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Shoutout to the old head at the Denver MRO who said he still trusts his Simpson 260
Overheard him telling a new guy that for basic continuity and voltage checks, his old analog meter from the 80s is faster than any new auto-ranging digital one. He said he's caught three bad diodes in the last year just by watching the needle swing. Makes me think we rely too much on the fancy gear sometimes. What's the oldest piece of test equipment you still use every week?
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ruby_wright2d ago
Honestly, the needle thing is huge. You see the rate of the swing, not just a number. My shop's ancient tube tester is like that. It gives you a "good/bad" reading, but the real trick is watching how the needle climbs on the life test. Shows you weak tubes that still pass.
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williamhenderson2d ago
Yeah, that's exactly it. My buddy had a tube in his old amp that tested just fine on his modern digital checker, but it sounded flat. Took it to a guy with a needle meter like @ruby_wright mentioned, and the old guy just watched the needle creep up slow on the life test. Said it was tired, even though it passed. Swapped it out and the amp came right back to life. You just don't get that story from a plain number on a screen.
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