Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) : Discussion and Group Therapy Thread

[MED6753]

Addicted? Who? Me?

[bd139]

I had to....

20221107_213903.jpg

first post.

PS: I never regret the money spent on Knipex.

PSS: My avatar is too big... 79KB

I am so happy to be back!

Welcome back

[Robert]

So I connected the two NOS RIFAs across the mains on test and after 5 minutes they exploded in clouds of smelly smoke.

[Zenith]

It is around Guy Fawkes night, so just the time of year for flashes, bangs, and clouds of smelly smoke.

I can't say that I'm surprised.

[mnementh]

I had to....

first post.

PS: I never regret the money spent on Knipex.

PSS: My avatar is too big... 79KB

I am so happy to be back!

The perfect gift for the man who has everything... including excess digits and other appendages.

mnem
Welcome home, Z!!!

[mnementh]

i know this is off topic.....

I have no problem with off topic post as long you are addicted to TEA somehow...

RANDOM MODE is and always has been ON TOPIC in the TEA thread.

mnem
fuck the haters.

[tggzzz]

It is around Guy Fawkes night, so just the time of year for flashes, bangs, and clouds of smelly smoke.

I can't say that I'm surprised.

Neither am I; "dog bites man" rather than "man bites dog".

But I haven't seen indoor fireworks for a very long time, but it seems you can still get a few varieties.

[mnementh]

So I connected the two NOS RIFAs across the mains on test and after 5 minutes they exploded in clouds of smelly smoke.

Thanks for taking one for the team, Robert.

mnem
Empirical evidence FTW.

[Specmaster]

So I connected the two NOS RIFAs across the mains on test and after 5 minutes they exploded in clouds of smelly smoke.

Some people never learn , BD warned you.

[Zucca]

So I connected the two NOS RIFAs across the mains on test and after 5 minutes they exploded in clouds of smelly smoke.

What to do in the above case:

1) Do not cut the power
2) Get a smokey pic with the closest camera you have (phone I bet)
3) Post it here
4) finally cut the power and open the windows
5) enjoy the moment and the fresh air coming in

PS: thanks guys for welcoming me back!

[bd139]

So I connected the two NOS RIFAs across the mains on test and after 5 minutes they exploded in clouds of smelly smoke.

The clock starts ticking on those the moment they leave the factory.

This is the canonical explosion video of the hour. Multiple explosions

https://youtu.be/m5_ZJXtEMwA?t=218

[AVGresponding]

This is another of those sources of never-ending head-shaking amusement:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4lvkiu ... =161&t=11s

[mnementh]

On the Bench Tonight: Harmony Touch Remote Qi-Charger Mod



Details here: viewtopic.php?t=43

mnem
*juicy*

[bd139]

This is another of those sources of never-ending head-shaking amusement:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4lvkiu ... =161&t=11s

That was quite frankly fucking hilarious. I love the first tow out

[Robert]

I also watched another video which included the police giving out tickets to people who hadn't even tried to cross. Presumably there was a road closed sign they ignored. That was made a fixed penalty offence a few years ago. Combined with not taking reasonable precautions I would not be surprised if some of these idiots found that their insurance companies refused to pay out.

[mansaxel]

Combined with not taking reasonable precautions I would not be surprised if some of these idiots found that their insurance companies refused to pay out.

If I'd done something as stupid and reckless as that, I'd be too ashamed to even suggest asking the insurance company for help.

[Robert]

Power meters.
The UK news today revealled another reason why the electricity companies want you to have a "smart" meter. And why you should not get one.
They can change you to a pre-payment system with a few taps of a computer keyboard.
So much for the assurances that they would not use the built in contactor....

[Specmaster]

That's all part of lying cheating rip off Britain, if they could put a valve into water meters, they would so that they can also cut your water off if you don't pay, what's next, some way of controlling the amount of air we consume?

[tggzzz]

Power meters.
The UK news today revealled another reason why the electricity companies want you to have a "smart" meter. And why you should not get one.
They can change you to a pre-payment system with a few taps of a computer keyboard.
So much for the assurances that they would not use the built in contactor....

Well... yes. No surprises there, at least to me or anybody who thought about the subject.

If it can be done by companies, then it can be done incorrectly by companies due to (say) an internal billing cockup. Fortunately such cockups never occur - do they?

There will be more people wanting smart meters, since soon you will be offered discounts if you shift electricity consumption away from peak times. Given the price increases, many people will want that.

[Zenith]

What's to stop smart meters being used for all sorts of purposes, such as in a social credit system which they are developing in China? Express 'unhelpful' opinions about things, and you might find they are one way in which life becomes very inconvenient.

I don't like smart meters. I think they are creepy.

[Zenith]

There will be more people wanting smart meters, since soon you will be offered discounts if you shift electricity consumption away from peak times. Given the price increases, many people will want that.

There was Economy 7, which was promoted for years to use electricity produced in the small hours of the morning. Storage heaters were promoted to use with it but they were not popular because they didn't perform well and they were inconvenient. How much money could you save by running your washing machine in the middle of the night? If you were running an electric pottery kiln it would have made sense.

I think it's more likely they'll be used to control demand as the grid is put under stress because of unreliable renewables.

[Zenith]

So I connected the two NOS RIFAs across the mains on test and after 5 minutes they exploded in clouds of smelly smoke.

The clock starts ticking on those the moment they leave the factory.

They were respectable parts which passed the certification process. Major manufacturers used them, such as Tek and HP and I don't think they gave particular problems in the 10 or 15 years while the equipment was front line. It's just that the plastic case starts to crack with age even if they are unused, and they are noticeably worse than other brands of safety capacitor when they get over about 15 years old.

[bd139]

So I connected the two NOS RIFAs across the mains on test and after 5 minutes they exploded in clouds of smelly smoke.

The clock starts ticking on those the moment they leave the factory.

They were respectable parts which passed the certification process. Major manufacturers used them, such as Tek and HP and I don't think they gave particular problems in the 10 or 15 years while the equipment was front line. It's just that the plastic case starts to crack with age even if they are unused, and they are noticeably worse than other brands of safety capacitor when they get over about 15 years old.

Depends. My first experience with them was reworking a power supply board which had RIFA damage back in the mid-late 90s. The attitude was "these things happen" rather than a proper engineering analysis. The board was <2 years old so that implicates either the part reliability or stock control. Ergo incompetence and disinterest may lead to products being on the market longer than they should...

[Zenith]

If that was a one-off, it's arguing from the particular to the general. There'll be a failure rate for all parts.

If Tek or HP had a load of warranty returns because of Rifa capacitors, they'd soon have noticed and stopped using them. I doubt many companies worry too much about their products when they are out of warranty, and even less when they are off the price list and even less than that when their support life has ended.

It's a strange thing where that transparent plastic seems to degrade and crack with age and it seems to become serious after they are about 15 years old.

There are a few other notorious capacitors found in vintage gear. Red Hunts and Hunts Moldseal spring to mind. The Moldseal ones have a plastic casing which is usually cracking. They were popular parts at the time.

The other one is dipped tantalum capacitors, which were all the rage in the 70s, but which were definitely over-used and the manufacturing process wasn't entirely ironed out. I'm sure we all have a store of frustrating or hair raising experiences with those.

[tggzzz]

There will be more people wanting smart meters, since soon you will be offered discounts if you shift electricity consumption away from peak times. Given the price increases, many people will want that.

There was Economy 7, which was promoted for years to use electricity produced in the small hours of the morning. Storage heaters were promoted to use with it but they were not popular because they didn't perform well and they were inconvenient. How much money could you save by running your washing machine in the middle of the night? If you were running an electric pottery kiln it would have made sense.

I think it's more likely they'll be used to control demand as the grid is put under stress because of unreliable renewables.

Just so.

The form and effectiveness of smart meter "load shifting" is TBD; the devil will be in the details of the cash and how it it determined that you have shifted some load.