What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!

[wasyoungonce]

Some germanium transistors for repairs.

Jeez I just remembered an old stash I have, all old MIL SPEC metal can transistors...first one I pick out:
Germanium(s) 2N396A 2N1306...many more. Gold plated JAN3N35CC.......many many more

I'll sort them and they may be useful to someone?

[beanflying]

Brought a new Leveler Level for setting up some CNC gear. Not uber fancy but by all accounts fairly repeatable. Small discount for the weekend off AilXpress

[dl6lr]

New arrival: 2 Raritan DPXS20A-16 PDUs for power distribution to my test equipment.
Future plan is to have them switched via a small server that will additionally connect all GPIB devices and host a virtual plotter.

Nice PDU's 
From NL ?

No, from Germany. A friend collected them near Leipzig and the plan was that I collect them from him. As COVID spreads especially in his region, I cancelled the journey and asked him to send them to me. So the price of 50,- per strip is now a little bit higher.

[bingo600]

New arrival: 2 Raritan DPXS20A-16 PDUs for power distribution to my test equipment.
Future plan is to have them switched via a small server that will additionally connect all GPIB devices and host a virtual plotter.

Nice PDU's 
From NL ?

No, from Germany. A friend collected them near Leipzig and the plan was that I collect them from him. As COVID spreads especially in his region, I cancelled the journey and asked him to send them to me. So the price of 50,- per strip is now a little bit higher.

Damm that was a nice price 

/Bingo

[BU508A]

To store tools, antenna cables, satellite finder, plugs, LNB, multiswitch etc.:
some DeWALT TSTAK stuff:

[beanflying]

More Bulk Storage Samsung 870 QVO 2TB for the main Box to unload a chunk of my current 1TB NVMe storage to.

Decent price for Oz at $217 with a little evilbay plus discount and another Game I don't have time to play by redemption (Farcry6) eBay auction: #174412012757

[duckduck]

Desoldering braid. Holy moley, the MG stuff works great! I ran out of my old, cheap, desoldering braid during a big, expensive project. I thought, hey, why not spend some money this time? So glad that I did. Just noticed the MADE IN JAPAN. Well, no wonder it works so damn well...

EDIT:

https://www.mgchemicals.com/products/soldering-supplies/desoldering-braids/solder-wick/

[rsjsouza]

Congratulations on your purchase. I have been using some of MG Chemicals products and they are quite reasonable. Their wick is also very nice - I have two rolls here and they do the job quite well. 

There is a discussion around EEV regarding the choice of wick.

[Watth]

Good desoldering braid is a life changer. At first I had some crappy one that didn't work. I wondered why people use desoldering braid. Then I bought some good one, not fancy, but it did work.

[Ed.Kloonk]

It's funny for all times I ham-fistedly desolder some rogue part, I can't remember the last time I craved for some solderbraid though I'm sure I have some here (somewhere). My cheapy solder sucker does me just fine. Maybe I'm missing something. It's only big trannys or thru-hole parts I ever have to do so don't know.

[rsjsouza]

In a pinch, if you happen to have some spare coaxial cables you can always use their ground braid - it works reasonably well in an emergency. 

[Ed.Kloonk]

In a pinch, if you happen to have some spare coaxial cables you can always use their ground braid - it works reasonably well in an emergency. 

 

Good to know!

[PlainName]

Maybe I'm missing something. It's only big trannys or thru-hole parts I ever have to do so don't know.

Probably that. I rarely use braid on PTH stuff but use it a lot on SMD pads. No other way to get the pads clean, ISTM - a solder sucker, even my wonderful DeNon 7000, always leaves some ripple and sometimes sucks up the part you wanted to keep

[TheBay]

Put a bid on a Time Electronic Micro Cal 1030 and won it, assumed by the listing it was just a random person
selling it from home.

Had a delivery today and was really puzzled to what it was (Also excited, thought I'd won a competition or something) as it was from Audio Technica. In a really professional looking package with a pull tab etc.

Opened the packaged and it was the Micro Cal 1030, I really wasn't expecting that! Seems well looked after and threw it on my newest Fluke 87V for a quick test and seems to be working OK.

[gamalot]

My leaded solder wire was almost gone, so I bought two 1lb spools.

[DrG]

Never installed one before. Went smoothly. Did my reading (background and instructions) before hand (yeah I did watch a few vids). Used my non-contact voltage detector (before and multiple times after turning off the breaker) and my socket tester. Correctly identified the feeder lines. All went well!

...and..sadly also one of these



I want it on hand if/when needed.

[PartialDischarge]

...and..sadly also one of these

I want it on hand if/when needed.

Why? Toss a coin, it's cheaper.

[DrG]

Bought this as a stocking filler / drawer filler / 'toy' for myself. It is an Adafruit board but I bought it off of Amazon because, while the price goes up a few bucks vs. their site, the free shipping makes it a good deal for me.

That being said, I think I will use it in a project and of course there is a story with that .



A while ago, an issue came up where there was a question about how long it took to get hot water out of a tap (long story and it is not my problem). So, in an evening, I slopped together a DS18B20 on an UNO clone and added an SD and display (see pic). A simple and easy temperature logger that could be used to actually measure how long it took. I attached the sensor to the tap and pressed a button, turned the tap on and waited and then read/graphed the data from the resulting file. Gathering enough samples, I had the data needed to make a point, so to speak. This worked quite well and, like many such projects, it found a home in a box still on a breadboard and with no case and so on.

Been trying to work on that So, I thought about cleaning it up, adding a few features and putting it in an enclosure. One of the features (and many could be added) was to also log ambient temperature, in contrast to a remote temperature. I actually had a few different kinds of temp sensors but not an MCP9808, and...now I do.

Further, I get annoyed when two or more temperature sensors laid side by side give me different readings - such is the nature of sensors and 'accuracy'. I think I have a good working knowledge of calibration using standards and I have looked into buying a 'laboratory-grade' thermometer - traceable and all that. It got pretty mind-numbing to investigate and, potentially, expensive and given I only use maybe -5 to 120 F as an absolute range, I just never pulled the trigger.

In this case, however, I may calibrate the remote DS18B20 to the MCP9808 as the poor-man's standard (I may take some heat for that, but as long as it is not just trolling, I will read and consider). At the least, I will look at side by side readings for the two over a range that I can easily accommodate.

Not sure how far this will go, but that's the plan and the story and I'm sticking to it

[Kim Christensen]

Well, I've been trying to buy one of those "multi function component" testers from Amazon.
The first one I ordered was "destroyed by customs in China" according to the vendor. They graciously informed me and refunded my money and suggested that I "buy one locally" because of supply chain issues.
So I found one that was "fulfilled by Amazon" and it came today... In a static bag which as inside a padded envelope with other stuff... And yes, you guessed it. The display was broken:
 

[tautech]

0.5m patch cables to reduce the messy ratsnests
500GB Seagate USB3 SSD....came with both USB-3 and USB-A leads. 
Coolermaster ATX PSU

[rsjsouza]

Well, I've been trying to buy one of those "multi function component" testers from Amazon.

May I suggest Aliexpress instead? I received mine two days ago well ahead of the expected delivery date of Jan 5th.

https://a.aliexpress.com/_m0qxc1q
(I copied this link from their app and make no money with it)

[cliffyk]

I got myself a Christmas present--has nothing to do with electronics--an Umarex Ruger 10/22 Air Rifle:


It looks just like the real thing, but weighs a pound or so less at 4.5 lbs. Accurate as heck, even with the iron sights and my 74 yo eyes. It takes two 12 g CO₂ cartridges and has a 10-round rotary clip in a magazine very much like the real rife--I've already taken out some "tree rats" at 10 m or so--I LIKE it!

Just $49.95 (less than ½ the list price) from Tractor Supply; with free "ship-to-store"--I think it's on sale for another week or so...

[mansaxel]

In this case, however, I may calibrate the remote DS18B20 to the MCP9808 as the poor-man's standard (I may take some heat for that, but as long as it is not just trolling, I will read and consider). At the least, I will look at side by side readings for the two over a range that I can easily accommodate.

If your sensors are up to it, cold water with crushed ice is a good start for 32'ing your sensors.  NIST have made public a number of demonstrations, and here's a video version:

[Kim Christensen]

Well, I've been trying to buy one of those "multi function component" testers from Amazon.

May I suggest Aliexpress instead? I received mine two days ago well ahead of the expected delivery date of Jan 5th.

Thanks. I've placed an order with them and will see how it goes. It's about $10 cheaper at Aliexpress too.

[rsjsouza]

Good luck. I posted some pictures at the main tester thread at:

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/$20-lcr-esr-transistor-checker-project/msg3880778/#msg3880778