sci.electronics.repair@googlegroups.com

Google Groups

"Peter W." <peterwieck33@gmail.com>: May 03 04:16AM -0700 The Channellock Story   I could buy this at Harbor Freight: https://www.harborfreight.com/9-in-linesman-pliers-63820.html   I could buy this at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Channellock-369-2-Inch-Leverage-Linesman/dp/B00004SBD6   One keeps a small town in Pennsylvania vibrant, and its residents employed in good family-supporting jobs. The other does not. One will not spatter if one cuts a live wire (ask me how I know that). The other will - thankfully, not my experience, other than I had to transport that individual to a urgent-care facility immediately thereafter.   Bad tools injure, and sometimes kill their users - simply by being bad tools. Good tools require some level of abuse to do the same. I have had my pair of box-joint linesman plies for over 40 years now. So when it came time to purchase a second pair for our summer house - it was Channellock, even though it may get used perhaps 3 or 4 times per year.   Peter Wieck Melrose Park, PA

"ohg...@gmail.com" <ohger1s@gmail.com>: May 03 09:09AM -0700 On Monday, May 3, 2021 at 7:16:37 AM UTC-4, Peter W. wrote:   > Bad tools injure, and sometimes kill their users - simply by being bad tools. Good tools require some level of abuse to do the same. I have had my pair of box-joint linesman plies for over 40 years now. So when it came time to purchase a second pair for our summer house - it was Channellock, even though it may get used perhaps 3 or 4 times per year. > Peter Wieck > Melrose Park, PA   Speaking of tools, does anyone know if the Plato 170 shear is still made in the U.S., or is it now Chinese?

Jean-Pierre Coulon <coulon@cacas.pam.oca.eu>: May 03 01:12PM +0200 We can save ASCII and binrary files on a disk. Saving is much faster with binary files but their format is undocumented.   Has anybody a converter for binary to ASCII?   -- Jean-Pierre Coulon

Mike Coon <gravity@mjcoon.plus.com>: May 03 04:36PM +0100 In article <alpine.WNT.2.21.999.2105031309220.15596@dhcp3-6>, coulon@cacas.pam.oca.eu says...   > We can save ASCII and binrary files on a disk. Saving is much faster with > binary files but their format is undocumented.   > Has anybody a converter for binary to ASCII?   You only have to Google! I did, thinking that it would remind me of one I used to be familiar with decards ago, but it didn't!

Mike Coon <gravity@mjcoon.plus.com>: May 03 04:40PM +0100 In article <alpine.WNT.2.21.999.2105031309220.15596@dhcp3-6>, coulon@cacas.pam.oca.eu says...   > We can save ASCII and binrary files on a disk. Saving is much faster with > binary files but their format is undocumented.   > Has anybody a converter for binary to ASCII?   Correction: I was thinking of "base64" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Base64

Tim R <timothy42b@aol.com>: May 03 06:02AM -0700 On Saturday, May 1, 2021 at 12:37:34 PM UTC-4, John Robertson wrote: > last the rated 50+ years of a NEMA 5-15R, but my point was there is a > limit to the number of insertions beyond which any connector starts to fail.   > John :-#)#   My employer switched us all to laptops because we're teleworking half time each. So we have the computer in a docking station at one location with connection via an USB-C, and at home just on a power cord and wifi. That's a lot of connecting and unconnecting on the USB-C. Figure 200 plus work days in the office with an insertion/outsertion cycle daily; i wonder when they will get flakey.

Rob <nomail@example.com>: May 03 02:06PM >> limit to the number of insertions beyond which any connector starts to fail.   >> John :-#)#   > My employer switched us all to laptops because we're teleworking half time each. So we have the computer in a docking station at one location with connection via an USB-C, and at home just on a power cord and wifi. That's a lot of connecting and unconnecting on the USB-C. Figure 200 plus work days in the office with an insertion/outsertion cycle daily; i wonder when they will get flakey.   That often depends more on the lateral forces you apply to the connector than on the number of insertion cycles.   You can insert it quite a number of times, but one inadvertent jerk because someone steps on the powercord which hangs from the device at the edge of the table to the floor and it is gone.

Jason Bowers <jbbowersnospam@aol.com>: May 02 04:13PM -0400 On 5/2/21 6:18 AM, Mike Coon wrote:   > Does it offer combinations of two channels, e.g. A+B; A-B. Latter > differential could be checked with identical inputs and seeing how > accurately you get zero!   Thanks to you both. Well, all is not paradise and beginning to think that I may return it. I could be overlooking something so looking for some suggestions.   It seems that both frequency and voltage readings are off. I have an old URM-25 RF signal generator that I have been feeding into it by sampling off of the side of a t connector with one side having 50 ohm dummy load and the other into ch 1 of the scope. Anything I've tried in frequency and it seems like I'm reading at least double that frequency on the scope if I count divisions from P-P. A 28 Mhz signal appears as 50 Mhz or plus on the scope. I just wonder if I'm overlooking something here. Also, with the maximum output from the generator, 100,000 uV, I am getting around 300,000 uV or more if I could divisions.   I don't yet have my 1/10x probes. They are due to arrive this week. I will then immediately check the 2V P-P calibration signal on the scope and see what happens.

Phil Allison <pallison49@gmail.com>: May 02 04:19PM -0700 Jason Bowers wrote: ================> > 50 Mhz or plus on the scope. I just wonder if I'm overlooking something > here. Also, with the maximum output from the generator, 100,000 uV, I > am getting around 300,000 uV or more if I could divisions.   ** Using an old, tube RF gen is not the way to calibrate a scope. You can started with known DC voltages, checked with your DMM. Just switch the vertical amps to DC coupled.   A square wave test shows if there are response errors - in one go. If it looks square, the response is as it should be.   > I don't yet have my 1/10x probes. They are due to arrive this week. I > will then immediately check the 2V P-P calibration signal on the scope > and see what happens.   ** Scope have internal trim controls for calibration. You scope clearly works OK, it may need some adjustments to be spot on.   This would all be described in the owners manual.     ..... Phil

Ralph Mowery <rmowery42@charter.net>: May 02 07:40PM -0400 In article <s6n15p$ug1$1@dont-email.me>, jbbowersnospam@aol.com says... > 50 Mhz or plus on the scope. I just wonder if I'm overlooking something > here. Also, with the maximum output from the generator, 100,000 uV, I > am getting around 300,000 uV or more if I could divisions.   Your signal generator is probably set to give RMS voltage and you are reading peak or peak to peak voltage on the scope. There is a conversion factor of some number I can not recall but it is around 1.4 or 2.8 times. Also some generators will be open circuit voltage and some into the 50 ohm load with is 6 db or someother number I can not think of right off.

Cydrome Leader <presence@MUNGEpanix.com>: May 03 06:49AM > or 2.8 times. Also some generators will be open circuit voltage and > some into the 50 ohm load with is 6 db or someother number I can not > think of right off.   my signal generator outputs some wonky voltages unless you have a load resistor across the outputs. It's 600ohms in a box with 1" spacing banana plugs and receptacles. I could never figure out why that's not handled by a pushbotton.   Also, make sure you don't have any knobs pulled out putting you in zoom mode. My signal generator has one of silly scope knobs too for some reason.

Ralph Mowery <rmowery42@charter.net>: May 03 10:04AM -0400 In article <s6o6d2$biu$3@reader1.panix.com>, presence@MUNGEpanix.com says...   > Also, make sure you don't have any knobs pulled out putting you in zoom > mode. My signal generator has one of silly scope knobs too for some > reason.   Signal generators are designed to put out a certain voltage into a certain load. Think of them as having a signal generating source of zero impedance in series with a resistor. Any load will devide between the internal impedance and the load impedance.   For RF generators there were two standards. One was an open circuit Or very high impedance) voltage and the other was for a 50 ohm load. My service monitor has a software setting to do either one. It is from the old analog cell phone days and 30 years ago the cost was about $ 50,000. When the cell phones went digital the service monitor was put out for surplus and are selling for under $ 1000 now on the used market.   When using a scope you have to allow for the peak or peak to peak ratio to the RMS value of a sine wave. As mentioned before I don't recall the ratio as I seldom need it and the scope I have now will calculate it and put on the display. If your RMS meter shows abot 120 volts AC out of the wall socket a scope will show around 170 volts peak.

"Rod Speed" <rod.speed.aaa@gmail.com>: May 03 03:58AM +1000 "micky" <NONONOmisc07@fmguy.com> wrote in message news:liht8gln1eqq0fs4jigctrbvekdftk7bge@4ax.com... > quite pretty but the yellow? wires seem very dirty. I wonder why.   > It's actually not single strand but the entire length of the > multi-strand is tinned.   Tinned anyway, yep, at times. I have some rubber jacketed extension cords my dad used for an early electric lawn mower that were done like that.   > Isn't that a big waste of tin and lead?   Its very thin on the copper strand itself.   > Do they still do that?   Havent noticed any.   > it eventually ratcheted over what it was supposed to catch on. I tried > over and over, last night. This morning it opened on the second try! > The room temperature is about the same.   There is a real knack with some of those things.

Peeler <trolltrap@valid.invalid>: May 02 08:14PM +0200 On Mon, 3 May 2021 03:58:26 +1000, cantankerous trolling geezer Rodent Speed, the auto-contradicting senile sociopath, blabbered, again:     > Tinned anyway, yep, at times. I have some rubber > jacketed extension cords my dad used   Talking about your dad: did he, too, consider you an abnormal sick asshole like everyone else does?   -- The Natural Philosopher about senile Rodent: "Rod speed is not a Brexiteer. He is an Australian troll and arsehole." Message-ID: <pu07vj$s5$2@dont-email.me>

Mike Coon <gravity@mjcoon.plus.com>: May 02 08:30PM +0100 In article <liht8gln1eqq0fs4jigctrbvekdftk7bge@4ax.com>, NONONOmisc07 @fmguy.com says... > Does that mean they used solder on 100's of thousands of miles of wire > when only a teeny tiny bit ever appeared out of the insulation? Isn't > that a big waste of tin and lead? Do they still do that?   Yes, it is one of the ways that "marine grade" wire is made more expensive! The idea is that at sea you cannot guarantee that bare copper wire will be protected from corrosion by the insulation.

Cydrome Leader <presence@MUNGEpanix.com>: May 03 06:40AM > Does that mean they used solder on 100's of thousands of miles of wire > when only a teeny tiny bit ever appeared out of the insulation? Isn't > that a big waste of tin and lead? Do they still do that?   I've seen this wire- it looked like the standard cloth covered wire in a old TV or radio set, but was completely solderered, not just tinned. Not sure what the reason for this was either.   > it eventually ratcheted over what it was supposed to catch on. I tried > over and over, last night. This morning it opened on the second try! > The room temperature is about the same.   How does flux go "bad"? I use the liquid type in what looks like a paint marker and it still works fine, way past the "use by" date.

You received this digest because you're subscribed to updates for this group. You can change your settings on the group membership page. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it send an email to sci.electronics.repair+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.