Test equipment auction - Australia, Sydney.  - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: wilfred
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 07, 2012, 06:10:44 am
content: /.

author: TerraHertz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 29, 2012, 12:42:20 pm
content: Gaaah! Missed it. And I'm in Sydney.You are absolutely right surplus test equipment is very rare in Australia.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 29, 2012, 01:06:52 pm
content: I wanted to get a couple of things, but forgotThere was a ton of identical stuff, so I assume it all didn't go?Dave.

author: mickpah
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 29, 2012, 08:13:29 pm
content: I was watching it and the Oscilloscopes – Tektronix 2465B, AWA G232 didn;t show up. Maybe they might be on later ?A lot of the specialist video stuff seem to attract very little interest. Not a large marker for used Vectorscopes I guess

author: TerraHertz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 30, 2012, 12:22:31 am
content: Quote from: mickpah on November 29, 2012, 08:13:29 pmArrrrrgh! There were vectorscopes there too? I actually spent years working as a professional video equipment design eng, and I don't have a modern vectorscope. Ffff... wait, this forum probably doesn't allow swearing, right?I guess for commercial applications, digital video has pretty much eliminated the need for vectorscopes. But still... Damn.That's the trouble with Australia. There are various <expletive-stupid> economic and political systems in place that prevent most surplus tech-gear from ever being sold 2nd hand after its commercial life. So there are no established outlets for any that does somehow make it to public sale. Instances like this sale are so rare that it's hard to stay alert for them.It's a nice place to live, but the 2nd hand tech gear situation is like the central area of the country - a total desert. This is one of my pet peeves, because it doesn't have to be this way. It's purely a result of insane bureaucracy and regulations. For instance:* Import duty. The government charges significant duty on imports. Once a company has finished an equipment's depreciation cycle, they can get a refund by having the gear crushed in the presence of a tax inspector.* Insurance. If a piece of gear is damaged and the company claims a write off on insurance, they have to destroy the gear, not sell it.* Depreciation. After the company accountants have reduced the equipment's book value to zero over it's originally planned working life, then to them it really is worth zero, so how can they account for anything they might receive for selling it? So they destroy it.* Trade ins. Distributors of high end test gear like Hewlett Packard, Tektronix etc, see any piece of their gear that makes it to a 2nd hand sale, as one more bit of new gear they didn't sell. So they offer attractive trade-in deals on their old models. The traded-in gear mostly they destroy.* Military 'secrets'. Most of the obsoleted tech equipment from the Aus. military gets conscientiously destroyed. Because you know, 'secret stuff'. I guess the accountants there don't know the difference between custom gear and commercially available test equipment.* Ignorance. Most Australian company managers are non-technical business/accounting types. Who have no comprehension of the rarity and intrinsic worth of technical gear. To them such surplus gear is just a disposal problem, and they know nothing of any possible avenues for 2nd hand sale. So, to landfill with it!All these insanities I've personally seen happen over and over during my working life. It's heartbreaking.I've also grown convinced over the years that there really is some kind of deliberate high level conspiracy here to keep such equipment out of the public's hands. I could think of a few reasons why that might be, but really have nothing solid.You don't know how lucky you are in the US, with your numerous 2nd-hand tech sellers.Ha. Not that I have much spare cash now anyway.

author: mickpah
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 30, 2012, 02:18:06 am
content: sorry embarrassing ,I really do need to proof read my postsNot a lot of interest I was trying to say.I think there was upward of 20 vector scopes and sorry to depress you further but not a lot got above the reserve price of $9 when I looked.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 30, 2012, 02:49:25 am
content: Quote from: mickpah on November 30, 2012, 02:18:06 amYes, there were tons of them. Surely they didn't all sell? In which case, what happened to them?Dave.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 30, 2012, 02:52:32 am
content: Quote from: TerraHertz on November 30, 2012, 12:22:31 amIt's simply that the US has orders of magnitude more government money, orders of magnitude more tech businesses, orders of magnitude more universites, and an order of magnitude more people than us.Ergo, they have more surplus stuff.Dave.

author: TerraHertz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 30, 2012, 03:23:09 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on November 30, 2012, 02:52:32 amWell that's true of course. Plus fewer enthusiast buyers, so the entire market fails to reach critical mass. But I do think there's also a strong attitude and regulations bias against flow of test equipment to the 2nd hand market here, compared to the USA and some other countries. There used to be a few good sellers of surplus gear in the 60s through 80s, but they have all gone. Cavion's in Wollongong, Sheridan in Redfern, Deitch Bros on Oxford St in the city.More factors I forgot in my gripes list above:* Liability. Australia is becoming ruined by the ideology of 'public liability'. In which any accident can be legally blamed on someone back up the chain of causality - not the idiot who actually stuck their hand in a wringer or whatever. So companies that have surplus lab equipment are afraid to sell it to the public since it's too hard to tell if it meets all relevant electrical safety regulations. Which, it probably doesn't anyway. So they might be legally liable. Safer to just destroy it.* Fear/ego. In some cases where I've seen manager types trash equipment, I got the distinct feeling that they were boosting their egos by making a show of destroying complicated stuff they didn't understand and which therefore disturbed them on a subconscious level.* Laziness/indifference. A lot of managerial types just don't care. Have no concept of any obligation to deal with precious technical resources in a way that might benefit others.Oh hey, you're in Australia too?Anyway, I've emailed the auctioneers. Maybe there's something still available.

author: nukie
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 30, 2012, 04:49:44 am
content: I have many test gear and most of them traveled long distances with airtickets I paid for. I did score a deal I paid AU$180 for a used and calibrated hp 3468A from TechRental a couple of years ago and a Fluke 335A voltage standard for AU$200 fromhttp://www.test-equipment-auctions.com/It's so damn hard to find anything recent here used, it's all at least a decade old. I swear whenever I see a used test gear advertised it has grey hair growing out of it.So I've default to China Taobao, orhttp://www.go-dove.com/en/, thing is a lot of manufacturing is done in China these days so when they upgrade their factory equipment, plenty of used gear flood the market, it happens frequently and they are pretty decent gear. So watch out for it.

author: TerraHertz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 30, 2012, 05:44:31 am
content: Quote from: nukie on November 30, 2012, 04:49:44 amTell me about it! Most of that gear in racks you see in my workshop photos, was air-shipped from US ebay purchases. But the days when I had the money to do that are over. Also, ebay-paypal has gone so evil they are becoming unpleasant to use.QuoteThanks for that tip. I will check it out.One of my current wishes is a good turbomolecular pump and controller. Err... and a few other things I can't afford from the markets I know of. Chinese chip fabs closing - must happen sometimes.Btw, I got a call back from the auctioneer - nope, it's all sold, he says. And no they don't have a mailing list specifically for electronics test gear auctions.Surname of Cohen. Maybe there's another reason I should add to my list. But better not, hey?

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 30, 2012, 08:39:43 am
content: For stuff that doesn't sell at auction it an be worth contacting the auctioneer afterwards - it may either be available or bought as a job lot by someone that they can put you in touch with.

author: PrimeTech012
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: February 06, 2015, 07:11:56 am
content: I have an old HP5110B Synthesizer driver and 5100B Frequency Synthesizer that are looking for a new home.I am cleaning out my late father’s shed (workshop) and have the above and some other equipment for which I have neither need nor space, but I don’t want to just throw it on a scrapheap.If you are interested in old test equipment, I will be happy to send you some pictures, and if you want it I am happy to send it to you at the cost of freight only from its current location in Adelaide.My only aim here is to find a new home for this gear, as both my late father and I hate seeing things like this go to waste.Peter

author: TerraHertz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 07, 2015, 02:10:45 am
content: Quote from: PrimeTech012 on February 06, 2015, 07:11:56 amThanks for the thought. It's good to see someone doing the right thing with old gear.If you meant me, unfortunately I'm currently in a dramahttp://everist.org/no-rezonethat will likely force me to relocate. Depressing and enraging, but on the practical side it means I'm not looking for more gear atm.I'd suggest you post some pics of those and the rest of the gear in your dad's workshop as a new thread here in Buy/Sell/Wanted. With the 'shipping cost only' deal I'm sure someone will snap them up. Though, you should add something for the effort of packing.

author: Shock
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 07, 2015, 09:34:21 am
content: Quote from: PrimeTech012 on February 06, 2015, 07:11:56 amPM sent regarding other equipment you may have.

author: Cejim1
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: February 08, 2015, 05:22:27 pm
content: Hi Regarding test equipment I am a newbie and looking to build my lab what items do you have that need a new home Tks.