Yes. And the fact that new stuff is getting more and more affordable makes
it possible to stabilize a design or concept using standard off-the-shelf
components without hocking grandma's house.

Just to prove a point. I'm in the process of developing an anti IED device.
Years ago I would be spending a lot of time traveling the local aerospace
salvage yards looking for this or that. Today I go first to McMaster for
mechanical stuff, and then to Jameco for the electrical stuff and do it from
the comfort of my home while unshaven and in skivvies. And the end cost is
about the same once you figure three bucks a gallon gas and prohibitive
parking fees in some places that should know better.

wrote in message
oups.com...
Myself, as a humanoid robotic/animatronic builder only use components
that can be had
in quantity-All of my projects rely on the same steppers with different
gearing for each
joint/movement. In most cases, only the external features change all
that much, so It is
simply not feasible to re-invent the wheel for every new scrap that
comes along. I do often locate a useable item in online surplus, and
hoard as many as possible, which helps with costs.

Mark

Wayne Lundberg wrote:
"Too_Many_Tools" wrote in message
oups.com...
When building somethng like a CNC machine, robot or automatic beer
dispenser, many of us reuse components from many different sources
that
we find surplus....in dumpsters, junkyards, scraping older machines,
thift stores, etc.

So where have YOU found your reuseable mechanical and electronic
components and what were they from?

And most importantly of all, what have you built?

TMT

It's getting tougher and tougher as manufacturing goes offshore. A few
years
ago I worked at Rohr Ind. making aircraft nacells and the like. All
surplus
stuff went to the one acre salvage yard open to all on Saturdays. I
still
have stuff hanging from the rafter of stuff that one day will be used.
Bearings, shafts, wheel, brackets, metal parts of all kinds. And even
then
there were two major salvage operators in the San Diego area where I
could
pick up anything from slides to motors to bekers, to resistors and
anything
in betwen.

About all we have left no days are the auto junk yards where windishield
wiper motors, window motors, solenoids, starter motors and the like can
be
had for good prices. But the good old days of scrounging the industrial
salvage yards are gone. I now use McMaster Carr and say to hek with
saving a
nickel or dime when all I need to do is place an order by email and have
the
part next day. Speed has replaced cheap.

Wayne