1. TekScopes@groups.io
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Re: TM 500 Digital Multimeter Recommendations

Stephen
 

On Thu, Aug 6, 2020 at 04:54 AM, Andy Warner wrote:

Interleaved answer.

There can be a myriad other reasons for an updated model including: cost
savings, customer requests, component EOL.
It doesn't always have to be monotonic progress towards ever improving
specs.
Apparently...

I will admit to not owning *a single* meter that has V & I on the same pair
of jacks.
V & I???? I don’t understand what you mean.

I have a couple of DM501A modules, they are fine workhorse meters - if you
can find one at a price you like, get it.
That was my first impression, just a gut feeling. I just needed a confirmation.

Thanks
Re: eBay / PayPal Changes and our alternatives

Dennis Tillman W7pF
 

I missed this follow-up announcement from eBay on April 19, 2018 which says
buyers will still be able to use PayPal to pay for goods until July 2023.
After I read this my conclusion was that this notice was very carefully
written to deliberately avoid any mention at all about eBay requiring
sellers to switch to Ayden which they will still have to do. That tells me
that eBay still thinks they can force sellers to move to Ayden.
Ebay must be very confident they will not lose many sellers by making them
switch to Ayden. Time will tell.
Dennis Tillman W7pF
------
eBay and PayPal today confirmed the signing of a previously-announced
agreement to offer PayPal as a way to pay on eBay until July 2023. This new
agreement builds on the payments partnership between the companies to make
PayPal available as a payment option on eBay's new intermediated payments
model.

"PayPal has been a great partner for eBay, and as part of our new payments
experience PayPal will continue to be a key form of payment for our global
customers," said Devin Wenig, president and CEO, eBay. "We are pleased to
continue to offer PayPal as a form of payment on eBay and look forward to a
continued, strong partnership with PayPal going forward."
------
Dennis Tillman W7pF

-----Original Message-----
From: TekScopes@groups.io [mailto:TekScopes@groups.io] On Behalf Of Dennis
Tillman W7pF
Sent: Tuesday, August 04, 2020 4:41 PM
To: TekScopes@groups.io
Subject: [TekScopes] eBay / PayPal Changes and our alternatives

I believe the following excerpts from a Feb. 1, 2018 eBay announcement
should be viewed with skepticism until the details become clear. I thought
that it was important to repeat these parts of the announcement since many
members of TekScopes are current users of eBay and of PayPal and may not be
aware of the upcoming changes on eBay.
------
On Feb. 1, 2018 eBay announced that it will be replacing PayPal with Adyen
as its primary payments provider.
Ebay will continue to let customers use PayPal as an option for checking out
until July 2023, but most of eBay's payments will be processed by Adyen by
2021. Adyen, a start-up based in the Netherlands, is an online payment
company that provides businesses with backend payment services including
credit card processing and point-of-sales (POS) systems.

Ebay explained that its decision to integrate Adyen's payment processor
would result in lower costs and more control of finances for its merchants.
EBay said its partnership with Adyen's technology would enable sellers to
have a more central view of their data, and to manage and track all
transactions and customer interactions via eBay. EBay said that the
integration of Adyen would also provide customers with "greater choice" when
checking out. "We believe that we can offer a more seamless experience while
giving buyers and sellers more choice for payment and payout options," eBay
Chief Executive Devin Wenig said on a conference call with analysts. The
move is a part of eBay's strategy to "transition to full payments
intermediation," the firm said.
------

One member already mentioned there is a Groups.io site dedicated to the
exchange of Test equipment. If you are interested the link is here:
https://groups.io/g/Test-Equipment-For-Sale-Wanted-or-Exchange

If there are other alternative sites we should know about please let us know
about them. Please provide a link in your reply and indicate if you have any
actual experience with them.

Dennis Tillman W7pF





--
Dennis Tillman W7pF
TekScopes Moderator
Re: TM 500 Digital Multimeter Recommendations

Andy Warner
 

There can be a myriad other reasons for an updated model including: cost
savings, customer requests, component EOL.
It doesn't always have to be monotonic progress towards ever improving
specs.

I will admit to not owning *a single* meter that has V & I on the same pair
of jacks.
I am surprised how prevalent they are among this group.

I have a couple of DM501A modules, they are fine workhorse meters - if you
can find one at a price you like, get it.

On Thu, Aug 6, 2020 at 10:21 AM Stephen <stephen.nabet@gmail.com> wrote:

On Thu, Aug 6, 2020 at 03:33 AM, Colin Herbert wrote:


The first decent-looking one you see on eBay/other offer?
Colin.
Yes, but the reason I’m asking in the first place is that The 501/A is, on
paper, more precise and has 4.5 digits as opposed to the 3.5 digits on the
502/A.
So is there a not so obvious reason to get a 502/A instead of a 501/A? It
would seem that the 502/A would be an improved version of the 501/A, but
the specs seem to apparently indicate otherwise.



--
Andy
Re: eBay / PayPal Changes and our alternatives

Michael W. Lynch
 

Dennis,

I always "assumed" that was the case, as I am sure that others did as well.

Being a contractual/partnership relationship, that makes the final results less "bizzare". Easier to get rid of a partner than an arm or a leg.

Thanks for the correction.

Sincerel,

--
Michael Lynch
Dardanelle, AR
Re: eBay / PayPal Changes and our alternatives

Michael W. Lynch
 

On Wed, Aug 5, 2020 at 11:14 PM, EJP wrote:

It is a sign that people have stopped, or been stopped from, selling this
stuff on e-bay.
Sadly, for those of us in rural areas, E-Bay was one of very few opportunities that we had to get our hands on a wider selection of this gear. Not living in or near a large metro area, there are not the swap meets, large hamfests, electronics resale shops and other sources available to myself and others to obtain this gear at reasonable prices. We have one local Hamfest, which did not happen this year and there are a limited number of enthusiasts in my area.

Loss of e-bay has been no loss to me for several years.<
I am not willing to move to a large metro area to alleviate this problem or facilitate my hobby. So the loss of E-Bay as a reasonable source for test gear has been a major blow. I was fortunate enough to get my hands on some good buys before this madness started. Pricing and shipping, for the most part, are totally out of reason for me at this point. Equipment that I bought two years ago for almost nothing, is now going for an outrageous price and outrageous shipping. I suppose I will need to shop a lot harder and be more selective of what I buy, going forward. Or perhaps, I do have enough test gear?

> The PayPal situation is truly bizarre. It was orignally part of e-bay, then
they spun it off.
Yes, the relationship between E-Bay and PayPal has taken a bizarre twist over the years.

Good times!

Thanks!
--
Michael Lynch
Dardanelle, AR
Re: eBay / PayPal Changes and our alternatives

Dennis Tillman W7pF
 

Hi Michael,
Like you, I also thought PayPal was originally "part of eBay".
But in fact PayPal and eBay had a partnership agreement.
Dennis Tillman W7pF

On Thu, Aug 6, 2020 at 03:10 AM, Michael W. Lynch wrote:
<SNIP
It [PayPal] was orignally part of e-bay, then they spun it off.




--
Dennis Tillman W7pF
TekScopes Moderator
Re: TM 500 Digital Multimeter Recommendations

Stephen
 

On Thu, Aug 6, 2020 at 03:33 AM, Colin Herbert wrote:


The first decent-looking one you see on eBay/other offer?
Colin.
Yes, but the reason I’m asking in the first place is that The 501/A is, on paper, more precise and has 4.5 digits as opposed to the 3.5 digits on the 502/A.
So is there a not so obvious reason to get a 502/A instead of a 501/A? It would seem that the 502/A would be an improved version of the 501/A, but the specs seem to apparently indicate otherwise.
DC 503A Universal counter Service Manual?

Colin Herbert
 

Hi,
I am hunting for a Tektronix original Service Manual for a DC 503A Universal Counter that I have purchased. I have a pdf of this Manual, but I really want an original hard-copy. I have a hard-copy of the DC 503 non-A counter and they differ significantly.
These manuals are difficult to find in the UK, where I live (London). I can find a few on eBay at reasonable prices, but the shipping from the US is generally more than the cost of the Manual. Does anyone have one that they are prepared to sell at a sensible price and with sensible-costing shipping?
TIA, Colin.
Re: TM 500 Digital Multimeter Recommendations

Colin Herbert
 

The first decent-looking one you see on eBay/other offer?
Colin.

-----Original Message-----
From: TekScopes@groups.io [mailto:TekScopes@groups.io] On Behalf Of Stephen
Sent: 06 August 2020 15:21
To: TekScopes@groups.io
Subject: Re: [TekScopes] TM 500 Digital Multimeter Recommendations

Ok so, of the 4 most easily available: 501, 501A, 502, 502A, which one would you recommend?
Re: TM 500 Digital Multimeter Recommendations

Stephen
 

Ok so, of the 4 most easily available: 501, 501A, 502, 502A, which one would you recommend?
Re: 7834 Missing Trace

sdferg7@...
 

Sorry about how many replies I'm making. I also noticed the PCB U4494 sits on is quite severly bent, as seen in this album: https://imgur.com/a/fsQ1DrN

I don't see anything shorted to the board behind it, but hopefully a trace isn't broken or anything. I don't believe there is high voltage on that board that could have arced across that gap; correct me if I'm wrong. Is there anything else I can try while waiting for the tool to be delivered?

Shane
Re: TM 500 Digital Multimeter Recommendations

Stephen
 

On Thu, Aug 6, 2020 at 02:39 AM, Colin Herbert wrote:


Is this such a big problem? Almost any multimeter, whether digital or
analogue, will surely have the same problems. Just be careful. As I have heard
before "A,B,C" - "Always Be Checking".
Colin.
Yep. On both my analog/tube DMM and my digital one I have to select what I’m measuring.
The only difference is that the digital one detects the measured range automatically, whereas the tube one has to be set to the right range being measured.
Re: TM 500 Digital Multimeter Recommendations

walter shawlee
 

For a Tek TM500 DMM recommendation, I have to go with the *DM504A.*
it's 4 1/2 digit, auto-ranging, True RMS and has split connections for current, thus avoiding the
mis-selection trap of earlier models. plus, it supports temperature with the correct probe.
very simple user interface. spec says 0.07% DC accuracy, wow.  mine always tests better.

it also has the *best looking display Tek ever made in the TM500 series*. it's only detracting feature
is no dB, but I have learned to live with that. I now have one on every TM500 bench, and really
like them. it is also wickedly accurate, and holds the cal very well.  it is a much later design than other
units in the DM5xx series.

anyway, just my $0.02 worth on this topic. you can see info on this unit here:
http://w140.com/tekwiki/wiki/DM504
sadly, the pic does not show it illuminated, but it is outstanding.

all the best,
walter

--
Walter Shawlee 2
Sphere Research Corp. 3394 Sunnyside Rd.
West Kelowna, BC, V1Z 2V4 CANADA
Phone: +1 (250-769-1834 -:- http://www.sphere.bc.ca
+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: TM 500 Digital Multimeter Recommendations

Colin Herbert
 

Is this such a big problem? Almost any multimeter, whether digital or analogue, will surely have the same problems. Just be careful. As I have heard before "A,B,C" - "Always Be Checking".
Colin.

-----Original Message-----
From: TekScopes@groups.io [mailto:TekScopes@groups.io] On Behalf Of Göran Krusell
Sent: 06 August 2020 13:19
To: TekScopes@groups.io
Subject: Re: [TekScopes] TM 500 Digital Multimeter Recommendations

Hi, do not pick the DM501 or the DM502. If you are measuring voltage and without thinking, like I often do, would turn the switch into the current range your object will be shorted by the multimeter and perhaps damage your object. This has been pointed out by another member some time ago.
Göran
Re: TM 500 Digital Multimeter Recommendations

Stephen
 

On Thu, Aug 6, 2020 at 01:18 AM, Göran Krusell wrote:


Hi, do not pick the DM501 or the DM502. If you are measuring voltage and
without thinking, like I often do, would turn the switch into the current
range your object will be shorted by the multimeter and perhaps damage your
object. This has been pointed out by another member some time ago.
Göran
Yes, I know they’re not auto-ranging. But, on the other hand, they’re also easier to find.
I’m usually very careful with these things, but you’re right, a mistake is never to be ruled out.
And I have made many in the past too.
Re: TM 500 Digital Multimeter Recommendations

Göran Krusell
 

Hi, do not pick the DM501 or the DM502. If you are measuring voltage and without thinking, like I often do, would turn the switch into the current range your object will be shorted by the multimeter and perhaps damage your object. This has been pointed out by another member some time ago.
Göran
Re: 7834 Missing Trace

sdferg7@...
 

Ok, I did the swap myself and saw no change in the trace or readout behavior. I now have the power supply pulled out to get to U4494. Unfortunately it seems to be thoroughly stuck in the socket, and I don't have one of those puller tools. There's not even a gap to get a screwdriver in, so I'm not positive a puller would be able to get at it. I ordered one that says it will get here Saturday, since I don't know of any electronics stores left around here.

Thanks,

Shane
Re: 7834 Missing Trace

Roger Evans
 

I have just done the swap of J2203 and J2208 on my (working) 7934 and both the signal trace and the readout still work after the swap and no need to adjust any brightness settings. The Z axis input on the 7934 looks identical to the 7834.

Regards,

Roger
Re: eBay / PayPal Changes and our alternatives

Richard R. Pope
 

Dave,
I disagree that this is a recession. If you look at all of the numbers this is a depression that makes the 1929-1933 depression look like a sunny spring day on the beach.
GOD Bless and Thanks,
rich!

On 8/5/2020 11:31 PM, DaveC via groups.io wrote:
On Aug 5, 2020, at 9:14 PM, EJP <esmond.pitt@bigpond.com> wrote:
The PayPal situation is truly bizarre. It was orignally part of e-bay, then they spun it off.
Decisions by boards of directors are rarely logical. They walk a tightrope between pleasing shareholders so that they won’t sell too much of the company stock by doing “busywork” (buying other companies, restructuring) while trying to not to scare off the customers by these actions.

I suspect as this recession progresses into depression we’ll see more bizarre corporate behavior.

Dave
Re: eBay / PayPal Changes and our alternatives

DaveC <davec2468@...>
 

On Aug 5, 2020, at 9:14 PM, EJP <esmond.pitt@bigpond.com> wrote:

The PayPal situation is truly bizarre. It was orignally part of e-bay, then they spun it off.
Decisions by boards of directors are rarely logical. They walk a tightrope between pleasing shareholders so that they won’t sell too much of the company stock by doing “busywork” (buying other companies, restructuring) while trying to not to scare off the customers by these actions.

I suspect as this recession progresses into depression we’ll see more bizarre corporate behavior.

Dave
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