EEVblog #559 - Auction Score - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: free_electron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 21, 2013, 04:30:34 pm
content: Tek never made multimeters. They are escort designsThe Tc chip is an old Teledyne design. Microshit borged that when they acquired the semiconductor division from vishay. It included telefunken, teledyne and i believe a division of harris.Teledyne was a big competitor for intersil a/d multimeter chips. The teledynes are really good chipsThe fluke scopemeter was designed by philips of the netherlands. They sold their T&M group to fluke in early 90'You can fix the tds220s like missing button and broken cal outputs withArts from the redtagged one. They use a stupid 7404 as buffer for cal output. The redtagged out of cal is unrepairable as the reference has gone off. It sits inside the big national semiconductor asic and that is unobtainium.The tds3000 series : get the latest software from tek (if you cant grab it, i have it) you need 4 floppy disks. It updates to latest firmware and unlocks all options so you dont need those plugin modules. Tek released all options for free in the latest release firmware when they discontinued that series,The three channel one probably has the center pin broken off the hybrid. Ive seen dat before. The mechanical construction is a bit flimsy on those.To open the machine: look at the handle left and right. The round pivot point: pop the disk off. There is a black and white block in there. Look carefully for a little metal pin. It looks like a little rivet. Using nippers ( pliers cant grab it) pull that pin out. Its about 2 cm long.Then take the black and white plastic block and rotate it 1/4turn(hold handle steady). The bloack can now be removed.The handle will now be off. Remove 3 screw in back (one around power plug, two on gpib module) and lift case off.Pop the metal lid off the analog inputs (you need to remove fan assembly. 2 cables and 2 screws.)Take a look at the center pin of the bnc . It connects using a tabto the maxtek hybrid. Most likely sheared off there.Opening the tds 220: take the handle , put it vertical, now pull the two vertical pieces outward. Thes removes the handle. There are two hidden screws under there.There is a screw in battery compartment too i believe.Pull out the power button ( you risk breaking off the switch if you dont do this) then remove back panel. Easy peasy

author: WattSekunde
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 21, 2013, 05:03:54 pm
content: Congratulations Dave! Awesome heap of gear. There are a lot of tds3054 from Australia an USA on ebay from 2k to 5k. Unbelievable.I am very envious!

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 21, 2013, 06:27:02 pm
content: ..so what did you pay for it all?I've seen stuff like that go for near-retail at some non-online auctions, and mega-bargains are rare on anything that looks remotely valuable - the real bargains are often in the "weeds" of boxes of random oddments.

author: Legit-Design
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 21, 2013, 06:31:04 pm
content: This video is unlisted. Only those with a link can see it.To watch my eevblog episodes I go directly to youtube. Also my phone alerts when something I like has been released on youtube.

author: trackman44
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 21, 2013, 06:49:36 pm
content: I hope Dave can give away some of those Tek DMMs. Would love to own one. Great catch by the wayWill

author: pickle9000
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 21, 2013, 06:53:45 pm
content: I have a DMM916 (purchased new) and use it as my regular meter, it has fantastic function selections a fast meter to set. The biggest fail is the backlight.

author: max-bit
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 21, 2013, 07:12:29 pm
content: I join up for questions MikeHow much you paid for the items, or for all?

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 21, 2013, 07:42:02 pm
content: Quote from: free_electron on December 21, 2013, 04:30:34 pmIncluding the TX3/TX5 meters? They may have been produced by Escort, but I thought they were actually designed by Tek. Didn't Fluke at some point sue Tektronix and eventually buy the Tek DMM business, at which point the TX3/TX5 became the 183/185?Quote from: free_electron on December 21, 2013, 04:30:34 pmSold just for the Scopemeters I believe. Didn't Fluke discontinue most of the Philips bench instruments within a couple of years or so?Quote from: free_electron on December 21, 2013, 04:30:34 pmNope, they only enabled the advanced triggering, FFT and part of the TDS3VID option (the video triggering, not the waveform monitor and other features), but not the other options like limit testing, telecom masks and advanced analysis (the latter is nice, it enables statistics on measurements and some other neat features). It's trivial to hack the option modules (they're just I2C EEPROMs with the option as text string), however. Someone even posted a string (something like TDS3ENG) that when put in the EEPROM enabled all of the options.

author: Jay_Diddy_B
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 21, 2013, 07:44:13 pm
content: Hi,The Tektronix DM870 is particularly interesting. In around 1996 Fluke sued Tektronix because the DM870 looked too similar to the Fluke 80 series meter. (Kind of like Apple versus Samsung).As part of the settlement Tektronix agreed not use a yellow holster and they changed the number from DM870, too close to 87. That is the reason why the other Tektronix DMMs are blue.Here is a reference that I found:EVERETT, Wash., April 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Fluke Corporation (NYSE: FLK) announced today that the trade dress infringement lawsuit it filed against Tektronix, Inc. (NYSE: TEK) on June 21, 1996, in Federal District Court in Seattle has been concluded with the entry of a final order.On August 16, 1996, the district court in Seattle preliminarily enjoined Tektronix from selling and advertising its 800 Series digital multimeters (DMMs) in the United States. On April 24, 1997, the district court entered a final order permanently enjoining Tektronix from marketing and selling their 800 Series DMMs and 510 and 520 digital thermometers (DTMs). The permanent injunction was entered after Fluke and Tektronix reached an agreement that Tektronix, without admitting liability, would stop selling and advertising dark DMMs, DTMs and other handheld, portable electronic test tools with significant digital multimeter functionality, having yellow holsters or borders around the perimeter of the products. The scope of the agreement is worldwide and applies to present and future products sold by Tektronix."We are pleased with this result," said Bill Parzybok, Fluke chairman and chief executive officer. "We will continue to take legal action whenever necessary to protect Fluke's trade identity symbols from unlawful infringement so that customers may continue to rely on them as source indicators of high quality Fluke products."Fluke's mission is to be the leader in compact, professional electronic test tools. Fluke's products are used by technicians and engineers in installation, maintenance, service, manufacturing test and quality functions in a variety of industries throughout the world. Fluke, founded in 1948, has approximately 2,500 employees worldwide and distributes its products in over 100 countries. The company's worldwide headquarters are in Everett, Washington, USA, with European sales and service headquarters located in Eindhoven, The Netherlands.SOURCE Fluke Corp.Now both companies are now owned by Danaher.Note to Dave: Do not add a yellow holster to uCurrentJay_Diddy_B

author: Hydrawerk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 21, 2013, 08:26:41 pm
content: Wow, how much dit it cost??

author: lewis
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 21, 2013, 08:39:13 pm
content: You lucky bugger! I bet you paid sod all for that lot....That wobbly BNC is a dry joint on the ground, wouldn't necessarily show up as a dodgy waveform using the probe compensation output. I had the same problem, very very simple fix.There seems to be two kinds of auction: 1) everything sells for more than you can buy it new because everyone knows what it is, and 2) everything sells for pence (or cents) because no-one knows what it is.Did I mention you're a lucky bugger?

author: Legit-Design
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 21, 2013, 08:45:27 pm
content: Looks like Dave is testing how many views/whatever the video gets if he doesn't fully publish it on youtube. He posted this on eevblog.com and on twitter. Why run away from a goose that lays golden eggs?

author: jancumps
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 21, 2013, 09:02:43 pm
content: That may be because it's a scheduled video release?

author: BBQ
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 21, 2013, 09:18:21 pm
content: Nice, i guess it counts as tax refund.

author: nathanpc
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 21, 2013, 09:35:12 pm
content: Christmas arrived earlier for Dave.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 21, 2013, 09:40:57 pm
content: Quote from: lewis on December 21, 2013, 08:39:13 pmNo, I paid a lot for it, more than you think, it was a risk. But low enough for me to make a decent profit on it all.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 21, 2013, 09:42:26 pm
content: Quote from: Legit-Design on December 21, 2013, 06:31:04 pmI released it on my blog site first before Youtube, it's something I'm trialing.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 21, 2013, 09:43:32 pm
content: Quote from: free_electron on December 21, 2013, 04:30:34 pmThought so, that was going to be my guess.Thanks for the tips.

author: Len
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 21, 2013, 09:46:31 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on December 21, 2013, 09:42:26 pmWhy? Are too many people watching your videos??

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 21, 2013, 09:49:02 pm
content: Quote from: Len on December 21, 2013, 09:46:31 pmBecause the blog website is where the majority of my ad revenue comes from, so I need to provide an incentive for people to visit it more regularly. At present I'm not doing that, which is rather foolish.

author: nitro2k01
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 21, 2013, 09:59:55 pm
content: I noticed a few dangling traces in that multimeter. I saw similar ones on the bottom side as well, which I confirmed go down to the ground terminal. Which I'm guessing makes them shielding traces. (If they were guard traces proper, I guess they would have been exposed.)Another curious thing is the CPU frequency, 3.579545 MHz. This value is otherwise used as the NTSC colorburst frequency. I guess they've chosen that frequency because the crystals were available dime a dozen at the time, because I can't think of another practical reason to use that particular frequency in a non-video related producted."Gold" in the menu probably refers to the color of the silkscreened text, which they thought sounded "better" (ie wankier) than just shift. Or it was a character limitation on the smaller digit display. And maybe the units were binned exactly because the backlight had failed.

author: volodimirk
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: December 21, 2013, 10:16:58 pm
content: Oh , what a view...i have just got into electronics, though i have been a passive viever of Dave for a year+ already...I have repaired my dad`s faulty cheap $5 chinese voltmeter - and here i am with my old "made-in-USSR" 25W soldering iron frying my fist PCBsdoubt i can afford myself such a multimeter , but please let me know somehow if any of these will be going on sale.especially osciloscopes....tey are GORGEOUS!!!!Greetings form UkraineVladimir

author: JoannaK
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 21, 2013, 10:30:15 pm
content: TDS220 obsolete? .. good grief.. I have 20Mhz 1 channel russian cro..

author: dr.diesel
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 21, 2013, 10:34:24 pm
content: Quote from: JoannaK on December 21, 2013, 10:30:15 pmObsolete yes, but still very useful. I still use my TDS210 all the time over my Rigol 4000 series. Like Dave said, no fan, completely silent, a pleasure to use when appropriate!

author: taiteki
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: December 21, 2013, 10:50:21 pm
content: awesome, the simpson 260 are in really very good conditions.

author: dumle29
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 21, 2013, 10:52:38 pm
content: Hey dave, what do you want for a working tektronix DMM916, with shipping to Denmark?I feel rather criminal with my 5$ meter with awg12 wires instead of fuses

author: JoannaK
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 21, 2013, 10:57:28 pm
content: Quote from: dr.diesel on December 21, 2013, 10:34:24 pmYeah.. I know. Kinda hurts to see 100% working DPO3054 to be declared to be obsolete. No wonder Armies need such huge budgets..

author: IanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 21, 2013, 10:59:35 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on December 21, 2013, 09:49:02 pmYou have a blog website?Seriously, if you would like people to visit your main site you need to juice it up a bit. While it offers no content except video links there is no reason to go there. You might consider generating some text blog content to go alongside your videos, maybe on the same subject but with words and pictures? For instance when you do a tutorial you could post the DaveCad pictures in a blog entry with some notes explaining them.Here's an example of a blog with a good mix of text, photos and video content:http://woodgears.ca/I always have Matthias' main page open because I like to read the text and look at the photos before watching the videos.

author: TheBay
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 21, 2013, 11:22:45 pm
content: The NEC chip in the Tek meter is an 8bit Microcontroller, it probably drives the LCD - Are there any RS232 interfaces on that meter?Nice haul though, I'd end up hoarding a few bits out of there if it was methose scopes are so sexy!

author: con-f-use
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 21, 2013, 11:35:28 pm
content: Any chance you'd bless a poor student with a desperately needed multimeter for christmas?

author: Legit-Design
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 21, 2013, 11:48:13 pm
content: Quote from: con-f-use on December 21, 2013, 11:35:28 pmQuote from: EEVblog on December 21, 2013, 09:40:57 pmAlso there are plenty of good choices for relative cheap multimeters, check ilovelectronics/frankie/99centhobbies(on ebay). You might not get it for xmas anymore, but you still get good value for money.

author: gxti
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 21, 2013, 11:57:22 pm
content: I would say that a 10+ year old scope that is out of cal is most certainly obsolete. Good enough for Dave sure, but good enough for corporate or military use? The money to recalibrate it for another 5 years would be better spent on a new model. If you're buying new equipment every month to replace worn out stuff across a big organization it becomes a continuous process.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 22, 2013, 12:29:08 am
content: Quote from: nitro2k01 on December 21, 2013, 09:59:55 pmThat was common "back in the day" when crystals weren't cheap, so you used the most popular value.QuoteTurns out the backlight works, it's just really really piss poor!

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 22, 2013, 12:30:35 am
content: Quote from: gxti on December 21, 2013, 11:57:22 pm"Out of cal" means nothing. A new scope costs just as much to cal as an old scope. Even a brand new scope has to sent away for cal before it's used, that's the procedure.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 22, 2013, 12:33:45 am
content: Quote from: dumle29 on December 21, 2013, 10:52:38 pmShipping outside Oz is very expensive, it's not worth it.

author: kb3pxr
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: December 22, 2013, 12:45:54 am
content: I know someone who used to work in the Cal Lab at the local Army Depot. The army took over something from a contractor and they had a problem. The contractor used an application specific calibration process for the instrument. This was not acceptable for the Army, they had to track down not only the calibration procedure, but the calibration cables needed and the instrument couldn't simply be replaced as it was critical to the process. I know in the USA calibration is taken seriously in defense and likely the same elsewhere.

author: johnh
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 22, 2013, 01:01:27 am
content: What happened to the multimeter and cro's that that were up on ebay?Did they all sell?I going to talk to SWMBO to see if I could get some money for one the CRO's.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 22, 2013, 01:04:12 am
content: Quote from: johnh on December 22, 2013, 01:01:27 amNothing, still there. Only one TDS220 & meter so far, to test the market.

author: johnh
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 22, 2013, 01:19:12 am
content: Went herehttp://www.ebay.com/usr/eevbloginstead ofhttp://www.ebay.com.au/usr/alternatezone

author: jc
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: December 22, 2013, 01:24:30 am
content: What a score. Already for sale on ebay, wish I could get a DMM916 or a simpson 260 (auspost prices are insane).

author: SPRX
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 22, 2013, 01:31:30 am
content: Nice collection of kit Dave !!.Last 30secs are very sexy

author: Rutger
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 22, 2013, 02:02:02 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on December 21, 2013, 09:40:57 pmYes, I know the feeling. I had a local auction here in the US and thought I could make a good deal on about 12 x Fluke 189. They all went for over $ 150.00 and I didn't get any. The Internet is a blessing and a curse, every auction bidder can look up how much they can get on ebay (on there phone, right there) and there is no 'expert' advantage any more when bidding on these items. You are basically bidding against any Joe, who has sold stuff on ebay and wants to make a buck.

author: TheBay
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 22, 2013, 02:28:35 am
content: Totally agree, I find the same thing with auctions, gumtree and car boot sales. Everyone has a smart phone and can find out the price of anything, not so many bargains to be had these days unless it's something obscure.Quote from: Rutger on December 22, 2013, 02:02:02 am

author: 99tito99
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 22, 2013, 02:31:23 am
content: I am considering a ticket to Baulkham Hills just to slap you back to reality.Lucky SOB!Yours Truly,Mr. Jealous***********************science-mark from Tucson

author: JoannaK
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 22, 2013, 03:02:55 am
content: TDS220 with only 11 bootups? Not much used, I'd expect. Kinda wish there were some decent priced way to get some of those to this part of the world.

author: reagle
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 22, 2013, 03:46:15 am
content: I just got a few lots off a corporate auction myself. Must be Dave's exampleMy loot is nowhere near as nice- a huge lot of RF step attenuators in 10 , 1 and 0.1?! db steps, awesome vintage (General Radio brand) Decade resistor boxes and a bunch of Fluke 70 and 73s with Japanese stickers on the back. Silly thing is you can't change batteries in them without lifting "Cal void if removed" stickers!

author: EEgalitarian512
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: December 22, 2013, 03:49:35 am
content: Hi Dave. If, for any reason, you decide later to sell / give away that Avo CT446 Transistor Analyser. Please let me know just exactly how much the shipping charges are to California - so I can at least consider the feasibility of sending you the $ for shipping. But, if it is a Patriotic Thing, where you just want to keep it for the Aussies - I understand. John

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 22, 2013, 03:54:32 am
content: Quote from: EEgalitarian512 on December 22, 2013, 03:49:35 amPeople keep asking what it costs to ship this stuff overseas. The answer is "too much"!

author: free_electron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 22, 2013, 04:10:10 am
content: There is shipping and then also the customs problems.I sent my Acer Iconia A500 Tablet to my nephew in europe. He wanted a large android tablet.It was stuck in customs for 4 weeks ! they needed the original invoice , they wanted to know the price so they could leverage import duty. And they wanted proof it was a used device.I told them1) it is a christmas gift2) i truthfully declared its residual value : 100$. which is what they go for. there is just the tablet and charger. nothing else.3) This model is OBSOLETE. You can't buy it anymore4) Look at the manufacturing date on the back it's 3 years old. I don't have the invoice for that anymore. you think i am going to hang on to a little thermal printed cash register ticket (that will probably have faded by now) for 3 years ?and it still took 4 weeks. finally no import duty was required but come on... bloody penny pickers.

author: calin
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 22, 2013, 04:18:57 am
content: You Mr totally SUCK !!! (I mean Dave) lucky bastard... this has ruined my happiness after I got a 50$ non working TEK 475A off Craigslist. Now I go to cry in my Guinness full off envy and try to fix the 475 to raise my morale

author: EEgalitarian512
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: December 22, 2013, 05:01:22 am
content: Hi Dave. I went on-line to Australian Post. For a 7.5 Kg package (about 16.5 Lb) to the USA via Sea Mail is $91.20 AUD (or $81.33 USD) which I would gladly pay to get that Transistor Analyser to California. Of course, I have no idea what the cost / availability is locally - or how much you would ask IF you were in the market to sell it. All of which, could be important. John

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 22, 2013, 05:14:35 am
content: Quote from: EEgalitarian512 on December 22, 2013, 05:01:22 amI don't ship anything by sea mail.

author: calexanian
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 22, 2013, 05:30:31 am
content: We still have a 220 at our service bench. Something to look for is the power supplies run hot in those and with the thermo cycling you get loose solder joints on the power supply boards. Piece o cake to re flow (Use kester 44 if you have it, nice and fluxy!)That is officially a score of scores. You need to make up DaveCal stickers. %100 visual by guess and by golly verified!

author: mtc2629
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: December 22, 2013, 05:43:08 am
content: Hi dave i would love to buy any multimeter. Plus i live in newcastle, NSW

author: ratdude747
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 22, 2013, 05:52:37 am
content: Lucky Bastard... I wish such deals could still be found in the USA... I was lucky to get a well maintained working 1963 Heathkit 1012 for free (Probably worth a bit though, but a close professor gifted it so I can't morally sell it). Very crude but mostly usable at least. But even for a dual channel 30MHz scope... you'll pay fair price. Not good if you're a broke college student...Still, sweet scores!

author: Six_Shooter
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 22, 2013, 06:20:46 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on December 22, 2013, 03:54:32 amBut could be worth it, because these would be touched by the hand of Dave Jones...

author: retiredcaps
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 22, 2013, 06:39:41 am
content: Quote from: free_electron on December 21, 2013, 04:30:34 pmHi Vincent,Can you expand on the relationship between Tek and Escort? I'm interested in learning all these past/present ODM/OEM relationships.From my own research, I thought the Tek DMM 912/914/916 were made by Appatech?

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 22, 2013, 06:41:27 am
content: Sea mail is slow, but to Australia from SA took only 8 weeks, so that is not terribly bad. Slow yes, but the mass advantages are there for boat anchors. You just need to pack in a plastic bag with a big sachet of desiccant inside.Air to here takes 6 weeks, really not much difference.

author: idpromnut
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 22, 2013, 06:48:05 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on December 22, 2013, 03:54:32 amAre you offering shipping outside Austrailia with the auctions you've posted for these pieces of gear on Ebay? If not, you might consider specifying that you don't ship internationally (for us poor sods on the other side of the puddle

author: firewalker
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 22, 2013, 06:52:59 am
content: The construction of the DMM reminds me this one.https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/iso-tech-%28appa%29-idm105-dmm/Alexander.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 22, 2013, 06:59:05 am
content: Quote from: idpromnut on December 22, 2013, 06:48:05 amI do specify only Australia.

author: EEgalitarian512
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: December 22, 2013, 07:07:14 am
content: QuoteSounds like the whole international shipping thing is "all too much". Just keeping company with a part of me that feels, well, sad. And I totally respect / support personal autonomy. Your videos enrich my life. Thank you. John

author: daqq
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 22, 2013, 07:07:49 am
content: Holy crap! Congrats to an Epic haul Dave! I see you've got Christmas all sorted out for yourself

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 22, 2013, 07:25:52 am
content: QuoteYes, sometimes it's just too much hassle. I have to line up at the post office, fill out the customs and shipping form, and show ID. For Oz I just pop it in a pre-paid satchel.Also selling cheap stuff on ebay, it's not worth my time and effort. $50 is about the "hassle limit". I don't do sea mail because I don't want complaints every month for 6 months straight that is hasn't arrived yet.

author: free_electron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 22, 2013, 08:44:54 am
content: Quote from: retiredcaps on December 22, 2013, 06:39:41 amOh crap, you may be right. It could be APPA too. I know the tek power supplies with the runner keypad and red led displays were the same oem like ten a and many others. Escort at one point made stuff for metex, wavetek, hp and many others including tek. Tek had a function generator made by leader as well . I believe also a frequency counter.At one point escort became sort of a hp only thing and finally they were borged by agilent.

author: max-bit
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 22, 2013, 09:36:02 am
content: The first question is how much the object you want to sell? ex TDS3054?I do not know how in Australia (not Austria)But in Europe or the U.S., there are companies that send goods for a fraction of the cost of companies such as UPS, DHL, etc..Example: Sending an oscilloscope (from the USA to Poland) LeCroy (60lbs, box dimensions 80cm x 50cm x 60cm, it cost $ 160 (airline).There are also companies that cooperate with such carriers as has just UPS, DHL and prices are much lower than the official web site for companiesI guess maybe there are companies in Australiahttp://www.discountfreight.com.au/index.php#.UrazoPTuIXm

author: arekm
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 22, 2013, 10:10:53 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on December 22, 2013, 12:33:45 amHere in Poland we have bunch of delivery service "aggregators" - these are online services that have deals with regular transport service companies (DHL, UPS and so on) but thanks to *huge* volume these aggregators have very cheap prices. So if regular DHL costs let say 30-40PLN then it's only 16PLN via such aggregator even for a regular people. The aggregator job is easy - take your money, email you waybill, so you can print and stick on package. DHL/UPS/other then comes up to you to take your package.No such (cheap) services in Australia?

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 22, 2013, 10:35:02 am
content: Quote from: arekm on December 22, 2013, 10:10:53 am..which is fine as long as you can guarantee to be there when they come to collect - this can be a problem for a 1-man business, unless your office has a staffed reception desk. Some couriers like UPS have drop-off locations, but if going though an aggregator you don't know who the shipper will be.

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 22, 2013, 10:38:30 am
content: QuoteSurely you can at least get a bunch of forms ahead of time and pre-fill them, and as a self-employed person, choose a time when the PO isn't busy...

author: TheBay
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 22, 2013, 10:39:48 am
content: A lot of desperation going on in this thread, Dave has said he doesn't want to ship outside of his country and I for one respect that, I will not ship worldwide it is too much hassle for many reasons, let alone the inconvenience of sending the item. Some of us are too busy tto go through that.Also due to nature of the items sold, I.e. where they came from originally that might set off alarm bells in customs and might not actually be legal to sell outside of Aus. (I say might)Please give Dave a break regarding shipping. If you want it that badly try a friend, relative or even fly to Aus to get it

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 22, 2013, 10:54:19 am
content: "international for eevblog members only" might be a nice compromise (just publicised on the forum, not in the listing).But for run-of-the mill things like multmeters, I'm sure there are enough potential buyers in Oz that offering international shippping wouldn't increase the price-to-hassle ratio sufficiently, and there isn't any shortage of this sort of stuff.I get a lot more annoyed when someone won't ship me the 1-off oddball stuff!Still may be worth a quick look at shipping aggregators though. And/or having a chat with neighbouring offices about an "If Dave's not here pickup parcel at office number x" arrangement

author: arekm
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 22, 2013, 11:00:29 am
content: Quote from: mikeselectricstuff on December 22, 2013, 10:35:02 amWith PL aggregators I know day and ~4 hour period when they will be coming...Quote... and also I'm the one choosing courier on aggregator web order form. So it's not that random at least here in Poland. It's also not hard to get direct mobile phone of the person that will be coming to collect - call to courier (not aggregator of course) customer center is enough (since package/waybill number is known directly when ordering at aggregator site).Unfortunately no real experience for international deliveries (only domestic tested) with aggregators (beside reading international pricing information).

author: con-f-use
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 22, 2013, 11:01:06 am
content: Or international shipping only for people who orderer a uCurrent. Then you could ship both together.

author: GeoffS
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 22, 2013, 11:06:31 am
content: Quote from: TheBay on December 22, 2013, 10:39:48 am

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 22, 2013, 11:30:51 am
content: Depressing, but as somebody who has had to deal with various customs agents both in Africa and worldwide ( had a customer who spent a few months in jail because the customs guys could not actually read the declaration) that can be a major pain. Sending with courier can be very expensive, but the regular post often works out the cheapest, and sea is the cheapest for heavier things. Sent a lot of stuff that way, just takes time. Send and get a thank you about 3-4 months later.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 22, 2013, 11:44:54 am
content: Quote from: mikeselectricstuff on December 22, 2013, 10:38:30 amEver heard of Murphy?No such thing as a non-busy time at a business PO centre really.For regular parcel post, yes, I have the CN22 forms at the lab, but anything extra like tracking etc requires triplicate forms they will not give you.If the gear is worth a fair bit, sure, I don't mind, but walking to the PO and back + waiting + packing + printing sticker etc all takes time, and if you do it for just one person, one item, then it's a PITA, and not worth it for stuff that doesn't cost much.For a self employed person to list on ebay and then go and line up at to the PO to ship say a single $50 item is just silly. I don't know why people on ebay do that for a $10 item or something.And on something big and expensive like the TDS3054 scope, worth thousands, you really want tracking and insurance, otherwise you'll get left up shit creek without a paddle, and that's big $$$ for overseas. Just dealing with the email requsts for individual overseas quotes is a time sink.Shipping say 50 uCurrents in one go isn't too bad (if you don't hit a clueless counter person with no idea how to do them efficiently) as you do it all in one hit, so it makes the trip worthwhile.I'll be trialing Aust Post click'n'send this time to see if it's any easier.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 22, 2013, 11:50:33 am
content: Quote from: mikeselectricstuff on December 22, 2013, 10:54:19 amThat's the thing. This stuff is run-of-the mill, plenty of buyers locally. The meters fit in pre-paid parcel satchels I have, no lining up, no paperwork, no one requesting individual quotes, nothing, drop in any box and it has tracking that gets plugged into ebay and I'm covered. Anyone would be a fool to offer the extra hassle of international postage for this stuff.

author: Dreddling
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: December 22, 2013, 12:32:05 pm
content: Hey Dave do you want some NOS OC series transistors to test with your new avo?i have a coffee can full of them still in their paper packets,

author: lewis
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 22, 2013, 01:07:57 pm
content: I always offer to ship ANYTHING internationally. We have courier brokers in the UK which can use their volume discount to get decent pricing with Fed-ex, UPS, DHL and TNT. Book online, and a man comes the next day to pick the package up. Easy! You get full and complete tracking too which Paypal loves if there's any dispute. So why NOT offer it?Yes, it can be expensive (although not as expensive as you might think), but I pass all the cost on to the customer. It's entirely up to them if they want to pay the shipping for the item, at least they get the opportunity to buy it, and I broaden my market as a seller.I hate the post office for the same reasons as Dave, it's a pain in the arse. Couriers are definitely the way to go. Dave seems to be getting more hassle for NOT offering international shipping than he would be if he did!

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 22, 2013, 01:23:23 pm
content: Quote from: lewis on December 22, 2013, 01:07:57 pmBecause I'm not in the UK. It ain't that easy here.You forgot about the individual quotes bidder wants. Unless it's the same price everywhere which I doubt.QuoteNot if, as Mike pointed out, you have to be around for the pickup. I can assure you that here in Oz, the PO is much nicer option than a courier for the casual shipper.

author: con-f-use
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 22, 2013, 01:51:17 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on December 22, 2013, 01:23:23 pmI just misread that as "stripper"The discussion is over: No international stripping!

author: Rutger
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 22, 2013, 03:55:04 pm
content: Dave, because you are going to ship a lot of items in the next month/year and because I am shipping a lot of packages every day using postal service and couriers service this is what I recommend;1) Get an account with a local courier service, like TNT, DHL, Fedex, etc, the one that has good pricing/service, but the also look at pickup service and drop off locations in the area. They key is your time, not the cost.They should provide you with shipping software and a free label printer, and all the packaging material you might need.Yes you would pay a monthly fee, but your time is more precious.If you don't want a courier account buy a used label printer, like the 'ZEBRA LP 2844' or 'Zebra ZP 450' and the thermal printer paper.2) Buy a scale that connect to the software, like the 'Mettler Toledo Model PS60' (you might have to get a parallel card)3) Get any service for online/software postal shipping like the 'Click and Send'. I use Endicia in the US, which is great. It offer commercial rates and I just printout the label, take it to the postal office and drop it off (if I miss the daily pickup). If the postal service doesn't pickup from the office, consider maybe the pick it up from the house?Not having to stand in line at the post office, is the best thing ever, you would agree. That is such a time waster.Hope some of these suggestion help. Wishing you and your family a Happy Christmas and a happy New Year.Rutger

author: max-bit
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 22, 2013, 04:08:49 pm
content: But I see that in Australiathe same problems as in the Polish Postand I thought that for us is badlyFortunately in Poland is a whole bunch of courier companies and other companiesPostalI know that shipping in Poland on the other end of the country is not the same as in AustraliaIn addition, Australia is far away from other countries which have their pros and consAnd a giant UV index

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 22, 2013, 04:09:17 pm
content: Quote from: free_electron on December 22, 2013, 08:44:54 amI'd have to total agree withretiredcapsin that it was by Appa Tech, maybe an early version of their 100 series.

author: KD0CAC John
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 22, 2013, 04:56:47 pm
content: Oh the hell with it .I just need to ship myself to OZI need a changeDang too much stuff to bring with , oh well , see ya when I win the lotto

author: TiN
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 22, 2013, 05:32:53 pm
content: Nice lootAs for shipping hassle, just 5c from me, it still depends a lot on destination country and buyerBack days when I lived in Ukraine, shipping and customs was huge PITA, tremendous amounts of hassle even for 50USD items from overseas. But that's buyer problem, not seller.Now in Taiwan, in almost 3 years of buying various stuff (as small as bunch of thru-hole resistors, up to CSA7404 scope for parts for 1.5K$) off ebay - all going smoothly, shipped by USPS,DHL,Fedex,ebay's global shipping program. Few times paid customs fee (which is here just a % of declared cost), but that's it. I don't even know where is customs office here O0.

author: BFX
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 22, 2013, 06:42:25 pm
content: Oh my godNice

author: BMac
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: December 22, 2013, 07:11:57 pm
content: Dave,I had to replace all the BNC connectors on our TDS 220 at work, not a very good design, the frame of the connector easily snaps if you have a ham handed tech use these scopes, found exact replacement foot print connectors through mouser. Pretty easy repair, biggest issue was figuring out how to get the handle off.As for the post from the member asking how much it cost, I assume he must be single or his wife doesn't have a computer.Thanks for the great entertainment!BMac

author: Towger
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 22, 2013, 08:00:50 pm
content: Quote from: BMac on December 22, 2013, 07:11:57 pmI get the feeling Dave exceeded the SWMBO non pre approved discretionary spending on 'junk' limit. As we all know, the fact that is 'good value' never holds water with a SWMBO...

author: KD0CAC John
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 22, 2013, 08:46:23 pm
content: Quote from: Towger on December 22, 2013, 08:00:50 pmThis seems to be at the root of western societies mental problems !The concept that someone that does not know or have any interests in a subject , should tell someone who does know a subject and has an interest , what to do or not ?Use some common sense / logic / critical thinking skills ---- before getting all defensive and lashing back - hopefullyJust because it is the norm , does not make it correct .Now back to our subject , nice pile of goodies , and these are going to be a source income for food on the table / or other goodies , so it is on topic .

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 22, 2013, 08:55:02 pm
content: Quote from: Rutger on December 22, 2013, 03:55:04 pmNo such thing here!

author: voltsandjolts
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 22, 2013, 09:04:49 pm
content: FYI, you can unlock all software options for the TDS3000 series scopes.See this thread:https://www.eevblog.com/forum/projects/tektronix-tds3000-oscilloscope-modules-tds3uam/msg287861/#msg287861

author: EEgalitarian512
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: December 22, 2013, 09:25:20 pm
content: Dear Dave. Please, whatever you do, please do not fold your tent and go home. I would much rather have your EEVblog videos than that Transistor Analyser on my doorstep. John

author: open loop
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 22, 2013, 10:17:03 pm
content: I have sold a number of items (internationally) on eBay and I agree that international shipping can be a pain as I know what Dave means by having to quote for shipping and add the number of items and time diference and you haven't even sold the item. My experience has not been hassle free - one I was charged extra by Parcel Monkey for not measuring the package correctly. It turned out that this was thier mistake and I had to spend time sorting it out. Not something that David wantsTherefore I totally respect his decision and the terms and conditions on eBay is now making it tougher for sellers. Rightly so in some inatances but I am hearing of increasing cases of items being returned not working or working less with a part swapped and the buyer demanding a full refund via PayPal. This would be a nightmare to sort out with an overseas sale on a $4k scope. (I am sure that no one in this forum would ever dream of doing anything like that to anyone as it is theft).Is Dave going to have one of these items as a "keeper" like Toy Story, Looks like a transistor tester so far. Hmm film idea, where test gear comes to life when the lab lights go out and the "one hung low" meters get beaten up by Agilents. Oh well back to the medication...

author: Towger
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 22, 2013, 10:59:04 pm
content: Quote from: KD0CAC John on December 22, 2013, 08:46:23 pmI think you will find that eastern SWMBOs are much the same :-)On international sales, I have bought a number items on ebay and resold them internationally for multiples of what I originally paid. As can be seen here, specialist items can be very hard to get in some countries and people will pay a large premium. In one case I made over 100 times what I paid, and in another for a 3m touchscreen it was bought by a company who needed it fast. They arranged themselves with DHL to collect it and for express delivery from Ireland to Cyprus, now that did not come cheep.

author: VK3DRB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 22, 2013, 11:38:13 pm
content: Stone the CRO's, we have a TDS3054 at work.It is a not a very good CRO and I am looking to replace it with something better. I hate using diskettes to save traces - how bloody archaic and annoying. We have to keep an old IBM clone to copy the images. More importantly the CRO has difficulty displaying clear multiple traces plus maths at high speeds. I have even brought in my trusty HP CRO from home to do some more serious scope work, rather than have to use the 3054. On the other hand, the 3054 does fairly accurately measure waveforms and is OK for general purpose.The Rigol cheap CRO has excellent connectivity features including ethernet, but I found the one I bought for a previous workplace was hopelessly inaccurate in its measurements, like 15% out on p-p voltage measurements of 5 Vp-p! Maybe we just got a bad one.Still, if you got all the dumpster stuff equipment cheap enough, you probably got a bargain.

author: VK3DRB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 22, 2013, 11:48:43 pm
content: Quote from: free_electron on December 21, 2013, 04:30:34 pmWhat's your problem with Microchip and why the expletive? They make some excellent and innovative low cost IC's. And they are much better in terms of reliable supply, product life and customer service, compared to Atmel - from first hand experience.

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 23, 2013, 12:00:05 am
content: Quote from: VK3DRB on December 22, 2013, 11:38:13 pmYou do know you can get USB floppy drives very cheap don't you....?

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 23, 2013, 12:15:28 am
content: Quote from: VK3DRB on December 22, 2013, 11:38:13 pmI agree, it's a bad cathode ray oscilloscope. The cathode ray tube sucks (due to being absent), only the oscilloscope part works. This makes it only a 33% working CRO. A Tek 465 would make a much better CRO.Quote from: mikeselectricstuff on December 23, 2013, 12:00:05 amOr use the GPIB or RS-232 port included in the various optional I/O modules. Just pressing a button to transfer results to your computer is much more convenient than playing sneakernet with either floppies or thumb drives. Both GPIB and RS-232 are still common in electronics labs and easy to get interfaces for.

author: VK3DRB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 23, 2013, 02:28:21 am
content: Quote from: alm on December 23, 2013, 12:15:28 amHere is Australia, electronics people tend to call an oscilloscope a "CRO", pronounced "crow". It is a generic acronym for Cathode Ray Oscilloscope. Not sure if youngsters call them CROs, but seasoned engineers, technicians and hobbyists in Australia tend to call them that even if they have an LCD display. I heard that Australia is the only country that uses the term CRO rather than oscilloscope. A bit like the Poms calling any vacuum cleaner a Hoover.So CRO is theoretically an incorrect term, but so is calling your iPhone or Samsung S3 a mobile phone or cell phone, when it is more a portable personal wireless data communications and processing centre.cheers,another Dave.

author: lewis
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 23, 2013, 02:58:15 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on December 22, 2013, 01:23:23 pmOver here, we havewww.interparcel.comamong others. Very easy to get quotes, you just need the package dimensions and weight, select the courier you want and you get the shipping price. (This is actually much easier to quote than trying to decipher Royal Mail's obtuse pricing). Nothing similar in Oz? If not, that looks like a decent gap in the market.QuoteUnderstood. Over here it's a bit different, I prefer to hang around for the courier dude because I'm generally in the office all the time and it's easier for me than driving the 4 miles to the PO. If I'm not there, I leave the package with a neighbour.You might find you can get some pretty decent pricing with one of the couriers if you're sending lots of packages (uCurrents?) internationally, you also get an API for producing shipping labels. It might work out a bit more expensive than Oz Post, but it's much faster, fully trackable and much more reliable (uRulers?) in my experience. Of course I understand that your mileage may vary.Back on topic - nice score!

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 23, 2013, 03:07:02 am
content: Quote from: lewis on December 23, 2013, 02:58:15 amYes, but it's not cheap, like $50-$60 minimum.

author: Flump
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 23, 2013, 03:44:55 am
content: nice score dave, any of the stuff you going to keep for yourself like maybe the scopemeter ?or was it primarily a business opportunity to shift it all on ?lol @ all the people trying to get cheap/free stuffyour like a bunch of vultures.

author: steves
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: December 23, 2013, 03:59:12 am
content: Quote from: VK3DRB on December 23, 2013, 02:28:21 amYeah, and what about YouTube?

author: Noize
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 23, 2013, 04:04:27 am
content: The last scene of the video reminded me of the last scene in Scarface but it would be solder paste instead.

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 23, 2013, 11:14:50 am
content: Quote from: VK3DRB on December 23, 2013, 02:28:21 amI know, but calling a recent DSO a CRO always sounds weird to me; it puts so much emphasis on the cathode ray. So I couldn't help pointing that out, sorry. A smartphone at least includes a mobile phone, even though that may not be its main purpose.Quote from: steves on December 23, 2013, 03:59:12 amYouTube is a brand name. Wasn't there a Crow brand oscilloscope at some point? Did they ever sell a DSO with an LCD?

author: open loop
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 23, 2013, 12:08:48 pm
content: My work colleague who is an electronics engineer is: Mr A Cro.- yep that's his actual name...

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 23, 2013, 01:22:08 pm
content: Quote from: alm on December 23, 2013, 11:14:50 amAustralians think nothing of it. For those that have transitioned over to "scope" or "dso", "cro probe" is still a common term. You'll hear me use that a lot.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 23, 2013, 01:24:58 pm
content: Quote from: Flump on December 23, 2013, 03:44:55 am1) Hobby / compulsion2) I get a video out or two out of it3) Shift for some profit.I might keep one of each type, although hard to justify keeping a TDS3054. But I don't have a lab example of a colour DPO display, so it's useful from that viewpoint.

author: xrunner
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 23, 2013, 01:25:48 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on December 23, 2013, 01:24:58 pm

author: Kohanbash
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 23, 2013, 02:17:32 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on December 21, 2013, 09:49:02 pmI am not sure about others but I tend to watch the videos in youtube since it lets you watch in a "large" mode that has a bigger screen but does not take up the full screen. From the embedded clips on the eevblog website it does not have the option for "large viewer".

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 23, 2013, 02:27:19 pm
content: Quote from: sdk32285 on December 23, 2013, 02:17:32 pmIt does. Bottom right corner - full screen [ ], and resolution change if desired.

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 23, 2013, 02:35:22 pm
content: Full screen (the [] button) is not the same as large (the rectangle button on YT). I agree that YouTube provides a better video viewing experience than the eevblog.com: larger video window, less excess whitespace around the video, easier navigation to previous/next/related videos. If I find an embedded YT video, I usually end up clicking the "YouTube" button bottom left to go view the video on their site. If you delay making them available on YouTube, then I'll just watch the video a few days later.In my opinion the best way to drive more traffic to eevblog.com would be to post original content. Ideas for original content would be high-resolution photos of teardowns, as you sometimes post on Flickr, or text blogs to accompany the videos (likeGerry Sweeney).

author: Kohanbash
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 23, 2013, 02:42:03 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on December 23, 2013, 02:27:19 pmIn youtube there is an option for large player (a box, between the gear and full screen) next to the full screen (corner tabs). That option is not in the embedded version.Edit: Just saw alm's post. I agree about adding the content to the eevblog site. Are there any metrics for the amphour's text that appears under the playback buttons?

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 23, 2013, 02:48:36 pm
content: Quote from: sdk32285 on December 23, 2013, 02:42:03 pmThen just click on the "Watch on Youtube" button and it takes you there.QuoteOnly a small percentage visit the amphour website. But that's the nature of the podcast beast.

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 23, 2013, 03:02:59 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on December 23, 2013, 02:48:36 pmWhy go to eevblog.com if you end up watching on YouTube anyway? It's not like it offers more information, better navigation/search or anything else youtube.com/eevblog/videos does not offer. Even the eevblog.com episode list has become quite useless since it only displays your most recent 500 videos. Visiting YouTube also gives access to new videos from other subscribed channels and whatever else the Google Pigeons think I should watch.Quote from: EEVblog on December 23, 2013, 02:48:36 pmFor the Amp Hour I occasionally visit the website to find a link to an item referred to in the podcast. Can't think of a compelling reason to visit eevblog.com outside of the forum.

author: Kohanbash
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 23, 2013, 03:17:18 pm
content: Another thing which brings me to youtube is usually the way I find out that a new video was released is from an email that youtube sends out with a link to the video.If there was an eevblog mailing list for new videos with a link that was sent out it might help steer people to the website. Especially if it is not published by youtube yet.I know that there in the icon of a letter in the ways to "follow the eevblog" that opens a window to send you an email.If you had a textbox that asked for an email so you can send out alerts for new videos people might sign up.I know it is easy for me to say ideas since you are doing the work...

author: AndyC_772
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 23, 2013, 04:07:58 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on December 23, 2013, 01:24:58 pmDPO was novel and worthwhile at the time, but since world+dog now has intensity grading on all but their most toy-like scopes, I don't see it's anything special. Your Agilent 3000X is better, of course.I'd flog it if I were you Dave. I used a TDS3034 every day for years, and it's a nice scope and very capable. As solid and as bug-free as any piece of kit I've ever used.Just make sure you're prepared for the inevitable half-wit who claims it's not a good scope because it doesn't have "enough" memory...

author: Orpheus
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 23, 2013, 09:15:48 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on December 23, 2013, 02:48:36 pmI visit weekly to check out the podcast-associated links. Maybe that will give you ideas

author: BravoV
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 24, 2013, 03:41:14 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on December 23, 2013, 01:24:58 pm...4) Be a Santa Claus for end of year 2013 with a giveaway contest on one of those gadget ?PS : If you do, please do it with stricter rule say like min 3 months forum membership period with > 10 posts ?

author: orin
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 24, 2013, 05:57:35 am
content: Quote from: dr.diesel on December 21, 2013, 10:34:24 pmI bought a TDS210 new in 1998 or so - at least its original cal cert is April 1998. I sent it in (to a Tektronix lab) for its first ever re-cal April this year.As found: IN TOLERANCEAs left: LEFT AS FOUNDUnless actually broken, with those recent compared to mine cal stickers, I suspect Dave's TDS220s are well within spec. Nice as some of the new Rigols are, I don't see myself replacing my '210 in the near future.

author: peter.mitchell
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 24, 2013, 07:42:44 am
content: Quote from: wilfred on December 24, 2013, 06:40:23 amI think that is the primary appeal of dilbert to me.

author: 84GKSIG
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 24, 2013, 08:52:47 am
content: damn id love some of that stuffawesome score Dave

author: Luckymat
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: December 24, 2013, 01:17:15 pm
content: So... when you do giveaway?

author: con-f-use
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 24, 2013, 01:52:57 pm
content: Quote from: Luckymat on December 24, 2013, 01:17:15 pmPlease read. He is selling them inside Australia, keeping the occasional item for himself. Score as it was, those items weren't cheap. So no giveaway.

author: Luckymat
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: December 24, 2013, 03:08:05 pm
content: Quote from: con-f-use on December 24, 2013, 01:52:57 pmahh... i didnt read this.... bad luck.. no giveaway

author: Winston
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 24, 2013, 05:59:41 pm
content: Drooling over those TDS3054s. Obsolete?! Apparently many institutions think so for some reason as there are 39 on US eBay right now, many from Australia:http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw=tds3054&_osacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p2045573.m570.l1313&_nkw=tds3054&_sacat=0Here are the closest spec'ed 'scopes from the US fedgov's central auction site; everything else I find there is older:TDS3032Chttp://www.govliquidation.com/auction/search?cmd=results&fromsearch=true&words=TDS%203032CDSO5032Ahttp://www.govliquidation.com/auction/search?cmd=results&fromsearch=true&words=dso5032aIt'll be interesting to see how much those go for. In my experience bidding years ago, used test equipment firms bid the decent test equipment to fairly large figures.

author: mfeinstein
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: December 24, 2013, 07:21:05 pm
content: Dave, can you explain more this Low Voltage Ohm meter you showed in the DMM916? I have a Fluke 87V and I don't have this haha so I have no clue on the benefits...thanks!

author: mfeinstein
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: December 24, 2013, 07:53:49 pm
content: Also, what are this golden pads around the BNC in the Tektronix?

author: jancumps
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 24, 2013, 08:17:34 pm
content: Quote from: mfeinstein on December 24, 2013, 07:53:49 pmthe matching probes from Tek have contacts that match these pads. The scope can give power to the probes, and the probes can feed back info to the scope (am I in x10/x100 mode).

author: mfeinstein
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: December 24, 2013, 09:05:36 pm
content: Interesting, I always wanted a scope that could be controled by the probes so I dont need to turn the knobs while I don't have where to place the probes....I know this could maybe cause interference with small signals, but it will be great...if someone steals this idea of mine, please at least give me a free unit(percentage of the profits are most welcome too haha)

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 24, 2013, 10:41:43 pm
content: Tektronix had a 'probe ID' button on probes in the eighties (e.g. P6137A). Could be set to several functions on some scopes (24xx? 11xxx?). They discontinued that feature; I don't believe any of their current probes have that feature.

author: retiredcaps
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 24, 2013, 10:49:06 pm
content: Quote from: mfeinstein on December 24, 2013, 07:21:05 pmFrom Tektronix DMM916 manual ..."LV setting reduces the maximum test voltage level to 0.4 V to avoid turning on semiconductor devices. Displaycount changes to 4,000."

author: mfeinstein
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: December 24, 2013, 11:37:14 pm
content: I thought the good DMMs regulated the current to avoid this kind of thing...but even if the low current wont turn Vcc on, the voltage could still trigger a CMOS gate that is already powered...I think once I measured the Fluke 87V as 7V for continuity, I don't know why they choose it and why they dont make it low voltage as well

author: Goophy629
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: December 25, 2013, 05:55:37 am
content: truly boots of loot, awesome~As many points out, would love to see some giveaway laterBTW, why they would sell the gears with all the labels with the ID/names/etc. on? Aren't these supposed to be kind for internal use only?

author: Goophy629
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: December 25, 2013, 06:02:55 am
content: Quote from: JoannaK on December 21, 2013, 10:57:28 pmI guess they're doing things at a higher level than the majority, so their baseline is basically higher than uswhat really hurts is the "return for disposal" part

author: jancumps
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 25, 2013, 09:42:18 am
content: Quote from: Goophy629 on December 25, 2013, 05:55:37 amRemoving them is work.

author: Rasz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 25, 2013, 09:57:34 am
content: Im afraid it wont end well (financially) for Dave. Those "sales" end up being bought by suckers and people specializing in providing legacy support/equipment = they pay premium. It will take ages to sell all this old crap while it takes shelve space and is frozen capital.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 25, 2013, 10:23:28 am
content: Quote from: Rasz on December 25, 2013, 09:57:34 amAll 4 items I have currently listed have bids on them. Little doubt the rest will sell also. And I haven't listed the 3054's yet.

author: jancumps
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 25, 2013, 10:59:15 am
content: Quote from: Rasz on December 25, 2013, 09:57:34 amBut why is one buyer ok, and the other a sucker? In an auction the price is always fair because it's open bidding.

author: Rasz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 26, 2013, 10:03:13 am
content: Quote from: jancumps on December 25, 2013, 10:59:15 amA sucker is a guy buying this because he thinks its 'vintage'there are people that will buy older stuff, be it cars, radios, clothes, just for the sentimental value. Some stuff can be superior, but as soon as its 'vintage' you will get suckers coming out of the wood work overpaying compared to modern superior products.The other kind are people feeding on suckers, they dont care what it is, they usually dont even know anything other than perceived sucker value of a thing. Every time you look at some old piece of garbage with ridiculous price at ham convention, car show or computer market it is being sold by those people.In the past I dealt with this phenomenon in car, audio(mostly audiophools), and computer business. My favorite was a permanent computer market stall selling outdated, but not yet 'vintage' computers around 1993. They had Atari, Amiga, old Apple, + accessories, all listed at ~5-10x the usual price. They made 1-2 sales a day, but it was enough due to sucker prices.Maybe Ebay turns this on its head and makes it extremely easy to sell versus meatspace. In meatspace it was always sitting on the junk waiting for right sucker.QuoteOh how wrong you areI highly recommend everyone listens to the whole thing.

author: jancumps
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 26, 2013, 10:59:56 am
content: Quote from: Rasz on December 26, 2013, 10:03:13 amI've seen it before (think it was posted here in a related context). Great.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 26, 2013, 11:20:01 am
content: Quote from: Rasz on December 26, 2013, 10:03:13 amIt's called a hobby.I just bought a Sinclair C5 in crap condition. Apart from looking cool (IMO), it's a crap useless product, and absolute waste of money. But I always wanted one, so I got one.If you don't have desire for vintage or nostalgic stuff, that's fine, but you can't go around saying that thing holds no value, because it does, to them, and many others.

author: Mark Hennessy
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 27, 2013, 12:40:18 pm
content: Hope it's OK to ask in this thread...Does anyone have the service manual for those Tek DMMs? Or at least the calibration instructions? I have a DMM914 that I'd like to calibrate, and would rather not try random adjustments of the presets.Thanks in advance,Mark

author: hikariuk
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 27, 2013, 02:45:38 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on December 26, 2013, 11:20:01 amAll items have precisely one value: what someone is willing to pay in order to own them.

author: retiredcaps
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 27, 2013, 06:27:53 pm
content: Quote from: Mark Hennessy on December 27, 2013, 12:40:18 pmCalibration info inside this big documenthttps://www.lcsr.jhu.edu/main/images/c/cb/Tektronix_DMM_254_Manual.pdf

author: Rasz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 27, 2013, 07:16:11 pm
content: Quote from: hikariuk on December 27, 2013, 02:45:38 pmThis might sound nice to a lay person, but is not true. Every item has many values. What you describe is perceived value (subjective theory of value), but there is also full value, relative value, expected value, market value etc.Mere act of owning something will bump its value due to endowment effect

author: Mark Hennessy
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 27, 2013, 08:29:43 pm
content: Quote from: retiredcaps on December 27, 2013, 06:27:53 pmWow - that's absolutely fantastic! Thank you very much

author: trackman44
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 31, 2013, 03:46:11 am
content: Here in Canada you can buy two Escort DMM models fromhttp://www.tradeport.on.ca/and here's the brochurehttp://www.tradeport.on.ca/dat/brochures/227.pdf, if anyone is interested. I like the Escort 99, 50,000 count, ac+dc dual display, 0.025% accurate. I might purchase one when the funds are available.Will

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 01, 2014, 09:56:47 pm
content: Can you give me a scope, I am poor. Can you ship it to the UK. Can we spend several pages telling you why you should do it to give you hassle and benefit me only?Most of the posts in this thread should see the users banned, and then taken out and shot repeatedly. Maybe you could do a rant on people who think you should give them stuff that you bought yourself?Dave, to get people to your own blog rather than having them go to Youtube maybe you could use some other video hosting service and only have them on your blog? I stopped watching anything on Youtube ages ago as it is total shit. Watched a couple of videos today, still no better so I give up. I like the mixed content idea, although making a 5 min video can often just take 5 or 10 minutes whereas writing it up for a blog can take all afternoon so I can see why you do all your stuff in video form.