I just won a Solartron 7081, hopefully did not pay too much. I have 30 days ROR. Other then the usual things in any used piece of equipment, obvious damage, Perfume of Allen Bradly, error messages What are some of the thing I should be looking for. The bad news is I do not have a cable or key. Is the key needed to take the cover off ? Someone in the past said the had the key type and a drawing or scan of the key are you still here ? I could coble up a cable to do the basic E/I/R checks or is there someone in or near Portland Oregon that has one ? Regards -pete

Pete, Congrats! The 7081 is a good meter, although very slow when making 8.5 digit measurements. The key is only necessary for calibrating the instrument and can be bypassed with a clip lead to go into cal mode. I have the part number for the matching input connector somewhere but I'm traveling until March 18 so I can't lay my hands on it. If no one finds it before then I will have a look when I get home. Steve > On Mar 10, 2016, at 9:53 PM, Pete Lancashire <pete@petelancashire.com> wrote: > > I just won a Solartron 7081, hopefully did not pay too much. > > I have 30 days ROR. > > Other then the usual things in any used piece of equipment, obvious damage, > Perfume of Allen Bradly, error messages What are some of the thing I should > be looking for. > > The bad news is I do not have a cable or key. Is the key needed to take the > cover off ? > > Someone in the past said the had the key type and a drawing or scan of the > key > are you still here ? > > I could coble up a cable to do the basic E/I/R checks or is there someone > in or near Portland Oregon that has one ? > > Regards > > -pete > _______________________________________________ > volt-nuts mailing list -- volt-nuts@febo.com > To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volt-nuts > and follow the instructions there.

Pete, I have a key that will fit the 'Cal' switch on the front panel and I'll be happy to send you a copy if you need it. You don't need the key to take the cover off. There are four 'dzus' fasteners on the top and bottom that will allow you to remove the covers. You don't need the key to put the meter in the 'Cal' mode but it allows you to do it while leaving the covers on. IIRC, removing a wire from the 'Cal' switch will put the meter in the 'Cal' mode. IIRC, the switch is 'closed' in the 'Normal' position and 'open' in the 'Cal' position. To achieve the 'Cal' mode, just removing a wire from the switch will do the job, IIRC. Easy to test to make sure I'm correct. Just remove the wires from the switch (they slide off) and measure to see if it is 'open' or 'closed'. There are a couple of batteries (at least one) that might need to be replaced. Easy to measure the voltage and see the date code. Needed for keeping the 'state' but not the Cal constants, IIRC. The connectors for the front and rear panel input connectors can be 'injured' by making connections without the proper connector but you can use some temporary connections to make the tests you refer to. I have the specifics about the proper connectors if you need them. They are in the 'archives' I think. Good meters but slow compared to the 3458A. Hope this helps. Joe -----Original Message----- From: volt-nuts [mailto:volt-nuts-bounces@febo.com] On Behalf Of Pete Lancashire Sent: Thursday, March 10, 2016 8:54 PM To: Discussion of precise voltage measurement Subject: [volt-nuts] Solartron 7081 .. what to look for I just won a Solartron 7081, hopefully did not pay too much. I have 30 days ROR. Other then the usual things in any used piece of equipment, obvious damage, Perfume of Allen Bradly, error messages What are some of the thing I should be looking for. The bad news is I do not have a cable or key. Is the key needed to take the cover off ? Someone in the past said the had the key type and a drawing or scan of the key are you still here ? I could coble up a cable to do the basic E/I/R checks or is there someone in or near Portland Oregon that has one ? Regards -pete _______________________________________________ volt-nuts mailing list -- volt-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volt-nuts and follow the instructions there.

Pete, Congratulations on your win. In addition to what Joe posted, you should change the Schaffner input filter/selector. Going through my notes, I am pretty sure I got the replacement from Digikey, PN# 817-1167-ND. I think the voltage selector inside has different voltages than the original and the original one can be swapped into it. It is not necessary to get it to work. It is just a matter of 220V -vs- 230V IIRC. The input cable connector part numbers were listed here http://comments.gmane.org/gmane.comp.volt.nuts/1906 I have the complete set of cables that came with the 7061 plus an additional cable from ebay. I can take some pictures for you to get an idea of how they were made. KO4BB has some good downloads regarding some modifications to the 7081. David Partridge (another volt-nut) has a web page describing some repairs here http://www.perdrix.co.uk/Solartron7081/index.htm Todd On Thu, Mar 10, 2016 at 9:53 PM, Pete Lancashire <pete@petelancashire.com> wrote: > I just won a Solartron 7081, hopefully did not pay too much. > > I have 30 days ROR. > > Other then the usual things in any used piece of equipment, obvious damage, > Perfume of Allen Bradly, error messages What are some of the thing I should > be looking for. > > The bad news is I do not have a cable or key. Is the key needed to take the > cover off ? > > Someone in the past said the had the key type and a drawing or scan of the > key > are you still here ? > > I could coble up a cable to do the basic E/I/R checks or is there someone > in or near Portland Oregon that has one ? > > Regards > > -pete > _______________________________________________ > volt-nuts mailing list -- volt-nuts@febo.com > To unsubscribe, go to > https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volt-nuts > and follow the instructions there. >

Joe/Todd Helps a lot, just finished getting all the 7081 messages from the archive. I will be very careful with the connector, if the thing i clean, and basically behaves I'll keep it and order the connector/shell and keep my eyes open for another connector/cable assembly. Reading Dave's web site the thing to look for is a sticker from the factory with the calibration voltage for the zener. And of course order a ER3400 to have as a spare. Ever see one of those Scheffner filters after it has blown up ? I wish I still had the photos -pete On Thu, Mar 10, 2016 at 7:40 PM, J. L. Trantham <jltran@att.net> wrote: > Pete, > > I have a key that will fit the 'Cal' switch on the front panel and I'll be > happy to send you a copy if you need it. > > You don't need the key to take the cover off. There are four 'dzus' > fasteners on the top and bottom that will allow you to remove the covers. > > You don't need the key to put the meter in the 'Cal' mode but it allows > you to do it while leaving the covers on. IIRC, removing a wire from the > 'Cal' switch will put the meter in the 'Cal' mode. IIRC, the switch is > 'closed' in the 'Normal' position and 'open' in the 'Cal' position. To > achieve the 'Cal' mode, just removing a wire from the switch will do the > job, IIRC. Easy to test to make sure I'm correct. Just remove the wires > from the switch (they slide off) and measure to see if it is 'open' or > 'closed'. > > There are a couple of batteries (at least one) that might need to be > replaced. Easy to measure the voltage and see the date code. Needed for > keeping the 'state' but not the Cal constants, IIRC. > > The connectors for the front and rear panel input connectors can be > 'injured' by making connections without the proper connector but you can > use some temporary connections to make the tests you refer to. I have the > specifics about the proper connectors if you need them. They are in the > 'archives' I think. > > Good meters but slow compared to the 3458A. > > Hope this helps. > > Joe > > -----Original Message----- > From: volt-nuts [mailto:volt-nuts-bounces@febo.com] On Behalf Of Pete > Lancashire > Sent: Thursday, March 10, 2016 8:54 PM > To: Discussion of precise voltage measurement > Subject: [volt-nuts] Solartron 7081 .. what to look for > > I just won a Solartron 7081, hopefully did not pay too much. > > I have 30 days ROR. > > Other then the usual things in any used piece of equipment, obvious > damage, Perfume of Allen Bradly, error messages What are some of the thing > I should be looking for. > > The bad news is I do not have a cable or key. Is the key needed to take > the cover off ? > > Someone in the past said the had the key type and a drawing or scan of the > key are you still here ? > > I could coble up a cable to do the basic E/I/R checks or is there someone > in or near Portland Oregon that has one ? > > Regards > > -pete > _______________________________________________ > volt-nuts mailing list -- volt-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to > https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volt-nuts > and follow the instructions there. > > _______________________________________________ > volt-nuts mailing list -- volt-nuts@febo.com > To unsubscribe, go to > https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volt-nuts > and follow the instructions there. >

I have seen the photos of one in a 3458A go bad. Not a pretty sight but it looks like the gunk is removable. The input filters are being changed out on most of my older gear (Fluke,Keithley,Solartron,Datron) and not all of it is Schaffner. I think that anything going back that far and is potentially plugged in 24/7 needs as much preventative protection as possible. I have power switches for my racks so each item can be turned on/off by itself. Todd On Thu, Mar 10, 2016 at 11:21 PM, Pete Lancashire <pete@petelancashire.com> wrote: > Joe/Todd > > Helps a lot, just finished getting all the 7081 messages from the archive. > > I will be very careful with the connector, if the thing i clean, and > basically behaves I'll keep it and order the connector/shell and keep my > eyes open for another connector/cable assembly. Reading Dave's web site the > thing to look for is a sticker from the factory with the calibration > voltage for the zener. And of course order a ER3400 to have as a spare. > > Ever see one of those Scheffner filters after it has blown up ? I wish I > still had the photos > > -pete > > > > On Thu, Mar 10, 2016 at 7:40 PM, J. L. Trantham <jltran@att.net> wrote: > > > Pete, > > > > I have a key that will fit the 'Cal' switch on the front panel and I'll > be > > happy to send you a copy if you need it. > > > > You don't need the key to take the cover off. There are four 'dzus' > > fasteners on the top and bottom that will allow you to remove the > covers. > > > > You don't need the key to put the meter in the 'Cal' mode but it allows > > you to do it while leaving the covers on. IIRC, removing a wire from the > > 'Cal' switch will put the meter in the 'Cal' mode. IIRC, the switch is > > 'closed' in the 'Normal' position and 'open' in the 'Cal' position. To > > achieve the 'Cal' mode, just removing a wire from the switch will do the > > job, IIRC. Easy to test to make sure I'm correct. Just remove the wires > > from the switch (they slide off) and measure to see if it is 'open' or > > 'closed'. > > > > There are a couple of batteries (at least one) that might need to be > > replaced. Easy to measure the voltage and see the date code. Needed for > > keeping the 'state' but not the Cal constants, IIRC. > > > > The connectors for the front and rear panel input connectors can be > > 'injured' by making connections without the proper connector but you can > > use some temporary connections to make the tests you refer to. I have > the > > specifics about the proper connectors if you need them. They are in the > > 'archives' I think. > > > > Good meters but slow compared to the 3458A. > > > > Hope this helps. > > > > Joe > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: volt-nuts [mailto:volt-nuts-bounces@febo.com] On Behalf Of Pete > > Lancashire > > Sent: Thursday, March 10, 2016 8:54 PM > > To: Discussion of precise voltage measurement > > Subject: [volt-nuts] Solartron 7081 .. what to look for > > > > I just won a Solartron 7081, hopefully did not pay too much. > > > > I have 30 days ROR. > > > > Other then the usual things in any used piece of equipment, obvious > > damage, Perfume of Allen Bradly, error messages What are some of the > thing > > I should be looking for. > > > > The bad news is I do not have a cable or key. Is the key needed to take > > the cover off ? > > > > Someone in the past said the had the key type and a drawing or scan of > the > > key are you still here ? > > > > I could coble up a cable to do the basic E/I/R checks or is there someone > > in or near Portland Oregon that has one ? > > > > Regards > > > > -pete > > _______________________________________________ > > volt-nuts mailing list -- volt-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to > > https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volt-nuts > > and follow the instructions there. > > > > _______________________________________________ > > volt-nuts mailing list -- volt-nuts@febo.com > > To unsubscribe, go to > > https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volt-nuts > > and follow the instructions there. > > > _______________________________________________ > volt-nuts mailing list -- volt-nuts@febo.com > To unsubscribe, go to > https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volt-nuts > and follow the instructions there. >

I can get you key cut if wanted. Dave -----Original Message----- From: volt-nuts [mailto:volt-nuts-bounces@febo.com] On Behalf Of Pete Lancashire Sent: 11 March 2016 02:54 To: Discussion of precise voltage measurement Subject: [volt-nuts] Solartron 7081 .. what to look for I just won a Solartron 7081, hopefully did not pay too much. I have 30 days ROR. Other then the usual things in any used piece of equipment, obvious damage, Perfume of Allen Bradly, error messages What are some of the thing I should be looking for. The bad news is I do not have a cable or key. Is the key needed to take the cover off ? Someone in the past said the had the key type and a drawing or scan of the key are you still here ? I could coble up a cable to do the basic E/I/R checks or is there someone in or near Portland Oregon that has one ? Regards -pete _______________________________________________ volt-nuts mailing list -- volt-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volt-nuts and follow the instructions there.

It turns out that the voltage selectors are mechanically identical, just that they changed the printing to say 230V instead of 220V at the time they homogenised the EU mains voltage standards to 230V (though the tolerances are such that no-one actually changed the supply voltages). Dave -----Original Message----- From: volt-nuts [mailto:volt-nuts-bounces@febo.com] On Behalf Of Todd Micallef Sent: 11 March 2016 03:56 To: Discussion of precise voltage measurement Subject: Re: [volt-nuts] Solartron 7081 .. what to look for Pete, Congratulations on your win. In addition to what Joe posted, you should change the Schaffner input filter/selector. Going through my notes, I am pretty sure I got the replacement from Digikey, PN# 817-1167-ND. I think the voltage selector inside has different voltages than the original and the original one can be swapped into it. It is not necessary to get it to work. It is just a matter of 220V -vs- 230V IIRC. The input cable connector part numbers were listed here http://comments.gmane.org/gmane.comp.volt.nuts/1906 I have the complete set of cables that came with the 7061 plus an additional cable from ebay. I can take some pictures for you to get an idea of how they were made. KO4BB has some good downloads regarding some modifications to the 7081. David Partridge (another volt-nut) has a web page describing some repairs here http://www.perdrix.co.uk/Solartron7081/index.htm Todd On Thu, Mar 10, 2016 at 9:53 PM, Pete Lancashire <pete@petelancashire.com> wrote: > I just won a Solartron 7081, hopefully did not pay too much. > > I have 30 days ROR. > > Other then the usual things in any used piece of equipment, obvious > damage, Perfume of Allen Bradly, error messages What are some of the > thing I should be looking for. > > The bad news is I do not have a cable or key. Is the key needed to > take the cover off ? > > Someone in the past said the had the key type and a drawing or scan of > the key are you still here ? > > I could coble up a cable to do the basic E/I/R checks or is there > someone in or near Portland Oregon that has one ? > > Regards > > -pete > _______________________________________________ > volt-nuts mailing list -- volt-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to > https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volt-nuts > and follow the instructions there. > _______________________________________________ volt-nuts mailing list -- volt-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volt-nuts and follow the instructions there.