I feel a bit dumb about asking this but I'm a noob so I can ask stupid questions, right?

I just received a pack of components I've ordered online with all the basic stuff I need to get started. Resistors, capacitors, transistors, diodes, IC's and so on.

They smell bad, very bad. The smell is the same as the smell of burned LED's amplified many times (I burned enough during the weekend to know ). I had to take everything out of the house and plan to leave them there overnight. I hope I'll find them in the morning

Is this normal? I've already bought some components from another store and there's no smell at all.

 

Is it the packaging/trays/bags that smell or the actual parts..

 

It's the components, not the packaging.

 

Who did you get them from?

 

An online shop in the UK, bitsbox.co.uk. Apart from that I'm very happy with the price and they were fast! I ordered on Friday and got them today.

 

sounds to me like you've been had................... s**t indeed happens.....and you likely have no redress available. Did they specify that any components would be salvaged ?? that's really the only parameter that would [ make them ] stink. Their condition would be in serious question.

I would suggest doing as you say, leave them out to air, and when you bring them in, check each one for the burnt smell, and discard accordingly..................

 

So they shouldn't smell bad, right?

This is strange! The parts look unused to me. All the wires of the resistors, diodes etc are completely straight and they have paper tape on the top and bottom to keep them in place. They would have been bent if they were salvaged, right?

The worst smell comes from a pcb board and a 6v buzzer. I'll do as you say and check them in the morning. If anything still stinks I'll throw it out...

 

It's unusual for new electronics to out-gas a while.
Your probably actually smelling chemicals being released from the plastic casing, BTW I actually like that smell...it's kind of fresh and new electronics smelling to me!

 

Ok, I'm very new to this. Give me some time and maybe I'll start to like it too...

 

Or simply changing your supplier...

 

I bought some foreign pcb's that smell like they are made from cow dung.
They probably ARE made from cow dung.
When you buy cheap foreign stuff then that is what you get.