EEVblog #737 - World's Biggest Collection Of Electronics Components - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 26, 2015, 12:05:07 am
content: Dave uncovers that has to be one of the world's biggest and most meticulously sorted collections of vintage electronic components!And all this sold for $405 on ebay!

author: Artlav
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 26, 2015, 12:22:56 am
content: That reminds me of my lab, only with everything labelled.Now it's kind of sad to think what will happen to it if i die suddenly...

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 26, 2015, 12:24:47 am
content: Quote from: Artlav on April 26, 2015, 12:22:56 amIt'll sell for $405 on ebay

author: Yansi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 26, 2015, 12:25:49 am
content: Dave, that's not a mercury rectifier, that's a mercury tilt switch. There are two (or more) electrodes inside the tube. If you tilt it in the right axis, the mercury closes the contacts.By the way, a few days ago, I saw a tilt detector inside one of a harvester ECU, which controlled the tilt balance of the machine. It was the same principle, but some kind of a modern one. Maybe I can get a photo... I'll try.And bingo! I have a mercury relay in my shop... somewhere. I'll find it and will make a picture.

author: dentaku
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 26, 2015, 12:48:15 am
content: I would be ironic if the database file was stored on a vintage floppy and not backed up anywhere else considering how meticulous he is.It's strange that there wasn't a desoldering machine or two mixed in with all the other equipment.

author: N2IXK
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 26, 2015, 01:13:37 am
content: Quote from: Yansi on April 26, 2015, 12:25:49 amActually, I think that unit is an old school beacon flasher for broadcast towers. A small motor and geartrain rocks the mercury switches back and forth, turning the tower lights on and off to warn aircraft. Mercury switches were used because the liquid surfaces were self-renewing and weren't subject to welding and pitting.

author: David_AVD
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 26, 2015, 01:36:05 am
content: Seems like the guy was into collecting parts like some people collect test gear.I suspect that the bigger the collection (of components or test gear) the less likely it is anything will be done with it.At my (business) workshop we have almost every packet barcoded and recorded in a database with bin location.

author: Zad
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 26, 2015, 01:36:13 am
content: Amazing but really rather sad. I guess this guy has passed away and left his life's work to his heirs. It would be interesting to know more about him, so I hope someone can do some investigating.It does just look like he has lifted a 1970s/80s repair shop stockroom and put it in their house, almost everything there is from the same era. I've certainly been in a few commercial places that look very similar to this - but their stuff was always stored in rack cabinets not domestic food containers.I wonder if he had some sort of OCD with regards to unsoldering and sorting all those used components? Its the sort of thing people do when they go through a mega stressful time and need to do "something" to try and take control.

author: all_repair
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 26, 2015, 01:38:24 am
content: I just wish that all his efforts is not wasted. someone get to benefit from his collection and organisation.

author: Vgkid
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 26, 2015, 02:00:51 am
content: Thanks for the video, It did not look to bad for me.

author: Whales
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 26, 2015, 02:34:36 am
content: Added this to "list of people to meet when time travel is invented".

author: rickselectricalprojects
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 26, 2015, 02:36:37 am
content: i saw that for sale on ebay the other day. i probably would of got it if it posted to queensland

author: JBaughb
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 26, 2015, 02:48:51 am
content: If I only had the space...and I lived in AU...and I had the money...and i was crazy enough to buy it.

author: Cliff Matthews
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 26, 2015, 03:42:24 am
content: Quote from: Zad on April 26, 2015, 01:36:13 amDave I don't think you recognized it, but I'm almost certain the guy was a hoarder with serious OCD's. The fact that most of the components were old, salvaged, sorted and bagged did seem strange in the absence of an equally large and productive service area. Your adverbs ridiculous and crazy may have said it all too sharply - if so, this may be better left alone... it's justtoo much exposure.

author: tec5c
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 26, 2015, 07:39:46 am
content: Slim chance, but this could be him? I would guess he's older than this guy but you can't be certain.https://au.linkedin.com/pub/david-sparkes/9/b21/118Maroota to Silverwater (where the linked David Sparkes currently works) is a definitely a do-able commute each day, ~55 minutesHmm.....

author: all_repair
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 26, 2015, 07:40:49 am
content: Quote from: wilfred on April 26, 2015, 07:03:42 amHe was resisting Moore law for the last 50 year. Dave took the collection that was not affected by Moore law.

author: SArepairman
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 26, 2015, 07:59:20 am
content: Maybe he thought that Australia was gonna be EMP'ed in the 80's (ronald reagan!) and this stuff would survive and be used to repair Australian technology. Cold war rebuilding the world type paranoia. The time period makes sense.TBH, it seems more useful then some crazy ass survival bunker that some rich people get, it shows that maybe he wanted to help, not hide, if there was a nuclear confrontation between USSR and USA.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-altitude_nuclear_explosionI imagine having that stuff would be quite handy. Or maybe he was gonna start a store but he aint. Or found a more proftable venture/etc and decided to keep all the stuff, after all why not if you are $_$He seems rich enough that he would just buy out "old parts bins" at HAM conventions or something. He might not have desoldered a thing in his life (other then fried components!). I don't see a guy that rich having the time to desolder all that . Just keep buying out hobbyists at conventions and getting repair shops to do it. Or to get his wife to divorce him on purpose.

author: max666
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 26, 2015, 08:38:32 am
content: What's up with the UV lamps?

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 26, 2015, 09:12:50 am
content: Quote from: dentaku on April 26, 2015, 12:48:15 amI was very surprised not to see any soldering gear. Either he took it with him or was sold before I got there.

author: station240
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 26, 2015, 09:27:14 am
content: Very simple explanation for why all the containers/labels all appear the same.Whatever he was using to store things in needed to be redone, plastic degraded, cardboard boxes collapsed etc. Perhaps it was all stored in paper bags, and he wanted to redo it all.I've seen Robbie the Wreckers shop (Near Port Road, South Australia) first hand, before it closed for good. Had the same issue, wanted to take half of it home, in the end though I just bought what I knew I would use. He had even more stuff, it was organised that not as well as this guy.

author: daddario
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 26, 2015, 10:14:27 am
content: Plot twist - he bought tons of working test gear during his lifetime and just took it all apart. The few teks and others in the adjacent room were just units he didn't get around to yet. ( :

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 26, 2015, 11:05:00 am
content: Quote from: mojo-chan on April 26, 2015, 10:45:21 amNo. My Sony NEX-5T compact I happened to have with me. No idea what video mode it was set to.I did not expect to shoot any video here.

author: iva
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 26, 2015, 12:09:23 pm
content: On a related topic: do you guys use any database to store the parts you purchase or simply rely on memory and good labeling in your labs?I started to look for something opensource but couldn't find anything with all the fields/features I wanted (multiple suppliers, datasheets and so on - and with local storage) and ready to use.

author: Richard Head
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 26, 2015, 12:24:56 pm
content: I reckon that the racking and bins alone must be worth something. The wood racking seems really well made.Incidentally, you cannot get component drawers with clear plastic anymore, it seems. They are all translucent plastic. Probably ozone friendly or something.

author: Barny
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 26, 2015, 12:56:39 pm
content: Quote from: iva on April 26, 2015, 12:09:23 pmI used this Video as an initiation to tidy up my (junk) hobby-roomI was astonished about the amount of parts I forgot about.I doanloadet this free part / project managementsoftware:http://www.mmvisual.de/elela.htmIt's not open source but hey, its free.It looks like its available in english too.

author: Cliff Matthews
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 26, 2015, 01:22:40 pm
content: Quote from: max666 on April 26, 2015, 08:38:32 amCould it be yet another OCD, to kill some germs?

author: GK
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 26, 2015, 01:27:01 pm
content: That guy ate a lot of Chinese takeaway.

author: bitwelder
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 26, 2015, 02:01:43 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on April 26, 2015, 09:12:50 amPerhaps he brought it with him to a new location and he's starting it all over again.

author: N2IXK
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 26, 2015, 02:07:41 pm
content: Quote from: Cliff Matthews on April 26, 2015, 01:22:40 pmLooked like long-wave UV (AKA "Black Light"), so useless for killing germs. Probably made the CRT phosphor screens light up nicely, though...

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 26, 2015, 02:12:10 pm
content: He wanted to be able to make PCB's inside without farting around with a light box, just make the entire room one.

author: DanielS
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 26, 2015, 02:14:05 pm
content: Quote from: iva on April 26, 2015, 12:09:23 pmI have an OpenOffice Calc sheet to keep track of what parts I have so I do not accidentally re-order something I should still have. I had meant to do this for a while but finally did it when I discovered I had two strips of 100x10k resistors I did not remember ever ordering - better inventory my stuff before I accidentally re-order more expensive parts. Most of my parts fit in two medium-sized DigiKey boxes, one of them for SMD parts, the other for through-hole and large parts, using plastic bags as separators between device types, and a dozen DIP tubes. I also have a smaller box for solder wire, flux, wicks, etc. If I sorted all my parts and supplies in individual tubs, I might fill one bookshelf. In as-shipped bag form though, my entire collection would probably likely fit on a single shelf.

author: T3sl4co1l
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 26, 2015, 03:58:23 pm
content: A contender:http://www.dutchforce.com/~eforum/index.php?showtopic=43527&view=findpost&p=384129Tim

author: Rutger
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 26, 2015, 04:25:56 pm
content: Wow, that collection is mind-blowing, I would love to see a follow-up on how this person collected all those parts, did you he really de-solder all those parts himself or did he buy them.I think that Dave missed a huge opportunity to make some serious money. He should have bought the collection and sold most of it on ebay. The tubes allone are easily over 10K worth. But I think Dave was just scared for the huge amount of work it would take to transport and sort all this lot and were to keep all this (the bunker?). Would have made an awesome video though!

author: rob77
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 26, 2015, 04:35:22 pm
content: the collection is amazing, but it's just hoarding... i did the same (much smaller scale) but then i realized that i rarely used a component from that collection and i simply got rid of that collection of reclaimed components.now i have a "stock" of new parts instead of a collection (approx 1-2k Eur in parts) so i can design and build a lot of prototypes without ordering a single part. but on the other hand if i need to order something, then i always extend my stock with some useful parts( is that still hoarding ? i think yes)

author: Fungus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 26, 2015, 04:59:30 pm
content: That's nothing... my collection of free samples is bigger than that!

author: zapta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 26, 2015, 06:08:00 pm
content: Lifewellspent.Looks sad to me but different strokes for different folks.

author: senso
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 26, 2015, 06:10:09 pm
content: Quote from: Fungus on April 26, 2015, 04:59:30 pmI feel dirty having a pair of gold plated CERDIP op-amps from AD worth 500€ each(or so they site says), sent to me as free samples, but one was indeed used for a seismograph project for a friend.

author: Tinkerer
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 26, 2015, 06:56:27 pm
content: He probably put that together over decades. Very likely organized everything and relabled it at some point along the way.

author: boffin
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 26, 2015, 07:43:54 pm
content: I'm dying to see the spreadsheet

author: BobC
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 26, 2015, 07:49:18 pm
content: When I was a kid in the US East and Mid-West during the late 1960's, various kinds of repair shops (electronics, appliances, cars) were everywhere, though only car repair shops persist today. To save money for both themselves and their customers, the proprietors would harvest parts from irreparable gear.In my neighborhood, the local TV/radio/"Hi-Fi" repair shop was also the rough equivalent of a mashup of today's maker space, a Radio Shack and a flea market (swap meet). Members of the local ham radio club would also hang out thereIt was nirvana for aspiring geek-nerds. It was also a total mess, well organized, but not nearly as well as Dave's find. I remember stopping by on my way home from school, to peek over the shoulder of the owner while he was troubleshooting something, then foraging through the bins to find the part he needed. That was what ignited my desire to not only find out how things worked, but to repair and even improve them.As everything became transistorized, more complex, and made overseas, it also became less repairable, and the lower price made the cost of repair higher than replacing the failed equipment.One by one the repair shops closed, and most hobbyists had to switch to Heathkit catalog shopping or Radio Shack. But some of the closed shops were moved to the owner's basement, to be reincarnated as a retirement hobby repairing "vintage" or "antique" equipment.There are still some of these folks around, buying broken equipment on eBay, repairing it, then reselling it. But eventually the original proprietor becomes unable to continue, and the family is left with rooms of equipment and parts to liquidate.Most often, the inventory is simply discarded, or sold locally though an estate sale. But occasionally a trove will appear on eBay.Every time I see this kind of thing happen, I remember my youthful afternoons spent at the repair shop, and I mourn their passing.

author: westfw
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 26, 2015, 09:32:42 pm
content: QuoteI figure someone will buy the lot, throw out the actual components, and reuse the bins and shelving :-(A lot of people collect relatively useless things. You don't get the "crazy hoarder" label unless you trash your house with the collection, spend more money than you have, and cackle occasionally.

author: all_repair
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 27, 2015, 12:11:32 am
content: Quote from: iva on April 26, 2015, 12:09:23 pmIs having a database more and less productivity? I am thinking to do one, but cannot convince myself totally. My current system is to order when the stocks are low,and try to keep the collection as organised and as easily searchable. However big the collection, the size shall keep growing because there is always part you need that is not in the collection, sometime maybe others can be used as subsitution but it is easier and safer to just order from the stockist.If this Dave ran a repair shop, I would be less critical than most people here. Having an organised collection beat ordering in term of speed and cost. And for many repairs, using new parts do not make economical sense.

author: MadTux
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 27, 2015, 03:32:31 am
content: Crazy collection. Probably worth a shitload of money on ebay or even better here on forum market, if parts are sold individually. I just hope no Teks and other test gear were harmed by that dude.Too bad, Dave didn't buy it. I could need some E130L tubes for my HP 214A. Output amps most likely broken.

author: hikariuk
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 27, 2015, 03:37:39 am
content: I've kind of been assuming he does/did repairs of old equipment.

author: MadTux
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 27, 2015, 03:46:04 am
content: I thought he died, but then read that he just moved overseas.What kind of idiot just moves overseas, after spending all his life unsoldering/packaging stuff and then leaves that stuff to be sold by external company for 400$? Any smart dude would start a business likewww.sphere.bc.ca, and sell parts for repair for good price for the rest of his life, especially as he apparently had a good list of inventory. That tek tubes in the shelf kinda look sad, looks like he killed tons of good vintage gear because of OCD.BTW: Ebay listing:http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/VINTAGE-ELECTRONIC-COMPONENTS-1000-039-s-CAPACITORS-INDUCTORS-DIODES-RESISTORS-ETC-/231530041621?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_15&hash=item35e8441115&nma=true&si=gg%252Fx3yX%252B2zsTv4xOPJ8XfigcKOo%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557So, apparently no tubes included, I guess that's what brings the most money.

author: RupertGo
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 27, 2015, 04:19:20 am
content: I bet some of that vintage stuff is worth a chunk of gelt - those big roller-coaster inductors are prized by hams building linears or high-power ATUs, and crystal filters tend not to be cheap. And I'd chance my arm on some of those valves being in hens-teeth land. There 's a sizeable worldwide vintage gear repair/restoration community, and not everything from the past 50 years is easily replaceable.Getting it to market, though. What a project.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 27, 2015, 04:44:28 am
content: Quote from: RupertGo on April 27, 2015, 04:19:20 amTherein lies your problem. You'd have to spend your life advertising the stuff and packing/sending out $10 orders. Good luck with that....

author: aargee
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 27, 2015, 05:58:39 am
content: Sometimes life gets you to a point where you just decide to turn and go the other way, and once you make that decision it doesn't matter what it's all apparently worth.Maybe he is in Asia becoming a Buddhist? Material wealth doesn't mean much then.But... I'm not a Buddhist, Dave do you have any idea when or how the rest of the stuff is going to be dealt with? Or won't you tell?

author: Cliff Matthews
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 27, 2015, 07:51:48 am
content: Quote from: MadTux on April 27, 2015, 03:46:04 amDear Mr. Sparks,Thisfireside chatamongst friends is not so much about you as it is about ourselves... I think it's fair to say we all get attracted to "stuff" of one type or another - the question is, Do we notice when and where it begins to enslave? And when do we begin to care?As yet, we have no concrete explanation and we mean no ill will... If you are still here among us, we wish you all the best!

author: supersat
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: April 27, 2015, 08:40:26 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on April 27, 2015, 04:44:28 amSounds like a job for Dave2.I kinda hope you ended up with a fair amount of that in your bunker...

author: Fungus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 27, 2015, 10:13:48 am
content: Quote from: MadTux on April 27, 2015, 03:46:04 amSomebody who just got a life?(or a Russian bride ... I dunno, use your imagination)

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 27, 2015, 10:26:56 am
content: Quote from: supersat on April 27, 2015, 08:40:26 amI'd rather have my bunker filled with something useful.

author: Barny
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 27, 2015, 10:37:23 am
content: QuoteFor example with an nice white e-bike which needs some welding

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 27, 2015, 10:52:29 am
content: Quote from: Barny on April 27, 2015, 10:37:23 amIt's on the David2 to-do list, he knows how to weld and has the gear.

author: edy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 27, 2015, 12:17:16 pm
content: Excellent video Dave as usual. Much of it was salvaged and that is a huge impact to the marketability to much of the smaller basic components. I mean, who would buy used resistors, capacitors, diodes over the Internet...and so on? They are so cheap... Is there any point making a small electronics eBay shop out of it? Who would trust it and at what discount would you need to convince people to buy it? Not to mention the work involved in managing an ebay store of this complexity. As far as the rarer more valuable stuff, I can see a market for that (like the tubes) on ebay. But the rest.... most not worth the cost and risk of shipping.I think they can get a bit more cash if they turn the house into a small electronics surplus store and try to sell off locally to curious browsers for a few weeks or months. I am sure hobbyists would pay more. Get 100 people to drop by and spend $10 to take away whatever they can carry... Would have been more than the $400.The story here is the most valuable part... Dave please make a video or post a follow-up about this fellow. There is a fine line between genius and madness. And is "moving overseas" an Australian euphemism for passing away? I'm sure there is a lot more going on here than an old man with OCD hoarding... At least I hope so.

author: k2teknik
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 27, 2015, 12:42:11 pm
content: Quote from: edy on April 27, 2015, 12:17:16 pmYes, try to find the man and get his version of this story.QuoteMost likely it is "moving to the US of A.QuoteI think the man just got the job offer of his life and needed to move, and he had no chance to bring his stuff with him, so it had to go all of it, and he just left it behind and didn't want to think about what happend to it.

author: Cliff Matthews
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 27, 2015, 01:12:18 pm
content: Judging by the age of the parts, I'd say he'd be retired (likely precluding the idea of a job offer).Tubes (valves) puts a lot of the collection in the 60's to 70's and even the TTL logic was pegged with anti-static foil. Modern TTL devices use input protection diodes so there's little need for such royal treatment. It seems like things maybe got out-of-hand at some point and most of the packaging was done within the last few years with the idea of a sell-off.

author: Fungus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 27, 2015, 01:42:22 pm
content: Quote from: edy on April 27, 2015, 12:17:16 pmJust show them this video. Anybody who'd take that much care over the job can be trusted.PS: I've bought second hand resistors over the Internet...

author: RupertGo
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 27, 2015, 01:51:52 pm
content: This is one of those "But there MUST be a way..." things.You've got the spreadsheet, so you can build a 'find your part' website. If you know your market, you can set prices for the premium parts and have a bottom-line price for everything else. (If you don't know your market, go and grow geraniums instead.)Advertise honestly - these are salvage parts. Tested parts cost extra. You're selling to people who NEED that part, so be honest in your pricing for time/overheads and put on an honest mark-up. You can be explicit about this: you have no competition, but you do want your punters to feel they're not being ripped off.Do "starter packs" for beginning radio restorers with a decent mix of vintage components.Alternatively, get together with an artist and create a massive sculpture/installation that is a trenchant yet beautiful exploration of the nature of impermanence, value and technology. That's what I'd do.Most importantly: expect almost anything else you could do to be more profitable.

author: Fungus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 27, 2015, 02:52:24 pm
content: Quote from: RupertGo on April 27, 2015, 01:51:52 pmSure there's "profit" to be had but what does it come to when you calculate an hourly rate?Even if you only took the premium parts and dumped all the capacitors/resistors it would still take a lot of work. Demand for valves isn't high.The way to make money would be to get creative. Design a valve amp to sell to audiophools or something like that."Toasty-warm sound garanteed! We only use original 1970s all-analog components in our equipment!!!"

author: richfiles
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 27, 2015, 05:37:58 pm
content: Quote from: BobC on April 26, 2015, 07:49:18 pmTransistorized wasn't the point of collapse... Not even integration... LSI was the death knell. It's easy to work on transistorized circuits. Even working with small scale integration is fine. You can still repair a TV or HiFi, or calculator or computer for potentially the cost of a cheap transistor, or a dollar chip. Once the industry shifted to Large Scale Integration... It turned devices into a black box. You didn't have access to the nitty gritty details anymore. Sure, processors and other computer chips were fine to work with, since they were highly documented, and people understood HOW they worked... But not so with the LSI chips inotherconsumer devices. Half the time, you couldn't get the chip, or had no datasheet. Once VLSI appeared, it was all over. I remember my family taking a TV to a repair shop as late as the 1980s. And we had a guy come out to our farm to service our Commodore 128. The Commodore has a small scale integrated chip go bad in the floppy drive. It was an easy replacement. The TV was right at the edge of the transistorized/integrated barrier.The problem lies in black box syndrome... It ghet's progressively cheaper to pack more parts into a little black box, and if everything is in the little black box, and things fail...How do you repair that?

author: mtdoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 27, 2015, 06:27:21 pm
content: Really interesting video. I agree with others - either this was a business related collection or the guy has some serious OCD issues. The backstory would be very interesting.

author: Rasz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 27, 2015, 07:14:34 pm
content: Quote from: richfiles on April 27, 2015, 05:37:58 pmwith will, commitment, patience, and accumulated knowledgelike this dude:https://www.youtube.com/user/rossmanngroup/videos?sort=dd&view=0&shelf_id=1its not even Shenzhen, or Kiev, Its NY/Manhattanas for the OCD guy, that black light had to be for germs. Photo developing requires Red, Yellow for working with UV cured stuff. UV is mostly for germs, vampires and lack of vitamin D.

author: Clear as mud
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 28, 2015, 12:49:30 am
content: Quote from: Richard Head on April 26, 2015, 12:24:56 pmI think it's just cheaper to manufacture; either that or most customers actually prefer the more opaque ones (they're more flexible, and thus less breakable). I looked into it a couple of years ago, and found a couple of manufacturers still making the clear ones, but at a price of $60 instead of $20. I prefer the clear ones. I think they are polycarbonate, and the newer style is polystyrene.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 28, 2015, 12:56:11 am
content: For those curious, that collection took *60* storage boxes! Not including the semiconductor draws.And because so many people seems to be confusing this, I did NOT get this collection, I didn't want it, it went to a friend of mine.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 28, 2015, 01:01:02 am
content: Quote from: edy on April 27, 2015, 12:17:16 pmI was going to suggest that to the guy selling it, but he listed it before I got the chance.

author: lowimpedance
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 28, 2015, 01:20:21 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on April 28, 2015, 12:56:11 amAh so if you do need that odd obsolete part you know were to find it.

author: westfw
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 28, 2015, 02:02:24 am
content: QuoteI think the clear ones are polystyrene, and the cloudy ones are polypropylene (my recently purchased drawer set and file boxes have definite PP markings.)

author: Carl_Smith
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 28, 2015, 03:51:06 am
content: So when many people were thinking the owner of this collection had passed away, it reminded me of an episode of the Retrocomputing Roundtable podcast from a while ago, where they discussed how they would handle what would become of their collections of old computers when they are gone. They suggested that one should leave instructions about what has value. Value as a collectors item, value as a family heirloom, etc...For example, I have two nearly identical Compaq Portable computers from 1983. One is my first computer, bought for me by my parents, on which I spent countless hours learning how computers work, at 4.77MHz. The other is just one my Dad brought home for parts a decade later. I should probably label the one that is mine, as the family might want to keep it around. I could label most of the other computers I've kept with tags that say "this is junk, just get rid of it."Or, I have several storage boxes full of electronic parts that belonged to my grandfather. Stuff he collected back in the 70's mostly. I wouldn't want someone to just throw the stuff away because it looks like old junk. Some of it is interesting. I have some of those Monsanto LEDs like Fran showed in a video -- the ones with a single gold lead and the body is the other connection. I don't even remember what other interesting stuff is in those boxes...I guess the point of my rambling is that maybe one should document the story of their collections while they can, so that you know that maybe when you're gone the right thing might be done with your stuff.

author: TheRevva
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 28, 2015, 05:05:57 am
content: Perhaps I should snap a few pix of MY 'collection' for the forum...I'll quickly grab my camera...Oh crap... Did I file the camera under C for Camera? P (or perhaps F) for Photographs? I for Images? O for Optical?BUGGER!!! I'm going in deep... If I don't resurface in the next few months, can someone please send out a search party (and maybe a coroner)Translation:My 'collection' can be loosely described as two separate 'heaps'.The first heap should be immediately discarded.The second heap might require some degree of decontamination prior to being discarded.And I have NO idea what's up with that third heap over there... I didn't even know it existed! Oh hang on, that's just my washing pile.

author: Dread
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 28, 2015, 06:20:04 am
content: Very interesting video Dave.I think Daves point about the value being highly diminished because of the parts being thru-hole stuff is partly right. Looking at the video it seems to me that the guy was probably into repairing Oscilloscopes and other old test gear that hobbyist may have owned during the 1970's. Which is the time when I figure he was really into repairs or collecting.The value based on the kind of parts that made up the bulk of what I could see was never going to be high, mainly because they are parts for scopes and test equipment that today have almost zero value on eBay. Add to that the parts are used, you would have to either test each item before selling it or sell it as condition unknown.BUTIf those parts had been from a 1970's Ham Radio repair shop, they would have been worth a fortune regardless of them being used or untested. The tubes he had seemed to be mostly old sweep tubes and other tubes for scopes, TV's etc., so value is near zero. If they had been HF Amplifier tubes each one of them could have sold for good money. Same thing with everything else, if he had loads of parts for older Collins, Heathkit and other ham radio gear from the 60's and 70's I am pretty sure that the lot would have been worth over $50K.

author: Fungus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 28, 2015, 10:58:27 am
content: Am I not supposed to be building thru-hole stuff these days?

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 28, 2015, 11:08:41 am
content: BTW, I have seen the spreadsheet and it is a every bit meticulous as you imagine it would be.He knew were every part was and could access it in an instant.

author: RupertGo
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 28, 2015, 11:33:05 am
content: So what are Dave's friend's plans for his massive parts stash? (Assuming it's a he. I think I'm safe there.)And actually, just publishing the spreadsheet somewhere that Google can find it, together with an email address and a 'Make me an offer', will probably pull in the desperate searchers if you want to flog stuff. Why bother with more?

author: JoeO
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 28, 2015, 11:49:13 am
content: Quote from: Carl_Smith on April 28, 2015, 03:51:06 amWhat is important to you may not be important to your children.Give your stuff away now, while people you know can appreciate it for what it is and who you are. The stuff that belongs to your grandfather has sentimental value to you but if your kids never met him, the value to them will be much less.Good Luck!

author: Tothwolf
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 28, 2015, 04:41:41 pm
content: Wow...a few people really missed the mark here (re: the "hoarder" and "ocd" comments being tossed around).My somewhat educated guess as to all the used parts is that Mr. Sparkes at some point serviced "vintage" test gear, with from the looks of it, a strong focus on Tektronix 500 and 7000 series (1960s-1970s). With this sort of gear, parts were often graded at the factory to meet certain specs, so it would be no surprise at all to see lots of used semiconductors. (...and you can't just pop into Farnell and buy a tunnel diode today, either.) As for used resistors...special "low inductance" resistors were pretty common in this sort of test gear, too.The blacklights would make calibrating or photographing the displays on this sort of gear much easier (none of them fancy LCDs or on-screen digital readouts with that sort of gear). Heck, the curve tracers alone are a dead giveaway that there was some specialized work going on here.Dave, any chance David Sparkes is related to Robert G.  Sparkes? That might also well explain the stash of parts, and especially all the Tektronix parts I saw in the video (the transformers and CRTs are especially easy to spot).http://w140.com/tekwiki/wiki/Main_Pagehttp://www.ko4bb.com/manuals/download.php?file=Tektronix/Tektronix_-_Miscelaneous/Tektronix_Xref_sm.pdf

author: Carl_Smith
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 28, 2015, 04:44:42 pm
content: Quote from: JoeO on April 28, 2015, 11:49:13 amYeah, I understand that. And I don't have children so that makes it even more pointless to worry about what happens to my stuff.I just figured if they, whoever that may be, knows at least a few things that were important to me they can decide if that makes the items important to them as well.Also, I do have some electronic components that have no sentimental value, but are valuable enough to be worth throwing up on eBay, such as a bunch of tubes of mosfets that are probably worth a few thousand dollars. Hate to see something like that go in the bin because they don't know it has any value. (Funny -- spell check thinks mosfets should be marmosets.)

author: Fungus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 28, 2015, 06:02:57 pm
content: Quote from: Carl_Smith on April 28, 2015, 03:51:06 amLess and less people will be interested in Monsanto LEDs as time passes. Probably very few people will know what they are a few years from now.I'm currently in the process of clearing out stuff that was "interesting" to me a few years back. I'm keeping the really important/nice stuff but everything else is going on eBay.eg. I sold an old calculator for $1000 last week. It's been in a drawer for about 20 years so I figure I don't need it. Nobody would know what to do with it if I die and $1000 gets me some nice new toys to play with in the here and now. I've got a few things like that stashed away and most of them would look like "old junk" to a house clearer.Quote from: Carl_Smith on April 28, 2015, 03:51:06 amI've recently decided not to wait that long.My OCD at the moment is typing everything I've got lying around into eBay to find out what it could be worth. I've had a couple of surprises so far.eg. I found an old promo CD that I've had since the 1990s which might easily be worth $500-$600 (I'll find out next week!) Would I trade that CD for a high-end Fluke? You betcha...

author: Cliff Matthews
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 29, 2015, 12:06:54 am
content: Quote from: Tothwolf on April 28, 2015, 04:41:41 pmOk that's another angle, but the 12:45 comment, "must have spent his entire life just de-soldering" was a little too telling. I responded because he used enough gestures and adjectives to have the dude look for a shrink. So would any tech de-solder that much?

author: Carl_Smith
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 29, 2015, 01:07:34 am
content: Quote from: Fungus on April 28, 2015, 06:02:57 pmI was surprised to find PALCE16V8 PAL's going on ebay for $2-$3 each. I have a bunch of those stashed away new in tubes from almost 20 years ago. Those and the MOSFETs I mentioned earlier might pay for a low end Rigol oscilloscope for my bench.Not sure about selling the PALs though. They were rescued from their trip to the trash at a former employer, and they are laser marked with a company specific part number and programmed at the manufacturer (they are flash based and reprogrammable). Never been out of the tubes, but the company didn't use the part anymore and were just going to toss them.

author: JoeO
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 29, 2015, 02:18:02 am
content: Carl_Smith where do you live? Turn on your country flag.

author: miguelvp
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 29, 2015, 02:42:56 am
content: Quote from: JoeO on April 29, 2015, 02:18:02 amHe lives 10 hours NW of me by car (around 640 miles)

author: calexanian
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 29, 2015, 03:14:34 am
content: At M.U. tube factory i sometimes have to dive the owners late uncles parts collections. Much larger than the place in the video, but nowhere near as organized. Its a depression era mentality thing. One day, not to far from now i will be having to do the same thing to that collection and figure out what to do with it. I am thinking the worlds biggest electronics flea market. both her father and uncle could never throw anything away and there are rack after rack of mixed, new used, and bad parts. The power resistor shelves alone must weigh a few thousand pounds. There a few rows of about 18 steel cabinets full up of components, mostly new, but a whole storage building, I would say 1000 square feet of just loosely sorted shelves of everything you can imagine, along with several tons of wire and cable. I counted about 30 loose Welch pumps, not already in equipment last time I was down there. Also about 25 of those 400 and 500 series tek scopes. I really do want to make a museum one day. I was thinking about a kickstarter to make that happen. I working museum of making tubes and other historical electronics. I would put it in Vegas and make it a destination type thing. Come watch tubes, transformers, caps, neon signs, etc being made. I could also put together a great number of sputtering, thin film, and other high vacuum systems from whats sitting down there.Would anybody else like to go to such a place? Kind of like a computer history museum, but more broad based for historic electronics.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 29, 2015, 03:19:01 am
content: Quote from: Fungus on April 28, 2015, 06:02:57 pmOoh, what one?

author: Tothwolf
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 29, 2015, 07:00:13 am
content: Quote from: Cliff Matthews on April 29, 2015, 12:06:54 amI've stripped many boards over the years. If you don't care about damaging the substrate, there are all sorts of ways to do it very fast. With a vacuum desoldering system, things go really fast too.There are some components in older test gear that you simply cannot buy new, at any price. Tektronix in particular screened and pre-tested a lot of their parts. This can bite you when repairing their older test gear even today because something that seems generic may have been qualified to meet a certain spec, and replacing that component with a modern made version may not work the same in the circuit.After looking at the photos in the other related eBay listings, the background in those photos makes it incredibly clear the guy at some point had some sort of service/repair setup going on.Dave, did your friend end up with the tubes, CRTs, and transformers as well? I didn't see an eBay listing for those.

author: Fungus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 29, 2015, 07:05:30 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on April 29, 2015, 03:19:01 amCurta brand:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CurtaThey don't run on electrons, sorry... (and it was slightly over $1000aftereBay fees)They're mechanical beauties, Babbage's difference engine in your pocket. Adam Savage keeps a couple right next to his Blade Runner gun:I had three of them so I figured I could spare one. I kept the nicest one for myself. The other is a bit of a beater that hangs around my desk, it made an easter-egg appearance in my sparkfun multimeter teardown but nobody seems to have spotted it:

author: chrisc
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 29, 2015, 10:48:04 am
content: Quote from: Fungus on April 29, 2015, 07:05:30 amwow, that was a real rabbit-hole. I just spent two hours reading up and viewing videos on this unit.As a lad in the pre-computer days I had a real fascination with mechanical calculators (shreds of various old cash registers and mechanical tabulators are probably still embedded in the dirt floor of my parent's old workshop) but for some reason I'd never heard of it, and I grew up in the 60's when they were still being regularly used! (Maybe they weren't so common in Australia).

author: VK3DRB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 29, 2015, 12:05:35 pm
content: After hearing Dave say the word "toobs" a couple of times in a fake American accent, I almost switched off. But I am glad I persevered. It was a good video and I agree the collection is exceptional.David Sparks whoever he is or was practised 5S.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5S_%28methodology%29Most decent electronics labs would practice 5S, whether it be at home or at work. Because the parts were de-soldered they are in some ways BETTER THAN NEW because they leads are pre-tinned with solder. As many of us have experienced, old pin-though-hole resistors and capacitors are often difficult to solder because the leads are so dreadfully oxidised. I had to eventually throw my 35 year old collection of resistors in the bin because they were no longer solderable. Age had got the better of them.The tins of hardware bolts and bits are not very smart though because you cannot see what is in them. Still, at $30, who would complain. Dave might want to add $100 for some see through containers, or add some parts photos or dimensions on the front of the cans.

author: Tothwolf
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 29, 2015, 02:03:53 pm
content: Quote from: VK3DRB on April 29, 2015, 12:05:35 pmYou might try to find a Hexacon MA-860 braid cleaner. They work extremely well to clean the leads of really old parts. They usually sell for about USD $20 but some companies will only sell them in a factory package of 3.The eBay photos for the tins of hardware seem to indicate that many are not full or contain multiple items. Many are also labeled "unsorted". My suggestion would be to obtain a ton of 2"x3" zip-lock bags and then store those in bead boxes. I did just this for my own collection of fasteners and it made all the difference in terms of being able to find exactly what I need when I needed it. Each size/style/type of washer, nut, screw, etc gets its own small bag and I can group multiple bags into the compartments in the bead boxes in a logical arrangement (type/size/etc) with different boxes for different types of hardware.

author: Quarlo Klobrigney
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 29, 2015, 02:09:44 pm
content: It's actually pronounced chubes.Quote from: VK3DRB on April 29, 2015, 12:05:35 pm

author: Fungus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 29, 2015, 04:29:15 pm
content: Quote from: chrisc on April 29, 2015, 10:48:04 amThere's videos showingbut they don't really transmit the sounds and the feeling you get in your hand when you turn the crank and all the cogs start spinning inside it. They're the ultimate toy if you're into mechanical stuff and precision engineering.

author: station240
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 30, 2015, 02:57:08 am
content: Quote from: Carl_Smith on April 29, 2015, 01:07:34 amYeah PALs aren't being made any more, I have a design that uses the old 16V8, which luckily can be replaced with two 7400 series chips which works out cheaper. Kind of annoying the PALs are such high prices.Some of the ICs in this collection are worthless though, who never needs to replace the audio amp in a cassette radio ?

author: han
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 01, 2015, 11:27:32 am
content: Please somebody contacthackedgadgets they need that collection for theirname-the-thing-contesthttp://hackedgadgets.com/2015/04/25/name-the-thing-contest-279

author: Radio Tech
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 01, 2015, 04:38:03 pm
content: Quote from: Tothwolf on April 28, 2015, 04:41:41 pmAgreed

author: iva
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: May 03, 2015, 01:17:57 pm
content: Quote from: Barny on April 26, 2015, 12:56:39 pmThanks!Seems to be doing everything I need.I was mainly looking for something opensource as in case issues come up there's still the possibility to fix them by yourself (and usually there's a bigger community behind opensource compared to "freeware" projects).At the end of the day the data you enter - and the time it takes - is the biggest value, so saving money because a program is free doesn't make sense if it isn't supported well.The author seems responsive on the mikrokontroller.net forum so I might give it a try.And thanks to all the others that answered my question too!

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 18, 2015, 12:51:31 am
content: UPDATE & QUESTION:Who would want to buy a storage box full of these parts? with the proceeds going to charity.

author: chrisc
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 18, 2015, 04:07:00 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on November 18, 2015, 12:51:31 amNot sure I need more stuff in my workshopbut if the money goes to charity I'd be in it.What charity do you have in mind?

author: Barny
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 18, 2015, 04:22:17 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on November 18, 2015, 12:51:31 amWouldn't it be better to make an electronic workshop for kids and use the parts for educational purposes?

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 18, 2015, 05:21:14 pm
content: Anything other than the boxes of couch feet would be good. I think the charity would be one Dave likes, probably an Australian one, and probably a cancer group.

author: whitevamp
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 01, 2016, 10:39:56 pm
content: reminds me of this person i helped out back on 07 the lady's BF past way and lefter her everything, and can we say he had a hole lot of stuff, he had 10 30` X 40` storage unites full of stuff, and 2 houses full of stuff, in one unit he had over 100 Tektronix scopes from the 80's and other misc test EQ, and you could easily triple what this gent had in individual parts. and he even had 2 pallets of radar absorbent material that was in 4 x 4 or 5 x 5 foot squares damn that shit was heavy. and i got a lot of the stuff my self and haven't even used it.

author: mechatronicsguy
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: May 31, 2016, 08:30:40 am
content: Hi Folks,I'm now giving away the remainder of the collection, if anyone's interested:https://www.eevblog.com/forum/buysellwanted/free-(aus)-world's-largest-electronics-parts-collection-as-seen-on-eevblog/Cheers,Gavin