Placing an order what chips for fun projects?

[ashley.hughes]

Hey everybody,

I am ordering some 10x 74HC595 (SO16) chips from element14

Don't really need anything else on the order and have to hit the $10 mark for credit card. What other chips do people use a lot or play with for interesting projects?

P.S. I already have 555's and don't want 556's

I teach my self most mostly for my projects with a few questions asked on here. Love playing with lighting and audio projects but anything that I might be able to use in a cool project would be nice. Newest project is an Arduino and MSGEQ as soon as I get some capacitors that I am waiting on.

Really looking for some input from the crowd to get some random projects growing.

Thanks 

[Cj1corbystarlet]

Why not some  Max3232 ttl-rs232  converter chips always handy for arduino projects, and some .1uf  ceramic caps.

If you need 1 of something order 2
If you need 2 of something order 4

Nothing wrong with keeping some stock for a rainy day in the lab

[sonicj]

ULN2003 is a useful package to have on hand.  uhmm... LM317, LM741, 7805, 7812, LM358, IRF510, LM324

thats all i can think of at the moment..,
-sj

[sonicj]

might want to add some lube to that order as element 14 likes to stick it to you on shipping. 

btw, heres 10 x 74hc595 for $3.00 shipped US. http://www.ebay.com/itm/10-x-74HC595-8-bit-Shift-Register-IC-DIP-16-TEXAS-USA-SELLER-4-Days-Delivery-/320786006026?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4ab056000a#ht_1607wt_907[/url

*edit* - nm, you're in AUS... still, check eBay for ICs on the cheap.

[PStevenson]

Why not some  Max3232 ttl-rs232  converter chips always handy for arduino projects, and some .1uf  ceramic caps.

If you need 1 of something order 2
If you need 2 of something order 4

Nothing wrong with keeping some stock for a rainy day in the lab

haha I use a similar philosophy - when I need one of something I tend to order 100

[Psi]

I dunno about element 14 but digikey sell little finished dc/dc modules starting at ~$5 so element 14 probaby does too.

They can be really handy and some of the more expensive ones ($15) are awsome.
There was one i got for ~$14 that could take 10-15V and output 1 -> 5V @ 10A.

There are also ones which have an isolated output, which are very handy too.

And even ones that output multpile voltages like +12 and -12v from 5v input which make it easy to use dual supply opamps.

Again, ive never really used element 14 but it might be worth a look to see if they sell them.

[Cj1corbystarlet]

sonicj I have never paid for shipping from Element 14 in  Australia..

I have an account so maybe i don't get charged for shipping ??  The shipping is fast and usually arrives the next day delivery, which is good but if i'm not home, i have to pick up the shipment from the depot, which usually takes me 2 days depending on my work load and if i can organise a job out that way .

Shipping is fast and A+, but the couriers will not leave unattended at the front door

Ben

[sub]

Shipping in Australia is always free from Farnell.

[snoopen]

Don't forget some hex inverters and shift registers!! Maybe even some multi channel PWM chips

[Psi]

I see someone has mentioned max232 chips.

It's also handy to get some FT232RL ICs  for when you want usb based serial.


Also.  Another thing that's quite handy to have is opto-isolators with push/pull output drivers.
Having a few with logic in/out is always useful as well as a few with fet/igbt drivers. Some can handle 500mA or up to 1.5A peak.

eg
TLP250(F)

[bearman]

You can never have too many voltage regulators.  Especially 5 volters if you are playing with digital logic or Arduinos.  I'm not a big fan of switching power supplies for hobby work.

Voltage comparators LM393 are handy.

Basic Op Amps like LM358,  RC4558.

Misc resistor and capacitors.   Don't waste your time with kits though.  I have odd values laying around I have never used from kits.  Get some resistors for current limiters for LEDs for 5, 9 and 12 volt projects; ie 220, 330, 470 ohms respctively.   1000, 10000, 100000, 1000000 ohm for Op Amp circuits.   1/4 watt resistors will get you by for most projects. Get some .01, .1, 1, 10, 47, and 100 microfarad sized capacitors.  You can usually scavange larger values from discarded electronics.  Buy the values you get comfortable working with for your general experimentation then you can stock up on other values as you make various specialized projects.   Grab bags are usualy crap scrap also.  Get a variety of trim pots for tweeking circuits. 

Steering diodes such as 1N914/1N4148 are useful and cheap along with 1N400X rectifiers.   X suffix designates peak reverve voltage you may need.

Get a variety of LEDs.  You can always find a use for LEDs.  Make sure you get a mcd rating of at least 20 for decent brightless.  Don't trust it when they say they are high brightness and don't list an mcd value.

Get a few general purpose transistors.  2N3906 (PNP) and 2N3904 (NPN) to drive more current than Arduino ports can output.  Couple of MOSFETS are nice to have around also.  Make sure they are logic level gate drivable and more likely N channel enhancement type.

Any type of sensors.  These are always fun to experiment with.  ie: light, temperature, sound (electret microphone or piezo discs),PIR, gas, accelerometers, etc.

My thoughts.

Enjoy

B

[McMonster]

I like playing with 4000 and 7400 series chips. They were very popular in the pre-microcontroller era and heavily used in all the places just any beginner would throw in a micro without a hesitation. Just look at their descriptions here and here

[johnboxall]

sonicj I have never paid for shipping from Element 14 in  Australia..
Shipping is fast and A+, but the couriers will not leave unattended at the front door

You can get them to do it - in the "Delivery instructions" field enter "OK leave front door" when finalising the order.

[ashley.hughes]

Thanks for the input guys, some PWM chips could be interesting as I wanna make a 4x4x4 LED cube could make it a RGB 4x4x4(x3 colours)