Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[Ice-Tea]

Wanna see something funny?

Is that an HPAK E441x power meter?

Yes.

Sorry. I meant *was* this an HPAK E441x. 

It ain't over 'till the fat lady sings.

[Neomys Sapiens]

The small pin on the 80T-H is just keying. All you do to hold a reading is connect the current terminal to the common terminal.
The 80T-H does work with HP DMMs with data hold. I tried it on a 3435A but the 3466A and 3438A also work from a quick check.

This Fluke TP165x, which is intended for use with a Fluke series of Meggers, seems to be a good candidate for conversion. It would certainly involve heavy modification, but at least the switch circuit seems to be separate and only one of the input jacks is connected. Hmmm..

[AVGresponding]

Given Schlumberger's line of business, I bet it's some kind of custom DSA specialized for their oil and gas drilling operations.

I am not sure what you are planning on doing with this thing ?! Wanna drill in your backyard hoping to find some crude oil ?! 

Maybe it's got some general purpose enough features in it that you could use. Just leave it on the ground to analyze the earth movements and make it trigger and alarm in your house when it sense an imminent earth quake ?

I don't know.... but I am very intrigued by you purchasing this thing, I must admit...


Google found on ebay an identical looking unit under the name Solartron-Schlumberger rather than plain Schlumberger. Model number is RVC 500 rather than SI1210, so maybe you will have better luck using this model name.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/192887623276

Good guess Vince, but wrong. Closer to aviation.
These are used for environmental testing. Specfically vibration. I've come across them when testing aircraft parts. They generate a noise like spectrum of frequencies with cotrolled total amplitude / energy that simulates long duration exposure to vibration. The output is amplified and drives a "shaker" which is like a giant loudspeaker driver. These units take feedback from an accelerometer on the shaker to close the looop and ensure the right levels of vibration.
Very specialised bit of kit. I don't have a manual I'm afraid. Have you tried a websearch?
What are you going to do with it?

This one was specifically used in aviation, as can be seen from the cheat sheet sticker. Also has a big red sticker on the top that says "Portable Appliance Testing Not Required". Hence why I asked Robert...   

Tried, and failed, my google-fu not up to the task I'm afraid. Likely it will get parted out; a fellow TEA member has expressed an interest in analogue components, and it's packed full of oddball TTL and CMOS ic's. The internal psu's are Farnell bricks, so reusable also. The CRT and its driver boards are also a bought-in third party solution, so might also be reusable. Might be able to turn the case into a camper van...

[Ice-Tea]

What the hell happened, did they really supply PSUs with the polarity reversed at some point, or is that an after-market replacement?

The original PSU was cooked. Ordered another one. I caught that the pinning was entirely different. I didn't catch that Meanwell and Artesysn can't agree on what side of an identical connector is pin 1

[TERRA Operative]

Well, according to Molex, the original PSU got it wrong..

https://www.molex.com/pdm_docs/sd/009652068_sd.pdf

[Ice-Tea]

The top one is the replacement. So I guess I need to have a word with Benny Hu.



Also: set the connections straight now. Entirely unrelated question: if a analog comparator in a PS section runs at 150C after a few seconds, is that good or bad? Means it gets power so it's good, right? Right?

[AVGresponding]

The top one is the replacement. So I guess I need to have a word with Benny Hu.



Also: set the connections straight now. Entirely unrelated question: if a analog comparator in a PS section runs at 150C after a few seconds, is that good or bad? Means it gets power so it's good, right? Right?

Benny Hu? Benny Hill?

[Ice-Tea]

Pheh. Chinese engineers tend to choose an english name for their communications with westerners. I've worked with Scofield and Bruce Willis in the past. I wouldn't blink if I got a mail from Benny Hill.

[AVGresponding]

Pheh. Chinese engineers tend to choose an english name for their communications with westerners. I've worked with Scofield and Bruce Willis in the past. I wouldn't blink if I got a mail from Benny Hill.

Before my line manager was a manager, and still on the tools, we were on a job and off-hiring some access equipment. He signed the ticket as "Eddie Murphy", so I signed mine "Nick Nolte".

[SoundTech-LG]

Tant polarity markings meant to keep you on your toes!

Wanna see something funny?



Yeah, I don't think it's funny either.

What the hell happened, did they really supply PSUs with the polarity reversed at some point, or is that an after-market replacement?

Though seeing those connectors, has reminded I accidentality swapped two identical sized connectors, in an old portable computer at work, after recapping the PSU. Most of the PSU still worked after it was corrected, but the supply for the built in Triniturd monitor never worked again.  Ended up having to swap PSUs with the second (faulty) computer.

David

[Robert763]

Even Molex can't decide on pin numbering. There is at least one series of dual row connectors where one pitch is numbered up-down between rows and one is along first row and back (micro-fit and mini-fit IIRC). One company I worked for used both and it caused no end of trouble with both PCB designers and people making looms.

[TERRA Operative]

Scored with adapters this week.

Got two brand new Huber+Suhner N-type male to male adapters for 4000yen
Checked the price on RS Components (part number on the bags is 716-4729), these things cost 6758yen inc. tax. 

Not too unhappy with that score.

https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/coaxial-adapters/7164729


I also picked up a HP 908A 50ohm N-type terminator and a second N male-to-BNC female adapter for a good price.


Now, I'm just waiting on some sticker paper to arrive for my printer and I'll print new labels for my N-type cal adapters (the new serial number label came out great) and some foam to replace the typically disintegrated foam in the box.
Apparently I can still buy the foam from HP, but not for the $350 they want for it......

[McBryce]

A bargain for anyone in Germany if they can get to fleabay in the next 30 Minutes.... https://www.ebay.de/itm/255776001890

McBryce.

[AVGresponding]

Was someone on here looking for one of these recently?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/155207084765

[TERRA Operative]

Finally got my Advantest R6144 DC volt/current generator running after literally years on the shelf...
I had to replace a bunch of missing parts removed by the previous owners repair attempts but it never worked right. So it sat on the shelf with the occasional half-hearted poke every year or so.

A poke here, a bodge wire there, etc etc and now it's alive!

BUT, it seems like I'm having an issue when generating less than about 1.6V though... As part of the repair process, I've checked ALL the TTL chips, the range relays, vregs, transistors, etc etc (It was in a pretty sorry state when I got it...) but I am unable to properly test the opamps etc.
I replaced some of them 'just in case' as they were cheap to source locally, and I know the voltage reference is working too as it is rock solid when outputting higher voltages.

The only chip I am suspect of, the only chip I haven't replaced and can't actually test is an OP77GP opamp.


So, anyone got an OP77GP they don't need?
Seems the usual suppliers don't have them in DIP8 packages and I'm not keen on risking a blacktopped part from China.
Unfortunately it seems I haven't salvaged one of these yet so I'm coming up dry.


[EDIT] So it seems the OP177 is a higher spec part and I can get it off the shelf in Akihabara. Monday shipping is scheduled!

[Zoli]

Finally got my Advantest R6144 DC volt/current generator running after literally years on the shelf...
I had to replace a bunch of missing parts removed by the previous owners repair attempts but it never worked right. So it sat on the shelf with the occasional half-hearted poke every year or so.

A poke here, a bodge wire there, etc etc and now it's alive!

BUT, it seems like I'm having an issue when generating less than about 1.6V though... As part of the repair process, I've checked ALL the TTL chips, the range relays, vregs, transistors, etc etc (It was in a pretty sorry state when I got it...) but I am unable to properly test the opamps etc.
I replaced some of them 'just in case' as they were cheap to source locally, and I know the voltage reference is working too as it is rock solid when outputting higher voltages.

The only chip I am suspect of, the only chip I haven't replaced and can't actually test is an OP77GP opamp.


So, anyone got an OP77GP they don't need?
Seems the usual suppliers don't have them in DIP8 packages and I'm not keen on risking a blacktopped part from China.
Unfortunately it seems I haven't salvaged one of these yet so I'm coming up dry.be damned

Looks like I have something around(pictures to come), but ATM is too late to confirm; Monday I can send it out(Akibara to be damned)..

[DC1MC]

A bargain for anyone in Germany if they can get to fleabay in the next 30 Minutes.... https://www.ebay.de/itm/255776001890

McBryce.

Well, the bagain failed to attract any bidders and was relisted here:
https://www.ebay.de/itm/255777579769
, on the other side, this badgain looks way better:
https://www.ebay.de/itm/295264886799
; not to mention this badgain:
https://www.ebay.de/itm/115478745596

 ,
DC1MC

[McBryce]

A bargain for anyone in Germany if they can get to fleabay in the next 30 Minutes.... https://www.ebay.de/itm/255776001890

McBryce.

Well, the bagain failed to attract any bidders and was relisted here:
https://www.ebay.de/itm/255777579769
, on the other side, this badgain looks way better:
https://www.ebay.de/itm/295264886799
; not to mention this badgain:
https://www.ebay.de/itm/115478745596

 ,
DC1MC

I've been watching the Agilent, but it's a bit of a gamble. Who knows what's actually broken?

As for the Siglent, won't be buying any more Siglent gear again due to the lousy support and lack of updates for my SHS-806.

McBryce.

[Peter_O]

There is one rabbit hole, I always expected and wanted to be sucked into. 
Which is Tek scopes of course. No way to never having had one on the desk and understanding the technical culture of that time.

So this week the karma got me and offered a 475A in 10 min driving distance.
In the first step I managed to escape after a first dialogue. 

But then the owner came back with an offer I could not decline.
Thx Michael, in case you're reading this!   

So here it is:
A 475A in very fine cosmetical condition with manual and two 6106 probes for a price that was more kind of a small nominal fee.

The owner could remember his company buing this device and used it for decades on the job and then took it home, if I got it right. So it's kind of first hand, and the owner had a difficult farewell yesterday.



I quickly fixed a loose screw of the handle, which gave the opportunity to take a quick inside picture. Changed the voltage selector to the middle position to adapt for the line voltage increase in 2009 over here.



And here it is, showing first life. HV, CRT and fan seem to be OK. Switches are feeling fine but react kind of erratically. Ich will explore more deeply later.

[tautech]

My deepest sympathies. 

[tggzzz]

There is one rabbit hole, I always expected and wanted to be sucked into. 
Which is Tek scopes of course. No way to never having had one on the desk and understanding the technical culture of that time.
...
And here it is, showing first live. HV, CRT and fan seem to be OK. Switches are feeling fine but react kind of erratically. Ich will explore more deeply later.

Switches are a traditional weakness in these scopes, but they can be cleaned.

Only use IPA, not other contact cleaners.

The contacts are naked gold fingers that can be damaged relatively easily. The best technique is to have a strip of (non-abrasive) paper that is slightly wider than the fingers. Soak the paper in IPA, open the relevant contact, insert paper, close contact, pull gently ensuring you don't bend the "fingertips".

The AC/DC/ground switch is near an open slot. If that is the is noisy switch, then I've used a plastic pipette to "wash" IPA onto both sides of the relevant PCBs, and waggled the sqwitches repeatedly.

[Zoli]

As promised
Unobtanium in the morning light
@TERRA PM if interested, I have 10pcs.

[TERRA Operative]

As promised
Unobtanium in the morning light
@TERRA PM if interested, I have 10pcs.

I managed to find a couple Analog Devices OP177 parts on the shelf in Akihabara, so I'll see how they go tonight.
Thanks for the offer though!

[Ice-Tea]

What? You never order a fan or two? 

[capt bullshot]

What? You never order a fan or two? 

Now you're officially a Fan Boy