Not sure where to post this. Figured here would be good. So, last week I stopped by our local "Sanford and Sons" electrical supply house. Imagine a drug store size building filled with everything electrical you could imagine. Like a junkyard with electrical stuff. New and used. Its been my go to place for years. Rows upon rows of stuff. I was looking to make a 12vdc to 4.5vdc converter to power some of those free Harbor Freight strip led lights for the camper. Anyway, the place is going out of business at the end of this month. Huge sadness! The guy who runs the place is selling everything at a big markdown. Most of the smaller stuff is 7 bucks per pound. You can buy a ridiculous amount of resistors, caps, diodes, ic chips ect at 7$ per pound. I'm figuring now is the time to fill my wish list. I have already stocked up on caps, resistors, 2 types of common diodes, some 555 timers, a few thermistors, some pots, perf boards, circuit board sheets, and a few other items. Anybody have any suggestions on other things I should be considering? Most of my needs are strictly hobby/minor repair. I'm just thinking now is the time to grab stuff I might possibly want/need in the future. At those prices I can afford alot of crap. Nice bonus is the stuff doesn't take up alot of room in my shop. Thoughts? And... I know buck converters are pretty cheap but I like the learning/hands on aspect of building my own things when I can. Any efficient way of dropping 12vdc to power some of those free lights? Couple resistors will draw to much power due to heat.
Op amps. There are a number of common types that might be handy for home build widgets. I'm not of that type of experimenter, but I have a sneaking suspicion that you might be.
I wish I knew more about that stuff , but I don't . But at those prices , you should be able to stay busy for quite a while .
voltage regulators 78XX 5volt 12 volt 9 volt maybe 10 volt to replace the Baofeng charger transformer. Also if they have them get some arduino uno boards and shields its amazing what can be done with a few electronic components and a little programing.
I did that once with a hobby shop. Lots of RC airplane kits, engines, boats, radios, and even a bunch of completed airplanes. We sold most all of it on Ebay an Craigs List. It took several years but It was a lot of fun. Made some money and I ended up with a pretty nice engine collection.
Just so you know, the 78XX Fixed voltage regulators can be adjusted UP in the voltage that they regulate, by adding a resistor or diode in the ground connection... A diode increases the regulated voltage by .7 volts, and you can stack the diodes in series to get what you need... or add a Zener Diode of the appropriate voltage, that you want to increase the regulated voltage by... That works just spiffy, as well....
Very handy thank you I bet I can use that. Heat sink will need to be electrically insulated from ground for this to work Im guessing?
Yea, that is true... It was discovered after the first 3Pin fixed regulators were brought to market... Then the OEMs brought out the Variable Regulators with a modified Package, so the old ground Pin could be used as a variable adjustable setup...
Pics from the store The chip isle. View attachment 72453 Lots of tubes Sorry for the poor image quality. That's only a small portion of the place
Many of us would be like kids in a toystore in there! My local electronics store is the size of a 7-11 store in comparison.
One strip is almost to bright. Placing it in the existing light fixtures should diffuse the light nicely. 3 in series would be great for an exterior floodlight on the side of the camper.
