Author Topic: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread  (Read 14554062 times)

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Offline Ice-Tea

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #124250 on: June 26, 2022, 08:22:16 am »
A request to go against the spirit of the group:

At work, we've established that we need a Timing Interval Analyser. I tried buying the one Robert had for sale, but was too late. Does anyone else have a hp 5371A or one of the Yokogawa TA series, or similar, they'd be willing to part with?

It needs to be reasonably well working (another break with the spirit) and it can cost some money (again, against the very moral fibre!) but not "Korea instrument reseller insane".  An official-looking invoice is a cool thing.  In Europe is a definite bonus.

Ice-Tea?

Let me see tomorrow :)
 
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Offline med6753

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #124251 on: June 26, 2022, 08:31:27 am »
5440 5B40 update:

U165 is toast.  The trigger signal arrives, in-spec, to it, and does not depart. There's no blown tant on its supply; it has just below 5V on the supply pin, and it's not noisy. It does also draw some power.

Parts list sez:

Code: [Select]
U165     155-0109-00    B010100  B021739    MICROCIRCUIT,LI:MONOLITHIC,TRIG       80009   155-0109-00
So, a quick Ebay glance gives that it is not Unobtanium; there are a couple sellers on the bay who want around 25 money for one, plus transatlantic shipping. Stiff prices, them.  Does anyone here sit on a few?
Is that thing in all 5Bxx plugins? In that case I would have one - the plugin is destined to be used in TM500 anyway.

This is the list of appearances:

5B25N
5B31
5B40, 5B42 (U300, U400), 5B44
7B50A, 7B53A
7B80, 7B85, 7B87, 7B81P, 7B90P
7612D
7S14 / 5S14N (U270)
SC502, SC503, SC504 (U3238)

I don't have any 5000 series plug-in's or scopes. But I do have some scrap 7000 series plug-in's but unfortunately they are all vertical plug-in's which don't use that chip.
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Online Robert763

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #124252 on: June 26, 2022, 08:39:04 am »
<SNIP>

I have my own side funds for TEA gear besides the 'official' book keeping.  :-DD

One good thing that came out of ebay insting payments ae made through them is that I opened a separate current account. I wasn't going to let ebay have access to the amin household account.
The helpful bit is SWMBO does not see the TEA budget  ;D >:D
 
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Offline med6753

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #124253 on: June 26, 2022, 08:42:14 am »
Coming up on the project queue. This 465B. Of all the 20 functional Tek scopes in my collection this is the only one that hasn't had it's PSU capacitors replaced. That will soon change. The capacitor adapters will be ordered along with the replacement caps.


The 465B has a modular trigger board which is easily removed like the recently done 475A. Unlike the original 465 which was a hodge podge of soldered wires and undocumented changes. I'm sure BD is familiar with the mess that scope was. It was very clear that Tek rushed the original design and in fact the 465 barely met it's stated 100MHz B/W. The 465B is a complete redesign and exceeds the stated 100MHz B/W.


An old gray beard with an attitude.
 
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Offline BU508A

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #124254 on: June 26, 2022, 08:49:40 am »
What a nice hack for cleaning soldering pads on a pcb:

https://youtu.be/KDVu06WySjg?t=397
“Chaos is found in greatest abundance wherever order is being sought. It always defeats order, because it is better organized.”            - Terry Pratchett -
 
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Offline mansaxel

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #124255 on: June 26, 2022, 09:33:33 am »

The 465B has a modular trigger board which is easily removed like the recently done 475A.

<snip>



Them tants on that trigger board are very close-to-the-spec run components. That was the source of my recent 465 incident with smoke..




Offline VK5RC

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #124256 on: June 26, 2022, 10:01:22 am »
while I was out cold, umm, with nasty fever, my new war instrument arrived.
At the very least the hemp needs re binding. The slide should be smooth and parallel esp on the lower drone slides, otherwise you can't tune them up while playing (and under the correct pressure), you should be able to move using 2 fingers only and the joint should be stable ie not wobble, typically it takes about 20mins for each joint.
I use the slightly coarser hemp (usually black) for the drones and the finer yellow for the blow stick and chanter, if done correctly the beeswax will almost form a true cylinder, see the lower section of the blow stick, the upper section in the photo (is actually the lower part when connected) has been attacked by the moisture from the piper's breath.
Whoah! Watch where that landed we might need it later.
 
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Online bd139

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #124257 on: June 26, 2022, 10:13:32 am »
Crap report. Some dude emptied the whole place of decent gear before I even got there. Asshat. Had lots of very very nice HP stuff.

Still scored a big Farnell 30V 5A supply, HP 400E voltmeter, HP function generator and a couple of books though  :-+

 
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Online ch_scr

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #124258 on: June 26, 2022, 10:16:43 am »
Crap report. Some dude emptied the whole place of decent gear before I even got there. Asshat. Had lots of very very nice HP stuff.

Still scored a big Farnell 30V 5A supply, HP 400E voltmeter, HP function generator and a couple of books though  :-+
Is that the way Ferengi think of each other?  :-DD
Good catch still!
 
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Offline Specmaster

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #124259 on: June 26, 2022, 10:20:22 am »
Crap report. Some dude emptied the whole place of decent gear before I even got there. Asshat. Had lots of very very nice HP stuff.

Still scored a big Farnell 30V 5A supply, HP 400E voltmeter, HP function generator and a couple of books though  :-+


That 30V 5A power supply is a good score for just a tenner, especially if it works :-+
Who let Murphy in?

Brymen-Fluke-HP-Thurlby-Thander-Tek-Extech-Black Star-GW-Avo-Kyoritsu-Amprobe-ITT-Robin-TTi
 
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Offline tautech

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #124260 on: June 26, 2022, 10:29:05 am »
Crap report. Some dude emptied the whole place of decent gear before I even got there. Asshat. Had lots of very very nice HP stuff.

Still scored a big Farnell 30V 5A supply, HP 400E voltmeter, HP function generator and a couple of books though  :-+
Who’d wanna sell decent gear to an invalid anyways ?
An able bodied soul would have got there real early !  :P
Avid Rabid Hobbyist
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Offline TERRA Operative

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #124261 on: June 26, 2022, 10:30:30 am »


Ooooh, I hate those blue trimpots, I find they are almost always faulty in the TM500 gear I've repaired. I replace them on sight now...
Where does all this test equipment keep coming from?!?

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Offline Specmaster

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #124262 on: June 26, 2022, 10:47:53 am »
Unusual eBay item listed today, double oscilloscope and function generator by Tektronix, price looks a very salty though, it is I'm thinking rare though?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/403475475809?
Who let Murphy in?

Brymen-Fluke-HP-Thurlby-Thander-Tek-Extech-Black Star-GW-Avo-Kyoritsu-Amprobe-ITT-Robin-TTi
 
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Offline med6753

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #124263 on: June 26, 2022, 10:49:52 am »


Them tants on that trigger board are very close-to-the-spec run components. That was the source of my recent 465 incident with smoke..



To replace them all in a 400 series scope would break the bank. Far too many. I usually go after the 15uf and above as they tend to be the ones that short more often. And especially the 47uf tants. They are the devil.  >:D ;D
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Offline med6753

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #124264 on: June 26, 2022, 10:50:50 am »


Ooooh, I hate those blue trimpots, I find they are almost always faulty in the TM500 gear I've repaired. I replace them on sight now...

Interesting. I've never had issues with them.  :-//
An old gray beard with an attitude.
 

Offline med6753

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #124265 on: June 26, 2022, 10:52:57 am »
Unusual eBay item listed today, double oscilloscope and function generator by Tektronix, price looks a very salty though, it is I'm thinking rare though?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/403475475809?

Not rare but the price is stupid.  ::)
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Offline Specmaster

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #124266 on: June 26, 2022, 10:57:08 am »
Unusual eBay item listed today, double oscilloscope and function generator by Tektronix, price looks a very salty though, it is I'm thinking rare though?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/403475475809?

Not rare but the price is stupid.  ::)
Well, its the first time I've seen one, that price is stupid I agree, so are all of his other prices but he does have some interesting gear though.
Who let Murphy in?

Brymen-Fluke-HP-Thurlby-Thander-Tek-Extech-Black Star-GW-Avo-Kyoritsu-Amprobe-ITT-Robin-TTi
 

Online bd139

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #124267 on: June 26, 2022, 10:59:58 am »
Diversion on way home…

 
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Offline med6753

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #124268 on: June 26, 2022, 11:01:55 am »
Unusual eBay item listed today, double oscilloscope and function generator by Tektronix, price looks a very salty though, it is I'm thinking rare though?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/403475475809?

Not rare but the price is stupid.  ::)
Well, its the first time I've seen one, that price is stupid I agree, so are all of his other prices but he does have some interesting gear though.

That rack is modular and you can plug anything in that series in there. Those little scopes aren't rare at all and it just happens to be 2 of them plugged in at the same time.
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Offline TERRA Operative

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #124269 on: June 26, 2022, 11:05:44 am »
Unusual eBay item listed today, double oscilloscope and function generator by Tektronix, price looks a very salty though, it is I'm thinking rare though?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/403475475809?

Nah, that's just two TM500 scope modules and a function gen module in a 6-bay mainframe.
They are only 15MHz scopes so the price is way too much. If they were the SC504 scopes (80MHz), then the price would be much more reasonable (but still a bit spicy...)



Ooooh, I hate those blue trimpots, I find they are almost always faulty in the TM500 gear I've repaired. I replace them on sight now...

Interesting. I've never had issues with them.  :-//

Yeah, not sure why I keep finding the bad ones. Usually the grey ones are ok, but I've had a few bad ones of those here and there too. Last one was broken in the center 'axle' so the turny bit kept falling out.
Where does all this test equipment keep coming from?!?

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

Online ch_scr

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #124270 on: June 26, 2022, 11:23:42 am »


Ooooh, I hate those blue trimpots, I find they are almost always faulty in the TM500 gear I've repaired. I replace them on sight now...

Interesting. I've never had issues with them.  :-//

Yeah, not sure why I keep finding the bad ones. Usually the grey ones are ok, but I've had a few bad ones of those here and there too. Last one was broken in the center 'axle' so the turny bit kept falling out.
The common lubricant / cleaner used by japanese service techs on these pots, maybe it is long-term damaging (cracking) the blue plastic specifically? Almost all of these units would have been serviced in japan at least once in their life, given the age?
 

Online Vince

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #124271 on: June 26, 2022, 11:30:10 am »



Ooooh, I hate those blue trimpots, I find they are almost always faulty in the TM500 gear I've repaired. I replace them on sight now...

Interesting. I've never had issues with them.  :-//

Yeah, not sure why I keep finding the bad ones. Usually the grey ones are ok, but I've had a few bad ones of those here and there too. Last one was broken in the center 'axle' so the turny bit kept falling out.

Same here, I concur !  :scared:

When I bought my 5000 series scope, found many of thes horrible trimmers on the two CRT boards. Half of them had fallen apart in the way you describe, knob falls apart because the thin plastic shaft holding it to the body of the trimmer just eventually breaks off, disintegrate, leaving you with no wiper because it's part of the knob !  :palm:  Cheap horrible design.

So I went to replace them all, but to my surprise the pin layout and pitch was somehow unusual and I had difficulty finding a suitable replacement. Eventually found a brand and model that was identical, but hard to find. Since I needed many different values, I could not find any place in Europe that carried all the values I needed in stock. An Ebay seller would have one particular value, another would have another particular value, and Farnell would have 3 or 4 tops. Only Mouser IIRC in the USA had all the values available, so I resorted to paying a silly amount to import them.

So yeah, I HATE those trimmers too ! :-DD


« Last Edit: June 26, 2022, 11:32:03 am by Vince »
 
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Offline Brumby

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #124272 on: June 26, 2022, 11:52:58 am »
CB callsigns in Oz were non-conforming to international allocations, as they were assumed to be for "short distance communications", only.
Hence, my CB callsign was WAC 927.
Mine was NCH 285. (The first letter being a state identifier. N=New South Wales; W=Western Australia)

That was my only semi-serious foray into the communications scene.  Picked up a couple of (unconfirmed) receptions from (apparently) far away.  One signal had the typical fade and noise you would often hear when listening in to SW.  Only had 2 such "contacts" in 4 or 5 years of operation - and that was enough to satisfy any interest.

I daresay I've saved a small fortune not getting my feet wet in that pond.
 

Offline nfmax

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #124273 on: June 26, 2022, 12:06:23 pm »
Crap report. Some dude emptied the whole place of decent gear before I even got there. Asshat. Had lots of very very nice HP stuff.

Still scored a big Farnell 30V 5A supply, HP 400E voltmeter, HP function generator and a couple of books though  :-+

Those little HP3311A’s are cute, if limited. Easy to repair if necessary, too. I still like mine
 
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Offline med6753

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #124274 on: June 26, 2022, 12:09:44 pm »



Ooooh, I hate those blue trimpots, I find they are almost always faulty in the TM500 gear I've repaired. I replace them on sight now...

Interesting. I've never had issues with them.  :-//

Yeah, not sure why I keep finding the bad ones. Usually the grey ones are ok, but I've had a few bad ones of those here and there too. Last one was broken in the center 'axle' so the turny bit kept falling out.

Same here, I concur !  :scared:

When I bought my 5000 series scope, found many of thes horrible trimmers on the two CRT boards. Half of them had fallen apart in the way you describe, knob falls apart because the thin plastic shaft holding it to the body of the trimmer just eventually breaks off, disintegrate, leaving you with no wiper because it's part of the knob !  :palm:  Cheap horrible design.

So I went to replace them all, but to my surprise the pin layout and pitch was somehow unusual and I had difficulty finding a suitable replacement. Eventually found a brand and model that was identical, but hard to find. Since I needed many different values, I could not find any place in Europe that carried all the values I needed in stock. An Ebay seller would have one particular value, another would have another particular value, and Farnell would have 3 or 4 tops. Only Mouser IIRC in the USA had all the values available, so I resorted to paying a silly amount to import them.

So yeah, I HATE those trimmers too ! :-DD




I guess I've been lucky. No issues with them at all. But given that I'm not going to touch any of them during final calibration unless I have no choice.
An old gray beard with an attitude.
 


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