1970s Fluke 8600a multimeter

[Avulon]

Originally Posted by matchless

Sadly, I only have laptops!
We have thrown away SO MANY kettle type leads (my dad being an ex electronics engineer) bit gutting now we have found this!
Cheers
Paul

Thrown away! - more valuable metals gone to landfill? - yes copper is a valuable metal - especially since the mobile phone boom. Have you seen how thin some usb leads are these days? Now you know why. (counter productive a lot of the time from the customer's point of view because they fail so easily: but keeps costs down to the original manufacturer).

P.S - I've got plenty of IEC leads - more than I'll ever need I think, I should get around to ebaying some off.

PPS - But then again you've just rescued an old fluke meter - well done!

[matchless]

Originally Posted by Avulon

Thrown away! - more valuable metals gone to landfill? - yes copper is a valuable metal - especially since the mobile phone boom. Have you seen how thin some usb leads are these days? Now you know why. (counter productive a lot of the time from the customer's point of view because they fail so easily: but keeps costs down to the original manufacturer).

P.S - I've got plenty of IEC leads - more than I'll ever need I think, I should get around to ebaying some off.

PPS - But then again you've just rescued an old fluke meter - well done!

Not just cables (none looked healthy); but literally thousands of new, but very old transistors, diodes, capacitors and valves.
Kept some old test equipment though.

Just thought I would show a picture of it, to prove that electronic goods from
way back when could be reliable and last a long time.
Sorry about the slightly blurred picture, my sons 13 month old digital camera is
on the blink..!

[Avulon]

Just ought to point out that 'new old stock' electronics are often worth their weight in the yellowish shiny stuff... 'Why?' you ask. 'Because' says I they don't make so many electronic components these days that home hobbyists can easily use without reverting to super strong magnifying glasses - all production electronics is micro sized now. A transistor which may have been 5 new pence back in the 80's is a couple of £ these days...

[murphyv310]

Originally Posted by matchless

Just thought I would show a picture of it, to prove that electronic goods from
way back when could be reliable and last a long time.
Sorry about the slightly blurred picture, my sons 13 month old digital camera is
on the blink..!

Hi.
These are excellent meters and will most likely be more accurate than anything that you can buy under £50. They use very close tolerance components of a very high quality and calibration wont be a problem.
I have "electronics" going back to the 20's, they all still work and will easily outlast today's rubbish.

I served my time with British Relay and was a TV engineer from 1970 to 2006 but still have strong ties with the almost gone trade as it is now.
Note my avatar and forum name, should be a big clue.
Perhaps watch this little video about British Relay https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltI09lTuGjk


I'm Disappointed you threw out the old components, I'd have taken them in a blink of an eye. I really hate to hear of this.

[matchless]

Originally Posted by murphyv310

Hi.
These are excellent meters and will most likely be more accurate than anything that you can buy under £50. They use very close tolerance components of a very high quality and calibration wont be a problem.
I have "electronics" going back to the 20's, they all still work and will easily outlast today's rubbish.

I served my time with British Relay and was a TV engineer from 1970 to 2006 but still have strong ties with the almost gone trade as it is now.
Note my avatar and forum name, should be a big clue.
Perhaps watch this little video about British Relay https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltI09lTuGjk


I'm Disappointed you threw out the old components, I'd have taken them in a blink of an eye. I really hate to hear of this.

Hi,
Sadly it wasnt my choice, my brothers went to my parents house and cleared a large amount of "old" stuff before I could salvage much.
As a side note re British Relay, my dads company car was used by British Relay in 1978 in a motorcycle jump, by a stunt team called the Magnificent 7.
I think it was 31 ford Escort estates, and my dads was the approx 4th from the end (a White one).
Sadly the guy who jumped the cars (Robin Winter-Smith) lost his life a year or so later trying to jump Rolls Royces.

[murphyv310]

These things always happen.
I picked up two big boxes of valves this week from a deceased engineer, handy for keeping the collection alive.
Have about 2500 now, I'm always happy to help repairing or supplying parts for old sets.

[Ennine]

Originally Posted by murphyv310

These things always happen.
I picked up two big boxes of valves this week from a deceased engineer, handy for keeping the collection alive.
Have about 2500 now, I'm always happy to help repairing or supplying parts for old sets.

Sadly all my valve stock went many years ago through the need to reduce volume during moves across the country but I do still have a few black painted OC71s kicking around somewhere.

Nige

[HarryM1BYT]

Originally Posted by Ennine

Sadly all my valve stock went many years ago through the need to reduce volume during moves across the country but I do still have a few black painted OC71s kicking around somewhere.

Nige

Black painted to keep the light out, they have a light sensitive junction.

[murphyv310]

Originally Posted by HarryM1BYT

Black painted to keep the light out, they have a light sensitive junction.

OC71 can be used as a photo transistor, which is in fact an OCP71 less the black paint!

[Ennine]

Originally Posted by HarryM1BYT

Black painted to keep the light out, they have a light sensitive junction.

Yes, scrape the paint off for a photocell. Mullard charged more for the photocell which (many considered to be an OC71 without the paint. Then they changed the encapsulation. My first ever project was a multivibrator using OC71.

Nige