Which anti-static foam is better? Pink or black?
Black hands down.
>>914205
Has it got graphite in it or somesuch?
>>914210
Probably.
Pink just has an anti-static coat.
This keeps the foam from building a charge but not the component.
Black is conductive and anti-static, which dissipates any charge in the foam or component, as it is hard to have a potential difference, if the whole thing is conductive to itself.
i dont like how the two topsides of the pink are harder to push through than the black foam
but i have mostly pink because i get it for free
>>914220
This is correct. Pink only stops static build up from friction like you'd find in shipping and handling, it does not insulate the component from external discharges (like touching the component when you are at potential)
See;
http://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/103797/anti-static-vs-conductive-vs-dissipative-foam
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imdtXcnywb8 <-- actually tests the theory using bags, yes they aren't foam but the colouring method (black vs pink) applies to ESD bags as well for the same reason. Pink has additives to resist static buildup, black is metalised/carbonised to pass ESD around the component.
So is the best way to store ics just to stick them in that, then put them in your component cabinet?
>>914263
Thats how I roll, I have cut-outs that fit my component drawers, gets the job done.
>>914203
Black dissipates a charge, pink just prevents a charge from building up. When I ship electronics (part of my real jeorb, high end drone parts) we use a static shield bag inside a corstat box. It's overkill, but when you're dealing with big name customers, it about appearance.
>>914276
One day I will have a collection like that.
I've got 6 74hc595 shift registers, 11 555s and 6 6n138s.
What else do you recommend for a beginner?
Can you get like a selection pack with a bunch of useful chips?
>>914365
Oh, 2 741 op amps too.
>dissipates a charge
>prevents a charge from building up
Um...how?
You can still charge those up and shock people with them. They are like a sponge for increasing capacitance.
>>914365
I don't really recommend anything for a beginner other than find a hole on your life that a box of blinkenleds and some buttons can fix, then build the solution. My "collection" is simply chips I have brought for prototyping or extras in case I blow something up. Some are special purpose, salvaged from specific devices for specific purposes, mainly around audio and robotics. Blindly buying as many grab bags as your budget allows leaves you with parts everywhere and an inability to focus on one project, because you'll have so many you want to play with that *no* projects will be finished.
555's are always fun to have for noise generators, but you have some SIPO shift registers. Why not work out how to shoot data at them, then use it to turn an array of LED's on and off. Hook it up to [inset microcontroller here] and use it to monitor temps/voltages in your PC. Have a bunch of red LEDs that light up if some threshold is breached. Suddenly you know how to interface to a micro, and if nothing else, how to copy paste and load code into a micro. In learning all this you'll think of more rad shit to do, so you'll work out the parts you need then buy them, plus maybe one or two extra in case you kill one. If you specialise in something you'll learn what to salvage anyway as I do, again, avoiding parts everywhere. Suddenly you have a collection of chips you are familiar with, and can drop into a circuit in a snap.
>>914397
I've salvaged a few random ones too. I've got a switched capacitor filter and a PLL. No idea what to do with them yet but I'll try using the former with a 555 oscillator at some point.
