Slashdot Mirror

In this case, a "custom" solution requires thousands of dollars of equipment to take a "one-dollar" chip and attach it properly to a board to do something with it.

You really don't need that much though. You can buy a servicable reflow oven for about... (checks) huh they've gone up in price. About $200 for a T962. They're not great but I've got one and they work well enough. (https://www.ebay.co.uk/bhp/reflow-oven)

You can get a servicable iron and hot air gun for rather cheaper than they used to be (an 852D+ model https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.h...). I've got one and it does the job well. You can skip the reflow oven and use the hot air if you're so inclined. I've never done a whole board like that but obviously rework is a thing and I have replaced chips successfully.

Boards you can get cheaply. Like Hackvana and OSHPark.

This guy will do you stencils probably cheaper than your board house:

https://www.smtstencil.co.uk/s...

I've used them and they work very well. I usually splash out the extra and get a stainless steel one though, which for small boards is a little over 2x the cost. Hackvana provides silver-steel tooling pins with the stencils, but you can get them very cheaply. Pins, tooling holes, a chunk of thick MDF and a 4mm drill and I can place the stencils fine enough.

Oh and you need a good supply of acetone for cleaning off the solder paste for when you foul up the screen printing which always happens when I'm out of practice.

You then probably want a good pair of tweesers and a vacuum pickup tool. Both are can be had inexpensively.

With a setup like that I can and have done boards with a mix of chips, down to 0.5mm pitch LGA chips and similar QFN chips, not to mention the scattering of 0402s all around.

You're also mistaken about board assembly houses. I engaged one when I wanted to make 50 of the boards (they were small ones), but I did that when the design was finalised and I wanted to make some prototypes of the full product. The earlier boards soldered myself. The lead time shorter and I could do one at a time. Solder one up eith the full design. Test it, solder up a second slightly differently and put some blue wires in etc.

The total cost of the soldering kit was a few hundred dollars, not a few thousand.

I've seen people do quite amazing jobs with the blob and wipe technique for leaded chips so you could skip the reflow oven too. I've also watched people hand solder QFNs in my local hackspace with a very fine conical tip, using the little bits up the edge of the case. I've never got into those technique because I needed reflow for the LGAs and honestly it seems less fiddly.

I have however deadbugged 0.5mm pitch QFNs and attached to DIP sockets for very early stage prototyping. I can see a cool QFN only chip on my vendor's website, order it, dead bug it when it arrives the next day and try it out in a breadboard.

I'm not in the electronics game professinally at the moment, I did all that when I was, on the cheap at a very lean startup. Got the product to market, too.

I've never worked with a single chip that big, personally, but you're mistaken that it's out of reach of the hobbyist. You can have a setup capable of dealing with a chip like that for under a hundred dollars if you're very careful.

But this is all a bit of s silly discussion. Few people will go for a bare chip like that apropos nothing. Most people will be fairly serious hobbyists because it's quite intimidating. They've most likely got the kit already.

And the market has countless options out there for a DIY Linux box (beaglebone, Pi, etc.) and has for years, so DIY fans aren't exactly short on options.

Those are great and I can't see any use of these $1 hand solderable chips for anything I'm currently working on. But you greatly underestimate the ability of hobbyists and overestimate greatly the costs involved.

Come and get it :D

https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/10pcs...

I have been using an S7 for 1.5 years now, and I have dropped it more than any other phone I ever owned. The only thing preventing it from ever breaking, scuffing or stop functioning: a 2 bucks TPU sleeve. Seriously, protect your investments with this muhc-better-than-any-insurance piece of kit. And you can find these for pretty much any phone model. I previously owned a very simillar TPU case with an S6 also for 1.5y, and it never broke, while 2 workmates using the same phone broke the screen after roughly 4-6months without using a cover. And I also dropped that one a lot.

Now, these are perfect for most phones with bezels, since the case absorbs most impact, but the metal corners an sheer distance from impact points to the LCD will dampen the fall a lot more. Now that edgeless, up-to-a-corner-LCD phones are all the rage, I digress about their effectiveness. But it sure should be a lot better than any "gorilla glass" marketing they boast - scratch protection is NOT impact protection at all.

Thanks, just briefly (sorry busy):

1. Pi3 + 16Gb MicroSD + Ubuntu Mate 2. Noise meter: http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/sis.... (this isn't super accurate, not expensive either)
3. ADS-B USB Dongle (R820T) incl. Small Indoor Antenna from jetvision.de
4. https://github.com/antirez/dum... to read the transponder
5. https://github.com/fiddyspence... to read the noise meter

And some ugly glue code that 'joins' the two readings and sticks them in a one-table database. Obviously this is correlation, it will record cars if you point it in the 'wrong' direction. I haven't published the glue code, because it's in a terrible state. Hope that helps.

We had the same thing in the UK too, with the comics and the denim passbook. Do you recognise these guys? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TSB-...

Unless and until the exact criteria are published, this is worthless horseshit.

Horseshit isn't worthless.

Yes, here is a nice decent quality one with solder connectors

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-5m...

That was probably an electric perk?

Yeah. After a surprisingly small amount of googling, I found the model:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vint...

I'm guessing that this was a pretty popular model at the time they got married (it was a weddig present). It's even the same colour as the ebay one.

Now THAT's disgusting! Is there some rationale for that, rather than putting the stuff in like normal people do - after it is brewed?

Not sure. My local Kroger (a Smiths) had it. It was kinda vile. It was this sort of sweet sticky syrup coating everything lots of sugar plus some flavouring, probably a cheap&nasty one. There were several available. But yeah it's nasty stuff and I don't understand the rationale.

Yeah, but when the W key falls off the keyboard of your curve a replacement costs peanuts:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Genu...

I still have a couple of spares - mostly I broke the front housing and front screen and replacements came with keyboard...

In fact you can replace/repair just about all of it for next to nothing - problem now is the software is completely unsupported

Then "borrow" a shopping trolley and go get a free crt tv from a rubish tip.

... seriously though, if you can't afford $70 for a usable Pi i'm not sure how you eat and live... unless you are a hippy trying to live in a forest, in which case i would have thought you'd consider computer to be an evil un-environmentally friendly product of consumerism, capitalism and human greed. But perhaps you can use twigs and crabs to create a rudimentary computer, there was a slashdot post a while ago about people creating adders with crabs. Btw what are you accessing slashdot with ? telepathy and fruit juice?

Being cooperative with the police is not a requirement, and if you are innocent of any criminal actions the police have no right to question you or detain you.

You're suggesting that if you are walking near a school with a toy gun which looks at a glance like it might be real, that the police do not have the right to question you about whether the gun is real? If it's real, then you're breaking the law. If it's not real, then you aren't. If the police are only allowed to question you if you have broken the law, then how do they determine if you have?

What you wrote above is only partly correct. The police have every right to question you if they suspect you have broken a law. If the police walk up to you and start questioning you, you can often end that encounter by simply asking them if they suspect that you committed a crime and, if so, what. If you disagree, feel free to go buy a toy gun (like this one, for example) and then stroll around your neighborhood elementary or high school. When the police approach you, go ahead and tell them how you haven't committed any crime so they don't have the right to question you. Note how they say that they're trying to determine whether a crime has been committed, and they'd like to find out if that's a real gun.

Yeah but I can buy Xeons on ebay and sell them to the Chinese. What are you going to do? I'm not in America, I don't have American citizenship. In short your federal laws have exactly 0 jurisdiction over me. Heck, the Chinese could just buy Xeons on ebay. But I suppose they'll use the account beijinggovt1234 so it'll be easy to identify them and ban them?

Oldie but Goldie Amigas 600 and 1200 are equipped with 16bit PCMCIA port. Very often used technique is using CF card in connection with CFCard reader like those: http://m.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html...

Well, there are these and these. No idea if they're any good though.

JCB Rechargeable AA and AAA batteries which hold their charge for a year:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.ht...

While the Philae team is sleeping, nefarious malefactors are busy selling Philae on eBay. It's up to five pounds sterling as I write. Maybe we should wake them up.

why not use on of these cheap and simple solutions?????

why not use on of these cheap and simple solutions?????

why not use on of these cheap and simple solutions?????

That's okay, plenty more on eBay.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/48K-...

Where is my propeller driven beanie hat with a camera. Now that would be useful.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like...

You can get higher resolution 27" monitors relatively cheap, or at least cheaper than you probably bought your decade old monitor. If you can't bear to move your head, might I suggest you sit further away from your monitor?

Lol, Ebay charger £1, Apples charger £15:

Apple 5w usb plug charger

eBay 5w usb plug charger

LOLer - Samsung USB charger £20

Lol, Ebay charger £1, Apples charger £15:

Apple 5w usb plug charger

eBay 5w usb plug charger

here is prior art for a slide to unlock http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like...

The only universal socially acceptable watch is one with an analog dial.

Exactly. Preferably a mechanical one. Modern Swiss if you can afford it but there are a lot of very nice vintage mechanical Swiss watches available on eBay for the same kind of money as a modern quartz one. Back in the 70s when quartz first came in they were considered landfill, now they're appreciated for the little precision marvels they really are. There are an awful lot that were dumped (commercially speaking) in India that are now showing up. This for example. They aren't the same quality as your Rolexes or IWCs but that's because all that now remains of the industry is the very high end.

Right now the Firefox OS phone is on sale at the ZTE Ebay stores in the US and UK:
anywhere in Europe
and
US and Canada

For those of us that genuinely want to test webapps on a device designed specifically for them.

I don't know. What exactly will be new about this iWatch? You want a smartphone watch there is already this or there is the "I'm Watch" which supposedly runs Android, though it is designed to be paired with a smartphone rather than be a smartphone in itself. I'm sure what they actually mean by "totally new like the ipod" is a more marketable version of something that is already available.

P.S. I'm aware of the Pebble smartwatch, but didn't mention it because AFAIK it doesn't run Android (or any other smartphone OS), but Apple's rumoured watch is rumoured to run a version of its smartphone OS.

I had to do a sanity check because I remember a) the back of the 4000 series had no vents and b) I really do remember standing on the end of the rack warming my hands.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_Enterprise - lots of vents on the side of the first picture, and the back of the Enterprise 4000 - no vents.

http://docs.oracle.com/cd/E19095-01/ent55.srvr/805-2632-10/805-2632-10.pdf - b.9 shows the cooling module - definitely takes air in on the side.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/300-1260-03-Sun-300W-Power-Cooling-Module-P-N-PEX69031-/190681693444?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c6583bd04 - auction for a cooling module definitely shows air coming in on the side.

These have been around for quite a while, and are getting pretty good reviews. $380 with free shipping for a 2560x1440.... I haven't got one yet, because my current monitor is good enough (1920x1200), and I'm not made of money. They're IPS LG panels. The cheap ones don't have upscalers, but for that reason are also great for gaming - they have very low screen lag.

I prefer the classic Microsoft Natural Keyboard in grey. How can you stand your oversized N key?? Wow, look at this: USD 208.99 on eBay!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-in-Box-Microsoft-Natural-Keyboard-Elite-PS2-USB-Adapter-Ergonomic-Ergo-White-/330814626090?pt=PCA_Mice_Trackballs&hash=item4d0616992a

Try eBay - I just got 255 results! http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_trksid=p5197.m570.l1313&_nkw=Mass+Murderer&_sacat=0

heres the direct link http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BIGGEST-COLLECTION-EVER-22-SEGA-NINTENDO-PC-ENGINE-FULLSETS-FACTORY-SEALED-/300736846867?pt=FR_Jeux_Vid%C3%A9o&hash=item4605501c13#ht_165718wt_1163&clk_rvr_id=362785461392

What makes it worse is the snes is so out of date that the real console with games and controllers sells for less than a raspberry pi in the first place.

Uh, sorry mate, but that's not correct.

What makes it worse is the snes is so out of date that the real console with games and controllers sells for less than a raspberry pi in the first place.

Uh, sorry mate, but that's not correct.

So I'm sorry friend but there really isn't a point in ePeen cards unless you are just going for bragging rights or are doing serious GPGPU work because the games just ain't stressing the systems that hard.

This page has benchmarks for that card with modern games. The 4850 seems to average 30-40 fps in most games at 1680*1050 (Crysis 2 was worse), the benchmarks there don't show a minimum (which is usually about half the average). That's a bit crappy.

I run at 1920*1200, and thinking about getting one of these soon, so will be running at 2560*1440. This page shows benchmarks for Crysis, a game that is 5 years old.

I don't brag about my computer, I don't care about my "ePeen".

Arm Cortex M3 development board with 2.4" touchscreen for £25.19 here
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Brand-New-STM32F103VET6-ARM-Cortex-M3-Development-Board-2-4-Touch-TFT-LCD-7v-/160782712352

I haven't ordered one yet, so I don't know if they're crap or not.
Feature list looks nice though.

$3.99 with free shipping.
In the UK we can get them for a quid.

I don't see this cheaply made devices having a DAC (or ADC) worth spit, but I knew $17 was a little high. Maybe the extra $13.01 buys you something that will last long enough to listen to the whole of the first song you play with it?

I could build several UVC-LED flashlights for that much and get the same effects with better lifetime, durability, and portability.

why is formatting ruined when posting? I would like to point out that some time ago i converted a USB ionizer which cost about £2 from ebay here:- http://www.ebay.co.uk/ [ebay.co.uk] This device generates a high voltage and a stream of ions.I opened it and by removing/adjusting the output resistor could make it produce a spark from 1 mm to 6 mm in length and by attaching electrodes to 2 parallel glass plates or parallel bits of plastic from a toys packaging generate a plasma between the two parallel plates. Also by holding one electrode and bringing the second electrode with a parallel plate near to the skin produced a similar plasma as above with a slight tingling depending on the distance from the skin. Also I could run this device from a battery down to 1.2 volts up to 12 volts.The strength of the plasma being in direct proportion to the voltage.I mean a 1.2 volts supply produced a 1mm continuous spark but 12 volts produced nearly 1.5 cm long spark.The plasma strength varied in a similar fashion.If anyone wants to do more experiments I suggest you purchase this very cheap device. I have used this device to stop pimples and boils from growing and to reduce swelling from same by zapping it with the device.Only takes a few seconds of use 2 or 3 times a day. Also you can use it to neutralize insect/snake bites as well.There is a website devoted to this subject from a practical view point. http://venomshock.wikidot.com/#toc1 [wikidot.com] As the device only costs £2 it would be very easy to mass produce this plasma device cheaply by the Chinese for everyday use to eliminate infections on or near the surface of the skin.

I agree with you the article is badly written.I would like to point out that some time ago i converted a USB ionizer which cost about £2 from ebay here:- http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_trkparms=65%253A15%257C66%253A2%257C39%253A6&rt=nc&_nkw=usb+ionizer&_clu=2&_dmd=1&_dmpt=UK_Home_Garden_Hearing_Cooling_Air&_fcid=3&_localstpos=g77+6lj&_sc=1&_sop=15&_stpos=g77+6lj&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_vc=1&gbr=1 This device generates a high voltage and a stream of ions.I opened it and by removing/adjusting the output resistor could make it produce a spark from 1 mm to 6 mm in length and by attaching electrodes to 2 parallel glass plates or parallel bits of plastic from a toys packaging generate a plasma between the two parallel plates. Also by holding one electrode and bringing the second electrode with a parallel plate near to the skin produced a similar plasma as above with a slight tingling depending on the distance from the skin. Also I could run this device from a battery down to 1.2 volts up to 12 volts.The strength of the plasma being in direct proportion to the voltage.I mean a 1.2 volts supply produced a 1mm continuous spark but 12 volts produced nearly 1.5 cm long spark.The plasma strength varied in a similar fashion.If anyone wants to do more experiments I suggest you purchase this very cheap device. I have used this device to stop pimples and boils from growing and to reduce swelling from same by zapping it with the device.Only takes a few seconds of use 2 or 3 times a day.Also you can use it to neutralize insect/snake bites as well.There is a website devoted to this subject from a practical view point. http://venomshock.wikidot.com/#toc1 As the device only costs £2 it would be very easy to mass produce this plasma device cheaply by the Chinese for everyday use to eliminate infections on or near the surface of the skin.

I found this article more resourceful. And for your information they are being auctioned for thousands of GB pounds at ebay.

They have already sold and shipped 8 units on ebay, for charity. Yes, for more than $25.

For the next 20 hours or so you can bid on one yourself.

They're a long way away from $25 though.

...and furthermore, you can get a Bluetooth OBD scanner which you can use live with your smartphone as you drive along. I'm using a cheap scanner from eBay and the Torque app for Android.

My seven year old daughter was watching the speed graph linearly increasing whilst the RPM graph saw-toothed. Now she understands gears in a whole new way.

I'm old enough to remember when a screenshot meant using one of these

You're paying too much! http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm//260862721403

Spectrum auctions don't seem to get much more than £15 these days.

Supported by this: https://www.x.com/thread/24103;jsessionid=59B91CEAC2684515EB8CED479BB2E1A7.node0?tstart=2

And: http://feedback.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback2&userid=aussie_a&ftab=AllFeedback&myworld=true

The timeframe of the literature supports the prior web development question. I presume this person was aiming to start some sort of online merchant business. And has some decent taste in phones.

And potentially another: http://www.facebook.com/people/Louis-Aldum/1021724556

If any of these sources are right it wouldnt take much social engineering to dig deeper. There are also plenty of other sites spamming the links - but it almost fits with some of the books purchased by the aussie_a ebay account. A matching email address of "kwikincome@yahoo.com" could be related to such a fella.

Frankly I hope most of this information is wrong since you've made such a challenge and that there's another guy in Australia who's been less careful. And I wont lie - I'm pretty easy to figure out, but I don't try to hide that fact.

As I mentioned in another thread, a new system capable of running the latest browser will run you less than $200 (that's slightly less than 125 pounds sterling, my British friend) if you keep an eye on the bargains.

Out of pure curiousity i went and checked eBay UK and found this: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/HP-PAVILLION-DESKTOP-PC-HP-KEYBOARD-HP-MOUSE-/140559336148?pt=UK_Computing_DesktopPCs&hash=item20b9fd42d4#ht_500wt_1156

So, there you go. £36 plus £15 for shipping and you have a system that is capable of running the modern browser of your choice. Web browsers don't require a whole lot of computing power; just more than they did 10 years ago.

Once my daughter goes to sleep and my wife turns this bad boy on, my wireless network totally falls apart.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110693416818&clk_rvr_id=236365054762

Seems quite common, I work in IT and now and again I get asked do you know why my wiresless network is so crap and a lot of the times they've just had a baby.