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Mweb sites for hard-to
Hot
If you love searching out obscure
parts at the cheapest prices,
try buying surplus and distress
stock components! You’ll find
lots of goodies at various web
sites on the Internet.
One of the best things about being interested in electron
ics and other technologies is finding the bargains – those
bits and pieces that others see as junk but which to you
open up a whole new world of possibilities. But besides
haunting garage sales and secondhand stores, where else
can you find the good gear?
4 Silicon Chip
By ADRIAN CUESTA
The are lots of companies specialising in the good
bits, both in Australia and overseas. And while buying
from overseas used to be difficult, that’s no longer the
case. What’s more, you can easily browse the catalogs of
the overseas companies via the Internet. Most of the o/s
companies also have printed catalogs available that can
be sent to you for quite reasonable sums.
In no particular order, here are the best surplus companies that I’ve found on the Internet:
(1) Vorlac Industries & Rockby Electronics
If you don’t know about these guys, boy are you ever
missing out! Both businesses are at the same location and
have the same contact numbers, but Vorlac specialises
more in discrete electronic components while Rockby has
larger bits and pieces.
A couple of things make these companies stand out
from the crowd: they’re right here in Australia, they have
a good range, and they are CHEAP, CHEAP, CHEAP! OK,
so that’s three things.
Once you are on their mailing list, they send out a spe
cials flyer every couple of months. In it are components
such as PROMs, op amps, power transistors, diodes,
capacitors, resistors and the like. The stock changes each
time and it’s all brand new, original packaged stuff.
But what I like is the range of weird and wonderful
parts that pop up – odd-sized cable ties, square rubber
equipment feet, crocodile-clip test jumper leads, magnetic
card readers, a laser diode module and so on.
Postage costs $7 for up to 3kg ($5.50 within Victoria).
The easiest way to reduce that is to pitch in with some
mates and put everyone’s order under the one address.
I’ve been buying from these companies for 12 months
and everything has been as good as they state. It’s the
only place where you can spend $30 or so and get a box
of genuinely exciting stuff home-delivered to your door.
Very highly recommended.
Address: 261 Huntingdale Rd, Huntingdale, Vic, 3166.
Phone: (03) 9562 8559 Fax: (03) 9562 8772
Internet: http://www.rocom.com.au; http://www.vorlac.com.au
if you’re after a brand new, never-used Collins 20-pole
lever switch from an ancient receiver, $US25 may well
seem cheap.
Address: 1502 Jones Street, Omaha, Nebraska, 68102, USA.
Phone: 0011 1 402 346 4750 Fax: 0011 1 402 346 2939
Internet: www.surplusales.com
(2) Surplus Sales of Nebraska
(3) Surplus Traders
Doesn’t that name just roll off the tongue? And their
catalog just about rolls the postman’s bike to a standstill!
Costing $US10 delivered by airmail to Australia, their 400page catalog is well worth the money. It lists an enormous
range of electrical and electronic components but it’s not
your everyday 1990s type stuff. No sir; if you’re over 50
and/or you like vintage radio, this one’s for you!
There are literally hundreds of valves, huge RF variable capacitors (some 38cm long!), RF coils wound from
10- gauge silver-plated wire, and rotary ceramic switches
capable of handling 15kV and 30 amps. In the range of
power supplies there are ancient units capable of supplying (from the US 115 volts AC mains) 0-36 volts DC and
50-300 volts DC. And there are vibrators working from
either 6V or 27.5V DC.
There are also strange meters, such as a 0-50A DC
Westinghouse “nuclear meter” and an 87mm meter that
is calibrated 0-180 seconds with a full scale deflection of
30V DC. There are solenoids and connectors, relays and
robots – a vast array of the weird and wonderful. The stock
leans towards brand new equipment from the last 50 years
but has a sprinkling of late-model equipment.
Thirteen pages are devoted to Collins communications
equipment parts and accessories. As far as I can determine, these parts are not generally available from other
sources. The prices seem to me to be on the high side but
This company has a huge catalog available on the Internet but, unlike other companies, generally has parts
available only in bulk quantities. Three million comic
books at three cents each is one deal that I remember well!
From this example, you can see that it’s not just electron
ic components that this company sells. And thankfully,
you don’t have to buy in such huge quantities! Often you
need buy only 10 units, a number which can be quite
achievable – especially if you have a few mates interested
in the same sort of things that you are.
The parts that pop up are incredibly varied – from
Bosch automotive relays for a GM car (13,000 available
at $US1.50 each in lots of 500) to a single used Blood Gas
Analyser in good condition for $US1500. And there’s
almost everything in between!
Discovering whether or not Surplus Traders have (or
will have) what you want is eased by a number of factors:
(1) they have an inbuilt search engine at their web site;
(2) the site is very well organised and indexed; and
(3) you can add your e-mail address to an “interest list”.
Doing the latter means that you will be automatically
e-mailed details on the products that become available in
those categories. And don’t worry that you will drown in
e-mail – I added myself to more than 20 different categories and receive notification of 5-10 new products about
once a fortnight.
The prices vary enormously, being cheapest for bulk
spe
cials. In fact, some of these are real eye-openers.
Even with the price in US dollars, sometimes the money
being asked is something like one-quarter of local retail.
Me? – I’m waiting for some EFI injectors or automotive
MAP sensors to come up. I’ll buy 500 of them and make
a killing!
Address: PO Box 276, Alburg, VT, 05440, USA
Phone: 0011 1 514 739 9328 Fax: 0011 1 514 345 8303
Internet: http://www.73.com/a
February 1998 5
that are mostly science-based. Prices seem quite good
and the collection varies from feeder kits for squirrels
to Peltier heat pumps.
Address: 3605 W. Howard St, Skokie, IL, 60076, USA.
Phone: 0011 1 847 982 0874 Fax: 0011 1 800 934 0722
Internet: http://www.sciplus.com
(6) Marlin P. Jones & Associates Inc
(4) Oatley Electronics
If you read their ads in this magazine, then you already
have a pretty good idea of what Oatley Electronics sell. The
real benefit of checking out their web site is that they also
have a “Bargain Corner” where they list lots of components
and products that are available only in small quantities –
too small to advertise in the magazine.
At the time of writing, “Bargain Corner” bits and pieces
included 50 used 4.7nF 3kV ceramic disc capacitors for $9,
10 mini dynamic 8-ohm loudspeakers for $2, replacement
fridge thermostats for $8 each, and 10 TAA611B audio
amplifier 1 watt ICs for $15.
As you can see, the prices are very competitive!
Address: PO Box 89, Oatley, NSW 2223.
Phone: 02 9584 3563
Fax: 02 9584 3561
Internet: http://www.ozemail.com.au/~oatley
(5) American Science & Surplus
This company is the ideal place to look if you’re a
school science teacher – or doting grandparent. While
there are quite a few surplus products like fans, motors
and other products (not too many components, though),
the real strength of this company lies in their wide collection of weird and wonderful toys and experiments
6 Silicon Chip
This company has a very well presented Web site with
a wide range of kits, components and equipment. The kits
range from computer trainer/programmer items through
to audio gear, alarms, games and sound generators. The
company is very much like one of the larger Australian
electronic stores in the range and prices. MPJA will probably have a full catalog on-line by the time you read this
and should then be worth a close look.
Phone: 0011 1 561 848 8236 Fax: 0011 1 561 844 8764
Internet: http://www.mpja.com
(7) Gateway Electronics, Inc
Gateway are well worth checking out. You’ll find video
cameras and monitors, Peltier junction coolers, LCD display panels, lights, microphones, motion detectors and
other such products. The subheadings on their contents
page include amateur radio and small motors.
They also have a section devoted to speciality multi-pin
connectors – those dedicated multi-pin connectors that you
find on car audio, CBs and ham equipment. They’re often
impossible to get through normal avenues but Gateway
has a wide range available. Prices are good.
Address: 8123 Page Blvd, St Louis, MO 63130.
Phone: 0011 1 314 427 6116 Fax: 0011 1 314 427 3147
Internet: http://gatewayelex.com
(8) Hi-Tech Surplus
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This company has very few single parts listed. Instead,
they specialise in assemblies and sub-assemblies.
For my money, the best products are the electro
mechanical interfaces. Anyone trying to get an electronic
circuit or a computer to actually do something in the real
world needs input sensors and output actuators. After all,
how do you get your robot to do anything if there aren’t
any motors, arms or bellcranks available?
In the robotics/automation category, Hi-Tech Surplus
list the following sub-headings: (1) Controllers; (2) Linear
Equipment; (3) Miscellaneous; (4) Motors; (5) PLC Items;
(6) Robots; and (7) Sensors.
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Typical of Hi-Tech Surplus’s products is a robot arm
that has about 12mm of vertical movement, continuous
rotation and a weight of 7.5kg. It costs $US55 in used form.
Under the Controllers category, there are temperature,
pressure and flow controllers. An example is a “Blue M
Electric STAT 1900” temperature controller that uses J,
K or T thermocouples, has a 4-digit display and a time
proportioning PID with an SSR (solid-state relay?) driver.
It’s new and costs $40.
There is also a wide range of other subject headings
(audio, video, manufacturing, RF, test equipment, power
supplies and others) that lead you to the sub-category that
you’re interested in.
A good range of motors and associated equipment is
also listed, including: AC Motors; AC Motor Capacitors;
Brushless DC Motors; DC Motors; Motor Controllers/
Drivers; and Stepper Motors. The prices seem to be quite
reasonable.
Address: 605 East 44th Street, Boise, Idaho, 83714, USA.
Phone: 0011 1 208 375 7516; Fax: 0011 1 208 375 6571
Internet: http://hitechsurplus.com
February 1998 7
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