Mistakes made when ordering components !!

[McMurdo]

I have to eat my words. I've just ordered a couple of what I assumed were RS232 transceiver chips to help fix a comms problem on a VFD remote display. The part number was MAX1232. They were expensive (with carriage). I naturally assumed it was a variant of the MAX232 transceiver.

I've just noticed it's actually the microprocessor watchdog ic, and the serial comms driver is some Infineon 16-pin device I've never heard of...and only 34p each.

[SiriusHardware]

Just to muddy the waters there is also a MAX3232 which -is- a variant of the classic MAX232 RS232-TTL level converter. Unlike the original chip which was only able to run on ~5V, the MAX3232 can run equally well from 3V.

[Oldmadham]

Originally Posted by lesmw0sec

My best was not electronically related, but doing some chemical work and wanted 500 m/l of H2SO4. I had ticked the box for 500 Litres - fortunately someone telephoned and asked if I was sure...

When I was Electronics Tech at the University of WA for a while, I was curious about how the social club had so much whisky.

It turns out that a year or so previously, there had been a lot of incidents where some "sharpies" had refilled genuine Scotch bottles with an inferior blend, & sold them to the suckers at a "discount" price.

The genuine importers were understandably incensed, but were told by the authorities, "Get the two brews analysed by a Chemist & then we can take action."

The UWA Chemists got the "gig".
They told the importer they would need some of the real thing as a sample to compare with the cruddy stuff.

"No problem" quoth the importers, & promptly sent a carton!

[DrStrangelove]

Originally Posted by 60 oldjohn

Maybe try the Silver Oxide version, should last 30 - 100% longer. 1.5v vs 1.55v


John.

PS, I have a TESA calipers, Carboot find not working for £2. Only needed a battery. This was 7 years since. I have only had to put another battery in. I would guess it averages 7 measurements a week.

John.

Good idea, though I just take the cell out after I've used the caliper.

[slidertogrid]

I was talking to the Charles Hyde rep and he mentioned they were clearing their universal TV stands at a bargain price. To be honest I was in the middle of a repair and probably wasn't paying full attention. I thought I had ordered 15. A few days later this big van turned up with my stands, apparently I had said I would "take the lot!" Anyway they filled a room upstairs at my shop which from then on was known as the stand room! I think it took around four years to use them up! More recently during the first lockdown I ordered my groceries on line for delivery. Instead of 6 Bananas that I thought I had ordered I got 6 bunches....
Rich

[mickm3for]

Hi i wanted 100 by127's for a large hi volt psu (25 in each arm in a bridge all short apart from 1) any way i ordered what i thought was 100 i got 1 diode this was in pre internet days
any one remember the electronic viewdata used by Villow Vale Electronics early 80's Mick

[mark_in_manc]

Not quite the same, but as a trainee noise and vibration engineer I made a sketch of some plant and ductwork when on a site visit, which ended up in the report. Unfortunately the company I was working for got the job to build the silencers for this setup, and it turned out I had marked on radii...and labelled them as diameters.

I wasn't there when the lorry turned up and they offered up a pile of rather small silencers to a bunch of rather large ductwork!

[Chris55000]

. . .I once needed five ICs for a printed circuit board at work and misquoted the RS stock number and got 5 tubes of 25 chips. . .!

. . .Fortunately other engineers gradually managed to use up some of the surplus in jobs, but I still think 100 brand–new chips ended up going in the W.E.E.E. bin. . .!

Chris Williams