XPost: sci.electronics.design   
   From: cd@notformail.com   
      
   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?   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)