but sliding a credit card is less fun than playing McGyver



when I was a kid between McGyver and A-Team was a hard choice
I remember having one of those car phones, being analogue the dammed thing was always getting cloned as well  :palm:
Who let Murphy in?

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #120244 on: May 20, 2022, 08:46:19 am »
I miss the analogue ones. Used to sit on the coach with a scanner and earphones listening into people  :-DD
 
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Offline med6753

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #120245 on: May 20, 2022, 08:53:38 am »
I miss the analogue ones. Used to sit on the coach with a scanner and earphones listening into people  :-DD

Did the same with 48MHz cordless phones. Heard some juicy stuff.  :-DD
An old gray beard with an attitude.
 
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Offline Saskia

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #120246 on: May 20, 2022, 08:54:59 am »
did the same with some encrypted cell phones ...

now, that nobody can listen in ...
ummmm ... wrong ...
We also have your coordinates ...
 
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Offline mansaxel

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #120247 on: May 20, 2022, 08:56:28 am »
I miss the analogue ones. Used to sit on the coach with a scanner and earphones listening into people  :-DD

I still have my old analogue, Nokia Mobira Cityman 100.



This picture is from the museum in Helsingborg in southern Sweden, which is the town where I bought mine. So, probably this pictured example was sold in the same store.  I paid 10000 SEK used, in 1991.. Those were the days.

Offline Vince

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #120248 on: May 20, 2022, 09:06:55 am »
Fridge Timer Update

Proto board fixed !  8)


...

So I replaced that relay with the one in the picture below. This time with thinner terminals that can go through the pad holes, so I could solder it onto the board, eliminating the risk of overheating the terminals. I wanted to avoid soldering a relay to the board as it now means I have to solder wires to the board hence bring mains to the board, safety and all that. So I hope everything will be alright.

After that, the board came to life just fine, relay is clicking away.

So I can now fit the board into the project box and add the power socket and give it a try !! Right=, right ?!!! NO !!!!  It's 00H50 and freaking tired, I can barely see what I am typing, never mind what I was soldering just a minute ago ! I am going to bed ! !!!   :=\



Hi Vince,
Make sure you completely remove the unused protoboard pads around the ones the contacts of the relay are soldered too. Spikes on the mains (like those caused by fridges turning off) can easily cause the narrow gap between protoboard pads to arc over with unpleasant results like fire. You need at least a 2.5mm gap around any pad with mains (220/240 V not wimpy Dragonland 115 V) on it
An easy way to temove pads is to tin them with a hot iron and lift the pad with a sharp knife while it's still hot and the adheesive is weak.

Good idea... and I guess I would have to do it on the top side of the board as well since there are pads on both sides, so I need to remove the relay.

 

Offline AVGresponding

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #120249 on: May 20, 2022, 09:10:32 am »
Fridge Timer Update

Proto board fixed !  8)


...

So I replaced that relay with the one in the picture below. This time with thinner terminals that can go through the pad holes, so I could solder it onto the board, eliminating the risk of overheating the terminals. I wanted to avoid soldering a relay to the board as it now means I have to solder wires to the board hence bring mains to the board, safety and all that. So I hope everything will be alright.

After that, the board came to life just fine, relay is clicking away.

So I can now fit the board into the project box and add the power socket and give it a try !! Right=, right ?!!! NO !!!!  It's 00H50 and freaking tired, I can barely see what I am typing, never mind what I was soldering just a minute ago ! I am going to bed ! !!!   :=\



Hi Vince,
Make sure you completely remove the unused protoboard pads around the ones the contacts of the relay are soldered too. Spikes on the mains (like those caused by fridges turning off) can easily cause the narrow gap between protoboard pads to arc over with unpleasant results like fire. You need at least a 2.5mm gap around any pad with mains (220/240 V not wimpy Dragonland 115 V) on it
An easy way to temove pads is to tin them with a hot iron and lift the pad with a sharp knife while it's still hot and the adheesive is weak.

Good idea... and I guess I would have to do it on the top side of the board as well since there are pads on both sides, so I need to remove the relay.

Or just use a track cutting tool. You can even make a slot with those, if you like.

nuqDaq yuch Dapol?
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