Category Archives: Test Equipment

1951 EMC 211 Service Tube Tester Refurbish

Posted on July 30, 2016 by jwk

From Rain City Audio: I don’t often work on test equipment, but sometimes I take a tube tester or similar for service. This one in particular is a 1951 EMC Model 211 tube tester, a quick and simple emissions tester … Continue reading →

Posted in Electronics, Projects, Test Equipment, Vintage | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Bad Caps in Everything

Posted on July 20, 2016 by jwk

I just had a bit of a scare with my Audio Precision analyzer. The 2004-era Dell OptiPlex GX270 which drives the AP hardware decided it would refuse to power up – just flashing the “ON” light for a fraction of … Continue reading →

Posted in Computers, DIY, Electronics, Test Equipment | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Bose® Active Equalizer Test Platform

Posted on April 13, 2016 by jwk

This project is going to take a while since I’m slammed in the shop, but I’m in the process of converting a Bose® 901 Series I Active Equalizer to  a test platform. With sockets for the transistors, and clip connections … Continue reading →

Posted in Audio, Bose, DIY, Electronics, Stereo, Test Equipment | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Retro 1956 Cyclometer VTVM – Hycon Model 615

Posted on February 19, 2016 by jwk

A pretty cool, very rare piece of test equipment turned up on eBay recently: a 1956 Hycon model 615 AC/DC VTVM. This was a precursor of today’s digital, using analog servo circuitry to drive the numeric digit display. These were … Continue reading →

Posted in Electronics, Gadgets, Test Equipment, Vintage | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

What’s On Your Workbench?

Posted on December 20, 2015 by jwk

People ask me what kind of gear I use at Retrovoltage and at Rain City Audio for projects. So, here we go: While it’s by no means the best-equipped workbench out there, it has a good mix of lab- and service-grade … Continue reading →

Posted in Collections, Commentary, Test Equipment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Tektronix 575 Mod 122C Curve Tracer Restoration Project – Part 1

Posted on December 15, 2015 by jwk

A while back I picked up a Tektronix 575 Mod 122C transistor curve tracer from Craigslist and just started digging into it. With some encouragement from reader petepdx, I’ve started actually looking into fixing it up. (Click the photos for a much larger … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Electronics, Test Equipment, Vintage | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Collector or Bargain-Hunter? There are Craigslist deals out there.

Posted on December 12, 2015 by jwk

If you’re like me and have a liking for vintage electronics, you’ll know that they turn up in a lot of places. Craigslist tends to be a pretty good spot for radios and even piles of tubes from time to … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Test Equipment, Vintage | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

Mailbag: What’s the best multitester for vintage radios?

Posted on November 2, 2015 by jwk

I recently got this question in the mailbag, and it seemed like a good one to answer: What’s the best multitester for vintage radio repair? That’s actually a tougher question than it seems. The short answer? Well…it depends a bit, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, DIY, Electronics, Gadgets, Test Equipment | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Hands On with the FLIR One for Android

Posted on October 9, 2015 by jwk

Several months ago I ordered a FLIR One for Android, a small attachment which adds infrared thermal vision capabilities to most Android smartphones and tablets. After the backlog of pre-orders finally cleared out, I got my hands on mine today! … Continue reading →

Posted in Electronics, Gadgets, Technology, Test Equipment | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Adding Capture to a Vintage Scanning Electron Microscope

Posted on August 31, 2015 by jwk

Applied Science over at YouTube has a great video about adding a capture capabilities to a vintage scanning electron microscope, including some great videos of that instrument in action. Check it out:

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