The "4 Anti-Static Wrist Straps for a Dollar" offer has been a
VERY interesting exercise (details of the offer are in the
appended re-post below).
A friend of mine (all my friends mentioned herein shall remain
nameless) had collected literally thousands of these things where
he worked. The techs there ordinarily just throw them out
because they work at at ESD compliant work-stations and have no
use for these disposables, which come in with every
static-sensitive device. My friend hates such obvious waste, but
found that the local electronics dump would pay only a couple
bucks per thousand for them. That's the supply side of the
equation.
I can afford to pay more for them because they are useful
give-aways with the "Island" keyer kits, and it's easy enough to
offer them at a give-away price because I get to include some
product literature which may lead to sales of my kits and
software. That's the demand side.
4/$1 seemed like a pretty fair bargain for you guys, and no
hassle for me if you send a green stamp and an SASE. In practice,
I've discovered a few complexities that I hadn't really thought
of. I'm telling you about them because they have been
instructive for me and might be amusing for you-- or instructive
if you haven't ordered yours yet[g].
First, it's surprising how much time I've had to spend on e-mail
explaining that there are indeed plenty of them and answering
other questions. So I've cleaned up the announcement a bit (as
you will see below) and hopefully explained everything without
the need for "support."
Second, so far, three or four guys have sent checks. I don't
ordinarily encourage sending cash through the mail, but a dollar
is a minimal risk. The problem with checks is that they have to
go through the accounting system and get deposited, so there's more
work than the dollar is worth. One guy (NOT a QRP-L member)
called me on my 800 number to ask if he could charge a dollar on
his credit card! On MY DIME, he got mad at me when I said the
minimum I can put on plastic is $5, besides which there is a
transaction charge (25 cents) and a discount (2-3%), so unless he
wanted to order $5 worth....
Third, a couple guys sent HUGE self-addressed envelopes which
will weigh more than two ounces once the straps are enclosed.
One of them resulted in my having to pay 23 cents postage due just to
get it away from the mailman! A standard business envelope (4.25
x 9.5 or whatever) is fine.
One last interesting one was an SASE with a meter impression on
it. I expect it will probably go through ok, but technically you
can only send metered mail through the post office (or collection
box controlled by that post office) where the meter is registered
(unless you pay big bucks for a special return-mail permit and
set the date to zero).
On the other hand, a lot of you have enclosed nice little notes
with your green stamp, and they are much appreciated. As was the
guy who told me to donate the dollar to CQC if I was sold out!
Like I said, an interesting exercise!
73
Marshall Emm, AA0XI
aa0xi@mtechnologies.com
http://www.mtechnologies.com/mthome
Original posting, subject: Unusual Offer
I've come by a supply of disposable anti-static wrist straps,
which are a great (and safe) way to make sure that you are
grounded when working with static-sensitive devices such as CMOS
integrated circuits. Sure, you can run a clip lead from your
wrist-watch or ear lobe to a convenient ground, and that will
take care of static. But it will also route any high-current
electricity that you happen to come in contact with, and is a bit
like working with your bare feet on a wet floor. The SAFE way
to do it, as with these straps, is to incorporate a
current-limiting resistance so that static will be grounded off
without an increased risk of electrocution.
While I've started including one at no charge with the Island
Keyer kits, I've got more than I really know what to do with. So
here's the deal--
Send me One Dollar ($1.00) and an SASE with 55 cents postage on
it and I will send you FOUR wrist straps. Please send the
dollar in the form of a green stamp, and the SASE should be an
ordinary business-size envelope (DLL or 4x9 etc). I'll also
include some product literature since it won't increase the
postage cost. Or if you are ordering something from Milestone
Technologies via the web site (url below) or by phone just
mention this to get any number of wrist straps at 4/$1 with no
additional postage cost.
By the way, these are genuine 3M 2209's in original sealed
packaging, and they are UL certified. They include the wrist
strap, paper lead with embedded conductor and resistance, and
copper foil tape to attach to a convenient ground.
Send your dollar and 4x9 SASE with 55 cents postage to:
Milestone Technologies
3140 S. Peoria St. Unit K-156
Aurora CO 80014-3155
73
Marshall
AA0XI
http://www.mtechnologies.com/mthome
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