What's on your test bench?
in [Design]
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From: Jamie on 12 Nov 2009 20:43 a7yvm109gf5d1(a)netzero.com wrote: > On Nov 11, 10:19 am, MooseFET <kensm...(a)rahul.net> wrote: > >>Also you want to have a copy of the latest OpenOffice spreadsheet. It >>can do really big ones and will import ASCII. > > > While OO is great, it also has bloat and annoyances (UI gets confused > with multiple monitors). > You can get Gnumeric as a great stand alone spreadsheet. You meant, COM/ACTIVEX/DCOM/OLE, correct?
From: krw on 12 Nov 2009 20:31 On Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:15:22 -0800, John Larkin <jjlarkin(a)highNOTlandTHIStechnologyPART.com> wrote: >On Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:52:25 -0600, krw <krw(a)att.bizzzzzzzzzzz> wrote: > >>On Thu, 12 Nov 2009 07:02:30 -0800, John Larkin >><jjlarkin(a)highNOTlandTHIStechnologyPART.com> wrote: >> >>>On Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:40:51 -0600, krw <krw(a)att.bizzzzzzzzzzz> wrote: >>> >>>>On Wed, 11 Nov 2009 12:13:49 -0000, "Phil O. Sopher" >>>><invalid(a)invalid.invalid> wrote: >>>> >>>>>Over a 40 year period of interest, I've gathered some >>>>>test equipment, AF Genny, RF Genny, Freq Counter, High >>>>>Impedance Voltmeter, Wheatstone Bridge, Oscilloscope. >>>>> >>>>>None of these is particularly small and all are at least a 6" cube. >>>>> >>>>>It seems to me that the same functionality could be achieved >>>>>these days with perhaps just a few inches of bench space, but, >>>>>would it be of any use? >>>>> >>>>>The eqpt I gathered together dates very much from the days of >>>>>designing circuitry with individual componenents (R, L, C, BJT) >>>>>and offers test and validation at that level, but nowadays we don't >>>>>work at that level (even op amps have been around for that 40 year >>>>>period). >>>>> >>>>>So, what do you have on your test bench these days, how big is it, >>>>>did you design it yourself, and what would you recommend to the >>>>>budding circuit designer of today who isn't in the industry and therefore >>>>>does not have access to Spice or Matlab to validate their designs? >>>> >>>>At home? Nothing, if you don't count a couple of Fluke-77s and a >>>>couple of HF DVMs (left visible, used as bait). I don't do >>>>electronics at home. I get enough in the 55 hours/week or so at work. >>> >>>Agreed. I have an Extech DVM with thermocouple probe, handy for >>>household work and cooking, and a bench power supply, for testing >>>light bulbs and charging batteries. But no electronics! >> >>Funny. I expected flak from you. ;-) > >There's always LT Spice if I need an electronics fix on weekends. And >I'm only about 12 minutes from work. I have the FPGA tools from the various manufacturers[*] loaded on my laptop but I've never used them in anger. I'm 13 miles, half interstate. >I plan to build a barn behind the cabin in Truckee, and I'll probably >have a lab there, so I can play with circuits on days when skiing >conditions aren't good. Isn't that the time to read a book by the fire? [*] Yikes, are the FPGA sales types hungry! I'm getting calls every day from the four vendors.
From: Pieyed Piper on 12 Nov 2009 21:36 I put one of these in about every other rack. http://www.home.agilent.com/upload/cmc_upload/E4440A_800x583.jpg About once a week. 26GHz
From: George Herold on 12 Nov 2009 21:41 On Nov 12, 7:53 pm, krw <k...(a)att.bizzzzzzzzzzz> wrote: > On Thu, 12 Nov 2009 07:34:49 -0800 (PST), George Herold > > > > > > <ggher...(a)gmail.com> wrote: > >On Nov 11, 11:40 pm, krw <k...(a)att.bizzzzzzzzzzz> wrote: > >> On Wed, 11 Nov 2009 12:13:49 -0000, "Phil O. Sopher" > > >> <inva...(a)invalid.invalid> wrote: > >> >Over a 40 year period of interest, I've gathered some > >> >test equipment, AF Genny, RF Genny, Freq Counter, High > >> >Impedance Voltmeter, Wheatstone Bridge, Oscilloscope. > > >> >None of these is particularly small and all are at least a 6" cube. > > >> >It seems to me that the same functionality could be achieved > >> >these days with perhaps just a few inches of bench space, but, > >> >would it be of any use? > > >> >The eqpt I gathered together dates very much from the days of > >> >designing circuitry with individual componenents (R, L, C, BJT) > >> >and offers test and validation at that level, but nowadays we don't > >> >work at that level (even op amps have been around for that 40 year > >> >period). > > >> >So, what do you have on your test bench these days, how big is it, > >> >did you design it yourself, and what would you recommend to the > >> >budding circuit designer of today who isn't in the industry and therefore > >> >does not have access to Spice or Matlab to validate their designs? > > >> At home? Nothing, if you don't count a couple of Fluke-77s and a > >> couple of HF DVMs (left visible, used as bait). I don't do > >> electronics at home. I get enough in the 55 hours/week or so at work.- Hide quoted text - > > >> - Show quoted text - > > >The only times I do electronics at home is when I 'mistakenly' power > >up a new PCB on Friday afternoon. Of course something doesnt work, > >and I know Ill obsess about over the weekend. The easy solution is > >to pack up pcb, scope and what ever else Ill need and schlep it > >home. > > If necessary I just go into work over the weekend. If there is > something that really needs to be done it's no big deal.- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - I live out in the sticks. Once I get home for the weekend I really don't like going back in... of course if it's important. George H.
From: George Herold on 12 Nov 2009 21:45
On Nov 12, 8:15 pm, John Larkin <jjlar...(a)highNOTlandTHIStechnologyPART.com> wrote: > On Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:52:25 -0600, krw <k...(a)att.bizzzzzzzzzzz> wrote: > >On Thu, 12 Nov 2009 07:02:30 -0800, John Larkin > ><jjlar...(a)highNOTlandTHIStechnologyPART.com> wrote: > > >>On Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:40:51 -0600, krw <k...(a)att.bizzzzzzzzzzz> wrote: > > >>>On Wed, 11 Nov 2009 12:13:49 -0000, "Phil O. Sopher" > >>><inva...(a)invalid.invalid> wrote: > > >>>>Over a 40 year period of interest, I've gathered some > >>>>test equipment, AF Genny, RF Genny, Freq Counter, High > >>>>Impedance Voltmeter, Wheatstone Bridge, Oscilloscope. > > >>>>None of these is particularly small and all are at least a 6" cube. > > >>>>It seems to me that the same functionality could be achieved > >>>>these days with perhaps just a few inches of bench space, but, > >>>>would it be of any use? > > >>>>The eqpt I gathered together dates very much from the days of > >>>>designing circuitry with individual componenents (R, L, C, BJT) > >>>>and offers test and validation at that level, but nowadays we don't > >>>>work at that level (even op amps have been around for that 40 year > >>>>period). > > >>>>So, what do you have on your test bench these days, how big is it, > >>>>did you design it yourself, and what would you recommend to the > >>>>budding circuit designer of today who isn't in the industry and therefore > >>>>does not have access to Spice or Matlab to validate their designs? > > >>>At home? Nothing, if you don't count a couple of Fluke-77s and a > >>>couple of HF DVMs (left visible, used as bait). I don't do > >>>electronics at home. I get enough in the 55 hours/week or so at work. > > >>Agreed. I have an Extech DVM with thermocouple probe, handy for > >>household work and cooking, and a bench power supply, for testing > >>light bulbs and charging batteries. But no electronics! > > >Funny. I expected flak from you. ;-) > > There's always LT Spice if I need an electronics fix on weekends. And > I'm only about 12 minutes from work. > > I plan to build a barn behind the cabin in Truckee, and I'll probably > have a lab there, so I can play with circuits on days when skiing > conditions aren't good. > > John- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - Hmm, 45 minute's away. Of course there's 30 acres of land, half woods and a beautiful stream and gorge behind the house. I think my favorite thing is to take a notebook down to the stream and scribble thoughts of the day. George H. |