Path: Xl.tags.giganews.com!local-2.nntp.ord.giganews.com!nntp.supernews.com!news.supernews.com.POSTED!not-for-mail NNTP-Posting-Date: Sat, 06 Apr 2024 21:50:19 +0000 From: John Larkin Newsgroups: sci.electronics.design,sci.electronics.repair Subject: Re: Favourite Test Equipment Date: Sat, 06 Apr 2024 14:48:38 -0700 Organization: Highland Tech Reply-To: xx@yy.com Message-ID: References: <9k7j0jlnbhs8qfg5m17pium0835meean83@4ax.com> <7r901j139ac3124qmpu7gcthadb9ura30g@4ax.com> X-Newsreader: Forte Agent 3.1/32.783 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Lines: 149 X-Trace: sv3-Cm6nHdLCRIC9POTdofk40i1/k5+KhXQ6OxZjuEdDjWKYpJwswaDFzaol0NyggEmM3X8w2GTkKIey4J0!UwSl65FmKSdIXfpDqjB/IfneMeq9HEfqnmcNRuRizlWnCRwWdz8T8t44oFvXpzm7I/9zXCsl+CSt!EX4bNw== 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: 8502 On Sat, 06 Apr 2024 22:21:45 +0100, Cursitor Doom wrote: >On Fri, 05 Apr 2024 10:15:43 -0700, john larkin wrote: > >>On Fri, 05 Apr 2024 17:33:12 +0100, Cursitor Doom >>wrote: >> >>>On Fri, 05 Apr 2024 07:49:30 GMT, Jan Panteltje >>>wrote: >>> >>>>On a sunny day (Thu, 4 Apr 2024 11:56:23 -0000 (UTC)) it happened Phil Hobbs >>>> wrote in >>>>: >>>> >>>>>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 channel 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. >>>> >>>>Bull, >>>>I have been using my Trio 10 MHz dual channel for digital TV too >>>>see >>>> https://panteltje.nl/panteltje/raspberry_pi_dvb-s_transmitter/ >>>>GHz output.. >>>> >>>>Its is about UNDERSTANDING the systems >>>>You cannot repair a TV set in a short time if you do not UNDERSTAND every part of the circuit and its function, the whole system >>>>neither with a 10 MHz or with a 10 GHz scope. >>>>Fault finding had been my job most of the time, sometimes with 'the show must go on' >>>>or rocket must launch or whatever. >>>> >>>>In an environment a million times more complex than your back-room with boat anchors. >>>>And always delivered.. unlike some that dropped out or broke down. >>>>It is indeed about what is between the ears as you mentioned. >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>>>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. >>>> >>>>Only useful if you can read the screens, these days they train AI to find cancer in the scans..... >>>>Yes I worked in an Uni hospital too. >>>>How many people die each year because of medical errors? >>>> https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/22/medical-errors-third-leading-cause-of-death-in-america.html >>>>Remember Jim Thompson stating 'they are giving me ... but I had a warning I was not supposed to get that' >>>>Few days later he was dead. >>> >>>Jim had pancreatic cancer, which is notoriously tricky to diagnose due >>>to the misleading symptoms it gives rise to. >> >>He talked constantly about wine. That can kill your pancreas. >> >>There are people who drink bottles per day. > >Oh yes, he loved his wine alright. As I recall, you sent him several >cases of the stuff over the years. But no amount of peace offerings >could placate Jim if he felt you'd disrespected him. Anyway, all >credit to you for at least trying to heal the rift, even if it came to >naught. I think I sent him two bottles of Frog's Tooth, not cases. I get the Frog's Tooth free. The vintner is also our sales rep for pick+place gear, and he throws in a bottle or a case with every big order. JT was a little touchy at times (never me!) but we didn't actually have a rift. I think that serious electronics designers always get along pretty well. Circuit design is a sport that we play. I miss JT. He was fun. I often drive on Thompkins Street and it reminds me of him.