Everyone surfs the Web these days when looking for suppliers of components and devices. In fact, it makes me wonder why major distributors such as Arrow, Digi-Key, and Mouser send out those monstrously expensive telephone book size paper catalogs.
When I peruse supplier Web sites, I’m often astonished at the policies companies have with respect to sampling. Some firms, such as Analog Devices and CoilCraft, eagerly send you samples. CoilCraft even ships them by Federal Express. Other outfits, such as Fairchild Semiconductor, seem less than enthusiastic about sending samples, erecting all sorts of obstacles, making it tough to test and evaluate products hands-on.
A lot of companies will not send samples to technicians or students. Worse, most will not sample to hobbyists or Radio Amateurs. Don't companies realize that ham radio enthusiasts and hobbyists are often engineers? Moreover, today's student may be tomorrow’s engineer or purchasing agent.
Furthermore, a lot of hobbyists hold technical positions at technology companies right now. Good measures of them are already responsible for influencing the decisions their companies make with respect to component choice and purchasing. I used to keep a special Rolodex of cards from top people in companies that were also ham radio operators. My list included quite a few company presidents and CEOs.
One company that's really tuned in to the attic-and-basement electronics enthusiast is
SchmartBoard. The company's patented Electronic Circuit Building Blocks and
EZ Technology make soldering of fine-pitch surface-mount components rather straightforward and easy. SchmartBoard's latest foray into student and hobbyist support is a Web site called
Solder By Numbers.
Billed as a social network and on-line electronics circuit design lab, it's specifically slated for use by educators, students, and hobbyists, as well as electronics professionals. SchmartBoard expects company representatives will post information about their electronics-related company, and neophytes will visit Solder By Numbers in order to build and experiment with circuits.
The company is also offering a 20% discount to universities and university students. Other advantages to institutions that sign up for the program include freebie demo boards.
SchmartBoard says its Web site uses the same concept for building circuits as paint-by-numbers does for would-be artists. "With no previous experience, users will be able to craft circuits," says Neal Greenberg, company VP of sales and marketing.
According to Greenberg, professionals can also use Solder By Numbers to locate like-minded peers in the industry and connect with them. The goal is to share ideas and discuss electronics – or even employment opportunities. For educators, the hope is that teachers will set up private chat rooms where students will create circuits on-line. Communication will use VoIP (voice over Internet Protocol). Web cams will also be used to discuss coursework and present lessons.
Create And Share“Electronics enthusiasts at many levels, and with special interests, will be able to create and share circuits, software, and techniques,” asserts Greenberg. “Solder By Numbers will be a place to design and build circuits in a worldwide network of peers. The site will be a portal for enthusiasts and professionals of all levels and interests to collaborate, create, communicate and learn."
To get novices started, SchmartBoard is offering a special Starter By Numbers Starter Kit. The kit supplies just about everything a budding enthusiast might need to start soldering and constructing Solder By Numbers Circuits. Priced at less than $100, the kit includes an initial Solder By Numbers circuit, replete with all components needed to build it.
You also get an Elenco variable-temperature 40 W soldering iron and assorted tips, SchmartSolder, a water-soluble flux pen, safety goggles, and an illuminated magnifying glass. The kit also includes the essential pair of needle-nose pliers, as well as wire cutters, wire strippers, and two screwdrivers.
The SchmartSolder product is especially slick for hand soldering through-hole components. SchmartSolder consists of precision rings of solder than can be slipped over a component's leads. When heated, the rings deliver just the right amount of solder to a circuit board and the lead.
Commission On CircuitsGoing beyond the satisfying experience of publishing their circuits, users who apply for, and are authorized to publish circuits in a Solder By Numbers format, can also earn income every time someone builds their circuit.
Finally, SchmartBoards has a liberal sampling policy. "We know that SchmartBoards products embody engineering super-hero powers," says Greenberg. "They have the ability to make prototyping faster than a speeding technician, more powerful than a top-of-the-line soldering iron, and able to leap tight deadlines in a single bound." As such, the company is offering free samples to get these “engineering superpowers” into your hands. "We'll send you a sample board and a chip so that you can test it for yourself," he adds.
Take Greenberg up on his offer, and please tell him
EN-Genius Network sent you.
