4 ms·

Active electronics is one are you need to be the most careful. Pop that cheap relay open and look at the components - ten to one, they'll be completely potted i

Active electronics is one are you need to be the most careful. Pop that cheap relay open and look at the components - ten to one, they'll be completely potted in opaque material that hides the fact it's using an underrated thyristor. It'll work... as long as you don't push too much current through it. It might also catch fire. You can't even trust what's printed on the ICs. Seriously, look into chip counterfeiting, it's a real problem. That's why active components from Digikey and Mouser are so much more expensive than what you see on Amazon or eBay. They can trace the components back to the fab where they were made. You pay more, but you know you're getting what you ordered.

throwawaylaptop 1y ago
I got what I ordered. A cheap remote controlled relay. That works. Do I expect it to be waterproof? No. Do I expect it to handle it's max rated load? Maybe, I'd check how hot it was after 10 minutes. Do I trust it to work safely in my use case? Yes. Other than people that buy from actual specialty stores, that's basically how buying anything works these days. You use your best judgement and continue on.
- spauldo 1y ago
  There is a place for cheap, untracked components. A hobbyist being able to pick up a bag of op amps for a couple bucks is great, even if sometimes they're not actually the part number they say they are. It's just the risk you take. When you use counterfeit power components like SCRs, the risk you take is burning down your house with your family still inside. Hey, it's your call. You're free to use what you like. Just don't say we didn't warn you.
  - throwawaylaptop 1y ago
    Millions of those 'counterfeit' components are sold inside millions of Amazon products every month to US households. Don't go warning me, I at least have a clue of what I'm doing and what to watch out for. Go warn every neighbor you have buying $20 junk on Amazon that includes the components I'm using for a specific small hobby task.

throwawaylaptop 1y ago

I got what I ordered. A cheap remote controlled relay. That works. Do I expect it to be waterproof? No. Do I expect it to handle it's max rated load? Maybe, I'd check how hot it was after 10 minutes. Do I trust it to work safely in my use case? Yes. Other than people that buy from actual specialty stores, that's basically how buying anything works these days. You use your best judgement and continue on.

spauldo 1y ago
There is a place for cheap, untracked components. A hobbyist being able to pick up a bag of op amps for a couple bucks is great, even if sometimes they're not actually the part number they say they are. It's just the risk you take. When you use counterfeit power components like SCRs, the risk you take is burning down your house with your family still inside. Hey, it's your call. You're free to use what you like. Just don't say we didn't warn you.
- throwawaylaptop 1y ago
  Millions of those 'counterfeit' components are sold inside millions of Amazon products every month to US households. Don't go warning me, I at least have a clue of what I'm doing and what to watch out for. Go warn every neighbor you have buying $20 junk on Amazon that includes the components I'm using for a specific small hobby task.