Path: ...!eternal-september.org!feeder3.eternal-september.org!news.eternal-september.org!.POSTED!not-for-mail From: Phil Hobbs Newsgroups: sci.electronics.design,sci.electronics.repair Subject: Re: Favourite Test Equipment Date: Fri, 5 Apr 2024 01:12:09 -0000 (UTC) Organization: A noiseless patient Spider Lines: 120 Message-ID: References: <9k7j0jlnbhs8qfg5m17pium0835meean83@4ax.com> <660ed343$0$1258343$882e4bbb@reader.netnews.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Injection-Date: Fri, 05 Apr 2024 01:12:09 +0200 (CEST) Injection-Info: dont-email.me; posting-host="c212334e4dffc0e58129c05f08275c27"; logging-data="1042748"; mail-complaints-to="abuse@eternal-september.org"; posting-account="U2FsdGVkX18g+VXsUIUJ6NJfmmyKFmqn" User-Agent: NewsTap/5.5 (iPhone/iPod Touch) Cancel-Lock: sha1:tAiiu9ItvpYsQSdBP4dq3oaOvF8= sha1:6vQnWYrX5mKD9MfsXBi+Yz4/YMA= Bytes: 6588 bitrex wrote: > On 4/4/2024 7:56 AM, Phil Hobbs wrote: >> Klaus Vestergaard Kragelund wrote: >>> On 01-04-2024 09:01, Jan Panteltje wrote: >>>> On a sunny day (Sun, 31 Mar 2024 18:41:18 +0100) it happened Cursitor Doom >>>> wrote in <9k7j0jlnbhs8qfg5m17pium0835meean83@4ax.com>: >>>> >>>>> 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. >>>> >>>> My 10 MHz Trio dual trace analog scope is from 1979 or there about, I >>>> blew up a channal once myself in the first week >>>> when I accidently touched a booster diode in a TV I was repairing with >>>> it, fixed it locating the problem with the other channel. >>>> Later I cracked the graticule when a soldering station fell on it from >>>> the table (scope stands on the ground) >>>> Made a new graticule. >>>> So, and still working perfectly, OK for all things I build with micros. >>>> For RF to about 1.6 GHz I use RTL_SDR USB sticks and the spectrum analyzer I wrote. >>>> and for AC DC measurements I have some made in China digital meters and an analog one. >>>> also a Voltcraft clamp-on meter for current when you do not - or cannot >>>> interrupt things with the meter impedance. >>>> Also have a Voltcraft soldering station. >>>> Blew up one of my digital meters a while back (volts on the resistance >>>> scale) but fixed it again (replaced resistor). >>>> Many other test equipment I designed and build, like amplifiers LF and >>>> RF, SWR meter, radiation meters, gamma spectrometer, >>>> GHz stuff for satelite, transmitters low and very high power, what not, >>>> a frequency converter to use the RTL-SDR sticks and so the spectrum >>>> analyzer on higher and lower frequencies. >>>> Have a SARK100 SWR analyzer too. >>>> Things last forever here... >>>> Scope used on a regular basis.. >>>> RTL-SDR stick 24/7. >>>> Digital meters used every day. >>>> Use my self designed lab power supply every day.. >>>> What more do you need? >>>> Learn to use the stuff, understand what's important, and that is it >>>> When I started in electronics as a kid I did not even _have_ a meter, >>>> still stuff worked. >>>> Build my own scope at some point back then >>>> when I somehow got the parts >>>> Not much pocket mony as a kid. >>>> UNDERSTAND your systems, what electrons do. >>>> Showing of with boat anchors may impress people, especially the clueless... >>>> But it does not help you one bit. >>>> Anything with an accuracy better than 1 percent in most cases is just >>>> like apes screaming load trying to impress other apes. >>>> >>> >>> Very true about specifically the 1% statement. Sidebar, at an earlier >>> employment, we needed to equip a new lab. Guys wanted GHz scopes. When >>> asked if the ever looked at edges faster than 1ns, no one did. >>> >>> >> >> It’s true that there are a lot of relatively undemanding jobs in >> electronics. You can get on fine with a 200-MHz scope if all you’re doing >> is PIC and Pi and ham radio and analog TV. >> >> It’s also true that you can often make do with what you have—the most >> important test instrument is the one between your ears. >> >> In the before times, doctors were much better with stethoscopes than they >> are now. >> >> But I’d sure prefer a cardiologist who could use tomography and ultrasound >> over the best stethoscope guy. >> >> And it’s a lot easier finding gigahertz oscillations if you aren’t limited >> to a 10-MHz >> scope with scale marks in cuneiform. >> >> Good boat anchors make capability like that very affordable. My lab is full >> of top-of-the-line gear (over $2M at list price), for which I’ve paid about >> 2-3 cents on the dollar. (Not counting a few very helpful donations early >> on.) Of course I have some good newer stuff, such as a two-channel arb, a >> NanoVNA2, and a logic analyzer with protocol decoding. >> >> It’s a bit old-school-looking, so it doesn’t impress visitors unless they >> actually know something, and that suits me perfectly well. >> >> But by all means don’t buy any, so it’ll keep being cheap for me. ;) >> >> Cheers >> >> Phil Hobbs >> > > My most useful old machine dollar for dollar is my 8012B pulse generator! > > > > $50 "not working." It was just a burned-out pilot lamp and dirty controls. > I used to have an 8013B, which is the dual channel version. Cheers Phil Hobbs -- Dr Philip C D Hobbs Principal Consultant ElectroOptical Innovations LLC / Hobbs ElectroOptics Optics, Electro-optics, Photonics, Analog Electronics