Sv: Re: [sdiy] Looking for ALPS motorized potentiometers

[Daniel Araya]

I tried both the "company" and the "nearly finished prototype"-tricks
and they didn't work....the funny thing is that both things actually are
true in my case!


/Daniel

>>> "R. D. Davis" <rdd at rddavis.org> 2005-12-23 16:31:00 >>>
At 12/22/2005 06:29 PM, Daniel wrote:
>I contaced my local ALPS distributor and they told me minimum
quantity
>was a pack of 210  with a price of about $11 a piece!
>A bit expensive for some experimentation... :)

When dealing with some distributors, one has to be a little devious,
using anything from a make-believe company name to saying that one
needs to acquire some samples for a nearly completed prototype that's
planned to have large productions runs within the next six months.
Yes, I know... that not playing nice, but when dealing with such
companies, which sometimes look down their noses at individuals, such
as hobbyists, and won't sell us what we need in affordable quantities,
such drastic measures are sometimes called for... thankfully, since
the availability of on-line ordering over the 'net, one has to use
such tactics far less these days than in the early to mid 1980s.

When I was in college, back in those days, I needed some databooks and
some small quantities of various components that local distributors
didn't want to sell in small quantities.  I got word that there was
going to be a large trade-show hosted by one of those distributors,
so, I went to it... but a company name and title was required in order
to gain admission, so I made up a fictitious company name, and a
title, and got in.  Inside, there were seemingly zillions of booths
from electronics manufacturers, and their reps. were all too happy to
*freely* give out thick databooks and product samples, etc.  They were
even giving away free food!  When it came time to drive home, I had
quite a few free samples of unobtanium and stacks of databooks
measured in feet, filled with information that I'd been unable to get
my hands on any other way, even when I tried to pay for them.

Fortunately, times have, for the most part, changed.

-- 
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