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Two Radio Shack / SEEED kits on sale, both 50% off. — Parallax Forums

Two Radio Shack / SEEED kits on sale, both 50% off.

abecedarianabecedarian Posts: 312
edited 2015-06-12 06:35 in General Discussion
$49.99 regularly, now $24.99

ARDX kit Contains:
Premium jumper wires x75(25pcs 200mm wires, 50pcs 100mm wires; random color)
Type B USB cable
9V battery clip
8mm diffused RGB LED
Piezo Sensor - MiniSense
5mm red LEDs (10)
5mm green LEDs (10)
8mm blue LED
Toy DC motor
9g High Sensitive Mini Servo
74HC595
Buzzer
Pushbuttons (2)
Potentiometer (10K)
Light sensor (5528)
TMP36
Relay (5v, 3A/120VAC)
P2N2222A (2)
560 Ohm resistors (25)
2.2k Ohm resistors (3)
10k Ohm resistors (3)
220uf capacitor
1N4001 (2)
Breadboard
40-pin Male pin header
Plastic rivet (4)
Acrylic holder
Rubber bumpers (4)
Color breadboard layout sheets (13)
Full color printed Experimenter's Guide

Motor pack Contains:
•6VDC toy motors (2)
•Micro servo (1)
•Std. servo (1)
•Small stepper (1)

Component specs:
- 6VDC toy motors:
-- 13000rpm ±14%
- Servos:
--voltage: 4.8~6VDC
--Torque micro: 1.5kg/cm @ 4.8V; 1.8kg/cm @ 6.0V
--Torque std.: 3.5kg/cm @ 4.8V; 4.8kg/cm @ 6.0V
-- Speed micro: 0.12/60° @ 4.8V; 0.10/60° @ 6.0V
-- Speed std.: 0.17/60° @ 4.8V; 0.14/60° @ 6.0V
-- Size: Micro 23×11.5×24mm; 8.6g
-- Std.: 38.6×18.8×34.9mm; 37g
-- Use angle (both): 160°
- Stepper motor:
-- Phases: 4; voltage 5VDC
-- Current: 40mA; resistance: 20 ohms
-- Step angle:5.625/64; reduction ratio: 1:64
-- No-load pullout frequency: 800Hz; no-load pull-in frequency: 500Hz; pull-in torque: 34.3 mN/m

Comments

  • Duane DegnDuane Degn Posts: 10,588
    edited 2015-06-06 12:49
    I think at half price these kits are still overpriced for what you get.

    I added up how much the parts in the Motor Pack would cost if purchased separately and it came out to about half the current asking price for the kit.

    I'm not as familiar with the parts in the ADRX Kit but my guess they're also about twice as expensive compared to alternate sources.

    If anyone needs help finding any of the parts in either of the kits, let us know and I bet we could find a good deal on ebay or HobbyKing.

    I try to keep a list of some of the inexpensive parts I use in this thread:

    http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php/145826-Cheap-Bot-A-Possible-BSA-Robotics-Merit-Badge-Robot?p=1305932&viewfull=1#post1305932

    RadioShack did have some great deals as they closed up shop. I got a bunch of Ping sensors for about $5 each and I've heard of people getting QuickStart boards for as little as $4.
  • abecedarianabecedarian Posts: 312
    edited 2015-06-06 13:26
    This was at the local RS store, which isn't closing, but appears to be RS-wide hence why I put the links to the RS site up, but I do agree one could probably piece these together from eBay and such for less. On the other hand, these are SEEED kits, so do have some "name" behind them, so I wouldn't feel so bad about buying them. And FWIW, the ARDX kit is $69.90 from SEEED Studio, direct, so more like almost 70% off.
  • Ken GraceyKen Gracey Posts: 7,392
    edited 2015-06-06 13:41
    RadioShack owes SEEED somewhere around $750,000, and they'll sell off the remaining inventory to pay whoever. It's all legal, but sure seems wrong.
  • abecedarianabecedarian Posts: 312
    edited 2015-06-06 14:32
    Ken Gracey wrote: »
    RadioShack owes SEEED somewhere around $750,000, and they'll sell off the remaining inventory to pay whoever. It's all legal, but sure seems wrong.
    I do feel bad about buying these from RS, and it is sad to say that regardless, SEEED will probably get SCREWED on either end. Along those same lines, $70 from SEEED, $50 from RS, or $25 from RS on sale is a no-brain-required decision if one wants those parts immediately.

    On the other hand, their Parallax products were on the shelf at "normal" prices; QS board, for instance was $19 and some change, not discounted at all.
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,256
    edited 2015-06-06 14:44
    Duane Degn wrote: »
    I think at half price these kits are still overpriced for what you get.

    Agreed. Besides, the Shack is off my radar. All the ones I used to haunt are gone. Fortunately, I have two old-school electronics shops nearby, plus a mailman who brings a steady stream of Ebay treasures. I'm good.

    IMO the smokinest Shack distress deal I ever got was Parallax servos for under a buck. Naturally I got all four they had.
  • localrogerlocalroger Posts: 3,451
    edited 2015-06-06 15:09
    I got a SEEED Arduino GSM (cell phone interface) shield for $9.99, about 90% off. Now that I have the Prop ASC and have conquered the LCD I should probably buy a burner phone to get the SIM card so I can play with it.
  • Duane DegnDuane Degn Posts: 10,588
    edited 2015-06-06 18:46
    localroger wrote: »
    I got a SEEED Arduino GSM (cell phone interface) shield for $9.99, about 90% off. Now that I have the Prop ASC and have conquered the LCD I should probably buy a burner phone to get the SIM card so I can play with it.

    Adafruit sells Ting SIM cards.
    https://www.adafruit.com/product/2505

    I'm not sure how Ting rates compare with the prepaid options but they don't seem very expensive. With Ting you can use the phone to send data. I'm not sure if the prepaid phones allow data to sent and received.

    I recently purchased one of Adafruits FONA boards. So far it seems reasonably easy to use.

    I just wrote a program "MonitorFona" which lets me eavesdrop on the communication between the Arduino and the FONA. I'm finding it a lot easier to figure out the various commands by watching the data exchange than I by trying to read the datasheet of the Arduino code.

    "MonitorFona" is in my GitHub in case anyone is interested.

    https://github.com/ddegn/FonaWithPropeller

    I'm hoping to have my Propeller projects able to text me soon.
  • localrogerlocalroger Posts: 3,451
    edited 2015-06-07 12:53
    Looks like with those TING cards you still have to set up an account, although they promise to send you a bill for zero dollars if you don't use any data. Hmmmm. And the SIM card is ten bucks with no minutes or data on it. IIRC I can get an entire phone for around $40 with SIM card and prepaid minutes and text that don't expire until used and don't result in billing. (I really need to go back to Wally World and check that.) Not sure if the flip phones include data but the TING card is limited to 2G anyway. And with the burner phone if I need to make an actual phone call I can.
  • GordonMcCombGordonMcComb Posts: 3,366
    edited 2015-06-07 14:20
    Ken Gracey wrote: »
    RadioShack owes SEEED somewhere around $750,000, and they'll sell off the remaining inventory to pay whoever.

    And "whoever" ain't you or any other vendor!. I bet the money from those sales just goes to operating expenses, and to buy new stock on COD terms (or extremely tight 30 day).

    Let us know if you get a check. But I bet there's a wide gulf between secured creditors and unsecured, with a snowball's chance in hades you or poor SEEED ever seeing a dime.

    NONE of the Shack stores near me closed, but that doesn't mean I've been in one post-BK. Haven't needed (or wanted) to. I'm a shining example of why they failed. If I'm going to buy goodies for my hobby, I'll get what I need mail order, for cheaper, and without having to go to 3-4 stores in the area to collect everything I need. Remember that parking distance thingie I did for you and RS? Honest to goodness, it took me three stores, and the better part of the afternoon, to collect all the parts. Ridiculous.
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,256
    edited 2015-06-07 14:28
    Gordon, you'd enjoy a visit to Torrance Electronics. my local go-to store when I need something ASAP. Been there forever, new boxes, old boxes, a tube tester, cable, wire, parts in bins and Jim-Packs too. Next time you're up this way we'll hit that shop and have lunch in oldtown Torrance.
  • GordonMcCombGordonMcComb Posts: 3,366
    edited 2015-06-07 14:50
    Did they buy out the rest of Earl's inventory when they closed up the Industrial Liquidators up there? Sounds the kind of stuff he had.

    No surplus around here any more. There's still an IL down in San Diego, run by his grandson. Haven't stopped by in a few years, though.
  • Duane DegnDuane Degn Posts: 10,588
    edited 2015-06-07 14:58
    GordonMcComb wrote: »
    There's still an IL down in San Diego, run by his grandson. Haven't stopped by in a few years, though.

    I have wire I purchased from Industrial Liquidators over 30 years ago which I'm still using. That was a fun place to visit. I think I'd appreciate the stuff a lot more now and a visit to the store would probably cost me a lot more now than it did 30 years ago.
  • Ken GraceyKen Gracey Posts: 7,392
    edited 2015-06-07 21:04
    abecedarian wrote: »
    I do feel bad about buying these from RS, and it is sad to say that regardless, SEEED will probably get SCREWED on either end. Along those same lines, $70 from SEEED, $50 from RS, or $25 from RS on sale is a no-brain-required decision if one wants those parts immediately.

    On the other hand, their Parallax products were on the shelf at "normal" prices; QS board, for instance was $19 and some change, not discounted at all.

    I should've been a bit more clear. I was trying to suggest that it's RadioShack that's doing the wrong thing, not you. They're also closing out over a million USD of Parallax inventory at discount prices while they owe us $75,000. Bankruptcy provides great protection to them.

    Ken Gracey
  • Duane DegnDuane Degn Posts: 10,588
    edited 2015-06-07 21:37
    Ken Gracey wrote: »
    I should've been a bit more clear. I was trying to suggest that it's RadioShack that's doing the wrong thing, not you. They're also closing out over a million USD of Parallax inventory at discount prices while they owe us $75,000. Bankruptcy provides great protection to them.

    Ken Gracey

    I'm sure it's a small consolation but there are sure a lot of people who have QuickStart boards who normally wouldn't have purchased one.

    I participate over on Let's Make Robots and I've had several people ask me questions about using QuickStart boards which were purchased from RS on clearance. Hopefully this flood of inexpensive QuickStart boards will yield some payback to Parallax in the long run.
  • RS_JimRS_Jim Posts: 1,765
    edited 2015-06-12 06:35
    abecedarian wrote: »
    I do feel bad about buying these from RS, and it is sad to say that regardless, SEEED will probably get SCREWED on either end. Along those same lines, $70 from SEEED, $50 from RS, or $25 from RS on sale is a no-brain-required decision if one wants those parts immediately.

    On the other hand, their Parallax products were on the shelf at "normal" prices; QS board, for instance was $19 and some change, not discounted at all.
    Ask store for a price check on Parallax products. The only thing I remember being at near normal price was a basic stamp.
    All I can say about the situation is that I still have a job. They are promising lots of neat new stuff! That remains to be seen. I have to scrounge to get much sold items like wireless mice and routers.
    Jim
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