1200 Relays - Ideas Please - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: German_EE
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 15, 2014, 10:22:23 am
content: A friend of mine was clearing out his stores yesterday prior to relocation and he found a large bag containing 1200 5V DPDT relays in a DIP package. He's looking for ideas for their use rather than dispose of them on Ebay, apart from building a relay-based digital computer does anybody have any ideas of what can be done with this find?

author: tszaboo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 15, 2014, 11:40:24 am
content: I would make an arduino shield production run. They usually sell for ten times the value they worth.

author: ConKbot
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 15, 2014, 11:53:00 am
content: 34x34 crossbar switch? O0

author: abaxas
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 15, 2014, 01:43:44 pm
content: Some kind of mad musical instrument?

author: corrado33
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 15, 2014, 01:59:14 pm
content: Quote from: abaxas on July 15, 2014, 01:43:44 pmThat was my idea.

author: DenzilPenberthy
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 15, 2014, 02:41:05 pm
content: Design a control system for something in proper old-school relay ladder logic.

author: mariush
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 15, 2014, 03:28:48 pm
content: Make a digital clock where the seven segments of each digit (and the ":" separating the digit groups) are each a 10-40w regular lightbulb. Turn bulb on/off through relays.Using so many lightbulbs and so much power would be perfectly matched by the stupidity of using a relay for each segment.

author: lapm
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 15, 2014, 04:51:56 pm
content: 1200 relays? Make them play music, imperial march seems popular in tech scene...

author: Tinkerer
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 15, 2014, 11:25:14 pm
content: Well, what can be done with 1200 bits?

author: ozwolf
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 15, 2014, 11:35:26 pm
content: Quote from: German_EE on July 15, 2014, 10:22:23 amAny chance of a part number/manufacturer?

author: Macbeth
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 15, 2014, 11:49:55 pm
content: I would say supply a datasheet and flog them at 20 off a time just to soak the ebay and P&P fees.

author: zapta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 16, 2014, 03:43:19 am
content: Take apart the coils and sell the copper.Use as fishing sinkers or floats, depending on their buoyancy.Do target practice using one of these:

author: ajb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 16, 2014, 04:22:23 am
content: Wire all but one of them up in a giant ring of inverters, the contacts of each driving the coil of the next.Ooh, better yet use a bunch to make two 1-of-60 and one 1-of-24 counters driving incandescent indicators arranged in concentric rings, then figure out how many cascaded inverters you need to get a ~1Hz tick. You'll have the world's most inefficient (not to mention obnoxious) clock, and probably the only one to ever use nothing but relays to keep time.

author: dexters_lab
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 16, 2014, 01:03:19 pm
content: as others have suggested a musical device would be the most interestingyour going to need a big power supply though!

author: German_EE
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 16, 2014, 08:43:48 pm
content: I like the idea of a massive ring oscillator, completely senseless but it sounds just right. A musical instrument might be possible but these little DIP relays do not make much noise and anyway at twelve notes to the octave we would only use fifty or sixty devices.Other ideas we have received:A calculator, driving nixie displays for added effectAn orchestra of morse code buzzers, one DIP package may be quiet but a few hundred might make some impact.