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I love LEDs. They're endlessly useful and fun.

Rat Shack used to have an assortment of 20 pieces. These were overruns, seconds, floor sweepings, etc. They all worked, but may not have been prime. You'd get the same assortment for a while, then it would change and you'd get a new assortment. Everything from odd shapes to T-1s and superbrights. $1.99 was cheap fun.

Before the chain when under for the first, second, third? I can't remember...they changed the way those were packed. You still got 20, but they were all Chinese primes and you'd get maybe 5 pieces of 4 kinds in the pack. None of those weird ones like the orange stubbies or those yellow-lens greens.

There doesn't seem to be that kind of crap out there anymore. I see assortments online, but they're usually 500 pieces of 3 kinds, some project that failed in the 90s and is being cleaned out of the warehouse.

Ah well.

I love LEDs. They're endlessly useful and fun. Rat Shack used to have an assortment of 20 pieces. These were overruns, seconds, floor sweepings, etc. They all worked, but may not have been prime. You'd get the same assortment for a while, then it would change and you'd get a new assortment. Everything from odd shapes to T-1s and superbrights. $1.99 was cheap fun. Before the chain when under for the first, second, third? I can't remember...they changed the way those were packed. You still got 20, but they were all Chinese primes and you'd get maybe 5 pieces of 4 kinds in the pack. None of those weird ones like the orange stubbies or those yellow-lens greens. There doesn't seem to be that kind of crap out there anymore. I see assortments online, but they're usually 500 pieces of 3 kinds, some project that failed in the 90s and is being cleaned out of the warehouse. Ah well.

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[–] • 6 pts

I miss the early Radio Shack - the days before they harassed you for a phone number and the guys working there were geeks.

For fun odds n ends I like https://sciplus.com but yeah it's all Chinese crap and true assortments are pretty much gone.

[–] • 1 pt

Wow, didn't know that place was still around. Remember when they were Jerryco?

[–] • 2 pts

Yep! I have so many weird things in my misc box from them including some weird LED strips that I think we're supposed to go across an old Gameboy to provide light. I haven't ordered anything in years but I just might if I get bored at work today.

[–] • 0 pt

Wish I'd kept my old paper catalogs but that was waaaaay long ago.