The reading on my VOM matches the M328 tester reading. I guess they could both be off but it is unlikely they would both View attachment 311415be off by exactly the same amount so that their readings match.

But they don't "match" one says 9.66 the other 9.688. The latter (when rounded) would be 9.69 - that's not really a match.

 

Pedantic much???

 

Pedantic much???

Well yes and no, I mean we're talking about tolerance here so surely the tolerance of the voltage measurements comes into play, that's what I'm driving at.

 

But they don't "match" one says 9.66 the other 9.688. The latter (when rounded) would be 9.69 - that's not really a match.

I guess I analyzed it like this: The resistor is supposed to be a 10K, 1 percent tolerance resistor. So it should have a value as higb as 10,100 ohms or as low as 9,900 ohms.

The first measuring device, the M328 tester gadget, measured the resistor as 9,688 ohms. That is 312 ohms low - more than twice a low as it should be to be “within tolerance”.

The second measuring device was my digital multimeter (inexpensive, hobbyist grade). It measured the resistor as 9,699 ohms. Still 301 ohms low. Still twice as low as it should be to be within tolerance.

So I have two measuring devices that are within 11 ohms of each other, stating that the 10,000 ohms resistor is way out of tolerance.

Yes, these are inexpensive, hobby grade measurement devices, but they are very close to each other in their readings.

I should have said the two measurements were very close and almost agreed exactly, but did not match.

 

For another, single datapoint…

I purchased this ¼W 1% assortment from Chanzon (available from eBay, AliExpress, and Amazon) and the values, measured on a Siglent SDM3055X bench meter were all well below the 1% rating.

​

So, for me I would say in terms of accurate values, “ah, those 1% resistors from eBay are such a great deal”. Of course they still have ferrous leads and wouldn’t be my choice for a critical application (health and safety, &c.) but where I need a specific resistance value—they are great and cheap as dirt ($6.99 to $11.99USD depending on where you buy them plus what shipping is going to cost you).

I know the cool kids all throw shade on Chinese produced components sourced on eBay, AE, and Amazon but not being cool enough to count on that to condemn what I have found to be a very good source of cheap and cheerful components and tools (yes—you have to buy carefully, but so far that’s not proven very hard).

Can you buy junk on eBay, et al? You bet! Can you get an excellent value on things you need? Unequivocally yes! But, as with any purchase online you have the chance of discovering you’ve bought junk even if your are careful. Out of 170 AliExpress orders in the last couple of years I can count on one hand the number of times I was “ripped off”.

I am careful, though. I avoid to-good-to-be-true offers, stick to brands and sellers that I’ve had good luck with, and my initial purchases from a new source are generally ≤$10.00USD. If you need a (near) guarantee of first try success, then you pay the price to shop at Mouser, Newark/Farnell, Digikey, Avnet—etc. That’s one reason they cost more.

 

I think we all agree that a properly stated source would be best. If the parts are sourced from recycled devices and thats stated on the listing its not a problem. Ordered some bluetooth modules on ebay that were, and were stated to be, removed from recycled electronics. They worked as well as I expected them to. Ordered 3 and 1 was non functional.
And its just no your meter calibration that can be in question. It could be that the factories go-no-go tester is out of calibration as well. Or calibrated with a different source thats wrong. That could be as well.

 

One piece of advice for shopping on ebay – if you get a good product from a particular vendor, make them your primary source. Not all Chinese vendors sell crap, and those who have been on ebay for years with a good reputation will work to keep that good reputation.

 

Thus the old latin adage;
Caveat Emptor, is still valid in the XXI century.

 

One piece of advice for shopping on ebay – if you get a good product from a particular vendor, make them your primary source. Not all Chinese vendors sell crap, and those who have been on ebay for years with a good reputation will work to keep that good reputation.

I agree. I have a few stand out brands that I trust to be reliable in operation and a good value given the price. A few that come to mind are:

Chanzon who have a really big range of components and other stuff;

HiLetgo with a great selection of standard modules, connectors, switches, and more;

JESSINIE with sensors, modules, and more; Hiltichi who have very nice assortment kits for active and passive components, and more;

Hilitichi* and BOJACK for assortment kits, two similar companies that offer high value, low cost kits—Hilitichi also offer an impressive range of fasteners and the like; and,

MakerFocus with RPi accessories, dev boards, and more. These are “major” suppliers of the commonly needed electronics stuff.

For mechanical components and assemblies, there’s:

cncarbonfiber who offer excellent value for money;

uxcell who really kind of sell everything, including electronics but I buy a lot of fasteners, bearings, and the like from them;

Glarks who could go in the electronics category as well but offer assortments of fasteners and mechanical components as well.

*since Hilitchi doesn’t have a “store” on Amazon, that’s a brand search and it lands you on screw assortments, but you can search with a qualifier like “transistors” or “capacitors” to see the broad range

I have no curated list of this, this group is off the top of my head and there are more. I probably should make and maintain a list, maybe I will.

With the hundreds of brands on Amazon knowing that some are pretty solid is helpful. Of course they have overlapping lines and some are preferred for one or the other thing but the general rule is I find they don’t sell junk, and they deliver a good value for what I pay.

 

Is that why the eBay and Amazon resistors have such thin leads? The leads are steel, not copper, so the leads have to be thin to be flexible?

 

With all of the above discussion, I think it is time to sort through the thousands of mil-spec resistors I got in “surprise boxes” from Electronics Goldmine. Here is the first batch…

 

I think it is time to sort through the thousands of mil-spec resistors I got in “surprise boxes” from Electronics Goldmine. Here is the first batch…

You can use needle nose pliers to straighten the leads. I did that for a batch of diodes (~4x4x4" box) from an Electronics Goldmine special. Don't have any before pictures, but you'd be hard pressed to tell that they were ever mangled now.

I also use needle nose pliers to straighten breadboard jumper wires.

 

Is that why the eBay and Amazon resistors have such thin leads? The leads are steel, not copper, so the leads have to be thin to be flexible?

Have you measured a few other resistors? from both that source and some other sources? doing this may indicate if it is the batch itself that is out of tolerance or the meters - the latter is no what I'd expect but it can happen.

 

You can use needle nose pliers to straighten the leads. I did that for a batch of diodes (~4x4x4" box) from an Electronics Goldmine special. Don't have any before pictures, but you'd be hard pressed to tell that they were ever mangled now.

I also use needle nose pliers to straighten breadboard jumper wires.
View attachment 311819

For those of you who want to know where @dl324 and I get these mil-spec goodies from, here is the link:

https://theelectronicgoldmine.com/products/g2200?_pos=2&_psq=surprise&_ss=e&_v=1.0

 

For those of you who want to know where @dl324 and I get these mil-spec goodies from, here is the link:

I got mine for free. A member decided to stop doing electronics for a hobby and gave me all of his supplies.

There's a box of lo0se diodes. When I get around to sorting them, I'll take a before and after picture.

Here's a picture of the diodes after straightening and sorting:

 

I got mine for free. A member decided to stop doing electronics for a hobby and gave me all of his supplies.

There's a box of lo0se diodes. When I get around to sorting them, I'll take a before and after picture.

Here's a picture of the diodes after straightening and sorting:
View attachment 311851

Lucky you! Why give up electronics as a hobby? For about $100 in inexpensive tools and $50 in components you can spend countless hours having fun! I have spent more than that for a one weekend “getaway” that wasn’t any fun at all.

 

I agree. I have a few stand out brands that I trust to be reliable in operation and a good value given the price. A few that come to mind are:

Chanzon who have a really big range of components and other stuff;

HiLetgo with a great selection of standard modules, connectors, switches, and more;

JESSINIE with sensors, modules, and more; Hiltichi who have very nice assortment kits for active and passive components, and more;

Hilitichi* and BOJACK for assortment kits, two similar companies that offer high value, low cost kits—Hilitichi also offer an impressive range of fasteners and the like; and,

MakerFocus with RPi accessories, dev boards, and more. These are “major” suppliers of the commonly needed electronics stuff.

For mechanical components and assemblies, there’s:

cncarbonfiber who offer excellent value for money;

uxcell who really kind of sell everything, including electronics but I buy a lot of fasteners, bearings, and the like from them;

Glarks who could go in the electronics category as well but offer assortments of fasteners and mechanical components as well.

*since Hilitchi doesn’t have a “store” on Amazon, that’s a brand search and it lands you on screw assortments, but you can search with a qualifier like “transistors” or “capacitors” to see the broad range

I have no curated list of this, this group is off the top of my head and there are more. I probably should make and maintain a list, maybe I will.

With the hundreds of brands on Amazon knowing that some are pretty solid is helpful. Of course they have overlapping lines and some are preferred for one or the other thing but the general rule is I find they don’t sell junk, and they deliver a good value for what I pay.

This fellow produced a video that shows two boxes of “1 percent” resistors from Amazon. As you say, not all inexpensive electronic components from suppliers in East Asia on Amazon are junk. Some are high quality. Some are junk. What you say is spot on. Once you find a supplier who sells quality stuff, stick with that supplier for future purchases. That rewards the honest seller of high quality parts and punishes the crooked seller of low quality parts.

https://hackaday.com/2023/07/07/watch-those-1-resistors/

 

metal film (I hope)

Why not test if it metal film or not?

 

Why not test if it metal film or not?

With magnet?

 

When I get around to sorting them, I'll take a before and after picture.

Diodes to straighten:

First pass with fingers:

Took about an hour. These might be good enough for some. I'll be doing another pass. I have an QuicKutz scrapbooking tool that I use now.

Why give up electronics as a hobby?

He said he hadn't touched the stuff for over a year 2 years and it had to go... The parts were up for grabs to any member, but you had to pick it up. He was half an hour from me and I responded first.