Video on Sparkfun Electronics giving away $100K in 1:45 hours.

Good for Sparkfun. They've become my equivalent to Digi-Key when I want modules, dev kits, and development hardware. If they can afford a $100K online giveaway, I guess they're doing well enough that they'll be around a while.

I was surprised at the number of people in the last part of the video. It looks like they have 30 to 50 employees. That's about 3 times what I would have guessed.

Mark Borgerson

We've been impressed by their service. Great to see such a lively, energetic and enthusiastic organisation.

Close, but higher. Have another guess!

"73 - The current number of Sparkfun employees (as I'm writing this...who knows what it will be by the end of the week). We started 2009 with 50 employees. Pretty amazing!"

Chris Burrows CFB Software Armaide: ARM Oberon-07 Development System

I tried to get in on the giveaway with poor results. Two days earlier had registered and even had my cart full and just needed checkout. Even had link to checkout.

Then tried to checkout ... clicking retry for 90 minutes. Never got through.

Said there were 70,000 on site, but only 1,000 checked out. Odds - 70:1

I'll skip next year.

Since I'm ordering prototype parts for a business, their cost is usually covered in a contract. Easy ordering and prompt delivery is a lot more important than even the best price break on $50 in parts. If I were really fully employed, I'd have to get several hundred dollars worth of parts to make 90 minutes of mouse clicks worthwhile. Still, I might try it intermittently over a few hours just for the heck of it. I certainly spend enough time browsing their web site to pay for a few good restaurant meals (with drinks) in lost time every month.

Mark Borgerson

Another here who set the alarm to wake up at a ridiculous hour of the morning to be repeatedly met with a message indicating the website could not be contacted. I expected as much though, and to be honest I had trouble finding something I wanted that couldn't just be ordered through work for a legitimate purpose anyway. Good luck to them though. It was obviously a spectacular success and I doubt they could have bought better advertising for the $.

So what is the story with Littlebirdelectronics here in Aus anyway? are they in some way affiliated with Sparkfun or just a coincidence that their product range and website just bear a striking resemblemce to Sparkfun's? I'd never heard of them before seeing their add / dse like cheat sheet on last months SC.

Oh...by the way Don any idea when you'll have the TTL-232R-AJ interface cables in stock? (Maybe I get some of them at the Dontronics free day too. That will be coming up soon wont it? :))

Regards

James

__________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 4791 (20100120) __________

The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus.

I wonder how many who didn't get through in time thought "Oh bugger it" and went on the buy the stuff that they were going to try and get for free anyway.

They are a Sparkfun distributor:

-- Chris Burrows CFB Software Armaide: ARM Oberon-07 Development System

I sat in front of my computer for 3 hours _after_ the event and still could not get through.

So, I gave up and waited two days later to order other things.

And I live only 10 miles from them !

don

I have feelers out to see what the score is there. I am also curious.

Had them on order for 2 months. I hope to see them on my shelves in 1 or 2 weeks.

(Maybe I get some of them at the Dontronics free day too.

Free day was 1:45 hours. :-) I figured to line up with my 100th birthday. Isn't too long to wait!

I actually had a free order for my 100,000 hit to my site, but that was in 1996? They had to capture the [100,000] screen counter to get the free goods. Too long ago to remember who got it. I gave prizes for one either side also.

Another silly story in progress:

Cheers Don...

I worked out what I wanted, but, in the event, I couldn't be bothered to get out of bed in the middle of the night to partake in what was always going to be a mad scramble.

Had a look at their website, not overwhelmed by their pricing. If you are in a hurry and they have it in stock (not too many items at the moment) then you could save possibly $10-15 over Sparkfun's express mail option. Not in too much of a hurry, Sparkfun via first class mail is the cheaper option.

Checked on a few mid price components ($60-70) your milage may vary.

hey

They are one of the multitude of Sparkfun resellers.

Littlebird started out distributing the Arduino in early 2007.

Dave.