Re: HP 8673D synthesized generator - need help identifying the two PC boards attached to A1A11 power amplifier
Peter - yes - beast (trivia - back in about 1981 I was one of hundreds of volunteer extras (person-sized bird characters) for a movie being filmed north of Los Angeles called "the beastmaster" - never saw the movie!.)
A recently purchased (earlier this week) VEVOR TFD15 hydraulic lift table has made 1000% improvement in handling these heavy/old machines (8660, 8350, 8673) which use linear/transformer power supplies and are made of 100% pure cast iron straight from the mine. Highly recommend such a thing for those of us "of a certain age" that still wrangle electronics by the metric ton.
Determined course of action at this point --- going to build extender mechanism to allow the pictured module to operate outside the synthesizer. 6x2 3.94mm card edge connector, already have PCBs with 3.94mm pitch traces for making these sorts of things, and 14-pin IDC DIP male plugs to make the 2-port ribbon cable that appears to go off in the direction of the YTO, are both on order, couple weeks til delivery, so machine is back to it's "hangar queen" location until I am ready for testing.
Barring any other adds to this discussion, I'll surface again with the topic once I am able operate the module(s) outside the synthesizer chassis.
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OPT 003 (48-440 Hz compatible) fan (full size "Muffin" type fan) - replacement requirements?
Have a failing/failed cooling fan from a HP machine with OPT 003 (400 Hz), which appears to apply to the type of fan installed.
Are there any requirements (trying remember undergraduate EE class that described analysis of induction motors - does that describe a typical cooling fan of this sort? - but that is digging waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back to the 70s... Should a generic 120 VAC 60 Hz fan of sufficient air flow be acceptable, or do I need search for a fan designed to support 400 Hz?)
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Re: Threads for screws on 8656 Siggen
UNOFFICIAL
I have never encountered 3.5 mm in anything, and yes I have seen them on Amazon and AliExpress, but never at hardware shops, electronics parts suppliers ( similar to radio shack)
or even major parts suppliers. Maybe there is little demand here or I have just been looking in the wrong places. Lets hope it is the 6-32 hardware, which is apparently what the manual says, but I misinterpreted as 5/32.
This has been a learning experience for me with regards to imperial sizes as well as metric.
On my laptop screen, I read this as 5/32. At the time my eyesight was still severely impacted from a 3rd nerve palsy and nothing was over clear. On a 27 inch monitor,
blown up much clearer, plus this is from a more legible copy of the service manual.
?
?
Anyway thanks to all who have replied, I know have the information I need to hopefully complete this piece if test equipment . I was amazed? at how accurate the output levels and
frequencies? were, when first powered dup after 20 years, as measured on my recently Acquired CMU200. Level within 0.5 dB, and that can be accounted for with cable losses, and the frequency, as close as I could measure, was spot on. Fantastic bit of gear
?
?
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Wayne Eckert BEng
Observing Operations Hub Sydney
M:0409986684
|
|
T: 02 92961668
Unit 9 ?111 Moore Street
Leichhardt NSW 2040
wayne.eckert@... |
|
?
?
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
From: [email protected] <[email protected]>
On Behalf Of Mark Moulding
Sent: Thursday, 20 March 2025 5:20 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [HP-Agilent-Keysight-equipment] Threads for screws on 8656 Siggen
?
In my own shop, I am, kicking and screaming, "inching" towards the metric system.? I have a rather complete and well-organized set of little drawers for my SAE hardware, but the metric stuff heretofore has been in a couple of drawers marked
only with the diameter; all lengths, plus nuts, washers, etc. have been jumbled together.? (Better than in my lab, where there's just a drawer labeled "metric".)? So I'm doing one of my obsessive-compulsive sorting and labeling projects to create a new cabinet
specifically for all the metric stuff.
The point of all this is that, in the US anyway, M3.5 isn't all that rare.? It's definitely less common than the integer sizes, but in my jumbled lot, captured from taking things apart and various small purchases, there is still quite a
bit of M3.5 stuff.? I'm surprised that it would be so hard to source in an ostensibly metric country.? There's certainly plenty of M3.5 hardware to be found on Amazon.
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Re: Threads for screws on 8656 Siggen
In my own shop, I am, kicking and screaming, "inching" towards the metric system.? I have a rather complete and well-organized set of little drawers for my SAE hardware, but the metric stuff heretofore has been in a couple of drawers marked only with the diameter; all lengths, plus nuts, washers, etc. have been jumbled together.? (Better than in my lab, where there's just a drawer labeled "metric".)? So I'm doing one of my obsessive-compulsive sorting and labeling projects to create a new cabinet specifically for all the metric stuff.
?
The point of all this is that, in the US anyway, M3.5 isn't all that rare.? It's definitely less common than the integer sizes, but in my jumbled lot, captured from taking things apart and various small purchases, there is still quite a bit of M3.5 stuff.? I'm surprised that it would be so hard to source in an ostensibly metric country.? There's certainly plenty of M3.5 hardware to be found on Amazon.
~~
Mark
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Hi,
bought a E5071C 4-port 8.5GHz VNA. Seller stated that the device does
not power up. Arriving home I connected it to power switched it on - it
turns on, Fans blowing for 3-4 seconds, no other signs of life,
everything switching off.
Noticed that if i remove the CMOS battery from the Mainboard (a Radisys
Endura LS855 with Agilent patched BIOS), the Analyzer is starting up. It
boots Windows XP just fine and the VNA is working. (Luckily the RF ports
all seem to work).
When shutting down it won't shut down entirely, black screen, and the
Fans are still blowing. With the next power cycle i have the problem
stated above again, until i remove the CMOS battery again.
That even happens without booting Windows XP. So it seems like the BIOS
is loading some invalid values into the CMOS RAM.
The service guide from Keysight says it should be sent in to replace the
CMOS battery, but that's very expensive for a hobbyist.
Does anyone know how to get the proper CMOS data restored? I see there's
a bioscheck.exe binary in the E5071C folder, but executing that doesn't
change anything.
Thanks
Sven
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HP Series 200/300 and Plotter Manuals
HP series 200/300 and Plotter Manuals
?
PM direct for offer…
?
7470A Plotter, Statistics, Graphic Presentation, Project Management, Basic 4.0… Interface Techniques, Utilities, Waveform Analysis, Graphic Techniques, Asynchronous Terminal Emulator
?
Thanks, Alan
|
File /All HP, Agilent and Keysight instruments in folders by part numbers/3000 to 3999/33xx Level detectors and synthesizer level generators/3336 A-B-C Section VIII - Service.pdf uploaded
#file-notice
The following items have been added to the Files area of the [email protected] group.
By: Harold Foster <halfoster@...>
Description:
Combined schematics and diagrams for the "Section VIII - Service" portion of the 3336A-900000 manual
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Re: E5052A Power On Test (3.3V Bus Supply)
I also designed a 10 MHz LC resonator version with the aim to run the resonator at fairly high power. I've a fair bit of experience designing discrete low noise gain blocks so I replaced the noisy MMIC with a discrete BJT design and the first attempt is as below.
?
I think I can improve on this by several dB by reconfiguring the output network of the gain block (to allow higher power) and also I think I can improve on the resonator if I order some better parts for the resonator. It currently manages -165dBc/Hz at 10 kHz offset but I think the next version will be better than this.
There's a lot of spurious signals below about 500 Hz and this is due to pickup in my workroom from nearby equipment. I'll try and do something about this. I don't think it is getting in via the DC power feed.
The noise floor is very lumpy once it gets below -180dBc/Hz on the E5052A and again, I'm probably exploring the limits of the E5052A again here.
?
This is an LC oscillator not a crystal oscillator so the close in phase noise is relatively poor. I'm not that interested in achieving low phase noise below about a 1kHz offset but I can probably experiment with the gain block to minimise flicker noise.
?
?
?
?
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Re: Agilent/Keysigh ESG series CLIP
Alberto,
?
So, do you know if the CLIP document you have is useful for the E4422B or at least for the E4400-90141 module?
If so, could you contact this email santi.zygadlo@... to reach an agreement on the price
Thanks?
Santiago
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Re: Threads for screws on 8656 Siggen
I did of course Andrew, you are right. I was not well awake decidedly this morning!
?
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Re: Threads for screws on 8656 Siggen
(32 threads / inch) * (1 in / 25.4mm) = 1.2598 threads / mm 1/1.2598 = 0.79375 mm / thread (pitch)
That's not even CLOSE to 0.6mm pitch
(42 / 25.4) = 1.65354 threads / mm 1/1.65354 = 0.6048 pitch
I think you meant 42 TPI not 32 :)
The problem is he has 6-40 screws that the hardware store incorrectly thought it was (that don't fit) and 6-42 isn't a standard size - if it was, it would probably work, as there wouldn't be that many threads engaged, so the error would be minimal.
6-32 is WAY off and for sure won't fit either.
On Wed, Mar 19, 2025 at 1:00?AM Renaud F5ZR via <renaud.richard= [email protected]> wrote: Sorry I got myself confused between the two systems!
It's of course 5 micrometers so one large hair thickness!
I kick myself...
?
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Re: Threads for screws on 8656 Siggen
Sorry I got myself confused between the two systems!
It's of course 5 micrometers so one large hair thickness!
I kick myself...
?
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Re: Threads for screws on 8656 Siggen
Indeed in metric land 3.5x0.6 exists.
If one calculates the diameter and pitch in mm of your 6-32 one gets:
3.505x0.605 which is just one micrometer too much or one fifth of your hair thickness...
In fact I'm surprised that doesn't fit.
So, if I only had 6-32 screws on hand I would give a little 6-32 tap which should be very easy to do.
Just my two micrometers guys...
Renaud
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Radu Bogdan Dicher <vondicher@...> added the photo album
Microscope
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Re: microscope / high magnification camera options for soldering, faults, and other examinations/inspections
To assist with feedback on this local offer for the Nikon microscopes, I uploaded to the photos section pictures of the two units this local seller has: /g/HP-Agilent-Keysight-equipment/album?id=301362.? A couple of questions: - Is anyone familiar enough to maybe tell what the differences between the two are? I'm not sure which one I should get, if I go for this.?
- I think both seem to come with booms, which I think are a little costly on their own. Maybe this makes their offer a bit more competitive??
Thank you, Radu.?
And that, my dear sir, is exactly why I wrote the program.
Please contact me off? list.? I didn't exactly design some of this for
public consumption (mostly the Embarcadaro stuff), and you'll need the
libraries I've created.
Haven't tried to rehost it, so it'll be an experience.
madyn@...
Harvey
On 3/18/2025 4:59 PM, David McQuate via wrote:
>
> I use C++ a lot, usually with QtCreator, though I have previously used
> Visual Studio.? I have Eagle 7.5, 7.6, and 7.7.? I use SCAD for 3D
> printing and also for general 3D modeling.? Your program seems like a
> natural for designing 3D printed cases for PC boards, and also for
> creating parts placement files for automated PC builds, such as that
> done by JLCPCB.? Would you be OK giving me a copy of the source?
>
> David
>
> On 2025-03-18 13:14, Harvey White wrote:
>
>> I wrote a C++ program that disassembles the .brd file for a project.
>> It creates an OpenSCAD document that places models of the parts onto
>> the board, giving you a board visualization.? It can handle internal
>> and external fillets on the board edges. Depending on which parts you
>> use, you may or may not need to model some specific parts (in
>> OpenSCAD) to build up your own library.
>>
>> As part of the process, the program has to read and calculate the
>> part placement? from the .brd file.? I know it does EAGLE 7.7, not
>> sure about what else.
>>
>> It was originally based on NopHead's libraries, but I got errors I
>> couldn't track down (not documented), and just bagged it and wrote my
>> own.
>>
>> How?are?you?with?C++?(Embarcadero?C++?community?version)?
>>
>> Harvey
>>
>> ps:?I?can?attach?a?picture.
>>
>>
>>
>> On?3/17/2025?11:29?PM,?David?McQuate?via??wrote:
>>>
>>> I'd like to know more about the program that allows you to model the
>>> PC board in SCAD, and find the XY of any part.
>>>
>>> Thanks!
>>>
>>> David
>>>
>>> On?2025-03-17?20:01,?Harvey?White?wrote:
>>>
>>>> I use an American Optical (because it was cheap) and found a nice
>>>> heavy stand to hold it up.? I have a fiber optic ring light on the
>>>> microscope.
>>>>
>>>> I?find?that?an?auxiliary?light?can?help?to?illuminate?from?the?side?as?well.
>>>>
>>>> I would build a board holder that allows you to position any part
>>>> of a board under the microscope without moving the microscope. How
>>>> complicated you make that little board holder is up to you. Maybe
>>>> move manually and lock into place.
>>>>
>>>> if you were building boards by hand, and using EAGLE, then I can
>>>> show you a program that models the PC board in OpenSCAD. That same
>>>> parsing routine can find the XY of any part.
>>>>
>>>> that?might?help?a?bit.
>>>>
>>>> Ideally, you want to move the board in X and Y, then rotate for the
>>>> best soldering angle.
>>>>
>>>> Harvey
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On?3/17/2025?2:59?PM,?Radu?Bogdan?Dicher?via??wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> Thank?you?all,?great?input.
>>>>> From these choices, it sounds like a stereo microscope on a boom
>>>>> would be ideal. I do tend to work on all sorts of positions and
>>>>> oftentimes spill outside of the desk/bench. Also, some of the
>>>>> boards I need to examine are too large to fit under a microscope
>>>>> with a stand. I'm not sure exactly how well this relative freedom
>>>>> to move the microscope around works. But the idea to have that
>>>>> available is very exciting - I'm really tired of using my multiple
>>>>> hand magnifiers with their own lights and often another flashlight
>>>>> on the other hand. My eyes get terribly strained with that setup.
>>>>> Probably a stupid question, but I know nothing on the "stereo
>>>>> microscope" topic - are these working well for people wearing glasses?
>>>>> Thank?you.
>>>>> Radu.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> On Mon, Mar 17, 2025, 10:29 AM John Griessen via
>>>>> <> <john=[email protected]> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> ????On?3/17/25?07:59,?Dave?McGuire?via??<>?wrote:
>>>>> ????>?On?3/17/25?00:02,?Radu?Bogdan?Dicher?via?
>>>>> ????<>?wrote:
>>>>> ????>>?Having?done?enough?(red)?eye?cracking?smd?soldering?jobs?or
>>>>> ????inspections?in?case?of?suspected?failure?(cold?joints,?etc.),?I've
>>>>> ????>>?decided?to?invest?a?bit?on?a?better?optical?setup.
>>>>> ????>>?There's?plenty?of?cameras?on?the?marketplaces?and?retailers?out
>>>>> ????there,?but?what?are?some?better?choices??Good?experiences?with
>>>>> ????>>?some?specific?models?
>>>>> ????>>?Also,?what?to?watch?for??Specs,?minimal?magnification?that
>>>>> ????crosses?over?a?good?threshold?
>>>>> ????>>?I?have?a?couple?of?large?screens?at?my?bench?-?I'm?thinking
>>>>> ????this?will?be?best?done?by?shooting?this?over?to?one?of?those.?USB,
>>>>> ????>>?HDMI?...
>>>>> ????>>?Lighting/LEDs?making?a?significant?difference?
>>>>> ????>>?Thank?you?for?your?input.
>>>>> ????>
>>>>> ????>????The?Mantis?by?Vision?Engineering.
>>>>> ????>
>>>>> ????>????On?the?prototyping?bench?I?moved?from?a?Nikon?SMZ-1?with?an
>>>>> ????after-market?LED?ring?light?to?a?1st-generation?Mantis?about?ten
>>>>> ????>?years?ago,?and?upgraded?to?a?Mantis?Elite?last?year.
>>>>> ????>
>>>>> ????>????The?Nikon?is?a?binocular?inspection?microscope?with?great
>>>>> ????optics?(typical?of?Nikon)?and?excellent?overall?performance.??I?had
>>>>> ????>?an?opportunity?to?try?out?a?Mantis?when?visiting?a?customer's
>>>>> ????lab.??I?was?astonished?by?its?capabilities?and?purchased?one
>>>>> ????>?immediately.
>>>>> ????>
>>>>> ????>????My?upgrade?to?the?Mantis?Elite?last?year?was?a?similarly
>>>>> ????impressive?thing.
>>>>> ????>
>>>>> ????>????Two?important?considerations?are?binocular?optical?paths?and
>>>>> ????lighting.
>>>>> ????>
>>>>> ????>????Binocular?optics?are,?IMO,?absolutely?required?for?SMT?work.
>>>>> ????>
>>>>> ????>????Lighting?is?next.??People?often?skimp?on?this?and?use?a
>>>>> ????random?desk?lamp?or?whatever?happens?to?be?lying?around,?but?a?proper
>>>>> ????>?lighting?system?makes?all?the?difference.??There?are?cheap
>>>>> ????aftermarket?LED?right?lights?that?are?surprisingly?effective;?this
>>>>> ????>?suggests?that?the?lighting?really?isn't?that?difficult?a?problem
>>>>> ????to?solve.??The?key?is?360-degree,?oblique,?even?lighting?to
>>>>> ????>?eliminate?shadows.??(lighting?is?built-in?on?the?Mantis?microscopes)
>>>>> ????>
>>>>> ????>???????????????-Dave
>>>>>
>>>>> ????Hi?Radu,
>>>>>
>>>>> ????I've?got?Greenough?scopes?(binocular)?by?Olympus?and?Vision
>>>>> ????Engineering?(precursor?to?Mantis),?and?fiber?light?rings?and?sources
>>>>> ????to?sell.
>>>>>
>>>>> ????The?Vision?Engineering?ones?are?kind?of?large,?but?trying?an
>>>>> ????Olympus??Greenough?would?be?painless?--?you?could?return?it?if?not
>>>>> ????liking?it.
>>>>>
>>>>> ????When?I?assemble?SMT?boards?I?use?a?Greenough?on?a?boom?that?lets
>>>>> ????me?move?with?fine?dials?in?X?and?Y?(and?of?course?Z?for?focus).
>>>>>
>>>>> ????I've?also?tried?the?Vision?Engineering?and?it?would?probably?be?a
>>>>> ????speedup?tool,?but?Ive?not?afforded?enough?bench?top?space?to?use
>>>>> ????one?effectively?yet.
>>>>>
>>>>> ????Also?have?Nikon?SMZ-7?and?a??Vision?Engineering?Greenough?for?sale.
>>>>>
>>>>> ????Booms?to?hold?them?are?super?heavy,?so?looking?locally?makes?the
>>>>> ????most?sense.
>>>>>
>>>>> ????I?agree?with?Dave,?that?if?you?want?to?do?prototypes?your?speed
>>>>> ????and?quality?will
>>>>> ????improve?drastically?with?stereo?vision?--?it?puts?your?"there"?in
>>>>> ????the?micro?world...??Also?you?will?notice?more?since?flat?view
>>>>> ????onscreen?doesn't?translate?to?3D?in?your?mind?well.
>>>>>
>>>>> ????The?large?screens?might?be?OK?for?some?things,?but?not?for?active
>>>>> ????seeing?when?looking?for?tiny?cracks,?missing?solder,?adequate
>>>>> ????solder?paste,?etc.
>>>>>
>>>>> ????Now?to?get?busy?cleaning?and?photographing?the?ones?I?mentioned...
>>>>> ????--?????John?Griessen
>>>>> ????Albuquerque?NM
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
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Re: HP 8673D synthesized generator - need help identifying the two PC boards attached to A1A11 power amplifier
What a beast. I’ll have to find one as a project.
Peter
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On Mar 18, 2025, at 9:35?PM, David Feldman via groups.io <wb0gaz@...> wrote:
?I'm on (the other) HP 8673D repair project now. This one never worked in the time I have owned it, and I'd been storing it as a parts mule, but decided (now that I have some experience with disassembly and repair) that I'd like see if I can bring it back to life.
Primary symptom: Very low output (rarely approaching 0 dBm, at some frequency ranges much less), unleveled indicator (as the available RF would never reach the setpoint of the ALC circuit), yet never an "unlocked" indication.
Fault isolation so far: The service manual vol 2 08673-90022 (in section BD5) walks through several tests; it turns out RF level (so-called "baseband") 2.0-6.6 GHz out of YTO (then through a bias tee, modulator for pulse modulation, and a high pass filter) measures with adequate RF on all YTO frequencies (spec is >= 10 dBm; this is satisfied with about +18 dBm at bottom end of range and staying above +10 dB to the end of the range.) This signal is sent to the YTM assembly; output from YTM is very low and fluctuates widely across frequencies. The service manual details RF level tests at the high pass filter output (what goes to the power amplifier which is the start of the YTM system) and RF level tests at output of the YTM (this output is very low and uneven across frequencies, resembling output of the 8673D overall, so fault is in this area.
Further attempt at fault isolation: The YTM assembly includes a power amplifier (A1A11, part number in my (preliminary) manual is 08673-67004. The popwer amplifier in this 8673D part number is 08673-67011. The manual provides zero detail (that I can find) detailing expected output of the power amplifier that feeds the YTM itself. As that connection was SMA, I connected A1A11 power amplifier output (via attenuation) to the power meter and found ~0 dBm output (varying widely across frequencies), and after a few minutes in this configuration, A1A11 amplifier output went to zero and never returned.
Unsuccessful search for details in service manual: Attached are photos of the A1A11 amplifier and two associated PC boards, part numbers 08673-60140 (provides DC to the A1A11 power amplifier via pins E1 through E12) and 08673-60139. The DC test points on 08673-60140 (upper/larger board in photo) expect +5, -3.5, -6.5 and -9 VDC; I measured these (in system while running) at +5, -6.5, -6.5 and -9 (+/- some mV), so the -3.5V test point's voltage was incorrect.
I'm not able find schematics of either board in the (large/heavy) service manual, hence my posting here - does this ring a bell with anyone that may have encountered these modules in another context, has worked on an 8673D in this area, or has seen these mentioned in the service manual volume 2 (document number 08673-90022)?
In modern times, getting more gain and power at 2.0-6.6 GHz would not be at all difficult, however, the YTM is sensitive to the level of RF input, and it appears visually that the circuitry around the A1A11 amplifier is at least in part allowing the CPU to control output from A1A11 to keep drive within some (undocumented) acceptable level window.
Thanks for any clues!
Dave
<8673d-a1a11-top.jpg>
<8673d-a1a11-bottom.jpg>
|
Re: where to find HP 8511A,B and Antenna Measurement System Performance,Verification Software.
On 3/18/25 16:32, Razvan Popescu via groups.io wrote: I don't have the software. I was looking for it a few years ago
but without any luck. I think it was delivered on a CD-ROM from what I
see in the guide.
Please upload it to the files area if you manage to get a copy. I will, IF.
|
Re: microscope / high magnification camera options for soldering, faults, and other examinations/inspections
And that, my dear sir, is exactly why I wrote the program.
Please contact me off? list.? I didn't exactly design some of this for public consumption (mostly the Embarcadaro stuff), and you'll need the libraries I've created.
Haven't tried to rehost it, so it'll be an experience.
madyn@...
Harvey
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On 3/18/2025 4:59 PM, David McQuate via groups.io wrote:
I use C++ a lot, usually with QtCreator, though I have previously used Visual Studio. ?I have Eagle 7.5, 7.6, and 7.7. ?I use SCAD for 3D printing and also for general 3D modeling. ?Your program seems like a natural for designing 3D printed cases for PC boards, and also for creating parts placement files for automated PC builds, such as that done by JLCPCB. ?Would you be OK giving me a copy of the source?
David
On 2025-03-18 13:14, Harvey White wrote:
I wrote a C++ program that disassembles the .brd file for a project. It creates an OpenSCAD document that places models of the parts onto the board, giving you a board visualization.? It can handle internal and external fillets on the board edges. Depending on which parts you use, you may or may not need to model some specific parts (in OpenSCAD) to build up your own library.
As part of the process, the program has to read and calculate the part placement? from the .brd file.? I know it does EAGLE 7.7, not sure about what else.
It was originally based on NopHead's libraries, but I got errors I couldn't track down (not documented), and just bagged it and wrote my own.
How?are?you?with?C++?(Embarcadero?C++?community?version)?
Harvey
ps:?I?can?attach?a?picture.
On?3/17/2025?11:29?PM,?David?McQuate?via?groups.io?wrote:
I'd like to know more about the program that allows you to model the PC board in SCAD, and find the XY of any part.
Thanks!
David
On?2025-03-17?20:01,?Harvey?White?wrote:
I use an American Optical (because it was cheap) and found a nice heavy stand to hold it up.? I have a fiber optic ring light on the microscope.
I?find?that?an?auxiliary?light?can?help?to?illuminate?from?the?side?as?well.
I would build a board holder that allows you to position any part of a board under the microscope without moving the microscope. How complicated you make that little board holder is up to you. Maybe move manually and lock into place.
if you were building boards by hand, and using EAGLE, then I can show you a program that models the PC board in OpenSCAD. That same parsing routine can find the XY of any part.
that?might?help?a?bit.
Ideally, you want to move the board in X and Y, then rotate for the best soldering angle.
Harvey
On?3/17/2025?2:59?PM,?Radu?Bogdan?Dicher?via?groups.io?wrote:
Thank?you?all,?great?input.
From these choices, it sounds like a stereo microscope on a boom would be ideal. I do tend to work on all sorts of positions and oftentimes spill outside of the desk/bench. Also, some of the boards I need to examine are too large to fit under a microscope with a stand. I'm not sure exactly how well this relative freedom to move the microscope around works. But the idea to have that available is very exciting - I'm really tired of using my multiple hand magnifiers with their own lights and often another flashlight on the other hand. My eyes get terribly strained with that setup.
Probably a stupid question, but I know nothing on the "stereo microscope" topic - are these working well for people wearing glasses?
Thank?you.
Radu.
On Mon, Mar 17, 2025, 10:29 AM John Griessen via groups.io <> <john@...> wrote:
????On?3/17/25?07:59,?Dave?McGuire?via?groups.io?<>?wrote:
????>?On?3/17/25?00:02,?Radu?Bogdan?Dicher?via?groups.io
????<>?wrote:
????>>?Having?done?enough?(red)?eye?cracking?smd?soldering?jobs?or
????inspections?in?case?of?suspected?failure?(cold?joints,?etc.),?I've
????>>?decided?to?invest?a?bit?on?a?better?optical?setup.
????>>?There's?plenty?of?cameras?on?the?marketplaces?and?retailers?out
????there,?but?what?are?some?better?choices??Good?experiences?with
????>>?some?specific?models?
????>>?Also,?what?to?watch?for??Specs,?minimal?magnification?that
????crosses?over?a?good?threshold?
????>>?I?have?a?couple?of?large?screens?at?my?bench?-?I'm?thinking
????this?will?be?best?done?by?shooting?this?over?to?one?of?those.?USB,
????>>?HDMI?...
????>>?Lighting/LEDs?making?a?significant?difference?
????>>?Thank?you?for?your?input.
????>
????>????The?Mantis?by?Vision?Engineering.
????>
????>????On?the?prototyping?bench?I?moved?from?a?Nikon?SMZ-1?with?an
????after-market?LED?ring?light?to?a?1st-generation?Mantis?about?ten
????>?years?ago,?and?upgraded?to?a?Mantis?Elite?last?year.
????>
????>????The?Nikon?is?a?binocular?inspection?microscope?with?great
????optics?(typical?of?Nikon)?and?excellent?overall?performance.??I?had
????>?an?opportunity?to?try?out?a?Mantis?when?visiting?a?customer's
????lab.??I?was?astonished?by?its?capabilities?and?purchased?one
????>?immediately.
????>
????>????My?upgrade?to?the?Mantis?Elite?last?year?was?a?similarly
????impressive?thing.
????>
????>????Two?important?considerations?are?binocular?optical?paths?and
????lighting.
????>
????>????Binocular?optics?are,?IMO,?absolutely?required?for?SMT?work.
????>
????>????Lighting?is?next.??People?often?skimp?on?this?and?use?a
????random?desk?lamp?or?whatever?happens?to?be?lying?around,?but?a?proper
????>?lighting?system?makes?all?the?difference.??There?are?cheap
????aftermarket?LED?right?lights?that?are?surprisingly?effective;?this
????>?suggests?that?the?lighting?really?isn't?that?difficult?a?problem
????to?solve.??The?key?is?360-degree,?oblique,?even?lighting?to
????>?eliminate?shadows.??(lighting?is?built-in?on?the?Mantis?microscopes)
????>
????>???????????????-Dave
????Hi?Radu,
????I've?got?Greenough?scopes?(binocular)?by?Olympus?and?Vision
????Engineering?(precursor?to?Mantis),?and?fiber?light?rings?and?sources
????to?sell.
????The?Vision?Engineering?ones?are?kind?of?large,?but?trying?an
????Olympus??Greenough?would?be?painless?--?you?could?return?it?if?not
????liking?it.
????When?I?assemble?SMT?boards?I?use?a?Greenough?on?a?boom?that?lets
????me?move?with?fine?dials?in?X?and?Y?(and?of?course?Z?for?focus).
????I've?also?tried?the?Vision?Engineering?and?it?would?probably?be?a
????speedup?tool,?but?Ive?not?afforded?enough?bench?top?space?to?use
????one?effectively?yet.
????Also?have?Nikon?SMZ-7?and?a??Vision?Engineering?Greenough?for?sale.
????Booms?to?hold?them?are?super?heavy,?so?looking?locally?makes?the
????most?sense.
????I?agree?with?Dave,?that?if?you?want?to?do?prototypes?your?speed
????and?quality?will
????improve?drastically?with?stereo?vision?--?it?puts?your?"there"?in
????the?micro?world...??Also?you?will?notice?more?since?flat?view
????onscreen?doesn't?translate?to?3D?in?your?mind?well.
????The?large?screens?might?be?OK?for?some?things,?but?not?for?active
????seeing?when?looking?for?tiny?cracks,?missing?solder,?adequate
????solder?paste,?etc.
????Now?to?get?busy?cleaning?and?photographing?the?ones?I?mentioned...
????--?????John?Griessen
????Albuquerque?NM
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HP 8673D synthesized generator - need help identifying the two PC boards attached to A1A11 power amplifier
I'm on (the other) HP 8673D repair project now. This one never worked in the time I have owned it, and I'd been storing it as a parts mule, but decided (now that I have some experience with disassembly and repair) that I'd like see if I can bring it back to life.
Primary symptom: Very low output (rarely approaching 0 dBm, at some frequency ranges much less), unleveled indicator (as the available RF would never reach the setpoint of the ALC circuit), yet never an "unlocked" indication.
Fault isolation so far: The service manual vol 2 08673-90022 (in section BD5) walks through several tests; it turns out RF level (so-called "baseband") 2.0-6.6 GHz out of YTO (then through a bias tee, modulator for pulse modulation, and a high pass filter) measures with adequate RF on all YTO frequencies (spec is >= 10 dBm; this is satisfied with about +18 dBm at bottom end of range and staying above +10 dB to the end of the range.) This signal is sent to the YTM assembly; output from YTM is very low and fluctuates widely across frequencies. The service manual details RF level tests at the high pass filter output (what goes to the power amplifier which is the start of the YTM system) and RF level tests at output of the YTM (this output is very low and uneven across frequencies, resembling output of the 8673D overall, so fault is in this area.
Further attempt at fault isolation: The YTM assembly includes a power amplifier (A1A11, part number in my (preliminary) manual is 08673-67004. The popwer amplifier in this 8673D part number is 08673-67011. The manual provides zero detail (that I can find) detailing expected output of the power amplifier that feeds the YTM itself. As that connection was SMA, I connected A1A11 power amplifier output (via attenuation) to the power meter and found ~0 dBm output (varying widely across frequencies), and after a few minutes in this configuration, A1A11 amplifier output went to zero and never returned.
Unsuccessful search for details in service manual: Attached are photos of the A1A11 amplifier and two associated PC boards, part numbers 08673-60140 (provides DC to the A1A11 power amplifier via pins E1 through E12) and 08673-60139. The DC test points on 08673-60140 (upper/larger board in photo) expect +5, -3.5, -6.5 and -9 VDC; I measured these (in system while running) at +5, -6.5, -6.5 and -9 (+/- some mV), so the -3.5V test point's voltage was incorrect.
I'm not able find schematics of either board in the (large/heavy) service manual, hence my posting here - does this ring a bell with anyone that may have encountered these modules in another context, has worked on an 8673D in this area, or has seen these mentioned in the service manual volume 2 (document number 08673-90022)?
In modern times, getting more gain and power at 2.0-6.6 GHz would not be at all difficult, however, the YTM is sensitive to the level of RF input, and it appears visually that the circuitry around the A1A11 amplifier is at least in part allowing the CPU to control output from A1A11 to keep drive within some (undocumented) acceptable level window.
Thanks for any clues!
Dave
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Re: where to find HP 8511A,B and Antenna Measurement System Performance,Verification Software.
Hi John,
I uploaded the "Installation and Getting Started Guide" to the files
area. I don't have the software. I was looking for it a few years ago
but without any luck. I think it was delivered on a CD-ROM from what I
see in the guide.
Please upload it to the files area if you manage to get a copy.
Thanks,
Razvan
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On 18/03/2025 22:18, John Griessen via groups.io wrote: ?I might be able to get an HP 8511A...
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Santiago Z
