Free Sample Chips!!

[ranger]

All of the contents contained in this post is by mixos of Electronics lab (http://www.electronics-lab.com/forum/index.php), none of the contents is mine, nor have I edited it.

Hi,
I found this on another forum. Its about free sample chips you can order from companies such as Texas Instruments (TI) so you can make projects or just mess around with.>>>

If you don�t know it, read below how to obtain free chips.
Many semiconductor companies offer free sample chips or other electronics products that they produce and send them to your home for free (without even post fees). This is a marketing technique. When someone orders some sample chips from them and designs his circuit with it, then in the commercial product they will use their chip again. Having this in mind they know that at the end they are well-off. Bellow is a list of companies that send free samples chips with online order:
Texas Instruments -> http://www.ti.com/
Maxim - Dallas Semiconductors -> http://www.maxim-ic.com/
Microchip -> http://www.microchip.com/
Sensirion -> http://www.sensirion.com/ (temperature & humidity sensor)
ATMEL -> http://www.atmel.com/
Fairchild -> http://www.fairchildsemi.com/
Ramtron -> http://www.ramtron.com/
Analog Devices -> http://www.analogdevices.com/
Bourns -> http://www.bourns.com/
National Semiconductor -> http://www.national.com/
Xicor -> http://www.xicor.com/
Clare -> http://www.clare.com
RF Microwaves -> http://www.rfmd.com
Wilcocorp -> http://www.wilcocorp.com
FTD -> http://www.FTDIchip.com (USB Chips)
Allegro -> http://www.allegromicro.com
VLSI Solution -> http://www.vlsi.fi (mp3 chips)
MicroSemi -> http://www.microsemi.com
Princeton -> http://www.princeton.com.tw/index-e.htm
AVX (only passive components) -> www.avxcorp.com/RequestSample.asp
California Micro Devices -> www.calmicro.com/contact_us/samples_request.html
Catalyst Semiconductor -> www.catsemi.com/iko_bld_page.cfm?id=47
Cypress semiconductor -> www.cypress.com/support/mysupport.cfm
Infenion -> www.infineon.com/cgi/ecrm.dll/jsp/showfrontend.do?lang=EN&channel_oid=-11224
Ramton -> www.ramtron.com/products/productsOptInEmail.asp
Sipex -> www.sipex.com/support/samples_literature.cfm
Steward (ferrites, inductive products etc.) -> www.steward.com/Sample_Request.asp
Supertex -> http://www.supertex.com
A BULK LIST:
http://www.reptron.com/di/Sample.asp
http://www.bivar.com/html/contact.html
http://www.larsenassociates.com/cac.html
http://www.riaelectronic.com/samples.asp
http://www.sunled.com/RequestInfo/SamplesRequest.htm
http://www.aboveboardelectronics.com/thomasandbetts/tandborder.htm
http://www.mill-max.com/home/index.html
http://www.chesrep.com/page2.htm
http://www.raltron.com/products/request.asp
http://www.meritekusa.com/webpages/sample_request.htm
http://www.murata-europe.com/contact/samples.html
http://www.camcar.textron.com
http://www.clarostat.com/SampleRe.nsf/SampReq?OpenForm
http://www.molex.com
http://www.kycon.com/Form_Samples.html
http://www.azmicrotek.com/samples.html
http://www.astrorep.com/NYsubweb/orderform.htm
http://www.xicor.com/form_sample_requests.php
http://www.fmgelectronics.ie/sample.htm
http://www.electec.com/samples.html
http://www.bhelectronics.com/transformer-qtrpak-request.html
http://www.sager.com/
http://www.marshall.com/
http://www.lambind.com/request.shtml
https://www.edgecards.com/ordersamples.php
http://www.tamweb.com/
http://www.promor.com/requesta.htm
http://www.burr-brown.com/
http://www.crystal.com/
http://www.philipslogic.com/order/sample/
http://www.centralsemi.com
http://www.cirrus.com/design/products/samples/
http://www.littelfuse.com/Products/samplesElect.asp
http://www.foxonline.com/forms/noncryqu_4X.asp
http://www.fastenersforelectronics.com/electronics/NRelect.html
http://www.murata-europe.com/contact/samples.html
http://www.vitelelectronics.com/ulinear.htm
http://www.semtech.com/press/pa_082401.html
http://www.okw.co.uk/catalogue/sample/sample_form.htm
http://www.carlingtech.com/contact/quote.asp
http://www.mxcom.com
http://www.smdinc.com/products/index.html
http://www.agere.com/pmap/requests.html
http://www.heyco.com/sample.htm
http://www.elantec.com/pages/samples.html
http://www.teknational.com/form_response.html
http://www.fciconnect.com/basics/basics_america/basics_america_01.asp
http://www.bptfittings.com/Cust_Service/SamplesForm12.html
http://www.aboveboardelectronics.com/craftechmain.htm
The first four semiconductor companies are the best in sending chip samples.
If you know more companies that offers samples post their site.
Tips:
:smile: When you visit a company�s site usually you don�t find the samples order page very easily.
:wink: You must search and navigate thought their products and find a �samples order� button.
Always put your name, address etc clearly
:surprised Not all products can be ordered as samples
Every company has its own web design (some are more complex than other) so don�t give up with the first look. Make a good navigation.

[ranger]

Of all of those companies listed, TI is probably the best and most reliable. You can usually get your samples within 2 business days!!
I have only tried a few of the listed companies.

Remember on some sites, you have to "hunt" around for the samples section.

[ranger]

Hey, anyone know what kind of amplifier and comparator I should get in order to build a motion sensor. Also on the schematic, what is PIR?

http://www.glolab.com/pirparts/images/typapp.jpg

The schematic

http://www.glolab.com/pirparts/images/appckt.jpg

[berkeman]

Hi Ranger, PIR = Passive Infrared. That kind of motion sensor just uses the ambient IR energy in the environment, and looks for changes in the IR imagery. The more complex ones would use an IR camera, and watch for movement in the 2-D IR image. The simpler ones like those used in security systems use a segmented IR lens to focus multiple images onto a single IR sensor. As the IR image changes from motion, the multiple images that are focused on the IR sensor move, and this usually results in a change in the amplitude of the output of the IR sensor. The detector circuitry looks for changes in output voltage greater than some allowed amount per unit time. If you move around slowly enough, you can walk past most PIR sensors. But from my experiments, you have to move reeeeeaallllly slowly!

We had a thread about motion sensors a while back here:

http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=87267

Did the links in that thread help out?

[ranger]

Okay thanks for the input. I've decided to go with an Active IR motion Dector.

This (http://www.ee.washington.edu/conselec/Sp96/projects/mitchrob/proposal/figure3a.gif) has a detector and a receiver circuit. As I understand, the beam that is transmitted by an infrared diode is received by an infrared transistor which sets off the alarm. So these are two different circuits that need to be made separately. Isnt there a way of combining the transmitter and receiver into one circuit? If not, do they have to be placed close to each other or something?