• What company made the best vintage Test Equipment?

    From tubeguy@myshop.com@21:1/5 to All on Thu Jan 3 16:54:39 2019
    What company made the best vintage Test Equipment?

    My personal opinion is Eico. Some Heathkit was not bad too.
    Another favorite, is Paco, but that is only based on one piece of test
    gear, which is an signal tracer. Paco stuff is rare and hard to find.

    That Paco tracer is very similar to an Eico tracer. So much similar, I
    kind of wonder if the same company made it????

    I mostly collect EICO test equipment though. Back in the day, they had
    the biggest variety and made very sturdy and reliable gear. Amazingly,
    most of that stuff still works when I buy it. Aside from replacing
    line cords quite often, I recap it, spray contacts and pots, and use it.

    Of course many of these devices did not have Capacitors. They had
    Condensers, and those never went bad...... <LOL>

    So, the next time someone tells you to recap a piece of vintage
    electronics, check the schematic, and I'll bet at least half of them
    use the word "Condenser". So, of course you have to mess with the
    person who asked if you changed the caps, and tell them there are
    none. That ought to start a "war of words".... :)

    Anyhow, what are your favorite vintage testers?
    (I am only referring to tube based testers)

    By the way, I do almost all my repairs using that old test gear. My
    only modern test gear is a Sencore scope, a frequency counter, and a
    few multimeters.

    One question I have never been able to answer, is why many Eico testers
    came with both blue and silver faces? (Same model numbers). Does anyone
    know? I have often wondered if the KIT version was one color and the
    FINISHED ones were the other color? (Just a guess).

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  • From tschw10117@gmail.com@21:1/5 to tub...@myshop.com on Thu Jan 3 15:43:23 2019
    On Thursday, January 3, 2019 at 4:54:49 PM UTC-6, tub...@myshop.com wrote:
    What company made the best vintage Test Equipment?

    My personal opinion is Eico. Some Heathkit was not bad too.
    Another favorite, is Paco, but that is only based on one piece of test
    gear, which is an signal tracer. Paco stuff is rare and hard to find.

    That Paco tracer is very similar to an Eico tracer. So much similar, I
    kind of wonder if the same company made it????

    I mostly collect EICO test equipment though. Back in the day, they had
    the biggest variety and made very sturdy and reliable gear. Amazingly,
    most of that stuff still works when I buy it. Aside from replacing
    line cords quite often, I recap it, spray contacts and pots, and use it.

    Of course many of these devices did not have Capacitors. They had
    Condensers, and those never went bad...... <LOL>

    So, the next time someone tells you to recap a piece of vintage
    electronics, check the schematic, and I'll bet at least half of them
    use the word "Condenser". So, of course you have to mess with the
    person who asked if you changed the caps, and tell them there are
    none. That ought to start a "war of words".... :)

    Anyhow, what are your favorite vintage testers?
    (I am only referring to tube based testers)

    By the way, I do almost all my repairs using that old test gear. My
    only modern test gear is a Sencore scope, a frequency counter, and a
    few multimeters.

    One question I have never been able to answer, is why many Eico testers
    came with both blue and silver faces? (Same model numbers). Does anyone
    know? I have often wondered if the KIT version was one color and the
    FINISHED ones were the other color? (Just a guess).

    Geez, he writes a LOT like Oldstuff....... WITH LOTS OF CAPS and asking lots of INANE QUESTIONS..... Maybe it's time to repost the shoelaces post....

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  • From Peter Wieck@21:1/5 to tschw...@gmail.com on Fri Jan 4 04:20:08 2019
    On Thursday, January 3, 2019 at 6:43:25 PM UTC-5, tschw...@gmail.com wrote:

    Geez, he writes a LOT like Oldstuff....... WITH LOTS OF CAPS and asking lots of INANE QUESTIONS..... Maybe it's time to repost the shoelaces post....

    There is that...

    Note that when the stuff was made, it was not "Vintage" but new. Note that the likes of Eico, Heath, and other hobby-rated equipment was designed to a price-point that put it within the range of a hobbyist, and just good enough for the need. Any serious
    tech would have dismissed it out-of-hand for commercial-grade test equipment, as their livelihood depended on it.

    I did like the shoelaces post, however.

    Peter Wieck
    Melrose Park, PA

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  • From tubeguy@myshop.com@21:1/5 to peterwieck33@gmail.com on Mon Jan 7 13:39:28 2019
    On Fri, 4 Jan 2019 04:20:08 -0800 (PST), Peter Wieck
    <peterwieck33@gmail.com> wrote:

    On Thursday, January 3, 2019 at 6:43:25 PM UTC-5, tschw...@gmail.com wrote:

    There is that...

    Note that when the stuff was made, it was not "Vintage" but new. Note that the >likes of Eico, Heath, and other hobby-rated equipment was designed to a price-point
    that put it within the range of a hobbyist, and just good enough for the need. Any
    serious tech would have dismissed it out-of-hand for commercial-grade test equipment,
    as their livelihood depended on it.


    This is a hobby and only a hobby. I have no intention of starting a
    business. These days the only customers would want me to repair modern
    solid state gear, and I want no part of that. I work on tube gear
    because I enjoy it. Solid state stuff only frustrates me, and if that is
    what I had to repair, I'd switch hobbies to bird watching or something.
    Hobbies are intended to be enjoyable.

    I learned electronics in the 1960s. What I used was the same test gear
    that I use now. Eico, Heathkit, Allied, etc. It has always served me
    well, and has allowed me to repair lots of old tube radios and amps. I
    have never seen a need for the commercial grade stuff. One exception was
    the old 50's scope that I used back then. That thing was way to big,
    heavy, and lacked features. I now have a Sencore PS163 scope and it
    works great.

    Anyhow, this test gear was made for the things I work on, and is simple
    to use. So, it's appropriate for my hobby and my needs. Not to mention
    all that old gear was built like an Army tank and lasts forever......

    I did like the shoelaces post, however.

    I have no idea what you're talking about!!!!

    Peter Wieck
    Melrose Park, PA

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  • From tschw10117@gmail.com@21:1/5 to All on Tue Jan 8 17:18:54 2019
    I did like the shoelaces post, however.

    I have no idea what you're talking about!!!!


    What I'm talking about was a tongue-in-cheek post I wrote a while back in response to your inane incessant questions about what type of capacitors to use and your associated tirade against Chinese parts.

    It was over in rec.antiques.radio+phono, where you were posting your drivel under "oldstuff" or some such pseudonym.

    https://groups.google.com/forum/?hl=en#!searchin/rec.antiques.radio$2Bphono/shoelaces%7Csort:date/rec.antiques.radio+phono/NN8-LnK11Ig/isXRqcQoBQAJ

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  • From Big Bad Bob@21:1/5 to tschw10117@gmail.com on Sat Jan 19 14:40:50 2019
    On 01/08/19 17:18, tschw10117@gmail.com wrote:

    I did like the shoelaces post, however.

    I have no idea what you're talking about!!!!


    What I'm talking about was a tongue-in-cheek post I wrote a while back in response to your inane incessant questions about what type of capacitors to use and your associated tirade against Chinese parts.

    It was over in rec.antiques.radio+phono, where you were posting your drivel under "oldstuff" or some such pseudonym.


    that's a little harsh, isn't it? Not like outright trolling, might as
    well kick back, sip your adult beverage, and just read for grins

    What I object to is 'hall monitoring'. Just sayin'.

    But worse than that is those who must make you look bad in order to make themselves look good. When every idea you have is crap, everything you
    say is wrong, and they're the only ones who know anything, THOSE guys
    are the ones who deserve the vitriol. I have one specific former poster
    to this newsgroup in mind on THAT one, from 2012-ish as I recall.
    Haven't seen him at all since I came back to this newsgroup, thankfully.
    I left for a while because of trolls like him. Interesting
    discussions with 'flipper', though, but he was beginning to pattern his behavior after the trolls... and that's when it was time to go byby,

    Personally, whatever the 'shoelace' post was, who really cares? This is USENET, where anarchy is part of the fun.

    [if the guy changed his nic, assume he left his old intarweb persona
    behind with the old one... it's not like intarweb personas are who you
    are IRL right?]


    --
    (aka 'Bombastic Bob' in case you wondered)

    'Feeling with my fingers, and thinking with my brain' - me

    'your story is so touching, but it sounds just like a lie'
    "Straighten up and fly right"

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  • From Roger Kulp@21:1/5 to All on Thu Feb 7 19:02:00 2019
    While we are on this subject,can anybody recommend somebody who could repair or restore a nonworking tube tester?

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  • From Big Bad Bob@21:1/5 to Roger Kulp on Thu Feb 7 21:07:14 2019
    On 02/07/19 19:02, Roger Kulp wrote:
    While we are on this subject,can anybody recommend somebody who could repair or restore a nonworking tube tester?


    actually it would depend on a) what kind [I would assume an old 'drug
    store' type of model, or a hobbyist tube tester or something like that,
    cathode emissions only] and b) what's wrong with it. A bad power
    transformer might require some significant effort to repair, from
    swapping it out for multiple single voltage transformers, to re-winding
    the thing [which I would never want to do, evar].

    They're usually pretty simple, unless it's some high tech unit that
    measures more than cathode emission with all grids + plate tied
    together. In THAT case, not sure what to say, maybe someone knows
    enough about those to walk you through...

    As for me, I'd suggest finding a tech manual and seeing if all of the
    voltages are good and all of the switches and sockets work, the meter
    works ok, all of the light bulbs [if any] work, etc. especially a
    'shorted' light [if burnt out, might act like a fuse and keep the unit
    from working at all, depending], and repair as needed.

    As I recall the 'shorted' light on this one tester was a medium voltage
    light bulb in series with the power transformer, and so if it's
    "shorted" the light protects the circuitry and indicates 'shorted'. If
    that bulb burns out the entire unit won't function, and you can't really operate properly without the thing in there, so no pennies in the socket
    etc.


    --
    (aka 'Bombastic Bob' in case you wondered)

    'Feeling with my fingers, and thinking with my brain' - me

    'your story is so touching, but it sounds just like a lie'
    "Straighten up and fly right"

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  • From Peter Wieck@21:1/5 to Roger Kulp on Fri Feb 8 04:09:56 2019
    On Thursday, February 7, 2019 at 10:02:01 PM UTC-5, Roger Kulp wrote:
    While we are on this subject,can anybody recommend somebody who could repair or restore a nonworking tube tester?

    It very much depends on the type of tester and, of course, its immediate condition. Could be anything from a bad rectifier tube (or tubes), to mice in the works. Or, as BBB suggest, a bad lamp or other wearing part. Could be dirt.

    Brand, and model would be useful.

    This would be a place to start.

    http://tone-lizard.com/category/tube-testers/

    Peter Wieck
    Melrose Park, PA

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