Path: ...!news.mixmin.net!weretis.net!feeder8.news.weretis.net!reader5.news.weretis.net!news.solani.org!.POSTED!not-for-mail
From: Jan Panteltje <alien@comet.invalid>
Newsgroups: sci.electronics.design,sci.electronics.repair
Subject: Re: Favourite Test Equipment
Date: Thu, 04 Apr 2024 11:44:57 GMT
Message-ID: <uum3rp$4b36$1@solani.org>
References: <9k7j0jlnbhs8qfg5m17pium0835meean83@4ax.com> <uudm4h$23si2$1@solani.org> <uultes$iq0n$1@dont-email.me>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; ISO-8859-15
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
Injection-Date: Thu, 4 Apr 2024 11:44:57 -0000 (UTC)
Injection-Info: solani.org;
	logging-data="142438"; mail-complaints-to="abuse@news.solani.org"
User-Agent: NewsFleX-1.5.7.5 (Linux-5.15.32-v7l+)
Cancel-Lock: sha1:hrmZ/OWIJfrOFht1EuObjTrqrc8=
X-Newsreader-location: NewsFleX-1.5.7.5 (c) 'LIGHTSPEED' off line news reader for the Linux platform
 NewsFleX homepage: http://www.panteltje.nl/panteltje/newsflex/ and ftp download ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/linux/system/news/readers/ 
X-User-ID: eJwFwQkBwDAIA0BL/LRyUkb8S9hdemlNR2VFMhkCPSfVPsVmXWkICLyQ5C5W3vo0npsfqSBty8fow/B7f1jFFds=
Bytes: 6044
Lines: 87

On a sunny day (Thu, 4 Apr 2024 11:55:40 +0200) it happened Klaus Vestergaard
Kragelund <klauskvik@hotmail.com> wrote in <uultes$iq0n$1@dont-email.me>:

>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
>> <cd@notformail.com> 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.

When a kid you could test if the 4.5 V battery was empty with your tongue
(nowadays likely forbidden to do that ;-)

It is all relative
In the frequency domain the rtl-sdr sticks I have are 1 ppm.
I do have a 10 MHz Rubidium frequency reference, was cheap, from ebay
that I can use for frequency stuff so as to lock the xtal oscillator in my satellite LNB
that has around 10 GHz in and 1 GHz out, into that RTL-SDR stick, was good enough
for SSB reception (so a few hundred Hz accuracy) on QO100
 https://panteltje.nl/pub/octagon_twin_LNB_OTLSO_inside_RT320M_PLL_IMG_6538.JPG
  replaced that crystal in the LNB on the right by 24 Mhz external reference locked to the 10 MHz Rubidium reference
   https://panteltje.nl/pub/ethernet_controlled_LNB_reference_cicuit_diagram_IMG_6848.JPG
    about 1 GHz LNB output to the rtl-sdr stick, so now have a 10 GHz spectrum analyzer.. few Hz precision...
Even without the Rubidium lock:
 https://panteltje.nl/pub/even_cheap_LNBs_can_receive_ESHAIL2_IMG_6775.JPG

Cost, a few Euro, cheap LNBs are 5 dollar on ebay, but have no xtal oscillator but some ceramic resonator so drift a lot, too much for SSB,
but still useful for watching spectra...

signal generator:
 https://panteltje.nl/panteltje/newsflex/download.html#freq_pi

frequency counter;
 https://panteltje.nl/panteltje/pic/freq_pic/index.html
  cost < 10 Euro

Its easy,..