Update 7/9/2021
All of the informational pages on this blog are woefully out of date. Some sites are offline or have moved. Some sellers are no longer in business and/or on eBay. Some items are no longer available. There are also a number of new things that should be added. Sadly, I don't have the time.
In the case of solar astronomy, I had to sell my telescope after a couple of years so the information here is in a state of legacy. I'm leaving it online in the unlikely event that I need to refresh my own memory.
Hardware
Software- JHelioviewer—view time-lapse solar images in multiple wavelengths (Mac/Win/Linux)
- BackyardEOS—control a Canon EOS DSLR from your laptop for astronomical photography. Includes drift alignment support (Windows)
- Astro Photography Tool—similar to BackyardEOS, includes such features as remote control focus (Windows)
Electronic Parts
- Jameco (electronic components—been in business a long time)
- Mouser (huge selection of over a million electronic components—also been around forever)
Lasers
- AixiZ Lasers site | ebay (great prices on diode lasers and optics; they have the lowest price on the Sper Scientific 40mW power meter)
- Meredith Instruments - The Source for Lasers, Mirrors, Optics, Parts, and Surplus site | ebay (small quantity items on ebay)
- Midwest Laser Products (laser light show system)
- Laserbee (laser power meters) NOTE: the detector used in my experiments is sold out. See the meter on the AixiZ site above.
- Laserglow Technologies - Handheld Lasers, Alignment Lasers and Lab / OEM Lasers
- DealExtreme ("5mW" red, green and violet laser pointers CHEAP—slow shipping)
- HalloweenLasers - Laser Lighting & Entertainment for Halloween and Haunt Events
Radiological, Mineral & Chemical
- Geoelectronics (inexpensive spinthariscope, Geiger and scintillation counters and parts)
- United Nuclear (spinthariscope, cloud chamber, radioisotopes, tritinite, reagent grade chemicals and more)
- DIY Geiger Counter (inexpensive, high quality kit; works with many GM tubes)
- Sovtube (a wide variety of NOS GM tubes made during the Cold War)
- Where On Earth? site | ebay (all kinds of interesting and unusual stuff)
- Mineral Matrix (optical calcite, huge variety of specimens)
High Voltage
- Dirod Electrostatic Generator (the kit is no longer available but there is a pdf containing the plans, part list, etc.)
- Eastern Voltage Research (solid-state Tesla coils and plasma speaker kits)
- Sci-Supply (classroom demonstration apparatus; Lamina flow Sterling engine; induction coils; cathode ray, spectrum and Geissler tubes; electrostatic gadgets and other science stuff)
External Combustion Engines (steam, Stirling, etc.)
- Mini-Steam (lots of Stirling and steam engines, some kits)
- United Nuclear (inexpensive Stirling engines)
[Last updated 1/6/2016]
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