The Simpsons

[@MendItMark]

Want to Master the art of electronic repair? Check out MendItLikeMark: www.menditmark.com/menditlikemark

[@PeterStap-h3l]

Hi Mark, thanks from sunny Queensland, Australia for another very informative video

[@flint9591]

I worked for Simpson in Elgin, Illinois, back in the early 70's as a calibration tech..Good times ! Thanks for a blast from the past !

[@chatrkat]

Wow, I remember my dad discussing them sending their Simpsons’ to Elgin for service when one of the careless bench guys broke a 260. I still live just outside of Chicago today.

[@shawnhayden6674]

My 1st studies in electronics took place in the late 80s in Nova Scotia, Canada. In our first year of studies we were taught meter movement and the old Simpson meters were the devices we learned on. We were not allowed to use the Fluke meters until the second year of lab studies. Cool to see a Canadian Simpson here on the channel. Great memories.

[@antoniofiori6023]

My first personal instrument was a Simpson... many years ago.... I still have a more recent Simpsons at home, I keep it as a souvenir...

[@jimalcott760]

Great to see old equipment updated, thanks.

[@larryh8072]

I have a Simpson 314 on my bench that has a 10ua current range. It’s come in so handy many times.

[@victorhugotoledocofre1366]

Watching Mark's dedication to repairing all those vintage appliances is not just a lesson in electronics; it's also a lesson in life 😍👍

[@bruceharris5734]

Hi Mark, Wow, when I stated my Instrument Maker and Repairer apprenticeship back in 1966 it took 3 years before they allowed me to work on the corprorations 'Avo's". We did all you did including re-calibrating the moving coil meter. Thank you for bringing back old memories and bloody good times. My trade served me well and now retired. Once again love your channel and keep em coming, you make a 75 year old young again. Cheers, Bruce

[@jadney]

The instant you found the VAC range not to work, I knew the two Ge diodes were shot. The 1N4007s you replaced them with will never die, but the larger forward Si voltage drop will cause errors, most noticeably in the lowest voltage ranges. Note that there's a special 2.5 VAC scale, that's calibrated for Ge. A pair of 1N34s would be a better choice. Otherwise, a very nice restoration. I especially liked the plating of the replacement brass contacts.

[@ssthh]

yes, that part was very nice but what for since he inserted Duracell :D

[@BDJones055]

I was a signalman on the B&O railroad roster for 15 years. We used the Simpson 260 everyday. I still have mine and love it.

[@Barbarapape]

Simpson meters were to Canada and the USA as Avo meters were to the UK. Both high quality and robust meters that were not cheap to buy. Everyone wanted an AVO 7 or 8 back in the 60/70's most were bought used due to their high prices when new. They were your most valuable piece of test gear, so you looked after them.

[@RPike-bq3xm]

You might be surprised but all those metal bits are still available. Of course buying them is not as fun as making them by hand. Great instruction.

[@paulsto6516]

Simpson, one of the nicest analog meters ever made!

[@lessevdoolbretsim]

And they still make the hell out of them.

[@iantyler4045]

What a lovely well built instrument. There's still a place in the test equipment arsenal for an analog meter ie I.F. alignment etc. Very nice repair.

[@charly4594]

A week after seeing your excellent repair of this Simpson meter, I purchased one on Ebay and using your expert presentation, I repaired mine to a working unit in a few days. It is now my favorite VOM and it is the exact model that I used when in the Navy back in the seventies. I was a P-2 and P-3 aircrewman, and these units were standard equipment if we had to troubleshoot equipment in flight. Thank you so much, as I watch all of your repairs and it has brought me to a whole new level of electronic competency.

[@MrTherende]

I used the Simpson in the early 1970's when I was an electronics technician in the US Coast Guard, a great tool!

[@JamesE707]

Good photography again Mark, makes all the difference.

[@CovertCulvert]

Thanks for showing us this! I have a 260 that was given to me as a Christmas present. It works but now I'll have a guide to follow for restoring and checking it. Great video!!

[@GeorgeLittle-ft2yx]

Wd40 is great for removing sticky residue

[@rickwatts7885]

I am so happy to see this episode as I have four 260’s in various states of needing help. What a wonderful time I had watching you perform your magic. Keep up the good work.

[@germancampos1498]

I´m electronic engineer from southamerica and had the chance to see (and use) some Simpson mmeter back at the Uni in the 90´s. By that time those were already old but its beauty and accuracy make them very popular among the students and very well preserved. Our very first time to check voltage and current was on those wonder instruments.

[@tjtreinen7381]

I like the way you replaced the damaged paths....

[@mikea1437]

I used to fix Simpson, Triplett, and Weston meters back in the late 60s. Learned a lot and was able to buy a taut-band 270. Still got it and use it occasionally. Took the batteries out to protect the insides though.

[@MrSoundman1955]

just in case anyone is wondering, yes the ohms scale reads "backwards"! You have to zero it on the right of the meter by shorting the test leads. a bit like getting the beep on your Fluke for a continuity or short circuit test. Nice to see inside a Simpson, Mark. It was all AVO in our shop. You cleared the curse of old batteries very thoroughly, well done.

[@earlchapman8729]

My father has a Simpson that was issued to him in the RCAF as an instrument electrical technician on fighters. I remember being taught how to use it in my teens and have asked to have it once he’s done with it. It’s a great piece of vintage technology.

[@rickwatts7885]

I laughed out loud when I saw the name of the episode! I am so happy to see this episode as I have four 260’s in various states of needing help. What a wonderful time I had watching you perform your magic. Keep up the good work.

[@babaoreally8220]

I once packed one of these,along with a backpack of spare parts,to repair faulty radios for the combat units of our battalion in ‘68 Vietnam.Flew out on a Huey gunship or a C model for drop off.I have wished many times that I had one of these great diagnostic pieces in my garage.Love your work and the vast array of equipment in your shop.

[@jimnjele.bean-dayone3505]

Thank you sir !! Brought back alot of great memories as the 260 was the meter I learned while taking electronics in high school in the late 1970s. OUTSTANDING, thank you.

[@mototola86]

Pure love to electronics. It even helps to sleep. So confident and calm

[@hananc]

My father was an elctronics hobbyist. He used dentist's tools (which I inherited from him). Try getting some for yourself. They are great for a range of tasks such as scraping, like you did with the screwdriver, but much more comfortable and accurate.

[@goodun2974]

Dental tools are indeed excellent for electronics work, but fiberglas bristle "scratch brushes" are even more usefull. I have a video about these on my channel.

[@Raysnature]

Add my voice to the community of instrument techs out there. I served my apprenticeship from 1977 to 1981 (we were the first group not to serve a five year apprenticeship where I worked). Took me right back, great video Mark.

[@MrKeithsplace]

I have a Simpson, that my dad owned, most likely from telco surplus, as he was a telco engineer, as well as his father was a telephone pioneer, dads brother and his son, all worked in the telephone co. They had Simpson’s in almost every telephone office in the country, their built like a tank, incredibly accurate, and last forever if taken care of. Awesome repair.

[@stevex3976]

Started with a Simpson 260 many, many years ago (1970's). Carried it daily swinging from my tool belt. Brings back memories. Now days I use a Fluke and a $10 multi-function digital with capacitance, diode, component tester all built into a unit that weighs ounces.

[@philallin5071]

What a great thing to have in for repair. This meter is as much a piece of artwork as it is a functional tool.

[@JCWise-sf9ww]

Mark, I'm amazed how thoroughly you did the repair work on that "Simson" Volt-Ohms-Meter. And That goes for all the equipment you work on.

[@paulravitsky2898]

Takes me back to the days when I worked for Radio Shack repairing home audio. Nice big traces you could fix and components you could see. I repaired many a trace the way you did! I have a 360 series 3 {that someone repaired}, a 360 series 6, a 360-2 {3 1/2 digit LED} and a Triplet 630. Nice work!

[@scrappy7571]

I have my fathers Tripplet 630A. He pulled it out a trash bin when he worked at Bell labs in the 60's. I had to clean the battery connections due to leakage, and also replaced the 27 volt battery. Works great, and is still useful when working on vintage stereos.

[@patprop74]

The hard leather case was a nice touch by the previous owners, i still see a few of them pop up in garage sales and some flea markets here in Canada, but never seen one in a hard leather shell like that.

[@adrinathegreat3095]

You often see them in charity shops " thrift stores" here in the UK, in their leather cases as well, but they aren't cheap, they know they are collectable. I've seen people giving them away on Facebook but they go quick

[@patprop74]

@@adrinathegreat3095 Maybe i should start picking them up and ship them to the UK and have a friend list it there cuz here, we can't seem to be able to give them away much less sell them as collectables. hell, i have a collection of Eico's 3 different models VTVM's some with valves in them, a bunch ( almost a dozen) of eico oscilloscope switches and signal gens, a whole heap of heathkit models, and i can't seem to get rid of them, unless i give them away.

[@Choralone422]

Fantastic work! It was funny to me to see this video posted today. My sister and I were doing another round of cleaning in my late father's garage on Saturday (yesterday) and came across the 60's era multimeter we remember our father using all the time while we kids. It was still in its original cream colored leather like case. As kids, my sister and I loved to get it out to test batteries and the like, usually to our father's dismay as he really coveted it. We think he must had misplaced it around 10-20 years ago as he had nearly a dozen other much more recent test meters around the garage. I may have to open it up and test it out. Hopefully it hasn't been too ravaged by battery juice as I don't know if it had been left with ones in it or not. Going through the garage has been a real journey for us. It's a 1 1/2 car garage that barely had enough space in it to park a compact vehicle in it when our father passed earlier this year. My sister and I have been going over for an hour or two a week for a few months now toiling through everything there. We've repeated filled my mother's weekly rolling trash bin and donated multiple large boxes full of small engine parts, tools and other goods to a number of people and organizations.

[@exiledscouser919]

Great stuff old tech. Reminds me of my old Avo and wind-up megger.

[@morph-the-cat]

13:58 Good to see you putting a GU pudding jar to some use!

[@steveharvey1398]

Beautiful to watch - thanks for another really interesting repair!

[@pauldavies6037]

For an old analogue multimeter it still reads very accurately well made with good quality parts like the old Avo 8's great job again Mark

[@shaun6023]

Well done Mark on another very successful repair . Very well carried out , keep up the excellent workmanship and the videos coming .

[@Jammerk40]

Very nice job Mark getting this old beauty back to working order! Like new again for another 30 years maybe!

[@brianchristen5849]

I love watching you work, and your explanation of parts and procedures.

[@eugenioschneiderpithan]

Great master, congratulations on the restoration of this multimeter! In those years, the Simpson and Precision brands were the best sellers!

[@peterkin1010]

Loved that video. Know nothing aboit electronics but even I was able to understand what was going on. Mark you have an uncommon knack of explaining things in laymans terms whilst simultaneously making the topic interesting. Thanks again

[@clivecorrie7870]

Another brilliant video, many thanks Mark, keep up the good work....

[@agostinodibella9939]

This was an excellent repair of a nice old multimeter. I could almost smell the flux as you were soldering! I remember using a Simpson 260 in tech school in the '70s.

[@rickarmstrong4704]

Thanks Mark! 44 Years in the Millwright/Industrial Electrician trade and never was there a Shop void of this Meter! The Owner will be Over The Moon I am Sure! Cheers from Canada

[@chatrkat]

Great piece of Simpson history. Here in the States we had the 260. It’s basically the exact same meter. I still have mine from the early 70’s, with the optional black Bakelite roll-top external case. That mirrored meter face on this one indicates that one is one of the later generations. As a young boy back then, my dad taught me those type of meters had to be handled carefully to avoid breaking the meter movement. Mine is still perfect today however has been put aside as I prefer my Fluke DVMs. 😁 Great seeing you service that one Mark.

[@wdmm94]

I have a series 6 260 that was bought in 1976. The model you are working on has a layout that is at least one generation older than that. Series 4 for sure has that exact layout. I don't have a pic of a 5 to know about that one.

[@VK5IR]

Great work as always, Mark. Love watching you in action.

[@1967250s]

Used them in the Navy, great meters. I have Flukes now, but I'd love to have a Simpson. Thanks for a great lesson.

[@robertmorin6495]

I really enjoyed the video. I'm an old timer ...68 and remember those meters. Nice repairs...home made battery terminals with plating? That was a new to me as well as the trace repairs.

[@franciscoprata8465]

Incredible restoration of the Simpson 270 multimeter from the 60s. Congratulations on you perfect work. Another subscriber on you portal. Francisco Prata from Brazil.

[@hadibq]

yay, a 40 min video of Mark🙂👍

[@ElectoneGuy]

Watching from London, Ontario...

[@littlechicago7482]

Watching from Sarnia here. I guessed it was a 260 before he opened the case.

[@colingymer]

Nice to see a vintage Simpson refurbished after leaking batteries had done their work... pity you fitted Duraleaks for replacements. I wouldn't touch those things with a bargepole these days. Varta industrials every time now :)

[@lqueryvg666]

Great vid! You did a stellar job on the "fixes" - and that leather case - what a beaut!!!

[@quantumleap359]

Simpson - Instruments That Stay Accurate That was their catchphrase for many many years. Very true indeed, unless leaking cells wreak their havoc. Nice repair and calibration Mark.

[@MichaelCowden]

Another excellent repair. My favorite channel on KZbin. Thank you, Mark!

[@tylerlloydboone]

What a beauty! Nice job 👍🏻

[@IvyMike.]

Excellent work fella, keep em coming.

[@AndrewBeals]

I have at least one large Simpson in my collection. Very nice job restoring it! 34:33

[@AndrewBeals]

Just checked - mine is a 260

[@Jammerk40]

Mark you have a very steady hand! But nice solder work!

[@RickMahoney2013]

Mark I am 68 years old and have a few things in my life that keep me from doing what I would like to do that being said I thoroughly enjoy your watching you videos and you expertise in this field. It makes me wish that I would have took up this trade when I was a young man. Keep on getting on Mark.

[@nevillegoddard4966]

Very very nice job Mark! That meter reminds me of the AVO8 I used to have - before it & many other old treasures were incinerated in a bushfire, sadly.

[@debike3077]

Lovely old meter. great work. I've been using white vinegar with a Q tip on the corroded parts lately seems to work a treat.

[@James-dt7ky]

I remember using those meters when I was an apprentice back in the 70's. I live an hour away from London Ontario.

[@patrickjmorgan]

I’m pretty sure that Simpson was the make of meter we were issued on Otis in the early 70’s. It was smaller than that one but not very tolerant of ‘mistakes’ . To be honest, we got by with a 120v test lead as 110v was our control voltage for just about everything.That yellowing to the dial- We all used to smoke in those days!

[@christophermarshall5765]

Nice repair work Mark!! I love the vintage test equipment. Here in Australia, there’s a company who still sells the analogue type multimeters.

[@eddieMurphy11111]

A job well done Mark i love old meters but some like this can need a lot of work like you have done ,thanks for the video

[@Micjoh]

Fantastic. Took me back. My dad had a similar one , sadly stolen from his van in the 90's. I have is later replacements , but they don't feel and smell like these old ones.

[@Ed_Stuckey]

My first *real* VOM was a Simpson 260 I acquired in 1963. It came in a black leather flip-top case. Unlike the one you're working on, it had to be removed from the case to be used. After about ten years I was able to trade it for a 270M. I still have it but don't use it (spoiled by digital meters). It's here in the room. I take it out of the case and admire it occasionally.

[@PGodin54]

That company still exists today and since 1936.

[@frankwilson2607]

1927

[@jeromestevenfaigin6059]

I took my dad's 1st VOM 1957 RCA with AC 112 volts! Still works! I was born that year.

[@JoeGoesXtreme]

Nice job. Thanks for sharing this video. I should bring up that HCL is not the best choice for cleaning corrosion because Chloride ion is very good at sustaining corrosion so it is best if it can be avoided. It is best to use other acids.

[@alphabeets]

Beautiful work, Mark.

[@followthetrawler]

My Electronics apprenticeship with GEC Traction included full and day release to Stretford College and Leigh College in the mid-70's and we used Simpson and EVO meters - long before the dawn of digital multimeters. We used to just collectively call them EVO meters, but I think the colleges used Simpson because they were good quality and a fraction of the price of EVO. That was more a restoration than a calibration Mark, and I hope it's owner gets many more hours of use from it now it's back to it's best. I still see these in junk shops fetching stupid money, and almost always they don't work - this video just made me think about haggling and restoring... :)

[@MrMaxeemum]

Beautiful. Just because it's old does not mean it's worthless.

[@ChrisHopkinsBass]

9:10 that rotary switch looks like the big brother of the ones that Fender uses for the Stratocaster and Telecaster. Apparently Leo Fender bought a massive amount of them in an Army Surplus sale in the early 50s.

[@DeadKoby]

I have a vintage Simpson meter... I think mine is from the 80's. For certain things, I prefer an analog meter. I honestly love the "Quick" circuit breaker... so if there's more volts than I set it for, it pops right away and can be easy to reset.

[@Carrick_conumdrum]

Hi Mark, love the channel, love watching you work - you're like a surgeon with that soldering iron! Very relaxing. 🙂

[@DerekWarner-m3q]

Brilliant refurb work, an Avo 7 or 8 man myself!!!

[@GeoffSeeley]

Nice to see some old Canadian tech! Had no idea about this brand but it might slightly older than I am.

[@bsimpson6204]

What a lovely old meter, well done

[@TimHollingworth]

This was very enjoyable, as usual. I still like an analoge meter, you get the feeling of a stable number, unlike a digital one that keeps jumping about.

[@andrewlengert2558]

Hello Mark, only just found your KZbin channel, you've done a few repairs for me, Sony 400 disc CD player and a few other things, still working well

[@tbonky]

Worked for an electrical supply house from ‘87 to 2019. I learned a bit about Simpson.old school technicians wouldn’t use anything else. A Native American owned company, it was always a pleasure working with them, either buying new or servicing existing equipment.

[@Timothycan]

What a superb little meter! Thanks for sharing. If it were mine, I wouldn't leave the infamous Duraleak batteries in it, though!

[@tonyupham354]

Fantastic work.. a nice piece of alchemy!!! It reminded me of an episode of Blackadder! When Percy was making nuggets of purest green!

[@raatroc]

Simpson gages were used in the American NASA Apollo project!

[@flint9591]

Close up of a Simpson meter on the giant speaker guitar amp in the movie Back To The Future

[@victorternopil9119]

Really vintage device! Watching with pleasure and waiting for audio equipment!

[@BruceBoschek]

Back in the 1950s when everyone was buying Simpson I went for Triplett. I used it until recently when all of the plastic began to crumble. 😊

[@11000038]

I have watched many of Mark's videos and can positively confirm that there is nothing he can't do and nothing he doesn't know. Clever b'stard! 😁

[@jstro-hobbytech]

i've only ever seen him not fix one thing. only because it was an unrealeased prototype with no parts available haha. he's in a class of his own.

[@greengrayradio1394]

Nice repair as always, Mark! Lots of corrosion from battery leakage, I wondered if those tracks would get loose from the phenolic board when heated so long, but they stayed on luckily. Some cheaply made boards just loosen tracks when you just touch them with the iron. I have repaired some 260's, but not with that much corrosion..

[@robertbuterin4142]

A real pleasure to watch.

[@ivomattos2003]

This is very good, I have one like it and I will do the maintenance following your video as a reference. Many thanks

[@williwizard]

Hi Mark, for scratching i use a fiber glass scratching pen. You have more control about the ablation. 😉

[@arnoldgrubbs2005]

Very good video! I just stumbled on your channel today with this vid when it popped up and subscribed. I had a 260 in my tool box at work for about 32 years. It was the first meter I got when I was working as a control systems tech in a highly automated factory. It ended up in the bottom drawer of my tool cart. Several things that had funny names like Fluke, and Amprobe had taken its place over the years. Never got rid of it though, and the only care it needed was battery replacement every so often. I retired from that job and some other tech probably has it in the bottom of his cart. While at a ham radio flea market about 2 months ago I picked up a Simpson 303. I was walking by the table and thought oh another well used Simpson meter, BUT wait!, this one had a line cord come the side. It was the first Simpson VTVM I had ever seen. Never even heard of anyone talk about them. Its a really old one, as its not the 303-2 that I have found schematics and manual for so easy on the web. After a lot of searching I found the manual for the 303. I had gotten the meter for $10 and only had to replace a 1.5V battery (carbon) to get it almost all working. It does not use silicon or germanium, but has a small selenium rectifier used for plate voltage on the tubes. One tube being used as the test voltage rectifier. It has 2 tubes, which would be replaceable with just a little looking around at a hamfest flea mkt, but the selenium line power rectifier would be a hard find to get an exact replacement but I am sure a silicon diode would be close if you don't need to keep it 100% 'as built'. I need to dig into it a little deeper, as it seems the AC measurements do not work. I suspect one of the selector wipers is dirty, as I know the rectifier tube does warm up so its heater is working. It does have an unexpected (at least to me) setting (zero center) for measuring and adjusting discriminator output, using the center of scale zero, with right or left movement off zero showing if the stage is unbalanced. All in all a cool find for $10.

[@gregreynolds5686]

Lovely instrument. Analogue meters still have a place, I use mine when doing nasty transient testing and looking for resets - don't want to use a sensitive scope with 4kV spikes around.

[@kjbunnyboiler]

Just wonderful work as always👍👍👍