Re: IPA type for 3.5mm connector cleaning
There have been a number of recent posts about various alcohols for cleaning.
I wonder if there has been confusion between ethanol (EtOH) (grain alcohol) and isopropanol.? When distilling? grain mash, the best alcohol concentration you can get is about 70% EtOH and 30% water.? To get 99% EtOH, like Everclear, you have to dry the EtOH / H2O mix with a desiccant like silica gel.? 99% EtOH will avidly absorb water from the atmosphere until it reaches the 70/30 ratio again.
If EtOH is sold without a liquor tax stamp, it is denatured with something like Methanol, isopropanol, acetone, or MEK to keep it from being consumed internally.
Isopropanol (Often sold as rubbing alcohol) is very definitely toxic, and does not require denaturing.
Methanol (wood alcohol) is also toxic, and causes blindness if ingested in a significant quantity.? Methanol comes off the fermented mash in the early stages of distillation, in the "heads", and is supposed to be discarded.
Dave
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On 2/16/2025 6:39 PM, Steve Byan via groups.io wrote: The 91% isopropyl at my CVS has a bitterant added to it to prevent people from drinking it. It leaves a white residue behind. Since discovering that, I use only 99% isopropyl. Try asking the pharmacist for the 99% variety, some pharmacies stock it. Otherwise you can buy it from electronics distributors such as Mouser and DigiKey.
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Re: Agilent 8753ES P? and up arrow on left side of display ?
Here's a pic of the up arrow & P?.. What do they mean? ?If I look closely I can see in red what might be the beginning of the word CAUTION. Any ides appreciated.
Thanks
Hank
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The following items have been added to the Files area of the [email protected] group.
By: Yves Tardif <yves_tardif@...>
Description:
Firmware Pulse Generator 8130A
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Re: IPA type for 3.5mm connector cleaning
The 91% isopropyl at my CVS has a bitterant added to it to prevent people from drinking it. It leaves a white residue behind. Since discovering that, I use only 99% isopropyl. Try asking the pharmacist for the 99% variety, some pharmacies stock it. Otherwise you can buy it from electronics distributors such as Mouser and DigiKey.
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Re: IPA type for 3.5mm connector cleaning
On 2025-02-16 6:09 PM, Dave Daniel via groups.io wrote: Oh. Like separating sugar from gasoline by adding water, agitating and siphoning off the walter/sugar solution. I hadn't thought of that. Cool. Thanks. I bet there's a story behind that knowledge, maybe one that can only be told with the passing of the years..... Steve Hendrix
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Re: IPA type for 3.5mm connector cleaning
Oh. Like separating sugar from gasoline by adding water, agitating and siphoning off the walter/sugar solution. I hadn't thought of that. Cool. Thanks.
On Sun, Feb 16, 2025 at 17:56 Roger Henderson via <hendorog= [email protected]> wrote: My simple minded approach: IPA can be purified using a salting out process - because salt is not soluable in IPA but is soluable in water.?
I dont know which process is actually used. But because I worry about residual salt in the remaining water portion, I avoid the low conc. versions.
Roger AFAIK, the difference between IPA solutions of different concentrations is the amount of water in them. IPA is naturally hydroscopic and will absorb water over time. For lab purposes, I use the highest concentration that I can find in the local stores, which is usually 99% IPA.
I've actually been wondering if there is an easy method to determine the concentration of water in IPA solutions, since I assume that 99% IPA becomes less concentrated as it is exposed to the atmosphere over time. Perhaps specific gravity measurement.
Hi,
?
I am trying to clean the connector threads and surface of my 3.5mm VNA Calibration kits.
Keysight manual says use IPA but it doesn't say what kind of IPA. My local CVS has 70% and 91%, amazon has 99.9%.
Which one the best and saftest for the delicate devices like a cal kit?
?
Regards,
Calvin
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Re: HP 8670B amplifier - does it ring a bell with anyone?
OK, very sorry I still don't have photo(s) to post.
I expect to be where the unit is (a distance away) next weekend, I'll get photo(s) and post those then.
In the meantime thanks so much for the comments and discussion, and I'll be sure to come back to this as soon as I have access to the unit for photo(s).
Dave
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Re: IPA type for 3.5mm connector cleaning
My simple minded approach: IPA can be purified using a salting out process - because salt is not soluable in IPA but is soluable in water.?
I dont know which process is actually used. But because I worry about residual salt in the remaining water portion, I avoid the low conc. versions.
Roger
AFAIK, the difference between IPA solutions of different concentrations is the amount of water in them. IPA is naturally hydroscopic and will absorb water over time. For lab purposes, I use the highest concentration that I can find in the local stores, which is usually 99% IPA.
I've actually been wondering if there is an easy method to determine the concentration of water in IPA solutions, since I assume that 99% IPA becomes less concentrated as it is exposed to the atmosphere over time. Perhaps specific gravity measurement.
Hi,
?
I am trying to clean the connector threads and surface of my 3.5mm VNA Calibration kits.
Keysight manual says use IPA but it doesn't say what kind of IPA. My local CVS has 70% and 91%, amazon has 99.9%.
Which one the best and saftest for the delicate devices like a cal kit?
?
Regards,
Calvin
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Re: IPA type for 3.5mm connector clean ing
Some hardware stores also sell 99% IPA. For electronics I find 91% or higher has the best cleaning action.
?
Doug
---------- Original Message ---------- From: "Dave Daniel via groups.io" <kc0wjn@...> To: [email protected]Subject: Re: [HP-Agilent-Keysight-equipment] IPA type for 3.5mm connector cleaning Date: Sun, 16 Feb 2025 17:36:23 -0500
AFAIK, the difference between IPA solutions of different concentrations is the amount of water in them. IPA is naturally hydroscopic and will absorb water over time. For lab purposes, I use the highest concentration that I can find in the local stores, which is usually 99% IPA.
?
I've actually been wondering if there is an easy method to determine the concentration of water in IPA solutions, since I assume that 99% IPA becomes less concentrated as it is exposed to the atmosphere over time. Perhaps specific gravity measurement.
?
Hi,
?
I am trying to clean the connector threads and surface of my 3.5mm VNA Calibration kits.
Keysight manual says use IPA but it doesn't say what kind of IPA. My local CVS has 70% and 91%, amazon has 99.9%.
Which one the best and saftest for the delicate devices like a cal kit?
?
Regards,
Calvin
?
?
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Re: IPA type for 3.5mm connector cleaning
AFAIK, the difference between IPA solutions of different concentrations is the amount of water in them. IPA is naturally hydroscopic and will absorb water over time. For lab purposes, I use the highest concentration that I can find in the local stores, which is usually 99% IPA.
I've actually been wondering if there is an easy method to determine the concentration of water in IPA solutions, since I assume that 99% IPA becomes less concentrated as it is exposed to the atmosphere over time. Perhaps specific gravity measurement.
Hi,
?
I am trying to clean the connector threads and surface of my 3.5mm VNA Calibration kits.
Keysight manual says use IPA but it doesn't say what kind of IPA. My local CVS has 70% and 91%, amazon has 99.9%.
Which one the best and saftest for the delicate devices like a cal kit?
?
Regards,
Calvin
|
IPA type for 3.5mm connector cleaning
Hi,
?
I am trying to clean the connector threads and surface of my 3.5mm VNA Calibration kits.
Keysight manual says use IPA but it doesn't say what kind of IPA. My local CVS has 70% and 91%, amazon has 99.9%.
Which one the best and saftest for the delicate devices like a cal kit?
?
Regards,
Calvin
|
Re: Test Set Program Development Tool DEV_PL on 3.5" floppy
Yes Roy it is a nice gadget and there are equivalents for other media as well. If you have all those machines and you still have the disks that go with them I suggest you get one and add images of your disks to archive.org or the VCF or something. I got into it because I am trying now to archive the work of my father's coworkers in the late 1970s to early 1990s on video graphics hardware. Drivers etc that likely no one else has by now. On Sat, Feb 15, 2025 at 3:13?PM Roy J. Tellason, Sr. via groups.io <roy@...> wrote:
On Friday 14 February 2025 03:39:57 pm Matt Harris via groups.io wrote:
Every person who has access to old floppy media of virtually any kind made for anything should own a Greasewazle.
(I'm not affiliated - I just appreciate the product that much!) Interesting gadget, there. In this room is my Imsai 8080, a Kaypro 4, and elsewhere is parked an Osborne Executive, none of which have been powered on in several years. In a cabinet over there is a bunch of floppies. And I can't remember the last time I used one, for any reason whatsoever. But years ago? I'd have been all over getting one of those...
--
Member of the toughest, meanest, deadliest, most unrelenting -- and
ablest -- form of life in this section of space, a critter that can
be killed but can't be tamed. --Robert A. Heinlein, "The Puppet Masters"
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Information is more dangerous than cannon to a society ruled by lies. --James
M Dakin
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Re: 5345A electronic counter *restoration adventure*
Peter, if you want to share with community the whole manual, it would be great. Thanks a lot
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Re: 5345A electronic counter *restoration adventure*
Thank you so much Peter, really apreciate. Cheers
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Ed: as far as I know, 10811A was the replacemente of the 10544A, so I found normal it's presence in later serials of the unit.?
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Re: Test Set Program Development Tool DEV_PL on 3.5" floppy
There's a newer version of lifutils here that's being maintained (last update Dec 2024):
?
?
?
In addition to Linux, the developer has also included versions for macOS and windows 32/64 bit.
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-mark
?
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On Sat, Feb 15, 2025 at 05:12 PM, Tim Fagan wrote:
. This has got a lot of useful information on lif reading for the Linux community
...
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Re: HP 8670B amplifier - does it ring a bell with anyone?
This is just a hail-Maty, check out the1985 - RF & Phase Noise Measurement Seminar (124 pages)? at
?
The document mentions 8672 / 8673 as products and the "The HP 8670 family...." and it also goes in to detail how to use it in a system of things.
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Agilent 8753ES P? and up arrow on left side of display ?
I found an 8753ES for sale in S11 ? It shows on the display eft side an up arrow and below that as P? ?Is this an indication that the source is probably bad? ?I can't get anymore info.
Thanks
Hank
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HP 8563E Shows Signal Present at 100MHz and below without an Input
Hi all,
?
I have an HP 8563E which is showing signal present at close to 0dB at 100MHz and below without a Input connected. Above 100MHz the unit appears to be working as expected. Any thoughts on where to look? Thank you.
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Re: Hp8660c repair, extender cards.needed.
IIRC, the kits for the different 8660 signal source models (A-D) are slightly different, with different HP part numbers.
Hello Olaf,
The repair/service kit for the HP 8660 series mainframe part HP's part number 08660-60070. I've attached a photo of one I found online (photo taken from .)
The repair/service kit for the HP 8660 modulation and RF plug-ins and frequency extension module (a YIG package required to support the 1.3 and 2.6 GHz RF plug-ins) was called the HP 11672A. A photo (taken from a defunct ebay listing) is attached.
The 11672A kit provides the two (heavy and rather proprietary) cables needed to bring the three modules (modulation, RF and frequency extension) out for repair/testing. The HP 08660-60070 board kit is extender boards needed to bring the (numerous) plug-in PC boards in the mainframe up for repair/testing.
The connectors on the two large cables in the 11672A kit I believe were made by Winchester and include a number of coaxial cable contacts.
Good luck in your HP 8660C repair - they are nice machines, although I've found that their CW (but not modulation) capabilities can be somewhat duplicated by a TinySA Ultra and a small number of SMA attenuators.
Dave
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There are these perennial concerns about them cold shouldering people using legacy hardware. I remember the last time this went around they did a whole charm offensive online. On Sun, Feb 16, 2025 at 12:23?AM Peter Gottlieb via groups.io <hpnpilot@...> wrote:
I put up a question to a support page about an obsolete data acquisition system and got definitive attention by an engineer who knew the system and could help me. Maybe asking directly for support is better than the forums?
Peter
On Feb 15, 2025, at 7:26?PM, WReeve via groups.io <whitreeve@...> wrote:
?
Hello - Does anyone on this group use the Keysight Forum at ?
I have had poor luck with it for the last few years.
I have had no responses to inquiries about still in product test equipment. Prior to that, Keysight personal actually helped but no longer.
Inquiries to the Keysight tech support contact webpage always results in "We're sorry, you don't have a contract so we don't want to help you". Even for basic and simple questions about features and so on.
Thanks
--
Whitham D. Reeve
Anchorage, Alaska USA
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Steve Byan
RubenRubio