Alt-BEAM Archive
Message #08853
To: beam@sgiblab.sgi.com
From: Bob rtb3@cec.wustl.edu
Date: Wed, 05 Jan 2000 22:58:32 -0600
Subject: [alt-beam] Re: Just Another Newbie
I just ordered multiple IC's from Digi-key. They have everything you would
need component wise and ship your order very quickly. Everything is
shipped in ESD packaging. I found prices to be 40 or more cents cheaper
than other places. Just a suggestion.
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At 01:51 PM 1/6/00 +1100, you wrote:
>generally i'd say solarbotics because they have everthing in one place, even
>nice gearmotors now. There prices are pretty good too, the only other thing
>is to scavenge motors from busted pagers (juest ring up your local pager
>company and ask politely). Also it is a good idea to buy alot at once my
>last order was in excess or $100 and instead of buying the 10 transistors
>that i needed, i bought 100. Anyway go around and check out what you'd like
>to make in the future and buy all the parts now, solarbotics has pretty much
>everthing you need. (no i'm not getting paid for giving them a plug but they
>just keep getting better and better!)
>
>regards,
>
>David Perry
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: FCO Enr.
>To: beam@sgiblab.sgi.com
>Date: Thursday, 6 January 2000 12:42
>Subject: Just Another Newbie
>
>
>greetings,
>
>I'm the sort of person who took a one year intensive course to become
>a computer technician, had lots of electronics courses and such but most of
>it
>after years of inactivity has disapeared. It's to the point where I'm
>reading Radio
>Shack books on beginning electronics to catch up. I currently work as a
>teacher
>for a corporate services company teaching lots of various programs such from
>html to unix.
>
>I worked in an electronics assembly plant, I ran the entire SMT assembly
>line and I did a lot of troubleshooting (someone over the phone would tell
>me such
>and such part was blown, which explained why it wasn't placing correctly and
>I'd take apart a 250 piece head assembly and remove smt chips by hand and
>replace it).
>
>So I've got a lot of experience putting stuff together and building circuits
>but my actual electronics knowledge is close to nil. I'm really trying to
>learn though.
>
>My interest in robotics has existed for ages but I never had the guts to
>just
>jump in, cause it seemed like I was always over my head. I find the
>philosophy of
>BEAM robotics absolutely fascinating and I think it's probably the best
>thing for me
>due to the fact that the robots seem to be highly advanced with such a
>minimalist
>approach, it's great!
>
>I was going to order the Photopopper kit from Solarbotics but when I looked
>at the parts cost I wondered if it wouldn't be more convenient to just buy
>all the parts
>and build the variants such as the Photovore on Chiu-Yuan Fang's page.
>
>I guess what I'm asking is, can anyone suggest the most cost effective and
>versatile list of parts and source that would enable me to get started and
>build various
>little projects for less? I'd definitely want spares of everything so I
>wouldn't have to
>place an order every 2 weeks :) (yet).
>
>Thank you for your time!
>
>Andy
>fco@total.net
>
>
Bob
rtb3@cec.wustl.edu
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