Useful tips for your Bench and Test Gear.

[SoulFetish]

First thing:
I recently bought a new multimeter, and wanted to find something to protect the display screen. With hand held test equipment like these, it doesn't take long for the plastic to begin getting scuffed up and scratched if you are actually using it. For all the accessories available for multimeteres, I've never seen anything for screen protection. Maybe I'm just a little obsessive about this kind of thing, but I think the issue is overlooked by the industry and manufacturers. Anyways, the first thing I tried to do was modify a generic phone screen protector, which was a miserable failure. Then I remembered cracking the screen on my phone and having to live with it in that condition for a while. In order to keep it from getting any worse, I tried using heavy duty Scotch brand packing tape and thinking about what a great job it did at the time. So I picked some up and used an X-acto blade to cut it to the size I needed. I think I used a credit card to squeegee the air bubbles out, and have since been using it for months. It's working awesome. It's incredibly clear and seems to do a better job of scratch resistance than the original screen material. Check it out:






The second thing is that I made a Series/Parallel switch for speaker loads using 3 x ¹/₄" jacks and a heavy duty NKK DPDT switch. I thought it would be a nice thing to have before I made it, but now that I have it, I didn't realize how useful it would be!




If anyone wants me to build one for themselves, and wants me to draw up a clearer wiring diagram, let me know.

[Jazz P Bass]

Nice!

[Enzo]

We sometimes suggest someone put a volume control in the FX loop as an instant master. But I always had a couple "volume boxes" around the shop. Just a small aluminum, box with a jack in either end and a 250k (or whatever value floats your boat) pot. In jack wired across the pot, and out jack wired wiper to common. It allows me to control a signal level if I need to.

And a "solder block". We had one which was a hunk of 4x4 about 6 inches long, and another made of two pieces of 2x6 joined into a Tee. Mounted on it is an XLR male and XLR female. A 1/4" male and female, an RCA female and a DIN-5/180 female (for MIDI cords) The wood thing was heavy/stable enough, if you were making up a cord or repairing one, you could plug it onto the block and it would be stable while you attached wires. Though I have to admit, sometimes when my block was across the room, I'd just grab my little cable tester and use that.

Ooh ooh, and my box 'O adaptors. I had a box full of my adaptor collection. Like a female to female 1/4", to plug two cords end to end. XLR male to male. RCA-f to 1/4M and also ones for the other way. I had several XLRf to 1/4f. It was TS, so I had a couple wired pin 3 hot (2 grounded) and a couple pin 2 hot. The adaptors come unwired, you have to configure them to suit. I slipped either red or yellow heat shrink around them to identify. They also make 1/4f to XLRm, but I mostly use the XLRf, and when I need the males I just add my XLR male to male on the end. Used those a lot putting signal to powered subwoofers. Had a bunch of other less common adaptors too.

[Chuck H]

My most recent meter is a refurbished Fluke 87 that had a replaced display (which is pretty common I guess?). It arrived with the rubbery plastic screen protector still in place. I just left it there and so far I'm not having any trouble reading through it. I plan to leave it there as long as it doesn't cloud up. Your Scotch tape solution seems like a good option for when that happens. I might have created a small, folded over tag of tape sticking off the screen to make getting it back off and replacing it easier if/when that ever comes up. That kind of thing, a little tag sticking out from the display, doesn't bother me. My only reticence about THAT particular tape is that I know how tenaciously it adheres. Unless your display is actually glass I'd be concerned about getting it back off. If the display is plastic then it could be damaged or broken just trying to rip that tape off or melted by any chemicals suitable for removing adhesive left behind.

[SoulFetish]

Be reticent, Chuck. Be very, very reticent.

[g1]

But be vigilant about the tenacity of your reticence.

I'm with Chuck on the 'factory' screen protectors. My flip phone I peeled it off after a couple years. My pickguard on my new bass I had to peel off too soon as it was a bit scruffy from new.

[nosaj]

Hmm useful tips for your bench. I think this one only applies to those north of the mason Dixon line..
Install your dummy load under your seat. So for those cold winters well you know a heated chair.......
nosaj

[tedmich]

If your ghetto screen protector ever needs replacement, some GooGone (limonene) should remove the adhesive well, and any scratches can be carefully removed with Novus polish.

Cell phone protectors are actually often toughened glass, made by putting the thin glass into a molten bath of potassium nitrate (400C!)

[Enzo]

I had a couple "connector boxes" in the shop. Your speaker switch box reminded me. It was just a small metal box with three 1/4f jacks and RCA jacks and a pair of banana binding posts. All wired in parallel. It can be a dual female, or a 1/4 to RCA, or either of those to banana. Or a Y adaptor.

[Chuck H]

If your ghetto screen protector ever needs replacement, some GooGone (limonene) should remove the adhesive well, and any scratches can be carefully removed with Novus polish.

Cell phone protectors are actually often toughened glass, made by putting the thin glass into a molten bath of potassium nitrate (400C!)

Nerd



I like it.

[SoulFetish]

If your ghetto screen protector ever needs replacement, some GooGone (limonene) should remove the adhesive well, and any scratches can be carefully removed with Novus polish.

Cell phone protectors are actually often toughened glass, made by putting the thin glass into a molten bath of potassium nitrate (400C!)

It just peels off, fellas. No need for GooGone.
I'm a solutions guy. Ghetto ingenuity steps up where the market fails (Well, when either the market or my wallet fails). You dig?

[Chuck H]

Agree usefully tips. I am into studying play harmonica

We had a guy here that use to make a boutique Fender 5E3 variant that was quite popular. He moved on into other ventures. At that time his focus was on harp amps and he had a lot of good posts here regarding getting the right sound for that. His SN was (is?):

Bruce / Mission Amps

His name is Bruce Collins and I really can't be sure what he's up to now. But if you're a guy who likes tips on refurbing old DMM's and you like to play harmonica you could do worse than to look up Bruce's old posts from right before his absence here or even what he may into now. I looked him up a few years ago and he was active with business ventures at that time though he had already stopped participating here.

[SoulFetish]

Agree usefully tips.

Clearly Syrazer is a person who knows quality getto ingenuity when he sees it.
We could use someone with such a keen eye and sound judgment around here. Come back any time!

[g1]

Come back any time!

That is pretty much inevitable. Or another supposedly different new user will reply with the spam payload.

[SoulFetish]

Whoa whoa whoa, Chuck is NOT a new user!