Path: ...!weretis.net!feeder8.news.weretis.net!eternal-september.org!feeder3.eternal-september.org!news.eternal-september.org!.POSTED!not-for-mail From: Cursitor Doom Newsgroups: sci.electronics.design,sci.electronics.repair Subject: Re: Favourite Test Equipment Date: Mon, 01 Apr 2024 09:39:59 +0100 Organization: A noiseless patient Spider Lines: 59 Message-ID: References: <9k7j0jlnbhs8qfg5m17pium0835meean83@4ax.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Injection-Date: Mon, 01 Apr 2024 08:40:01 +0200 (CEST) Injection-Info: dont-email.me; posting-host="6abd7acbea44dc0d341b8a0e36c8afda"; logging-data="2521602"; mail-complaints-to="abuse@eternal-september.org"; posting-account="U2FsdGVkX1+XWlGZRlYaSGzj/7nJ2A4FyJA5Rp18LZE=" User-Agent: ForteAgent/8.00.32.1272 Cancel-Lock: sha1:IC/kpUErE6l7R6Kq775sknLLij8= Bytes: 4325 On Mon, 01 Apr 2024 07:01:34 GMT, 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. > I don't think any of us here truly understand what electrons do, Jan! Boat anchors don't impress anyone nowadays; they're more likely to make one look like some sort of oddball mad scientist who couldn't get laid. ;-) I'm guessing you don't have a TV. Would I be right?