cool $1 gadgets ebay

[sony mavica]

interested to know what are some cool gadgets or items on ebay for $1usd or $1aud or $1cad with free shipping other then

mp3 player
laser pen
calculator
tetris handheld
LED Flashlight
Binoculares
ect

[cdev]

The "Blue Pill" STM32F103C8T6 boards for $2 are a really good deal..

[Brumby]

It's been a while since I got this....

An Asian seller had a stack of these that were being listed daily at 99 cent start auctions.  I had seen one or two go for 99 cents and most went for less than $2.  I wanted one to complement the network cable crimping set I got from Aldi - but I was in no hurry.

So I set myself the target of only paying 99 cents - and, eventually, I got one.

[Raj]

Cool eh? Pretty hard to find in that price range but
Sure, here's some examples but with some assembly required-
Laser housing for DVD drive diodes
Clones of Arduinos
Key chain-tools, like spanners, calipers
Microscopes
Butt ton of LEDs, like 100s of 5630 led

But 'cooler stuff' generally costs 3-10$

[rdl]

I searched for "Blue Pill" on eBay. The results were not what I expected. 

[Jeroen3]

I bought a single AAA flashlight for my keychain from Aliexpress for a few dollars. Best buy since getting a Victorinox Classic on the keychain.

[stj]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/282577230333
 


but seriously,
stuff like this.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/201704657786

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/131878359863

i buy LOADS of these type of modular things - they are just handy to keep around.

[amspire]

Here are some of the things I have ordered:

NFC RFID tags. Last lot I got were about A$0.26 each and can store about 1Kbyte of data - things like web page link address, calibration data.
2DW232 low noise temp temp compensated dual zener reference diodes (10 for A$2.65).
2mm 1.5m length Soldering Wick CP-2015 (A$0.97 each)
SOP16 SSOP16 TSSOP16 To DIP16 0.65/1.27mm IC Adapter PCB Board (I got 50 for A$4.60). Great for using SMD ICs in a 0.1" pitch breadboard circuit.
VETUS HRC40 anti-magnetic tweezers - a 7 piece selection pack for A$7.99. Maybe clones, but actually very good.
Heat Gun Nozzles Air 3/4/5/6/8/10/12mm for 850 Hot Air Soldering station - $1.00 + 29c postage for set of 7 nozzles.
12 piece thin guitar pick pack  A$1.33. Use for opening plastic cases, phones, tablets, etc
Short MicroUSB to female USB full size connector A$1.00  Use for plugging USB memory stick into phones and tablets.
Fake Hakko tip for my fake Hakko 936 soldering station - A$1.00. The real tips are better, but these still work pretty well.

[Fire Doger]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/191265690460
http://www.ebay.com/itm/172310627456
I used caliper once or twice for measuring screw size.

[cdev]

I searched for "Blue Pill" on eBay. The results were not what I expected. 

That is pretty funny....

This $2 board is what I mean..  Use this wording.. 

STM32F103C8T6-ARM-STM32-Minimum-System-Development-Board

[stj]

i have a few of those, too bad they dont ship with the arduino bootloader installed.

no problem for me, i have a couple of STlink interfaces, but most people dont.
messing with a ttl to serial/usb convertor is not fun.

[Mr. Scram]

It's been a while since I got this....

An Asian seller had a stack of these that were being listed daily at 99 cent start auctions.  I had seen one or two go for 99 cents and most went for less than $2.  I wanted one to complement the network cable crimping set I got from Aldi - but I was in no hurry.

So I set myself the target of only paying 99 cents - and, eventually, I got one.

I had one of those, but something blew after a couple of uses. A horrible smell, but nothing visible on the PCB.

[Cyberdragon]

It's been a while since I got this....

An Asian seller had a stack of these that were being listed daily at 99 cent start auctions.  I had seen one or two go for 99 cents and most went for less than $2.  I wanted one to complement the network cable crimping set I got from Aldi - but I was in no hurry.

So I set myself the target of only paying 99 cents - and, eventually, I got one.

I had one of those, but something blew after a couple of uses. A horrible smell, but nothing visible on the PCB.

Cheap Chinese crap exploded you say? You know what that means...send it to Bigclivedotcom.

[cdev]

Did the battery leak, maybe?

I'm wondering what is there really to 'blow' (was there any clue?) on a network cable tester?

It's been a while since I got this....

An Asian seller had a stack of these that were being listed daily at 99 cent start auctions.  I had seen one or two go for 99 cents and most went for less than $2.  I wanted one to complement the network cable crimping set I got from Aldi - but I was in no hurry.

So I set myself the target of only paying 99 cents - and, eventually, I got one.

I had one of those, but something blew after a couple of uses. A horrible smell, but nothing visible on the PCB.

[Mr. Scram]

Did the battery leak, maybe?

I'm wondering what is there really to 'blow' (was there any clue?) on a network cable tester?

No battery leak, it was a brand new unit. Bought from a real store too. I opened the case, but nothing was to be seen. That surprised me, considering the pungent smell.

[cdev]

Maybe it used a batch of plastic that had not been mixed up properly?

Anyway, thats strange..

[Brumby]

Mine is still going strong after several years, but because I don't use it very frequently, I remove the battery, wrap it up in some paper and put it alongside the unit inside the carry case.  That way, any leak will have to make its way through the paper first before getting to the carry case or the outside of the unit.  The sockets and circuitry are well out of the way.

[Mr. Scram]

Maybe it used a batch of plastic that had not been mixed up properly?

Anyway, thats strange..

No, it was that horrible phenolic smell. Something on the PCB burnt itself up. Maybe it was the chip under the epoxy blob, as it is about the only thing hidden from view on the board.

[sorenkir]

i have a few of those, too bad they dont ship with the arduino bootloader installed.

no problem for me, i have a couple of STlink interfaces, but most people dont.
messing with a ttl to serial/usb convertor is not fun.

Add a little more than $2, and you're in (like Flynn):
http://www.ebay.com/itm/401088363326

Michel.

[cdev]

How about $5.69 for a 24 MHz 8 bit USB Logic Analyzer that would have cost 20 times more 5 years ago if it came with proprietary software.

(Works with Sigrok.org's Pulseview which is free)


http://www.ebay.com/itm/USB-Logic-Analyzer-Device-Set-USB-Cable-24MHz-8CH-24MHz-for-ARM-FPGA-M100-CA-/142210578489

More useful than an analog oscilloscope for digital stuff.

[stj]

i have a few of those, too bad they dont ship with the arduino bootloader installed.

no problem for me, i have a couple of STlink interfaces, but most people dont.
messing with a ttl to serial/usb convertor is not fun.

Add a little more than $2, and you're in (like Flynn):
http://www.ebay.com/itm/401088363326

Michel.

people need to avoid those,
you need STlink 2.1
the difference is big.

[eliocor]

You can always reprogram the STLink clone from 2 to 2-1 version: it is not too difficult: search for lujji post.
BTW, the difference is not too big between 2 and 2-1 version (to me the simulated storage of 2-1 is annoying)

[Mr. Scram]

The real programmer isn't that expensive either. If you are more than just tinkering, or value your time, having a supported solution might be easily worth the $20 they ask for it.

[stj]

do they actually sell 2.1?
i thought it only came with the Nucleo and maybe some Discovery kits.

[Mr. Scram]

do they actually sell 2.1?
i thought it only came with the Nucleo and maybe some Discovery kits.

It seems they indeed sell the 2.0. Nice catch!

[eliocor]

So, if EVEN ST sells the standalone 2 version (not the 2-1), I do not see any reason to complain about like stj did.
As I wrote, differences between 2 and 2-1 are rather small, especially for the "casual" programmer: it is different if you are a "professional", but in this case you will use different devices like J-Link.

[Old Don]

I purchased a $1 (including shipping) Chinese mechanical watch some time ago on eBay. It arrived and worked for about 5 minutes before the main spring unwound and couldn't be wound up again.   

[Mr. Scram]

So, if EVEN ST sells the standalone 2 version (not the 2-1), I do not see any reason to complain about like stj did.
As I wrote, differences between 2 and 2-1 are rather small, especially for the "casual" programmer: it is different if you are a "professional", but in this case you will use different devices like J-Link.

Why would you use a J-Link? The manufacturer programmer is probably best supported.

[stj]

the difference between 2.0 and 2.1 is huge if your not using windows and installing a bucket-load of drivers.
they enumerate over usb in a completely different way.
2.1 "just works"

also, i dont think 2.0 supports the serial link in parallel to the swd bus.
so your project cant transparently send back debug messages.

[cdev]

Thanks for this tip.  Are you on Linux (or OSX)?

the difference between 2.0 and 2.1 is huge if your not using windows and installing a bucket-load of drivers.
they enumerate over usb in a completely different way.
2.1 "just works" also, i dont think 2.0 supports the serial link in parallel to the swd bus.
so your project cant transparently send back debug messages.

[stj]

Linux

[metrologist]

How about $5.69 for a 24 MHz 8 bit USB Logic Analyzer that would have cost 20 times more 5 years ago if it came with proprietary software.

(Works with Sigrok.org's Pulseview which is free)


http://www.ebay.com/itm/USB-Logic-Analyzer-Device-Set-USB-Cable-24MHz-8CH-24MHz-for-ARM-FPGA-M100-CA-/142210578489

More useful than an analog oscilloscope for digital stuff.

Is this a good one to get? I mean, if there is one that is 4 times more expensive but 10 times better, then I'd go for that one instead.

[cdev]

There are differences, which are described in a YouTube video by the author of Pulseview, which is very much worth watching.

Also, there is a table at sigrok.org which enumerates the hardware that different ones have.

Some have input protection and buffer chips. Some have more channels. For example, you can also get a cheap 16 channel development board that works with sigrok. They are still awfully cheap.

[cdev]

I recently ordered a $35 stereo microscope on ebay.
( from user aomekie )
For $35, I wasn't expecting a lot.

It arrived and it's tiny.  But, the optics are quite decent.

[stj]

There are differences, which are described in a YouTube video by the author of Pulseview, which is very much worth watching.

maybe, maybe not.
there was a website that did a teardown and said it had the wrong buffer chip in it.
so i got a replacement chip and the analyser, only to find the chinese had already switched to the recommended buffer!
all i did in the end was change the eeprom so that "certain software" would not recognise it as a clone.

it's not a 32channel 100MHz unit, and it does not buffer or have a pattern-trigger.
but it does a hell of a lot for the money. 

[cdev]

I am too..

Could you explain a bit more what the difference is - for a Linux user who is likely never going to be using it on windows?  (not if I can avoid it)

Linux

[stj]

i'll see if i can find the pdf - i hate ST's site.

in simple terms, the 2.0 tries to look like scsi-over-usb,
while 2.1 looks like a native mass-storage and serial-over-usb device-pair.

[aandrew]

Why would you use a J-Link? The manufacturer programmer is probably best supported.

I stayed away from j-link for years with the same thought. It's bunk.

In fact every programmer I have now is a J-link, including all the garbage st-link programmers ST puts on their dev boards. I flash them all to legitimate j-links with https://www.segger.com/products/debug-probes/j-link/models/other-j-links/st-link-on-board/.

I find the segger software works so much better than anything from ST or NXP, and if you've got a Jlink Plus you have access to a very nice multiplatform debugger from them called Ozone

[Mr. Scram]

I stayed away from j-link for years with the same thought. It's bunk.

In fact every programmer I have now is a J-link, including all the garbage st-link programmers ST puts on their dev boards. I flash them all to legitimate j-links with https://www.segger.com/products/debug-probes/j-link/models/other-j-links/st-link-on-board/.

I find the segger software works so much better than anything from ST or NXP, and if you've got a Jlink Plus you have access to a very nice multiplatform debugger from them called Ozone

Can you elaborate? I'm eager to learn about different views on the matter.

[aandrew]

Can you elaborate? I'm eager to learn about different views on the matter.

Not too much to elaborate; JLink software is good, it's fast and pretty much universal. With ST-Link I always had issues getting OpenOCD to play nicely, and trying to use gdb through ST-Link was an exercise in futility. You'd get it wrestled to where the bug was exhibiting itself and then OpenOCD/ST-Link/gdb would crap out. Very frustrating!

With J-Link, it just seems to work.  I primarily work on STM32, NXP and Nordic, but also use several other vendors (both ARM and non-ARM). Segger's CLI is a bit goofy and documentation on all the command line options is scarce, but once you're set up and using it it's largely hassle-free. I don't much like J-Link on Windows, but JLinkExe on Linux or OSX is great. Easy to script, plays nice with OpenOCD and gdb and, as I said earlier, Ozone is a *great* cross-platform debugger.

Mind you all these interfaces tend to use the STM32F0, and the Black Magic Probe (https://github.com/blacksphere/blackmagic/wiki) looks to be a significant step up from JLink. Also OSS/OSHW, so that's a big plus too!

[bitseeker]

Got one of these for $0.99 on eBay. (Disclaimer: Requires opportunistic bid winning.) Nice variety of small bits and fits in my DMM's carrying case.

[stj]

was going to say "post a link", but i see they dont have hexagonal ends.
so not gonna fit my other handles. 

[Rbastler]

Got one of these for $0.99 on eBay. (Disclaimer: Requires opportunistic bid winning.) Nice variety of small bits and fits in my DMM's carrying case.

I have one too and it really sucks. I shoudnt complain, considering how much I paid, even if I paid more than 0.99$, around 5$ I think. I was very optimistic, when I bought it.
Anyway. The bits fall out constantly and the grip on the handle is quite bad. So I threw it away.

[bitseeker]

Yeah, the aluminum is impossibly slippery when your fingers are a bit wet. I put o-rings into the grooves for additional grip. My bits are still behaving, but I suspect the tips will deform quickly like most cheap screwdrivers.

[Gregg]

I find these optocoupler relay modules useful:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-Channel-30A-5V-12V-24V-Relay-Module-Board-With-Optocoupler-H-L-Level-Triger/361368219371
The high / low trigger ones can easily isolate the signal from the coil of the relay meaning that you can use a 5 volt signal to operate a 24 volt coil and load completely isolated from each other with by changing the LED resistor on the board and buying the module for the coil voltage.  They will operate with either positive or negative (or even AC) signal because the opto isolator has two opposite polarity LEDs.  They also have small LEDs on the board to indicate voltage available and when the relay is powered. 

[sony mavica]

Got one of these for $0.99 on eBay. (Disclaimer: Requires opportunistic bid winning.) Nice variety of small bits and fits in my DMM's carrying case.

nice

[Beamin]

You can buy hope and broken dreams. They are sold as gas MPG boosters and electricity savers. Free shipping too!

[bitseeker]

Electricity savers: If you can get it for the price of the capacitor within, you break even.

[VEGETA]

How about $5.69 for a 24 MHz 8 bit USB Logic Analyzer that would have cost 20 times more 5 years ago if it came with proprietary software.

(Works with Sigrok.org's Pulseview which is free)


http://www.ebay.com/itm/USB-Logic-Analyzer-Device-Set-USB-Cable-24MHz-8CH-24MHz-for-ARM-FPGA-M100-CA-/142210578489

More useful than an analog oscilloscope for digital stuff.

Will it do the job?

I don't have a true job for it now, but if it is that cheap then I might consider it. What do I need to download with it?

[stj]

you need sigrok or saleia
https://www.saleae.com/
https://sigrok.org/

[cdev]

The first 24 Mhz FX logic analyzer was the (Cypress FX/FX2) reference design made with their development board

The chip manufacturer's reference design basically downloaded its software on the fly into their board.

If we consider that, one can only conclude many manufacturers essentially cloned those boards.

That was the reference design, it was encouraged. So the manufacturer could sell more chips.

 Sigrok.org >> Pulseview  = free and open source software.

Vegeta- You shouldn't use proprietary software - Use open source software. 

[Cyberdragon]

Electricity savers: If you can get it for the price of the capacitor within, you break even.

Would you really trust that cap though? I'm sure they're not X rated despite being across the mains.

[Brumby]

Electricity savers: If you can get it for the price of the capacitor within, you break even.

Would you really trust that cap though? I'm sure they're not X rated despite being across the mains.

I can hear the marketing angle ...  Oh, did it fail?  You must have poor quality power.  Buy this model.  It is much better and is worth the $99 cost! <add extra bullshit here>

[VEGETA]

Sigrok.org >> Pulseview

Seems like a nice well developed tool. It is mainly for Linux but there are windows binaries... unfortunately, they are for installation only. No portable zip version.

But will 5$ analyzer be good enough for normal uses? I haven't used any logic analyzer before though, only oscilloscopes. I didn't really try any I2C or SPI with PIC MCUs, only with Arduinos... hence pretty much confident they will work.

[technogeeky]

Sigrok.org >> Pulseview

Seems like a nice well developed tool. It is mainly for Linux but there are windows binaries... unfortunately, they are for installation only. No portable zip version.

But will 5$ analyzer be good enough for normal uses? I haven't used any logic analyzer before though, only oscilloscopes. I didn't really try any I2C or SPI with PIC MCUs, only with Arduinos... hence pretty much confident they will work.

I have one and it's wonderful. It works fine with the Saleae software and you can put that software on a USB key if you want. We recommend them all the time in ##electronics and we constantly get people saying how awesome they are for $5.

[Fungus]

I bought a single AAA flashlight for my keychain from Aliexpress for a few dollars. Best buy since getting a Victorinox Classic on the keychain.

Don't google "victorinox minichamp". You have been warned.

[Jeroen3]

I already have an Outrider with my name engraved in the blade.

[VEGETA]

Sigrok.org >> Pulseview

Seems like a nice well developed tool. It is mainly for Linux but there are windows binaries... unfortunately, they are for installation only. No portable zip version.

But will 5$ analyzer be good enough for normal uses? I haven't used any logic analyzer before though, only oscilloscopes. I didn't really try any I2C or SPI with PIC MCUs, only with Arduinos... hence pretty much confident they will work.

I have one and it's wonderful. It works fine with the Saleae software and you can put that software on a USB key if you want. We recommend them all the time in ##electronics and we constantly get people saying how awesome they are for $5.

If so, then what is the difference between them and original Saleae?

[stj]

price. 

https://sigrok.org/wiki/Saleae_Logic

https://sigrok.org/wiki/MCU123_Saleae_Logic_clone

[VEGETA]

price. 

https://sigrok.org/wiki/Saleae_Logic

https://sigrok.org/wiki/MCU123_Saleae_Logic_clone

They are using nearly the same MCU which is a Cypress. So it gets down to mere software quality since hardware quality will not make a difference (only one MCU). This might be a reasonable 5$ vs 100$ comparison since Chinese manufacturers will not care about labor cost so programming this thing didn't cost them much, and it is one time only. Now all they need to do is program new ICs and ship units xD.

I don't think they copied the software from the original one though, I bet it is read protected.

What else worth getting from China for cheap like this?

[Fungus]

I already have an Outrider with my name engraved in the blade.

On your keychain?

[Fungus]

If so, then what is the difference between them and original Saleae?

a) They don't have any R&D or software development costs because they're just cloning
b) The Saleae have analog inputs as well.

[VEGETA]

If so, then what is the difference between them and original Saleae?

a) They don't have any R&D or software development costs because they're just cloning
b) The Saleae have analog inputs as well.

I talked about point a.

What does these analog pins do? you mean like oscilloscope?

[stj]

i dont think the first-gen original has analog inputs - i think that's only the newer ones.

there is nothing to program btw, the firmware is uploaded to the chip's ram over usb by the application software.
just a tiny eeprom with usb vid/pid numbers.

[Fungus]

What does these analog pins do? you mean like oscilloscope?

Yes.

[Jeroen3]

I already have an Outrider with my name engraved in the blade.

On your keychain?

No, that's a bit much. It also isn't 1$.

[Mr. Scram]

They are using nearly the same MCU which is a Cypress. So it gets down to mere software quality since hardware quality will not make a difference (only one MCU). This might be a reasonable 5$ vs 100$ comparison since Chinese manufacturers will not care about labor cost so programming this thing didn't cost them much, and it is one time only. Now all they need to do is program new ICs and ship units xD.

I don't think they copied the software from the original one though, I bet it is read protected.

What else worth getting from China for cheap like this?

The software is definitely not a one time only cost, as they are continually improving it and adding more decoders. It is also very notably the area where a lot of other companies have failed. Making the hardware is generally done right, so that seems to be easy. Making the software turns out to be the hard part.

While it is a to be expected stance on a forum full of hardware designers, developing proper and effective software is far from trivial.

[bitseeker]

So, any other cool things on eBay for $1? Maybe even stretch to $5?

[mbless]

the difference between 2.0 and 2.1 is huge if your not using windows and installing a bucket-load of drivers.
they enumerate over usb in a completely different way.
2.1 "just works"

also, i dont think 2.0 supports the serial link in parallel to the swd bus.
so your project cant transparently send back debug messages.

I've been using the ST-Link v2-1 on a Nucleo with Mac OS for about a year. I've gotten tired of having to lug around the dev board to program/debug an embedded system, so I decided to buy one these $2 ST-Link v2 after seeing this thread. I had basically no trouble getting it working. I did use a windows machine to update the firmware with the st-link utility, but after that I could flash and debug via OpenOCD and GDB in Eclipse. (I use the GNU ARM Eclipse toolchain.) You just have to select the correct config file.

I rarely use the serial port in the v2-1 because I send debug messages with the semihosting debug channel via SWD. I don't have to setup the uart toolchain if that specific system doesn't need it. If the system has USB, then it has an embedded uart converter or usb capability in the MCU, so I use its port to make sure everything is working.

[sony mavica]

cool

[cdev]

Those little STlink2 (cheap clone) dongles can be re-purposed to make other things, too, with their nice aluminum cases, etc. they are a pretty good deal.

I've been using the ST-Link v2-1 on a Nucleo with Mac OS for about a year. I've gotten tired of having to lug around the dev board to program/debug an embedded system, so I decided to buy one these $2 ST-Link v2 after seeing this thread. I had basically no trouble getting it working. I did use a windows machine to update the firmware with the st-link utility, but after that I could flash and debug via OpenOCD and GDB in Eclipse. (I use the GNU ARM Eclipse toolchain.) You just have to select the correct config file.

I rarely use the serial port in the v2-1 because I send debug messages with the semihosting debug channel via SWD. I don't have to setup the uart toolchain if that specific system doesn't need it. If the system has USB, then it has an embedded uart converter or usb capability in the MCU, so I use its port to make sure everything is working.

[cdev]

i dont think the first-gen original has analog inputs - i think that's only the newer ones.

there is nothing to program btw, the firmware is uploaded to the chip's ram over usb by the application software.
just a tiny eeprom with usb vid/pid numbers.

The original (Altera?) USB/FX dev board logic analyzer reference design I think also had MSO functionality.   (At low voltages.)