A coworker once knocked over a shelf with 5mm LEDs that were all clear but had different coloured lights. So we had to check hundreds one by one with a tester to see what colour they were.
Prime opportunity to build a physical sorter and some optical recognition to automate this job for you. Nothing like a months-long interesting project to solve a few hours of work! /s
Just put them in a new box with [one of these](https://m.aliexpress.com/item/32797743484.html) so I can test as I pull them (and maybe some day fully reorganize or give up and replace them all).
The tester is super useful at quickly and automatically identifying components, and it was about the same price as buying new box.
This looks like the bucket of random parts I have left over every time I do a major project on breadboards. It seems horrible, but I just put in the AirPods, fire up Spotify and get to work with the hemostats. It’s actually kind of relaxing.
Use a multimeter with capacitance or a $10 LCR-T4 or $16 LCR-T7/LCR-TC1 or similar so you don’t need to squint. Note that the -T4 can only test zeners up to 4.5V while some of the others go up to 30V.
Or use a more expensive one with USB port or build a soundcard LCR meter and program computer to tell you (or your robot) what bin it goes in.
Or use good magnifcation.
You can also presort/postsort based on physical size with a template, which avoids the issue of different voltages having the same capacitance value and having to sort on two numbers at the same time.
Or buy a new one and donate the mess to an aspiring young/poor hobbyist.
Condolences. Did that with a brand new 560 pack of heat shrink tubing just the other day – had the lid hanging off the corner of the table and just walked my dumb ass right through it. At least they’re colored and sized, I guess.
You might like those organizer boxes with the individual lids that pop open. I haven’t tested them in a drop off the table, but it’s kept my stuff nicely sorted through a few moves.
I think they are specially designed so if you stand on the edge of these trays the contents will be sprayed all over the floor of the workshop from one end to the other, remarkable.
Somehow YouTube suggested some videos over Christmas to me…
Could have just stuck bunches of them in a microwave oven and turned it on while videoing the outcome and resulting carnage. Post to YouTube saying, “Kids don’t do this at home!”
Then use the proceeds from the views to buy new sorted capacitors.
Do you have any youngsters you can pay to do this for you? Honestly you might want to just leave it until you need a component then as you test them actually sort them.
Meh! It’s not a fuck up until you drop an organizer with multiple values of SMD capacitors.
That happened to me at my old shop and I paid someone to sort them for me
A coworker once knocked over a shelf with 5mm LEDs that were all clear but had different coloured lights. So we had to check hundreds one by one with a tester to see what colour they were.
You have my sympathy.
Worst. Breakfast. Evar.
Prime opportunity to build a physical sorter and some optical recognition to automate this job for you. Nothing like a months-long interesting project to solve a few hours of work! /s
I did this but with resistors. Plus I’m partially colorblind.
You did not do me.
I feel your pain.
I feel this. I spent an hour sorting resistors a few days ago 😐
I did the same thing to my transistor organizer.
Just put them in a new box with [one of these](https://m.aliexpress.com/item/32797743484.html) so I can test as I pull them (and maybe some day fully reorganize or give up and replace them all).
The tester is super useful at quickly and automatically identifying components, and it was about the same price as buying new box.
Eevblog [did a thing](https://youtu.be/7Br3L1B80ow) on these if you wanna take a look.
2 hours later, just got finished.
Honestly it’s not that bad once you pass the half hour mark
This looks like the bucket of random parts I have left over every time I do a major project on breadboards. It seems horrible, but I just put in the AirPods, fire up Spotify and get to work with the hemostats. It’s actually kind of relaxing.
Haha I did this to a full organizer of 3 and 5mm LEDs. Half of them were clear. Eeek
Now you have a project for your day off.
Gives you a chance to brush up on your ML skills.
Make an auto sorter, might even take less time
Consider it a zen exercise.
And this is why we have individual lids.
Frustrating.
Use a multimeter with capacitance or a $10 LCR-T4 or $16 LCR-T7/LCR-TC1 or similar so you don’t need to squint. Note that the -T4 can only test zeners up to 4.5V while some of the others go up to 30V.
Or use a more expensive one with USB port or build a soundcard LCR meter and program computer to tell you (or your robot) what bin it goes in.
Or use good magnifcation.
You can also presort/postsort based on physical size with a template, which avoids the issue of different voltages having the same capacitance value and having to sort on two numbers at the same time.
Or buy a new one and donate the mess to an aspiring young/poor hobbyist.
Looks like your assortment:
[https://www.ebay.com/itm/401890415699](https://www.ebay.com/itm/401890415699)
-TC1 schematic
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/tc1-lcr-meter-transistor-tester-fix/msg1823201/#msg1823201
At least they’re caps. On first look I thought it was transistors.
Condolences. Did that with a brand new 560 pack of heat shrink tubing just the other day – had the lid hanging off the corner of the table and just walked my dumb ass right through it. At least they’re colored and sized, I guess.
The pain..
Into the general pile they go
Pour some milk in there
You might like those organizer boxes with the individual lids that pop open. I haven’t tested them in a drop off the table, but it’s kept my stuff nicely sorted through a few moves.
Something [like this](https://www.amazon.com/a16010300ux0102-Plastic-Compartments-Electronic-Components/dp/B01C3DGO7O)
It occurred to me that since I am 77 y.o. any parts assortment I buy is probably a lifetime supply.
I think they are specially designed so if you stand on the edge of these trays the contents will be sprayed all over the floor of the workshop from one end to the other, remarkable.
Those have numbers on them. It’s fine.
No better way to learn reading resistor color codes than to do same with resistor.
Be brave warrior 🙂 don’t give up, the force with you 🙂
1K Component Pick-Up game
You really should have made a PCB, that’s going to be really difficult to debug.
goes best with oat milk i heard
It is an OPPORTUNITY to grab a 12 pack of doobies, throw on some Netflix and have one HELL of an afternoon
Ngl, at first glance I thought that was a bowl full of weed next to your keyboard and I was trying to figure out what the problem was.
F
I did the exact same thing a few months ago 🙁
cursed cereal
F
Somehow YouTube suggested some videos over Christmas to me…
Could have just stuck bunches of them in a microwave oven and turned it on while videoing the outcome and resulting carnage. Post to YouTube saying, “Kids don’t do this at home!”
Then use the proceeds from the views to buy new sorted capacitors.
I worry about the next generation of diy’ers.
Do you have any youngsters you can pay to do this for you? Honestly you might want to just leave it until you need a component then as you test them actually sort them.
Yea you bought a Mac…
Oh yes you did 😀 Pick a nice audiobook and you‘re already finished^^
Did you melt or glue there vertices of the container? Good idea.
I did this a few years ago.
I call it the moshpit of lost capacitance
Yeah, sad day… Might as well just throw them away and start over.
Forbidden Cornflakes
Ouch I feel your pain from here