How do you guys store your chips?

[ELutz]

Did someone mention IC tubes.....
I guess it's time for my periodical post......(almost) free IC tubes. You pay shipping.....and if you're going to pay with Paypal where I get hit with the fee, toss in an extra dollar to cover it.

There's some .6, .3, and maybe a stray .4.

Edward

 

[RetroHacker]

they're 20" lengths right? 500 is a ton of chips!!!

Heh. You've never seen my basement.

I've got far too many EPROMs to consider using tubes for all of them. Personally I find the tubes unwieldy and cumbersome, and EPROMs are heavy enough that they'll knock those rubber stoppers right out of the end of 'em.

For stuff like EPROMs I've got them stored in shoeboxes, stuff like TTL chips are in the sea of little component drawers, sorted by type.

RAMs are sorted into smaller cardboard boxes, the type where the whole top flips up - like what computer boards come in. Years ago, motherboard were packaged with pink antistatic foam behind them, so I use those sheets of foam to put the chips on.

The black foam is evil. I've also gotten rare, "NOS" chips that were packaged in that foam, and the legs were all corroded off. It's bad stuff. I even once got a parts cabinet with lots of chips in it, some in the black foam. The foam had even started to dissolve and warp the plastic of the bottom of the drawers!

-Ian

 

[Alpha-tron]

I still have some in a tube in a bin box. For long term storage I still think it's the best. After 25 years.

As for conductive foam, I got Pink, I got black and I got pink cover in aluminum foil. The black tends to fall apart after 8 plus years. The pink seem to last the longest. The aluminum foil was used for really static sensitive parts. The last static sensitive chip I used was about a year ago and it was fine after being stored that way( AL over pink). Early CMOS chips are very static sensitive.

I know Blue foam is out there but I do not have any long history with using that.

 

[Broodwich]

I was just going to use thumbtac's instead of the rubber plugs, I've never gotten any with the plugs just with either tape or a pair of thumbtac's holding the chip inside.

Lucky for me i don't have any of the black foam, just the pink and blue.

lol at the tag "doritos lover"

 

[steph]

I use tubes for "extended" storage, and foam for "quick access".

I use several types of eproms (daily...),
so I use 12"x12" sheets of 1/2" thick pink foam stored in easy access drawers
next to my eprom programmers.

And I also have a stash of several hundred tubes of eproms
which I store in shelf elsewhere.

When the foam pad gets low, I pop open a few tubes, and re-stock.

To store the eprom tubes, I posted a neat little trick I found
awhile back.

http://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=92832#4

Cheers,
Steph

 

[Broodwich]

I use tubes for "extended" storage, and foam for "quick access".

I use several types of eproms (daily...),
so I use 12"x12" sheets of 1/2" thick pink foam stored in easy access drawers
next to my eprom programmers.

And I also have a stash of several hundred tubes of eproms
which I store in shelf elsewhere.

When the foam pad gets low, I pop open a few tubes, and re-stock.

To store the eprom tubes, I posted a neat little trick I found
awhile back.

http://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=92832#4

Cheers,
Steph

oh i like that!

 

[Riptor]

Do you resell?

they're 20" lengths right? 500 is a ton of chips!!!

No, I dont sell the tubes. I buy them to store chips and I also ship in tubes most of the time.

Steph I like your racks for storing the tubes. I store all my tubes in boxes. Each box is listed in my inventory and shows everything thats in it, price I paid for it and qty.
I just looked in my inventory and I have 9,172 eproms and probably another 500+ in bins that are not in my regular inventory.
Here is a picture of my shelf I store my chips on. Most of these boxes are packed full.

 

[Broodwich]

No, I dont sell the tubes. I buy them to store chips and I also ship in tubes most of the time.

Steph I like your racks for storing the tubes. I store all my tubes in boxes. Each box is listed in my inventory and shows everything thats in it, price I paid for it and qty.
I just looked in my inventory and I have 9,172 eproms and probably another 500+ in bins that are not in my regular inventory.
Here is a picture of my shelf I store my chips on. Most of these boxes are packed full.

had to ask

 

[Riptor]

Just order some from Jameco, thats where I buy them. Reminds me, I need to restock .3" tubes....almost out.