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

[bd139]

The TV screens get larger and larger and the programming goes further down the toilet.

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[Specmaster]

Pay half, pay twice.

Unless it's Samsung. Then pay twice, get half and a load of ads and then half a TV 9 months down the line and half an attempt at customer service.

Glad I don't own a fucking television now. Bastard shite portals.

Not that worried aboot it. After the 55" onn had its LCD shit-fit at 10 months and MFR refunded 100% (then I hacked it and still using it a year later) SWMBO decided she wanted a new one without a handful of thin black lines halfway across the bottom of the screen. I personally couldn't care less, and will probably migrate it to the bedroom for myself.

I did spring $48 for the extended warranty, which includes accident coverage. Between that and the 2 year MFR warranty, I'm covered for 7 years on any failure our renters' insurance doesn't cover. For all of $450. I think that amortizes out pretty well.

The wife & kids like a big 4K screen for vidiot games. I like it for movies. We have 2 no-name (a TCL and an identical RCA rebrand) 40" 4K TVs around the house that are now 5+ years old; those were both ~$200.

All our TVs are either Roku TVs or have a Roku plugged into them. We do not watch commercial broadcast of any sort; we cut the cableTV cord 15 years ago and now we pay for and are quite selective in our content. I don't want my kids growing up thinking it is normal to be bludgeoned with screaming commercials every 11 minutes.

Fuck the theater. My living room is more comfortable, safer, and sadly, cleaner than any movie-house I've been inside in decades. Last time I went to see a movie, the entire complex looked like some apocalyptic horror scene out of Mad Max, the movie sucked pickled pirate balls, and we were down to one vehicle for a month because we got rearended waiting to turn into the ShitShow Sinemas' parking lot.

mnem
ploop.

I agree with you, it seems to me that a lot of these big brand names these days are becoming nought but a badge engineering jobby with maybe a LED or controls being relocated to another part of the TV, no biggie job these days seeing as they are just a small PCB on flying lead so can be moved to wherever and TV's generally have crab sound quality, so I pass all my film watching though a reasonable soundbar with a wireless subwoofer located in the corner of the room behind the TV.

I chopped the cable almost 3 years ago and elected for Free view via an Antenna which also includes many HD channels as well, so once the antenna was paid for and installed was then making monthly savings of around the £75 so after pay for the antenna and its installation which cost the equivalent of 2 months cable fees, I was then saving £900 a year.

As to the insurance, nah, the last insurance I had on a product was for a rather expensive up market electric fan oven that SWMBO wanted, paid it annually, and we had that for a good few years until a few years ago, just a couple of days before Christmas the thing broke while cleaning it. The insurance said that they would not be paying or sending anyone to fix it, sending me into frenzy trying to find a replacement and get delivered and fitted in time for to cook the Christmas Dinner.

[mnementh]

Consumer TVs are slightly different from a oven; they've got these LCD screens figured out (just like they once did with CRTs) to the point that the two major failure modes are the LCD itself and the light source. The rest is pretty much commodity electronics on all but the bleeding edge products.

The panels... well, like most other forms of semiconductor, they've gotten pretty good at testing them during manufacture and predicting which ones are likely going to fail and how quickly vs warranty. Those which are borderline and/or have a few "stuck dark" subpixels get sold to secondary and tertiary markets for cheap TVs like I buy. These generally have a higher infant mortality rate, and ones which survive the first year are generally likely to give good service until something else craps out on the TV.

I couldn't care less aboot a few stuck pixels on a 4K screen, and the price with insurance is still ridonculously cheap compared to what we used to pay for even the cheapest name brand "big-screen" from the projection era. 7 years out of one of those without some major malfunction is doing pretty damned well.

Now as to the light source... that is certainly a high-failure-rate component which one would think they could have made more reliable by now, or at least modular for replacement to keep all this eWaste out of the landfills. One would think that, anyways.

We are the waste society.

mnem
now that I've said this, just wait and watch our big-screen monstrosity become a portal to the Zool dimension...

[mnementh]

For American TV, I agree.

For the TV company I work at, I respectfully disagree.

• No ads.
• No political affiliation.
• Strong rules on actual fair and balanced coverage.

Yes, we have programs on I can't care for. And I actually watch very little. But we try.

Yes, but we've already determined that you live in a civilized alternate reality which only occasionally overlaps with the ShitShow Earth dimension.

mnem

SS Earth.jpg

[vk6zgo]

The OZ TV Networks do show a lot of crap, but also produce some good content.

Although the crazies are always screaming that they are indoctrinating us with Neo-Marxist (whatever that is) propaganda, the real TV Networks are well aware that there is about a 50:50 split in viewer's politics, & as they are businesses, don't push either side of politics very hard.

Back in the day, the owners were almost universally politically Right, but even then, they had enough brains to not be too blatant, realising that alienating half of your advertiser's customers was a dumb idea.
The above is about the REAL TV networks.

The subscriber crud can push whatever craziness they want, as they are "preaching to the choir".

I, personally, don't want to watch non-stop political harangues from either side (perhaps that is also why I have downgraded my participation in the forum at EEVblog).

I'm way too old & nasty to have patience with commentary from defrocked members of various political parties, too.

[AVGresponding]

Am I wrong here? https://www.eevblog.com/forum/buysellwa ... for-parts/

The way I see it, this p.larner dickhead thought he was getting a nice scope for a knockdown price, then realised it was broken but didn't have a valid reason to withdraw his bid, then saw the reply on EEVblog and used it as a flimsy excuse to withdraw, making him, in my eyes, a dick.

[bd139]

Am I wrong here? https://www.eevblog.com/forum/buysellwa ... for-parts/

The way I see it, this p.larner dickhead thought he was getting a nice scope for a knockdown price, then realised it was broken but didn't have a valid reason to withdraw his bid, then saw the reply on EEVblog and used it as a flimsy excuse to withdraw, making him, in my eyes, a dick.

I disagree. The seller didn't mention that it'd be sent for repair in the auction which isn't exactly full disclosure of the situation. The seller has a responsibility to disclose all known factors rather than downplay or fail to mention them.

I'm with the buyer here. And I say that as a somewhat prolific seller. I'd have put that it'd been sent for repair on the auction.

Edit: the buyer is also a dick because you should assume the seller hasn't told you everything. Think Heathkit stuff sold by hams

[AVGresponding]

When it's "For parts or not working", I don't see any reason for any more details, as long as the pics are real and not fake. The seller clearly wasn't trying to hide the fact, as they provided the information freely when PlainName asked; they could have said nothing and no-one would have been any the wiser.
The fact it was sent to an external company for repairs doesn't really tell us much either; it could have been the local white goods/hi-fi repair shop, who would have taken a quick look at it and said "can't be fixed m9". Any competent repair shop would have at the least quoted for the work, "no results" sounds more like they just didn't have a clue.

I stand by my theory that the buyer put a bid in without noticing it was parts only.

[Zenith]

"For parts not working" can cover a multitude of things.

The seller believes with good reason, it's in working order, but is fed up with buyers who want to return things, because they changed their minds or don't know how to use it them. Usually there's a note saying the full description should be read

The seller could probably fix it but can't be troubled. He thinks it's probably fixable. It's clutter and it's time for it to go.

The seller came by it somehow, a house clearance or whatever, and doesn't know enough to tell whether it's working or not. They don't want the hassle of saying it's other than for spares or repairs and having complaints when it isn't.

The seller knows perfectly well that it isn't working and can't easily be repaired, because some unobtainable part is damaged or missing. That's where the "For parts" bit comes in.

Just how honest and forthcoming the seller can be held to be, is an interesting question. You can always ask the seller questions and look up their history.

I'm inclined to think that anyone bidding for a high end scope described as "Parts not working" ought to know exactly what they are buying and this business of whether it had been sent for repair is nonsense.

All something of a storm in a teacup in my view.

[tggzzz]

The post and ebay listing contained "Potential problems with input attenuators" and "waveforms from external signal source couldn't be observed" and "For parts or not working"

I wonder which bits the purchaser couldn't understand?

[Robert]

Don't know why people are getting upset by this one. Yes the buyer is a PITA but many are.
I'm more annoyed by the sellers who list as "Used" , which means fully working and then say untested in the description. Or "Used" and "tested working" when the photos show obvious faults, missing part(s), or the title shows the seller clearly has no idea what the item is.
Buyer beware.

[bd139]

My point was that the seller chose not to disclose all the information. When asked they did. They were party to that information and did not clearly indicate it. The terms of eBay say that you are responsible for the accuracy of the listing. Omitting information is a form of inaccuracy (the most common form!). That is either done through incompetence or malicious reasons. Either of those are reasonable grounds to withdraw from the transaction. Also notably, the buyer can withdraw from the transaction if they wish at any point anyway for any reason arbitrarily.

Anyway I don't get the problem. It's not our scope, we're not buying it and FFS this isn't eevblog. Lets not turn it into that.

[BU508A]

This is someone trying to repair a Tektronix 576 Curve Tracer:

Part 1/4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gse_YD7ZWYE

Part 2/4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUa7K98w2yg

Part 3/4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urClJBqvgxk

Part 4/4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQDAYISDnAU

[tautech]

Yeah thread for it here:
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/repair/te ... questions/

[nixiefreqq]

bought a new phone to replace my old slow (8gig memory 1 gig ram) POS. (new one has 128g mem and 4g ram)

shipping was going fine.....it actually got within 35 miles of my domicile and was supposed to be delivered on friday.

then it escaped from pennsylvania and made a run 1830 miles to the west.

if it turns and heads back this way i expect it to overshoot and land somewhere in britannia.

keep an eye out for it will ya'?

[tggzzz]

Am I wrong here? https://www.eevblog.com/forum/buysellwa ... for-parts/

The way I see it, this p.larner dickhead thought he was getting a nice scope for a knockdown price, then realised it was broken but didn't have a valid reason to withdraw his bid, then saw the reply on EEVblog and used it as a flimsy excuse to withdraw, making him, in my eyes, a dick.

It does appear he is a bit of a twat, reminiscent of far*don/tr*z.

When you pointed out that 3032b saga, I was already in the process of coming to that conclusion, but couldn't be bothered to see if I was being unjust or had mistaken him for another poster.

However, this post dispelled my doubts: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/rf-microw ... or-a-book/ The appropriately terse response was
"Here you go: https://letmegooglethat.com/?q=transmis ... ick+amidon "

So, anybody know his fleabay name?

EDIT: he also thinks the letmegooglethat.com URL is "spam". Sigh.

[AVGresponding]

Sadly not. Sounds like a mission for bd139...

[Specmaster]

Well I got fed up with buying cans of compressed air to blow dirt and dust out of test gear, computers etc, it was getting stupid money, 12 tins of 400ml from Amazon for £48, which soon runs out of puff, so I have decided to purchase myself a small air compressor. It's a direct drive oil less type, with a 6 litre tank and up to 115psi with flow rate of 6.1CFM with a 5-piece tool kit and should be arriving tomorrow with a 2-year warranty.

One of its first applications will be to clear the air vents on our double-glazed windows and hopefully will cure the dreaded black mould that keeps appearing. There is fine mesh behind a pull down flap to keep spiders and the like out which has become clogged up over the years and any attempt to brush it clean starts to break the mesh up. Canned air does help a bit but lacks the power to blast it clear, so hopefully this compressor will complete the job. Its second job will be to blow all the sodding leaves out of the engine compartment of the car, both the air intakes for aircon were blocked with leaves and hidden from view under the bonnet (hood for the Americans), leaving precious little air entering the car and this time of year, you need the heater on

compressor.jpg

[bd139]

Sadly not. Sounds like a mission for bd139...

As I mentioned yesterday I've had a whole day of dealing with idiots so I'm leaving that one

[nixiefreqq]

Q - how long does it take a mail truck to get from harrisburg pa to salt lake city and back again?

A - 7 days.

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[MED6753]

Q - how long does it take a mail truck to get from harrisburg pa to salt lake city and back again?

A - 7 days.



screenshot.jpg

How does USPS "misplace" a 32 inch x 48 inch framed print? They did. Was "out for delivery" from my local PO for 4 days. I filed a complaint with USPS and their conclusion was that the package was "lost". Yea, right....one of your employees stole it thinking it was a flat screen TV. Boy did they get a surprise.

Anyway, Amazon replaced the print at no additional cost to me.

[bd139]

How does USPS "misplace" a 32 inch x 48 inch framed print? They did. Was "out for delivery" from my local PO for 4 days. I filed a complaint with USPS and their conclusion was that the package was "lost". Yea, right....one of your employees stole it thinking it was a flat screen TV. Boy did they get a surprise.

Anyway, Amazon replaced the print at no additional cost to me.

UPS managed to send a package to Germany because the box had German writing on the outside of it.

The label was for Newark in the UK.

Ergo they are idiots.

[mansaxel]

so I have decided to purchase myself a small air compressor.

Wise move. Mine is a 3-phase job, with a 80-litre tank. I'm contemplating pulling a regulated air line into the nice shop and into the house. Am slowly working on the piping in the garage which is an excellent reason to use the thread cutting tools and build steel pipe lines.

[Specmaster]

My compressor arrived spot on the time that the courier gave me (DPD) said it would be delivered Wednesday between 8:00 and 9:00, actual time was 8:05. First impression of the unit is favourable, very noisy, but then that was predictable

The spray gun and other attachments are certainly not of a professional standard but are more than enough for the casual amateur such as my self and will last a hobbyist a lifetime I would expect. It seems that I unwittingly purchased right at the end of their sale and the price is now another £25.

I used it to clean out the filter gauzes on 2 windows already, which it did very well, starting with a low pressure and slow building up to around 100psi and the plastic gauze remained in place and one piece. I had tried before, using an old toothbrush, but that just tore out chunks of the filter so was stopped rapidly, then I also tried loads of tine of compressed air from Amazon, but that was only a partial success and very expensive. For less than the price of 2 lots of these tins, I was able to buy the compressor complete with the accessories for £85, so it was a no-brainer, and I can do the filters on a regular basis.

The bedroom window is now free from condensation, filter nice and clear and a large spider has been evicted from his home, but it was not until I increased the pressure to max that I was even aware that he was in the vent, so the canned air would not have dislodged him, so I'm pleased, should have got one earlier.

[25 CPS]

Last weekend, I did a bit of cleanup and organization in the basement.



The bumpout for the bay window in the living room was occupied with an oil tank when I bought the house. I converted it to natural gas the next year which freed up some space I was able to use after rearranging some furniture.







Unpacked these Resist-O-Cabinets from the moving box they were in.



Things happen in fits and bursts. I was hoping to do more stuff this weekend but I picked up a nasty cold or flu that set in on Thursday night and I'm still fighting it off and not doing too much.