Path: ...!weretis.net!feeder6.news.weretis.net!newsfeed.hasname.com!usenet.blueworldhosting.com!diablo1.usenet.blueworldhosting.com!feeder.usenetexpress.com!tr3.iad1.usenetexpress.com!69.80.99.22.MISMATCH!local-2.nntp.ord.giganews.com!nntp.supernews.com!news.supernews.com.POSTED!not-for-mail NNTP-Posting-Date: Thu, 11 Apr 2024 13:55:19 +0000 Subject: Re: Favourite Test Equipment Newsgroups: sci.electronics.design,sci.electronics.repair References: <9k7j0jlnbhs8qfg5m17pium0835meean83@4ax.com> From: Phil Hobbs Message-ID: <24979c04-3d96-6fdb-1763-e1a6f9f0a6d1@electrooptical.net> Date: Thu, 11 Apr 2024 09:55:18 -0400 User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Linux x86_64; rv:91.0) Gecko/20100101 Thunderbird/91.0 MIME-Version: 1.0 In-Reply-To: Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Lines: 54 X-Trace: sv3-hzO/YtTsVc19tnP1B6L5OgGrGxYHQOy0ZpJMCCqTx5wt+PXHy2boGeOsUjzt5Dn3C4UYxtWa11ykp8i!QvRieRzj4LP4d/aTGYpHIkpg1iMV/kTwvicLSyWZUimP5lAfofEdX/v9qKXm0GKAyfsnSturpKzP!TeBctyXLY5pzfNsJmntO7p46 X-Complaints-To: www.supernews.com/docs/abuse.html X-DMCA-Complaints-To: www.supernews.com/docs/dmca.html X-Abuse-and-DMCA-Info: Please be sure to forward a copy of ALL headers X-Abuse-and-DMCA-Info: Otherwise we will be unable to process your complaint properly X-Postfilter: 1.3.40 Bytes: 3936 On 2024-04-10 16:30, Trevor Wilson wrote: > On 11/04/2024 3:42 am, Cursitor Doom wrote: >> On Wed, 10 Apr 2024 11:40:02 +1000, Trevor Wilson >> wrote: >> >>> On 1/04/2024 4:41 am, Cursitor Doom wrote: >>>> Hi all, >>>> >>>> I'm starting to get a bit fed up with having my test equipment blow up >>>> just when it's needed. This is the drawback with vintage gear; if it's >>>> not used frequently then it can go *bang* the next time you switch it >>>> on. It makes for good practice in repairing stuff, but wastes a lot of >>>> time which could be better spent doing other things. >>>> I think it's time I modernised my test gear. I was just wondering if >>>> anyone has any recommendations they can share. Is there a particular >>>> piece of test equipment you couldn't live without? Something you're >>>> particularly impressed with? I'd be interested to know so I can >>>> perhaps acquire said item and thereby reduce the number of explosions >>>> I experience. >>>> >>>> Thanks, >>>> >>>> CD. >>> >>> **In my 55 years of servicing, I've only blown up one thing: A Micronta >>> DMM, which I connected to a laser power supply. I should not have done >>> it. Clear operator failure. Everything else works just fine. Even my >>> first multimeter. A Sanwa U-50D my dad gave me on my 14th birthday. >>> Still works fine. My first DMM. A cheap 'n cheerful SOAR. Works just >>> fine. My first Fluke meter. A 40 year old Fluke 85. Works fine. I've had >>> to clean the switch a few times. Otherwise, no problems. Ditto my other >>> 15 or so meters. Same deal with my 'scopes. >>> >>> I don't know what your problem is. Test equipment, when treated properly >>> lasts a long time. >> >> To be fair, these "explosions" are typically capacitors: old, dried >> -out electrolytics in test gear that hasn't been used in a long time >> go bang when the power's switched on - as do old X2 safety caps. Those >> are the chief culprits IME. > > **Oh, I see. You ignore regular maintenance. That makes sense. I hope no > one buys a car from you. > Whereas all you Ozites are 100% rational reasonable polite beings who are always on top of everything, including predicting the exact date when an old cap will give up the ghost. Silly me for forgetting. ;) Cheers Phil Hobbs