@erco, If you have an extra I will take it. If you happen to go back and they have more I could actually use two. If not you can send the one with the Laser if they are going to be arriving within the next month. Thanks, I very much appreciate it.
How about 9 Parallax LCDs for $4.99, 13 9V solar panels for $3.48, 4 Velloman kits for $5.98, 1 bag of 300 wire ties for $1.58 and 3 12-position European terminal strips for $1.34 at 3 stores in the SGV?
Salseman said they are only going to keep the top 10% sales items. When I asked about components and parts, he said "That's our bread and butter." We'll see...
Now what's a Euro terminal strip? Some kind of Region 2 metric electric outlet converter for PAL format TV?
Hello!
An excellent question. Basically its a barrier strip designed differently then the usual ones seen, it uses screws to hold wires. The advice is that users should use crimp on terminals, spade lug style for the purpose of attaching wires to them.
...I was at a Shack yesterday. Little or nothing left of the goodies discussed here. But two surprises:
1) A big "We're hiring: sign in the window....
I visited my local Shack today, saw a tiny sign that said Clearance Event, but what they had on clearance was next to doodly-squat.
As for hiring, it appears they hired a couple of young ladies (XXXL) who were more interested in comparing arm tattoos with each other than helping me find stuff on clearance. Not to be out-done, I rolled up my sleeve and showed them my scars. They were so impressed, they slid their feet off the countertop and had a closer look. But they still couldn't find me a cheap PanaVise nowheres.
I figure I'm just gonna wait till they go bankrupt.
I picked up an XBEE kit today and I was looking for some Serial LCDs when I saw an Arduino kit for $10. Is it worth buying or should I just stick with Parallax stuff?
I picked up an XBEE kit today and I was looking for some Serial LCDs when I saw an Arduino kit for $10. Is it worth buying or should I just stick with Parallax stuff?
Ask your question in the Arduino forum and see what they say.
I picked up an XBEE kit today and I was looking for some Serial LCDs when I saw an Arduino kit for $10. Is it worth buying or should I just stick with Parallax stuff?
Yes, it worth buying, if its the board I think it is, that's a great price.
It's like, do you use a Windows PC or an Mac, they both get the job done, but they are different.
The Parallax forums are not the best place to get info on the Ard****o.
I guess I will just stick with what I know and save the rest of my money for a Parallax Deal of the Day. BOE or Process Control is what I am looking for to complete my collection.
I've been sucking up these deals for about a month now. I've hit about 10 different stores and spent close to $500 which is about $2500 (retail) worth of stuff! I've got at least 15 of the Parallax LCD modules, a bunch of the TinkerKit LCDs (which are great because they have an onboard ATmega32U), Parallax GPS and accelerometers, solar panels, 10 BASIC Stamp Activity Kits ($10 each!!!) handfuls of various Velleman Kits, packs of switches, relays, potentiometers. I even managed to snag one each of the two "MAKE: Electronics Kits" for $10 per (retail $129.99). They were even clearing out a few sizes of stranded wire so I've now got enough of that to last me a lifetime; they also had MIDI cables on sale for $0.49 per pack (three 3ft cables) which I bought about 20 of. Do I need them? Not currently, but I'm sure I'll find uses for them for projects, even if I chop the ends off and just uses them for interconnects. That's not even starting on all the Proto, Motor Controller and Ethernet Shields I got, plus a few Arduino Mega ADKs!
Phew! That was a bit of a run on, sorry about that. Anyway, what brought this thread to my attention was a Google search of the K8055RS USB Experiment Interface Board. I saw some people talking about it earlier in the thread and wanted to mention that I found a *really* useful iPhone/Android app for it! http://www.vellemanusa.com/news/?id=89 and http://www.vellemanusa.com/news/?id=68 respectively. I haven't tried them yet, but the reviews seemed positive. There's Windows and Mac "server" software that the iOS/Android app will use to talk to the board with. Could be handy for someone so I just wanted to point it out.
Here's just one of the many piles waiting to be cataloged and put on the shelf or in containers. I seriously can't belive how little RS is letting this stuff go for. It's like that old Onion article, "Even Radio Shack CEO Doesn't Know How They're Still in Business."
they also had MIDI cables on sale for $0.49 per pack (three 3ft cables) which I bought about 20 of.
Ack! There's a reason these were so cheap. Should have asked here first. They're wired in reverse, so any MIDI music you put through them plays backwards. Listen carefully and all your songs will end with a creepy "I buried Erco."
Silly Gordon. Everyone knows that you just reverse the cable polarity by tying a left-handed metric slipknot at the throughput end. Wasn't there an old thread about that?
Ack! There's a reason these were so cheap. Should have asked here first. They're wired in reverse, so any MIDI music you put through them plays backwards. Listen carefully and all your songs will end with a creepy "I buried Erco."
Oh, really? Well, here's to my sweet satan! Err, what I meant to type is, "if there's a bustle in your hedgerow," but unfortunately I used one of the cables to wire up this old keyboard...
If that's really the case I'll make sure to trace the signaling before using them. Like I said, I have no intention of ever using them for MIDI stuff, but I do have a drawer of PCB and case mount DIN connectors that they'll fit, so I figured I'd use them for interconnects between custom boards in future robotic or CNC projects.
I wish I would have found this thread sooner though. I had kind of forgotten about the Parallax forum; I used to have an account here many many years ago, but I fell out of the hobby and got into IT. Glad those days are over!
Off topic for a second, and I'm sure you get this all the time, but I just wanted to personally thank you, Gordon, for writing all the books you have over the years. When I was a kid/teenager in the early to mid-nineties who was obsessed with building robots, your books [specifically Robot Builder's Bonanza and Gadgeteers Goldmine] were some of the most accessible, practical and downright useful resources available to me. Your works were so influential on me that now I'm actually writing my own book on Robotics for McGraw-Hill!
Sorry, don't mean to gush, I guess I'm just trying to say...
(My original copy from 1995, plus my horrible handwriting that makes me thankful I don't have to write to be a writer!)
Today (Sunday ) may be the last day to snag the great bargains as tomorrow any unsold clearence items get shipped to a clearence store.
Jim
LAST CALL!
Drove across town and found two LCD displays - funny since I called them 3 days ago and the salesman said they had none - inventory system didn't always work...
They were still marked $29.xx on the rack. Go figure. An even dozen displays ought to last me for a while - especially considering I have ten others from SparkFun, NewHaven, etc
I have to confess to being really really jealous of all the bargains everyone has found. I have made several stops at each of the eight stores in my area and never found a single thing worth buying, never mind any bargains. No wonder they are struggling.
I have to confess to being really really jealous of all the bargains everyone has found. I have made several stops at each of the eight stores in my area and never found a single thing worth buying, never mind any bargains. No wonder they are struggling.
Sorry to hear that. Seems rather sporadic. I wonder if stores pick and choose which items to carry and how many.
Sorry to hear that. Seems rather sporadic. I wonder if stores pick and choose which items to carry and how many.
Thanks Ron. Can't have everything. At least I have a few stores that carry most of what I need within a reasonable distance, and online buying for the rest, so I can't really complain.
Stopped at one of the bigger stores this afternoon around 5:30 and the employees were already pulling parts out of drawers, emptying shelves and clearing racks out. I had already cleaned this store out but I stopped just to see if I missed anything and to see if the 6V Solar Panels were on sale (no).
So it seems like this is the end.
Did anyone see analog meters on sale? A friend said he got one but all I found in my area was a digital multimeter for $10 (which I bought a few of because why not).
I may be wrong about a clearence store. I did some further research on the destination store and it appears to be one of our old distribution warehouses. I will attempt to find out if I can get info on what happens from there.
Jim
I've gotten my share of stuff, perhaps this advice is a little late - but - if they didn't have it marked down to the online price they will honor that price. You have to love $4.97 LCD displays!
I may be wrong about a clearence store. I did some further research on the destination store and it appears to be one of our old distribution warehouses. I will attempt to find out if I can get info on what happens from there.
Jim
We used to have a RS distribution center with an outlet store in Columbus, Ohio, it's been gone for at least 5 years now.
I was always like a kid in a candy store when I went there.
I remember they had 'Mystery Boxes' one year, something like a pound or two of random goodies in a box. Much to my parents dismay I bought 10 of them. They made for very well stocked parts and hardware drawers.
I had kind of forgotten about the Parallax forum; I used to have an account here many many years ago, but I fell out of the hobby and got into IT. Glad those days are over!
We forgive you, and there are weekly IT Anonymous meetings you can attend to make sure it doesn't happen again.
Good luck with your MH book project. Those can be a lot of fun.
Back on topic, I ventured into some of the Shacks near me, and most of it has already been well picked through. Oh, well. Me snoozed, me loosed.
Comments
I was at a Shack yesterday. Little or nothing left of the goodies discussed here. But two surprises:
1) A big "We're hiring: sign in the window, and
2) An Arduino shield (SD plus Xbee socket) was discounted IIRC from $30 to $7.
Most of the Arduino stuff is still full price.
How about 9 Parallax LCDs for $4.99, 13 9V solar panels for $3.48, 4 Velloman kits for $5.98, 1 bag of 300 wire ties for $1.58 and 3 12-position European terminal strips for $1.34 at 3 stores in the SGV?
Salseman said they are only going to keep the top 10% sales items. When I asked about components and parts, he said "That's our bread and butter." We'll see...
Now what's a Euro terminal strip? Some kind of Region 2 metric electric outlet converter for PAL format TV?
A closed barrier strip that's very useful.
The clearance item is 274-679, but you won't find it on-line. The exact same item is now 274-680 and $2 more.
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103986
Hello!
An excellent question. Basically its a barrier strip designed differently then the usual ones seen, it uses screws to hold wires. The advice is that users should use crimp on terminals, spade lug style for the purpose of attaching wires to them.
I visited my local Shack today, saw a tiny sign that said Clearance Event, but what they had on clearance was next to doodly-squat.
As for hiring, it appears they hired a couple of young ladies (XXXL) who were more interested in comparing arm tattoos with each other than helping me find stuff on clearance. Not to be out-done, I rolled up my sleeve and showed them my scars. They were so impressed, they slid their feet off the countertop and had a closer look. But they still couldn't find me a cheap PanaVise nowheres.
I figure I'm just gonna wait till they go bankrupt.
Won't be long.
Ask your question in the Arduino forum and see what they say.
Yes, it worth buying, if its the board I think it is, that's a great price.
It's like, do you use a Windows PC or an Mac, they both get the job done, but they are different.
The Parallax forums are not the best place to get info on the Ard****o.
I could have bought a Propeller Board of Education directly from Parallax for $129.99
.
.
.
.
But, instead I found an Acer® Aspire One AO722-0825 11.6" Notebook, in stock at my local RadioShack for $103.98
Smokin'!!!!! You win!
Phew! That was a bit of a run on, sorry about that. Anyway, what brought this thread to my attention was a Google search of the K8055RS USB Experiment Interface Board. I saw some people talking about it earlier in the thread and wanted to mention that I found a *really* useful iPhone/Android app for it! http://www.vellemanusa.com/news/?id=89 and http://www.vellemanusa.com/news/?id=68 respectively. I haven't tried them yet, but the reviews seemed positive. There's Windows and Mac "server" software that the iOS/Android app will use to talk to the board with. Could be handy for someone so I just wanted to point it out.
Here's just one of the many piles waiting to be cataloged and put on the shelf or in containers. I seriously can't belive how little RS is letting this stuff go for. It's like that old Onion article, "Even Radio Shack CEO Doesn't Know How They're Still in Business."
Ack! There's a reason these were so cheap. Should have asked here first. They're wired in reverse, so any MIDI music you put through them plays backwards. Listen carefully and all your songs will end with a creepy "I buried Erco."
Oh, really? Well, here's to my sweet satan! Err, what I meant to type is, "if there's a bustle in your hedgerow," but unfortunately I used one of the cables to wire up this old keyboard...
If that's really the case I'll make sure to trace the signaling before using them. Like I said, I have no intention of ever using them for MIDI stuff, but I do have a drawer of PCB and case mount DIN connectors that they'll fit, so I figured I'd use them for interconnects between custom boards in future robotic or CNC projects.
I wish I would have found this thread sooner though. I had kind of forgotten about the Parallax forum; I used to have an account here many many years ago, but I fell out of the hobby and got into IT. Glad those days are over!
Off topic for a second, and I'm sure you get this all the time, but I just wanted to personally thank you, Gordon, for writing all the books you have over the years. When I was a kid/teenager in the early to mid-nineties who was obsessed with building robots, your books [specifically Robot Builder's Bonanza and Gadgeteers Goldmine] were some of the most accessible, practical and downright useful resources available to me. Your works were so influential on me that now I'm actually writing my own book on Robotics for McGraw-Hill!
Sorry, don't mean to gush, I guess I'm just trying to say...
(My original copy from 1995, plus my horrible handwriting that makes me thankful I don't have to write to be a writer!)
Jim
LAST CALL!
Drove across town and found two LCD displays - funny since I called them 3 days ago and the salesman said they had none - inventory system didn't always work...
They were still marked $29.xx on the rack. Go figure. An even dozen displays ought to last me for a while - especially considering I have ten others from SparkFun, NewHaven, etc
Thanks for last call warning.
Sorry to hear that. Seems rather sporadic. I wonder if stores pick and choose which items to carry and how many.
Thanks Ron. Can't have everything. At least I have a few stores that carry most of what I need within a reasonable distance, and online buying for the rest, so I can't really complain.
Jim,
What's a clearance store?
So it seems like this is the end.
Did anyone see analog meters on sale? A friend said he got one but all I found in my area was a digital multimeter for $10 (which I bought a few of because why not).
Jim
We used to have a RS distribution center with an outlet store in Columbus, Ohio, it's been gone for at least 5 years now.
I was always like a kid in a candy store when I went there.
I remember they had 'Mystery Boxes' one year, something like a pound or two of random goodies in a box. Much to my parents dismay I bought 10 of them. They made for very well stocked parts and hardware drawers.
C.W.
We forgive you, and there are weekly IT Anonymous meetings you can attend to make sure it doesn't happen again.
Good luck with your MH book project. Those can be a lot of fun.
Back on topic, I ventured into some of the Shacks near me, and most of it has already been well picked through. Oh, well. Me snoozed, me loosed.