# Tantalum Guessing game!!!!



## etack

We haven't had a guessing game in a while so I thought I would put one up.

Guess the weight of the lot of tantalum caps.

This is a gaylord full to the top 48X40X48 of Tantalum Caps I only have a pic of the weight with the pallet and gaylord so put that into your guess too. The caps in the Gaylord vary but they are all NOS. On the top are T310s.

Prize will be for the top Three guesses. The best guess will have the first pic and so on.

1. 1TOZ of silver contacts (no WAg contacts will be included)
2. 1# of chip resistors. They are all NOS and 1% 1206 and 0805. 
3. 1# gold fingered ram.

This is like the price is right closest without going over.

I will pay the shipping in the USA if you are out of the country I will sell it and PP you the money. As shipping out of the country for this is a waste of money. Or if you donate it to the forum I will match it.

Good luck

Eric


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## etack

This is a pic of the prizes.

Also this will end next sunday 18.05.2014

Eric


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## glondor

Etack! What are we guessing? hehehe Thanks for the contest.


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## etack

Guess the weight of the lot of tantalum caps.

sorry thought it was clear.

Eric


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## Geo

I used to get those gaylord boxes full of tape and the leads but no components. The company was called "chip-tech" which is out of business now. They made boards for Intergraph. The legs could weigh in at around 100# to 150# but that is not the tantalum. 

I say 40 pounds.


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## glondor

753 lbs


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## Digitaria

1668 lb


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## necromancer

838 pounds total

my guess includes the skid + the box

i hope no one will be editing there guesses :shock:


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## necromancer

if i am lucky enough to win the silver, i will pay for shipping :lol: i love silver


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## GotTheBug

697


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## joubjonn

250 pounds


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## scrapman1077

750


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## slickdogg

999


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## jonn

173#


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## Ian_B

say 62lbs for the pallet and box

say 554lbs of contents

616lbs total weight


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## jeneje

950#


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## Geo

Maybe I'm having one of my moments but I think Eric is wanting the weight of the tantalum caps and not the whole package. Boy that will be an embarrassment to me if he wants us to include the pallet and box. :lol: If not, I'm good. 8)


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## pimpneightez

550


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## necromancer

etack said:


> This is a gaylord full to the top 48X40X48 of Tantalum Caps I only have a pic of the weight with the pallet and gaylord so put that into your guess too.
> 
> Eric



Geo,

here is a snip of the original post, i understand he wants us to guess the gross weight of everything in the photo


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## Geo

:lol: I did figure it was me.


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## nh6886

645lbs

Thanks for the contest Eric.


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## Digitaria

Net weight not gross. 
I always remember it by visualising a fishing net, with whats left after you take it out of the water is your profit, any leaves and fish, less you expenses, which I imagine as the water, but as this case the pallet and the box. hehhe


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## necromancer

Gross refers to the total and Net refers to the part of the total that really matters. For example, net income for a business is the profit after all expenses, overheads, taxes and interest payments are deducted from the gross income. Similarly, gross Weight refers to the total weight of the goods and the container and packaging. On the other hand, net weight refers to only the weight of the goods in question. For most food products, manufacturers print the net weight on the packaging for the benefit of consumers.


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## etack

bump..

Get your guesses in some are close but nothing that near yet.

Eric


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## necromancer

when is the end of the game ?


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## goldenchild

1 dollar.


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## Geo

MARIO!!! I was gonna do that.


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## Platdigger

#362


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## etack

etack said:


> This is a pic of the prizes.
> 
> Also this will end next sunday *18.05.2014*
> 
> Eric


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## truandjust

I believe there will be 410 lbs of material..


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## goldenchild

Geo said:


> MARIO!!! I was gonna do that.



8)


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## 72chevel

280lbs


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## necromancer

etack said:


> etack said:
> 
> 
> 
> This is a pic of the prizes.
> 
> Also this will end next sunday *18.05.2014*
> 
> Eric
Click to expand...



thanks, i don't know how i missed that  

prizes must have distracted me :shock: 


and i don't get the "1 dollar" comment....... by goldenchild.....


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## etack

necromancer said:


> etack said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> etack said:
> 
> 
> 
> This is a pic of the prizes.
> 
> Also this will end next sunday *18.05.2014*
> 
> Eric
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> 
> thanks, i don't know how i missed that
> 
> prizes must have distracted me :shock:
> 
> 
> and i don't get the "1 dollar" comment....... by goldenchild.....
Click to expand...


https://www.google.com/search?q=price+is+right&oq=price+is&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0l5.6551j1j7&sourceid=chrome&es_sm=122&ie=UTF-8#q=price+is+right&safe=off&tbm=vid

Eric


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## kazamir

1884.50 lbs.


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## kazamir

That thing is heavy. The sidewalls are thicker than average, at least 2 layers or perhaps 3. The blue paint on the wooden pallet is a sure sign of hardwood and the sidewalls are somewhat bulging and have been reinforced with shrink wrap and rope that is visible in the corner. The fluff on top is deceiving. A pail full of tantalums may weigh 40 lbs. There can be a lot of pails under that fluff. I am confident at 1884.50 lbs.


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## shaftsinkerawc

1224 lbs. total
Thanks for the Contest


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## g_axelsson

etack said:


> We haven't had a guessing game in a while so I thought I would put one up.
> 
> Guess the weight of the lot of tantalum caps.
> 
> This is a gaylord full to the top 48X40X48 of Tantalum Caps I only have a pic of the weight with the pallet and gaylord so put that into your guess too. The caps in the Gaylord vary but they are all NOS. On the top are T310s.
> 
> Prize will be for the top Three guesses. The best guess will have the first pic and so on.
> 
> 1. 1TOZ of silver contacts (no WAg contacts will be included)
> 2. 1# of chip resistors. They are all NOS and 1% 1206 and 0805.
> 3. 1# gold fingered ram.
> 
> This is like the price is right closest without going over.
> 
> I will pay the shipping in the USA if you are out of the country I will sell it and PP you the money. As shipping out of the country for this is a waste of money. Or if you donate it to the forum I will match it.
> 
> Good luck
> 
> Eric


48*40*48 inch = 1.44 m3 so the question is how tightly does the components pack? What is the density? With well packed components in the bottom (compressed by the weight) but losely packed on the top I guess the mean density to be 0.4 kg/ dm3. Add 15 kg for the pallet and box, this gives 591 kg or 1303 pound.... I don't want to go over, so I'm guessing...

...the answer is 1250 pound!

Göran


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## necromancer

more hints, i think it is a triple walled gaylord

http://hazmatcontainers.com/products/corrugated-boxes/#codeword2


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## necromancer

1 dollar.......

its been a long time since i seen that show, i used to watch it as a kid with my mom in the days when we had 3 channels and a metal hanger as an antenna 8)


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## Long Shot

Awesome fun. My guess - 593 lbs including pallet and Gaylord. I agree with Necromancer, I love silver and would have you ship it to Webster NY where friends of mine would bring it with them when we come to play in the mud June 7.


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## etack

bump.........

Get your guesses in it ends 11:59PM EST on the 18th.

everyone needs to guess even if you don't want the prizes I will just donate the money to the forum if you win.

Eric


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## FrugalRefiner

I'll guess low: 450 pounds.

Dave


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## eaglewings35

I love these games !!! Lets start this with a $2 dollar bid !!!! I watched that show too, LOL.

My guess is 715 pounds !!!

I win, I win !!!


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## Anonymous

579


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## justinhcase

893lbs..
This forum is turning into an episode for the price is right.
Good stuff it gives me some ting to do while I do a night shift...
Thanks


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## pattt

Hi, 
My guess would be 510 lbs :lol: 

thanks 
Pattt


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## etack

bump..

less than six hours togo.

Eric


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## MGH

Last minute guess. 365 pounds.

Thanks Eric.
-Matt H


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## dannlee

Cut to the last line up front: Well – here is 1,000 words and your 90 seconds gone. If you guessed I lost track a halfway back you’re already a winner – My Guess (truly guessing) ….. 492 pounds”
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The following IS presented for entertainment, kindly reread Hoke's primers if you feel the need to ask what a definition of 'is' is. I had fun plowing through this, hope you do too… remember 90% of these numbers are arbitrary, chosen to suit some preconceived notion, or because they look good in a wet tee shirt.

Looking at that top layer maybe it’d be good for y’all to know the 1980’s Union Carbide t310 series were replaced by slightly lighter yellow t322's and it seems the t310’s data catalog is before the computer revolution. Also that they used 50 or 60lb stock paper just shy of being cardstock to cushion the reel wraps - guess if any of that in the bin. Now divide etack's “cat-who-ate-canary grin” from having box loaded on his trailer by his remembering to get photos and carry results to next step…

Step: wonder if that #68 boldly appearing in photo is tare weight or lot number... A two-ply Gaylord plus a hardwood 4-way non-4x4-lumber-skid carries weight, add damp cardboard and ratty stretch wrap, deduct eleventeen strip grabs and the nine fistfuls of caps stolen during this lots' lifetime journey. Now wonder if it is rude to mention etack be grinning like the Cheshire Cat, or polite to ask him to send you a small flat rate box full of the large caps…

Step back: etacks' contest description was sensibly written thus may require a sneakiness quotient! To review: Character Count 664; Word Count 190; Sentence Count 20... Sum numbers for 874 plus a bold 68 makes 942#, ignore that, try 664-190-20= 454, + 68 = 522#, be sure to use a 3lb hammers’ influence on those statistics to continue.

Side step: Ponder how many of those axial caps use pure-tin (7.31 gm/cc) or standard tinned copper (8.96 gm/cc) or solder coated steel core with copper ply wire leads (mil-spec)
Additionally, the fattest cap case style wire diameter changes up larger; consider 0.020 (Sn 1.484 : Cu 1.820 kg/km) vs. 0.025 (Sn 2.374 : Cu 2.910 kg/km) wire material/diameters. Use crystal ball to see if those 'E case' caps on the top layer extends two or twelve inches, pull per-piece gram number out of thin air, stack itty-bitty cylinders in square bins using online calculators, guess how many partial reels, beer bottles, small deceased animals and chewed chaw are in ... Eww, fine, skip that, next...

Pull it in: Look at the Gaylord interior volume 46X38X45 and wonder about the 160,000 numeral written on box side by that tenth-grader working under the table. Next, do some real science by weighing all the molded tantalum caps in the workshop that were salvaged, notice solder reflections visible in picture so weigh all the metal case tantalum caps, play with averaging what was found, remember plastic is shiny and looks like solder, forget those steps. Stir what was just unlearned with pure sneakiness reciprocals, contest posted on 9 May 2014, giggle at 905# or 509# as possible weights, factor in cups of coffee drank & forget numbers to twist up the volume again...

Shake it all around: A cubic inch might hold 40, 28, 14, 11, 6, 4 ‘ trimmed’ caps depending on case size, phase of the moon and number of hours spent choogling around on a fork truck, trailer, or in a cargo van, compressing & settling down like peat turning to coal. Now onto the volume bucket…

The box equals 75240in³ = 325 US gallons, each gallon is 231 in³, the empty area at top of box is around 30 gallons volume (295 Gal), note a large bucket was said to hold 40lb of bare/trimmed tantalum caps. Note there are voids in a randomly filled box, so guess 25% air space (221 Gal) and 20% area of lightly populated box volume (200 Gal), then visualize the paper and wire tangle layers occupying 70% of remaining space (60 Gal).. Subtract 5% for bullet shape unstackable air space, so theorize a possible 57 Gallons (+/- 20%) of capacitor shells themselves... 57 Gal x 231 in³ = 13167 in³, proceed to weight-per-piece guessing booth.

Now we need an average piece weight – if there are larger caps than the ones in photo then that is some reel weight! Going back to the size lists of current equivalent capacitors means 0.4g, 0.5g, 0.8g, 1.0g and 2.5g each, and the old series weights were heavier. I keep running various numbers with maximum gram per piece ranges and piece count per cubic inch – let us look at sample ranges:

0.2g & 40 pieces= (13167 x .2g x 40 / 29.4 / 16) = 224# in 57 gallon volume.
0.4g & 28 pieces = 314#
0.8g & 21 pieces = 470#
1.2g & 14 pieces = 470#
2.0g & 11 pieces = 616#
4.0g & 6 pieces = 672#
6.5g6 & 5 pieces = 910#
8.0g & 4 pieces = 896#
12g & 3 pieces = 1008#

Yuppers, flocked by true Possumbillities, remember to add the 68# tare weight, and please do suspect I made half those numbers up. Oh, and add 35# for the pallet. Should we look at 13167 x 40 pieces lead wires? That’d be 1,053,360 inches of .016 wire = 26.75km wire, if each lead is one inch long; 26.75 km x .720 kg = 19.26 kg or 42.4lbs if copper. For a heavier cap, 13167 x 4 = 105,336 inches of .025 wire = 2.67km @ 2.91kg per km for 7.77kg or 17.13lb. Yikes.

Now its choose a slice from the above numbers and average – how many of which cap values & styles would have been overruns and warehoused? Add in dead sparrows & that suspect tare weight, forgive the bent Datsun tire rim found in the bottom, just the tare weight without the rim... And as always, remember +/- 20%....

Thanks for the contest, it was hard not to post this on the first page of the contest


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## etack

All numbers in. The weight was 1265Lb.

Winners are 
1st g_axelsson 1250lb WOW!!!!!!

2nd shaftsinkerawc 1224lb

3rd slickdogg 999lb

I will PM you in this order to get your choice of the spoils.

Thanks for all GRF members playing.

Eric


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## necromancer

thanks Eric !!!


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## Digitaria

Well done everyone. :lol:


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## g_axelsson

That is the power of math, I made a guess at first before doing any math and I was way off, less than half the weight. After doing some approximately calculations I changed my mind and went with my calculation.

My first win ever on GRF! :mrgreen: 

Göran


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## Digitaria

Thank you for running the competion, it was good fun while it lasted.


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## slickdogg

my first win ever too woot!!


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## truandjust

Wow! That's a lot of Caps! So what does the weight come down to with out all of the packaging, scrap wire, and adhesive strips?

Also, congrats to the winners and for hosting this


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## etack

All oF the junk is minimal really maybe 10% could be slightly higher. 

Eric


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