Leonard,

Your question is why the repair shop is disappearing form the
landscape. There are some good general suppliers. Digikey and Mouser
were mentioned in another reply, I also like MCM Electronics
(www.MCMelectronics.com). Some items must come from the manufacturer of
the product. Service manuals and schematics are often not available for
inexpensive products, or not affordable for some unless you are working
on a lot of the same item. (Spending $35 to $50 for a manual to fix 1
or 2 $69 VCR's is not economical.) Many more experienced technicians
can do many repairs without them.

Some manufacturers don't want to support products for very long. I
contacted one company about a schematic last week for a preamp/tuner
combo and was told that it was too old. When I asked how their factory
center could repair these, I was told that they won't service products
over 5 years old, and that they don't have parts either. Rather
disappointing for a $700 item. Some of the parts in this unit are
common, but if one of the custom IC's (like a microprocessor that has
programming built into it) has failed, then the unit is scrap. Welcome
to the disposable society.

Regards
Tim Schwartz
Bristol Electronics


Leonard Martin wrote:

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

--
"Everything that rises must converge"
--Flannery O'Connor