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Caption This!

Caption This! is a place for engineers to test their wit. Each week the CR4 team will post an interesting or amusing engineering picture. We're looking for your best captions in the comments below.
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47 comments

Caption This 2/22/2019

Posted February 22, 2019 4:45 PM by lmno24
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Thanks to DavidSMullins for the submission! Send us your funny pictures!

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#1

Re: Caption This 2/22/2019

02/22/2019 5:14 PM

Well, the styrofoam cups probably violate ESD compliance...

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#7
In reply to #1

Re: Caption This 2/22/2019

02/23/2019 12:45 AM

Ooops. (ignore this post) How do I delete this?

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#8
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Re: Caption This 2/22/2019

02/23/2019 12:47 AM

The single box of an extra large Trojan prophylactic in the convenient little blue carton covers both insulation from ESD and any engineers' wit all-in-one package on the desk. That's as close to interest 'n humor I can muster in the today's test.

Pleasexcusethesnarkonwry

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#41
In reply to #1

Re: Caption This 2/22/2019

02/27/2019 12:10 PM

Young Dr. F.: Egor! How could you possibly have traded away ALL my lab equipment for this, just because a door-to-door salesman said it was all that was really needed?!!!

Now, I''ll have to start allllll over again....

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#46
In reply to #1

Re: Caption This 2/22/2019

03/04/2019 8:44 AM

Typical summer Humidity reading for July in Houston.

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#2

Re: Caption This 2/22/2019

02/22/2019 5:41 PM

The great thing about it is you can plug a microphone in the back there, and it doubles as a karaoke machine...Now you can sing along with your favorite songs and make the work day pass quickly....

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#3

Re: Caption This 2/22/2019

02/22/2019 7:33 PM

Just another Ole'sillyscope.

Not a very serious piece of equipment these days.

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#4

Re: Caption This 2/22/2019

02/22/2019 10:47 PM

Help me out here! Even after enlarging and using my loupe, I still can't read any text on the instrument, so I have no idea what device it is. I see the meter at full scale with nothing connected, which would be correct for a measurement of resistance or impedance, among other things, although the large diameter dial makes it look more like some kind of signal generator.

So far, I see nothing out of place or amusing, except that the workbench is way too clean for any real lab...

...and I don't recall ever seeing a white workbench that was ESD protected.

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#5
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Re: Caption This 2/22/2019

02/22/2019 11:40 PM

Had me scratching my head . . . .

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#6
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Re: Caption This 2/22/2019

02/23/2019 12:09 AM

Add me too the list?

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#16
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Re: Caption This 2/22/2019

02/23/2019 2:45 PM

1864 General Radio Insulation Meter

https://www.ietlabs.com/genrad-1864-megohmmeter.html

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#18
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Re: Caption This 2/22/2019

02/23/2019 5:06 PM

Thanks for finding that! Good Job. I still see nothing amusing, ironic, or dangerous about the original photo, unless it is related to the fact that the original shows low-voltage black and red clips and black and red wires connected by a red dual banana plug inserted upside down into two red banana sockets, that may potentially carry dangerously high voltage.

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#29
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Re: Caption This 2/22/2019. Just a case of crossed signals.

02/25/2019 8:50 AM

Crossed Signals

Looks like the dual banana plug is "inserted" vertically but the posts on the megger are arranged horizontally. Thus, the banana plug is not inserted at all but just placed so that it stays put by virtue of the jamming of the shield over the joined plugs against the two instrument lug shields. Any item measured at the business end of the test leads will have its resistance in series with the very high resistance of all that plastic.

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#31
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Re: Caption This 2/22/2019. Just a case of crossed signals.

02/25/2019 10:17 AM

Well, maybe not. This banana plug may have rear facing lugs to allow ganging another set of connections into the rear of the previous. Perhaps the OP thought the same thing I did. I am still not sure what the picture shows.

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#32
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Re: Caption This 2/22/2019. Just a case of crossed signals.

02/25/2019 10:43 AM

Seems that the test leads with their cable ties would leak enough for a non-infinite reading on this scale if the banana plug were inserted horizontally rather than vertically. Anyone have a megger and some likely test leads to run an empirical test ? Use the settings from the small picture rather than the larger one Rixter supplied. Maybe it will still "whir when it stands still."

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#33
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Re: Caption This 2/22/2019. Just a case of crossed signals.

02/25/2019 11:07 AM

The banana plug is inserted correctly. It's horizontal. There is a silver shorting bar on the ground lug that is at an angle.

But, yes, it is 300V insulation on the test leads used for a 1000V IR test. The instrument's output is off so the needle rests at the infinite end of the scale.

They couldn't figure out why the insulation resistance of every cable would read less than the previous one!

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#39
In reply to #33

Re: Caption This 2/22/2019. Just a case of crossed signals.

02/25/2019 4:01 PM

"The instrument's output is off so the needle rests at the infinite end of the scale."

"The readings are off the charts! How annoying, now I need to make new charts."

-Egon Spengler, The Real Ghostbusters (old cartoon from the mid-late 80's)

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#34
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Re: Caption This 2/22/2019. Just a case of crossed signals.

02/25/2019 11:26 AM

"Well, maybe not. This banana plug may have rear facing lugs". Correct.

Here's a portion of the original photo:

And here's a photo of that kind of Dual Banana Plug:

I've shown the plug in the same position as in the OP photo. You can't read the "GND" on the lug on the right side of this plug. Most, if not all, of the instruments I remember that used polarized dual banana plugs had different colors for the two sockets, with the ground side always on the left. In that position, the cable comes out below the plugs, making it easier to insert an additional plug.

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#22
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Re: Caption This 2/22/2019

02/24/2019 11:16 AM

OOPS! I posted my last reply before I saw yours.My bad.You get a GA from me.

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#24
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Re: Caption This 2/22/2019

02/24/2019 4:43 PM

It looks to me like a MEGGER perhaps by General Radio..... then full scale deflection for an open circuit connection would make sense.

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#27
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Re: Caption This 2/22/2019

02/25/2019 8:19 AM

Yup, me too. Glad I'm in such good company.

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#9

Re: Caption This 2/22/2019

02/23/2019 12:48 AM

The Marvelous Toy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLYefZkOMB0&t=32s

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#28
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Re: Caption This 2/22/2019

02/25/2019 8:21 AM

Oh, that takes me back! I loved Peter, Paul and Mary.

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#10

Re: Caption This 2/22/2019

02/23/2019 6:35 AM

"Ohhh, Please connect me."

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#11

Re: Caption This 2/22/2019

02/23/2019 6:35 AM

So what have most of us missed here?

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#12

Re: Caption This 2/22/2019

02/23/2019 7:08 AM

Have you tried turning it off and on again?

Have you contacted the manufacturer? Information provided by tired and anonymous posters on this forum maybe of questionable value!

Sorry, we don't do homework.

It's analogue, you need to talk to someone over 60 for this one and the manuals will be in hard copy.

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#13
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Re: Caption This 2/22/2019

02/23/2019 7:19 AM