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

[tggzzz]

On my microscopes, the distance, X, between the objective lens and the subject can't vary very much. The position between internal lenses is fixed and the objective lens is moved to X, i.e. being in focus.

[Robert]

On my microscopes, the distance, X, between the objective lens and the subject can't vary very much. The position between internal lenses is fixed and the objective lens is moved to X, i.e. being in focus.

Correct. Conventional microscopes are fixed focus. you have to move either the object or the whole optical tube to get the point of interest at the correct distance from the objective.

Robert.

[mnementh]

These all-in-one microscopes are not fixed focal length. They have a separate zoom from the focus/height. At least the two I've owned do; Hell, I think even my cheapie INTEL "Kids' microscope" from the WinXP days had that.

mnem
moo.

[25 CPS]

I arranged to take the rest of the week off work yesterday afternoon after we got back from the vet just in case he was going to need after care or followup visits. The vet diagnosed a severe case of constipation and there was a round of X-Rays and blood/urine tests that we’re still waiting for results on to try to pin down underlying cause.

They treated him for the constipation yesterday but the log jam still hasn’t broken. The way the vet made it sound, it was like I was going to have to follow the poor guy around the house with a roll of paper towels but there was nothing so I called back after they opened this morning and they said to bring him back in. We’re in the waiting room now waiting to be seen.

Any more news yet? How old is your furry friend?

He had a second long day at the vet on Tuesday and I brought him home and decided to go for dinner with a friend just to give the little guy some time and space to recover from the ordeal without me constantly being over top checking on him, and the dam burst while I was out which is the good news.

Yesterday was a quiet day of recovery and he gradually got back to his old self, no signs of discomfort and appetite returned and all that but there haven't been any more solid litter box deposits since late Tuesday evening so it's one of two things: Either it's because he completely emptied out Tuesday night and it's taking some time for the food he's had since then to work it's way from one end to the other, or he's blocked up again and it hasn't reached the point of discomfort yet. I spoke with the vet's office about that today and they want me to continue keeping an eye on him and call them back if nothing solid emerges by early afternoon tomorrow.

Fingers crossed everything's fine and it's just taking time for food to make it's way from one end to the other.

[Specmaster]

I arranged to take the rest of the week off work yesterday afternoon after we got back from the vet just in case he was going to need after care or followup visits. The vet diagnosed a severe case of constipation and there was a round of X-Rays and blood/urine tests that we’re still waiting for results on to try to pin down underlying cause.

They treated him for the constipation yesterday but the log jam still hasn’t broken. The way the vet made it sound, it was like I was going to have to follow the poor guy around the house with a roll of paper towels but there was nothing so I called back after they opened this morning and they said to bring him back in. We’re in the waiting room now waiting to be seen.

Any more news yet? How old is your furry friend?

He had a second long day at the vet on Tuesday and I brought him home and decided to go for dinner with a friend just to give the little guy some time and space to recover from the ordeal without me constantly being over top checking on him, and the dam burst while I was out which is the good news.

Yesterday was a quiet day of recovery and he gradually got back to his old self, no signs of discomfort and appetite returned and all that but there haven't been any more solid litter box deposits since late Tuesday evening so it's one of two things: Either it's because he completely emptied out Tuesday night and it's taking some time for the food he's had since then to work it's way from one end to the other, or he's blocked up again and it hasn't reached the point of discomfort yet. I spoke with the vet's office about that today and they want me to continue keeping an eye on him and call them back if nothing solid emerges by early afternoon tomorrow.

Fingers crossed everything's fine and it's just taking time for food to make it's way from one end to the other.

Oh dear, how old is he? Lets hope he does number 2s then.

[Cubdriver]

He had a second long day at the vet on Tuesday and I brought him home and decided to go for dinner with a friend just to give the little guy some time and space to recover from the ordeal without me constantly being over top checking on him, and the dam burst while I was out which is the good news.

Yesterday was a quiet day of recovery and he gradually got back to his old self, no signs of discomfort and appetite returned and all that but there haven't been any more solid litter box deposits since late Tuesday evening so it's one of two things: Either it's because he completely emptied out Tuesday night and it's taking some time for the food he's had since then to work it's way from one end to the other, or he's blocked up again and it hasn't reached the point of discomfort yet. I spoke with the vet's office about that today and they want me to continue keeping an eye on him and call them back if nothing solid emerges by early afternoon tomorrow.

Fingers crossed everything's fine and it's just taking time for food to make it's way from one end to the other.

Very happy to hear that he seems to be on the mend. Hopefully the lack of subsequent output is due to the previous lack of input when he was feeling blocked up, and he'll get back to going regularly after the pump has been re-primed.

FWIW, my friend in Florida has a cat (Molly) that gets constipated. She's started giving Molly a little bit of laxative mixed in with her food and it has been very helpful. If your buddy gets backed up again, this might be something to consider. If you'd like, I can ask exactly what she uses and how much.

-Pat

[25 CPS]

Oh dear, how old is he? Lets hope he does number 2s then.

My cat is 14 years old now and I've had him since he was two. This is the first time he's ever had serious health problems and he's otherwise healthy so hopefully he pulls through.

Very happy to hear that he seems to be on the mend. Hopefully the lack of subsequent output is due to the previous lack of input when he was feeling blocked up, and he'll get back to going regularly after the pump has been re-primed.

FWIW, my friend in Florida has a cat (Molly) that gets constipated. She's started giving Molly a little bit of laxative mixed in with her food and it has been very helpful. If your buddy gets backed up again, this might be something to consider. If you'd like, I can ask exactly what she uses and how much.

-Pat

That's actually what I've been doing. The vet has me mixing in Restoralax powder into wet food twice a day, have a teaspoon each time. I'm really hoping it's because he emptied himself out on Tuesday and it's taking a few days since he wasn't eating much at first for something to pass through from one end to the other.

[25 CPS]

My cat continues to look like he's doing well, things have continued to slowly move back to normal for him. It's been a long, rough week for both of us. I've lost track of all the reasons that have emerged since Sunday night that taking the week off was the right decision beyond being able to take him to the vet's office for each of the visits he needed and being home to keep an eye on him and make sure he's recovering.

About 40 minutes ago, I got a notification saying that a package of test equipment is out for delivery within the next three hours, so sometime in the next two and a half hours or so, I should be unboxing something appropriate for Fluke Friday that's hopefully not subjected to any recalls.

[25 CPS]

I decided to enjoy some workbench time since the cat's health is starting to settle down.

I began by starting the proper installation of the GPS disciplined oscillator and distribution amplifiers so that it would have some time to lock and stabilized after being switched off and back on again. In the meantime, I unboxed and began checking out that new Fluke D802 multimeter that came in until the Elenco XP-720 power supply I was using to provide test voltages smoked.

I guess that validates the decision to pick up the $20 Hewlett Packard 6205B last weekend. The Elenco was convenient for some things though since it had the two 6.3 V AC outputs that are good for providing tube filament voltages for many tubes, a fixed 5 VDC output for TTL work and two adjustable DC rails for everything else.

I found the manual on Elenco's website and it looks like the bulging 4700 uF capacitor was correct:



C7 in the diagram. Unfortunately the diagram and the parts list in the manual only give capacities for the electrolytics and no voltage specifications so I don't know if the 16 V rating is correct. It's plausible, given it is in the 5 V supply, but the secondary voltages on the transformer aren't given except for the 6.3 V windings. This is going to be a project for later though.

[Robert]

I'd be very surprised if the transformer winding for the 5V output was more than 9V RMS so a 16V capacitor is reasonable. It has 20% "headroom". That said, with the size of modern electrolytics A 25V one will probably be a better match physically. Next rating up on voltage is seldom a problem.

Robert.

[mansaxel]

I personally wouldn't do IP unless I could set it all up on its own switch/router completely airgapped from the "real" network and some old laptop or PC as the "monitor". I mean, used SOHO networking gear is so cheap... and even if you do find it is compromised after the fact, who cares? It cannot get out to the intardnet.

The main reason to go IP is the convenience of using cabling already in place; this is one case where it just plain makes sense to keep it all isolated. Full stop.

I might have a somewhat different view on this, seeing as I work with networked cameras at times. The amount of secure networks is always going to be smaller than the amount of insecure ones. Putting the potentially evil ones in an insular net, implying the real net is somehow safer, is not really going to fly. Better then, to follow Cerebus' lead, and control the access to and from the evil cameras. They're not going to be evil-enabled unless they can call home, and be called, and at the same time, they're not going to do Metcalfe value-add unless they're reachable.

To elaborate on what Cerebus wrote;

• No WiFi cameras. WiFi is for things you carry around. If it's going to have a cable, it can have that or another cable that carries data, and that is to be preferred. This is one of those hills where there's a battle, and I won't budge. RF spectrum is practically finite.
• Get a separate camera VLAN in the switching infrastructure, or if you need some serious separation, build a VRF and route in it. (but VLANS are going to be needed anyway).
• Put the recording server in another VLAN / VRF / security zone
• Make sure you control the DHCP server for the camera net
• Get a proper firewall and learn to operate it.
• Set firewall rules allowing streams from the cameras to the camera server
• Set firewall rules allowing what access is necessary for the cameras to be found by the camera server, like ONVIF discovery.
• Allow no other access in or out of the camera net; especially make sure that the cameras can't make connections to the Internet. They should be blocked from the NAT ruleset, or have a drop rule if IPv6.

That's about it.

[Cubdriver]

Recently got my hands on a new Scopemobile for the smaller 560-series Teks. It cleaned up quite nicely with some Windex, a few drops of IPA and about 15 minutes of elbow grease.

As it arrived:




After a bath:




-Pat

[mnementh]

You are welcome

It arrived yesterday; excellent condition and a freebie of some Bowling Association's 200 pin.

Thanks for the heads-up; I quite like it. Added to my Dragon-con ID lanyard and such.

mnem
*dwagon-ily*

[AVGresponding]

@bitseeker, @Cubdriver, @nixiefreqq (apologies if I left any other nixie masters out) do any of you have any info/know of a manual for the Philips PM6630?

EDIT: To help out this dude https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/ ... e-counter/

[nixiefreqq]

@bitseeker, @Cubdriver, @nixiefreqq (apologies if I left any other nixie masters out) do any of you have any info/know of a manual for the Philips PM6630?

EDIT: To help out this dude https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/ ... e-counter/

nope.....sorry.

[Cubdriver]

@bitseeker, @Cubdriver, @nixiefreqq (apologies if I left any other nixie masters out) do any of you have any info/know of a manual for the Philips PM6630?

EDIT: To help out this dude https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/ ... e-counter/

nope.....sorry.

I’m afraid I’ll be of no help either - the extent of my Philips instrumentation is a PM2421 DMM that’s way back in the queue. Don’t seem to see much from them here on this side of the pond.

-Pat

[Zenith]

I've not seen that much Philips gear in the UK either, apart from oscilloscopes which I see from time to time. I've got a Philips audio oscillator, which I've never been able to find a manual for. It doesn't matter that much because it's never given the slightest problem, but it would be nice to have the manual.

I have the impression it was very popular on the Continent, especially, predictably in the Netherlands. They produced a lot of models over the years. For some of it manuals are easy to find, for others apparently impossible. It seems there are one or two in the Netherlands with hard to get manuals for Philips kit, but they play their cards close to their chest. I suggested the OP on that thread should approach one, but he'd done that already.

[AVGresponding]

Yes, hopefully he has some luck. It's a very nice counter.

[25 CPS]

It's been a while since I posted much so here's what I've been up to:

Football started up again with the first pre-season practice last Sunday. That was good except I didn't stretch out properly and my hamstrings tightened up severely before finally starting to loosen up towards the end of the practice. That was a bit painful at times but nothing got injured.

My poor cat had a relapse for a few days earlier in the week but then things started moving again yesterday a couple of hours before the self-imposed lunchtime deadline for calling the vet's office back. I'm beginning to think the culprit might be his dry food. Everything got blocked up again after I reintroduced that for one meal.

We also had another blast of winter weather here on Wednesday which was really nasty. It was a mix of wet snow that turned into freezing rain which led to a horrible combination of very heavy snow with a layer of ice on top. The drive home from work took over three hours. As traffic inched along at a snail's pace and the clock ticked ahead, I started scratching errands off as the closing times for various things came up. I had to scratch dropping by the barbecue store to pick up the replacement cover for the smoker after the one on it blew away during one of the previous winter storms. I really needed that cover a day earlier - before smoker sat outside through the storm. Then the DHL pickup point to collect a new passport got scratched once its closing time came came and went.



The ice on top of that dense snow was so strong, I was able to stand on top without going through yesterday. I threw on some coveralls I wear when I'm doing heavy work and some steel toe boots since the ice chopper would be a real toe amputator if it were to land in the wrong spot otherwise and got to work breaking up the frozen mess and shovelling it out of the way. That took much of the day yesterday and then it was off to the barbecue store to collect the cover I wasn't able to pick up on the way home from work, then DHL after that to collect the passport. I was quite surprised how plain the current British passports are compared to what was being issued 10 years ago.

This morning I had a Kijiji pickup not too far from home to collect two old stock discontinued Le Creuset enamelled cast iron saucepans. These were available locally for reasonable prices and they're beautiful. They are the culinary equivalent of a finely built piece of test equipment or any other top tier, well designed, well made piece of equipment, and I've never had a chance to own any before now.

One of my friends wanted to go to Welland to pick up a vintage TV set to pair up with a Commodore VIC-20 which took him by my place on the way out so we arranged to go together. He was going to visit Ikea on the way so I figured I'd do some miscellaneous test equipment stuff and then get started on the Elenco power supply. The first piece of test equipment related work was to deal a couple of test lead shortcomings. There seems to be an unwritten rule that multimeter test lead pouches have to be too small. Also, Keysight's test lead sets don't come with any pouches or cases. When I was at Sayal electronics last weekend getting the parts for the power supply, I saw these fold up Milwaukee pouches and thought they'd be perfect so I bought a couple:







I'd been storing this set of test leads in the original package they came in but put them in one of the Milwaukee pouches and added a set of Philmore minigrabber to regular (nonshielded) banana plug leads to it. Once I got this done, I was setting up to start work on the Elenco power supply that smoked when I was testing the Fluke D802 multimeter when the friend arrived. I thought I was going to have a bit more time except his Ikea visit got cut short because they were completely out of replacement bulbs he was looking for to go in several of his Ikea light fixtures. The staff at Ikea said that they'd had to pull lamps for sale because they can't get the bulbs to go in them - and that they don't expect to have them back in stock for five years due to supply chain issues.

I shut down the workbench and we headed down to Welland to look at this period correct TV for the Commodore and it's in good shape. It could be used as is but the purity and convergence could stand to be adjusted. The CRT was extremely bright; it's still got lots of useful life left in it. We stopped into a couple of thrift stores and was pretty disappointed with what was on offer. I ended up walking away from one of them with a $2 CD + DVD album of a Carole King and James Taylor concert which we listened to on the drive back to my place.

That's what I've been up to the last little while, a bit of everything.

[tggzzz]

The ice on top of that dense snow was so strong, I was able to stand on top without going through yesterday.

Ah. Breakable crust. When skiing that's much less pleasant than ice

Also, Keysight's test lead sets don't come with any pouches or cases.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/225444328903

[mnementh]

Great to hear from parts unknown again! Welcome home!

It wasn't a unwritten rule in the Hyu-Hess-Hay...

Sears/Craftsman carried a kit almost identical to the one you assembled there for over 20 years; started out ~$15 and gradually went up to ~$25 over the years. And because it was geared towards automotive abuse, it came with extra-long (like 1.25-1.5m long) extra-slinky modular silicone leads with alligator, bed-of-nails, and regular probes with wire-piercing hooks that the probe plugged right into.

While probably not quite as good as genuine HPAK, they were definitely decent and pretty "squaddie-resistant". Several times, I bought the kit just to get the leads, which I then cut in half to make various "purpose-built" test sets.

Ideal.jpg

https://www.ebay.com/itm/304634097210

Ideal made a similar kit, available in the sparky section at most Homeowner Hell type stores, but a quick search this morning turned up only the used kit above.

.

Mega.jpg

.

Mega2.jpg

.

https://www.amazon.com/YAETEK-Automotiv ... B07PSP98LK

And then you have the automotive mega-kits, which have little pigtails with ends for probing all the mazillion perverted-ass connectors used on cars nowadays...

mnem

[25 CPS]

Also, Keysight's test lead sets don't come with any pouches or cases.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/225444328903

Not anymore. Actually, Keysight has gotten stingy with cases over time. Products that used to include them don’t anymore like the U1213A clamp meter and U1115A remote logging display. Mine are older Agilent units that came with cases. Things have changed since the Hewlett Packard days both for better and for worse.

Great to hear from parts unknown again! Welcome home!

It wasn't a unwritten rule in the Hyu-Hess-Hay...

Sears/Craftsman carried a kit almost identical to the one you assembled there for over 20 years; started out ~$15 and gradually went up to ~$25 over the years. And because it was geared towards automotive abuse, it came with extra-long (like 1.25-1.5m long) extra-slinky modular silicone leads with alligator, bed-of-nails, and regular probes with wire-piercing hooks that the probe plugged right into.

While probably not quite as good as genuine HPAK, they were definitely decent and pretty "squaddie-resistant". Several times, I bought the kit just to get the leads, which I then cut in half to make various "purpose-built" test sets.

I actually have one of those Sears kits. Sayal Electronics was selling them for about $25 after Sears Canada went under and I picked up a set there. It looked like a good set of leads at first glance until I removed the plastic sleeves from the probe spikes because they were too wide to get down into something I was measuring and it turned out the spike shafts have a banana plug style bulging spring so even with the plastic covers off, they were still too wide to get into what I was working on. They’ve been pretty much on the shelf since then.

I can totally see the visual resemblance between the Keysight kit I transplanted out of its original package into the Milwaukee pouch. Pomona makes several beautiful kits that come with pouches and, frankly for the prices those sell at, they should come with decent storage.

I wouldn’t mind getting one of those large automotive type kits. I might have to stop by Princess Auto on the way home and see what they have. Strangely, Canadian Tire doesn’t stock any despite their large automotive tools and parts section.

[mnementh]

Yeah, some of mine were like that, but the leads themselves are modular, so I just use them with my other modular probes. The point was the rollup case is quite well laid out, like the one you assembled yourself.

mnem
*toddles off to pass out from birthday cake poisoning*

[25 CPS]

Yeah, some of mine were like that, but the leads themselves are modular, so I just use them with my other modular probes. The point was the rollup case is quite well laid out, like the one you assembled yourself.

mnem
*toddles off to pass out from birthday cake poisoning*

I dug mine out:





It looks like the Craftsman sets that Sayal Electronics must've picked up at liquidation when Sears Canada went bankrupt in 2018 is a simpler version than the one in your picture.



Here's a closeup of the probe spike that wasn't usable for getting into closely spaced parts.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/225444328903

I checked at work because the pictures in the auction jogged my memory and a couple of the 34401A in other areas of the department have the same pouch and probe set. They were both earlier Hewlett Packard versions of the 34401A with all red sockets on the front panel. I bought one of the new old stock US Navy surplus Agilent 34401A meters that were being sold on eBay a couple of years ago and this is what Agilent was shipping with those:



No pouch, sadly. They give you a plastic bag.

[mnementh]

Yeah, the Ideal kit were like that, only now I think of it the leads weren't modular; the accessories all plugged onto the probe ends. So not exactly ideal for most bench-top work.

mnem