Subject: Where do prof. repairers get parts?
From: Leonard Martin
Date: 9/18/2004 10:23 PM Central Daylight Time
Message-id:

Hello All,

I recently took my Yamaha tuner in for repair to a guy from another
country. He could (or would) not clearly answer this question, so I ask
it here.

In the old days of my youth there were Photofacts to provide schematics
for radios and TVs, and lines of replacement parts, like Mallory, for
the relatively few brands of radios and models there were. There were
also books to look in and parts suppliers to go to in order to pick out
your part from the limited universe of replacement parts and then go get
it.

But NOW...my goodness, there are thousands and thousands of brands and
lines of electronic equipment made in every country in the world!! How
do repairers of electronic equipment speedily get schmatics and parts
for all that stuff, when there are no Photofacts, and no local parts
house to go to? You may say, contact the manufacturer, but it's hard for
me to believe all the electronics manufacturers are eager to ship out
tons of parts each year.

Please put me out of my misery and answer my question. The curiosity is
killing me. :-)

(I bet this is old hat here. If so, please tell me a thread to look for
and where.)

Leonard

Hi, Leonard. One possible source for repair, hobbyist, and engineering
prototype parts is NTE. They've bailed me out many times. If you live in or
near one of their retail distributors (electronics stores, TV repair shops, &c)
you can frequently get your repair part _today_. And you know it's a top
quality part, instead of a brokered or somehow unpleasant part, like you'll
sometimes find at other sources.

http://www.nteinc.com/

Their house-branded ICs and components (just re-marked) can be cross-referenced
to the part you want at

http://nte01.nteinc.com/nte/NTExRefSemiProd.nsf/$$Search?OpenForm

Try it. You'll like it.

Chris