I got some conductive foam for shipping of parts from these guys...
http://www.staticspecialists.com/esdbags.htm#Foam%20and%20Bubble
They have a couple choices in the $13-14 range for a sheet 2' x 3' x 1/4"
Not free, but at least it's a source.
Larry N8LP
Carl, n5wn wrote:
A good material for holding sorted parts is EPP anti-static foam.
This is a stiff foam, not squishy, and is a pink color. Cut it down
to about 1/2" thick slabs and stick component leads straight into it.
I usually take small "sticky notes" and tack them onto the side of the
slab with the parts values penciled in for what is stuck into the
foam. I group all the similar parts together. These slabs with parts
stuck in them can easily be moved around between building sessions and
if tilted or tipped won't spill like tins or sheets. I don't know a
specific source for this material but I have obtained more than enough
of it over the years from the inside of packing boxes for CRTs and
other computer equipment.
EPP stands for Expanded Polypropylene and is a stiff and kind of
glossy foam with large air cells. If you press hard on the foam will
rebound to it's original shape slowly. It is a great packing material
for filling space and absorbing shock. Maybe someday Elecraft will
use it to pack kits and we would be able to use the packing material
to sort the parts....
Another good sorting container is the recycled cardboard separator
trays for bulk packs of jelly packages (the kind you use in the
restaurant). I use these separators to hold hardware, cores, wire,
switches, etc. that are not susceptible to static. These work better
than egg cartons because they are typically only about 1/2" deep and
have circular or rectangular depressions about 2-4 sq inches in size.
It is easy to see what you have and get it out. The separators I like
the best are for round jelly packages and the whole tray is about
8"x10". You can get these separators from coffee shops or breakfast
restaurants who use hundreds of jelly packages a day and just throw
away these packing items. Because they are cardboard you can write in
the bottom of the depression what size screw or part is in that
depression. When loaded with parts these trays can be stacked and
picked up as a group to set aside between build sessions. I built my
K2 using 4 of these for all the non-static parts.
73,
Carl S. N5WN K2 #1241
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