FREE: Electronics goodie box for a young electronics hobbyist or student - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: mr.LED
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: January 31, 2018, 11:25:23 pm
content: Cleaning out the closet so I put together a box of goodies!10" x 7" x 5" box filled to the brim with a variety of components, old electronics, etc.LEDs, panel meters, MOSFETs, capacitors, battery holders, speakers, motors,and more....I'll ship it anywhere in the US for free. I'd like to give this to a young hobbyist or student who likes to tinker with electronics.If you're interested, please PM me and tell me a little about yourself and some projects you've worked on.

author: Pinkus
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 31, 2018, 11:31:51 pm
content: This is very kind of you Mr. LED!

author: Old Printer
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 01, 2018, 03:58:53 am
content: Ditto from me mr.LED! I hope you find the right young person to take advantage of your generosity.

author: GreyWoolfe
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 01, 2018, 03:15:57 pm
content: Nice box of goodies for someone. Good on ya!

author: davidkozin
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: February 03, 2018, 08:41:52 am
content: Hi GreyWoolfe!My apology for the long message. It is about 8 different pieces trying to share how I turned gifting electronics to kids who traditionally don't have access to them and saving the environment at the same time became a rewarding hobby I encourage for everyone with too many toys.I just started my membership to the blog -- I have watched plenty of Dave's videos -- while searching for a template for part management. (Hats off to you Dr. Geoff).My name is David Kozin, and I am 40 going back to graduate student for clinical mental health counseling, but find value throughout life by finding projects and causes that are close to me.Sadly, many students and kids don't have access or parent's don't value or simply can't afford the investment of retail "maker" movement products. (I looked to advertise in Make magazine, and learned that the demographics literally have an average household income of 100k+ and the kits aimed at kids are more costly than others.I discovered ebay, retired engineers and good people. I am a hobby maker, but have leveraged my free hours and patience to look for unusual eBay lots or bulk items to purchase that are new old stock or vintage surplus electronics and I divide into three categories:1) Rare Gems for Museum (e.g. new in package TMS 0019 chip from 1975 for Datamath II) or Teledyne Hybrid Circuits for Space projects) - How many kids know what a diode is? The Transistor history museum is essentially one gentleman with an idea and it spread.2) Any items that can be Upcycled. (I own and working on the domain upcycledelectronics.com). I think it is a waste to sell more resistors made from China, when we have so many bulk resistors sitting around untouched that just need to reach the consumer. It is bad for the environment and expensive. The problem: eBay is great for deals if you want 10,000 Vishay CMF-55 19.1ohm resistors or 1,000 Vishay Infrared Receiver Modules still in the reel (The first cost me $10 & shipping and the second $40). Retail infrared receiver and LED emitter combos are $1.50. If a makerspace wanted to create a bunch of IR controlled robots or imagine a Laser Tag set-up or TV-out kits it is extraordinarily expensive.So, this is where I come in. I find homes for products at no charge. I do keep 50 emitters for myself and 10 resistors, and that would be retail. But, now I have 950 additional IR receivers to send out.Here is a package I sent out not long ago to a makerspace in Arizona. For me, the win is the e-mail back saying, "While opening the box and seeing the different sensors and the board you sent, one of my high school students became interested in coding." I added some still sealed Motorola parts from 1960's when they were made in Phoenix, Arizona for the history and included vintage parts with instructions about use as demonstrations of what old resistors looked like or different resistors to measure to learn about tolerance.Link to a kit I sent out to InventionDimension.So in short, I am not a 501(c)(3), I have had one and it is a headache, this isn't my life project (but if someone wanted it to be, I would be so happy) but I use connections from my closest friend served for years as the Director of Development for STEM group for K-12 students in Detroit, where she raised 4 million/yr for traditionally underprivileged youth to participate in programs she co-designed like "The STEMM Squad", where parents can sign up students (traditionally from Detroit area schools) from K-12 have classes in Science Tech Engineering and Math taught by a team of volunteer professionals who work in STEM and gave different levels on involvement (From professors at University of Michigan, Engineers from Ford, GM, Chrysler, 3M...) that give especially older students valuable connections, but the ultimate Makers are Parents and Teachers.So, if you want to know they will find a good home. You can e-mail me at david.s.kozin@gmail.com or here, and I'll send info and maybe you have an idea for a project it would make and there are plenty of makerspaces that need donated goods.Either way, I came here to thank the Dr. for his gift for a great program and perhaps can help some kids and you as well.Sincerely,David KozinI also find that one of the best birthday gifts you can give a young kid (that will be cooler than a new gaming console, at least for that day) is a still sealed transistor, tuning diode or other piece with gold leads that has a part number that can be matched with a "similar enough" part that you can put it in a little package and add a printout about how to read the date code and the information on part, and parts like this were used by NASA.Take home lesson on this too long post:NASA + REAL GOLD + ELECTRONICS = The Trifecta for Perfect Gift for any kid.Parents shake their head when they ask me how much it cost me and I tell them, it probably was less than a dime for the part.