This hits about 50% on the Mend It Mark to Marco Reps scale. It's also right in the "I have no idea what is going on but I enjoy your funny words" zone of the scale. Perfect for relaxing on the couch after work.
You may not have as big of a channel as EEVBlog yet, but you've got a steller community with some brilliant minds. Glad we were able to get this unit back in service completely! Side note... I guess switches are HP's weakness, just like how older flukes constantly seem to have LCD issues...
yes, we've repaired a lot of HP34401A in the same manner / similar faults on eevblog .. but please be aware , that all that stuff is >20 years old, before these switches deteriorate. I would not call this a 'weakness', but a normal wear and tear . 'Dr. Frank'
Well, I think there is no comparison between Marc’s and Dave’s channel, or communities. Ignoring for a while the ignorance of Dave regarding tech he does not understand fully, I don’t remember him actually repair something.
@@mx0reevblog is Daily Mail of electronics, oscilloscopes , curiousM and signalpath, got me back into electronics from a long gap , Radio, Radar, the dark arts
I've been watching EEVBlog since the single digit episodes. Dave's an OK engineer, great PCB layout guy, absolutely terrible repair tech. He's managed to repair a few things, but failed quite a bit more. Nothing against him, repair diagnostics can be quite challenging if it's not something that you're doing all the time. Dave also lacks patience. Look no further than when he absolutely butchered the star tracker gyro module that mated with the celestial unit Marc recently had a play with. One of the absolute best channels for repair of high-end gear is The Signal Path, Shariar is absolutely amazing to watch his Spock like, well thought out methodical approach to repair. CuriousMarc's channel is chock full of amazing, talented folks like Master Ken whose ability to reverse engineer unknown gear is beyond reproach. But that's not the stuff I watch EEVBlog for. Dave is by far the most fun and entertaining and covers much more approachable topics for the common folks playing around with electrons. I'm just thankful that all these amazing people share their experiences with all of us.
In the world of information technology we have something called the OSI model that explains the different layers of network communication. The base layer is the physical layer and is probably the culprit for 80% of problems. The funny thing is many people often assume that it's one of the higher level layers and they spend a lot of time in troubleshooting more complex issues, when the problem lies with something like a bad cable. When people are coming to me about issues, I ask them to look at the physical environment first.
That's because we don't destroy anything. No fire or explosions either. That's no fun at all for most people ;-) ... Jokes aside, this is a channel that demands effort on the part of the viewers. I make no effort to sugar coat or simplify anything, so you have to use your own brain cells! That appeals to a smaller fraction of people. Fortunately, they are also the people that provide helpful comments, as demonstrated here!
@@CuriousMarc I am no brain surgeon but I do understand the mechanism of synapses and the chemistry of it. Yes, our brain responds to stimuli and this channel gives me just the right amount of tingle to make it interesting. A simple exercise goes a long way for feeling good, and a more difficult one, such as this channel promotes, helps the mind and inspires the soul, regardless of what is fully understood or retained.
@@CuriousMarc You are of course right. It was meant to be rhetorical, but I phrased it badly. Nevertheless, I honestly found it a little strange that you don't have more subscribers because there are a lot of nerds out there and the quality of your videos are excellent. You are very good at explaining what you do and how things works, and you are fixing so much cool stuff. I hope you keep making videos because this is one of few channels I have to watch immediately when I get a notification. Greetings from Norway. 🙂
Great Job. I've got one of these put in a box because, as I remember, it's about 10% off in all ranges when measuring ohms. As I remember I tried to adjust the unit, but was out of range of the adjustments. I will revisit this unit.
Years repairing various devices, I learned something: Rarely any dedicated chip is the culprit. I believe that, due to them being special and rare/expensive they are made with lots of protections so they are hard to break. Of course this is a theory.
That has not been my experience. The higher end HP 3458 DVMs are known for having proprietary hybrid failures (see th-cam.com/video/upTgM_S5rAQ/w-d-xo.html ), as well as the HP 8112 / 8116 generators (see th-cam.com/video/LJ-PsPow10M/w-d-xo.html ). The proprietary ECL chip failed on my HP 8082A (see th-cam.com/video/09zhUbJl37w/w-d-xo.html ), and the proprietary Nixie driver failed on my HP 5327B (see th-cam.com/video/vKxobfvrt-I/w-d-xo.html ). Not sure they fail the same or more often than other non proprietary parts, but when they fail it is way more difficult to repair - or just plain impossible, like in the HP 3458 case.
Nice work getting it fixed. I don't do anything with my own projects that requires such precision, but I'm still seriously considering buying one of these units just because of how gorgeous it is.
I don't have the skills nor tenacity of Marc nor @Reps, and not to promote western overseas stuff... but used HP (Agilent/Keysight)/Fluke/R&S, etc. is out of my budget and ended up going with some Rigol and Siglent gear and have been very happy with it.
It surprised me that outgassing causes contact contamination which may mean that more frequent or periodic operation can prevent some failures. Use it or lose it!
Oh yeah, old plastic can have all kinds of nasty surprises. The plasticizers can not only deposit themselfs onto other surfaces, they can also chemically react with other stuff. And, with the plasticizers gone from the plastic parts, they can have a tendency to snap or even crumble.
Well done Marc! To be honest, I was surprised to see that HP had used an open wafer switch for the front/rear control. It seems to me that it's almost asking to become contaminated. Might it have been a non-original configuration/service replacement item?
No, that's the original. Remember, this is the "low cost" instrument of the lineup, and not just by a little bit. However you can see they were still concerned about it, that's the only (thick) gold plated switch in there, and it has two sliders per contact. The other push button switches are not gold plated in this instrument. On the 6 digit, more expensive HP 3478, they could afford a better enclosed gold coated switch - but it failed just as well too...
@@lerkzor Thanks! I wonder what Elvie would think of today's clusterfuck. One hopes he would be aghast. We need a new forum for guitar amp/politics... I'll go start a Reddit.
this might be a stupid question he is calibrating old stuff with new technology. how did we measure electricity from 1752 to current times what was that progression like
Hello Curious Marc, After seeing you in the Arte series “Silicon Fucking Valley”, I decided to contact you. I admire entrepreneurs and this series made me want to go and explore Silicon Valley with a project to develop. Would you have more personal contact details so that we can talk? Hoping to hear from you, Sincerely
Excellent! Much easier than making a new hybrid! Glad another one is saved.
This hits about 50% on the Mend It Mark to Marco Reps scale. It's also right in the "I have no idea what is going on but I enjoy your funny words" zone of the scale. Perfect for relaxing on the couch after work.
The Marco Reps scale goes up to 11!
You may not have as big of a channel as EEVBlog yet, but you've got a steller community with some brilliant minds. Glad we were able to get this unit back in service completely! Side note... I guess switches are HP's weakness, just like how older flukes constantly seem to have LCD issues...
yes, we've repaired a lot of HP34401A in the same manner / similar faults on eevblog .. but please be aware , that all that stuff is >20 years old, before these switches deteriorate.
I would not call this a 'weakness', but a normal wear and tear .
'Dr. Frank'
I just picked up a Fluke 8840A and the front/rear select switch is faulty
Well, I think there is no comparison between Marc’s and Dave’s channel, or communities. Ignoring for a while the ignorance of Dave regarding tech he does not understand fully, I don’t remember him actually repair something.
@@mx0reevblog is Daily Mail of electronics, oscilloscopes , curiousM and signalpath, got me back into electronics from a long gap , Radio, Radar, the dark arts
I've been watching EEVBlog since the single digit episodes. Dave's an OK engineer, great PCB layout guy, absolutely terrible repair tech. He's managed to repair a few things, but failed quite a bit more. Nothing against him, repair diagnostics can be quite challenging if it's not something that you're doing all the time. Dave also lacks patience. Look no further than when he absolutely butchered the star tracker gyro module that mated with the celestial unit Marc recently had a play with. One of the absolute best channels for repair of high-end gear is The Signal Path, Shariar is absolutely amazing to watch his Spock like, well thought out methodical approach to repair. CuriousMarc's channel is chock full of amazing, talented folks like Master Ken whose ability to reverse engineer unknown gear is beyond reproach. But that's not the stuff I watch EEVBlog for. Dave is by far the most fun and entertaining and covers much more approachable topics for the common folks playing around with electrons. I'm just thankful that all these amazing people share their experiences with all of us.
i remember the moment when Marc said... I don't need to disassemble this one, I will just give it a squirt.
I have nooooo memory of that.
Yay community! ❤
🥳 Hooray! Another fine piece of DVM saved!
Deoxit really need to send Marc a big boxful of the stuff, he's proved again and again that it really is the universal elixir for aged electronics!
Good job commenters 🎉🎉🎉🎉
Wow! TH-cam comments actually solved something!😮
Love the decade resistors! "Before you get mad / reach for GenRad"
7:37 when you pressed really hard the number went from five to eight fwiw
Back when repairing it was an intended use case.
Excellent! Glad it wasn't the hybrid. 👍
In the world of information technology we have something called the OSI model that explains the different layers of network communication. The base layer is the physical layer and is probably the culprit for 80% of problems. The funny thing is many people often assume that it's one of the higher level layers and they spend a lot of time in troubleshooting more complex issues, when the problem lies with something like a bad cable.
When people are coming to me about issues, I ask them to look at the physical environment first.
Congrats getting your HP DVM working glad it wasn't the hybrid.
I love this channel in so many ways. Why this channel doesn't have a lot more subscribers is a mystery to me.
That's because we don't destroy anything. No fire or explosions either. That's no fun at all for most people ;-) ... Jokes aside, this is a channel that demands effort on the part of the viewers. I make no effort to sugar coat or simplify anything, so you have to use your own brain cells! That appeals to a smaller fraction of people. Fortunately, they are also the people that provide helpful comments, as demonstrated here!
@@CuriousMarc I am no brain surgeon but I do understand the mechanism of synapses and the chemistry of it. Yes, our brain responds to stimuli and this channel gives me just the right amount of tingle to make it interesting. A simple exercise goes a long way for feeling good, and a more difficult one, such as this channel promotes, helps the mind and inspires the soul, regardless of what is fully understood or retained.
@@CuriousMarc You are of course right. It was meant to be rhetorical, but I phrased it badly. Nevertheless, I honestly found it a little strange that you don't have more subscribers because there are a lot of nerds out there and the quality of your videos are excellent. You are very good at explaining what you do and how things works, and you are fixing so much cool stuff. I hope you keep making videos because this is one of few channels I have to watch immediately when I get a notification.
Greetings from Norway. 🙂
Glad you were able to sort it out.
YAY Marc and thanks to the commenters too.
Great Job. I've got one of these put in a box because, as I remember, it's about 10% off in all ranges when measuring ohms. As I remember I tried to adjust the unit, but was out of range of the adjustments. I will revisit this unit.
I love when the solution is simple.
Years repairing various devices, I learned something: Rarely any dedicated chip is the culprit. I believe that, due to them being special and rare/expensive they are made with lots of protections so they are hard to break. Of course this is a theory.
Makes me miss the days *before* planned obsolescence
oloco! tabajara labs!!!
That has not been my experience. The higher end HP 3458 DVMs are known for having proprietary hybrid failures (see th-cam.com/video/upTgM_S5rAQ/w-d-xo.html ), as well as the HP 8112 / 8116 generators (see th-cam.com/video/LJ-PsPow10M/w-d-xo.html ). The proprietary ECL chip failed on my HP 8082A (see th-cam.com/video/09zhUbJl37w/w-d-xo.html ), and the proprietary Nixie driver failed on my HP 5327B (see th-cam.com/video/vKxobfvrt-I/w-d-xo.html ). Not sure they fail the same or more often than other non proprietary parts, but when they fail it is way more difficult to repair - or just plain impossible, like in the HP 3458 case.
Beauty! All of us together, there's nothing we cannot do. 👍 curiousMarc successful again!
Nice work getting it fixed. I don't do anything with my own projects that requires such precision, but I'm still seriously considering buying one of these units just because of how gorgeous it is.
I don't have the skills nor tenacity of Marc nor @Reps, and not to promote western overseas stuff... but used HP (Agilent/Keysight)/Fluke/R&S, etc. is out of my budget and ended up going with some Rigol and Siglent gear and have been very happy with it.
Deoxid Gold, the duct tape of vintage electronic repair.
Yay! Nice save!
Dam you switches! * shakes fist *
Awesome, I love our community and Happy New Year to you all !!
Brilliant!
Glad you got it fixed but was looking forward to a hybrid replacement design and fit 🙂
It surprised me that outgassing causes contact contamination which may mean that more frequent or periodic operation can prevent some failures.
Use it or lose it!
Oh yeah, old plastic can have all kinds of nasty surprises. The plasticizers can not only deposit themselfs onto other surfaces, they can also chemically react with other stuff. And, with the plasticizers gone from the plastic parts, they can have a tendency to snap or even crumble.
The community fixed the Doodley-doo
👍👍
Glory to the collective intelligence of you the viewers! 👍
Well done Marc!
To be honest, I was surprised to see that HP had used an open wafer switch for the front/rear control. It seems to me that it's almost asking to become contaminated. Might it have been a non-original configuration/service replacement item?
Same here. Open switch not a good thing ever.
No, that's the original. Remember, this is the "low cost" instrument of the lineup, and not just by a little bit. However you can see they were still concerned about it, that's the only (thick) gold plated switch in there, and it has two sliders per contact. The other push button switches are not gold plated in this instrument. On the 6 digit, more expensive HP 3478, they could afford a better enclosed gold coated switch - but it failed just as well too...
As my EE prof used to say "practical electronics is mostly a discipline about poor contacts"
I was thinking that the adjustment pots could need some deoxit?
They may be dirty as well.
And possible the actual connectors themselves.
Nice!
World team work
I have zero background in anything on this channel and rarely understand much of what’s happening but it’s fascinating to me.
✌️
hooray!!! :)
Love DeOxit... ProGold! Magic goo. Good old Lord Valve, curmudgeon of Denver, keeper of alt.guitar.amps flames.... hipped me to it. RIP.
I haven't thought of newsgroups in a long time. Thanks for the nostalgic blast, and RIP Lord Valve; I never knew you, but you are remembered still.
@@lerkzor Thanks! I wonder what Elvie would think of today's clusterfuck. One hopes he would be aghast. We need a new forum for guitar amp/politics... I'll go start a Reddit.
Another happy ending!
this might be a stupid question he is calibrating old stuff with new technology. how did we measure electricity from 1752 to current times what was that progression like
The Wisdom of Crowds strikes again!
Only shows that you need to find the actual root cause and not jump to conclusions that it cannot be fixed.
Hello Curious Marc,
After seeing you in the Arte series
“Silicon Fucking Valley”, I decided to contact you.
I admire entrepreneurs and this series made me want to go and explore Silicon Valley with a project to develop.
Would you have more personal contact details so that we can talk?
Hoping to hear from you,
Sincerely
Nice troubleshoot. HI7/N2CQR
👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻