Julian's Postbag:

PCB Prototype $2 for 10 PCBs (Any Color): jlcpcb.com
/ julian256
eBay Links:
100PCS 2x5x7mm Rectangle LED Green Colou Green Light Emitting Diode NEW ebay.us/A3ab6W
100pcs F5 5mm WHITE Straw Hat Superbright LED Light LED lamp NEW ebay.us/ytQRbz
300pcs 10 Value 50V 10pF To 100nF Multilayer Ceramic Capacitor Assortment Kit ebay.us/ylrYwP
20pcs TL074 TL074CN IC OP AMP QUAD JFET DIP-14 ebay.us/2BoF3R
Solid Solder 0.3mm Dia Flux Core 63% Tin 37% Lead Long Wire Reel M1B8 ebay.us/Jy12qb
MECHANIC Reparing Solder Soldering Paste XG-50 (XG-500) 42g Sn63/Pb37 25-45 E7W1 ebay.us/X7Vxyz
30CC-50CC Plastic Transparent Air Tubing Glue Dispenser Syringe Adapter #Unbranded ebay.us/Hf0Ari
60pcs Electrical Wire Copper Lug Battery Cable Ring Connector Terminal #Unbranded ebay.us/uO8TkA

[@proluxelectronics7419]

Tip about solder paste, It's thixotropic, The more you stir it the thinner it gets.

[@KennethTanFotografie]

Remember the time you were testing this powerbank, and we were all watching and cringing seeing you put the 18650 in backwards..... Those were the good old days. You could have not posted this, but you did it anyways.

[@DrexProjects]

I remember that. I think I commented.

[@beware_the_moose]

That moment when you slash through a lithium cell you weren't expecting....

[@AdamWelchUK]

Nice looking set of trojans you’ve got there Julian.

[@mrroobarb]

pf = puff (that's how I would say it) - can't stop laughing at the amount of poofs (or is it pooves) lol - best upload so far. Seriously though - great stuff as ever Julian, keep up the good work! You've opened a whole new viewership... sorry, I'm still laughing... brilliant!

[@rimmersbryggeri]

In sweden the consumer outlets seem to have quit the Pb/Sn solder but the proffessional ones still seem to carry it.

[@mahlapropyzm9180]

Fine solder is better, even for through hole as it melts more quicly and risks fewer bridges. You get much better control of the amount added, especially useful for hand soldering SMD.

[@tablatronix]

Does anyone know what the air tube locking connector is called? The supply end. Same for those press compression rings.

[@DrexProjects]

Techcon Systems 533 Male Connector

[@ElmerFuddGun]

Buying simple basic components like capacitors can be a real pain on ebay. Deciding what type of capacitor, voltage, and value and then you have to search through a cazillion listings because of different wording (and spelling) and quantities. Arrrrgghhhh!

[@simontay4851]

Thats why you should buy caps on farnell/cpc.

[@james10739]

Ya i think i have some of that jinhu solder looks the same anyways on that orange spool but it sucks

[@ats89117]

Thumbs up, but would have liked to see you test the capacitance of the ones in the kit, and also the foam that your leaded ICs came in to see if it is conductive...

[@Frankhe78]

What current do those green LED's consume? What would be the wear of a low brightness high current LED?

[@Sylvan_dB]

Those lugs don't match the description. Described as closed end for sealing, all the ones I saw in your kit were open end (the end of the wire can poke right thru to the 6mm/8mm bolt hole).

[@jeffbluejets2626]

Lugs are tinned copper and size is sq mm with hole size as you found.

[@pintokitkat]

You tease. What's in the black bag?

[@kirkb4989]

That Jinhu solder is really weird and I have issues soldering with it as well. It really wants the iron and board/component really HOT to solder. It also likes added flux then it can made to work. I wish I had seen your experience with it BEFORE I had ordered. Keep up the good work...

[@sciencetroll6304]

What's in the black bag ???

[@noggin73]

I bought some cheap solder (looks like that Jinhu). Crap but it was useful when I made a mains PCB (power supply for a C64) where I wanted heavy traces.

[@howardadams4072]

Caution with the cable lugs, as I have found the mm CSA of the cable is not extended right through the lug especially where the solder hole is located and at the terminal itself.

[@PilotPlater]

Hey Julian, How do you keep all your parts organized? I have so many mish-mash bins, bags, and clamshells of parts that I always struggle to stay organized. I've been trying to get more and more containers like the ones in the video, but always seems like the containers I get are never the right size for some parts.

[@JulianIlett]

I don't really - it's all a bit of a mess.

[@PilotPlater]

@@JulianIlett hahaha.... I was worried you'd say that!

[@____________________________.x]

Andy Plater - I try to buy only the “Really Useful” brand of boxes, they are super strong, have locking lids and stack securely. Slightly expensive, but it’s worth it to be able to quickly scan the transparent lids for what I’m looking for.

[@Roy_Tellason]

I buy ziplock plastic bags, with "hanging hole" at the top, which then allows me to keep them in the order I want with rings that snap together. Three different sizes so far, 2x3, 3x5, and 4x6, which is sometimes not big enough. So I have a ring for diodes, one for 2SA transistors, one for 2SB, 2N, one for FETs, etc. Then all transistors go in a box, diodes in another, capacitors in yet another, and so on. It's fairly quick for me to find the exact part that I'm looking for, shuffle the bags around the ring to the opening point, pop it off and take the bag off to get the part out. I see so many newbs that seem to be enamored of lots and lots of little plastic drawers, so they can have their stock of parts on display or something, but that's a bugger to deal with when you want to add something in the middle of things, shuffling stuff around etc.

[@markgreco1962]

my oh my you are in a wonderful mood.

[@bluedeath996]

The mechanic solder I got from LCSC is pretty good. You should give that a go. In fact, mechanic makes pretty good stuff generally for the money.

[@DrGreenGiant]

Just done my first order on jlcpcb. A lot easier than pcbway who I used to use. Less options but meh. Ordered the components from lcsc too. Will let you know how I get on! Cheers for the recommendation

[@callumBee]

Starting to love ordering from Banggood as their EU Priority service is like 5 days and comes via Yodel (Shudder).

[@nkos6376]

i really enjoy your videos mostly because there isn't any OP theme :)

[@chamrog1973]

whats in the black package? :P

[@JulianIlett]

Luer Lock syringes :)

[@JohnSmith-bb2np]

@B GG He has been using syringes to dispense solder paste on PCBs, and he has gotten a lot of decent but negative feedback, including from me. I told him because of his problems I chose to use a jar of paste, the same as he got today. It's not easily done without a stencil to squeegee the solder paste across. And there isn't always a stencil for every project, unless you buy one for your manufactured PCB.

[@JulianIlett]

Probably nothing - application of solder paste by cocktail stick is where I'm at right now :)

[@JohnSmith-bb2np]

@@JulianIlett Me too, but with 2 sticks to help get the blob off of the first one, and to control the amount delivered. Stirring the paste first helps a lot too.

[@simonhopkins3867]

@B GG well said. Although I expect Julian has developed thick skin by now 😉

[@MrBBea4]

OH comm-on Julien, don't tease us...You KNOW you will now get at least 100 comments about the one you did'nt open? LOL. Perhaps you could create a small contest as to what is in that bag. Could it be finger puppets?...I miss Granny...

[@Jaycsee66]

I bought a roll of that solder. I'm not very happy with it. In my opinion there is not enough flux.

[@Jaycsee66]

It was cheap stuff off of ebay. But I have bought some really good solder cheaply off of ebay in the past.

[@KentHambrock]

Why do you say nanoferad for nF, but poof instead of picofarad for pF?

[@JulianIlett]

I tried saying 'nuf' for nanofarads, but it doesn't have a very impactful sound. Puf, on the other hand, sounds awesome :)

[@abeleski]

how long will the solder paste keep for?

[@TheMozza30]

Hi Julian I buy my solder from cromwell tools in the UK and they have plenty of tin lead solder, not the cheapest i guess 20 odd pounds for 500 grams, but just wanted to let you know its not all gone yet :)

[@sdgelectronics]

CPC still sell it too

[@JulianIlett]

I have an account with CPC - perhaps I'll order a few reels :)

[@_who_cares_1123]

Is there a way to send you post? Do you have a PO Box?

[@mcsniper77]

Quite some time ago I purchased a 50 pack of TL081CP 's from one of my tusted ebay stores. Today i went to use one and to my shock every one is dead, I couldn't believe it. Has anyone else experienced this?

[@____________________________.x]

mcsniper77 - literally everyone, always try to buy from a non Chinese seller, like old stock from Poland or something. Always check their feedback for a slew of negative feedback and don’t buy anything for 99p

[@jparky1972]

Would a resistor not have fixed the green LEDs? SIL even!

[@sdgelectronics]

I may be wrong, it's a long time since I used that chip, but i think it used a current source rather than just plain output transistors

[@Apollo-p1l]

I think Jason means a SIP resistor array?Does seem slightly mad relying on luck when purchasing LEDs for a project, when you can alter brightness very easily.

[@jparky1972]

@@Apollo-p1l Haha. Yes. ☺ P and L are right next to each other on the keyboard.

[@sdgelectronics]

@@Apollo-p1l no, I mean the LM3915 uses an internal current source with the current set by an external resistor. A series resistor or SIL resistor package on the LED will have no effect until you go past the compliance voltage of the chip

[@Apollo-p1l]

Ahh right. OK.

[@gregorythomas333]

In my experience the Silver/Lead will work much better than the Tin/Lead for most electronics.

[@MikeB_UK]

Cheap Chinese solder is a lottery. Go to somewhere like RS components and buy some decent multicore lead solder. They don't seem to be running out. For what you get in a big spool it's not really that expensive and you keep a great British electronic suppliers alive too.

[@certified-forklifter]

postbag! I love it :)

[@pvc988]

Wow, what a color difference between these LEDs. I know that camera messes up colors but still…

[@Sylvan_dB]

supposed to be color difference. The older tech produces a yellow green (and the ebay title described it as such). I think the newer ones are actually using a phosphor to convert blue or UV down to green.

[@timm3802]

Thanks for yet another great post video. Ps. I really dislike Survy2014 on Ebay. I brought some fake IC's of him and gave him 1 star. He the banned me from buying from him again. So I can NOT recomment to buy from Survy2014.

[@STONEDay]

Good morning! :-) Whoa...someone is slash happy this morning!

[@californiakayaker]

Its almost as if the lower brightness LED has internal stabilization ? Actually thought you had a tantalum assortment at first . Do people still use those ? The mechanics solder paste got a far better rating than the sex toys in that black bag !

[@fiskurtjorn]

All those comments making Julian enjoy his joke!

[@ElmerFuddGun]

You used IC sockets on the vocoder meter so why not fix that first board? But first you should test the LEDs side by side (in series) to confirm they have the same brightness between the different colours.

[@JulianIlett]

Totally re-designing the vocoder PPM meter - 2 PCBs, matt black LED board, green op-amp board, linked at right angles with dupont header pins :)

[@ElmerFuddGun]

@@JulianIlett - Interesting though I like the one board idea. But I'm guessing your idea is also focused around what will actually work well in the vocoder case. BUT you still need to test those new LEDs and why let that first _trial_ board go to waste? Pull the ICs, yank out the bad LEDs, and put in the new ones. A board like that will still be useful on the bench for other things.

[@duncanx99]

@@JulianIlett Are we going to get to see this new design in detail?

[@Roy_Tellason]

What about testing in a breadboard?

[@eddiespencer1]

You might want to search "AplhaFry" or "alphafry" when looking for solder.

[@mysterythecat971]

Crowd: Black Bag! Black Bag! Black Bag! Black Bag! Black Bag! Black Bag! Black Bag! Black Bag! Black Bag! Black Bag! Black Bag! Black Bag!

[@mahlapropyzm9180]

Chinesium solder is pretty much pot luck. Aiui, the PB/Sn ratios are not always as stated on the reel. I got tow types - Hanwuyou brand which is horrible, flows like Dairylea cheese and leaves dull (but functional) joints and Kaina brand which is lovely, melts easily flows nicely and leaves a nice shiny finish on the joint. Androkavo did a review of various types and saw similar results. Make sure you check the brand in the picture before you order, though that's not always a guarantee of what will come through the letter box. kzbin.info/www/bejne/nJbJZZKbpc-lias kzbin.info/www/bejne/a3zYaHxpnaZmd6M

[@AW-Services]

Do not use the hammer crimper on those terminals. Get yourself a handheld hydraulic hex crimper

[@californiakayaker]

Or at least a good double action lever crimper...

[@abeleski]

you should try lift the batteries with both hands instead of single handed

[@Magic-Smoke]

Reminds me of Tim - nice but dim 😂

[@TheDutyPaid]

Loads of good 60/40 lead solder on RS Components. Just saying..

[@simontay4851]

why aren't you buying high quality british made warton metals solder. Its a bit more expensive than the cheap crappy chinese solder but its consistently high quality and you're supporting UK manufacturing. Its the only solder i buy.

[@____________________________.x]

Huzzah!

[@kyoudaiken]

Why didn't you just add resistor arrays instead of using ugly yellow "green" LEDs? D:

[@standishgeezer]

Not really all that difficult to get good 60/40 leaded solder in the UK yet (RS Components, CPC etc.) unless you are a cheapskate or haven't searched properly.

[@ollieb9875]

I can't remember what brand of solder I bought from China ages ago but it was "ok".. more recently, last year sometime I suppose, I did just take the plunge and get the 0.7mm 60/40 solder from Rapid - the 500g reel (85-0595) OK it's like £25 or something but it feels like it just will last forever. rs-online do some more hideously expensive lead solder as well I think. It'll be interesting to see how your tests on this Chinese stuff turns out! I mean.. it can't be *terrible* right? Mind you.. seeing the state of some of their soldering it does make me wonder sometimes. I guess they use the lead free..

[@SpeccyMan]

You'll not be buying from Rapid anymore as they have stopped supplying it to hobbyists! "Please note: This product contains lead and rosin. As of 1st March 2018 the supply of solder containing lead at a concentration above the relevant limit as set out under Article 67 (by virtue of Annex XVII of the REACH regulation) is restricted to professional use only."

[@ollieb9875]

@@SpeccyMan Yes, I never thought about it really. I'm not sure what "professional use" is either. I would have thought I could buy it through our VAT registered company or something.. guess I'll look in to that. Checking rs-online they'll still do their own brand stuff which is about £30 it looks like.

[@JulianIlett]

That'll all be fixed after Brexit... not :)

[@YTANDY100]

@@JulianIlett the uk will never leave the eu the way there going at the job unless the eu get fed up and boot us out :-(

[@uK8cvPAq]

Hey Julian are you related to the guy who created fake taxi?

[@Apollo-p1l]

What is fake taxi?

[@uK8cvPAq]

Best let your Mother explain.

[@ramrod126]

4:15 "Unless you are willing to spend these large amounts of money". You, good sir, have never paid 5 dollars for a single LED from Radio Shack and it shows. LOL.

[@newburypi]

👍 done! 😀

[@JulianIlett]

Thanks :)

[@ivleontellus]

Whats in the black bag?!!!!

[@pdrg]

Severed finger

[@captainpugwash4100]

Chicken feed, is my guess!

[@duncanx99]

Blue smoke refill cartridges to repair blown components...

[@jagardina]

This is a comment about the package you didn't open. OPEN IT. RESPOND TO MY MESSAGE. Thanks, nice video.

[@sparkyprojects]

First number on the lugs is the wire size in square mm, second os hole size Good luch soldering them with the TS100 :D Unless you have a crimper like i do Now you'll get 1000 replies asking what's in the black bag :P

[@JulianIlett]

Wire size in mm² - makes sense :)

[@jecceworks]

You are right, in mm²

[@microyetigus]

TOYS!!TOYS!!!TOYS!!!!!!! toys

[@MrKolegaL]

Cold White Straw Hat LEDs - Big Clive would not approve! Great bag of goodies, thanks Julian!

[@duncanx99]

I brought several reels of tin-lead solder with me from the UK - all "Ersin Multicore", in two diameters (normal and thin). It seems completely resistant to tarnishing and will outlast me, no that it has long to go on that front... I also have some bars of solder, tubs of Ersin "Imp" flux and two tinsmith's soldering irons, one 'heat on the cooker' and one electric - they don't get used much, but when you need 'em, you've got 'em...

[@borayurt66]

Best way not to get 1000 comments on a particular item is showing it and not opening it. Now you'll get 10000 comments...

[@johndripper]

what happened between u and bangood ? :'(

[@JulianIlett]

I decided to stop doing the reviews :)

[@beware_the_moose]

Creates a lot of pressure if you feel compelled to review...been there personally.

[@californiakayaker]

I've been unhappy with them. The only way I can order anything is to only order one item (I can order multiple of the same item) and not two different items. They seem to skip one of the items. They have very poor responses, ignoring you and saying they want video and photos of when you opened the bags ! NOT HAPPY !

[@Roy_Tellason]

@@californiakayaker I have overall been satisfied with my purchases from them, but four LED level indicator kits all came with defective LM3915 chips -- LEDs 2 and 3 never light! Replacements are supposed to be on the way...

[@californiakayaker]

@@Roy_Tellason The problem I've had with them is communications related. There is no method of communications other than a check off menu . Not that I have found .

[@____________________________.x]

Oh no, crimps.... This is going to be another “crimp the wire with the wrong tool and then solder it” type video, further perpetuating the wrong way to do it. Almost as annoying as the “burning heat-shrink with a cigarette lighter” videos. For the love of meatballs, I hope a patreon sends you their ratchet crimp tool.

[@KennethTanFotografie]

I'm sorry, but your Chanel is going down hill fast Julian. You were my No1 goto Chanel a few years ago, with good builds, postbags (I've got the idea that you are the first doing POSTBAG on youtube) en learning stuff. Now, it's all about nothing interesting. Just wanted to share my feeling with you. I know you made great projects especially all about microcontrollers., renewable Power en LEDs. Please get back on that track!.

[@JulianIlett]

My interests change over time - I'm sure your's do too :)

[@ElmerFuddGun]

Everything Julian does isn't going to be _interesting_ to everyone all the time. I wish he got back into doing some micro-controller stuff too like the PICs.

[@KennethTanFotografie]

@@JulianIlett You are the boss of your Chanel Julian.

[@sdgelectronics]

@@JulianIlett don't mind the haters! I came to this channel to watch random ebay purchases and electronics. I don't think anything has changed

[@beware_the_moose]

I'm inclined to agree in a sense... however it is Julian's choice, and I'd rather he chased his hobby than views, because apparently shitty diesel heaters get the most views...so be careful what you wish for, people!! ;P

[@mattlaptop5728]

Please just buy a pair of scissors. They are not difficult to use, cheap as chips and it would stop me (and other viewers) cringing at the start of your videos. Thanks.

[@pulesjet]

Those Chines Lugs and Terminals are made with some sort of HARD AZZ metal. Using a regular Crimp tool is all but impossible. Why didn't you just bump up the Current limiting resistor on your meter ? ( Marked 200 ) 20P x 0 Multiply . That's a standard marking.

[@AdrianHiggins83]

Good morning 🤗

[@certified-forklifter]

have a great day :)

[@AdrianHiggins83]

noname 999999 got to love the fake names

[@ElmerFuddGun]

*_1000 comments_* here we come! - 8:10 Seriously though comments help in the YT system. AND now the comments are going to be _what is that?!?!_

[@JulianIlett]

I like reading the comments, but anything related to soldering (particularly reflow) seems to bring out the mindless trolls.

[@ElmerFuddGun]

@@JulianIlett - True but you have to expect some of that when you are doing things _differently_ from the norm. I've found it interesting following your home made dispenser so don't let them stop you!

[@duncanx99]

@@JulianIlett I'm still looking for a "toaster oven" at an affordable price (sympathy for the pensioner welcomed), so I'm up for reflow stuff...

[@TKomoski]

👍

[@Basement-Science]

You know, you _could_ just add a large value resistor to LEDs that are too bright.

[@JulianIlett]

The bright ones are a horrible colour too :)

[@SpeccyMan]

@@JulianIlett Yes, they are hideously nausea-coloured :P

[@beware_the_moose]

Also, good lead free solder is actually fine these days if you buy good stuff. Stop cheaping out on solder! VOC free paint however, that's still a work in progress..!

[@sdgelectronics]

I'll be interested to see if that's true. I'm doing a big comparison of 25+ solder wires soon on my channel

[@JulianIlett]

That I shall look forward to :)

[@beware_the_moose]

@@sdgelectronics I use "shenmao" so be sure to try that, I find it just fine!

[@sdgelectronics]

@@JulianIlett it's cost a fortune 😂

[@sdgelectronics]

@@beware_the_moose I'll have a look to see if I can find it but I need to stop buying or I'll never record the video

[@michaelstevens630]

Begging for votes made me go the other way

[@JulianIlett]

I never beg - I ask nicely :)

[@juncusbufonius]

So instead you get a comment on how annoying it is to have someone say "I'm not going to open this". Hey make the whole video like that and it'll go a lot faster. That is of course the point I stopped watching at.

[@Chriva]

*Oh, a Julian video* *Turns the sound down before watching just in case* :D

[@JulianIlett]

Very sensible :)

[@____________________________.x]

Christian Ivarsson - I routinely skip the first minute of videos to avoid Americans asking me “hey guys, how’s it going?”. I believe I’ve saved 2,062 hours of my life so far.

[@Chriva]

@@____________________________.x First: He's a Brit (A fun one at that I might add) :) Secondly: It has more to do with his habit of a: Cranking his audio gear to eleven without knowing it and then blow everyone's ears off or b: he toys with something that makes an awful amount of noise :D

[@josephnealescratchcards]

2

[@John_Smith__]

I would Never buy copper connectors .. buy some Copper pipe, that small one for Home pipping hot water. .. cut the pipe and smash one tip with a hammer ... make a hole on the flat smashed end and you got yourself a very good quality connector ...

[@____________________________.x]

John Smith - no, that will not make a proper cold weld joint, a few heat cycles and it’s possible to pull that apart. That’s why the correct tooling is specified for industry. I dread seeing crimp videos, because everyone mashes them with pliers.

[@John_Smith__]

@@____________________________.x It's a Connector ... if have have "300C heat cycles " then truly the connector is your last problem ... just crimp those with any crimping tool and you got a Excellent connector for a much lower price ..and you still get to used a very good Copper pipe with the leftover's ... all wins ...

[@____________________________.x]

@@John_Smith__- Nobody mentioned 300C heat cycles? simply any thermal expansion will degrade a smashed joint. "Any crimping tool" - this is the problem, too many people (especially on youtube) imagine a crimp tool is something that resembles a pair of pliers. I tested crimps in industry for QA purposes, smashed joints are not suitable for something that can dump 200 amps though it, especially as it looks like he's leaving all these batteries out in the rain again.

[@John_Smith__]

@@____________________________.x I agree on the crimp tools, what I do not agree is about the copper pipes. Absolutely suitable to high currents no problem. And thermal cycles? They are made for Hot and Cold water to cycle trough them ... no problem there whatsoever. And if the temperature is too hot then it is a serious problem and not with the connectors for sure. I also agree with the adequate crimping tools, but that is also a matter of knowing the tools. And of course leaving the batteries out in the rain is a major mistake. A cover at minimum is absolutely a must.

[@____________________________.x]

@@John_Smith__ - why doesn't NASA make all its crimps with a hammer then? It would months in assembly time. No one questioned the use of copper, the issue is the quality of the crimp that hammering makes, you simply can not make a cold weld, there is not enough pressure. Again, this is nothing to do with water pipes? Vibration will loosen a connection, thermal cycling has the same effect on crimps, so does cold flow. Companies spend millions on testing these effects because planes fall out of the sky when they get it wrong, this is why there is a right and a wrong way to do something. Julian is free to do this the wrong way, just as long as he makes clear what is the right way.

[@Bodragon]

Julian. Please start calling LEDs, LEDs. OK, so that's a bit obtuse. I mean, everyone on your channel knows who Dave Jones is and he doesn't call them: "Elleedees". No! He calls them "LEDS" Come on Julian, please update your lexicon. We're at the back end of the twenty-tens. Not the early eighties. Thanks Julian. I just "Know" you now "get it." *_Thanks again._*

[@al_kaloid]

Just don't. Guess it's mostly a convenience thing, other than that it just sounds plain stupid to me every time I hear it. The aussie argument is also quite iffy imo. Who refers to australian pronunciation as the way to go anyway? LOL. Gotta admit it's not all black and white.. I don't know anyone referring to a field effect transistor as F.E.T.? But it's "A.C." rather than "ACK", innit?

[@Bodragon]

​@@al_kaloid Fair point but I think it has something to do with the minimum number of letters in the initialism. AC or DC for example. Well, there is no other common-sense way of pronouncing DC than Dee-See. As for AC, I suppose "Ack" might do but then what about DC? "Ack" - "Dee-See"? No. How about: "Ack-D'k? Well, what do you think?" What about Digital to Analog Converter? Don't we all say "DAC"? You see, i t depends not only on the minimum number of letters in the initialism, (in this case 2, when we are considering AC-DC), but also on the one group of the two letter's relationship, linguistically, with the second group. So, if you are *forced* to say: "DC" (two consonants), we are also forced to follow the same rule with AC and say "Ay-See", rather than "ack" I know this has been quite a long and tedious reply and I could go on but I am starting to feel quite tired myself. All the best, Mohnbroetchen, All the best.

[@SpeccyMan]

@@Bodragon It is ELL EE DEE since it is an abbreviation. Led is a verb! I've been calling them ELL EE DEE for over 40 years and will never resort to lazy Americanisms or Aussieisms!

[@ElmerFuddGun]

Well I prefer _L E D._ I think it is because _led_ sounds just like _lead_ that some say instead of solder. Some just work better spelling it out and others make nice words like lasers. What is definitely wrong is when some people say LOL as a word!

[@sdgelectronics]

@@SpeccyMan good man

[@sciencetroll6304]

What's in the black bag ????

[@sciencetroll6304]

What's in the black bag ?????