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  #1  
Old 10-02-2016, 08:42 AM
madlabs madlabs is offline
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Test equipment score!

Hi All,

So, I was over at one of my Elmer's (mentor) place helping him get leaves out of the gutters. After finishing the job, we went a'diggin through one of his sheds. I had asked him weeks ago if he had any TV test gear and he said no, he got rid of all of it years ago. However, it turned out he hadn't!! Found two heathkit sweep generators, one older and one newer. But the big score was a Sencore SM152 sweep generator and an Eico 633 CRT tester/rejuvenator!

My question is, is it likely that the Sencore and Eico need a bunch of caps replaced or are they likely to be OK as is. I used the CRT tester with good results on my Predicta 21EAP4. Haven't done anything with the Sencore yet.

Also got an Eico signal tracer that I plan on looking at today too, and a Heathkit capacitor checker.

Thanks!

Jonathan
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  #2  
Old 10-02-2016, 09:38 AM
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Findm-Keepm Findm-Keepm is offline
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Nice score - the SM152 and the speed-aligner were two very good Sencore products of yore.
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  #3  
Old 10-04-2016, 06:41 PM
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Tubejunke Tubejunke is offline
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Which Heathkit cap checker did you get? If it's a C3, then you will likely have to replace the 2 10mfd 500V filter caps and then you may have decent use of the leakage test function. The test voltages may be off depending on how much the resistors have drifted in the voltage divider, but again may still be used. You just need to know what voltages that the thing is putting out to test a given cap.

To get the Wein bridge working properly in order to measure capacitance value a lot more is involved, but realistically not many people are using these for anything but leakage testing which is a VERY valuable function. Cap values can be measured just as well or better on any DVOM.

If you got one of the later IT- models, then you may be ok to use as is if you bring it up slowly on a Variac. The latest and last to be made was the IT-28 which was made up to around the mid 70s. They are going for pretty hefty prices on praybay along with the older version which I forgot the model. I actually prefer the old C3s being much simpler in design and just as effective. The only downer is that the lowest leakage test voltage is 25V, but that is fine for any of the old stuff I work with.

Good score there and good luck.
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Old 10-04-2016, 10:30 PM
madlabs madlabs is offline
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The Heathkit capacitor tester is indeed a C3. In fact, I got two of them. One has the magic eye on the left and the other on the right. Internally they are basically the same. I only plan on using the leakage function but will probably see how well I can get the Wein bridge working just for humor.

I got the Eico signal tracer working, just a bad cap and a stuck pot. The magic eye was really weak so I dug my last one out of the stash. I'll probably see about putting a doubler in there to get some more life out of the old one and save my spare. Haven't fired up the C3 yet but should have a chance to get to that this week.
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Old 10-04-2016, 10:55 PM
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Very cool.
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Old 10-05-2016, 06:53 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tubejunke View Post
Which Heathkit cap checker did you get? If it's a C3, then you will likely have to replace the 2 10mfd 500V filter caps and then you may have decent use of the leakage test function. The test voltages may be off depending on how much the resistors have drifted in the voltage divider, but again may still be used. You just need to know what voltages that the thing is putting out to test a given cap.

To get the Wein bridge working properly in order to measure capacitance value a lot more is involved, but realistically not many people are using these for anything but leakage testing which is a VERY valuable function. Cap values can be measured just as well or better on any DVOM.

If you got one of the later IT- models, then you may be ok to use as is if you bring it up slowly on a Variac. The latest and last to be made was the IT-28 which was made up to around the mid 70s. They are going for pretty hefty prices on praybay along with the older version which I forgot the model. I actually prefer the old C3s being much simpler in design and just as effective. The only downer is that the lowest leakage test voltage is 25V, but that is fine for any of the old stuff I work with.

Good score there and good luck.
The 25V panel label is a lie...The divider for that setting is 50V by design. Some owners modify the divider to fix it.

You can get lucky with the bridge. I was able to recap mine and get it fairly accurate on the cap scale (I never bother with resistance)...I did not have precision caps, but my university made a high accuracy RLC tester available so I simply brought a hand full of each value I needed and picked the closest testing ones.
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Old 10-05-2016, 08:58 AM
madlabs madlabs is offline
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Good to know about the 25/50 volt thing. I was planning on sorting through my collection of .01 caps and finding the best value match I can. I have a Fluke meter to do the sorting with. I'm not likely to use the capacitance function but might as well get it working as best I can. Hope the eye in one of them is good, I looked and those things have gone through the roof!

Jonathan
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Old 10-06-2016, 09:41 PM
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Tubejunke Tubejunke is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by madlabs View Post
Hope the eye in one of them is good, I looked and those things have gone through the roof!

Jonathan
Well, luckily most of the old cap checkers didn't use the now "through the roof" priced 6U5 and the somewhat cheaper 6E5 as we find in vintage radios. Instead they used the 1629, which are very reasonable. The later It series used the 6E5, which again are more reasonable than the heralded 6U5 which are simply depleting in numbers and sellers are jumping on the opportunity as would be expected these days. Luckily, I believe that there are conversion kits around that allow the 1629 to be used to replace both the 6U5 and 6E5.

I thought that Heath was using WW2 military surplus tubes in their kits which makes me wonder why they would still be plentiful today. Perhaps due to only limited amounts of kits and such as compared to decades of use in both manufacturer application and ultimate replacement of the 6U5.
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