disposal of polystyrene

Sorry, no, but I sincerely hope you succeed.

Mary

I have always been quite impressed with the way Amazon package groups of things... a card with soft plastic film that traps the books and then it sits in suspension in the box. Simple and effective at maintaining some elasticated "air space" round the books but without much packaging.

You also have to balance the "big picture" environmental impact of quantity of packaging against returns rate due to damage in transit.

Screwfix seem to be doing something similar with a sticky partition that reduces the effective box size to match the content.

Scrunched up brown paper also works quite well.

Tastes like wotsits without the cheesy coating! Another variety could be used as sugarless 'sugar puffs' breakfast cereal with a bit of milk.

I used to work with PC components delivered in that kind of stuff. Got a reputation in stores as the 'foam muncher'.

-- Adrian

I often get air bags. They're wonderful for packing things we send out!

There's no reason why an efficient small packageshould be any less secure than a large one.

But it's in short supply ...

Mary

But with added fungicides...

Allegedly invented at Los Alamos, as packaging for bits of the Trinity Gadget.

Not if you get deliveries from CPC...who often use scrunched up brown paper....

It is?

Must admit I had only had air bags from CPC of late...

Seems to be pretty random..probably depends on the packer. Parcel I had last week used brown paper...

Mary

Ubiquitous supplier of spare belts for microwaves and new needles for videos.

Thanks.

We have neither so I wouldn't be expected to know :-)

Mary

p.s. belts in a microwave? I didn't realise they had mechanical transmission ...

They get mentioned on here a fair bit (CPC, that is...)

But probably only in posts I don't read. I don't open everything :-(

Memo to self: must take a greater interest even in things I don't know about ...

Mary

Combined Precision Components.

Sort of like RS but less "presentation" and (much) cheaper prices, bit like Maplin but more stuff, Very like Farnell (since they liked 'em so much they bought them a few years back!)

See

(supprised that anyone on uk.d-i-y has not heard of them... they seem to get about one order a week from me at the moment!)

Was years ago, I don't think the effects are a permanent problem. Me other head doesn't do much in the way of thinking anyway, and I've got used to tripping up over the extra leg.

:-)

-- Adrian

Thank you.

er ... ?

Oh, I seem to remember a takeover but I still see the Farnell vans.

I'm not an electronics type. Maplin is local and does most things we need, which isn't much. It all seems to be entertainment stuff in there ...

Mary

Want a catalogue? Cost of postage it's about 3kg...

They have recently sent me two 2005 ones for no apparent reason and I already had one... On the basis of "they know best" the orginal went for recycling last week. But I still have one spare.

"Radio Spares" - the industry standard supplier of all stuff most hi-tech firms want:

rswww.com

(and no that was not a typo!)

Yup Farnell still trade under their own name as well. Seem to have the same product range almost as well.

They do electronics, but loads of other stuff as well including tools. They also have a big range of "white goods" spares for domestic appliances.

(When our fridge freezer decided its frost free fan was going to fail a couple of weeks back (after 12 years or so) CPC had a drop in replacement - well more like wedge in replacement with your hand being gently sliced and frozen by the heat exchanger! ;-))

They still have some serious stuff, but they are not a patch on how they were!

(I grew up 10 mins walk from their first shop. It was a place of awe and wonder in those days... not much on display (it was counter service only in those days) apart for a couple of the rather more serious looking synths and a couple of Atari 800 computers, but it was quite impressive for the staff who were very well clued up. It was interesting to see someone explain what they were attempting to build to the chap behind the counter, who would then set about designing a circuit for him on a bit of scrap paper, calculate the component values, and return ten mins later with a bag of all the bits required to build it!)