Students caught out....

Hi, I live in a rural city, 100kms from Melbourne, we have one independent electronics outlet, they are a small run development and assembly company, I worked there for 3 years.
They have apart from there own line of parts gadgets, they represent a range of other suppliers, Jaycar, Altronics, which includes Arduino clones such as freetronics. A good component base because they supply the local educational facilities in the state.
The prices are reasonable, they are online and even their Arduino stuff is not to badly priced.
Other wise we use E14, RS or Altronics, Jaycar.

Tom.... :slight_smile:

GoForSmoke:
These guys ship free and I always get my stuff in 20 to 30 days.

Thanks! I found some at Zeph.com, but after a couple of weeks, no answer to emails, and a couple phone calls where someone picked up, then hung up, I contacted my CC company to reverse the charges. That finally got someone's attention and they shipped the product. At this point, I don't trust them enough to try again.

TomGeorge:
A good component base because they supply the local educational facilities in the state.

An educational system that teaches useful engineering skills? Nice! I'm kinda hoping the Maker movement actually persuades individual schools to take this stuff seriously. Electronics as a marketable industry could be a fad, but looks solid for a few years at least. :wink:

An educational system that teaches useful engineering skills?

Hi, wellll yes, the secondary schools, year 7 to 12 do have some sort of electronics content, depends on staffing and money, I'm afraid.
Also the commitment of teaching staff, and their skill level.

To let you know how bad some of our education system is;
About 10 years ago, my then employer was keen to advance the skill levels of their employees.
So I was offered the chance to go back to Uni and do my Degree in Electronics, my Diploma and previous employment allowed me to skip Year One of a Three Year Course, (bit suspect... Three year for Degree, was four years , twenty years previous.)
I turn up for first day of year two degree and goto a subject called Electronics. Now expecting it to be an advanced electronics subject I was surprised when the lecturer, who I know, said to me, "Don't worry about notes, you don't need to take this subject, I'll give you exemption after the class."
I then sat through a Second Year , Engineering Degree subject that began by teaching "OHMS LAW".
I was flabbergasted, this is basic stuff that should have been covered in First Year to bring everybody up to speed.
The lecturer who was very disillusioned about the curriculum for the engineering course, said that that is the way it has to be done due to the dumb students that get into these courses.
The course I gather no longer exists at the local Uni.
Unfortunately due to family health problems I couldn't finish the Degree.

Tom....... :slight_smile:

Back in the late 60's and early 70's they let the dummies slide by but at least that let the rest of us get better courses. When 1/3 of the class is outside smoking the classroom is that much less crowded.

But then the rich dummies will get the degrees their money entitles them to. When second level college starts out at Boy Scout Merit Badge level, the bar has been pulled pretty damned low.

GoForSmoke:
I was thinking flux, not paste. They have flux.

These guys ship free and I always get my stuff in 20 to 30 days.
solder paste - Free Shipping - DX

Yes. I can vouch for DX. Never had any problems with them and my orders arrive, sometimes, in 12-14 days. But I do wish that they'd give more detailed specs for their products on their website.

I have some of their $2 hand crank cellphone chargers. Maybe on my best day ever I could have used one to charge my MP3 player. Taken apart, there's a plastic gear train to turn a 10 cent motor posing as a generator and there's some kind of circuit and a power led. That's right, the hand crank generator lights a led nice and bright with maybe half or more of the output after the gear friction has robbed most of your work ... to show it's working.

They do sell useless gimmicky gadgets as well as useful gimmicky gadgets.
Don't miss the bag of 10 5mW red laser modules for now less than $4.50 total. No, I haven't tested one for MBTF. They work on 5V for at least a good while and it says run on 20mA 4.5V.

I imagine the only reason the students were expelled was that they didn't submit their outsourcing to a proper competitive bidding process.

Yeah, let the TA's make some tuition money!

The same kids that got extra good grades pre-college through parental help and tutors and secretaries typing their papers (of course without making any corrections of any kind) will go farther when it comes to that all important degree. I can think of a certain C student and a big college that no way did that idiot no flunk the first year without cheating. I wonder if Harvard got a library or wing out of it which is the usual quid-pro-quo.

Interesting article I saw recently in the NY Times:

Anyone tried this?

I'm looking into a solder paste dispensing thingy. That one's relatively cheap. On the downside, it looks relatively cheap. Also looks like it needs an external air pump.

SirNickity:
Anyone tried this?

Recommendations For You - DealeXtreme

I'm looking into a solder paste dispensing thingy. That one's relatively cheap. On the downside, it looks relatively cheap. Also looks like it needs an external air pump.

Did you notice that it needs a 220-240V 50Hz power supply? It may not work on your 110V 60Hz supply.

Hi, if you got to University in Australia, you don't have to pay tuition fees or such, you are issued with a fee that will be collected off you when you acquire employment and an income over a certain level.
If your parents don't earn enough while you are at Uni then you can go on the Student Allowance, about the same as unemployed benefits.

Then they take a percentage out with your paye tax each week of fortnight until you fees are payed back.

The local University here has just had another name change in the last 12 months, its now called Federation University, or FU.
I tell ya wot, these academiks makeing up the beaut naymes are a wier... wied... wierd lot.

Tom..... :slight_smile:

My city is not big. I have one RadioShack that I go when I run out of solder or need some small parts I don't have (I have "huge" stock of stuff at work and at home now).

TomGeorge:
The local University ... now called Federation University, or FU.

Can't wait to visit the Knowledge Commons, or FUKC 8)

SirNickity:
I'm looking into a solder paste dispensing thingy.

Another option for you to consider. He seems to have thought out the design pretty well.

Awesome, thanks! I find it hard to pass up a chance to DIY something.

Henry_Best:
Did you notice that it needs a 220-240V 50Hz power supply? It may not work on your 110V 60Hz supply.

I did not notice that actually. But I suspect that's not an insurmountable challenge. :smiley:

SirNickity:
Anyone tried this?

Recommendations For You - DealeXtreme

I'm looking into a solder paste dispensing thingy. That one's relatively cheap. On the downside, it looks relatively cheap. Also looks like it needs an external air pump.

I have one , it needs a compressor.
It has a venturi for suck back which consumes a loy of air.
Thats not needed for solder though.
Solder paste has to be fresh, it takes a bit of time to get needlesize and pressure right, solder paste is very viscous.
Brilliant for adhesive dispensing though.

What kind of compressor do you use? Are we talking about a 3-6 gallon jobsite type, or something smaller scale?

The handheld one is neat and compact, but after watching the mikeselectricstuff video on SMD soldering, I think an external box with foot control would be a better way to go.

I use a hobbl sprayer one, i guess it about 4 litres.
It uses very little air except when the suckback is used.
A full resevoir easily lasts for a board, with venturi it starts running about every couple of minutes which is actually quite annoying.