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(December 31, 2006) Life is full of changes, and this last year has been a doozy! After wrestling with the decision for months, I've realized that I just can't continue to spend the time that "glitchbuster.com" requires. I have truly enjoyed the relationships with so many of you, and I sincerely appreciate your business as well as your patience - particularly at times this last year when my promptness left much to be desired.

I'll be selling off my inventory, and must wrap it up very soon so I can focus on the upcoming semester (I teach electronics full-time at our local community college). Anything left in significant quantity at that point may appear on eBay some day.

I'll be monitoring sales of each item and reducing prices if needed to move it out. On the other hand, there is not much left of many items so don't delay if you see things you are interested in. Listings will just "disappear" as I get low on each item (as some of you have already noticed over the last few days). For example, LM317T, 16F628, 16F648A, IRL520, and more, are already gone. Many others are getting very close. Up until the last day or two I thought I'd be ordering more of those parts, and I apologize to anyone who may have been waiting for them to arrive. This has been a very difficult decision - I have really enjoyed doing this!

If you are interested in a larger quantity of an item, send me an email and I'll do my best to make you a very friendly deal.

I've never had a minimum order charge, mostly to help spread the word about glitchbuster. Now that that's no longer an issue, I need to add $1 to any order under $14 before shipping to make it (sort of) worth taking the time to process. At these prices, I don't think you'll have any trouble finding at least $14 worth of goodies - but if not, the shipping/handling to US addresses will be $2.95. And, going the other direction, shipping is FREE on orders over $70 in the US. The normal $1.95 shipping in the US still applies for orders from $14 to $70.

I also have a number of new Microchip programmers, lab boards, etc, such as ICD-2, PicStart Plus programmers, etc. All brand new in the factory packaging. I'm planning to offer them on eBay, but email if you would like first shot at them.

I will still be "around" to handle any customer service issues that may come up. Who knows... maybe I'll actually have time for an occasional project, instead of just enjoying hearing about yours. :o) I'd like to finally add some projects and info to this website - it won't just disappear after the inventory is gone. Based on the questions I frequently receive, there still seems to be a need for information about using certain devices - including the newer PICs. I've always wanted to add info articles to the website, and now maybe I'll have time to do it.

Thank you very much,

Randy Jones, KE7DRR
randy@glitchbuster.com
Reno/Tahoe, Nevada USA
(...At the north end of the Ponderosa, if you've ever seen that burning map at the beginning or end of those old Bonanza westerns. Virginia City, Lake Tahoe, Reno, and Carson City are all just a short "ride" from here.)

PS - IMPORTANT EMAIL NOTE: You may notice that my replies to your email sometimes use odd wording... This is because I'm doing my best to avoid having my email to you "disappear" into spam filters. Things like "free shipping" etc. are very bad, and even short, simple messages discussing details of a transaction have often been relegated to "spam" status. If you don't receive my email please check your spam/junk folder or email me again to let me know that you didn't receive it. I'll then do everything possible to send you a reply that makes it "under the radar." Thanks! -Randy

Wow... the tremendous outpouring of kind words and good wishes is truly amazing, humbling, and greatly appreciated. Thank you so much!

During the weekdays I now need to concentrate on classes, meetings, etc, at the college, and so it will probably be Saturdays when I'm most able to reply to emails and prepare orders for shipping.

This weekend, however, I will be unable to take care of any glitchbuster stuff. If you've sent in any orders or inquiries recently, I'll do my best to handle them next week ASAP. Could be later in the week or the weekend before I'm able to, though.

Some of you are waiting for the remaining items to be listed - the "secret" items that I never got around to listing previously. (The following paragraph was written several weeks ago, and mentions some of them.) At this point, I'm thinking that I'll get that done late next week. Thanks for your patience - I did not anticipate that my schedule and workload would still be this intense by now. Boy was I wrong!

There have been several requests for lists of the remaining stock... I'm doing my best to keep the listings here on this page as up-to-date as possible, so that's the best resource at the moment. I have more goodies here that I've never gotten around to listing, and I hope to get them posted sometime next week. Expect to see a few popular PIC numbers such as 16F690, 16F684, 12F683 return (I ordered some to meet commitments and have a few left), more price reductions on things like DS1620, optoisolators, red and green LEDs, ACA-1 power supplies, and "new" items (that I never had listed) such as male header strips, DB-9 and DB-25 connectors, IC sockets, pushbutton and slide switches for breadboards, Microchip items such as programmer and debugger kits, and even some brand new BASIC Stamps.

If you're thinking of placing an order, it might be worthwhile to wait until next week. I still have some orders that have arrived within the last 10 days or so that need to be handled, and I'm running out of some things still listed on the website. And, there will be some new goodies as well. I'll update the listings as soon as I can, but it will be after this coming weekend before I have a chance.

Thanks again for your incredible kindness and patience. Closing glitchbuster was a very difficult decision, and even more so after all the wonderful wishes and comments from so many of you.

PICmicro^{^®} Microcontrollers
Crystals and ceramic resonators are right below this PIC section, and excellent PIC programmers are just below the crystals.

Crystals and Resonators
All the HC49/U crystals below are parallel resonant and AT cut – just right for PICs. I check samples from each batch on the frequency counter, and have seen some "interesting" results with no-name crystals that I received long ago from a couple of the "bargain" component suppliers. They're sitting in a drawer somewhere and I'm not sure what I'll eventually do with them, but one thing is certain... you'll only get correct, high-quality crystals from glitchbuster.com. Rock-bottom prices on the good stuff – no junk!

Tip: Want to run an 18F-series PIC at 40 MHz? At higher clock speeds you need to enable the PIC's internal 4 x PLL multiplier, and then use a crystal (or ceramic resonator) that is 1/4 of the desired frequency. For example, you would use a 10 MHz crystal to run an 18F part at 40 MHz. Select the HS + PLL oscillator option (HS4 mode) in the "configuration word" to enable the 4 x PLL multiplier. More details are in the oscillator section of the data sheet.

NOTE: The 22 pF caps that I included with each crystal are all gone. I have reduced the price of each crystal that previously included the 22 pF caps to compensate. Thanks! -Randy

microEngineering Labs Products
ME Labs has been making life easier for PIC users for over 10 years, and they just keep getting better! I've been enjoying their excellent products since 1994, and I'm pleased to offer them to you.

In the last 3+ years I've been watching how long it takes for various programmer and compiler makers to add support for new PICs, and in my experience ME Labs is the clear leader. Think that's no big deal? There's a BASIC compiler out there that calls itself "Professional" and I hear it still doesn't support the powerful PIC 18-series. ME Labs' PicBasic Pro currently supports PICs from the tiny 6-pin 10F2xx, to the big 80-pin 18F-series monsters, to new ones that haven't even been released yet! When my first shipment of the exciting new 14-pin 16F688 arrived a while back, I popped one into my ME Labs programmer, fired up PicBasic Pro and started to explore. Many other PIC development tools at that time were weeks or months from adding 16F688 support.

Surface mount? No problem! ME Labs is ready when you are with a complete selection of ZIF adapters for their delightful new Serial Programmer and the ever-popular EPIC Plus programmer. Got a question? I'm glad to help, there is lots of great info at www.melabs.com, and ME Labs support is available by phone and email 5 days a week. I don't know of any other PIC tools that offer this combination of quality, design, support, and solid value at reasonable prices. Maybe that's why ME Labs' programmers and compilers are recommended in so many books. I know that's why I buy and use them. Tell me what you're interested in doing, and let me put together a customized package just for you.

Now's a great time to join the thousands of delighted developers, hobbyists, and students bringing exciting projects and products to life in record time with PicBasic Pro.

* The bulk/weight of these items prevents me from including them in my standard $1.95 shipping policy for US addresses. Please email your ZIP Code and I'll reply with the exact shipping amount.

Micro Support ICs Including SEEPROM, MAX232, RS-485, Modem, Dallas, A/D, etc.
Temperature sensors are here (digital) and also in the Linear ICs section (analog).

Did you see that great CMOS article by Ray Marston in the December 2005 issue of Nuts and Volts, using the 4007UB IC? It's a nice part that you can use to experiment with CMOS technology, and Ray's interesting 7+ page piece provides excellent info with many practical circuit examples – both linear and digital. These little 4007UB critters aren't available everywhere, so I grabbed some to make them easily available for you. (Plus, I wanted some too!) They're in the Digital ICs section below...

Voltage Regulators
The delightful Micrel MIC2950 is a "bulletproof" 5V, 150 mA low dropout micropower regulator in a TO-92 package. It replaces the LP2950 and withstands transients from +60V to -20V (reversed battery). I'm stocking the "06BZ" version with specified 1.0% accuracy and -40C to +125C temperature range. Great for battery operated applications, or automotive and other electrically nasty environments. Right-click here to download the data sheet.

Also check out the very nice Zetex ZSR330CL 3.3 volt 200 mA voltage regulator in the popular TO-92 package. These are far more than the typical "jellybean" TO-92 regulators, featuring 2.5% initial accuracy, full stability with no external components, big 200 mA output current, only 350 uA quiescent current typical, and tight regulation over load. At only .87 each, you get them well below the "Brand M" 25-piece price. (And the sale prices are much better!)

Transistors Including MOSFETs, Darlingtons & Arrays
The 2N4401 are great for controlling loads from a PIC or Stamp I/O pin up to 200 mA or so.

Diodes Including Rectifier, Zener, Switching & Schottky
Looking for a 1N4001, 1N4002, 1N4003, 1N4004, etc.? Use the 1N4007, which is identical except for its higher maximum voltage rating.

Infrared
The Panasonic PNA4602M is a very nice IR sensor, and is used in many applications including the Insectronics book by Karl Williams. I wonder why those other websites charge more than double my price for the same part (not to mention the stiff shipping charges). You'll never pay those inflated prices here at glitchbuster.com!

Have you ever seen boards where the capacitors around a MAX232 look like a row of tall grain silos? The 1 uF 1R50 caps below are just under 1/4" (6 mm) tall – about the same height as an IC socket (see picture). I like them much better and thought you might also.

EL Cheapo Programmer Parts Kit - a glitchbuster.com exclusive
Want to try the El Cheapo programmer in Myke Predko's book PROGRAMMING AND CUSTOMIZING PICmicro MICROCONTROLLERS? There have been a number of important circuit updates and corrections since the book was written. Here's an inexpensive kit with the updated components and information you need to build the latest version using the PC board included in the book.

IMPORTANT - This parts kit DOES NOT include a circuit board. It contains the parts needed to populate the circuit board supplied with Myke Predko's book. Before ordering this kit, be sure to read the details here. There are several things you should be fully aware of before ordering the kit, and I don't want you to order it and then be disappointed. So, please, spend a few minutes and check it out.

* The bulk/weight of these items prevents me from including them in my standard $1.95 shipping policy for US addresses. Please email your ZIP Code and I'll reply with the exact shipping amount.

The best way is to copy/paste the line for each item into an email (or spreadsheet), along with the quantity desired. Something like this:

Send your list to me at randy@glitchbuster.com. I will add it up (unless you prefer to), and return it for your review and payment. Each order is carefully packed at a static-safe workstation, and I ship several times a week.

The most convenient way to send payment is with a credit or debit card through PayPal at www.paypal.com – it's fast, easy and secure. My ID is randy@glitchbuster.com, and I can have them send you an email payment request if you like. It will take you to their secure server for the easy transaction. Money orders sent in the mail are fine too - please email first for the details and address. Customers occasionally send US currency in the mail. I don't encourage this - especially for substantial amounts - but we've never had a problem.

A few heavier items such as "wall-wart" AC power adapters and some computer cables do require additional shipping, and they are marked with a red asterisk: * When your order contains any of these items, please email me your US Postal Service ZIP code and I'll let you know the exact shipping amount.

Nevada sales tax of 7.375% must be collected on any order shipped to a Nevada address. There is no tax on any shipment to any location outside Nevada (although international shipments may be taxed by the destination country, which I have no control over).

IMPORTANT EMAIL NOTE:

I've been online 23+ years now, and it seemed that email reliability was getting noticeably worse in the last few years. Initially I thought it was mostly issues with my former ISP, but in more and more cases I'm hearing from customers that my emails to them are being automatically deleted or placed in "spam" folders by ridiculously over-aggressive spam filters. This is happening both at the ISP and the PC level, even to those who have their ISP's spam filter settings to "off." Some ISPs are worse than others, with AOL, yahoo, hotmail, etc. being some of the most "difficult" (that's the polite word) in my experience.

PC editor and columnist Fred Langa conducted a large email test recently and the results are striking. As he puts it, "...hideously unreliable."

Make sure that you list randy@glitchbuster.com in your "whitelist," address book, or whatever your email system requires to indicate that you want the emails from me to get through. If you don't receive a reply from me in your inbox, check your "junk" folder -- anything that even smells slightly like a commercial transaction often ends up in there. In nearly all cases where customers don't receive a reply from me, the emails I'm sending are getting filtered or vaporized on their end, and they usually have no idea that it's happening. You can also use glitchbuster@charter.net to reach me if the main address isn't working for some reason.

I have all filtering turned off on my incoming email, which means I must manually delete several hundred spam emails a day. Even though it's a hassle, I feel it's better than possibly not receiving your email to me. PLEASE use an obvious email subject line such as "component order" or "temp sensor question." Vague subjects like "hi" or "order" look like spam, and I may quickly delete it without realizing that it's legit.

If you've sent me email and haven't received my reply, please try again. Once I know that you didn't receive my first reply, I can use some "under the radar" techniques that may help to get the email through. Thanks!

	Part Number	Description	Price
	16F648A-I/SO	20 MHz, 18-SOIC, 4K Flash, precision 4 MHz int. osc. SMT SALE - 3 or more at 1.77 ea	$2.54

Part Number	Description	Price
CR-6	6 MHz Ceramic Resonator ECS 3-pin w/caps built in SALE - .39 ea, 10 at .34 ea	$0.44
XT-32K-6	32.768 kHz "Tuning Fork" Crystal, 6 pF load (xlnt for DS1302) SALE - 5 at .19 ea (very few left)	$0.30
XT-32K-12	32.768 kHz "Tuning Fork" Crystal, 12 pF load (xlnt for PIC TIMER 1) SALE - 10 at .19 ea	$0.30
XT-3.58	3.579545 MHz Crystal, HC49/U, parallel res. (5 LEFT)	$0.49
XT-4	4 MHz Crystal, HC49/U, parallel res. SALE - 10 at .37 ea, 100 at .29 ea	$0.49
XT-8	8 MHz Crystal, HC49/U, parallel res. SALE - 10 at .37 ea	$0.49
XT-10	10 MHz Crystal, HC49/U, parallel res. SALE - 10 at .37 ea, 100 at .29 ea	$0.49
XT-20	20 MHz Crystal, HC49/U, parallel res. SALE - 10 at .37 ea	$0.49

Part Number	Description	Price
Proto8	8-pin PIC proto PC board	$8.47
LAB-X20-B	LAB-X20 Experimenter Board, bare PCB w/software NEW!	$24.67
PicBasic Pro	Compiler s/w CD-ROM & manual latest version in stock	$237.47
U2 BUNDLE	ME Labs U2 USB Programmer w/ latest software, 8 to 40 pin ZIF Adapter w/ ribbon cable, USB cable. I LOVE mine (and NO, it's not for sale!). FREE SHIPPING	$114.70
ACA-1 *	AC adapter for ME Labs Serial Programmer and other PIC Programmers	$7.97
DB9-6 M-F *	DB9 Cable M-F 6' - perfect for ME Labs Serial Programmer, etc.	$2.97

Part Number	Description	Price
SN75176BP	RS-485 Serial Bus Transceiver, 8-DIP Texas Instruments SALE! 10 or more at .47 ea	$0.68
DS1620	Dallas Digital Thermometer/thermostat, 8-DIP SALE! 2.97 ea	$4.89
DS18S20 (DS1820)	Dallas Digital Thermometer Precision 1-Wire TO-92 SALE! 5 or more: 3.47 ea	$3.97

Part Number	Description	Price
74HC00	Quad 2-input NAND gate 14-DIP SALE - 10 at .17 ea, 20 at .14 ea	$0.24
74HC04	Hex inverter 14-DIP	$0.24
74HC08	Quad 2-input AND gate 14-DIP	$0.19
74HC14	Hex inverter Schmitt trigger 14-DIP	$0.25
74HC32	Quad 2-input OR gate 14-DIP SALE - 10 at .17 ea, 20 at .14 ea	$0.21
74HC73	Dual JK flip-flop SALE - 10 at .24 ea, 30 at .19 ea	$0.39
74HC132	Quad 2-input NAND Schmitt trigger 14-DIP SALE - 10 at .19 ea, 20 at .17 ea	$0.29
74HC138	3-to-8 decoder/demultiplexer 16-DIP	$0.35
74HC165	8-bit parallel-in/serial-out shift register 16-DIP	$0.38
74HC174	Hex D flip-flop w/ clear 16-DIP SALE - 10 at .19 ea, 20 at .17 ea	$0.34
74AC240	Inverting line driver tri-state SALE - 5 at .29 ea, 10 at .27 ea	$0.39
74HC240	Inverting line driver tri-state SALE - 5 at .28 ea, 10 at .24 ea	$0.37
4007UB	CMOS Inverter 14-DIP SALE - 5 at .34 ea, 25 at .29 ea	$0.39

ECK-2.1	El Cheapo parts kit - 2.1 mm power connector	$9.87
ECK-2.5	El Cheapo parts kit - 2.5 mm power connector	$9.87
ACA-1 *	AC adapter ("wall wart") with 2.1 mm power connector - works great with El Cheapo	$7.97

Part Number	Description	Price
ZSR330CL	3.3V Regulator 200mA TO-92 SALE - 10 at .69 ea, 25 at .59 ea, 50 at .49 ea	$0.87
MIC2950	5V Regulator Low Dropout, Micropower 150mA TO-92 DS SALE - 10 at .79 ea, 50 at .69 ea	$0.99

Part Number	Description	Price
2N3904	NPN transistor TO-92 - Pkg of 12 SALE 5 bags at .57/pkg, 10 bags at .47/pkg	$0.98
2N7000	N-ch MOSFET 200mA, 60V TO-92 SALE pkg of 25 pieces at 2.17/pkg	$0.14

Part Number	Description	Price
1N4936	Fast Recovery Rectifier Diode 1A, 400 PRV - Pkg of 10	$0.67
W02G	Bridge rectifier 200 PRV, 1.5A	$0.39
1N34A	Germanium Diode (RF detector, "crystal" radios, etc.) SALE! - bag of 20 for only 1.67	$0.17
1N914	Switching Diode - Pkg of 10	$0.48
1N4148	Switching Diode - Pkg of 10	$0.48
1N5231B	Zener Diode - 5.1V 1/2W	$0.09
1N5819	Schottky Diode 40V, 1A (also replaces 1N5817, 1N5818)	$0.18
LED-R	Red LED diffused T1-3/4 (5mm) - Pkg of 10	$0.98
LED-G	Green LED diffused T1-3/4 (5mm) - Pkg of 10	$1.08

Part Number	Description	Price
4N25	Optoisolator 6-DIP SALE 10 at .24 ea	$0.29
4N26	Optoisolator 6-DIP SALE 10 at .24 ea	$0.29
4N27	Optoisolator 6-DIP SALE 10 at .24 ea	$0.25
4N33	Optoisolator Darlington 500% current xfer ratio 6-DIP SALE 10 at .22 ea, 50 at .19 ea	$0.29
PS2501-1	Optoisolator - single, 4-DIP VERY FEW LEFT	$0.39