Last revised: April 15, 2007
Back to my Home page
In the past couple of years, the role of electronics, and especially stepper motors, has increased dramatically. The modern ATM is often a computer user who controls the telescope with a computer, or other electronic drive system. To that end, the ATM Resource List has been expanded to include more electronics dealers. Stepper motors are often available cheap or free from various sources. There are many excellent web resources for those new to using stepper motors; among the best is Jones on Stepper Motors.
San Jose, California (408) 943-9773 Go To Alltronics Alltronics is an industrial surplus electronic dealer. Good source for stepper motors and drive electronics. (A recent catalog had ten stepper motors, and an assortment of ten for $16.95). HeNe laser tubes, power supplies, vacuum tubes, logic and linear integrated circuits. Minimum order $15.
3605 W. Howard St., Skokie, IL 60076. Go To American Science & Surplus (Formerly American Surplus, Inc., Jerryco.) Has carried copier lenses for finder scopes, heat ropes for dew-removal, and lots of weird stuff.
888 Lorimer Street, Brooklyn NY 11222-3912 USA, 718-383-0100; Out Of State Call Toll Free: 800-527-3091 FAX: 718-349-2518 or Fax toll free 800-434-7520 Large Inventory For Emergency Or J.I.T. Shipping. Brass and other tubing. Recently added over 60 items, plus will do custom tubing. Email bkatc@att.net
Toll free: 800-DigiKey (800-344-4539) Go to Digi-Key Digi-Key is an electronics components retailer. Free catalog. They do not have a minimum order amount, but add a $5 handling fee on orders for less than $25. No additional charge for normal shipping (delivery within a week).
365 Blair Road, Avenel, New Jersey 07001, Phone 1-800-972-2225 (In NJ 1-732-381-8020) Fax 1-732-381-1572 Electronics components retailer. Free catalog. $20 Minimum Order. Go to Electronics Express or Email electron@elexp.com
P.O. Box 728, Hastings, NE 68902 (402)463-6633 Visit Hastings Irrigation Supplier of aluminum irrigation tubing . One reader "obtained some that's .064" wall thickness and comes in 12, 10, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3" diameters. The tubing is pretty cheap (the 6" by 4' was $12.24 + shipping (8/94)) and the company ships COD" Minimum order $50. (11/96).
(800) 848-8001. Industrial surplus. Electronics, stepper motors, power supplies. AC and DC motors. No minimum order, but $5 handling for small orders (under $25). Free catalog. Go To Herbach and Rademan
(516) 848-8236. Go to MPJA Another electronics-oriented surplus dealer. Power supplies, optics, and stepper motors have been in their catalog. Minimum order $15.
(800) 346-6873 Go To Mouser Yet another industrial distributor of electronic parts. Free catalog. $5 handling fee on orders for less than $20.
Various offices, check locally or call Chicago headquarters (312) 784-5100 One of the largest industrial distributors of electrical parts. Big catalog. Minimum order of $25 for prepaid order (check with order).
Public Missiles, Ltd., 349 Cass Avenue, Suite C, Mt. Clemens, Michigan 48043 810-468-1748 Office, 810-465-2911 Fax, 888-PUBLICM Orders Like Hastings Irrigation, these folks probably won't know what you're doing with their products. They sell high-power rocketry kits and construction supplies, including phenolic tubes. Email 75272.1666@compuserve.com or, for Tech Support, ADWaddell@home.com or visit http://publicmissiles.com/
2183 Zanker Road, San Jose, CA 95131, (800) 523-2807 or (408) 441-1111 (FAX) (408) 441-2070 Teflon and other plastics. Contact Dennis Hopp in sales.
1-800-742-7246
Another irrigation supplier. The tubing is available in two wall thicknesses in most cases(.064 and .083) for 8 and 10 inch O.D. tubing. O.D. tubing is available in 2,3,4,5,6,8,10, and 12 inch sizes. E-Mail@rainforrent.com13980 N.W. 58 Ct. P.O. Box 4650, Miami Lakes, FL 33014-0650 305-557-8222 Go To Small Parts Small gears, tubes, nylon, teflon, screws, setscrews, taps, tools and enough other small mechanical parts to glaze over the eyes of any model builder. If you can't find it here, it doesn't exist!
Tangent Instruments, 1691 Spinnaker Drive, Suite 202, Ventura, CA 93001 (805)642-3136 contact: Rick McWilliams. Tangent is reported to manufacture the Astromaster for Celestron, the Lumicon Sky Vector and Orion's Sky Wizard. It has been reported that they will sell to the rest of us. They have a website at http://www.tangentinstruments.com/ but it is content free - just a listing of this contact information.
Guy Lautard, 2570 Rosebery Avenue, West Vancouver, B.C., Canada V7V 2Z9 "We supply books, plans, videos and workshop accessories that will be of interest to machinists, apprentice machinists, gunsmiths, shop instructors, model and experimental aircraft builders, clockmakers, and home shop machinists - in fact, anyone who works with metal." is what the web site says. If you need metal tools and skills for ATM projects, check out these guys. Go to Guy Lautard
Back to my Home page