Test Equipment Anonymous

That's a very good website for those even slightly drawn to time nuttery. I find for now that my ebay Chinese GPSDO is bags. If you look through it, some of the links to other sites are also interesting. eg: For those of us who think we have Test Equipment Acquirement Syndrome, we really don't. htt...

Yeah, took some time for one with those features to appear on eBuy back a few years ago when I got it.

-Pat

Just heard that Chuck Mangione has also passed, at the age of 84.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertai ... 358976007/

-Pat

Someone replaced the VFD of a Keithley 2000 with an OLED display. Technical details can be found here: https://github.com/RM-Engineering/Keithley-2000-replacing-the-VFD-with-a-5.5-inch-OLED- After seeing this and also stumbling on a Zenwizard video on replacing the piss poor display in the HP 8904A...

Very nicely done! Looks OEM!

-Pat

Yes, P-11 phosphor is definitely novel and beautiful. https://photos.smugmug.com/Electronics/Tektronix-485-Oscilloscope-/i-NWZvcLb/0/NjXmSbVNrn8N5PTzDCShxGrBwmvZrn3Xbf52PTkc6/X2/24C03A97-E62C-4B9B-A491-97F3C6ECC439-X2.jpg my fortress of solitude has been purged of all tek equipment. your dalliance w...

Zenith's second picture of his 8600 shows the same mains socket insulation made of perforated paper. So clearly it was an aberrant line rather than a specific meter :( That's fish paper - it's a vulcanized fiber material that's lightweight, tough and tolerant of temperature extremes, and has been u...

They have a savage grandeur which many find fascinating. Valve scopes are probably now a bit too savage for most. Give me savage or give me death. :lol: Agreed - savage FTW! https://photos.smugmug.com/Electronics/Tektronix-547-Oscilloscope/i-hQRGKng/0/MBtPGfttPvBvHVF4fNg2bKnLhfp54cJNn6LktRW7L/XL/Te...

Look closely at the ones near the end with the red and black wires - they're solid on the male edge connector - you'll need to slice the fingers/pads lengthwise to separate them. Those pads are siamesed on both sides on mine. https://photos.smugmug.com/Electronics/Misc-test-equipment/i-BRZKvZS/0/LH6...

As long as you split the siamesed pads, why do you think the JAMMA cable would need extensive rework? As long as all the connections are 1:1, it should effectively be invisible to the plug in. And why remove the unused cables? If they're no connects, they won't hurt anything, and the TM-500 equipmen...

Nixies? What are those? IMG_20250514_174741361.jpg Contemporaries/successors of these: ;) https://photos.smugmug.com/Electronics/Non-Linear-Systems-Model-64-DVM/i-cFWRX39/0/LLtNW9gMp4WSKN4GdrZdmzvXrDDS9zwV8LDp5KfRv/XL/NLS%2064%20display%20working%20-XL.jpg I have a timer lurking about here somewher...

MED6753 wrote: ↑Tue May 13, 2025 5:46 pm You guys kill me. Suggesting I go down all sorts of rabbit holes.
...

Well, this is the TEA forum... <whistling>

Have you forgotten that being enablers is part of our charter?

-Pat

Hey Mike - if you want to get the correct counter to calibrate your square wave generator, there's one on The Bay of Evil now! https://www.ebay.com/itm/306299652398?_skw=hp+524+nixie&epid=19064607187&itmmeta=01JV5BA7JF33H4JGDMAE4TY854&hash=item4750e1c92e:g:W8cAAeSwmIdoImXB&itmprp=enc...

The ones you can usually tell on are the old black tubular Sprague caps with the yellow or red lettering (can't recall the series off the top of my head). Yellow print means paper, they'll have become resistors. Red print means difilm; those are normally ok. The way I remember it is think like traff...

The first 5245L was my gateway drug and what really began this slide into test equipment collecting insanity...


-Pat

Mike, IIRC my 523D was working when last I powered it up - want to borrow it? ;) https://photos.smugmug.com/Electronics/HP-523D-Electronic-Counter/i-NcvQQdn/0/LT68vGN2VDjgbWq9WsJNNb9jhF63mL96ZKCWhTWv4/XL/HP%20523D%20front%20view-XL.jpg https://photos.smugmug.com/Electronics/HP-523D-Electronic-Counte...

I haven't used the one I got yet, so I haven't gone through it, but the main thing I'm aware of is that you need to slice the siamesed pads on the end of the male connector where the pairs of black and red wires attach to make the connections separate, and the other thing I'd do is check the connect...

MED6753 wrote: ↑Fri Apr 25, 2025 7:28 pm

Cubdriver wrote: ↑Fri Apr 25, 2025 7:07 pm

MED6753 wrote: ↑Fri Apr 25, 2025 6:06 pm Screw you, I'll sleep up here instead.

Turn this thing on! Bench meters are supposed to be left powered up to stay warm and in calibration!!!

I'll send you my electric bill.

Charge Harley!! HE'S the one who wants it turned on!!

MED6753 wrote: ↑Fri Apr 25, 2025 6:06 pm Screw you, I'll sleep up here instead.

Turn this thing on! Bench meters are supposed to be left powered up to stay warm and in calibration!!!

Glad to see your replacement meter came, and even more importantly was still there when you got home. You'd think it would be common sense as a delivery person to put a package in at least a somewhat inconspicuous spot if possible. Obviously, I expect too much from people, as common sense is a horri...

I got a shipping notification today, so I should have them by early next week - they're coming from the left coast via USPS. I'll post pics and let you know what I think when I get them.

-Pat

That meter looks like it cleaned up really nicely. Do you know of a source of pin plug test leads? I have two meters that use them but no leads. I was going to try test fitting a mini-banana plug connector into a pin socket and see if it fits and is workable but haven't had a chance yet. IIRC Probe...