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Re: Off-topic: Language

 

I was in a meeting once, where a Japanese company was negotiating a business deal with an American company.? The Japanese company was represented by a group of Japanese executives and lowly me.? The American company was represented by a group of American executives.

It didn't occur to me at the time, but a couple of the Americans were using some metaphors, figures of speech and slang during their presentations.? In private, after the meeting was over, the Japanese participants approached me with a list of words and phrases that they had recorded and did not understand.? They had been much too polite to interrupt the Americans for clarifications, and now wanted me to explain concepts such as: "What is 'a horse of a different color'?"

Sometimes, it's best to communicate in formal English, without any added cultural flavoring!??:-)
Re: spectrum HP 8558b good but missing part

 

Exact replacement finger stock in strip form:

Tech Etch part number 75RE
https://www.tech-etch.com

The problem is obtaining it in small quantities.? They only normally stock it in the the Beryllium copper material.? Stainless steel is a special order.

Greg
Re: Off-topic: Language

 

Tourettes? Maybe he was dictating the letter for an assistant to hand write? I love it!
Re: Spectrum analyzers & logic analyzers in PDX area part 2

 

¿ªÔÆÌåÓý

Wow, wish I were near there.?


Peter

On Sep 3, 2019, at 11:10 PM, Bill Higdon via Groups.Io <willard561@...> wrote:
Spectrum analyzers & logic analyzers in PDX area part 2

 

https://portland.craigslist.org/wsc/ele/d/banks-hp-logic-analyzers/6968564793.html
Spectrum analyzers & logic analyzers in PDX area

 

https://portland.craigslist.org/wsc/ele/d/banks-hp-spectrum-analyzers/6968577231.html
Re: spectrum HP 8558b good but missing part

 

Yes that is exactly the issue after time they fall out and get lost.
If found they can be epoxied back in. Then be careful using the switch. You can also home brew a new leaf. Its very hard to do. Of course you also don't have the right finger material.
But I have a number of working units and all seemed to have lost one or another of these switch fingers. I was lucky in that they were typically in the unit some place.
Good luck and its worth the effort to home brew if you have to.
Regards
Paul
WB8TSL
Re: spectrum HP 8558b good but missing part

 

¿ªÔÆÌåÓý

Hello Dan,

?

Thanks for keeping Paul¡¯s description of his repair work.

?

And Paul, Great job. Clearly, you have the patience of a saint. I get you on the skills transfer from motor vehicle repairs to HP switches ¨C when I did my elec eng degree, I was the ¡®go-to¡¯ guy for motor vehicle power train repairs.

?

This evening, I have a friend¡¯s HP-8640B coming to me for servicing, and I suspect some of the switch fingers will be missing. When I get that far into the diagnosis, I¡¯ll be looking for help.

?

73 de Brian, VK2GCE.

?

On Wednesday, 4 September 2019 10:39 AM, Dan said:

?

Hi John,

?

? ?Some time ago (2 years or more?) I repaired one of these contact fingers *in-situ*, without taking the instrument apart.? I posted pictures in one of the photo albums.? Look back through the messages with my name in them.? You might get lucky if you find the finger and can manipulate it well enough to epoxy it back into place.

?

Dan

?

?

On Tuesday, September 3, 2019, 07:32:13 PM EDT, Paul Amaranth <paul@...> wrote:

?

?

This is a really common problem.? Generally, the contacts fall off somewhere inside
the unit, but they may go missing.? You can fabricate some from suitable shim stock.
Here's one person who did that:



It's a bit of a ways down.? I'm not sure what the original material was (stainless? a
nickel alloy?) but given the age of the equipment and the use it will likely get, I don't
think it would matter a lot.? I think some have made up contacts from a piece of stainless
steel feeler gauges (like you would use in auto repair).

good luck

On Tue, Sep 03, 2019 at 02:56:08PM -0700, johnlegros wrote:
> hello , have a nice working spectrum 8558b with electron beam memory? , all is correct have checked , but the issue the time division switch does not work , in auto mode, , opened it and found a missing part in the switch , from the service manual sent with this spectrum analyser from new only 40 years ago part number is 5061-5425 pronger switch , it is the metal leaf part which is missing , checked and did not find it anywhere , so question is does anyone have or make these ? thanks
>
>
>
>
>
> !DSPAM:5d6ee55b212076544458839!

--
Paul Amaranth, GCIH? ? ? ? ? ? | Manchester MI, USA
Aurora Group of Michigan, LLC? |? Security, Systems & Software
paul@...? ? ? ? ? ? ? |? Unix & Windows? ? ? ? ? ? ?

Re: 3336B optional 10Mhz Osc. problems

 

You can fairly easily pull a soldered can apart with torch heating. That's the way I used to do it before I got my flow-solder machine years ago. Don't do it until you've reached a point that you can decide there's nothing to lose by giving it a try.

If there are mounting features like threaded studs, take advantage of them and screw on some long spacers or other hardware, if available - this is the best way to pull on the end cap. If there are any plugs over the adjustment access holes, remove them. Clamp the can firmly, but not too much that it deforms it (takes practice) in a vise, with some cardboard wrapped around it for padding. The solder joint end should be upright, and well above the vise jaws - about half the can should be exposed. Put some big wads of painter's tape all over any connecting pins or sockets, etc, but tuck it down, well away from the soldered edges. Also put a couple layers of tape wrapped tightly around the can, maybe a cm or two below the solder zone. This will help stop solder from running down the outer surface, making cleanup easier.

Besides a propane torch, you'll want heavy gloves to protect from burns, and safety goggles to stop any flying solder, various pliers for grabbing and pulling, and some some sharp, strong prying tools like utility knife, putty knife, and small flat screwdrivers. Keep some heavy solder ready too, in case needed for re-wetting.

The rest is kind of instinctive, once you get started. Just heat it all around as evenly as possible, from the sides of the corners, quickly, until it starts to melt, then a little bit more. Keep the torch always going and ready to add heat, in one hand, and use the other to grab the end, by the attached hardware, or with a tool. If the melt is loose enough, and the can not too tight, the whole thing should pull straight up and out. If it's really tight despite having a good melt, you'll have to get trickier, and jam a sharp tool into the joint to pry it up, possibly at several points, until it breaks loose. Don't worry about deforming the can edge a little - it's easy to reshape it later. If the solder gets overcooked, add some fresh - it will make it slippery again.

This should all be done outdoors or with good ventilation, of course. For a typically-sized OCXO, the torching operation should take less than a couple of minutes. Don't skimp on the flame - you want to heat it fast and pull the guts ASAP. If it doesn't come out quickly, stop and let it all cool back down before taking another shot at it, while you contemplate new strategies.

Good luck.

Ed
Re: 3336B optional 10Mhz Osc. problems

 

The crystal is broken I think. G?ran?
Re: spectrum HP 8558b good but missing part

 

Hi John,

? ?Some time ago (2 years or more?) I repaired one of these contact fingers *in-situ*, without taking the instrument apart.? I posted pictures in one of the photo albums.? Look back through the messages with my name in them.? You might get lucky if you find the finger and can manipulate it well enough to epoxy it back into place.

Dan


On Tuesday, September 3, 2019, 07:32:13 PM EDT, Paul Amaranth <paul@...> wrote:


This is a really common problem.? Generally, the contacts fall off somewhere inside
the unit, but they may go missing.? You can fabricate some from suitable shim stock.
Here's one person who did that:



It's a bit of a ways down.? I'm not sure what the original material was (stainless? a
nickel alloy?) but given the age of the equipment and the use it will likely get, I don't
think it would matter a lot.? I think some have made up contacts from a piece of stainless
steel feeler gauges (like you would use in auto repair).

good luck


On Tue, Sep 03, 2019 at 02:56:08PM -0700, johnlegros wrote:
> hello , have a nice working spectrum 8558b with electron beam memory? , all is correct have checked , but the issue the time division switch does not work , in auto mode, , opened it and found a missing part in the switch , from the service manual sent with this spectrum analyser from new only 40 years ago part number is 5061-5425 pronger switch , it is the metal leaf part which is missing , checked and did not find it anywhere , so question is does anyone have or make these ? thanks
>
>
>
>
>
> !DSPAM:5d6ee55b212076544458839!

--
Paul Amaranth, GCIH? ? ? ? ? ? | Manchester MI, USA
Aurora Group of Michigan, LLC? |? Security, Systems & Software
paul@...? ? ? ? ? ? ? |? Unix & Windows? ? ? ? ? ? ?


Re: spectrum HP 8558b good but missing part

 

This is a really common problem. Generally, the contacts fall off somewhere inside
the unit, but they may go missing. You can fabricate some from suitable shim stock.
Here's one person who did that:



It's a bit of a ways down. I'm not sure what the original material was (stainless? a
nickel alloy?) but given the age of the equipment and the use it will likely get, I don't
think it would matter a lot. I think some have made up contacts from a piece of stainless
steel feeler gauges (like you would use in auto repair).

good luck

On Tue, Sep 03, 2019 at 02:56:08PM -0700, johnlegros wrote:
hello , have a nice working spectrum 8558b with electron beam memory? , all is correct have checked , but the issue the time division switch does not work , in auto mode, , opened it and found a missing part in the switch , from the service manual sent with this spectrum analyser from new only 40 years ago part number is 5061-5425 pronger switch , it is the metal leaf part which is missing , checked and did not find it anywhere , so question is does anyone have or make these ? thanks





!DSPAM:5d6ee55b212076544458839!
--
Paul Amaranth, GCIH | Manchester MI, USA
Aurora Group of Michigan, LLC | Security, Systems & Software
paul@... | Unix & Windows
Re: Spare feet (5060-0727)?

 

The bumpers sound like a good idea. Stick on ones are available at most hardware stores in addition to general merchandise stores like Walmart and Target. Even some drugstores.
Make both the same and no one will ever notice:-)
Good luck with your project.

On 9/3/2019 4:38 AM, Robert G8RPI via Groups.Io wrote:
As a quick alternative you could slide the feet off the one with feet and put some 3M "bump-on" or similar self adhesive feet / bumpers on both so they match. Target sell the 3M bumpers for less than $5 a pack

(I'm English and I knew that Target sold them :-)
Robert G8RPI
--
Richard Knoppow
dickburk@...
WB6KBL
Re: E4418B power meter clearing Ram battery failed

 

Thank you all. That is what I meant.
Re: E4418B power meter clearing Ram battery failed

 

¿ªÔÆÌåÓý

High an alternative to FFF could be FFP????? fit for purpose

?

The @ is instead of saying Ha You

?

TTFN??

From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Jim Ford
Sent: 03 September 2019 17:23
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [HP-Agilent-Keysight-equipment] E4418B power meter clearing Ram battery failed

?

Glenn, @ means the comment is directed at the particular person.? As in @Glenn Little if I were addressing you.

?

FFF is "Form, Fit, and Function"

?

Jim Ford?

?

Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone

?

-------- Original message --------

From: Glenn Little <glennmaillist@...>

Date: 9/3/19 8:56 AM (GMT-08:00)

Subject: Re: [HP-Agilent-Keysight-equipment] E4418B power meter clearing Ram battery failed

?

What do the "@" signs mean?
And what is FFF?

I have never seen these used before.

Glenn

On 9/3/2019 11:16 AM, victor smith wrote:

@Steve H., great story...
@Paul B : I got what appears to be FFF identical to the original battery here:?? 

?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Glenn Little?????? ?????????ARRL Technical Specialist?? QCWA? LM 28417
Amateur Callsign:? WB4UIV??????????? wb4uiv@...??? AMSAT LM 2178
QTH:? Goose Creek, SC USA (EM92xx)? USSVI LM?? NRA LM?? SBE ARRL TAPR
"It is not the class of license that the Amateur holds but the class
of the Amateur that holds the license"

No virus found in this message.
Checked by AVG -
Version: 2016.0.8048 / Virus Database: 4793/15884 - Release Date: 08/14/18
Internal Virus Database is out of date.
Re: 3336B optional 10Mhz Osc. problems

walter shawlee
 

The OCXO Oven works fine, heats up, and stabilizes, but is off frequency at roughly 10,000,250Hz.
the can is soldered shut, doesn't really seem to lend itself to a repair.

regards,
walter

--
Walter Shawlee 2
Sphere Research Corp. 3394 Sunnyside Rd.
West Kelowna, BC, V1Z 2V4 CANADA
Phone: +1 (250-769-1834 -:-
+We're all in one boat, no matter how it looks to you. (WS2)
+All you need is love. (John Lennon)
+But, that doesn't mean other things don't come in handy. (WS2)
+Nature is trying very hard to make us succeed, but nature does not depend on us.
We are not the only experiment. (R. Buckminster Fuller)
Re: E4418B power meter clearing Ram battery failed

 

¿ªÔÆÌåÓý

Hi victor

?

Thank you for the link unfortunately there are 3 people selling this item and non of them will ship to the UK

?

Thank you again? I have a stock of old batteries that I thought / suspected as being no good but from recent information it could be a known fault with the 4418

So It will come back to the repair bench for investigation

?

Regards Paul B

?

From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of victor smith
Sent: 03 September 2019 16:17
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [HP-Agilent-Keysight-equipment] E4418B power meter clearing Ram battery failed

?

@Steve H., great story...
@Paul B : I got what appears to be FFF identical to the original battery here:?

No virus found in this message.
Checked by AVG -
Version: 2016.0.8048 / Virus Database: 4793/15884 - Release Date: 08/14/18
Internal Virus Database is out of date.
spectrum HP 8558b good but missing part

 

hello , have a nice working spectrum 8558b with electron beam memory? , all is correct have checked , but the issue the time division switch does not work , in auto mode, , opened it and found a missing part in the switch , from the service manual sent with this spectrum analyser from new only 40 years ago part number is 5061-5425 pronger switch , it is the metal leaf part which is missing , checked and did not find it anywhere , so question is does anyone have or make these ? thanks
Re: 3336B optional 10Mhz Osc. problems

 

An OCXO that's that far off likely has oven failure, so it never warms up to the turnover point. The worst case is a burned out heater, but I've usually found other, simple, fixable causes. If you can easily open it up, you can check the basics even without schematics. I recall for instance, having a couple of OCXOs (I think these are Ovenaire brand too) from 8568/8566 SAs that were dead cold. I found somewhere in the guts, a cermet trimmer pot in the oven temperature control circuit, that had its wiper open - both units had the same problem. On the first, I replaced the pot with an identical type, with the rotor set to the same position, to at least land close to the original setting. This restored proper oven operation, and it was good to go, although no longer set at the exact right temperature.

I found that the original pot's wiper contact could be restored by turning the rotor back and forth a number of times. I think the harsh heat environment and out-gassed fumes from the insulation and components in there degraded the contact, but cleaning it up was enough to work again. I think on the second unit, I marked the rotor position, and just worked it over a bunch of times, then reset it to the same spot.

Since then, I have piled up several more of these dead units for repair, and plan to fix them en masse, assuming they all have this problem. BTW, depending on where the OCXO was used, the insulation may be degraded mechanically - the guts will thump around inside when shaken - so it should be restored too. Every one from an 8566 has been in this condition, while the same kind from 8568s are solid. The 8566 abuses the oven due to the poor choice of mounting location, thermally speaking. I have often lamented this in 8566 (especially cooling and fan) repair threads.

Ed
Re: 3336B optional 10Mhz Osc. problems

 

Hi,

Does the heater of the oven work? I had a similar case with a 3225b. The internal trimmer to set the oven disintegrated over the years. I carefully disassembled the oven and fixed.
I measured to current consumption to first diagnose that the oven did not work. It was also obvious that the case was vold to thr touch.
The frequency is way off when the oven is cold.


Szabolcs


walter shawlee <walter2@...> ezt ¨ªrta (id?pont: 2019. szept. 3., Ke 21:54):

I have a 3336B that seems to be made of parts from both an A and B unit, but had the optional high performance ovenized oscillator installed (hp pcb 03325-66509) which is an Ovenaire OSC 73-52.

sadly for me, while I got everything else up and running correctly, the Ovenaire oscillator is WAY off frequency (+250hz), and can't be adjusted via the EFC or mechanical adjustment. if I use the external clock input, everything works correctly, with no offset.

Does anybody have either a good spare board or the Ovenaire oscillator available? Happy to buy or swap parts.

it has one other odd issue I have not seen before in any hp synthesized generator, it has a flutter or approximately 0.5-1Hz up and down (residual FM) at 10Mhz out. Is this some kind of loop instability that can be adjusted, or just how it works? my 5335A easily resolves 0.01Hz at this frequency, so this is very visible to me.

all help appreciated (best off list),
-walter (walter2 -at- )
sphere research corp.
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