Way back when I very first started getting interested in electronics, and radio shack was more than a mini best buy, I picked up an invaluable learning aid / tool.
It was a simple piece of cardboard with 3 wheels inside of it, dial in the colors and it told you the values of resistors, capacitors, and on the backside 2 scales of inductors! (catalog number 271-1210)
While no replacement for proper education on the subject, it proved itself more than useful, so useful I still own the darn thing to this day 20 + years later, and even mention it in one of my Instructables as "the best darn piece of cardboard they don't make anymore".
The problem with it is, when radio shack changed from Archer brand stuff in brown packages to R (circle) stuff in blue and white packages, and eventually dwindled their electronic supply down to a couple of cabinets from 3 walls of the stuff, this handy device disappeared.
Without getting into too much RS / Tandy / Archer history, I would guess it had not been produced since the mid 1990's ... and thats a shame.
I have been meaning to make my own similar version of the card ever since I started Instructables, but ironically, I was going nuts trying to figure out a cardboard project for the "Gorilla Glue Cardboard Contest"...
Then one night, planning out how to shove a Cmoy amp into a 9volt battery, I was using this thing and all of a sudden all the DUH's came into place!
Welcome to my 6th Instructable.
It was a simple piece of cardboard with 3 wheels inside of it, dial in the colors and it told you the values of resistors, capacitors, and on the backside 2 scales of inductors! (catalog number 271-1210)
While no replacement for proper education on the subject, it proved itself more than useful, so useful I still own the darn thing to this day 20 + years later, and even mention it in one of my Instructables as "the best darn piece of cardboard they don't make anymore".
The problem with it is, when radio shack changed from Archer brand stuff in brown packages to R (circle) stuff in blue and white packages, and eventually dwindled their electronic supply down to a couple of cabinets from 3 walls of the stuff, this handy device disappeared.
Without getting into too much RS / Tandy / Archer history, I would guess it had not been produced since the mid 1990's ... and thats a shame.
I have been meaning to make my own similar version of the card ever since I started Instructables, but ironically, I was going nuts trying to figure out a cardboard project for the "Gorilla Glue Cardboard Contest"...
Then one night, planning out how to shove a Cmoy amp into a 9volt battery, I was using this thing and all of a sudden all the DUH's came into place!
Welcome to my 6th Instructable.
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Signing UpStep 1: Tools and Materials
Tools:
Computer (which if your viewing this I have to assume you have access to at least one)
Color printer, one that you can feed the paper from the back in a direct line to the print heads and out again (I used my wifes horrid 5+ year old HP all in one inkjet), even if you have a printer with a 2 stroke weed eater motor attached, curling the cardboard around the typical paper feed rollers will ruin it
Ruler / Straight edge
Sharp scissors
Xacto / Hobby / Scalpel / Matt knife with a fresh sharp blade
Black felt tip marker (sharpie is what I used)
Wire cutters
Materials
Thin cardboard, mine was cut out of a thick presentation folder / box, but the same thickness is often found in packs of plain underwear type T-Shirts
1 inch long "paper fasteners", thats the best name I can seem to find for them, they are a thumb tack sized doo-dad with 1 inch long thin metal strips on one side, put them in a hole and bend the strips over to hold paper. They are really common, I found mine at K-mart, in a pack o 100 for $1.29, but anyplace you can find basic office supplies should have them. Just for reference heres a link to some more fancy ones on staples.com
http://www.staples.com/OIC-1-Brass-Fastener-3-8-Head/product_378814?cmArea=SC1:CG1036:DP4378:CL163582:SS975752
Computer (which if your viewing this I have to assume you have access to at least one)
Color printer, one that you can feed the paper from the back in a direct line to the print heads and out again (I used my wifes horrid 5+ year old HP all in one inkjet), even if you have a printer with a 2 stroke weed eater motor attached, curling the cardboard around the typical paper feed rollers will ruin it
Ruler / Straight edge
Sharp scissors
Xacto / Hobby / Scalpel / Matt knife with a fresh sharp blade
Black felt tip marker (sharpie is what I used)
Wire cutters
Materials
Thin cardboard, mine was cut out of a thick presentation folder / box, but the same thickness is often found in packs of plain underwear type T-Shirts
1 inch long "paper fasteners", thats the best name I can seem to find for them, they are a thumb tack sized doo-dad with 1 inch long thin metal strips on one side, put them in a hole and bend the strips over to hold paper. They are really common, I found mine at K-mart, in a pack o 100 for $1.29, but anyplace you can find basic office supplies should have them. Just for reference heres a link to some more fancy ones on staples.com
http://www.staples.com/OIC-1-Brass-Fastener-3-8-Head/product_378814?cmArea=SC1:CG1036:DP4378:CL163582:SS975752
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I just hope I don't lose it... :-)
thanks bro
The prime reason I did use the calc thing from Radio Shack was because I was lazy and it was a bit quicker than figuring values in my head. ** grin **
Oddly enough, I still have that thing in workable shape sitting in my office. Probably because it got a break after one of the first programs I ever wrote for any home computer served the same purpose in letting me put the bands in and having it quote a calculated resistance for me on an old Commodore Vic-20.
Did you resistance calculator look like the one in this uploaded image I'm including?
you can see mine in a picture on step two, and I still have mine today also
awesome idea!!
Osgeld you are a genius!!!
Very clever