Test Equipment Anonymous

If you are really serious about this sort of thing, there's the thread that EC8010 started "Defluxing such that single-digit fA electrometers work". He does seem to have exacting requirements. It's a related problem, but not quite the same as a PCB which plays up because its properties at ...

You'd imagine that proper contact cleaner sprays would be very pure and leave no residue, and would have been thoroughly tested with PCBs and electronic components. I don't like the spray and pray approach, especially with RF circuitry. IMHO it's much better and less wasteful to spray a bit into a ...

You'd imagine that proper contact cleaner sprays would be very pure and leave no residue, and would have been thoroughly tested with PCBs and electronic components. I don't like the spray and pray approach, especially with RF circuitry. IMHO it's much better and less wasteful to spray a bit into a p...

I'm glad you mentioned the Marconi 2019A. I have a 2019 I bought from Stewart of Reading about five years back, when my HP8640A began to play up because of the geriatric gear problem. He said he'd sorted out a good one, had changed one of the LCD displays and burned it in. When it arrived, it didn't...

I have a Racal 1992 with the double oven frequency standard, which works perfectly. The OCXO seems good to a few parts in 10^9 and there are no problems with the buttons. The 1991 I bought for £40, which is cheap for one of those. It has the TCXO. Sometimes when it's powered up a few digits appear. ...

I occasionally have another go at the Racal 1991, but it's wearing thin and I'm getting fed up with it. The day might arrive when I forget the pentagram and just use the flamethrower on it. The problem with a lot of TE with microprocessors, is that the documentation very often gives no details what ...

Definitely a gremlin. I've heard you can remove them by placing the infested equipment in a pentagram with a goats fat candle at each point and making certain incantations. I haven't tried it myself.

I don't usually leave the LeCroy 9400 running for that long and was becoming concerned that maybe it would fail before it had detected the anomaly. That was when I decided that it was a watched pot and the only way to make it boil was to ignore it, so I had a long soak in the bath and when I return...

A magnificent effort! CMOS pathology has driven good men to drink. Circuits that ought to work but are stubbornly dysfunctional until an oscilloscope probe is put somewhere that ought to be irrelevent, and then they spring to life. I can't believe HP would have released it in that state, but there m...

I'm surprised it doesn't have a "tip" jar. Seems everyone today feels they are entitled to a tip for just doing their basic job. That would be asking for trouble. All sorts of unpleasant things could be put in it. The thing strikes me as a gee whizz attraction. I doubt it adds significant...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5zMEN0E_48

The plug powers a docking station which the robot returns to.

The bus will be roughly symmetrical viewed end on. If you imagine the bus tilted in the other direction the CoM will be directly above the driver side wheel at the point of toppling. The point where the perpendiculars from the two wheels cross, I estimate to be slightly above the radiator cap. The C...

MED6753 wrote: ↑Fri Jan 02, 2026 10:56 pm

Zenith wrote: ↑Fri Jan 02, 2026 10:19 pm

MED6753 wrote: ↑Fri Jan 02, 2026 9:39 pm Shit like this is why I order my groceries online and have them delivered.

And tell me, are they delivered by the little bots tggzzz encountered?

Nope. Delivered by a nice lady driving a motor vehicle.

Are you sure it isn't a cyborg?

MED6753 wrote: ↑Fri Jan 02, 2026 9:39 pm Shit like this is why I order my groceries online and have them delivered.

And tell me, are they delivered by the little bots tggzzz encountered?

I suppose with the delivery drones there's the germ of a good idea there although it's a long way from being worked out properly. With Marty, the in store robot which can detect hazards that aren't hazardous, it's strictly gee whizz value, so they have to try to dress it up as more than it is and co...

Hasty application of immature technology. It needs a Terminator which could detect the grape, gather it up, then investigate who had made the unauthorised deposition and terminate them.

DPD machine in MK (an Ottobot) won't throw anything. It arrives, you use a PIN to open it, Tough luck if you aren't there, presumably. If you haven't got a PIN a crowbar will do. A big problem with deliveries is finding no one in when they call. You probably have to book a slot to receive the drone...

While walking the dog I came across a semi-autonomous paint pot trundling along a lane towards some playing fields. Somewhat like this one in Milton Keynes The first time I saw one of those, the thing which occurred was the scope for mischief such contraptions offered. This is an early model. The n...

You'd expect the angle on the bus to be larger in any case, due to compression of the suspension on the loaded side Then maybe the slope was tilted at 28 degrees necessary for the test, but the bus was just on the verge of toppling and was at 35 degrees because the suspension was compressed as you ...

I'm sure I've seen that or a similar picture in an O Level physics book. It looks to me that the slope is at 28 degrees but the bus has toppled and is at over 30 degrees, being stopped from falling on its side by the rear retaining rope. The slope of the bus is definitely greater than the slope of t...

A simple problem in Grand Theft Auto Five. That's a computer thing.

Chippenham is 25th July 2026 a Saturday. https://chippenhamradio.club/rally/ Newbury is 5th July 2026. https://www.nadars.org.uk/rally.asp Newbury was cancelled last year because of weekend roadworks that were sprung on them at the last minute. Very much a one-off I'd say. Andover - postponed last y...

I'd say you have a serious application, and much more of a clue as to how to use these precision DMMs up to their limits than most of us, who in comparison like to do bit of mucking about. Hum and mains borne noise can be an irritating problem. Thanks for the offer of the whisky. Probably the next t...

MED6753 wrote: ↑Mon Dec 29, 2025 5:00 pm Docs concluded she had early stage flu and started her on tamiflu. We finally got home at 5:30 PM last night. Today she is resting comfortably. Close call averted.

Good. The last time was a damned close run thing.

If you are contemplating publishing a paper on this you must have an idea of what the requirements are for the instruments used. It must depend on the size of the effect compared to likely instrument errors and noise. What would you expect to see if this was published by someone else? What would pee...