Just checked. $79 USD on Amazon. Just the
bare board, no accessories.
Weren't these things supposed to be under $10 ???
Wow !
Memory chip production redirection surely
plays its part - but beyond even that ...
A 2-Zero is SUPPOSED to be the next thing
to electronic NOTHING. What the fuck has
happened ???
[added comp.sys.raspberry-pi]
Still 16,93 euro at this Dutch shop <https://www.kiwi-electronics.com/nl/raspberry-pi-zero-2-w-10770?search=pi%20zero%202w>According to <https://rpilocator.com> they had stock yesterday, or are
But...
1. not available atm
[added comp.sys.raspberry-pi]
On Tue, 4 Aug 2026 00:53:21 -0400, c186282 wrote:
Just checked. $79 USD on Amazon. Just the
bare board, no accessories.
Weren't these things supposed to be under $10 ???
Wow !
Memory chip production redirection surely
plays its part - but beyond even that ...
A 2-Zero is SUPPOSED to be the next thing
to electronic NOTHING. What the fuck has
happened ???
Still 16,93 euro at this Dutch shop <https://www.kiwi-electronics.com/nl/raspberry-pi-zero-2-w-10770?search=pi%20zero%202w>
On 8/4/26 09:04, s|b wrote:
Still 16,93 euro at this Dutch shop <https://www.kiwi-electronics.com/nl/raspberry-pi-zero-2-w-10770?search=pi%20zero%202w>
Only interested in US prices.
On Wed, 5 Aug 2026 01:53:35 -0400, c186282 wrote:
On 8/4/26 09:04, s|b wrote:
Still 16,93 euro at this Dutch shop
<https://www.kiwi-electronics.com/nl/raspberry-pi-zero-2-w-10770?search=pi%20zero%202w>
Only interested in US prices.
They do international shipping and you can change the language on the
website to English. But hey, if you want to stick with Amazon and make
Bezos even richer than he already is...
On Wed, 5 Aug 2026 01:53:35 -0400, c186282 wrote:
On 8/4/26 09:04, s|b wrote:
Still 16,93 euro at this Dutch shop
<https://www.kiwi-electronics.com/nl/raspberry-pi-zero-2-w-10770?search=pi%20zero%202w>
Only interested in US prices.
They do international shipping and you can change the language on the
website to English. But hey, if you want to stick with Amazon and make
Bezos even richer than he already is...
On 05/08/2026 18:47, s|b wrote:
re4 13,99 ex VAT
And out of stock
The point is almost NO one has Pi zeros AT ALL right now. The price is irrelevant
On Wed, 5 Aug 2026 18:57:11 +0100, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
On 05/08/2026 18:47, s|b wrote:
re4 13,99 ex VAT
That's what the site says, but the price you pay would be VAT included.
AFAIK only business owners can buy ex VAT (in a Dutch shop).
And out of stock
That's what I said. They expect to have new ones by Oct 2026, but who
knows? (There's a button to get a notification when they're available
again.)
The point is almost NO one has Pi zeros AT ALL right now. The price is
irrelevant
The OP is about the price, so I tend to disagree. I did however forgot 2 things: tariffs and the power supply. That would have to be bought in
the US. I have no clue what effect tariffs would have since Drumpf
changes his mind like every 5 minutes on this.
That's what I said. They expect to have new ones by Oct 2026, but who
knows? (There's a button to get a notification when they're available
again.)
On Wed, 5 Aug 2026 18:57:11 +0100, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
On 05/08/2026 18:47, s|b wrote:
re4 13,99 ex VAT
That's what the site says, but the price you pay would be VAT included.
AFAIK only business owners can buy ex VAT (in a Dutch shop).
And out of stock
That's what I said. They expect to have new ones by Oct 2026, but who
knows? (There's a button to get a notification when they're available
again.)
The point is almost NO one has Pi zeros AT ALL right now. The price is
irrelevant
The OP is about the price, so I tend to disagree. I did however forgot 2 things: tariffs and the power supply. That would have to be bought in
the US. I have no clue what effect tariffs would have since Drumpf
changes his mind like every 5 minutes on this.
On Wed, 05 Aug 2026 20:14:34 +0200, s|b wrote:
That's what I said. They expect to have new ones by Oct 2026, but who knows? (There's a button to get a notification when they're available again.)
DigiKey isn't that optimistic. They're saying sometime next year.
PSUs are generic
But Pi zeros are unobtanium right now, except at silly money
I can wait. I think I have a spare one somewhere
Hey, was JUST SAYIN' ... the ridiculous price
was what I saw on US Amazon the other day.
Pi0s were supposed to be DIRT CHEAP - now
they're "exotic", EXPENSIVE, tech. This is
not all 'tariffs' either. Pi stuff was always
way over-priced if you bought it in the USA.
On Thu, 6 Aug 2026 02:22:11 -0400, c186282 wrote:
Hey, was JUST SAYIN' ... the ridiculous price
was what I saw on US Amazon the other day.
Pi0s were supposed to be DIRT CHEAP - now
they're "exotic", EXPENSIVE, tech. This is
not all 'tariffs' either. Pi stuff was always
way over-priced if you bought it in the USA.
Point taken.
On Wed, 5 Aug 2026 19:49:58 +0100, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
PSUs are generic
But Pi zeros are unobtanium right now, except at silly money
I can wait. I think I have a spare one somewhere
'unobtanium', I love it when I learn a new word/expression. If I could
only remember it, so I can use it myself some day. (-:
I did a quick search yesterday and found 2 Dutch and 2 Belgian stores
that still had them in stock for under 20 euro. But those were Zero W,
not Zero 2 W. I didn't check if they shipped internationally, probably
not, so they're of no use to many people here.
On 8/5/26 14:14, s|b wrote:
On Wed, 5 Aug 2026 18:57:11 +0100, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
On 05/08/2026 18:47, s|b wrote:
re4 13,99 ex VAT
That's what the site says, but the price you pay would be VAT included.
AFAIK only business owners can buy ex VAT (in a Dutch shop).
And out of stock
That's what I said. They expect to have new ones by Oct 2026, but who
knows? (There's a button to get a notification when they're available
again.)
The point is almost NO one has Pi zeros AT ALL right now. The price is
irrelevant
The OP is about the price, so I tend to disagree. I did however forgot 2
things: tariffs and the power supply. That would have to be bought in
the US. I have no clue what effect tariffs would have since Drumpf
changes his mind like every 5 minutes on this.
-a Hey, was JUST SAYIN' ... the ridiculous price
-a was what I saw on US Amazon the other day.
-a Pi0s were supposed to be DIRT CHEAP - now
-a they're "exotic", EXPENSIVE, tech.
This is
-a not all 'tariffs' either. Pi stuff was always
-a way over-priced if you bought it in the USA.
On 06/08/2026 07:22, c186282 wrote:
-a Hey, was JUST SAYIN' ... the ridiculous price
-a was what I saw on US Amazon the other day.
-a Pi0s were supposed to be DIRT CHEAP - now
-a they're "exotic", EXPENSIVE, tech.
No. They are just in very short supply
This is
-a not all 'tariffs' either. Pi stuff was always
-a way over-priced if you bought it in the USA.
Then buy it direct from the UK!
To be fair, 'merkins do have tariffs and import fees and whatnot to worry about these days. It's not as simple for them as it is for us.
On 06/08/2026 14:14, Theo wrote:
To be fair, 'merkins do have tariffs and import fees and whatnot to worry
about these days.-a It's not as simple for them as it is for us.
I wonder what would happen if (once available again) you bought 1000 Pi zeros in the UK, put them in a suitcase and flew home with them, and
then sold them on Ebay...
On Wed, 5 Aug 2026 19:49:58 +0100, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
PSUs are generic But Pi zeros are unobtanium right now, except at silly
money
I can wait. I think I have a spare one somewhere
'unobtanium', I love it when I learn a new word/expression. If I could
only remember it, so I can use it myself some day. (-:
On 5 Aug 2026 22:03:21 GMT, rbowman wrote:
On Wed, 05 Aug 2026 20:14:34 +0200, s|b wrote:
That's what I said. They expect to have new ones by Oct 2026, but who
knows? (There's a button to get a notification when they're available
again.)
DigiKey isn't that optimistic. They're saying sometime next year.
Yesterday, I did a quick search for Raspberry Pi Zero and found 2 Dutch
and 2 Belgian stores who still had them in stock and sold them under 20
euro. Just saying...
I was in Boston on business a short time after my house got burgled and
my CD collection stolen. I filled my suitcase with replacement CDs at
2/3rd the price of the UK...
On 06/08/2026 14:14, Theo wrote:
To be fair, 'merkins do have tariffs and import fees and whatnot to
worry about these days. It's not as simple for them as it is for us.
I wonder what would happen if (once available again) you bought 1000 Pi
zeros in the UK, put them in a suitcase and flew home with them, and
then sold them on Ebay...
'Unobtanium' is a device that exists but you can't buy at the present
time. The Zero is a current example. In the early '80s vendors were
quoting similar lead times of over a year on commodity chips. That, in
part, impacted IBM's PC design.
On Thu, 6 Aug 2026 12:57:46 +0100, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
I was in Boston on business a short time after my house got burgled and
my CD collection stolen. I filled my suitcase with replacement CDs at
2/3rd the price of the UK...
The tax man must have missed your collection. I returned from a Canadian
site where I'd been setting up a system and had my toolbox, including a
few octal relays in case I had to replace any. The relays were Japanese
and I did not have proof that they had been purchased in the US so they charged me the import duty.
The customs officers were being pricks. US and Canadian relations have
been mixed far before Trump. When the countries are in a pissing contest citizens crossing the borer bear the brunt. I was next to a guy clearing
the Canadian side. He was a shoe salesman with his sample case. They
nailed him for the duty even though he pointed out they were all left foot shoes.
On Thu, 6 Aug 2026 12:57:46 +0100, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
I was in Boston on business a short time after my house got burgled and
my CD collection stolen. I filled my suitcase with replacement CDs at
2/3rd the price of the UK...
The tax man must have missed your collection. I returned from a Canadian site where I'd been setting up a system and had my toolbox, including a
few octal relays in case I had to replace any. The relays were Japanese
and I did not have proof that they had been purchased in the US so they charged me the import duty.
The customs officers were being pricks. US and Canadian relations have
been mixed far before Trump. When the countries are in a pissing contest citizens crossing the borer bear the brunt. I was next to a guy clearing
the Canadian side. He was a shoe salesman with his sample case. They
nailed him for the duty even though he pointed out they were all left foot shoes.
On 06/08/2026 19:42, rbowman wrote:
On Thu, 6 Aug 2026 12:57:46 +0100, The Natural Philosopher wrote:But you live in the land of 'Big Bootiful Tariffs'
I was in Boston on business a short time after my house got burgled
and my CD collection stolen. I filled my suitcase with replacement CDs
at 2/3rd the price of the UK...
The tax man must have missed your collection. I returned from a
Canadian site where I'd been setting up a system and had my toolbox,
including a few octal relays in case I had to replace any. The relays
were Japanese and I did not have proof that they had been purchased in
the US so they charged me the import duty.
The nation that thinks the rest of the world does not exist, or is a
third world shit hole
On 06/08/2026 19:22, rbowman wrote:
'Unobtanium' is a device that exists but you can't buy at the present
time. The Zero is a current example. In the early '80s vendors were
quoting similar lead times of over a year on commodity chips. That, in
part, impacted IBM's PC design.
No. Unobtanium is a substance that does NOT exist. But would solve
massive problems if it did.
On Wed, 5 Aug 2026 19:49:58 +0100, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
PSUs are generic
But Pi zeros are unobtanium right now, except at silly money
I can wait. I think I have a spare one somewhere
'unobtanium', I love it when I learn a new word/expression. If I could
only remember it, so I can use it myself some day. (-:
I did a quick search yesterday and found 2 Dutch and 2 Belgian stores
that still had them in stock for under 20 euro. But those were Zero W,
not Zero 2 W. I didn't check if they shipped internationally, probably
not, so they're of no use to many people here.
On Thu, 6 Aug 2026 21:39:43 +0100, The Natural Philosopher wrote:Once again, I speak universal usage.
On 06/08/2026 19:22, rbowman wrote:
'Unobtanium' is a device that exists but you can't buy at the present
time. The Zero is a current example. In the early '80s vendors were
quoting similar lead times of over a year on commodity chips. That, in
part, impacted IBM's PC design.
No. Unobtanium is a substance that does NOT exist. But would solve
massive problems if it did.
Once again, I speak American.
"Unobtainium is a humorous engineering and fictional term for a
hypothetical material that has the ideal, perfect properties for a
specific application, but is impossible to get or does not actually
exist. It combines the word "unattainable" with the chemical suffix "-ium
On 07/08/2026 11:38, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
"Unobtainium is a humorous engineering and fictional term for a
hypothetical material that has the ideal, perfect properties for a
specific application, but is impossible to get or does not actually
exist. It combines the word "unattainable" with the chemical suffix "-ium
Stating the obvious, here, but that should say "unobtainable" not "unattainable" ... I've never heard of "Unattainium", but it sounds like
it should be a hypothetical element that exists but can't be extracted
... a bit like potassium was before Humphrey Davy and electrolysis.
I might also mention "Handwavium", which means, you know ...
... and "Chinesium" which so many cheap imported goods are made from.
On 07/08/2026 13:35, Daniel James wrote:
On 07/08/2026 11:38, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
"Unobtainium is a humorous engineering and fictional term for a
hypothetical material that has the ideal, perfect properties for a
specific application, but is impossible to get or does not actually
exist. It combines the word "unattainable" with the chemical suffix "-ium
Stating the obvious, here, but that should say "unobtainable" not "unattainable" ... I've never heard of "Unattainium", but it sounds like it should be a hypothetical element that exists but can't be extracted
... a bit like potassium was before Humphrey Davy and electrolysis.
I might also mention "Handwavium", which means, you know ...
that is new to me.,..
... and "Chinesium" which so many cheap imported goods are made from.
...That isn't!
A late friend had a similar word for pot metal. [Zinc alloy casting].
Can't remember what it was.
The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> wrote:
On 07/08/2026 13:35, Daniel James wrote:I had a friend who used to call that "Muckite".
On 07/08/2026 11:38, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
"Unobtainium is a humorous engineering and fictional term for aStating the obvious, here, but that should say "unobtainable" not
hypothetical material that has the ideal, perfect properties for a
specific application, but is impossible to get or does not actually
exist. It combines the word "unattainable" with the chemical suffix "-ium >>>
"unattainable" ... I've never heard of "Unattainium", but it sounds like >>> it should be a hypothetical element that exists but can't be extracted
... a bit like potassium was before Humphrey Davy and electrolysis.
I might also mention "Handwavium", which means, you know ...
that is new to me.,..
... and "Chinesium" which so many cheap imported goods are made from....That isn't!
A late friend had a similar word for pot metal. [Zinc alloy casting].
Can't remember what it was.
On 07/08/2026 13:35, Daniel James wrote:
On 07/08/2026 11:38, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
"Unobtainium is a humorous engineering and fictional term for a
hypothetical material that has the ideal, perfect properties for a
specific application, but is impossible to get or does not actually
exist. It combines the word "unattainable" with the chemical suffix
"-ium
Stating the obvious, here, but that should say "unobtainable" not
"unattainable" ... I've never heard of "Unattainium", but it sounds
like it should be a hypothetical element that exists but can't be
extracted ... a bit like potassium was before Humphrey Davy and
electrolysis.
I might also mention "Handwavium", which means, you know ...
that is new to me.,..
... and "Chinesium" which so many cheap imported goods are made from....That isn't!
A late friend had a similar word for pot metal. [Zinc alloy casting].
Can't remember what it was.
Today - "CanaKit" Pi5 at $259. Was less than half that 18 months ago.
"Kit" (box + a few options) from various makers running $354 to $209.
The higher RAM versions seem especially affected since basically all
memory-makers shifted production to "AI"-friendly stuff.
On 8/7/26 06:10, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
A late friend had a similar word for pot metal. [Zinc alloy casting].
Can't remember what it was.
Don't know about that one. I want to know where to buy "scratch", there
are so many things that can be made...
On 2026-08-07, wmartin <wwm@wwmartin.net> wrote:
On 8/7/26 06:10, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
A late friend had a similar word for pot metal. [Zinc alloy casting].
Can't remember what it was.
Don't know about that one. I want to know where to buy "scratch", there
are so many things that can be made...
I've heard of a place called "Theory". I want to move there,
because so many things work in Theory.
On 8/7/26 06:10, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
On 07/08/2026 13:35, Daniel James wrote:Don't know about that one. I want to know where to buy "scratch", there
On 07/08/2026 11:38, The Natural Philosopher wrote:that is new to me.,..
"Unobtainium is a humorous engineering and fictional term for a
hypothetical material that has the ideal, perfect properties for a
specific application, but is impossible to get or does not actually
exist. It combines the word "unattainable" with the chemical suffix
"-ium
Stating the obvious, here, but that should say "unobtainable" not
"unattainable" ... I've never heard of "Unattainium", but it sounds
like it should be a hypothetical element that exists but can't be
extracted ... a bit like potassium was before Humphrey Davy and
electrolysis.
I might also mention "Handwavium", which means, you know ...
... and "Chinesium" which so many cheap imported goods are made from....That isn't!
A late friend had a similar word for pot metal. [Zinc alloy casting].
Can't remember what it was.
are so many things that can be made...
On 2026-08-07, wmartin <wwm@wwmartin.net> wrote:
On 8/7/26 06:10, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
A late friend had a similar word for pot metal. [Zinc alloy casting].
Can't remember what it was.
Don't know about that one. I want to know where to buy "scratch", there
are so many things that can be made...
I've heard of a place called "Theory". I want to move there,
because so many things work in Theory.
On 8/7/26 06:10, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
On 07/08/2026 13:35, Daniel James wrote:Don't know about that one. I want to know where to buy "scratch", there
On 07/08/2026 11:38, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
"Unobtainium is a humorous engineering and fictional term for a
hypothetical material that has the ideal, perfect properties for a
specific application, but is impossible to get or does not actually
exist. It combines the word "unattainable" with the chemical suffix
"-ium
Stating the obvious, here, but that should say "unobtainable" not
"unattainable" ... I've never heard of "Unattainium", but it sounds
like it should be a hypothetical element that exists but can't be
extracted ... a bit like potassium was before Humphrey Davy and
electrolysis.
I might also mention "Handwavium", which means, you know ...
that is new to me.,..
... and "Chinesium" which so many cheap imported goods are made from....That isn't!
A late friend had a similar word for pot metal. [Zinc alloy casting].
Can't remember what it was.
are so many things that can be made...
e
On 8/7/26 14:01, wmartin wrote:
On 8/7/26 06:10, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
A late friend had a similar word for pot metal. [Zinc alloy casting].Don't know about that one. I want to know where to buy "scratch",
Can't remember what it was.
there are so many things that can be made...
-a In USA, the term "pot metal" has been around for
-a a very long time. Mostly zinc but with who-knows-
-a what also mixed in there. It's not a consistent
-a recipe.
-a IS good enough for low-stress housings and such
-a however and easy to cast/machine. Better than
-a plastic but not as good as decent aluminum or
-a steel alloy. HAS it's place IMHO.
On 2026-08-08 04:48, c186282 wrote:
e
On 8/7/26 14:01, wmartin wrote:
On 8/7/26 06:10, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
A late friend had a similar word for pot metal. [Zinc alloyDon't know about that one. I want to know where to buy "scratch",
casting]. Can't remember what it was.
there are so many things that can be made...
-a-a In USA, the term "pot metal" has been around for
-a-a a very long time. Mostly zinc but with who-knows-
-a-a what also mixed in there. It's not a consistent
-a-a recipe.
-a-a IS good enough for low-stress housings and such
-a-a however and easy to cast/machine. Better than
-a-a plastic but not as good as decent aluminum or
-a-a steel alloy. HAS it's place IMHO.
I think I have seen motors used in kitchens have very cracked metal housings. Probably this pot metal.
I might also mention "Handwavium", which means, you know ...
... and "Chinesium" which so many cheap imported goods are made from.
On 07/08/2026 13:35, Daniel James wrote:
I might also mention "Handwavium", which means, you know ...
... and "Chinesium" which so many cheap imported goods are made from.
The late, great, Terry Pratchett wrote of "Narrativium", which he said
was the raw material from which stories are constructed.
... there's also "Corium", which is the name given by nuclear engineers
to the the material created in the core of a nuclear reactor that is (inadvisedly) allowed to melt down ... as has happened at Three Mile
Island, Chernobyl, and Fukushima.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corium_(nuclear_reactor)
On 07/08/2026 13:35, Daniel James wrote:
I might also mention "Handwavium", which means, you know ...
... and "Chinesium" which so many cheap imported goods are made from.
The late, great, Terry Pratchett wrote of "Narrativium", which he said
was the raw material from which stories are constructed.
... there's also "Corium", which is the name given by nuclear engineers
to the the material created in the core of a nuclear reactor that is (inadvisedly) allowed to melt down ... as has happened at Three Mile
Island, Chernobyl, and Fukushima.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corium_(nuclear_reactor)
On 2026-08-08 04:48, c186282 wrote:
e
On 8/7/26 14:01, wmartin wrote:
On 8/7/26 06:10, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
A late friend had a similar word for pot metal. [Zinc alloyDon't know about that one. I want to know where to buy "scratch",
casting]. Can't remember what it was.
there are so many things that can be made...
-a-a In USA, the term "pot metal" has been around for
-a-a a very long time. Mostly zinc but with who-knows-
-a-a what also mixed in there. It's not a consistent
-a-a recipe.
-a-a IS good enough for low-stress housings and such
-a-a however and easy to cast/machine. Better than
-a-a plastic but not as good as decent aluminum or
-a-a steel alloy. HAS it's place IMHO.
I think I have seen motors used in kitchens have very cracked metal housings. Probably this pot metal.
The alloy does not seem very resistant to vibration.
-a It's soft enough you'd THINK it would be, but its not.
-a Most aluminum alloys and 300 series stainless are
-a not super-good with vibrations either - though
-a better than 'pot metal'. I've seen 'magnesium' tire
-a rims crack too.
-a Only steel - esp nearly pure iron - seems to stand
-a up to vibration, but it's HEAVY. Some cast iron,
-a like that previously used for engine blocks, can
-a be pretty good but will fracture on a sharp impact.
-a I've seen old cracked engine blocks too.
-a Plastics - they start 'crystalizing'/decomposing
-a the instant they're made.
On 09/08/2026 01:47, c186282 wrote:
-a The alloy does not seem very resistant to vibration.The problem is mainly that its has no fixed composition, Its random non ferrous scarp mainly. Use a magnet to get the iron and steel and melt
-a-a It's soft enough you'd THINK it would be, but its not.
what is left over perhaps
-a-a Most aluminum alloys and 300 series stainless arePot metal is heavy and brittle in my experience.
-a-a not super-good with vibrations either - though
-a-a better than 'pot metal'. I've seen 'magnesium' tire
-a-a rims crack too.
Came across it back in the day in toys, carburettor castings, thermostat housings..valve covers..all stuff that needed shape retention but no
great strength
-a-a Only steel - esp nearly pure iron - seems to standCast iron is brittle.That's why they used to use wrought iron - but it
-a-a up to vibration, but it's HEAVY. Some cast iron,
-a-a like that previously used for engine blocks, can
-a-a be pretty good but will fracture on a sharp impact.
-a-a I've seen old cracked engine blocks too.
was expensive.
Then making steel got super cheap and that was that. Whole generation learned to treat and alloy steel to get almost whatever you want
-a-a Plastics - they start 'crystalizing'/decomposing
-a-a the instant they're made.
Not all of them. Like steel, there is a huge range. There's many a radio case made of 'Bakelite' or stuff skinned with 'Formica'-a or floored with 'linoleum'....still functioning
Epoxy and glass fibre PCBs dating from the 1970s are still OK, as are phenolic resin items
PVC however is very short lived, In the sun
Nylon is intermediate - UV ageing often gets it
Jury is still out on polycarbonate, ABS-a and ASA.
In fact one of the eco gripes about plastics is that they *don't* degrade.
Nevertheless there are plastic gobbling bugs thriving at the bottom of
the sea apparently, eating all those microplastics.
Beware the SweepingStatement...
On 2026-08-09 14:20, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
On 09/08/2026 01:47, c186282 wrote:
-a The alloy does not seem very resistant to vibration.The problem is mainly that its has no fixed composition, Its random
-a-a It's soft enough you'd THINK it would be, but its not.
non ferrous scarp mainly. Use a magnet to get the iron and steel and
melt what is left over perhaps
-a-a Most aluminum alloys and 300 series stainless arePot metal is heavy and brittle in my experience.
-a-a not super-good with vibrations either - though
-a-a better than 'pot metal'. I've seen 'magnesium' tire
-a-a rims crack too.
Came across it back in the day in toys, carburettor castings,
thermostat housings..valve covers..all stuff that needed shape
retention but no great strength
-a-a Only steel - esp nearly pure iron - seems to standCast iron is brittle.That's why they used to use wrought iron - but it
-a-a up to vibration, but it's HEAVY. Some cast iron,
-a-a like that previously used for engine blocks, can
-a-a be pretty good but will fracture on a sharp impact.
-a-a I've seen old cracked engine blocks too.
was expensive.
Then making steel got super cheap and that was that. Whole generation
learned to treat and alloy steel to get almost whatever you want
-a-a Plastics - they start 'crystalizing'/decomposing
-a-a the instant they're made.
Not all of them. Like steel, there is a huge range. There's many a
radio case made of 'Bakelite' or stuff skinned with 'Formica'-a or
floored with 'linoleum'....still functioning
Epoxy and glass fibre PCBs dating from the 1970s are still OK, as are
phenolic resin items
PVC however is very short lived, In the sun
PVC is used here for window frames and blinds. I had a place with such,
40 year old, and good. Yellowish, though. And more brittle.
Nylon is intermediate - UV ageing often gets it
Jury is still out on polycarbonate, ABS-a and ASA.
In fact one of the eco gripes about plastics is that they *don't*
degrade.
They fragment into microplastics.
Nevertheless there are plastic gobbling bugs thriving at the bottom of
the sea apparently, eating all those microplastics.
Beware the SweepingStatement...
Not all of them. Like steel, there is a huge range. There's many a radio
case made of 'Bakelite' or stuff skinned with 'Formica' or floored with 'linoleum'....still functioning
Epoxy and glass fibre PCBs dating from the 1970s are still OK, as are phenolic resin items
On 2026-08-09 14:20, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
On 09/08/2026 01:47, c186282 wrote:
-a The alloy does not seem very resistant to vibration.The problem is mainly that its has no fixed composition, Its random
-a-a It's soft enough you'd THINK it would be, but its not.
non ferrous scarp mainly. Use a magnet to get the iron and steel and
melt what is left over perhaps
-a-a Most aluminum alloys and 300 series stainless arePot metal is heavy and brittle in my experience.
-a-a not super-good with vibrations either - though
-a-a better than 'pot metal'. I've seen 'magnesium' tire
-a-a rims crack too.
Came across it back in the day in toys, carburettor castings,
thermostat housings..valve covers..all stuff that needed shape
retention but no great strength
-a-a Only steel - esp nearly pure iron - seems to standCast iron is brittle.That's why they used to use wrought iron - but it
-a-a up to vibration, but it's HEAVY. Some cast iron,
-a-a like that previously used for engine blocks, can
-a-a be pretty good but will fracture on a sharp impact.
-a-a I've seen old cracked engine blocks too.
was expensive.
Then making steel got super cheap and that was that. Whole generation
learned to treat and alloy steel to get almost whatever you want
-a-a Plastics - they start 'crystalizing'/decomposing
-a-a the instant they're made.
Not all of them. Like steel, there is a huge range. There's many a
radio case made of 'Bakelite' or stuff skinned with 'Formica'-a or
floored with 'linoleum'....still functioning
Epoxy and glass fibre PCBs dating from the 1970s are still OK, as are
phenolic resin items
PVC however is very short lived, In the sun
PVC is used here for window frames and blinds. I had a place with such,
40 year old, and good. Yellowish, though. And more brittle.
Nylon is intermediate - UV ageing often gets it
Jury is still out on polycarbonate, ABS-a and ASA.
In fact one of the eco gripes about plastics is that they *don't*
degrade.
They fragment into microplastics.
Nevertheless there are plastic gobbling bugs thriving at the bottom of
the sea apparently, eating all those microplastics.
Beware the SweepingStatement...
PVC is used here for window frames and blinds. I had a place withThat's UPVC - treaqted to reduce the effect, but not eliminate it
such, 40 year old, and good. Yellowish, though. And more brittle.
But Corium is real and exists. And nasty
On 08/08/2026 18:44, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
But Corium is real and exists. And nasty
Yes ... but the formation of the word is similar. It is a jokey made-up
name that suggests that it is a pure substance, when it is actually an ad-hoc mixture of nuclear fuel, moderator, reactor wall materials,
concrete, and random shit that happened to get in the way when the
reactor melted.
As you say: Nasty. I wouldn't use the elephant's foot from Chernobyl as
an umbrella stand!
Yes ... but the formation of the word is similar. It is a jokey
made- up name that suggests that it is a pure substance, when it
is actually an ad-hoc mixture of nuclear fuel, moderator, reactor
wall materials, concrete, and random shit that happened to get in
the way when the reactor melted.
hardly jokey and all names are 'made up...
Curium is a synthetic radioactive chemical element with the symbol
Cm and atomic number 96. Named after scientists Marie and Pierre
Curie, it was first produced in 1944 by bombarding plutonium with
alpha particles. It is also the name of a major global
radiopharmaceutical company
Selenium. Named after the noon because it was found along with
tellurium, meaning Earth...
Tungsten: Derived from Swedish (tung + sten) because the mineral ore
is very dense and heavy.
Wolfram (Chemical Symbol W): Comes from the mineral wolframite. The
name originates from German tin miners. They called it wolfram
because the mineral hindered tin extraction by "devouring" the tin
like a wolf eats a sheep (wolf + ram/foam)
and so on....
Corium comes from a reactor CORE
nothing jokey about it
Unobtanium follows the same rules, and the joke is that the first
part means it doesn't exist or cant be sourced.
Like fairy farts and unicorn dung
The joke lies in naming it in a way that suggests it's a well-defined
pure substance.
On Thu, 06 Aug 2026 11:12:09 +0200, s|b wrote:
On Wed, 5 Aug 2026 19:49:58 +0100, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
PSUs are generic But Pi zeros are unobtanium right now, except at silly
money
I can wait. I think I have a spare one somewhere
'unobtanium', I love it when I learn a new word/expression. If I could
only remember it, so I can use it myself some day. (-:
The word has a long history. There is a nuance. 'Vaproware' is a product that is announced but doesn't exist. The prime example is when Osborne announced the successor to the Osborne 1, killing the sales of the
existing product without having the replacement in hand. Intel's 432 and Microsoft's Xenix may fall into that category.
'Unobtanium' is a device that exists but you can't buy at the present
time. The Zero is a current example. In the early '80s vendors were
quoting similar lead times of over a year on commodity chips. That, in
part, impacted IBM's PC design.
The valuable material extracted from the world of Avatar was rCLunobtainiumrCYrCoa nice geek callout which apparently levitated.
On Wed, 12 Aug 2026 04:51:01 +0000, Michael J. Mahon wrote:
The valuable material extracted from the world of Avatar was
rCLunobtainiumrCYrCoa nice geek callout which apparently levitated.
Also, the material that the craft was made from in rCLThe CorerCY (2003).
On Wed, 12 Aug 2026 04:51:01 +0000, Michael J. Mahon wrote:
The valuable material extracted from the world of Avatar was
rCLunobtainiumrCYrCoa nice geek callout which apparently levitated.
Also, the material that the craft was made from in rCLThe CorerCY (2003).
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