Tin whiskers and other packaging problems

[Pat Pending]

Thanks all. Most of the info came from the Gent I referred to. He only lived a couple of hundred yards from us for twelve years, but I only got to know him a couple of months ago when I saw some cardboard boxes in a skip outside his house when he was about to move, that had a load of old valves in them (That's another story). I went to the door to ask about them, and found out that I had been living near this very knowledgeable and interesting chap, and had only swapped polite greeting when we had met walking the dogs! It's good to talk!

Garry. I notice you're from the Southend area. I used to deal with a company on the airport industrial estate called BK electronics. Never used to enjoy trying to get over the Army & Navy roundabout at Chelmsford during rush hour in an overloaded Transit, but there was always a friendly welcome and a cuppa waiting when I got there. Do they still exist, the last time I went to that neck of the woods it looked like they've built a new city on the road out past where Perrys garage is/was?

Thanks Mark. Glad to pass this on. I think the old proverb about understanding your past helps you plan your future, is a good reason to document these sorts of anecdotes. I noticed that the picture of the transistor didn' t come out to well, the original file was about 50 k, did I do something wrong on the upload?
Regards. Andy.