Squires Model suppliers

Hi All.   Squires, that famous supplier of model railway stuff? Present at many shows? Or they used to be??I am not that patient . And I have found an old catalogue, featuring an item that I am looking for. It is a
Plastic ABS Potting Box ( nothing to do with Pots?) They say “Ideal for Housing Circuits and Mounting Switches, but, when I googled it, I couldn’t find anything like it. Does any Modeller know if they are still available ??
Best wishes. Kevin

Kevin, is this the site ?
Squires Model & Craft Tools

Hi Ron.   Thank you. I made an error ? The catalogue was “Expo”, must be too early in the day for me. I haven’t got s Squires catalogue , with electrical goods, just there “Hand Tools “ . But I will give them a bell later.Best wishes. Kevin

Expo Drills & Tools

Potting Boxes

Expo Drills & Tools

Hi Andy.   Thank you. I will check them out . But , whyon earth, why do they call them “Potting Boxes”?Best wishes. Kevin

A potting box is used to put/ pot things in like for plants &  electronics

Google potting box

Hi Ron. Thank you . But, when I googled potting box, I lost the connection ?    Kevin

Potting used to be a term that referred to encapsulating solid state goods in epoxy resin. It would need a box to contain the resin until at least, it set.  You could try RS Components too.

Martin

Hi Martin.  Thank you for your reply. You have picked up? on an old thread. I visited a local branch of RS Components, looking for “ Prewired LEDs,”  and they wanted me to sign up with them???  I said that I am a Pensioner, and I don’t need an account,  and this was likely to be a one off. The job that I wanted the box for, was a DCC short circuit finder? And I used an ordinary switch box, wired up , it worked a treat, but, now I cannot remember what has to be done to use it.  Best wishes Kevin 

Hi Kevin,

I had the same problem ever since Radio Shack went under. Over here they are called electronic project boxes. I went and got some blue plastic electrical junction boxes from the hardware store that have knockout holes for cables on the sides and sliding covers. Works a treat. Keeps the circuit board protected and mounts switches firmly. I used small blocks of styrene as spacers. The knockout holes also allow good ventilation and wiring access, important if you have heat sinks on the circuit board. See my sugar mill layout topic for pictures.

Nigel

Hi Nigel. Thank you for your reply. The most obvious route is the simplest. Off thread comment, I had over 150 tabs open on my iPad, simply because I didn’t know about deleting them until I read the instructions. I thought that “ Heat Sinks “ were to do with soldering? I will take a look at your Sugar Mill Layout.  Best wishes Kevin 

I have just been looking for boxes to build a new controller into and found 'ABS Black Plastic Electronics Project Box Enclosure Hobby Case With Screws' on ebay in various sizes.

Hi Simon . Thank you for your reply. It is only my opinion? But I don’t purchase any eBay bargains now.Best wishes Kevin 

[user=1801]Passed Driver[/user] wrote:

Hi Nigel. Thank you for your reply. The most obvious route is the simplest. Off thread comment, I had over 150 tabs open on my iPad, simply because I didn’t know about deleting them until I read the instructions. I thought that “ Heat Sinks “ were to do with soldering? I will take a look at your Sugar Mill Layout.  Best wishes Kevin 

Hi Kevin,
High output power transistors/bridges/chips have heat sinks to dissipate the heat generated. In my case the PWM board has a large finned one on top of the power transistor. Any circuit board which powers something or has a shooting high cycles usually benefits from a cooling fan. They are cheap enough new or recycle the one in the computer.

Nigel

Hi Nigel. Thank you for your reply. When my tower spent more time being repaired in the shop than at home, I gave up, purchased a laptop, and removed the hard drive, and to quote a YouTube video “ Pounded the snot out of it “ along side was a fan that I kept, just in case? That would I presume would have kept the tower 😎 cool.Best wishes Kevin 

[user=1801]Passed Driver[/user] wrote:

Hi Simon . Thank you for your reply. It is only my opinion? But I don’t purchase any eBay bargains now.Best wishes Kevin 

 

If you pay by Paypal, you are protected and as some do, they only have sufficient funds in the bank account that Paypal accesses to cover what they are going to purchase. Sometimes that is the only way one can get goods.

Almost becoming a cashless society as Sweden is finding out.

Hi Kevin,

eBay bargains? Oxymoron these days. I just had a look at On30 for sale here on ebay.There were 3,972 for sale, 348 on auction, most with ridiculous starting bids. The majority of the locomotives and rolling stock can be bought retail for less from the larger box shifters.

I only link my CC to PayPal. That way you get double protection (plus the CC travel points). I now use Amazon Prime for most non-railway stock items, free postage and returns. And usually much cheaper than eBay. If you use a bank account keep just the funds required and no more as Ron states. Ideal scenario is to sell a few items and build up the PayPal account. That way it never uses the CC or bank account. Many retailers also take PayPal. Often essential for many overseas transactions.

Many specialist groups have gone over to social media groups for sales and wants, having got fed-up with eBay.

Nigel

Hi Ron. Thank you for your reply. That is fine, all the time that one is purchasing, but, should the day come when like me I had to return the  stuff that didn’t  match the advertised goods . Then your details are out there. Coincidence or not,  but how did I get a “ Mobile  Phone Bill “ / Demand For Payment “ through the Royal Mail???Not a dodgy email, but Hard Copy. When I didn’t have their phone.  Best wishes Kevin 

Hi Nigel.  Thank you.  That is all very well? Until something goes wrong. Because mobile phones are currency, among the oiks on the streets. And phone companies don’t seem to care who is purchasing their product or it would seem, “in my personal experience “ how it’s being funded. I have had so many problems since I had to change my accounts, on the advice of my “card company “ fraud department.   Best wishes Kevin 

Not railway related ,but i ordered and paid for two sweaters . The parcel contained only one sweater,but two on the advice note.  I have contacted the seller and Amazon last night . At £100 each thats a lot of dough to be adrift .. Will see what happens hopefully today.