couldn't resist - all I need is more stuff

Thread Starter

marshallf3

Joined Jul 26, 2010
2,358
But I just can't turn down the value I receive buying those surprise boxes from http://www.goldmine-elec.com as well as a few other things including a 10,000 mcd UV LED. I also got an SMD cap chip assortment G3118 (merely just have some extras around for prototyping) and a few other things that are fun to play with such as their G15268 and G14507 items.

They hand out the best "surprise boxes" I've ever seen. Be sure to get one each of the three different size ones as their content varies, some components will be common to all but most are varied quite a bit by the size(s) you choose. Shipping goes up quite a bit if you add the huge one but that's understandable as you get about 5-10 lbs of stuff in them. As I've mentioned in the past 90% of what you get you'll probably never use or, in the case of electrolytics you end up with, you will want to test them before you use them but these aren't floor sweepings. My guess is that, because of what all they include, they're just wanting you to be happy and continue shopping with them.

Hint: If you order one get a huge box to dump all the stuff out in (you'll need it as they're crammed to the brim) which makes it far easier to pick out the usable stuff then pour the rest back into the original box and set it up on a shelf marked with "Goldmine Surprise box". There have been a few times I've had to get the original boxes back down from the shelf because I remembered something I knew was in there and if in a hurry it sure beats ordering or running to "Rip-Off Shack" to deal with those people who have virtually nothing nor anyone that seems to know anything other than the cell phones and Dish Network systems they're trying to keep alive with.
 

Thread Starter

marshallf3

Joined Jul 26, 2010
2,358
Mainly because they've got barrels of this stuff. If it isn't something worth advertising or something that isn't selling fast they just stuff a box full and send it out. Shoot, I just went out and picked one of their tiny boxes off the shelf and alone it weighs quite a few lbs, first thing that stuck out a 3.0 uF 630V true Aerovox cap, tons of name brand electrolytics and a ton of stuff I haven't a clue about including LCD displays, pigtail fuses, IC sockets, ceramic caps, ICs, pots and I'm just talking about looking at the surface, I'll be darned if I'm going to dump the box out to go any further.

In short, for the price you'll not be disappointed.
 

Thread Starter

marshallf3

Joined Jul 26, 2010
2,358
I found one a while back but it's bookmarked on a different PC and I have no experience with them, the rest sound like a rip-off considering what you might end up with. A tiny deeper dig and I found a ton more of the 3.0 uF caps as well as 2,200 uF/16V electrolytics made by Nichicon but the date code seems to be 1999 so, as with anything you find in these, it's best to test them before you use them. Some have been preformed, most are full leaded.

As mentioned, make sure you've got a huge box to dump these out in as they're so packed in there that you'll never get it all back into the original box. I picked out a few things then just taped the flaps of the box upwards such that I could get it all back in there as they must put these on a "shaker" just to close the boxes. Certainly a lot of unusable stuff but most is name brand surplus they receive from unusable stock a company just wanted off their inventory.

Certainly a "must have" for a beginner, used to be you could find these at a lot of places but sources are drying up.
Search for "surprise box" or "grab bag" electronic parts and you'll likely find other suppliers but I can't vouch for them until I try them.
 
Last edited:

Thread Starter

marshallf3

Joined Jul 26, 2010
2,358
Their website is indeed lacking but what do you expect from a surplus place? You've got to poke around.

If they had to hire on more help to keep it up the prices would increase accordingly.

I've dealt with them for years and never been dissatisfied. Not one of my major suppliers by any means but they do tend to come up with the darndest stuff from time to time to experiment with.
 

retched

Joined Dec 5, 2009
5,207
Thats why they are so heavy! All the LEAD! ;)

Electronics Goldmine is one of my main suppliers.

The $10 minimum order is what got me ordering the grab bags(boxes) at first.

One thing that is truly great about them, is YOU WILL find a part(s) in there that triggers a cool project.

They have great prices on PBC material, and the "led grab bag" for a few bucks came wito 2-3 hundred leds. ALL shapes/sizes/colors.

Great for a lifetime supply of indicators. There is no datasheet for them, but for a few mA indicator, no problem.

I have never had a problem with EG, and usually receive shipments faster than expected.
 

Audioguru

Joined Dec 20, 2007
11,248
There is a surplus electronic parts store near my home (Sayal) that has good stuff at extremely low prices. The parts are organized and in trays or bags.
I don't buy a blind bag of junk, I select only what I want.
 

PackratKing

Joined Jul 13, 2008
847
I am considering snagging a box, -- Must ask........ Are these items packaged in any form, or just jumbled loose in a box beating one another to death ??
Bought a similar collection many moons ago -[60's ] - from a radio supply warehouse in Sacramento, and it was well worth the $$. How would you rate the overall quality ??
 

PatM

Joined Dec 31, 2010
86
I think assortments were more useful 50 years ago when all were discrete parts.
I liked it, back in the 60's, when I could go into Amateur Electronic Supply, and rummage through their bins of new or surplus parts for home built projects.
Olson radio used to have a Surprise box you could buy very cheaply.
It was fun to occasionally find a nice buy.
They were never just a assortment of parts, but some surplus item ( amplifier, speaker etc)
Now days with IC's, chip resistor/capacitors etc there is more of a variety of parts that most likely would be less useful to a individual.
I would rather buy what I want from suppliers like DigiKey and skip the grab bags of parts that I most likely would not use.
 
Last edited:

retched

Joined Dec 5, 2009
5,207
Sometimes it seems that the person packing the "surprise box" puts it together with stuff that they would use to build a project.

It comes to me like a puzzle. Like someone disassembled a project, and its up to us to re-build it....with no picture to go by.

If a robotic arm is added in the box, there likely will be 2.

The thing is, if you KNOW what you want, and what you want to build, then these dont make the most sense to buy.. .like Audioguro and Bertus say..

But if you are starting an electronics hobby, and you don't know what you are going to need, and dont have future projects in mind, then these are invaluable for sparking the imagination AND getting a "parts box" or "junk box" going.

They are always 5x to 10x (or more) valuable than what they cost.

I have gotten a $100+ IGBT in a $13 surprise box.

So, it is ALWAYS "worth it" to get them.

BUT you will end up with a FEW POUNDS of stuff you may never use...or know what it is.. ;)

You can always FreeCycle the parts to the next budding hobbyist/engineer.
 

Thread Starter

marshallf3

Joined Jul 26, 2010
2,358
I am considering snagging a box, -- Must ask........ Are these items packaged in any form, or just jumbled loose in a box beating one another to death ??

The people at Goldmine don't seem to do anything more than just walk around their warehouse and grab as much stuff as they can shove in there, shake it down then stuff even more in. It's all loose but rarely do you find a damaged component. Granted most of it will be items you can't use or identify - at least right off the bat - but it isn't reject stuff or floor sweepings, just overstock from other corporations they end up with. For $5 on the small box or a bit more for the larger two of them you will not be disappointed.

I pick out the items I can easily classify and use for prototyping, put them aside then try to remember at least part of what I jammed back in there. I've often had to go back to a box and dig through it as I remembered there was an ideal component in there.

Must have been at least 25 of the 2,200 uf 16V Nichicons and 10 of the Aerovox 3uF 630V in the first box I bought and of the few I've tested and used they were great when I wanted a simple filter cap for 12V. A lot of the more esoteric stuff and some of offbeat items are interesting to look up and fun to play with if you ever get the itch.

It's far more fun just sifting through one of these than it is to expect a parts bonanza for the price. I once took a dual RJ Ethernet jack and sawed it in half just to get one when I was in a pinch, heck of a lot easier than trying to order the one part or salvage one off a board.

Still love that $1,00 meter I got in the first large one I bought, if nobody on eBay wants it it'll end up in the museum.
 

tom66

Joined May 9, 2009
2,595
I am considering buying one, but I don't think they ship to the UK. I went to buy one but it says no shipping methods available. :( I have emailed them to ask if they do actually ship to the UK. Failing that, I can try and find a similar supplier in the UK.
 
Top