Wanted: IC tubes/rails - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: DJPhil
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 04, 2011, 10:46:14 am
content: Hey folks, I know it's been a while.I've been reorganising here and have need of a more accessible storage mechanism for the ICs that are piling up here. I'm the sort with a bit more modest concerns regarding ESD, and I don't have the money to lay out for good foam, so after reviewing my options it looks like the 22 inch sections of IC rail/tube would work best for me.Just thought I'd check here before I went and bought any to see if anyone (or maybe their employer) throws the stuff away in gobs. I figure it couldn't hurt to see if someone would be willing to ship me some (I'm happy to pay shipping) to reuse.Speaking to quantity I've probably got about 100 linear feet of 0.3" DIP ICs and 10 linear feet of 0.6" DIP ICs to house, and I don't think I'll ever have more than about twice that much in the future.Thanks for looking, and just sent me a pm if you'd like to help and we can work out details.

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 04, 2011, 11:40:20 am
content: If you have any local subcontract assembly places, ask them - they probably normally have to pay commercial waste rates to dispose of them.

author: Neganur
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 04, 2011, 04:03:37 pm
content: if ESD foam doesn't work out for you, how about aluminum (tin) foil on polystyrene foam?

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 04, 2011, 04:18:29 pm
content: Foil would be worse than bare polystyrene, as the metal provides capacitance for a charge to build up on before suddenly making contact with the chip pin. People often forget that the D in ESD is what it's all about.

author: gregariz
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 04, 2011, 05:19:26 pm
content: Quote from: mikeselectricstuff on August 04, 2011, 04:18:29 pmFoil on foam is what they used to use before the carbon loaded foam was commonly/cheaply available. I haven't seen it for years but I'm sure you could make your own as the poster mentioned. You poke the chip legs through the foil into the foam so shorting all pins of the chip together.

author: Zero999
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 04, 2011, 07:20:16 pm
content: Yes, I used to make it myself with foil and double sided tape. It's perfectly ESD safe because all the pins are shorted so are at the same potential, regardless of the voltage with respect to earth.

author: DJPhil
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 08, 2011, 09:17:23 am
content: Thanks for the advice and ideas guys.Just a quick note. If anyone's looking for an extremely cheap way to sort and store SMD passives (or anything not ESD sensitive) consider using coin envelopes. I stumbled into the idea online somewhere, and finally found time to check it out last month.They come in a variety of sizes if you go to office supply stores, but coin collectors usually use a standard size of 2 inches square. I picked up 250 envelopes and a dual row 10 inch storage box for about $20US shipped, and it's proven to be remarkably simple and space efficient. You can get a few different colors of envelope, or (what I might do) color code the top yourself!If you decide to go this route and are trying to estimate how many envelopes you'll need, figure on about 5/in when they're maximally stuffed, or 10/in with a light fill. I've left the components in their tape for most of these, but they could just as easily be loaded in loose. The top flaps are long, and I just have them folded back and not tucked into the envelope (that might prove difficult).