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What test equipment should I use? What are you using?

Here's a piece of test equipment that deserves a spot here.

This is a B&K signal generator purpose built for servicing CB radios. I figure that unless someone's been in a radio/tv repair shop most folks have never seen one. The B&K 12V power supply and frequency counter complete the ensemble ;)

In all it's "10-4 good buddy" glory;

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init4fun said:
Here's a piece of test equipment that deserves a spot here.

This is a B&K signal generator purpose built for servicing CB radios. I figure that unless someone's been in a radio/tv repair shop most folks have never seen one. The B&K 12V power supply and frequency counter complete the ensemble ;)

In all it's "10-4 good buddy" glory;

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There were few other manufactures providing inexpensive similar quick bench check test sets during the hay day CB boom around the mid seventies, though none that I remember, included a, at the time, the very pricy freq. counter as part of the test set package.
 
init4fun said:
This is a B&K signal generator purpose built for servicing CB radios.
Click to expand...

Small world. I just picked up a B+K Precision 2040 CB Signal Generator last week along with a Leader LDM-171 distortion analyzer, LSG-231 stereo signal generator, LE 1854 DVD/CD jitter meter, LFM-3610 wow and flutter meter and an LAG-120A audio generator complete with the 600 ohm terminator . . . my shelves runneth over. They guy also had a B+K 1403A and a Sencore SC3100 scope but I passed on those. The LAG-120A and LDM-171 have some flakey, intermittent range switches that are proving hard to clean. I hate the thought of removing and disassembling them, but that may be the next step. Aside from that they all work and are very clean.

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I've resolved the switch issues with the LAG-120A and LDM-171. For the LAG-120A, the contacts in one of the poles of the 100kHz switch (4P2T) would not respond to cleaning, but there was an unused pole on that switch so I just paralleled the contacts with the non-working pole. Problem solved. I used the LDM-171 to measure distortion on the LAG-120A and was surprised to see it was around 0.02%. The 'Auto' function on the LDM-171 is a great feature.
 
Richard P said:
I've resolved the switch issues with the LAG-120A and LDM-171. For the LAG-120A, the contacts in one of the poles of the 100kHz switch (4P2T) would not respond to cleaning, but there was an unused pole on that switch so I just paralleled the contacts with the non-working pole. Problem solved. I used the LDM-171 to measure distortion on the LAG-120A and was surprised to see it was around 0.02%. The 'Auto' function on the LDM-171 is a great feature.
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Both my benches have the Leader LDM-171, the first one purchased new in the fall of 1990 for bench #2.
I also have the LAG-120A, but only use it when needed in the field, preferring the much lower residual THD+N LAG-126 for use with the LDM-171 as the pair self tests at .001 % THD+N, which is more than perfect for any daily audio tube equipment testing/checking, and that model signal generator also has a very clean selectable square wave output capability, plus selectable balanced or single ended.
I found about 8 yrs. ago on eBay I found both the Leader LDM-171 & LAG-126 in very clean condition attractively priced, and fully factory specification capable, thus purchased them for use on bench #1 to save the existing Tektronix AA-501/SG-505 pair of much, much lower THD+N & IMD wear & tear for HQ performance lower distortion SS audio equipment testing.

If these Leader units that you purchased haven`t been energized in some time, both if internally still in good shape running them for a couple of days nonstop should, barring any failing PS elcaps, should show performance improvement over that time period, at least that has been my experience with my eBay purchased pair during 2 days of continuous self testing.

Though I don`t remember what my purchased new well over 20 yrs. ago LAG-120A`s factory specification`s residual THD-N, or if I even was interested in knowing, as it was, as indicated above for a non critical handy sinewave signal source for use in the field.

Good test equipment did Leader make, at least all my purchased new and used have been.

Enjoy yours.
 
Its kind of a fancier version of my 4274a lcr meter, you can do impedance sweeps with it though where as my 4274a has fixed frequencies (although the 4274a seems to have a few more traditional lcr capabilities). and someone wrote software to do the sweeps over gpib: https://mkelzenb.caltech.edu/software/4192A/4192A_help_web.html

did I need it, nah but it was a decent price and that fixture on its own goes for a lot. I like the fixture because it clamps the leads in.

 
Bill Ferris said:
Good test equipment did Leader make, at least all my purchased new and used have been.
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I've been hooked on leader equipment ever since I picked up a 3216 FM stereo signal generator. I've been watching for an LAG-126 for a while now. I'll get one eventually, but for now I have the LAG-120A for day to day stuff and computer-generated signals through my Focusrite Scarlett 2i2.

Anybody ever use a Jitter Meter? Not sure i'll ever need it . . .
 
Richard P said:
I've been hooked on leader equipment ever since I picked up a 3216 FM stereo signal generator. I've been watching for an LAG-126 for a while now. I'll get one eventually, but for now I have the LAG-120A for day to day stuff and computer-generated signals through my Focusrite Scarlett 2i2.

Anybody ever use a Jitter Meter? Not sure i'll ever need it . . .
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I still own a W/F Leader meter from back in my occasional tape machine servicing requests back in the nineties.
I wish you good luck with acquiring a LAG126, Richard P.
 
The HP 4192A showed up today... after houding the guy to finally ship it (took him over a week).

Of course it's broken. It was advertised as 'fully functional' but I took my chances knowing that most poeple aren't capable of testing this gear. One of the first steps, like with my 4274A is to perform the open/short cal... it passes the open, but fails the short, regardless of which test fixture I use. I found that if you lower the oscillator voltage to 0.3v or less, it will pass the short cal. However the default is 1v (max 1.1) and i plan to use that for most of my testing. It should pass the test at 1V. If you increase the oscillator voltage back to 1v after doing the short cal at 0.3v, it doesn't read right and cuts out.

Going to ask for a return. Too bad because it is in decent condition otherwise. We’ll see what he wants to do.

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Just opened the box and the first HP 740B survived the trip. :D

All I tested so far was the output and surprisingly the voltages are pretty close right up 1000VDC . A little over but not by much.

Worked a long day so probably won't have time to do much more with it.

Also the other unit should be here next week . Cant wait to see that one with the original I/O connectors and I/O boxes !!! :D

PS: On the unit that just got delivered I will open up the b bottom and see how it was modified to use banana Jacks .

Athanasios
 
Gonna be frank, I'm more of a dabbler than a repair center, so to speak. But I'm interested in expanding the toolbox.

Presently have Kikusui 100MHz analog scope, Keithley 2015 THD, Agilent 33120A function generator, old B&K 3010 function generator, a couple variable power supplies, and assorted multimeters. Also have access to a Picoscope DSO setup.

Looking at the Peak Atlas testers and I think they're generally well regarded albeit not the same class as the HP/Agilent, et al., stuff shown throughout the thread.

Considering the LCR45 & DCA75 kit, then perhaps the ESR70 on top of that.

Thoughts?
 
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The peak tools are great. I’d probably get the dca75 and the esr70 (since it can be used in circuit) skip the lcr45 and get a deree de5000 instead (assuming you want a real lcr meter for measuring inductors and small value capacitors that the esr70 can’t do)

You could also skip the esr70 and just use the deree but it’s not meant for in circuit measurements. I don’t really do in circuit measurements anyways so I don’t have one of the esr70s.
 
pac1085 said:
The peak tools are great. I’d probably get the dca75 and the esr70 (since it can be used in circuit) skip the lcr45 and get a deree de5000 instead (assuming you want a real lcr meter for measuring indicators and small value capacitors that the esr70 can’t do)

You could also skip the esr70 and just use the deree but it’s not meant for in circuit measurements. I don’t really do in circuit measurements anyways so I don’t have one of the esr70s.
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My Peak LCR45 does a fine job of measuring low value capacitors, inductors out of circuit.
And makes quick job of sorting bulk acquired resistors by my housekeeper/caregiver as she doesn`t know the color code.

The LCR45 was my first Peak tester purchase around 15 yrs. ago, via a sale from MCM electronics, and after successfully using it for about 5 yrs. I decided to purchase some of their other handy portable component testers.
ESR70, ESR71 cap, transistor, & triac testers, even though I have more thorough HQ bench placed component AC powered testers available.
The Peak testers allowed me ease of quick go/no go with some reasonable component information for initial assessment, before deciding if further more complete testing was warranted.

And like you, I`m not comfortable with in circuit component testing results.

And they could easily be tossed into my field bag if having to go out on a service call to help out a friend with some issue with an electrical/electronic device. Excellent portable testers, IMO/E and worth their purchase.
 
For sure, my comment about low value caps was more related to the ESR70 which datasheet says >0.3uF. Maybe he doesn't even need an LCR meter and is good with just the ESR70.

No doubt the LCR45 is great, but the Der EE DE5000 is the same price, still small/portable (size of a Fluke 87) and also has kelvin connectors, wider testing ranges, frequencies (100hz, 120hz, 1khz 10khz and 100khz iirc), and a nicer display. I guess it uses the same ASIC as some of the much more expensive testers.

Peak's support is great though. I bought a Zen 50 that failed they sent another no questions asked. My only complaint with the DCA75 is the fact that I have to resolder the mini grabbers on all the time. the wire breaks there quite often. To the point where they sell a repair kit with new minigrabbers.
 
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