Is the components stock PTSD a thing, or is it just hoarding, but with parts? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: RoGeorge
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 09, 2025, 09:56:43 pm
content: Found myself recently taking weird design struggle extra hoops, in order to use a less proper transistor, only because I have 45 of them in stock, while from the "proper" BJT model that would fit that design, I only have 4 in stock.The weird side is that both BJT models are sitting unused in their own bags since the 90's. So, why even thinking preserving the 4 pcs BJT stock? To keep them for 3 more decades doing nothing in some storage scrap box?From the perspective of the times before the Iron Curtain felt, when most of the western jellybean components where unobtainium in the Eastern Europe, this stock preserving would make sense, maybe. But for today, when one can order a bag of 100-500 BJTs for peanuts, it doesn't make any sense to preserve the old stock.Is there anybody else designing one-off, hobby projects, based on the most available parts in stock, instead of using the proper parts?Another thing, I almost never throw away my electronic gadgets. I hoard them in scrap boxes, in the hope that maybe, one day, I would reuse parts of them to build something else. I do not hoard other random things, only EE related materials and components.I was wondering, is this an Eastern Europe thing, from the times when components were scarce, or is it just me?

author: M4trix
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 09, 2025, 10:38:12 pm
content: Quote from: RoGeorge on June 09, 2025, 09:56:43 pm

author: wilfred
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 09, 2025, 11:18:36 pm
content: If it is a one-off hobby project then using parts you have is fine. It is why you keep them. For a product of new design you give to the world then you have other criteria like price and availability to consider.Hoarding is different to just keeping stuff. When you hit a storage limit, or even before then, if you can dispose of some things it is not hoarding. If you cannot get rid of anything then it may be hoarding.It could be worse, at least parts are small.

author: watchmaker
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 10, 2025, 11:43:38 am
content: Quote from: RoGeorge on June 09, 2025, 09:56:43 pmNo, I do not think it is solely an Eastern Europe thing. I think it is a function of personal experience; periods in your life where you had to make do. TO make a pun, this is foreign to far too many people.And how it is related I do not know; but I really hate it when I have to rely on other people for something, even parts. Plus I like having things right there so I do not have to wait.How about we give this a nice term like extreme self reliance?Up to a couple years ago I would even make my own pinions. My process was: can I repair the existing pinion, is it available, do I have an unfinished part I can adjust, do I have the cutter, do I have to make the cutter. And I always made sure I had a back up plan. In many instances, the attempt to repair the existing part could destroy it, so everything was measured first and I made sure I had a way out if the worst happened.But sending it out to someone else was never an option.

author: AVGresponding
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 10, 2025, 12:06:52 pm
content: Quote from: wilfred on June 09, 2025, 11:18:36 pmSomeparts are small. 500VA transformers, 600mm x 400mm x 200mm enclosures, and extruded aluminium heatsinks are less so...

author: BadeBhaiya
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 10, 2025, 01:21:22 pm
content: Its definitely a thing for me. I also like to use things at hand (like modules instead of discrete parts) in my PCB designs.It also comes from a place of professionalism. No one wants to explain to their manager why they used a special IC instead of a jellybean one for a purpose unless you have a good reason.As for parts, I just hoard them. I know I will probably never use as many as I order, it indeed is a waste of money but with parts are very cheap these days

author: Haenk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 10, 2025, 06:18:54 pm
content: We have a saying: "Besser haben, als brauchen" - it's better to have something (on hand) than needing something.And really, if you have the space, you can never have enough components or tools. On tools, I do simple maths: To fix xyz, I would have to pay someone amount x - so, if the necessary tool is amount x or less, I'll just buy it and fix it myself. Yes, that adds up over time.On components, I do cleanups at times - there is stuff, nobody will ever use, that gets dumped. I like hoarding stuff, fortunately i have no problem with dumping stuff.

author: jfiresto
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 11, 2025, 04:58:17 am
content: When I order parts, I increase the quantities of inexpensive line items so that they sum to at least 1 euro: to reduce the pick-overhead for everyone. This leads to having more inexpensive parts on hand and favoring them in designs, which is not always a bad thing if you believe in the old fashioned engineering virtue of thrift.