What’s your latest test equipment acquisition?

[gslikker]

I had some old springloaded test pins found in one of my "ever to be sorted" little boxes of parts (unfortunately only two really suitable for the task but it still works well).

I finally decided to make an adapter for my DCA75 transistor tester.

As I tend to write VBE and also HFE on the tape when sorting taped TO92 transistors, this really works well. No need to attach each wire, just pushing the thing against the transistor legs.

 

[Tala Mink]

Just got a leader lag-126, it had no output even though all the test points checked out, i probed around a little more and every pushbutton switch had at least one connection reading open.

I hit them all with zero residue contact cleaner and the unit is running. I still need to disassemble and clean the attenuators then calibrate the unit, but it measures pretty darn good as is.

Obviously the Quantasylum is better as far as thd goes, but you just cant beat the feel of physical switches.

Measurements are the uncalibrated lag-126 into a qa403, thd lowers a little at higher output but i use around 300-600mV to test most receivers and preamps so thats where i measured.

I still need to figure out what to do about the and broken actuators on the frequency range switches, im using a screwdriver to switch them at the moment.

 

[Richard P]

I have an LAG-126S and an LAG-120A. My LDM-171 struggles to measure their distortion accurately since they are both very low, but I got 0.01% on the LAG-126S and 0.02% on the LAG-120A. It's probably better than that for both. I wonder if I can measure more accurate distortion using REW through my Scarlett 2i2 3rd Gen . . . I'll have to give it a try some time. Nice find. Both of mine needed extensive switch cleaning . . . seems to be a common issue with all Leader gear. I need to swap the 126S onto my bench one of these days.

 

[Nashou66]

I had some old springloaded test pins found in one of my "ever to be sorted" little boxes of parts (unfortunately only two really suitable for the task but it still works well).

I finally decided to make an adapter for my DCA75 transistor tester.

As I tend to write VBE and also HFE on the tape when sorting taped TO92 transistors, this really works well. No need to attach each wire, just pushing the thing against the transistor legs.

View attachment 3705594

Cool idea, Im going to use a bread board to achieve the same thing !

 

[gslikker]

Cool idea, Im going to use a bread board to achieve the same thing !

I do not know where they came from, but one brand I know of, is "ingun". Those are printed circuit card test probes.

Many different test pins exist.
The two pins on my picture doing the best, look like little "crowns"

 

[restorer-john]

I have an LAG-126S and an LAG-120A. My LDM-171 struggles to measure their distortion accurately since they are both very low, but I got 0.01% on the LAG-126S and 0.02% on the LAG-120A. It's probably better than that for both. I wonder if I can measure more accurate distortion using REW through my Scarlett 2i2 3rd Gen . . . I'll have to give it a try some time. Nice find. Both of mine needed extensive switch cleaning . . . seems to be a common issue with all Leader gear. I need to swap the 126S onto my bench one of these days.

View attachment 3706190


View attachment 3706189

Love the LAG126S. Sweet generator.

 

[slater529]

I recently picked up this Heathkit IP-5220 and then promptly said "so long, it's been good to know ya" to my old 50-pound 10 amp Powerstat variac. Made a little profit on the deal too! LOVE the Heathkit!

 

[Bradbrews]

Looks like the previous owner had a bit of trouble getting the plugs into the sockets on that one!
I’ve got one of those too.

 

[Bill Ferris]

Love the LAG126S. Sweet generator.

Me too, John.
I`ve had my first purchased new in 1990 for my second bench since. with zero issues.
I like it so much that I tracked down and purchased a clean fully functional used one on eBay over 10 yrs. back to use on my #1 bench for day to day THD+N testing so as to reserve my much higher performance Tektronics 500 series THD+N/IMD audio sig. gen/analyzer package for when needing to measure much lower THD+N distortion levels + IMD.
It`s (LAG-126S`s) handy selectable square wave output is very symmetrical throughout the entire audio bandwidth, along with it`s very accurate and versatile 3 knob step attenuator for excellent repeatable output signal levels.

 

[Nashou66]

I recently picked up this Heathkit IP-5220 and then promptly said "so long, it's been good to know ya" to my old 50-pound 10 amp Powerstat variac. Made a little profit on the deal too! LOVE the Heathkit!View attachment 3706396

Actually the isolated outlet is 3 amp, the non isolated is 10 and not variable .

Athanasios

 

[Cubdriver]

Snagged an HP electronic load from everyone's favorite wallet depletion site; I can now beat on power supplies putting out as much as 240 Vdc.

 

[Martin.M]

well, it wasn’t a concern last night but it might be a problem after I bring this bad boy home tonight
View attachment 3674769

There is a little extension required at the scope mobile: Building the 2 plugin garages in the empty front plate.
Please remember, not all plugins what are size compatible to him, can be used. This triple nickel, 555, makes a very high temperature in the slots. Some plugins are too much sensitive for over heating, so please do not use them in a 555. ( by example: all 1-a and 1L types, also the 1S1 ). Best jobs do a pair of L or K or CA there
The energy saving information... when 2 pcs. CA are installed the scope runs 117 tubes to eat exactly 1kW from the plug. So for the pay of a beer it can glow some hours

 

[Martin.M]

µTek, 214

 

[arts]

µTek, 214


View attachment 3729671

Aww man, I've been looking for a ''baby Tek'' for decades! There's nothing in these parts

 

[Martin.M]

the babys are always expensive. Mostly there is a hard repair comming: the accupacks fail and the acid soup of them makes some destroying on the board.
No fun to repair that ! Only one exception: the little 213 use 2pcs. of the fat D-cell-accu and the boards have a hole there. So the soup goes in the downside cover, not on the boards.
Tek build five of them with some differents:

the 211, is a one channel 500kHz scope (it is the most rare of them)
the 212 is the same but it own 2 probes, 2CH
the 213 is a single channel 1MHz with own DMM what displays directly on the CRT. imho the most useful µTek.
the 214 is a 2CH 500kHz with storage CRT
the 221 is a 1CH 5MHz with a power supply what can eat any voltage between 90 and 220V AC.

all of them can handle higher Voltages, 100V/div.

222 is no part of them bec. it is a little DSO, they are another story.

About international voltage: 211, 212, 213 and 214 must be wired for 120 or 220V AC. This requires the swap of capacitor and fuse.

 

[Pup]

Just rec'd my TV7B/U back from Dan Nelson. Had a 100% complete rebuild including new digital meter. I love it~ and most importantly, I trust it!

 

[MFRD]

Not as esoteric as some of y'all's gear, but here is the B&K 1655 variac / isolation transformer I picked up yesterday:



It does have an issue, so I started a thread here

 

[Nashou66]

Not as esoteric as some of y'all's gear, but here is the B&K 1655 variac / isolation transformer I picked up yesterday:

View attachment 3731743

It does have an issue, so I started a thread here

I have the same one. Use it all the time.

Nashou

 

[arts]

Not as esoteric as some of y'all's gear, but here is the B&K 1655 variac / isolation transformer I picked up yesterday:

View attachment 3731743

It does have an issue, so I started a thread here

Kinda reminds me of my Sencore PR57;

 

[dlucy]

I'm so envious of you all. grumble, grumble