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nam

Jan 11, 2012
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I intercepted this small object inside an envelope mailed to my teenage child. (I am sure many have a strong opinion about my behavior, but I just want to know if this thing is harmful or safe.) It has some electronic or electrical features that prompt me to post this question here.

It is a small plastic strip, 2cm long. Round holes along one long edge. Little windows along the other edge. Appears to be a very tiny electrical circuit chip inside each window. On the back of the strip, there is a little blister behind each window. Each blister has a little round hole revealing a blue green surface behind it.

Thank you in advance for taking the time to offer any opinions.

MysteryObjecta003.jpg

MysteryObjecta006.jpg

MysteryObjecta011.jpg

MysteryObjecta017.jpg

MysteryObjecta019.jpg
 

GonzoEngineer

Dec 2, 2011
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Those a super secret porn chips, and parents aren't supposed to know about them!

Kid plug them into their computers so they can access port sites on the internet!

Or maybe they are hits of Microdot Acid!:eek:

Just kidding.........why don't you ask you kid instead of posting here.

They look like LED's, or resistors, who knows.

But they are nothing to worry about....

You really need to talk to your kid.

If he has a soldering iron.....it's better than him having a gun!

I wish there was a "smiley" for Laughing My Ass Off!

By the way, I am not some smart ass kid....I am 63 and raised 5 kids. Seriously....ask your kid what they are, he may just teach you something!
 
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(*steve*)

¡sǝpodᴉʇuɐ ǝɥʇ ɹɐǝɥd
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Jan 21, 2010
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They appear to be light emitting diodes.

When a small current passed through them, they light up.

Please give them to your child and ask him/her to be careful to ensure that a current limiting resistor is placed in series with them so as not to burn them out.

If your child has further questions why don't both of you team up to ask the questions here?

If you want some more background information on how to use these things, look here.

Incidentally, I'm only 99% sure they are LEDs but the fact that I can see a fairly large die through a transparent top, and there are 2 clearly visible leads, it's a good bet.

Also you've done a great job in photographing these.

A little more background. These come in reels of several thousand and are packed like this so that machines can automatically place them. Soldering them by hand can be tricky, but it's not impossible and gets almost too easy after you've done it a few times. :)

edit: "super secret porn chips" bwahahahaha :D (And I'm only a little younger than GonzoEngineer)
 
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davelectronic

Dec 13, 2010
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He's a funny guy, they look like micro or miniature led's known as light emitting diodes, if they are those there harmless, the fact your child received them might be cause for concern, if you have worry's contact the police. It might have been a warning threat, or could be totally innocent. :)
 

davelectronic

Dec 13, 2010
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I took your question in the serious way because you seemed concerned, if your child is aware of them then no harm done and probably quit innocent, but your concerns sounded that of a threat. :)
 

(*steve*)

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I'm not sure that sending people coloured lights in the mail is overly threatening.

However it may be wise to see who sent them. These are no threat, but depending on the amount of teenage-ness of your child (13 vs 19) they may need to be counselled about the wisdom of making their address known to anonymous strangers on the internet.

If they want to order stuff on the internet, encourage them to use established retailers (perhaps this came from one of them).

Or perhaps get them a post office box and *you* collect mail from there.

It all depends on your level of paranoia (a little is not a bad thing) and other factors that you as a parent decide. (On the other hand, you may have enough trust to be fine with it)
 
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davelectronic

Dec 13, 2010
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Being vigilant today does not imply paranoia, to be safe is sensible, i dont know your back ground neither does the author of the previous post, i am referring to hate crime thats not paranoia, to be cautious and ask questions, to a find an item that raises your concern on a family member is natural especially a child. :)
 

nam

Jan 11, 2012
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I want to thank everyone for the speedy response. It looked like leds but I didnt have the confidence to conclude that. For the sake of my son's privacy, I have kept out details. He is "not in a good place" right now. He has never shown an interest in electronics except his xbox, cell phone and Ipod. So, it is a strange item for him to receive. And it came in an envelope with a fake return address that looked very "sketchy" as the kids like to say.

Kids aren't inhaling the fumes from blown leds, are they?

Thanks again.
 

GonzoEngineer

Dec 2, 2011
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Being vigilant today does not imply paranoia, to be safe is sensible, i dont know your back ground neither does the author of the previous post, i am referring to hate crime thats not paranoia, to be cautious and ask questions, to a find an item that raises your concern on a family member is natural especially a child. :)

Yeah, maybe is kid is being threatened by a Geek. So the Geek sends him surface mount parts!....LMAO!
 

davelectronic

Dec 13, 2010
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No kids cant inhale fumes from led's intact or blown. :)

Hope your son looks to a positive future.
 

BobK

Jan 5, 2010
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Look! I got some in the mail too! Global conspiracy!

Let me check where they came from. Oh, Mouser.com, never mind.
 

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davelectronic

Dec 13, 2010
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Ok so its funny for you and others, what if some one took a dislike to you or your family and mailed or planted a suspicious package on you ? still funny, the first might be harmless, and i am sure the OP''s is harmless. there have been attacks on individuals all around the world, some nasty ones in the UK / US no its not an over reaction, just cautious. Why is no one on this subject sensible about a parents inquiry over a suspicious package.

Have you been the victim of hate crime or terrorism ?

As for a porn comment, sad person.

Do you think the UK tube train attacks a joke, or even 9 / 11 ?

Whats up with some people today. :(
 

jackorocko

Apr 4, 2010
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if you go through life worried about dying your life will be pretty miserable.

I can tell you that if your kid wants to play with LED's then by all means buy him a couple hundred. It will only nourish that which you want and help build trust for the future. There is absolutely nothing wrong with LED's, but by making him go behind your back to get them is most certainly worrying. Resolve this for his sake and make it beneficial to come to you when he wants to do something constructive.
 

nam

Jan 11, 2012
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More questions, better pictures.

Haven't confirmed these are LEDs. I offer some better images. And, it seems like I could try to test one of them. But, I don't have any idea what voltage to apply. There must be a minimum and a maximum. Any suggestions are appreciated.

Where would I connect the leads to test a chip?

MysteryObjectb014-1.jpg

MysteryObjectb024.jpg

MysteryObjectb018.jpg
 
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BobK

Jan 5, 2010
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They are, with absolute certainty, some kind of surface mount electronic parts. Why does it matter whether they are LEDs or not? Would you be worried if they were reistors or capacitors? (They are not "chips" (ICs) since those would require more than 2 leads.)

If you insist on testing them I would do the following:

Hook up two 1.5V batteries in series with a 100 Ohm resistor and the part shown with the leads connected to the points you indicated in the photo. If it does not light up, reverse the leads. If it does not light up either way, you could try 3 1.5V cells instead. If it is an LED it will light up one of the two ways and no harm will be done the other way.

If your child has the capability of using these, and you did not know that, s/he is hiding some good skills from you, I would wonder why.

Bob
 
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nam

Jan 11, 2012
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The more questions, the more questions.

Yeah, I seem to have gotten past the issue of whether they are harmful or safe.

Maybe he got them for someone else. I have never seen any evidence he has tried to build even a simple circuit, or even pull something apart just to see how something was built.

I have an old "electronic lab" kit that I bought for him years ago. He had no interest. Maybe I should get it back out and see if he is interested. But my mere mention of this would kill the idea.

Thanks again, everyone. Not trying to drag you all into parenting issues.
 

(*steve*)

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They are LEDs.

They are perfectly safe.

I thought my first reply said that. (shrug)

Don't open them and test them, that's how they get lost/damaged.

edit: Dave, you need a humour transplant.
 
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GonzoEngineer

Dec 2, 2011
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Ok so its funny for you and others, what if some one took a dislike to you or your family and mailed or planted a suspicious package on you ? still funny, the first might be harmless, and i am sure the OP''s is harmless. there have been attacks on individuals all around the world, some nasty ones in the UK / US no its not an over reaction, just cautious. Why is no one on this subject sensible about a parents inquiry over a suspicious package.

Have you been the victim of hate crime or terrorism ?

As for a porn comment, sad person.

Do you think the UK tube train attacks a joke, or even 9 / 11 ?

Whats up with some people today. :(

What's up with you?

If the OP was upset about my post, I would surely answer with an apology.

You obviously don't have much of a sense of humor, so I apologize to you.
 

GonzoEngineer

Dec 2, 2011
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The more questions, the more questions.

Yeah, I seem to have gotten past the issue of whether they are harmful or safe.

Maybe he got them for someone else. I have never seen any evidence he has tried to build even a simple circuit, or even pull something apart just to see how something was built.

I have an old "electronic lab" kit that I bought for him years ago. He had no interest. Maybe I should get it back out and see if he is interested. But my mere mention of this would kill the idea.

Thanks again, everyone. Not trying to drag you all into parenting issues.

Don't worry about it, and I apologize if my cheeky comments were out of line.

Some of us here relish in helping give young folks advice and encouragement in this field.

(Todays electronic hobbyists become tomorrows best Engineers!)

As for me, I do it because my kids are all grown up and I miss the days of teaching them.

Some of your comments gave me the impression that you are worried about your son, and I understand that. We all go through that at one time or another.

By now you know that the parts you showed us are harmless. It is a moot point.

If we can give you anymore advice, please feel free to ask.:D
 
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