Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[tautech]

5000 not 5054, can't you count any more ?! 

Plus it's too late, we are at page 5001 already !! 

Not me ! 

[xrunner]

"5001 a Space Odessey"

another one 3000 years after the first. 

[Vince]

5000 not 5054, can't you count any more ?! 

Plus it's too late, we are at page 5001 already !! 

Not me ! 

OK so you deleted a post or two of yours to bring that back to page 5000, shame on you... but that does not make a 5054 any more relevant, you still don't know how to count !!!   

[bd139]

Usual tactics on here.

Now we expect tggzzz to come along and say he's using a different page size 

[tautech]

Usual tactics on here.

Now we expect tggzzz to come along and say he's using a different page size 

Yep, but will he be at 5k or 2499 ?

[bd139]

Depends how many posts people deleted 

Revisionist bastards! 

[tautech]

Depends how many posts people deleted 

Revisionist bastards! 

Oh right, and you haven't played that game...... how's your halo hanging these days ? 

[xrunner]

I already got planning in the works for 6000. I'm pouncing on it before any of you tricksters. 

[tautech]

I already got planning in the works for 6000. I'm pouncing on it before any of you tricksters. 

I got at least two 6k's and it's a good while yet to a 8654 here. 

[bd139]

Depends how many posts people deleted 

Revisionist bastards! 

Oh right, and you haven't played that game...... how's your halo hanging these days ? 

Oh I buried that halo 40 years ago 

[factory]

Couple of Y RIFAs and a large hand grenade inline filter on the back panel 

Cool I will dig them out. Let me know if you need any other bits. Some of the rails are cracked and brittle so not sure how good they are.

Thanks, will check the manual tonight, it is a lot newer than what I normally add to my collection, so not sure what else might be useful to me.

I'm guessing the little transformer? on one of the boards, is something to do with the telecomms input/output for isolation and not PSU related.

David

Yeah probably balanced to unbalanced or isolation. Whole thing is 600 ohms oriented.

This was 1988 -> 1995 approx. I think this one is around 1994.

I was mostly after the displays, precision resistors/capacitors and some of the JFETs in it. The rest is just bunce

OK I forgot last night, spent too much time looking at Agilent scope diagrams. 

You mentioned missing boards yesterday, it seems the two missing boards (A5 & A8) are part of option 001 (A4 is replaced with A204 too), the numbers are coded into the board levers & guides.
There are some TC Zeners on some boards, seeing the prices of them you probably what to save those, don't know if any of the analogue IC s interest you.

Also far too many PROMs to cause nightmares in that, wonder if they just did board swapping on these, instead of fault finding using the 700+ page manual. 

David

[Neper]

I am quite interested in what looks like an old A3 format HP Plotter...

Speaking of which, there used to be a company making HP-compatible plotters and selling them by the boat load. Had one to plot films for making PCBs.

I can't for the life of me remember the name of this company. Any help?

[Neper]

Nevertheless, ANY vehicle with a white hat on the rear parcel shelf will be travelling at a speed that would allow someone to walk in front, waving a red lantern.

For a time, we had a variation on this theme, over here, in the shape of a loo roll with a crocheted cover. The nodding dog was optional.

[m k]

WELCOME TO 5000!           

From the Agilent 54654N diagrams, that were linked to recently.
The monitor cable has three connections for +15V and ground, six total.
Three connections for the intensity pot.
Last four connections are half bright, full bright, HS (Hsync?) and VS (Vsync?).
Interesting the HS goes through a 74393 to provide the probe compensation signal.
HS & VS come from the big Jackal custom IC and the half bright, full bright from a PAL IC.

Other relevant pages have been cropped, rotated & added below.

This forum post suggest the Hsync is 19.72kHz and the Vsync is 60Hz.
https://www-elektronik-si.translate.goog/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=30373&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=30&sid=c8ec2c01726d6cc1ee123fe5ebbe8c3d&_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-US&_x_tr_pto=wapp

Guess I need to locate those on my 54615B, to try & narrow down where my intermittent horizontal roll problem is, but it's not the same board.

David

Okay, I've traced out the 54621D and the VCC, GND are in the same locations, plus Pin 10 dssig_grd is also tied directly to GND. However the BRIGHTNESS pot is not brought out to this header on the 54621D.

   
                        VSync                                                    HSync 
   
My guess is that 13/14 are still the sync signals, and they have repurposed 7, 8, 9, 11, 12 for their greyscale scheme. 54645A agrees; trace 1 is the 54621D, trace 2 is the 54600A.


   

However, pin 8 is a different story; all I'm getting from the 54600A is noise.   

Then the light dawns; the pot isn't connected to the monitor PCB, duh. Then it occurs to me the voltages usually present on a brightness pot, so I connect the cable back in the 54600A and probe the pot. Yup... (-58V) sent out pin 9 to the pot. Without knowing how the 54621D does its greyscale, I'm not too sanguine about connecting that (-58V) back to its mainboard.

I think this is probably a good point to call it a night.

mnem
 

So you were not short of machines, all clear then.
Better also that incoming voltage is not 125V.

Maybe one final thing, 31 of Toshiba E9054B31-CDHT is green.

[Neper]

Talking of hats in the back of cars: A bloke I used to know used to say that you can make a car invisible to the police by leaving a homburg hat in the rear window. 

I don't know if the following still works simply because I don't know if the police still use them, but one trick was to leave a hardbacked log book that looked like the  log books police were required to fill out on taking a car out on the dashboard - strategically placed so that the front and spine were invisible outside the car.  Acted as a near perfect traffic warden repellant. (Anybody remember actual traffic wardens rather than the council parking goons we have nowadays?)

Here, it used to be a sticker of the police union in the windscreen.

They're even selling them on ebay.

https://www.ebay.de/itm/133505122703

[Vince]

I am quite interested in what looks like an old A3 format HP Plotter...

Speaking of which, there used to be a company making HP-compatible plotters and selling them by the boat load. Had one to plot films for making PCBs.

I can't for the life of me remember the name of this company. Any help?

No idea...

[factory]

WELCOME TO 5000!           

From the Agilent 54654N diagrams, that were linked to recently.
The monitor cable has three connections for +15V and ground, six total.
Three connections for the intensity pot.
Last four connections are half bright, full bright, HS (Hsync?) and VS (Vsync?).
Interesting the HS goes through a 74393 to provide the probe compensation signal.
HS & VS come from the big Jackal custom IC and the half bright, full bright from a PAL IC.

Other relevant pages have been cropped, rotated & added below.

This forum post suggest the Hsync is 19.72kHz and the Vsync is 60Hz.
https://www-elektronik-si.translate.goog/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=30373&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=30&sid=c8ec2c01726d6cc1ee123fe5ebbe8c3d&_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-US&_x_tr_pto=wapp

Guess I need to locate those on my 54615B, to try & narrow down where my intermittent horizontal roll problem is, but it's not the same board.

David

Okay, I've traced out the 54621D and the VCC, GND are in the same locations, plus Pin 10 dssig_grd is also tied directly to GND. However the BRIGHTNESS pot is not brought out to this header on the 54621D.

   
                        VSync                                                    HSync 
   
My guess is that 13/14 are still the sync signals, and they have repurposed 7, 8, 9, 11, 12 for their greyscale scheme. 54645A agrees; trace 1 is the 54621D, trace 2 is the 54600A.


   

However, pin 8 is a different story; all I'm getting from the 54600A is noise.   

Then the light dawns; the pot isn't connected to the monitor PCB, duh. Then it occurs to me the voltages usually present on a brightness pot, so I connect the cable back in the 54600A and probe the pot. Yup... (-58V) sent out pin 9 to the pot. Without knowing how the 54621D does its greyscale, I'm not too sanguine about connecting that (-58V) back to its mainboard.

I think this is probably a good point to call it a night.

mnem
 

The intensity control is just about visible below the CRT in your pictures, you should be able to confirm if it's a 200k pot, as shown in the diagrams for the Agilent 54654N, by measuring the resistance. 

The two connections (video) "half bright, full bright" look as if they might go straight to the neck board, based on the diagrams for the 54600A, which has an even older Hitachi CRT board, again using the 7403.


David

[tggzzz]

Yonks ago, I remember driving a 100E Ford Popular back from London to Southampton on the M3.
Back in those days, the Poms were well into tailgating, with the worst offenders being "chaps driving Jaguars".
Downright terrifying, with the poor old "Pop" screaming its guts out, and a Jag bonnet emblem seemingly in the back seat.

Tailgating was not rare in Oz at the time, but I was surprised how 1970s Brits made an artform of it!
"Culture shock", I guess!

I've been known to repeatedly slow down and then speed up by 5mph.

I really ought to develop an index relating manufacturer vs how long it takes for the driver to Get A Clue. Wonder which would be beat/worst

[tggzzz]

Worth it 

Welcome back to crazy town 

Edit: woohoo just sold 4 books to a local ham instead of getting mugged by ebay

They buy some strange things. Completely unlike us, of course.

[tggzzz]

Usual tactics on here.

Now we expect tggzzz to come along and say he's using a different page size 

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/test-equipment-anonymous-(tea)-group-therapy-thread/msg4244926/#msg4244926

[factory]

I found this video of the Agilent 54621A earlier, interesting the front panel boards got changed to FR4, also note the comms modules from older HP 546xx scopes are not compatible (different connector) and may cause damage if forced on & used like that, you have been warned.



David

[tggzzz]

Depends how many posts people deleted 

Revisionist bastards! 

It can be difficult to foretell history.

[tggzzz]

Depends how many posts people deleted 

Revisionist bastards! 

Oh right, and you haven't played that game...... how's your halo hanging these days ? 

Oh I buried that halo 40 years ago 

"Buried halo" reminds me: when is Netflix releasing the next season of "Warrior Nun", which ought to be called "Ninja Nuns With Guns"? It is good mindless entertainment late at night, with a drink, reading this thread on a tablet.

[xrunner]

I found this video of the Agilent 54621A earlier, interesting the front panel boards got changed to FR4, also note the comms modules from older HP 546xx scopes are not compatible (different connector) and may cause damage if forced on & used like that, you have been warned.

Since we're posting pics of these models here's mine. Notice anything interesting about it? 

[factory]

I found this video of the Agilent 54621A earlier, interesting the front panel boards got changed to FR4, also note the comms modules from older HP 546xx scopes are not compatible (different connector) and may cause damage if forced on & used like that, you have been warned.

Since we're posting pics of these models here's mine. Notice anything interesting about it? 

Still "Agilent - Yuckyputz!"  , 54622D is the 100MHz version, of the 54621D (60MHz) that Mnem is trying to figure out the monitor connections for. Seems to have different knobs fitted. 
Any chance you took some teardown pictures? We seem to be lacking detailed pictures of the CRT boards, the youtube videos don't show them in any detail and focus too much on the scope mainboard.

David