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

[tggzzz]

I got rid of my last "CD Player" over a decade ago. Problem solved.

The only reasons I had it were it was free and might have sold for £500 on fleabay.

A little bit of faultfinding is a better pastime than so-bloody-doku or crosswords

[mnementh]

Curse you. I was just trying to make a filler post to get my swap meet post at the top of this page anyways...

mnem
very cordially, of course.

[mnementh]

Yesterday's outing. Up at 05:30 on a Saturday morning to get there by 07:00; paid $10 to set up with a few items to try and lighten the bench. They were already packed with vendors setting up, so this was really the only parking space left anyways:



I'm currently uploading all my pics; please be patient, there are a lot.

mnem
while I was setting up, saw a fellow walking around with this on a T-shirt; I knew it was gonna be a good day:

[mnementh]

This next few pics are all from the Radio Museum's "Get it Outta My Sight" tables; they are where you can usually get some really interesting stuff for a pittance, or even free if it's close to closing time and what you want has some fair amount of enheavyment.



The 8683A immediately caught my eye, being right in the range I use for my whirry little flying things. Alas, there was already somebody in the process of buying it as I walked up. I came back for the Simpson 467 later, but it was gone.



.

It's a 70V line amplifier rated 325/250 watts made by Rauland-Borg. While those massive heatsinks and grunt-caps did tempt me hugely, it represented approx 25-30Kg of enheavyment, and my back complained loudly just at rolling it around for pics. Sorry guys, after careful consideration, I took a pass on this one.



This one was a pass for me too, for the same reason... even though I did hear Neo shouting loudly in my ear.



Do NOT look into LASER with remaining eye!

.

A real live Edison drum phonograph. Also, you can see those stacked HeathKit scopes from earlier lit up and showing trace.



*whistles nonchalantly* Ohhh, meh-eh-eh-d...



mnem
continued next post...

[mnementh]

For some reason, I immediately thought of bd139 when I saw this...



...and Robert's storage unit when I saw this.















These were taken on my first pass through the lot; a few items did jump out at and follow me home, but I made most of my best buys after playing vendor for a while and it was starting to get hot & steamy...


mnem
continued next post...

[mnementh]

After packing down and taking a trip inside to drain the lizard, I topped off again with a cold one from the museum's prehistoric fridge.



*wibble*³

After that, I took a walk around and found some new vendors had set up...









...and made my final purchases before heading home around noon, very tired, very achy and very pleased with the day's adventure.

mnem
yisssssss...

[tggzzz]

Curse you. I was just trying to make a filler post to get my swap meet post at the top of this page anyways...

mnem
very cordially, of course.

Tee hee.

You've gotta be fast around here

Looks like a good rally. There are a couple of decent ones (albeit in fields without power) in the next couple of weeks. Still deciding whether to try to flog some lesser treasures; did so a couple of weeks ago

Do I really need my <1mW HeNe laser? Of course not. But that's an excellent example of it being easy to correctly answer a question, but it being more valuable to find the correct question.

[Specmaster]

Nice collection of Heathkits there. Well did you get anything?

[Zenith]

It's a 70V line amplifier rated 325/250 watts made by Rauland-Borg. While those massive heatsinks and grunt-caps did tempt me hugely, it represented approx 25-30Kg of enheavyment, and my back complained loudly just at rolling it around for pics. Sorry guys, after careful consideration, I took a pass on this one.



This one was a pass for me too, for the same reason... even though I did hear Neo shouting loudly in my ear.

The seasoned swapmeet enthusiast takes a collapsible sack truck for when that Collins R390A turns up, or a Murphy B40 etc.

It looks like a good event from the photos. Did you come away with any treasures?

Two of the best UK ones, Newbury and Dunstable Downs are on the 23rd and 30th June.

[mnementh]

I have several hand trucks, including one of these which I did in fact use to move my own stuff to and from the car. It was more a matter of having to handle these beastly things (which, no matter what, at some point will require dead-lifting them) after spending a couple months doing PT to recover from re-injuring myself over the holidays.

I decided to err on the side of caution.

mnem
"This is real life; of course there will be a test." ~mum

[mnementh]

Nice collection of Heathkits there. Well did you get anything?

A few items did follow me home... and yes, there was a HeathPuppy in the litter.

mnem

[Specmaster]

I have several hand trucks, including one of these which I did in fact use to move my own stuff to and from the car. It was more a matter of having to handle these beastly things (which, no matter what, at some point will require dead-lifting them) after spending a couple months doing PT to recover from re-injuring myself over the holidays.

I decided to err on the side of caution.

mnem
"This is real life; of course there will be a test." ~mum

I've got one of those trucks myself that I use when I go to airshows. It has a plastic box which I zip tie to the bottom platform that I plonk my beast of a sized collapsable chair into and bungee cord tie it to the extendable handle along with my camera bag. Biggest problem with them is the narrow track and slightly wobbly wheels makes the whole thing rather unstable over rough ground.

[Specmaster]

Nice collection of Heathkits there. Well did you get anything?

A few items did follow me home... and yes, there was a HeathPuppy in the litter.

mnem

Nice haul, and all at very good prices too, I shall be watching for the report ob these as you work your way through them and fixing any that require attention. I'm rather surprised that you never went for the Wheatstone Bridge, I have one similar to that one in the garage somewhere that I have yet to look at.

[Cubdriver]

Actually, that was a real live Edison cylinder dictation machine - the horn at the end of the long tube was for speaking into (probably closer to shouting into); it then recorded onto a wax cylinder. Basically the early memo machine for a secretary to type letters from. The cylinders could be reused several time by shaving them down to remove the earlier recordings and making fresh ones.
I saw it wandering away late in the day (I was my nocturnal self; finally fell asleep around 0330 so got to the swap meet just after noon, in time to go to lunch); this is good because I already have too much stuff.

Looks like you got a good haul!

-Pat

[mnementh]

Nice collection of Heathkits there. Well did you get anything?

A few items did follow me home... and yes, there was a HeathPuppy in the litter.

mnem

Nice haul, and all at very good prices too, I shall be watching for the report ob these as you work your way through them and fixing any that require attention. I'm rather surprised that you never went for the Wheatstone Bridge, I have one similar to that one in the garage somewhere that I have yet to look at.

A basement/garage already full of THIS is precisely why I passed on it.

mnem
*still working on a backlog of these from wifey's school...*

yamahas.jpg

[mnementh]

Actually, that was a real live Edison cylinder dictation machine - the horn at the end of the long tube was for speaking into (probably closer to shouting into); it then recorded onto a wax cylinder. Basically the early memo machine for a secretary to type letters from. The cylinders could be reused several time by shaving them down to remove the earlier recordings and making fresh ones.
I saw it wandering away late in the day (I was my nocturnal self; finally fell asleep around 0330 so got to the swap meet just after noon, in time to go to lunch); this is good because I already have too much stuff.

Looks like you got a good haul!

-Pat

Fuck! I was sooo exhausted at the end of the morning I just pissed off and ate leftovers when I got home. We really need to plan on at least getting a burger somewhere next time you come over to the meet; I can stay the fuck away from talking politics at least that long...

mnem

[mnementh]

It has... ahem... come to my attention... that @tggzzz might be persuaded to relinquish a certain bit of real estate at the top of this page provided a certain dwagon... ahem... asks very nicely. *straightens bowtie and clears his throat*

"Lord tggzzz, supreme and benevolent King of the Hill atop page 112 (depending on one's profile settings), if you, in your luminary wisdom and boundless compassion, could see fit to kindly step aside so I may move my Swap Meet presentation that my humble scribblings and potato-pix should be displayed more prominently to the group, I would be most eternally grateful for this extravagant display of largesse."

mnem
"...or at least until old age and infirmity take what little remains of my mind."

[tggzzz]

That's more like it, but...

Unfortunately it looks like I can only delete the/my latest post; my previous posts don't have the "X" button

Annoyingly that means your grovelling hasn't had the desired effect, and you may wish to tone it down

[nixiefreqq]

as I scrolled thru the pics my first thought was

"thank God I was not there......cause i'm probably the only guy weird enough to buy an HP85"

turns out that is not true.

what the hell is wrong with you? (seriously.....tell me....... because we apparently suffer from the same condition)

[Cubdriver]

as I scrolled thru the pics my first thought was

"thank God I was not there......cause i'm probably the only guy weird enough to buy an HP85"

turns out that is not true.

what the hell is wrong with you? (seriously.....tell me....... because we apparently suffer from the same condition)

If it’d still been there when I finally got there, it’d have come home with me! As for what’s wrong with me… want a list?

-Pat

[Cubdriver]

Nice collection of Heathkits there. Well did you get anything?

A few items did follow me home... and yes, there was a HeathPuppy in the litter.

mnem

I see you got one of those butt-ugly 'shuttlecraft' Flukes, too. Gonna paint it Tek blue, or is that going to remain purely Mike's shtick?

-Pat

[mnementh]

That's more like it, but...

Unfortunately it looks like I can only delete the/my latest post; my previous posts don't have the "X" button

Annoyingly that means your grovelling hasn't had the desired effect, and you may wish to tone it down

What, and murder the joke? NEVER!

mnem
you should know by now that there are no depths I won't sink to for a good laugh.

[mnementh]

as I scrolled thru the pics my first thought was

"thank God I was not there......cause i'm probably the only guy weird enough to buy an HP85"

turns out that is not true.

what the hell is wrong with you? (seriously.....tell me....... because we apparently suffer from the same condition)

If it’d still been there when I finally got there, it’d have come home with me! As for what’s wrong with me… want a list?

-Pat

We don't have time for the full list Pat; just the Top Ten will do fine.

As for what's wrong with me, I'll be honest; it was @bd139 put me up to it... at first. Intent was to do a quick clean & flip for much needed operating capital. But now, after poking around Curious Marc's HP 85 resources, I find myself actually interested in doing the refurb work.

So now... what again is wrong with us...?

mnem

[mnementh]

I see you got one of those butt-ugly 'shuttlecraft' Flukes, too. Gonna paint it Tek blue, or is that going to remain purely Mike's shtick?

-Pat

We discussed that at some length in the Discord while I was there and afterwards; consensus is it needs to be candy apple red... or satin black to fuck with @bd139's head.

mnem
Yes, you may touch it.

[tggzzz]

That's more like it, but...

Unfortunately it looks like I can only delete the/my latest post; my previous posts don't have the "X" button

Annoyingly that means your grovelling hasn't had the desired effect, and you may wish to tone it down

What, and murder the joke? NEVER!

mnem
you should know by now that there are no depths I won't sink to for a good laugh.

Good response

Jealous about the HP85, though. Seems the rubber in the tape transport is a traditional failure mechanism.