Actually I need a quick course on how to use a multimeter. I bought an
Extech handheld multimeter (slim yellow thing with separate test leads)
and lost the directions that came with it. The Extech web site didn't
even offer PDF files of the directions for their products! When I
contacted them asking for help, they sent me an email saying "...[it]
may be here..." and pointing to a URL which turned out to be broken.

I'll have to replace the multimeter some day. Trust me, it won't be an
Extech.

Our Laserjet 6P put in great service when my wife was writing her
doctoral dissertation until the week the dissertation was due. She
started printing the first copy of the final dissertation -- 360+ pages.
Suddenly, huge smears of a sticky black rubber-like substance streak the
reverse side of each page! We stopped the print job and replaced the
toner cartridge. The streaks continue to appear! We remove the toner
cartridge and replace it with a third cartridge. Streaking still
appears! My wife is now in a panic. It is Monday, the dissertation is
due on Thursday. I go to CompUSA and look for laser printers but cannot
find one that is networkable (built-in LAN.) Meanwhile my wife internet
searches and comes up with a Samsung ML-1651N. She buys it and arranges
for next day delivery. I set it up for her and we print the required
number of copies of the dissertation successfully.

The Laserjet is inherited by me and for over a year I did nothing about
the streaks which continued with every print job. Then one day last
summer I heaved a sigh, disconnected the printer, and start looking
closely at the rear paper guide. There was a metal roller with 3 badly
deformed "wheels" made of what looks like the substance that is
streaking. I posted a question to an HP user forum and a helpful person
there provided me a parts list, a schematic diagram, and a URL for
ordering the parts. Cost me $39 and I had to disassemble much of the
printer to get at this one part. But that stopped the streaks from printing!

Bob



Russell McMahon wrote:

> Here's a response from my friend Ken Mardle re my comments on the quality of
> HP products.
> Ken runs a very capable electronic development company which uses a large
> range of test equipment.
>
>
>         RM
>
>
> ______________________________
>
> Russell,
>
> Concur wholeheartedly on all points.
>
> We have HP, Tek, Philips/Fluke, and Wavetek gear (plus some other more
> specialised stuff).
>
> Agilent make the best general purpose DMM (the HP34401A).  Nothing else come
> close.  Their low-end Arb (HP33120A) is less impressive and I understand now
> has a bigger brother.
>
> Overall Tek make the best scopes (but have a stupid philosophy re add-ons
> and interfaces).  HP try very hard and in a couple of instances overtake Tek
> with extra features but IMHO the basic scope engine is not as good.  Le Croy
> make some very nice scopes too but you need deep pockets.  Tek make some
> very nice high-end logic analysers but very little else that I would be very
> interested in.  Agilent have by far the widest and deepest product range in
> all other categories (except handheld stuff).
>
> Philips/Fluke make some very nice handheld gear (although in my experience
> their flagship Scopemeter products have been a great disappointment).  We
> have a Philips/Fluke logic analyser which is in everyday use and while now
> rather elderly was once far and away the best logic analyser in its class.
>
> I have four HP printers and suspect their marketing guru probably learned
> his trade selling crack cocaine  - get em hooked with a $99 engine and then
> charge more than that for each set of cartridges.  Then when after-market
> people start to take some of the action embed technologies in the cartridges
> which cannot cost-effectively be duplictaed and hike the price even further.
> Sad thing is they are very nice printers, and I have never seen much
> evidence that the printers from the other guys in the game are substantially
> cheaper to run.
>
> You also forgot to mention that most of HP's software for the office
> products is a cruel joke.  The software for the their scanner I have at home
> (can't remember the model) is almost usable, but that for the G85 combo we
> have at work is completely useless  - so much so that it now is only used as
> a stand-alone fax machine.
>
> Regards,
>
> Ken Mardle
>
> --
> http://www.piclist.com#nomail Going offline? Don't AutoReply us!
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>
>

--
Bob Cochran
Greenbelt, Maryland, USA
http://greenbeltcomputer.biz/

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