Don't let a savings opportunity get away…if you haven't visited our Facebook page's Welcome tab yet, go right now. Our April Social Networking Sale expires at the end of the month, so there are only one day left to save an EXTRA 5% OFF Simco-Ion Ionizers.
Take advantage of our special sale on Simco-Ion Ionizers like the Top Gun™3, the powerful Aerostat® XC, and the Aerostat® PC. Getting a quality, industrial ionizer from Simco-Ion AND saving money…sounds like a pretty good deal to us.
All you need to do to get your EXTRA 5% OFF savings is to "Like" us on the Welcome tab of our Facebook page. After doing that you'll have access to the April Social Networking Sale offer code and you'll be signed up to access all of our future offers on other great QSource.com products.
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Monday, April 30, 2012
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
MicroCare MCC-CBCSK Circuit Board Cleaning Station: "On the Bench" Video

Included in the MCC-CBCSK Circuit Board Cleaning Station Kit:
- 1 - MCC-ESD SolventMiser™ Trigger Grip™
- 1 - MCC-SPR SuprClean™ Defluxer high-purity cleaning fluid
- 1 - MCC-RBNB natural bristle, short nose Trigger Grip™ brush
- 1 - MCC-BK3 bench mounting kit
- 2 - MCC-WF44 high-performance lint-free dry wipes (50 per pack, 100 total)
Our MicroCare representative, Ed Roth, showed us what comes in the MCC-CBCSK kit and how the products are used.
Be sure to look for more "On the Bench" videos on QSource.com and on our YouTube channel.
Labels:
circuit board cleaner,
MCC-CBCSK,
MicroCare,
On the Bench,
YouTube
Monday, April 23, 2012
Custom Laminar Flow Cabinets on Flickr

If you have specific or custom requirements for your cleanroom contact Q Source on our Web site or call us at 800-966-6020 and one of our cleanroom experts will be happy to help.
Friday, April 20, 2012
The EEV Blog's Soldering Tutorial Video, Part 2: Basic Soldering Techniques in Action
We recently told you about an excellent video we discovered, "The EEV Blog's Soldering Tutorial Video: Fun, Informative Tips for Soldering Newbies". Today, we're back to tell you about the second video in the Electronics Engineering Video Blog's tutorial series, "EEVblog #183 – Soldering Tutorial Part 2."
Hosted once again by Dave Jones, this 34-minute video is an excellent demonstration of basic soldering techniques using the standard soldering tools discussed in Part 1 of the tutorial series. Using a Hakko 926, which has been replaced by the Hakko FX-888 Soldering Station, Jones completes several soldering applications such as soldering a standard IC onto a board, soldering wires into a D9 Solder Cup Connector, and soldering a TO-220 Metal Tab onto a board.
Jones believes that you can do a perfect solder job every time from day one if you have the right tools, rules, and techniques. And he's come up with six basic rules to follow for quality soldering results:
After watching this video, we truly believe you'll have an excellent grasp of how to perform the most basic soldering techniques. When you're ready to move on from there, Jones has a third video where he focuses on Surface Mount soldering (we'll look at Part 3 in a future blog post). As we've mentioned before, a visit to the EEV Blog will be an informative and fun experience, which will keep you coming back for more.
The Q Source Resource will be filling you in about Part 3 of this video tutorial series soon, and we will continue to present you with helpful tips and tricks as often as possible. Please let us know whenever you discover an informative piece of information that you think is worthwhile to share with the Q Source community. For more information about quality soldering products, please visit the Soldering & Desoldering Department at QSource.com.
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Dave Jones of EEVBlog |
Jones believes that you can do a perfect solder job every time from day one if you have the right tools, rules, and techniques. And he's come up with six basic rules to follow for quality soldering results:
- Use a quality-brand temperature-controlled soldering iron.
- Use a quality-brand <0.5 mm solder.
- Flux is everything. Whether it's in the solder itself or separate.
- Use the right soldering tip. The chisel shape is the best for most applications.
- Don't bring the solder to the joint! Start with the soldering iron on one side and the solder on the other side.
- Use the correct temperature for the job is incredibly important. Usually 350° Celsius/700° Fahrenheit at the most.
After watching this video, we truly believe you'll have an excellent grasp of how to perform the most basic soldering techniques. When you're ready to move on from there, Jones has a third video where he focuses on Surface Mount soldering (we'll look at Part 3 in a future blog post). As we've mentioned before, a visit to the EEV Blog will be an informative and fun experience, which will keep you coming back for more.
The Q Source Resource will be filling you in about Part 3 of this video tutorial series soon, and we will continue to present you with helpful tips and tricks as often as possible. Please let us know whenever you discover an informative piece of information that you think is worthwhile to share with the Q Source community. For more information about quality soldering products, please visit the Soldering & Desoldering Department at QSource.com.
Labels:
Dave Jones,
EEV Blog,
Hakko FX-888 Soldering Station,
How-To,
soldering,
tips,
tutorial
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Choosing the Right Brady BMP51 / BMP53 Label Materials is Key to Printing Success – Guest Blog

Portable printers, like the Brady BMP®51 and BMP®53 Label Makers, offer versatility for usability in the field that needs to be matched by versatility in label material. Both the printer and material selection are critical to getting the best result, so assuming you have identified a BMP51 or BMP53 Label Maker as your printer of choice, let's look at the four critical factors to consider when selecting a label material:
Labeling a painted concrete wall versus a pre-terminated electrical wire versus a fiber-optic cable require different properties from a label material. Some of the most used label materials are:
- Vinyl – This pliable material conforms well to uneven surfaces such as painted concrete walls. A low-shrink vinyl provides the most professional look because it reduces the amount of adhesive that will be exposed as the vinyl shrinks and, therefore, reduces the debris that will adhere to the exposed adhesive. The BMP51 and BMP53 label makers offer vinyl in 10 different color options and in four different widths, letting users personalize the labels to best fit their needs.
- Heat Shrink Tubing – While this comes in many different varieties and grades, there are several characteristics that most heat shrink tubing materials share: once printed, they will shrink down at a 2:1 or 3:1 ratio; they provide a tight fit over a pre-terminated electrical wire; and they create a durable legend. For the BMP51 label maker, heat shrink tubing is available in both white and yellow and in one continuous roll or in pre-cut 1" pieces.
- Nylon Cloth – A highly conformable material that can wrap tightly around small gauge wires and small diameter cables. When repeating lines of text are printed on a label that is wrapped around a wire, the legend is visible from all angles.
- For very thin or fragile wires, such as fiber-optic cables, a flag style label can be used to fit more information that a traditional wire wrap label allows.
- Polyester – This material works best on flat surfaces. It provides a professional look and therefore is often used as rating plates or in product branding. The most popular colors are white, clear, or metalized. The BMP51 label maker has numerous sizes of each to choose from.
However, if the environment where a label will be will be is subject to high humidity, warm temperatures, chemicals, freezing temperatures, or direct sunlight, be sure to examine the technical spec sheet of the material to see if it will last. Through different combinations of adhesives, top coats, and substrates, labels can be optimized for the diverse environments where labels are needed.
After identifying the right material for your application and environment, it is also important to consider the volume of labels you will need on a daily basis.
- Continuous labels are ideal when lower quantities of labels are needed and if the size of the label will vary greatly during use.
- If you have higher volume needs and a consistent sized legend, die cut (or pre cut) labels provide greater efficiencies. Since you can print anywhere from 10 to 100 or even 1,000 labels in one print job, you save time by not having to cut between each label. Also, if the labels are going on a cable or wire, consistent sized labels provide the most professional look for a job and help make your work look its best!
While there can be additional factors to consider when selecting which labels to purchase, by thinking through the above factors, you will set yourself in the right direction for optimizing your label purchase.
A special thank you, once again, to our guest blogger, Annie Ropella, from Brady Worldwide.
To learn more about Brady label options for the BMP51 and BMP53, or to place an order for printers, labels, and accessories, please visit QSource.com's Brady Label Printers Department or contact us by phone (800-966-6020) or email.
Labels:
Annie Ropella,
Brady,
Brady BMP51 Label Maker,
Brady BMP53 Label Maker,
Brady Labels,
Guest Blog,
heat shrink tubing,
nylon cloth,
polyester,
vinyl
Monday, April 16, 2012
Production Basics Offers New LED Lighting Option

LED bulbs from Production Basics are more durable in comparison to the standard T8 fluorescent bulbs and are more likely to avoid breakage. Cool to the touch, LED lights don't have the low buzz or flickering associated with fluorescent bulbs.

For more information about these new Production Basics Overhead LED Lights please give us a call at 800-966-6020. You can also visit our Production Basics Department for our extensive line of industrial furniture and accessories.
Labels:
fluorescent lighting,
Industry News,
LED lighting,
New Products,
Overhead LED Light,
Production Basics
Q Source's April Social Networking Sale: Still Time to Save on Simco-Ion Ionizers
Haven't taken advantage of Q Source's April Social Networking Sale to get an EXTRA 5% OFF Simco-Ion Air Ionizers? Well, don't panic, you've still got plenty of time left…but we do recommend going straight to our Facebook page right now.
The April Social Networking Sale gives you an EXTRA 5% OFF great Simco-Ion Ionizers like the Aerostat® PC, the Top Gun™3, and the powerful Aerostat® XC. So, now you can save a little more on these quality, industrial air ionizers…and isn't that worth a couple clicks on Facebook?
By visiting the Welcome tab on our Facebook page and clicking on "Like," you'll be signed up to get the offer code not only for the April Social Networking Sale, but for all our future Social Networking sales. These offer codes will give you access to great savings and special offers on select products at QSource.com.
The April Social Networking Sale gives you an EXTRA 5% OFF great Simco-Ion Ionizers like the Aerostat® PC, the Top Gun™3, and the powerful Aerostat® XC. So, now you can save a little more on these quality, industrial air ionizers…and isn't that worth a couple clicks on Facebook?
By visiting the Welcome tab on our Facebook page and clicking on "Like," you'll be signed up to get the offer code not only for the April Social Networking Sale, but for all our future Social Networking sales. These offer codes will give you access to great savings and special offers on select products at QSource.com.
Labels:
Aerostat PC,
Aerostat XC,
Air Ionizer,
Simco-Ion,
Social Network Sale,
Top Gun3
Friday, April 13, 2012
New IAC Workbench/Workstation Configuration Questionnaire Offers Expert Help for Choosing the Right Workbench

Once you visit the questionnaire link, all you have to do is fill out your contact information, answer some brief questions about your work environment/requirements, choose the workbench or workstation that you believe best fits your needs, and then click submit to send the form to us. One of our knowledgeable experts will review your information and contact you with our best recommendation to satisfy your workbench needs.
Q Source has been an authorized IAC distributor since 1998 and QSource.com offers hundreds of IAC workbenches, workstations, parts, and accessories. We are confident that we can help you find the exact IAC products you need at competitive prices. Try out our new IAC Workbench/Workstation Configuration Questionnaire now, or if you need to contact us right away, please give us a call (800-966-6020) or send us an email and we'll happily assist you.
Fight Rust with Excelta Precision Tools - Avoid the Red Plague!


The Q Source Resource wants to know what challenges you are faced with in protecting your tools AND what tips, tricks, or procedures your company uses to keep your tools damage-free and working on a daily basis. Please share your experiences with the Q Source community in a comment so we can all learn from each and create helpful solutions.
If you have any questions about Excelta tools, or if you'd like to place an order, please contact us via our Web site, phone (800-966-6020), or email.
Labels:
cutters,
Excelta,
Excelta 2600 Series,
Excelta 2800 Series,
Excelta 2900 Series,
pliers,
tweezers
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Brady Offers FREE Lean Visuals Pocketbook

The fifty suggestions have been compiled by Brady's Lean experts and can easily be implemented in any facility. Using Lean visuals in the workplace has been proven to reduce waste, increase productivity, and improve safety.
These highly useful Lean visuals examples include:
- #7 - High Traffic Storage Areas - Floor areas that experience heavy traffic (e.g., dragging skids or pallets) should be marked with corner marks and dashed lines instead of traditional floor tape.
- #13 - Inside and Outside of Drawers, Cabinets and Toolboxes - All drawers, cabinets, toolboxes, and other organizers should be marked on the outside to clearly indicate what is contained within.
- #32 - Gauge Labels - Adding a simple gauge label enables any employee to easily detect abnormalities at a glance and at a distance.
To browse our extensive selection of Brady products, please visit QSource.com’s Brady Department.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
QSource.com Adds Ratings & Comments Feature

Our new product ratings and comments feature allows QSource.com visitors to rate and comment on every product on our Web site. The 1 to 5 stars rating system is currently open to all visitors to the site (and all the comments will be public so you can see what other customers are saying about each product). We look forward to reading your comments.
As always, if our customers have a direct question for one of our knowledgeable experts, or wish to make a purchase, we can be contacted via our Web site, email, or phone (800-966-6020).
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
ASG Assembly's FREE PS-55 Power Supply Offer Extended Again

We've previously featured ASG's Econo-Busters 6.2 offer twice before. Now, if you've missed your chance so far, the third time's a charm to take advantage of getting a FREE PS-55 Power Supply with the purchase of select ASG Electric Drivers from QSource.com.
As a reminder, the following ASG Electric Drivers are eligible for the FREE PS-55:
- SS Drivers (excluding the SS-7000 (CR), which requires an alternate power supply)
- TL Drivers
- CL Drivers (excluding the CL-7000 (HT, PS) and CL-9000 (HT), which require an alternate power supply)
- BL Drivers (excluding the BL-7000, which requires an alternate power supply)
- Alpha Drivers (excluding the A-6500 (HT, PS), which requires an alternate power supply)
QSource.com carries an extensive selection of ASG Assembly products. Please visit our ASG Department to place your order. We can also assist you via phone (800-966-6020) or email if you have any questions about this offer or other ASG items.
Please Note: This special offer applies to listed items only. Quantity discounts are not applicable and this cannot be combined with other offers. Both items must be purchased on one order and the offer cannot be applied to previous purchases.
Labels:
ASG Alpha Driver,
ASG Assembly,
ASG BL Driver,
ASG CL Driver,
ASG SS Driver,
ASG TL Driver,
Econo-Busters 6.2,
PS-55
3M Products Win Design Awards – Industry News

Among the 2012 Red Dot Design Award winners were 3M's Scotch Box Dispenser for Scotch Magic Tape, the Scotch Magic A Green Choice Glass Dispenser, 3M's Mobile Projector 225a, the 3M ESPE Scotchbond Universal Adhesive, and 3M's Unitek Incognito Lite Appliance System.

Two 3M products, the Filtrete Water Station and the Scotch-Brite Windows Cleaner, won both of these distinguished awards.
For more information about 3M products, or to place an order, please visit QSource.com's 3M Department or give us a call (800-966-6020) or send an email and we’ll be happy to help you locate the 3M product to meet your needs.
Labels:
2011 GOOD DESIGN Award,
2012 Red Dot Design Award,
3M,
3M Post-it,
3M Scotch,
3M Unitek,
Industry News
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Brady IP™ Series Thermal Transfer Printers Compared in this TechCenter Article

The Brady IP Series Thermal Transfer Printers are easy to use and are perfect for a variety of applications. Available in two models (the IP300 and IP600), these printers allow you to easily create and print text, bar codes, tags, graphics on labels, and wire markers.
The IP300 (300 dpi) and IP600 (600 dpi) offer fast print speeds (200 mm/sec., 8"/sec. and 100 mm/sec., 4"/sec., respectively), a 4.16" (105.6 mm) print width, and the capability to print for a number of industrial applications including: compliance shipping, bin labels, regulatory arc flash, datacomm patch panels, and more.
For more extensive information and specifications (including info about materials, physical properties, interface, and fonts/graphics) please read our detailed TechCenter article. And when you're done with that excellent article you can check out the rest of our collection including info about Brady's Portable Label Printers.
To place an order for a Brady IP Series Thermal Transfer Printer, or for further information, please visit our Web site, give us a call (800-966-6020), or send us an email and one of our helpful experts will be happy to help you.
Labels:
arc flash,
bin labels,
Brady,
Brady IP Series Thermal Transfer Printers,
Brady IP300,
Brady IP600,
compliance shipping,
DataComm
Monday, April 2, 2012
Save an EXTRA 5% OFF Simco-Ion Air Ionizers in Our April Social Networking Sale
Spring is here and it's the time of year when thoughts turn to…air ionizers (did you really think we were going to say baseball)! Our April Social Networking Sale offer will help you save money on all your Simco-Ion Ionizer needs.
Simco-Ion creates quality industrial air ionizers that offer reliability and maximum performance. Taking advantage of our April Social Networking Sale will allow you to save an EXTRA 5% OFF Simco-Ion Ionizers such as the powerful Aerostat® XC, the Aerostat® PC, and the Top Gun™3.
Just visit the Welcome tab of our Facebook page, and if you haven't already, like us. After that you'll receive the code to get the EXTRA 5% OFF for this month's sale and be all set to access future sales.
Simco-Ion creates quality industrial air ionizers that offer reliability and maximum performance. Taking advantage of our April Social Networking Sale will allow you to save an EXTRA 5% OFF Simco-Ion Ionizers such as the powerful Aerostat® XC, the Aerostat® PC, and the Top Gun™3.
Just visit the Welcome tab of our Facebook page, and if you haven't already, like us. After that you'll receive the code to get the EXTRA 5% OFF for this month's sale and be all set to access future sales.
Labels:
Aerostat PC,
Aerostat XC,
Facebook,
Simco-Ion,
Social Network Sale,
Top Gun3
Compare Brady's BMP®51 & BMP®53 Label Printers in This New TechCenter Article

Our latest TechCenter article, "Brady BMP®51/BMP®53 Comparison," was created to help give you a side-by-side look at everything you need to know to choose the best printer for your labeling needs. If you still have questions after viewing the comparison please feel free to contact our Brady printing experts at 800-966-6020 or send us an email.
And remember, Q Source is your Brady Printing & Labeling resource offering an extensive selection of Brady printers, labels, accessories and more.
Labels:
Brady,
Brady BMP51 Label Maker,
Brady BMP53 Label Maker,
Brady portable label printer,
TechCenter
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