Whippersnapper, Thank you. I've built Eico, Heathkit, and Knight kits
and most of that was test equipment. A Knight (Allied Radio brand) was
my first 23 Channel CB set. All tubes. Solid state wasn't even called
that yet. Still have most of that old stuff floating around here, and
once in while get rid of some of it at MIT (MA equivalent of Caltech)
electronics flea market.
My First DVM was a Fluke bench model at near $400 '70's dollars. Red
display. Still works (but I had to clean those blasted pushbutton
switches) (wonder what the aging rate of it's timekeeper is? bet the
third digit after the decimal s a throwaway now and the second
questionable)
Recently, I saw a lovely pocket DVM known to be super reliable and
accurate (As I spec'ed it out by comparison testing of a lot of brands
and bought 'school quantity lots' of for the electronics classes of
Northeast Institute Boston (where I was Electronic lab instructor and in
charge of all test equipment). We paid (bought about 150) bout $80 ea..
Saw it lately in a catalog for $20 single lot. These meters had to be
real good so the students would all get the same readings on such as
graphing the curve of a semiconductors turn on region. The electricians
class also used em, which was a waste of the school's money they didn't
need the complexity or accuracy.
I now use these Harbor Freight $2.99 - $9.00 meters (same meter, price
and case color varies) because I don't need the accuracy with EV's and
because I have a tendency to step on the blasted things, drop em in water
etc. When they go to $2.99 I buy several. All have worked only one was
off cal when I got it. The newest elcheapos even got a push button
backlight that times itself out.
I was decrying $80 for a 'single purpose' meter that I would use
perhaps a couple times a year. If I was still making money with meters
I'd snap it up. (too much fulltime electronics fries a guy's brain - I
quit while I still had one)
Still got my 260. She'll do things that a DMM wont. Show quick variance
or momentary int loss of voltage, read AC that's on a DC line, and read
continuity on AC wall type switches, for instance. Continuous
monitoring (the DMM battery wants to quit during em)
Once had a Simpson (or was it Triplett?) ohmmeter with one scale. 0-5
ohms. Wow was that handy doing commercial sound especially. If you
knew how long a spkr cable was, the lo ohmmeter would tell you where the
short or break was and whether it was a short or break. And I was
contracting the sound of a large amusement park at the time. Main PA
line was bout a half mile long. (did it for 15 yrs, til the park closed
and became another blasted condo by the sea).
Am 67 going on 21 and having a hell of a good time with EV's of all kinds
and also am a home shop machinist (specialising in old machinery and hit
n miss and small steam engines) so have no problems doing the metalwork
or 'gypsy auto body' work required on these gizmos. They are not only
good for the planet and useful as hell but they are fun !
Today, went to an EV and hybrid show run by an envirogroup North of
Boston. Ran the EAA display there (New England chapter). Beautiful
show, fantastic response to all the exhibitors by the public. Am hoarse
from talking and still vibrating from the show. Ergo, on this darned 'CB
set with a keyboard' in the wee hours. Which I shouldn't be.
So catch U later. Have fun.
Dave
Weymouth MA
.
On Fri, 28 Jul 2006 17:20:32 -0400 "David Roden" <etpost drmm net>
writes:
On 26 Jul 2006 at 15:05, David C Robie wrote:
> MYGAWSH $80 for a meter.
That's pretty reasonable, IMO. You young whippersnappers are
spoiled (if
that's the right word) by these cheapo Chinese $20 DMMs. (I saw one
at the
dollar store the other day for $4. Sheesh.)
Seems to me that Back in the Day (tm) a really good VTVM cost well
over a
hundred bucks, and those were 1965 dollars. It was a kit, too, and
every
resistor and capacitor in it was made in USA (Ohmite, Sprague,
etc.).
In fact I think my FETVM from the early '70s or so was about that
expensive,
something in the $150-200 range. It still works, too.
Good old EICO.
Fluke or Simpson meters may very well still be helping you maintain
your ET
35 years from now (and I have no doubt that the ET will still be
going. But
I'll be very surprised if you find more than a few Korean or
Chinese-made
DMMs that still work in 2040. (But then I probably won't still be
working
by then either. ;-)
David Roden - Akron, Ohio, USA
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