Forum Suggestion How about a Test & Measurement Sub-forum?

#12

Joined Nov 30, 2010
18,224
Seems valid to me. Test and measurement is a sub-category of electronics so necessary that half of the places I worked, I was in the, "test" department.
 

JohnInTX

Joined Jun 26, 2012
4,787
I think it's a natural fit and a great opportunity for *ahem* senior members to pass along hard-earned lessons as they do in the other areas.
 

Picbuster

Joined Dec 2, 2013
1,047
How about a sub-forum for Test & Measurements where test equipment related topics could be dealt with much better than in any of the other sub-forums?

WH
Measuring is not easy.
The main question is always: ' is the measuring probe effecting the result? or is it just the probes ground loop? or both'
What the hell do I measure?

A topic test and measurement is a great idea.

Picbuster
 

Thread Starter

Wuerstchenhund

Joined Aug 31, 2017
189
It's not just about how to measure correctly (which as Picbuster said can be difficult).

There's also the question about how to select the right test equipment, i.e. what is the right scope, signal generator or DMM. This is often a more general question as people rarely buy an instrument just for a single project.

The sub-forum should be for anything that is test and measurement related, but not for discussions about other tools (i.e. soldering equipment, microscopes), for which I'd suggest to create another separate sub-forum.

WH
 

Thread Starter

Wuerstchenhund

Joined Aug 31, 2017
189
You could add a vote panel to this thread about that.
Good idea but I don't really know how to do that. It seems I can no longer edit my first post or the heading. From what I gathered by searching the forum I'm supposed to see a 'Thread Tools' button which contains the functionality, but it's not there.
 

Thread Starter

Wuerstchenhund

Joined Aug 31, 2017
189
Did you already have a look at the T&M database on this site?
https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/test-measurement/
Yes, but it's not really helpful. As #12 said some of the listed specs are wrong, plus it's just an incomplete excerpt of what's available on the market without telling you anything about a device's usability, reliability, quirks or even if that instrument is suited for a specific task. It also tells you nothing about the vast amount of second hand test gear out there that can often be had for low prices and offers tremendous bang for the buck.

Actually, I'm not sure what the overview can give me that I can't get from the manufacturers' websites already.

Also, choosing test gear isn't merely a task of picking something from a catalog, you have to know what to look for, you have to be aware of each manufacturer's intrinsics, the cost and availability of accessories (i.e. probing) and so on.

An EE should pay at least as much attention to his test equipment as he does for his projects, or otherwise he'll run a big risk to end up with incorrect measurement results.
 

#12

Joined Nov 30, 2010
18,224
it's just an incomplete excerpt of what's available on the market
I think it's a natural fit and a great opportunity for *ahem* senior members to pass along hard-earned lessons as they do in the other areas.
I know I struggled with how to use my first meter (Simpson 260) because I did not know how the meter would interact with the circuits and I feared that I would find its limitations by believing what it said when I was using it badly. That's a lot of what a test and measurement forum would be about. An LM741 is useful as an example of how bad early op-amps were and some of the meters we used to have were equally bad examples. Meters aren't so bad now, but you still need to know how to interpret their limitations, and noobies even have to learn not to leave their leads plugged into the amps holes when they go to measure some volts.:D

Show of hands: How many people have never popped their Amp fuse because they forgot to put the leads back in the right holes?

Nobody?

That's what I thought.:p
 

Thread Starter

Wuerstchenhund

Joined Aug 31, 2017
189
know I struggled with how to use my first meter (Simpson 260) because I did not know how the meter would interact with the circuits and I feared that I would find its limitations by believing what it said when I was using it badly. That's a lot of what a test and measurement forum would be about. An LM741 is useful as an example of how bad early op-amps were and some of the meters we used to have were equally bad examples. Meters aren't so bad now, but you still need to know how to interpret their limitations, and noobies even have to learn not to leave their leads plugged into the amps holes when they go to measure some volts.:D
That's a good example. Another one I come across more often is how to capture issues like glitches with a scope properly (many people use intensity grading and then stare at the screen until they see something, while modern DSOs often offer much better toolsets to find and analyze problems).

Or speaking about scopes, which one should a person buy that wants to do X but only has Y money? How about 2nd hand gear? And what are the alternatives? Things like that.

I think it's a natural fit and a great opportunity for *ahem* senior members to pass along hard-earned lessons as they do in the other areas.
I'm a new poster here, but in my real life I deal a lot with test equipment (mostly scopes, signal generators, spectrum/network analyzers, PSUs and such) as I'm buying lots of new and 2nd hand gear for a range of electronics labs. Testing is part of my day work, I know the market, and I'd think I can give something back there to the community.
 

#12

Joined Nov 30, 2010
18,224
that is something for @jrap to look at.
He will know who created the database.
Also it is strange that the max Ohmrange goes upto 2000 Ω.
This does not bother me because I know how to interpret the errors, but other people might struggle.
At least my comment is in the correct Forum.;)
 

amdnra

Joined Sep 11, 2017
6
Hi Wuerstchenhund! It's good to find you again and to find you here. Just a note to thank you for your advice regarding the scope purchase (Lecroy vs Keysight). I tried to get a hold of you elsewhere to thank you but could not... Your keen insight and knowledge are always appreciated and I'm sure the forum members will profit from your input greatly. You are an indubitable source of reliable info and wit.
oh...and one more vote on my behalf for the Test Equipment sub-forum.

Take care, Memo.
 

Thread Starter

Wuerstchenhund

Joined Aug 31, 2017
189
It's good to find you again and to find you here. Just a note to thank you for your advice regarding the scope purchase (Lecroy vs Keysight). I tried to get a hold of you elsewhere to thank you but could not... Your keen insight and knowledge are always appreciated and I'm sure the forum members will profit from your input greatly. You are an indubitable source of reliable info and wit.
Thanks for the nice words, and I'm glad I could be of help.

oh...and one more vote on my behalf for the Test Equipment sub-forum.
:) Thanks!
 

Thread Starter

Wuerstchenhund

Joined Aug 31, 2017
189
Well, it seems there is some interest in a T&M sub-forum.

The next question would be what is the process here to get a new sub-forum set up?
 

#12

Joined Nov 30, 2010
18,224
The next question would be what is the process here to get a new sub-forum set up?
That is a Moderator or Administrator function. They obviously know about the public opinion here. You and I will provide no input. We just watch for a while and see if/when it magically appears.
 
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