Sources

From Pumping Station One

Resources re-sources [ree-sawrsez] –noun 1. a source of supply, support, or aid, esp. one that can be readily drawn upon when needed. 2. an indexed organized list of people and places that you can utilize for your project. Kinda like the list found below.

Electrical

Reference

Suppliers

  • Electric Scooter Parts A one-stop source for homebrew electric vehicle drive systems. Be sure to check out the customer project pages to see what was built using their drive equipment. Location: boulder Creek, CA
  • EESCO Formerly known as Englewood Electric Supply Company. General supplier of electrical parts and supplies. Location: See website for your nearest local retail store
  • GEM Electric Supply General supplier of electrical parts and supplies. Location: See website for your nearest local retail store

Electronics

Reference

Suppliers

General Electronics Suppliers

  • Allied Electronics General electronics supplier. Location: Ft. Worth, TX
  • DigiKey General electronics supplier. Location: Thief River Falls, MN
  • Mouser General electronics supplier. Location: Mansfield, TX
  • MakerShed MAKE Magazines own store. Kits, parts, books and supplies.
  • Adafruit Industries Wide range of Micro controllers, parts and tools. A very nice Arduino experimentation kit is offered. Location: New York, NY
  • Newark General electronics supplier. Location: Palatine, IL
  • Sparkfun Maker geared kits, parts and supplies. Location: Boulder, CO
  • MPJA Surplus electronics and related tools. Location: Lake Park, FL
  • Tri-State Electronics General electronics supplier. Location: Mt. Prospect, IL
  • West Florida Components General electronics supplier. Location: Tarpon Springs, FL
  • Jameco Electronics General electronics supplier. Location: Belmont, CA
  • Brilldea: Electronics, software and tools targeted towards prototype development. Provides Discount - Contact direct and mention PS:One Location: Hong Kong, China
  • Chicago Electronic Distributors: Local member owned business specializing in Raspberry Pi, Arduino & BeagleBone. Distributor for Adafruit. Contact via website for discount and logistics.

Specialty Electronics Suppliers

  • Happ Game Controls Location: Elk Grove, IL
  • Hebei LTD LEDs Location: Shanghai, China
  • SchmartBoard Easy prototyping of PC Boards, accounts for ICs of various types.
  • All Electronics Motors/batteries and misc equpment
  • Monoprice Ridiculously cheap cables, mostly A/V, and a few other things.

Robotics

Custom PC Boards

Free Stuff

  • Chicago Freestore Periodic reoccurring free exchange store. Check website for current address and hours. Location: Chicago, IL
  • Freecycle chicago’s free stuff website. Mailing list membership required. Local chapters across the country.
  • Craigslist Has a “Free” section oddly located in the “For Sale” section.

Genetic Sciences

  • Public Library of Science Biological and medical journals. All articles free.
  • PubMed PubMed comprises more than 19 million citations for biomedical articles from MEDLINE and life science journals. Recent articles may require payment, free .pdfs in PubMed Central.
  • PubGet Biology articles and journals on-line.
  • OMIM - Online Mendelian Inheritance In Man OMIM is a comprehensive, authoritative, and timely compendium of human genes and genetic phenotypes.
  • Cn3D Cn3D is a helper application for your web browser that allows you to view 3-dimensional structures from NCBI's Entrez retrieval service. Cn3D runs on Windows, Macintosh, and Unix. Cn3D simultaneously displays structure, sequence, and alignment, and now has powerful annotation and alignment editing features.
  • Entrez Life sciences search engine.
  • CDD - Conserved Domain Database Conserved domains are functional units within a protein that have been used as building blocks in molecular evolution and recombined in various arrangements to make proteins with different functions.
  • Biosystems Molecular Interactions Database A biosystem, or biological system, is a group of molecules that interact in a biological system. One type of biosystem is a biological pathway, which can consist of interacting genes, proteins, and small molecules. Another type of biosystem is a disease, which can involve components such as genes, biomarkers, and drugs
  • Probe Sequence-specific reagents database.

Industrial Suppliers and Vendors

Broad Range

  • Grainger Longstanding industrial supplier. Note: Sales restricted to commercial accounts only however “employee sales” can cheerfully be made through personal contacts whose companies have accounts. Locations: See website for your nearest local branch
  • McMaster-Carr THE source for EVERYTHING industrial! Raw materials to finished items, copy paper to robot brains to left hand threaded screws, no minimums. And they’ll sell to anyone! One of the best sales websites on the internet that you can use for idea generation and physical specifications. Lots of cross ref charts. The coin cell battery reference is outstanding! Some listings have multiple format 2 and 3D drawings available.
  • MSC Industrial Supply A wide range if industrial supplies with a focus towards the metalworking industry.
  • Motion Industries Wide range of industrial supplies with a focus on power transmission equipment and parts. Locations: See website for your nearest local retail store
  • Bearing Headquarters Suppliers of power transmission supplies, electric motors and shafting. Locations: See website for your nearest local retail store
  • Jordan Industrial Supplier of industrial supplies and raw materials. Location: Wheeling, IL

Capitol Equipment

  • Harbor Freight Cheap Chinese tools and machinery…cheap. Locations: See website for your nearest local retail store
  • Grizzly Tools Chinese and Taiwanese sourced tools focusing on wood and metalworking equipment. Location: Muncy, PA
  • Enco Long established importer of metalworking equipment, consumables and supplies. Location: Fernley, NV
  • Little Machine Shop A source for tabletop mill and lathe parts and supplies. Location: Pasadena, CA

Mechanical

Reference

Suppliers

  • DPX Systems Turn your DeWalt drill into a power drive to power other stuff like scooters, wheel chairs, hoists, toolboxes, etc. Location: Las Vegas, NV
  • Jordan Industrial Supply Heavy-duty hardware distributor. Location: Wheeling, IL
  • Habasit Belting Sells through distributors such as Motion Industries. If you are making a large tracked robot and need tracks they are your supplier.
  • VXB Bearings A source for inexpensive bearings used in homebrew machines and gizmos. Also hybrid ceramic bearings. Location: Anaheim CA
  • Lee Spring For when you can't find a particular spring ready-made on McMaster. They've got all shapes & sizes. Must register before viewing catalog.

Miscellany

Recycling

Raw Materials

Chemicals

  • United Nuclear Small amounts of chemicals and lab apparatus. They even sell uranium and elemental sodium. Location: Laingsburg, MI
  • Fire Fox FX Pyro chemicals. Note the stringent registration policy. Location: Pocatello, ID

Fabrics

Local

  • Joann Fabrics And Crafts Large source of fabrics, sewing supplies and craft materials. Locations: See website for your nearest local retail store. (Closest to PS:One is just south in the mall at Elston & Logan, near Microcenter.)
  • Vogue Fabrics One of the best fabric stores in the area, arguably one of the best in the Midwest. Wide selection of fabric for clothing and home decor. Also have corset-making supplies and a wide range of patterns from independent pattern companies. The store in Evanston on Main Street (near the Main St. CTA station) is better than the one on Roosevelt Road.
  • Fishman's Fabrics High end fabric for clothing and home decor. These days the retail store is more of a showroom for their wholesale business so in many cases you are shopping from swatches, but still a good store. Just off Roosevelt Road east of the highway, near the Roosevelt Road Vogue Fabrics and Binny's South Loop.
  • ParaGear Parachute fabrics and cords. Basically anything used on a parachute. Location: Skokie, IL
  • The Leonard Adler Company "Sewn product construction necessities." Wondering where the local tailoring/alterations shop goes to get things like rolls of elastic, bolts of interfacing, and boxes of buttons? They almost certainly get it all from this warehouse at 3018 W. Montrose Ave. (just a few blocks east of Montrose & Kedzie). The company has been selling tailoring, dressmaking, and furrier supplies in Chicago since 1903. In many cases, what he has is much better and less expensive than the chain fabric stores. And he's local, so you don't even have to pay shipping.
  • Jay Arbetman, Arbetman and Assoc. also known as Chicago Wholesale Fabrics. 2256 West Grand, in Chicago. He represents a huge number of fabric manufacturers. Relatively low minimum order, less than ten yards in many cases. Also lots of sewing findings in addition to what Leonard Adler carries. Obviously a far better selection than the fabric chain stores, and he is often less expensive as well. But you will have to plan ahead, as most of it must be ordered. Also has PFD (prepared for dyeing) fabrics. If you are gearing up to start an Etsy shop and need fabric, this is the place to go.

Online

  • Becon Fabrics And Notions An amazing assortment of drapery supplies, webbing, flagcloth and other outdoor fabrics. Great website for idea generation. Location: Lakeland, FL
  • Less EMF Conductive fabric and thread. Enough said.

Junk & Salvage

Masonry

Metal

  • Metal Supermarkets — A source for metals, all kinds and shapes, no minimums. Location: Five locations in Chicagoland.
  • D. Wexler & Sons — A36 steel. A small supply shop, very friendly, will answer your questions. Location: 47th St, Chicago
  • Otis-Oakley — Sells scrap steel, as well as some new steel. Location: California Ave and Fulton St, Chicago
  • MetalsDepot — A source for metals, all kinds and shapes, no minimums. Location: Winchester, KY

Paper

  • Xpedx Retail Stores Retail small printer supply house. Papers, boxes, inks, plate making supplies. Locations: See website for your nearest local retail store.
  • Graytex Papers Graytex Papers provides specialty papers and a greater choice of paper sizes. Location: Justin, TX

Wood

Plastic

  • Inventables — All sorts of maker-y hardware and materials, including laserable size acrylic. Friend of PS:One! Location: Chicago.
  • Petersen plastics — sheet plastics and manufacturing services. Location: Chicago.
  • Rayco Sign Supply — roll vinyl for the use with the vinyl cutter, and other sign-making supplies. Location: Chicago
  • Eager Polymers — Liquid thermosets: Silicones, epoxies, moldmaking, etc. Location: 48th St, Chicago
  • Abbey Specialties — laserable acrylic, potentially other plastics and rubbers (talk to Tony) — PS:1's landlord — literally next door

Reference

Calculators And Conversions

Chemical

Creativity, Brainstorming, Learning And Teaching

Food

Engineering

  • eFunda: The Ultimate Engineering Fundamentals Site eFunda stands for engineering Fundamentals. Its mission is to create an online destination for the engineering community, where working professionals can quickly find concise and reliable information to meet the majority of their daily reference needs.
  • Small Drive Parts Reference From Stock Drive Products.
  • Technologystudent.com The information sheets cover a wide range and include, the design process, gear systems, electronics, cams, printed circuit boards, PIC microcontrollers/computer control, key words/phrases, structures, vocational work, technology and cultures, basic CNC work. They are intended to provide a valuable resource for teachers and pupils AND they are free.

General

Workshop

Reading Materials

Books

Title (Links to Amazon.com), Author, ISBN, Description

Chemistry

Computer sciences

Crafts

Electricity & Electronics

  • Electrical Motor Controls (Hardcover) Rockis 9780826916716 Considered to be the standard text for text books in the field. This textbook presents technical information on the control devices used in contemporary industrial electrical systems. A sampling of topics includes electrical safety, solenoids, reversing motor circuits, power distribution systems, solid-state relays, reduced-voltage starting, PLCs, and DC and AC circuits.
  • Telephone Repair Illustrated (Hardcover) Bigelow 0830640347 This guide will take you through beginning and intermediate levels of telephone repair.

Engineering & Design

Food

  • Cooking for Geeks: Real Science, Great Hacks, and Good Food (O'Reilly Media; 1 edition (August 9, 2010)) (Paperback) Potter 0596805888 Initialize your kitchen and calibrate your tools. Learn about the important reactions in cooking, such as protein denaturation, Maillard reactions, and caramelization, and how they impact the foods we cook. Play with your food using hydrocolloids and sous vide cooking. Gain firsthand insights from interviews with researchers, food scientists, knife experts, chefs, writers, and more, including author Harold McGee, TV personality Adam Savage, chemist Hervé This, and xkcd.

General Reference

  • Dr. Deming: The American Who Taught the Japanese About Quality (Paperback) Aguayo 9780671746216 This is a classic book that is very useful for those who need a gentle introduction to Total Quality Management. Although 15 years old with some rather dated examples, the message it gives is still relevant and important.
  • Pocket Ref (Paperback) Glover 1885071337 Pocket Ref is a unique book. It is part encyclopedia, part trivia tome, part entertainment and part dispute-solver. Buried in the various tables and charts are tons of data and facts to aid the reader, roadside mechanic or budding MacGyver. There is also a full size version that does not require a microscope to read.

Human Factors

Hydraulics

  • Vickers Industrial Hydraulics Manual (Hardcover) Vickers 9780963416209 Eaton Fluid Power Training's Industrial Hydraulics Manual have set the standard for the industry for many years. Clear, plainly written text and high-quality illustrations make the Vickers Industrial Hydraulics Manual the most popular hydraulics text both in plants and at local college bookstores.

Inventions & Inventing

Learning & Problem Solving

Material Sciences

manufacturing processes.

Metalworking & Machining

Old Things New

Physics

Robotics

Magazines

Title, (Type), Description

Retail Suppliers

  • American Science and Surplus All around awesome store, and we get a discount! Customer Number is 12025714. Retail locations in Jefferson Park, Geneva, and Niles.
  • Edmund Scientific Wide range of science related toy, games and kits. Location: Tonawanda, NY
  • Brick Link Kind of like eBay or Amazon but for Lego bricks.

Surplus