Help - component ID and suggestions

[thickmike]

Our school has had a whole load of electronic components donated, but I'm not sure what all of them are...or what we could use them for. I'm a Chemist, so I only understand electronics in terms of electrons moving through wires!

I would like to encourage students to start making their own electronic devices (e.g. headphone amps, or guitar pedals etc.) and I was wondering if there is anything we could make from these types of components.

Here are a couple of general shots to show what we have. If anyone is willing to help, then I could post more detailed photos. There are a whole load of exciting looking capacitors (sprague and GEC polymer film), resistors, relays, pots etc.







and then loads of ICs that I have no idea what they do



Here's an example, but there are lots of different types


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[sreten]

Hi,

It very much depends on what chips you have, they could be logic chips,
not analogue. If they are cmos that is not the way to handle them.

In the same vein much of the larger capacitors you seem to have would
suit higher power circuitry than typical op-amp type circuits, and for
these you would need suitable transformers, casework, heatsinks etc.

Thats not mentioning regarding the mains you need to know your onions.

rgds, sreten.

[thickmike]

Thanks for your reply. I guessed the big capacitors wouldn't be very useful (though we can use them for lab demos). I have a feeling that the chips are something to do with logic gates, there was this note with some of them:





Could we set up demo logic gates with these? They are a part of the GCSE syllabus.

[sreten]

Hi,

TBH you'd be far better off using a free circuit simulator such as TinaTi
with a PC than using real chips, real circuits, real power supplies and
real oscilloscopes, analysers etc (and killing most of the chips).

From my EEE days (30 years ago) I recognise the descriptions of most
of the chips you have, I know what they are, but I don't think many
of them are particularly relevant to a modern O level syllabus.

Certainly suit an electronics club, GCSE coursework I'm not so sure.

rgds, sreten.

TinaTi is a great simulator IMO, some very nice virtual instruments.
IMO its far better for learning how to build and test simple circuits,
it just doesn't have capability of letting you blow up stuff ........

[thickmike]

Originally Posted by sreten

Hi,


TinaTi is a great simulator IMO, some very nice virtual instruments.
IMO its far better for learning how to build and test simple circuits,
it just doesn't have capability of letting you blow up stuff ........

As a Chemist, not being able to blow stuff up is a real drawback!

Thanks for your help, I'll check TinaTi out.

Mike

[thickmike]

One last question...

Do you know what these capacitors are? They have a transparent plastic body and a coiled metal / plastic swiss roll arrangement inside. Any idea what value they are supposed to be?

[c2cthomas]

One last question...

Do you know what these capacitors are? They have a transparent plastic body and a coiled metal / plastic swiss roll arrangement inside. Any idea what value they are supposed to be?

Hi Mike - Looks like a good opportunity to get the students familiar with some measurement equipment. With components as old as you have you would really should check the values to confirm they are still good - esp. the electrolytic caps.

The IC's take me back to designing digital circuits back in the 70's - so making anything with them might be useful in showing the students just how far we have come - and of course might be good for a couple of smoke test plus figuring out where you screwed up the hardwired logic.

[Elvee]

Originally Posted by thickmike

One last question...

Do you know what these capacitors are? They have a transparent plastic body and a coiled metal / plastic swiss roll arrangement inside. Any idea what value they are supposed to be?

These are polystyrene capacitors, also known as "styroflex", in this case 44.6nF.
They are generally good quality, precision caps.

[thickmike]

Thanks Elvee, it's pretty confusing working out what's what.

Just been looking at some builds that we can use some of these parts in (some sort of guitar pedal like a fuzzface or a headphone amp).

The transistors are about as confusing as it gets .

[Elvee]

Originally Posted by thickmike

The transistors are about as confusing as it gets .

What transistors are you talking about?
I didn't see any in your lot.