Test Equipment Anonymous

One point I was trying to make was that most people adding a VFD to a lathe only consider using it to reduce the motor speed rather than increasing it. Even without a "special" motor or even full data on an existing motor, those of us in the UK and other countries with 50Hz mains can get a...

We are going a bit off TEA but yes, go for a VFD. I went for the slower 6 pole motor because generally you get less power loss using the VFD to increase speed than reduing it. And it's even smoother. I knew the reduced troqure ripple would make difference to the vibration but was shocked very surpri...

If you have a hobbymat you probably don't need a Pultra. My Mill is a Sieg SX2LP. It's small with fairly high spindle speed an a long X travel so ideal for light alloys, plastic and front panels. The ER25 collet suits it for most things. I also have a ER 16 set for tight spaces and if I need every b...

An ER 35 will not fit between the legs of the U link. I do have some imperial collets but the 10-9mm was already in the chuck... It does make the job easy. One of the many advantages of having a small mill and lathe. Well two or three lathes in my case. I just bought another Pultra clockmakers lathe...

My second attempt at buying some MUSA links arrived today. It a complete 2U high panel with two rows of 14 Male to BNC connectors and 6 U links. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/127775315700 Good news is it is MUSA :) The links have a plastic "handle" overmoulded. I don't know what the plastic i...

I found some modern MUSA patch bay links on ebay www.ebay.co.uk/itm/236426841099 They were cheap enough to take a chance to see if they can be used as the basis of adaptors. Well those turned up and they arn't MUSA. Reversed sex (male on jumper) and small, short, gold plated center contact. :-( Loo...

I found some modern MUSA patch bay links on ebay
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/236426841099
They were cheap enough to take a chance to see if they can be used as the basis of adaptors.

I have heard that phase array story too. I was told the origin of the MUSA shortly after I joined the BBC. I worked in Communications Department at the time and we dealt with all the London exchanges (including Museum A), so I wonder about the phased array story. The name ties in with the Post Offi...

What's so special about MUSA connectors? Could you replace those connectors with BNC bulkheads? Did you visit Aunby or use a company to pack and send? EC8010 has covered MUSA advantages. They were designed specifically for switching elements on phased array radar antennas before being picked up by ...

I bought some items from a cuple of the recent PP auctions. Finaly got my mitts on them this week. Two are automatic tapping heads for the mill so not relevant here. The others two were a PYE low range decade box and a HW Sulivan 100:1 instrument transformer. Pye-decade-2.jpg Pye-decade-1.jpg This i...

All this talk of punched tape and film took me back to the late 70's. As a teenager I looked after a phototypesetting machine for a local advertising graphics company. I don't recall the make never mind model. It was a 2 bay 5ft high 19" cabinet mostly full of small plug-in discrete transistor ...

The other 3400A for sale has a seriously flaking delaminating scale. It honestly looks like water got in it and made the whole thing run. It's still listed for sale too. The lacquer layer starts to flake. I think storage in even a slightly damp place will cause it, rather than just age. There are a...

Real world case of needing a TRMS meter. Setting up a external amplifier for a servo altimeter. Many years ago I was asked to do a duplicate inspection on one of these that had beeen repaired. I refused as the manual said to use a TRMS meter. Tech said it didn't matter. Turned out the shop didn't ha...

I bought another clamp meter. A HEME / ITT Metrix 200P auto ranging 20A 200A AC/DC clamp meter with instant or RMS output in addtion to the LCD. Also Voltage, Real and Apparent Power, Powerfactor and frequency. Came with case instruction and 3 Phase adaptor for less than £25 including post. Conditio...

Farnell and TTI were my favorite bench power supplies until I discovered Delta Electronica. They however are rare and even rarer as bargains unless bought faulty. A Delta SM7020D (700W 35V 20A / 70V 10A auto ranging) is now my main bench supply. Nice green LED displays and no fan. I do still have a ...

Mercury, Cadmium and sulphuric acid (and a bit of Platinum) what could possibly go wrong... I now have a small machine shop in the garage. Chinese vertical mill and Myford ML7 lathe. The mill is a small one but has a long X travel and high spindle speed so ideal for light alloys and you can get to m...

Many years ago, more than 40, I was very happy to have a TF2700 at work. It's portable and measures small capacitors. Try lugging a 25 pound Wayne Kerr b221 onto a aircraft. That reminds me. When I was working in Jersey (CI, not USA) we had a pair of Shorts 330 twin turboprop aircraft with slightly ...

Sounds nice unless you are downwind some time later....

EC8010 wrote: ↑Fri Nov 28, 2025 10:47 pm 250W, but UK voltage.

Hi I have an OMRON 3G3MV AB003 240V in 240V out 0-400Hz 1.1kVA output VFD This is more than big enough for your motor. The motor would have to be connected in delta configuration. It is a compact VFD.

Robert.

Having 3 phase mains is nice if you have a lot of big industrial machines. For smaller stuff a VFD gives additional advantages like variable speed including higher speeds. soft starting, dynamic braking and active motor protection.

Robert.

Robert, thank you so much for your post. I was well aware of the difference in torque ripple between single and three phase motors and was wondering whether my heavily tweaked Hobbymat lathe (bought new) would benefit from a three-phase motor, so I bought it a three-phase motor. Annoyingly, my stat...

Thanksgiving. I'm sitting on the sofa still feeling stuffed :) I'm a brit but SWMBO / XYL is a California girl. My main lathe is an early Myford ML7. I'm only the 4th owner as far as I can tell. I've replaced the old single phase motor with a 6 pole 3 phase motor and variable frequency drive (VFD). ...

I bought a very nice Pultra lathe at Dunstable Downs two years ago. A bargain at £60 even though it was a bit of a mongrel with a 1750 headstock on an earlier bed had no tool rest. It had several other accessories They were a bit rusty but a soak in evaporust sort them out. I've since aquired the co...

Amazingly Americans still use top loading washing machines.
We have a high efficency washer and seperate heat pump drier (super efficent) both front loading.

You are in luck with a dodgy connector on the 8714ES. Unlike most HPAK analysers the connector is not part of a bridge assembly. It's just a N to SMA adaptor. You can even order one from Keysight 08711-60038 . Before you do that, pull the front panel and check the SMA connectors are tight including ...