(The store-bought imported ones are often flimsy.)
It’s nice to have a few of these cables with full-size alligator clips on one end and mini-grabbers on the other. Test CablesĪ variety of cords with alligator and mini clips will come in handy for sure. Some of these things you can even make yourself. If, however, you want to grow your pile of stuff, there are plenty of ways to do that. If you fool around with in-home broadcast transmitters, consider putting a digital radio on your bench, preferably one that measures and displays signal strength as well. A little pocket radio can do pretty much the same thing. Do you remember reading about oscillators Back in early chapters? Oscillators do fail occasionally, and you can use an expensive, bulky frequency counter or oscilloscope to track down the oscillator signal or its absence. A Known Good RadioĪs odd as it sounds, a working radio is a handy thing to have on the bench. Many have an impressive list of features, and routinely receives glowing reviews from users.
There are counterfeit Flukes circulating now, so do your research and be suspicious of incredible bargains.īut if you prefer not to spend $100.00 or more, consider the TH036 and similar devices sold by Amazon. If you have the budget for a name brand such as Fluke it will probably be money well-spent. There are plenty of meters selling for under $10.00. There are plenty of other features found in multimeters these days, some of them helpful, others not so much. You will also want to own a good multimeter capable of measuring at least AC and DC Volts, and Resistance (Ohms). As you will see in the DIY section of the website, I changed the connectors on mine to accommodate better leads. These often come without test leads, which you will then need to either buy or build. They pop up on eBay from time-to-time for under $100.00. The Tenma 72-540 is a combination signal injector and tracer, and it has a meter so that you can see the effects of your work. I own a Micronata signal tracer, but normally use a device like this one. These tracers are getting old enough so that you might consider replacing the electrolytic capacitors within. If the probes are missing you can easily buy or build replacements. The RF jack sends probe signals through a diode on their way to the amplifier, enabling you to detect radio signals in parts of the set prior to where they become audio. The AF input lets you track down audio signals or the lack thereof. You would connect the COM to the ground (Common) circuitry in the set being examined. The one shown here has three jacks marks COM, AF and RF. Tracers are simply a battery-operated transistorized amplifiers with speakers, volume controls and test probes. Be sure you get one that is tested and works, or be prepared to troubleshoot it before you troubleshoot with it. They typically sell for between $15.00 and $50.00 on eBay. Minimally you will need a signal tracing instrument such as the Micronata unit shown here. Over time as your interest grows so too can the bench clutter.
We've all done it! Slipping some sleeving over the metal part of the probe so that just the last mm is bare can help.It doesn’t take much to get started. a slip of a probe can short adjacent pads together, which can cause extensive damage if you're unlucky. introducing trouble where there wasn't any before.Īnd be careful with your voltage measurements. Sometimes, especially with cheaply-built compact gear like this, changing bits on spec can sometimes result in damaged tracks etc. power amplifier or power supply) or a set which has lived in a very warm climate, of course. Japanese electrolytic capacitors are not renowned for going faulty, especially in a battery-operated radio in Glasgow! It may be a different matter in a hot-running circuit (e.g. Do you have an ESR meter? Even if you do elect to change them, it would be interesting to check the removed ones and see if they really were below-spec.
Well done! Always worth doing the simple stuff first before getting too stuck-inĪs this is an "educational project", don't just change the electrolytics en masse.
0 kommentar(er)
