Is this complete test bench too good to pass up for $800? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: CZroe
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 16, 2019, 05:44:33 pm
content: Was in the market for one of those mythical $50 analog oscilloscopes, checking social media, when I found this...“Complete electronics test bench for sale (including industry make bench). Oscilloscope, power supplies, soldering station, frequency counter, logic analyzer, wire, components, power strip, and much more. Call for complete list of equipment and tools/components.Excellent for student or professional.”...posted hours ago on local social media. Is this too good to pass up?Considering I don’t even own an oscilloscope, most of this equipment is probably wasted on me but I am in the market for a current-limiting bench power supply in addition to that analog oscilloscope (need analog for the eye pattern to adjust CD lasers). I could certainly put the bench and test cart to good use and, no doubt, I’ll eventually want/need more equipment. Room to grow?I’d say something about that cat being an ESD hazard except that I know I’m going to have two of them clambering all over.What do you guys think? Is this a definite buy for someone who doesn’t have any of this stuff? Even his articulating lamp with magnification and the PCB holder puts my stuff to shame (cosmetics magnifier and some near-useless board holder from Amazon).Current “lab” is mostly just two Harbor Freight workbenches with an Aoyue Int701A++ digital solder/desolder station, Int866 preheater and hot air station, $10 special from Fry’s Electronics as a multimeter (at least it has a continuity buzzer), MiniPro TL866A ICSP programmer, some PIC chips/EPROMs, a UV EPROM eraser, bunch of sockets/wires, flush cuts, kapton, $50 USB microscope, and some random components (passives).

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 16, 2019, 05:51:11 pm
content: It really depends on what you need. If you need enough of the stuff there to be worth spending $800 on then it could be a good deal, but you could also end up with $200 worth of stuff you need and a room full of stuff just taking up space until you get tired of stepping around it and give it away or toss it.I mostly just want that cat

author: Cliff Matthews
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 16, 2019, 05:56:15 pm
content: I'd say it'll go fast. Looks like plenty of nice stuff could be hidden too. That Panavice looks nice too.

author: CZroe
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 16, 2019, 06:05:46 pm
content: Quote from: james_s on March 16, 2019, 05:51:11 pmI get that and I have no problem selling off the stuff I don’t need, but do you think it’s significantly undervalued enough to make that worth it?To put it in perspective, I was almost ready to pull the trigger and order a $215 121GW, a bench PSU, and about $100 for an oscilloscope (if I could find one). I’d spring for that bench and test cart if I saw it at the thrift store for $200, so I’m already getting close to his lot which would, no doubt, save me all of that expense.Before I contact him I thought I’d ask: what would you offer for the lot if you had virtually none of it, only needed about half, and intended to sell the rest? Thanks!Regarding the cat...He’s yours!

author: CZroe
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 16, 2019, 06:20:26 pm
content: Quote from: Cliff Matthews on March 16, 2019, 05:56:15 pmGah! D: Hopefully I can scrape the money together fast enough. Gotta get my twin bro on board for this one.Yeah, that was his only pic. Such a tease!

author: SilverSolder
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 16, 2019, 06:24:29 pm
content: This looks like a bargain if you are starting out!

author: Cliff Matthews
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 16, 2019, 07:48:16 pm
content: Don't forget to post back and brag on all your loot.. I hope it works out well for you

author: CatalinaWOW
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 16, 2019, 09:01:26 pm
content: If everything in the picture is included it is worth $800, though you "might" get under that by finding good buys on everything. Are you ready to have that much invested?

author: Fred27
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 16, 2019, 09:46:40 pm
content: He looks like a Bond villain. You'll probably have to collect it from a secret lair under a volcano.

author: GreyWoolfe
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 16, 2019, 10:11:20 pm
content: Quote from: Fred27 on March 16, 2019, 09:46:40 pmGuarded by sharks with lasers on their heads, perhaps?

author: Brumby
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 16, 2019, 11:27:00 pm
content: It's not really an easy call from the photo and description given so far, but it would pique my interest.A full list of what's for sale would really help a lot. Also, a statement that the gear is fully functional would be necessary for me. You wouldn't want to assess the value of something if it had issues that weren't disclosed.But, as others have suggested, the real question is what its value would beto you.

author: bitseeker
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 17, 2019, 02:31:42 am
content: The value depends on what all is there, what condition it's in, and where you're located in the world. If the seller thinks it's worth $800 and, upon inspection, I could roughly estimate something similar, I'd start out around $500, which might end up somewhere between $600 and $700. If you feel you paid a little more than you wanted and the seller feels he got a little less than he wanted, then the price was about right.

author: Neomys Sapiens
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 17, 2019, 03:36:30 am
content: The generator on the scope cart is a HP8904, the scope is Tek (2213?) and the logicanalyser HP.The powersupplies and multimeter/counter look like, well, flush and be gone.

author: bsfeechannel
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 17, 2019, 04:50:57 am
content: I built, and am still building, my "lab" step by step. I have the impression that almost everyone does the same.

author: Shock
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 17, 2019, 09:08:05 am
content: Even though it looks like a lot of gear it's all quite cheap, I don't think anywhere near $800, but I don't place any value on someones used table, you can start with any old table with electronics. The Panavise is probably the nicest thing he owns but not essential.For $800 you could have a Rigol DS1054Z, Pace ADS200, a used Fluke 87V and quality power supply from Ebay. If you brought wisely might even have a little change left over. It would be a good basic but quality setup for someone starting out and that you can expand on later if required.Buying a bunch of tools and components upfront you may never use just seems a waste to me. I'd also be hesitant buying boat anchors unless you have a good reason.

author: bd139
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 17, 2019, 09:25:29 am
content: I wouldn’t touch it. Buy what you need when you need it and make the odd opportunistic purchase.I’ve spent net $0 on all my kit because I did a lot of opportunistic purchase/repair/sales.

author: metrologist
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 17, 2019, 11:31:50 am
content: I'd go take a look, tally up each piece with my price, and work from there.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 17, 2019, 01:34:44 pm
content: I don't really see $800 worth of gear there. Most of it is old and/or cheap.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 17, 2019, 01:35:49 pm
content: Quote from: Shock on March 17, 2019, 09:08:05 amAgreed.

author: Cliff Matthews
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 17, 2019, 01:56:27 pm
content: Who said $800 was final? These things are like Gumtree or Kijiji or Craigslist..

author: bd139
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 17, 2019, 03:21:32 pm
content: I'd charge that to clear it.

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 17, 2019, 03:33:03 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on March 17, 2019, 01:34:44 pmyour not factoring in the fact that he probably has standard stock components in those boxes, you get two storage boxes.You get a can of wd40. That's like 5$ so your already absorbing 0.6% of the total cost. There is a bench magnifier (50$), what looks like a HP8904A (100-200$), two chinese low grade power supplies (say 60$ each), can of duster (another 0.6%), old scope (50-100$), probes (20$), basic hand tool set (say 30-40$, more new, much less at a garage sale), Skil?brand drill and battery (50$ value used IMO unless its harbor freight.. maybe I am wrong here), big logic analyzer (say 50-100$ since it looks like one of those dime a dozen ones off ebay), a hair dryer (5-10$), scope cart (100$ is reasonable IMO), various spools of electronics grade wire (say 50$, they would be like 10$ each).So thats like 750$ reasonable. Add the frequency counter, work bench, soldering stuff and solder, flux, etc..It's not like a super steal of a deal but for a noobie that wants to get started and not be a eBay hustler I think its a OK deal. Even considering normal eBay prices.Would I buy it? No, I would nickle and dime every fucking thing there over the a year.If your not poor its a decent deal. I think the lab infrastructure is important because you can end up with some nice equipment working out of a tupperware otherwise, and work flow is extremely unpleasant.Also the chair he is sitting on is worth something. 25-75$And its supposedly all working. It has been burned in by use and you can be more sure of the components in the old stuff, vs a Ebay item that may have been powered up once for the picture in 50 years before the shady caps blew! This can save you alot of time and money and it adds value coming from a hobbyist. Does not really look like the type of guy that put together a bench just to sell it.And those radios are wroth something. You can jump strait into doing HAM type stuff with them to learn radio electronics since you have good receivers.And having a BUNCH of different supplies allows you to tackle more advanced circuits with isolated rails, bipolar rails, etc. Accuracy will suffer BUT you get capabilities to work on more advanced topologies. You don't sound like a volt nut or something to me...It sounds good for your lab too because you seem to have a interest in digital systems/control circuits but have no analog gear. Those supplies and stuff are suitable for driving motors, remote sensors, etc. If that's all you have, then it sounds like that test bench wouldgreatlyincrease your capabilities.

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 17, 2019, 03:51:16 pm
content: To play devils advocate though:1) I hate those types of storage boxes even if their functional, I would build my own. They strike me as extremely annoying to clean and kinda flimsy. You get weird noises when you open the little plastic drawers and they rub and just generally ugh.2) Scope cart may not be useful to you, I would weld my own that is slimmer etc. Their useful in a factory or something where you have one oscilloscope for a big area around advanced heavy equipment that needs trouble shooting that you don't want to work on with a hand held oscilloscope. Saving grace for a home owner might be you can work on your car in the yard with a regular DSO. It's an inefficient use of space otherwise IMO. And dusting it etc is annoying. Reminds me a bit of a wheel chair. Ew.3) The clock on the wall is bad taste4) I would want higher quality hand tools. No Skil or Irwin (i think those pliers are) for me5) that power supply would make me paranoid to own even if its useful for high current brute devices. They like to burn.6) I'd want hakko soldering stuff7) the other cart has a medical/surgical/dental vibe to it that I really don't want in my house. Why the chrome? Their a bitch when they rust too. If you want that I would make it out of 2by4's and it would look more pleasant and be nice and heavy. It looks like something for a lazy nurse to cart around. brrrrr Makes more sense in like a machine shop if you are going to be throwing greasy shit on it all day. No need for those surfaces in a electronics lab. That would be a treat in a small engine repair shop, not a electronics lab. Yea throw some greasy lawn mower engines on that thing. That's like the intended use. Bring tools outside, work on greasy rusty seized up lawn mower, generator, etc (curse alot, get covered in sweat and rusty blood), then bring it inside to your work shop without leaving a trail of oil behind you so you can take apart the important bits without a sledge hammer).It just does not fit my 'theme'.

author: CZroe
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 18, 2019, 02:50:15 pm
content: Well, the pic is probably old since it was one of those situations where he was going to lose it all in a storage unit if he doesn’t sell. Told me “you won’t be disappointed” but someone bought it before I could arrange to see it. Guess it did go fast!Quote from: CatalinaWOW on March 16, 2019, 09:01:26 pmDefinitely. I just spent the night hunched over my existing bench, unable to see what I was doing thanks to my crappy lighting (doing about). At my old place I’d have a few floor lamps behind me but this unfinished basement only has one outlet, and it’s GFCI, so ~1,500 watts. Lightning took out our HVAC last month (and the car!) so I really could’ve used a floor heater. Those are universally 1,500 watts, so no capacity left for auxiliary lights and a soldering station. The landlord really needs to get on it! Not that this $800 setup would’ve helped with the heat situation, but an articulating magnifier light and a workbench that doesn’t box in the overhead light to create unwanted shadows would’ve done wonders while I shivered my way through the workload.I need an analog scope for getting the right eye pattern for adjusting CD lasers and I recently needed a current-limiting power supply to hunt for a short in a malfunctioning Hi-Def NES kit. Removed the “hot” component only to find another getting hot... and another, and another.Those are just the most immediate needs but I’ve got projects in the works where I might need the function gen and logic analyzer (reverse-engineering a PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16 5-player multitap).Quote from: Neomys Sapiens on March 17, 2019, 03:36:30 amHe said it was a Tektronix 2235, complete with original cart. Also said it was 50mhz but the 2235 seems to be a 100mhz scope. “Dual trace, 50mhz. Several 10-1 probes.”Quote from: Shock on March 17, 2019, 09:08:05 am...and I have started that way. I’m more than ready for an upgrade since I run into issues with this on a daily basis. My wobbly wood-topped thing from K-Mart is identical to one they sell at Harbor Freight.Junk.IMO, the guy’s bench was the best part. It’s certified ESD-safe for industrial electronics... like what you’d find in an ISO-certified rework lab or something.Quote from: EEVblog on March 17, 2019, 01:34:44 pmThanks. I was specifically in the market for an “old” analog scope for adjusting CD lasers. Only the most expensive digital scopes can duplicate the eye pattern you need there. I was about to order some $42 eBay PSUs from the $330 lab video even though I really need current-limiting ones and I blew up my $10 meter just a day before seeing this (ByteBros BBT858L). I would’ve already pulled the trigger on a $100-$200 meter I was budgeting for if I didn’t see this. *shrug* I’ll put it this way: Everything old and cheap there is still a world better than what I have (usually nothing). Yes, I lack even basic stock components other than LEDs and quarter-watt resistors.

author: TheUnnamedNewbie
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 18, 2019, 03:37:19 pm
content: When I was younger, I have made the mistake more than once going for big auction lots that seemed crazy cheap and an amazing deal. But in the end, they really weren't. I think of one of them, which had thousands, perhaps even tens of thousands of components, I have used almost none of the components. They are old, hard to look for, hard to use, can't find reliable data. I think apart from some power transistors, that might have cost 2 euros new each, I have used none of the components in a practical way. What I am stuck with, however, is a car-full of components that I don't know what to do with, and that I need to move out of my old place into the new one. I think the most valuable part in this car-full of components were some crazy matched transistors that I will use at some point, and a bunch of precision opamps from analog devices, which even today would cost you a few bucks each.So in my opinion, components are pretty much worthless, unless they area) very specific components that you actually needb) easy to resell and you are willing to put time into that(EG, some NOS film capacitors sell for a lot on ebay)c) have a lot of space.I think these components have cost me more in stress and time to clean and actually figure out what the hell it is I bought, than I will ever get out of them.

author: bd139
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 18, 2019, 04:07:00 pm
content: Good point on components. I don't even file the ones I got out and didn't use away. I put them in a box and when it's full I sell it on ebay. People pay a lot of money for crap.

author: Cliff Matthews
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 18, 2019, 04:29:06 pm
content: I went "Gung-ho" because I love to barter (and $800 sounds sweeter to this Canuck..)

author: CZroe
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 18, 2019, 05:56:35 pm
content: Quote from: Cliff Matthews on March 18, 2019, 04:29:06 pmWell, you were right: it did go fast! It was barely up a day. Someone wanted it. Hope they aren’t disappointed.Edit: It was Atlanta area, BTW.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 19, 2019, 04:15:38 pm
content: Quote from: bd139 on March 18, 2019, 04:07:00 pmOne man's crap is another man's treasure. I don't tend to pay a lot of money for anything, but I'm quite into retro tech in general so I use quite a few old components.