[ARC5] 70+ year old errors

[Richard Knoppow]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "gordon white" <gewhite at crosslink.net>
To: "Paddy Ryan" <pei7cn at eircom.net>
Cc: <arc5 at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Tuesday, June 11, 2013 7:09 AM
Subject: Re: [ARC5] 70+ year old errors


> Were these errors on A.R.C. receivers, or 
> Stromberg-Carlson production?
>  - Gordon White

    I've run across unsoldered, or rather wrapped but never 
soldered wires several times in equipment that worked for 
years anyway.  Once in a Drake R4B and a couple of times in 
General Radio instruments.  When I worked for 
Hewlett-Packard I had a brand new 8405A Vector Voltmeter 
come in that didn't work. I had taken the top off to inspect 
it and it worked fine. I sent it back and it came back with 
the same complaint.  The problem was a couple of untrimmed 
leads sticking up from the big circuit board on top. They 
shorted on the lid, but _only_ when it was screwed down, 
when the screws were out there was no short. I learned from 
that to always evaluate equipment just as it arrived. I 
don't think any manufacturer was immune from this sort of 
thing.
    The other somewhat startling case was a signal generator 
with _lots_ or missing wiring. We got several. It turned out 
they had been shipped incomplete to meet a contract deadline 
(government contract) and an arrangement was made with the 
customer to accept them and ship them back for completion. 
Generally -hp- quality control was excellent.


--
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles
WB6KBL
dickburk at ix.netcom.com