In the UK we have a chain of shops called Maplin, which sells electronic
goods and components.
I detest having to go there, because it is full of expensive crap, and
worse, the staff have no clue what they are talking about yet pretend they
do.

Here's todays example, which came about because I had forgotten my glasses
and couldn't read the catalogue to find the correct part numbers:


Hi, can I have 2 5mm white LED's, and 2 standard 5mm green LED's please.

What voltage are you running them from?

Er, I don't care about that, I just need 2 white LEDs and 2 green ones.

Well, we have these high intensity white ones, they run on 4.2 volts. If
you run them higher than that they could pop.

Er, I'll have 2 of those please.

Oh, we seem to be out of stock of those. We have some superbright ones,
they run on 3.6 volts, which is lower. You might have to watch your voltage.

Er, OK, I'll have 2 of those please.

We have these green ones, and they run at, oh, 2.2 volts, that's much lower.

Er, OK, I'll have 2 of those as well.

Would you like some resistors with those?

Er, no thanks, just the LED's.


I should have said yes, and found out how he was going to try and calculate
the resistor values required.



Those 4 LED's cost me £4.60.


That's why I detest Maplin.



Gareth.

On 30/04/2014 18:21, Gareth Magennis wrote:

In the UK we have a chain of shops called Maplin, which sells electronic
goods and components.
I detest having to go there, because it is full of expensive crap, and
worse, the staff have no clue what they are talking about yet pretend
they do.

Here's todays example, which came about because I had forgotten my
glasses and couldn't read the catalogue to find the correct part numbers:


Hi, can I have 2 5mm white LED's, and 2 standard 5mm green LED's please.

What voltage are you running them from?

Er, I don't care about that, I just need 2 white LEDs and 2 green ones.

Well, we have these high intensity white ones, they run on 4.2 volts.
If you run them higher than that they could pop.

Er, I'll have 2 of those please.

Oh, we seem to be out of stock of those. We have some superbright ones,
they run on 3.6 volts, which is lower. You might have to watch your
voltage.

Er, OK, I'll have 2 of those please.

We have these green ones, and they run at, oh, 2.2 volts, that's much
lower.

Er, OK, I'll have 2 of those as well.

Would you like some resistors with those?

Er, no thanks, just the LED's.


I should have said yes, and found out how he was going to try and
calculate the resistor values required.



Those 4 LED's cost me £4.60.


That's why I detest Maplin.



Gareth.

I only go into my local Bevois Valley , Southampton one perhaps 3 or 4
times a year, (last week for a micro SD ). So I can monitor how much the
floor is sagging at the entrance. You now tend to trip over the edge of
the sag as it is so deep. They will be stung sometime soon by a large
compo claim when a 25 stone customer falls through the floor. There may
even be a large cavern under the shop. The road outside has to be closed
every ten years or so as a large and deep hole appears in the road. Only
sand geology underneath and an underground watercourse and heavy rains
wash the sand away.
Oddly they took over an earlier electronics shop called Valley Radio .

Gareth,

Well, don't move to the US, as things here are much worse. We have
"Radio Shack" as the last retailer of electronics parts, and they sell
very few of those recently..

I was in the UK in 2012, and stopped at the Maplin store in central
Cambridge. The had actual inventory, and the sales staff was pretty
good. I wish we had something close to that in the New York
Metropolitan area where I live. In this area, there is no longer the
choice of running down to a store to buy a part to complete a rush job,
everything must be mail ordered.

Radio Shack used to use the tag line "You've got Questions, We've got
Answers". Someone on this news group changed that to "You've got
questions, We've got high school drop outs in neck ties", which was
unfortunately often close to the truth. Also, Radio Shack no longer
offers a catalog.

Regards,
Tim
Bristol Electronics


On 4/30/2014 1:21 PM, Gareth Magennis wrote:

In the UK we have a chain of shops called Maplin, which sells electronic
goods and components.
I detest having to go there, because it is full of expensive crap, and
worse, the staff have no clue what they are talking about yet pretend
they do.

Here's todays example, which came about because I had forgotten my
glasses and couldn't read the catalogue to find the correct part numbers:


Hi, can I have 2 5mm white LED's, and 2 standard 5mm green LED's please.

What voltage are you running them from?

Er, I don't care about that, I just need 2 white LEDs and 2 green ones.

Well, we have these high intensity white ones, they run on 4.2 volts.
If you run them higher than that they could pop.

Er, I'll have 2 of those please.

Oh, we seem to be out of stock of those. We have some superbright ones,
they run on 3.6 volts, which is lower. You might have to watch your
voltage.

Er, OK, I'll have 2 of those please.

We have these green ones, and they run at, oh, 2.2 volts, that's much
lower.

Er, OK, I'll have 2 of those as well.

Would you like some resistors with those?

Er, no thanks, just the LED's.


I should have said yes, and found out how he was going to try and
calculate the resistor values required.



Those 4 LED's cost me £4.60.


That's why I detest Maplin.



Gareth.

On 05/01/2014 04:44 AM, Tim Schwartz wrote:
Gareth,

Well, don't move to the US, as things here are much worse. We have
"Radio Shack" as the last retailer of electronics parts, and they sell
very few of those recently..

I was in the UK in 2012, and stopped at the Maplin store in central
Cambridge. The had actual inventory, and the sales staff was pretty
good. I wish we had something close to that in the New York
Metropolitan area where I live. In this area, there is no longer the
choice of running down to a store to buy a part to complete a rush job,
everything must be mail ordered.

Radio Shack used to use the tag line "You've got Questions, We've got
Answers". Someone on this news group changed that to "You've got
questions, We've got high school drop outs in neck ties", which was
unfortunately often close to the truth. Also, Radio Shack no longer
offers a catalog.

Regards,
Tim
Bristol Electronics


On 4/30/2014 1:21 PM, Gareth Magennis wrote:

In the UK we have a chain of shops called Maplin, which sells electronic
goods and components.
I detest having to go there, because it is full of expensive crap, and
worse, the staff have no clue what they are talking about yet pretend
they do.

Here's todays example, which came about because I had forgotten my
glasses and couldn't read the catalogue to find the correct part numbers:


Hi, can I have 2 5mm white LED's, and 2 standard 5mm green LED's please.

What voltage are you running them from?

Er, I don't care about that, I just need 2 white LEDs and 2 green ones.

Well, we have these high intensity white ones, they run on 4.2 volts.
If you run them higher than that they could pop.

Er, I'll have 2 of those please.

Oh, we seem to be out of stock of those. We have some superbright ones,
they run on 3.6 volts, which is lower. You might have to watch your
voltage.

Er, OK, I'll have 2 of those please.

We have these green ones, and they run at, oh, 2.2 volts, that's much
lower.

Er, OK, I'll have 2 of those as well.

Would you like some resistors with those?

Er, no thanks, just the LED's.


I should have said yes, and found out how he was going to try and
calculate the resistor values required.



Those 4 LED's cost me £4.60.


That's why I detest Maplin.



Gareth.


Maplin sounds like Fry's as far as LED prices. The GeekMormons at Fry's
at least understand techni-speak, if not English. I use Digikey and
Mouser and Parts Express. You can get bunch of LEDs for a couple bucks
from China on eBay.

In article ,
Gareth Magennis wrote:

In the UK we have a chain of shops called Maplin, which sells electronic
goods and components.
I detest having to go there, because it is full of expensive crap, and
worse, the staff have no clue what they are talking about yet pretend they
do.

[snip]

That's why I detest Maplin.

It didn't used to be like that. When the shops first opened they had
staff that were very helpful, knowledgeable, helped customers design
stuff on the back of an envelope and then sell them the bits.

At some point it became a toy shop, with some electronics parts kept
in the little room down the back, where the odd people go. I suppose
changing times and all that

Once it got to the "strong possibility that if you need more than
two of any component, we don't have them" stage it became clear that
their stock control department hated the shops!
--
--------------------------------------+------------------------------------
Mike Brown: mjb[-at-]signal11.org.uk | http://www.signal11.org.uk

--- news://freenews.netfront.net/ - complaints: ---

"Mike" wrote in message ...

In article ,
Gareth Magennis wrote:

In the UK we have a chain of shops called Maplin, which sells electronic
goods and components.
I detest having to go there, because it is full of expensive crap, and
worse, the staff have no clue what they are talking about yet pretend they
do.

[snip]

That's why I detest Maplin.

It didn't used to be like that. When the shops first opened they had
staff that were very helpful, knowledgeable, helped customers design
stuff on the back of an envelope and then sell them the bits.

At some point it became a toy shop, with some electronics parts kept
in the little room down the back, where the odd people go. I suppose
changing times and all that

Once it got to the "strong possibility that if you need more than
two of any component, we don't have them" stage it became clear that
their stock control department hated the shops!






I know it didn't used to be like that.

I used to go to the only shop they had, in Westcliff.
I bought and built a String Synthesiser kit from that shop, and the staff
there were true enthusiasts and very helpful.


Which is probably why I hate so much what they have now become.
It's really very embarrassing to experience that.


Gareth.

"dave" wrote in message
m...

On 05/01/2014 04:44 AM, Tim Schwartz wrote:
Gareth,

Well, don't move to the US, as things here are much worse. We have
"Radio Shack" as the last retailer of electronics parts, and they sell
very few of those recently..

I was in the UK in 2012, and stopped at the Maplin store in central
Cambridge. The had actual inventory, and the sales staff was pretty
good. I wish we had something close to that in the New York
Metropolitan area where I live. In this area, there is no longer the
choice of running down to a store to buy a part to complete a rush job,
everything must be mail ordered.

Radio Shack used to use the tag line "You've got Questions, We've got
Answers". Someone on this news group changed that to "You've got
questions, We've got high school drop outs in neck ties", which was
unfortunately often close to the truth. Also, Radio Shack no longer
offers a catalog.

Regards,
Tim
Bristol Electronics


On 4/30/2014 1:21 PM, Gareth Magennis wrote:

In the UK we have a chain of shops called Maplin, which sells electronic
goods and components.
I detest having to go there, because it is full of expensive crap, and
worse, the staff have no clue what they are talking about yet pretend
they do.

Here's todays example, which came about because I had forgotten my
glasses and couldn't read the catalogue to find the correct part numbers:


Hi, can I have 2 5mm white LED's, and 2 standard 5mm green LED's please.

What voltage are you running them from?

Er, I don't care about that, I just need 2 white LEDs and 2 green ones.

Well, we have these high intensity white ones, they run on 4.2 volts.
If you run them higher than that they could pop.

Er, I'll have 2 of those please.

Oh, we seem to be out of stock of those. We have some superbright ones,
they run on 3.6 volts, which is lower. You might have to watch your
voltage.

Er, OK, I'll have 2 of those please.

We have these green ones, and they run at, oh, 2.2 volts, that's much
lower.

Er, OK, I'll have 2 of those as well.

Would you like some resistors with those?

Er, no thanks, just the LED's.


I should have said yes, and found out how he was going to try and
calculate the resistor values required.



Those 4 LED's cost me £4.60.


That's why I detest Maplin.



Gareth.


Maplin sounds like Fry's as far as LED prices. The GeekMormons at Fry's
at least understand techni-speak, if not English. I use Digikey and
Mouser and Parts Express. You can get bunch of LEDs for a couple bucks
from China on eBay.




Yeahbut, sometimes you need it now, and locally, and Maplin is the only
option here.

Gareth.

Gareth Magennis wrote:

"Mike" wrote in message ...

In article ,
Gareth Magennis wrote:

In the UK we have a chain of shops called Maplin, which sells electronic
goods and components.
I detest having to go there, because it is full of expensive crap, and
worse, the staff have no clue what they are talking about yet pretend they
do.

[snip]

That's why I detest Maplin.

It didn't used to be like that. When the shops first opened they had
staff that were very helpful, knowledgeable, helped customers design
stuff on the back of an envelope and then sell them the bits.

At some point it became a toy shop, with some electronics parts kept
in the little room down the back, where the odd people go. I suppose
changing times and all that

Once it got to the "strong possibility that if you need more than
two of any component, we don't have them" stage it became clear that
their stock control department hated the shops!






I know it didn't used to be like that.

I used to go to the only shop they had, in Westcliff.
I bought and built a String Synthesiser kit from that shop, and the staff
there were true enthusiasts and very helpful.


Which is probably why I hate so much what they have now become.
It's really very embarrassing to experience that.

The permanent staff at their Bath branch are usually pretty
knowlegeable; some of the 'temps' aren't quite so clued-up, but they
are generally enthusiastic. Most importantly, none of them have tried
to pretend they understand things that they don't and nobody has ever
tried to bull**** me.


--
~ Adrian Tuddenham ~
(Remove the ".invalid"s and add ".co.uk" to reply)
www.poppyrecords.co.uk

On 02/05/2014 08:13, Adrian Tuddenham wrote:
Gareth Magennis wrote:

"Mike" wrote in message ...

In article ,
Gareth Magennis wrote:

In the UK we have a chain of shops called Maplin, which sells electronic
goods and components.
I detest having to go there, because it is full of expensive crap, and
worse, the staff have no clue what they are talking about yet pretend they
do.

[snip]

That's why I detest Maplin.

It didn't used to be like that. When the shops first opened they had
staff that were very helpful, knowledgeable, helped customers design
stuff on the back of an envelope and then sell them the bits.

At some point it became a toy shop, with some electronics parts kept
in the little room down the back, where the odd people go. I suppose
changing times and all that

Once it got to the "strong possibility that if you need more than
two of any component, we don't have them" stage it became clear that
their stock control department hated the shops!






I know it didn't used to be like that.

I used to go to the only shop they had, in Westcliff.
I bought and built a String Synthesiser kit from that shop, and the staff
there were true enthusiasts and very helpful.


Which is probably why I hate so much what they have now become.
It's really very embarrassing to experience that.

The permanent staff at their Bath branch are usually pretty
knowlegeable; some of the 'temps' aren't quite so clued-up, but they
are generally enthusiastic. Most importantly, none of them have tried
to pretend they understand things that they don't and nobody has ever
tried to bull**** me.



They have been conducting the Beeching way of economics (cut the railway
service frequency so fewer people use the service , so they can then
close the line citing lack of use). Since they doubled the price of 2W
MO resistors and 16mm pots I never go in there for such. But I do get
the odd computery sort of item and whoever serves me those, obviously
knows more about it than I do.

On 05/01/2014 02:53 PM, Gareth Magennis wrote:


"dave" wrote in message
m...

On 05/01/2014 04:44 AM, Tim Schwartz wrote:
Gareth,

Well, don't move to the US, as things here are much worse. We have
"Radio Shack" as the last retailer of electronics parts, and they sell
very few of those recently..

I was in the UK in 2012, and stopped at the Maplin store in central
Cambridge. The had actual inventory, and the sales staff was pretty
good. I wish we had something close to that in the New York
Metropolitan area where I live. In this area, there is no longer the
choice of running down to a store to buy a part to complete a rush job,
everything must be mail ordered.

Radio Shack used to use the tag line "You've got Questions, We've got
Answers". Someone on this news group changed that to "You've got
questions, We've got high school drop outs in neck ties", which was
unfortunately often close to the truth. Also, Radio Shack no longer
offers a catalog.

Regards,
Tim
Bristol Electronics


On 4/30/2014 1:21 PM, Gareth Magennis wrote:

In the UK we have a chain of shops called Maplin, which sells electronic
goods and components.
I detest having to go there, because it is full of expensive crap, and
worse, the staff have no clue what they are talking about yet pretend
they do.

Here's todays example, which came about because I had forgotten my
glasses and couldn't read the catalogue to find the correct part
numbers:


Hi, can I have 2 5mm white LED's, and 2 standard 5mm green LED's please.

What voltage are you running them from?

Er, I don't care about that, I just need 2 white LEDs and 2 green ones.

Well, we have these high intensity white ones, they run on 4.2 volts.
If you run them higher than that they could pop.

Er, I'll have 2 of those please.

Oh, we seem to be out of stock of those. We have some superbright ones,
they run on 3.6 volts, which is lower. You might have to watch your
voltage.

Er, OK, I'll have 2 of those please.

We have these green ones, and they run at, oh, 2.2 volts, that's much
lower.

Er, OK, I'll have 2 of those as well.

Would you like some resistors with those?

Er, no thanks, just the LED's.


I should have said yes, and found out how he was going to try and
calculate the resistor values required.



Those 4 LED's cost me £4.60.


That's why I detest Maplin.



Gareth.


Maplin sounds like Fry's as far as LED prices. The GeekMormons at Fry's
at least understand techni-speak, if not English. I use Digikey and
Mouser and Parts Express. You can get bunch of LEDs for a couple bucks
from China on eBay.




Yeahbut, sometimes you need it now, and locally, and Maplin is the only
option here.

Gareth.

Fry's is in Burbank, 20 miles on way. If you phone to inquire about
stock it is so frustrating you figure it's easier to just go there and
take your chances. Gasoline is too precious these days.

Component level troubleshooting is a dying art. We don't support
independent electronic stores like we used to. I'm just grateful Mouser
and Digikey have no minimum orders and the Post Office still delivers
the little parcels fast.

The permanent staff at their Bath branch are usually pretty
knowlegeable; some of the 'temps' aren't quite so clued-up, but they
are generally enthusiastic. Most importantly, none of them have tried
to pretend they understand things that they don't and nobody has ever
tried to bull**** me.


--
~ Adrian Tuddenham ~


I have to say ditto for the branch near me ...

Arfa

dave wrote:
On 05/01/2014 02:53 PM, Gareth Magennis wrote:


"dave" wrote in message
m...

On 05/01/2014 04:44 AM, Tim Schwartz wrote:
Gareth,

Well, don't move to the US, as things here are much worse. We have
"Radio Shack" as the last retailer of electronics parts, and they sell
very few of those recently..

I was in the UK in 2012, and stopped at the Maplin store in central
Cambridge. The had actual inventory, and the sales staff was pretty
good. I wish we had something close to that in the New York
Metropolitan area where I live. In this area, there is no longer the
choice of running down to a store to buy a part to complete a rush job,
everything must be mail ordered.

Radio Shack used to use the tag line "You've got Questions, We've got
Answers". Someone on this news group changed that to "You've got
questions, We've got high school drop outs in neck ties", which was
unfortunately often close to the truth. Also, Radio Shack no longer
offers a catalog.

Regards,
Tim
Bristol Electronics


On 4/30/2014 1:21 PM, Gareth Magennis wrote:

In the UK we have a chain of shops called Maplin, which sells electronic
goods and components.
I detest having to go there, because it is full of expensive crap, and
worse, the staff have no clue what they are talking about yet pretend
they do.

Here's todays example, which came about because I had forgotten my
glasses and couldn't read the catalogue to find the correct part
numbers:


Hi, can I have 2 5mm white LED's, and 2 standard 5mm green LED's please.

What voltage are you running them from?

Er, I don't care about that, I just need 2 white LEDs and 2 green ones.

Well, we have these high intensity white ones, they run on 4.2 volts.
If you run them higher than that they could pop.

Er, I'll have 2 of those please.

Oh, we seem to be out of stock of those. We have some superbright ones,
they run on 3.6 volts, which is lower. You might have to watch your
voltage.

Er, OK, I'll have 2 of those please.

We have these green ones, and they run at, oh, 2.2 volts, that's much
lower.

Er, OK, I'll have 2 of those as well.

Would you like some resistors with those?

Er, no thanks, just the LED's.


I should have said yes, and found out how he was going to try and
calculate the resistor values required.



Those 4 LED's cost me ?4.60.


That's why I detest Maplin.



Gareth.


Maplin sounds like Fry's as far as LED prices. The GeekMormons at Fry's
at least understand techni-speak, if not English. I use Digikey and
Mouser and Parts Express. You can get bunch of LEDs for a couple bucks
from China on eBay.




Yeahbut, sometimes you need it now, and locally, and Maplin is the only
option here.

Gareth.

Fry's is in Burbank, 20 miles on way. If you phone to inquire about
stock it is so frustrating you figure it's easier to just go there and
take your chances. Gasoline is too precious these days.

Component level troubleshooting is a dying art. We don't support
independent electronic stores like we used to. I'm just grateful Mouser
and Digikey have no minimum orders and the Post Office still delivers
the little parcels fast.

I think it's safe to just call it dead and not dying.

There used to be a handful of component suppliers in Chicago. You'd just
walk in and order at the counter and somebody would shuffle through
thousands of carboard bins on rows and rows of shelves. One in particular
was fairly busy with all the local repair and hobby folks. There were
local catalog houses where pretty much anything could be had next day. I
recall one guy who delivered out of his van, and I think the warehouse was
his garage. You could order parts faster than you can type in a credit
card number these days.

All that stuff must have vanished about 15 years ago.

On Mon, 5 May 2014, Cydrome Leader wrote:



There used to be a handful of component suppliers in Chicago. You'd just
walk in and order at the counter and somebody would shuffle through
thousands of carboard bins on rows and rows of shelves. One in particular
was fairly busy with all the local repair and hobby folks. There were
local catalog houses where pretty much anything could be had next day. I
recall one guy who delivered out of his van, and I think the warehouse was
his garage. You could order parts faster than you can type in a credit
card number these days.

All that stuff must have vanished about 15 years ago.

The one old type store left locally that was around when I was a kid,
it seemed to get a lot of surplus and we'd walk down the rows of parts
ourselves. It was really quite useful, because if there wasn't the value
you needed, you could redefine things, and pick something else, rather
than having to know before you went what you needed or try to explain that
to the guy behind the counter (who I don't think were actually into
electronics, the store was well away from everything and I assumed it
hired people local to the area).

If you can actually see that surplus meter, you can make a decision
whether it will work for the project or not.

And I didn't get up there for a few years, which apparently was longer
than I thought. I got up there in the fall of 2012, and the place had all
been redone. The surplus annex (which once had been the place to buy
Coleco Adam computer bits, and surplus switching supplies and those 3.5"
disks with that had the hub like 5.25" floppy disks) was gone. And the
rows of parts that we picked from were gone too. It's still as big as
ever, but the rows are now for consumer type things, tools and hdmi
adapters and the like. The parts are presumably behind the counter. So
it really becomes like any other place now. I remember twenty years ago,
my Tektronix scope developed ripple in the power supply, and I was
actually able to find high voltage, high capacitance filter capacitors
there. But because they were on display, I could see what would fit. Now
it's gone, and unless the surplus is behind the counter too, the surplus
is gone too. SO many neat things they used to get.

Michael

Buddy of mine is a country boy, and can fix about anything. That includes cars. One time he was looking for a job at an auto parts store. They wouldn't hire him because he knew too much.

Apparently they make more money selling the WRONG parts. Of course then you have to come back for the RIGHT parts.

Michael Black wrote:
On Mon, 5 May 2014, Cydrome Leader wrote:



There used to be a handful of component suppliers in Chicago. You'd just
walk in and order at the counter and somebody would shuffle through
thousands of carboard bins on rows and rows of shelves. One in particular
was fairly busy with all the local repair and hobby folks. There were
local catalog houses where pretty much anything could be had next day. I
recall one guy who delivered out of his van, and I think the warehouse was
his garage. You could order parts faster than you can type in a credit
card number these days.

All that stuff must have vanished about 15 years ago.

The one old type store left locally that was around when I was a kid,
it seemed to get a lot of surplus and we'd walk down the rows of parts
ourselves. It was really quite useful, because if there wasn't the value
you needed, you could redefine things, and pick something else, rather
than having to know before you went what you needed or try to explain that
to the guy behind the counter (who I don't think were actually into
electronics, the store was well away from everything and I assumed it
hired people local to the area).

If you can actually see that surplus meter, you can make a decision
whether it will work for the project or not.

And I didn't get up there for a few years, which apparently was longer
than I thought. I got up there in the fall of 2012, and the place had all
been redone. The surplus annex (which once had been the place to buy
Coleco Adam computer bits, and surplus switching supplies and those 3.5"
disks with that had the hub like 5.25" floppy disks) was gone. And the
rows of parts that we picked from were gone too. It's still as big as
ever, but the rows are now for consumer type things, tools and hdmi
adapters and the like. The parts are presumably behind the counter. So
it really becomes like any other place now. I remember twenty years ago,
my Tektronix scope developed ripple in the power supply, and I was
actually able to find high voltage, high capacitance filter capacitors
there. But because they were on display, I could see what would fit. Now
it's gone, and unless the surplus is behind the counter too, the surplus
is gone too. SO many neat things they used to get.

Michael


we have a surplus store here, which is technically still in business
(sciplus.com) but it's just a toy store these days. The loss of local
manufacturing is probably one reason there's slim pickings when it comes
to electrical/mechanical/optical surplus around here. Retarded MBA
accounting practices seem to make throwing stuff away rather than selling
it more appealing these days too.

The other gem we had was "The Radio TV Laboratory". It was around so long
that everything inside the place aged into electronic antiques. Towards
the end there was just one path into the place. It was not uncommon to
have to back out of the store (yes, walk backwards) to let the next
customer in. If what you wanted was old and weird, it was in there
somewhere, including new parts and manuals for wire recorders. The fire
marshall kept shutting the place down, but it was always open once the
path was widened back to about 18".

Surplus Sales of Nebraska has an impressive store, but the prices tend to
steer towards on bat**** crazy for everything. If you're ever in Omaha,
see the zoo and the surplus store.

There are just a few of you hard core doityourselfers out there. The
stores you all miss are no longer financially viable. We live in a
throwaway society. Plus there is the liability issue. I started and ran
an electronic surplus store in the SF bay area for 25 years. Closed it
in '97 as it was no longer worth the time and effort. Broke my heart to
dismantle what I had built. Then there is the liability issue. Some
wanna be doitselfer could cause harm to himself, others, or property. I
don't know about all of you, but I get 4or5 requests a year to be part
of a class action. We refused to give any technical advise or identify a
part brought in. Also, for the same reason, if you bought it it was
yours unless you could demonstrate it was defective. We didn't want to
support your R&D.

CP

On 06/05/2014 03:24, Pilgrim wrote:
There are just a few of you hard core doityourselfers out there. The
stores you all miss are no longer financially viable. We live in a
throwaway society. Plus there is the liability issue. I started and ran
an electronic surplus store in the SF bay area for 25 years. Closed it
in '97 as it was no longer worth the time and effort. Broke my heart to
dismantle what I had built. Then there is the liability issue. Some
wanna be doitselfer could cause harm to himself, others, or property. I
don't know about all of you, but I get 4or5 requests a year to be part
of a class action. We refused to give any technical advise or identify a
part brought in. Also, for the same reason, if you bought it it was
yours unless you could demonstrate it was defective. We didn't want to
support your R&D.

CP


This small-scale enterprise seems to be ok, with a physical store a
couple of miles from me, no junk as such
http://www.technobotsonline.com/
Geared towards hobbyist roboteers I think but useful for 16mm pots ,
polyswitches , American thread nuts and bolts (in the UK is pretty rare)
etc.
You have to have their stock number to be served in the shop, but that
is ok

Pilgrim wrote:
There are just a few of you hard core doityourselfers out there. The
stores you all miss are no longer financially viable. We live in a
throwaway society. Plus there is the liability issue. I started and ran
an electronic surplus store in the SF bay area for 25 years. Closed it
in '97 as it was no longer worth the time and effort. Broke my heart to
dismantle what I had built. Then there is the liability issue. Some
wanna be doitselfer could cause harm to himself, others, or property. I
don't know about all of you, but I get 4or5 requests a year to be part
of a class action. We refused to give any technical advise or identify a

No technical advice is always a lazy jackass move, and might have
something to do with not being in business anymore.

On Tue, 6 May 2014, Cydrome Leader wrote:

Pilgrim wrote:
There are just a few of you hard core doityourselfers out there. The
stores you all miss are no longer financially viable. We live in a
throwaway society. Plus there is the liability issue. I started and ran
an electronic surplus store in the SF bay area for 25 years. Closed it
in '97 as it was no longer worth the time and effort. Broke my heart to
dismantle what I had built. Then there is the liability issue. Some
wanna be doitselfer could cause harm to himself, others, or property. I
don't know about all of you, but I get 4or5 requests a year to be part
of a class action. We refused to give any technical advise or identify a

No technical advice is always a lazy jackass move, and might have
something to do with not being in business anymore.

I don't really think people should be expecting technical help at stores.
i get annoyed when I go into the Big Chain hardware store here and
someting I want is behind a lock, and I have to wait while endless people
keep the staff busy asking questions that they should be handling
themselves at home.

Even the old electronic parts store that I first went to in early 1971,
the staff there was of a mixed variety. Some had a great interest in
electronics so they got jobs there because they needed money while in
school, and might as well be in some related job. But there was the guy
who's interest was CB, he was never that interested in technical stuff.

That said, too many are wringing their hands and saying "things have
changed, all those lawsuits", when instead of fearing, there should be
more concern with how to replicate the past. The whole "Make" movement
really dumbs things down, which then of course means worry about
liability. Lots of us didn't kill ourselves as kids playing with
electronics unattended, but then we actually had an interest in the stuff.
Bring in people who are mostly interested in the end product, and they are
likely to hurt themselves along the way.

The people now saying "it's good for kids" don't realize what was good
about it, which was mostly self-exploration. No hand holding, it wasn't
about getting the parents to do your science project, it was about doing
it yourself, and learning in the process.

Michael

Michael Black wrote:
On Tue, 6 May 2014, Cydrome Leader wrote:

Pilgrim wrote:
There are just a few of you hard core doityourselfers out there. The
stores you all miss are no longer financially viable. We live in a
throwaway society. Plus there is the liability issue. I started and ran
an electronic surplus store in the SF bay area for 25 years. Closed it
in '97 as it was no longer worth the time and effort. Broke my heart to
dismantle what I had built. Then there is the liability issue. Some
wanna be doitselfer could cause harm to himself, others, or property. I
don't know about all of you, but I get 4or5 requests a year to be part
of a class action. We refused to give any technical advise or identify a

No technical advice is always a lazy jackass move, and might have
something to do with not being in business anymore.

I don't really think people should be expecting technical help at stores.
i get annoyed when I go into the Big Chain hardware store here and
someting I want is behind a lock, and I have to wait while endless people
keep the staff busy asking questions that they should be handling
themselves at home.

Even a complete fool at a store might have a useful tip every now and
then. You never know unless you ask. I don't know everything and have no
problem asking anybody anything. Yeah, you may get suspect answers at
times, but no big deal in the end.

Even the old electronic parts store that I first went to in early 1971,
the staff there was of a mixed variety. Some had a great interest in
electronics so they got jobs there because they needed money while in
school, and might as well be in some related job. But there was the guy
who's interest was CB, he was never that interested in technical stuff.

If you're a regular, you may learn not to chat up certain folks, but
there's got to be somebody arond with a clue.

That said, too many are wringing their hands and saying "things have
changed, all those lawsuits", when instead of fearing, there should be
more concern with how to replicate the past. The whole "Make" movement

yeah. the simple fact is they're nothing but pussies. If somebody is
really going to sue you, you're going to get sued. It doesn't mean there
was merit to their complaints in the first place. There's nothing you can
say or not say that will make these sorts of people go away. In fact,
folks should hand out more bad advice to weed out the idiots.

really dumbs things down, which then of course means worry about
liability. Lots of us didn't kill ourselves as kids playing with
electronics unattended, but then we actually had an interest in the stuff.
Bring in people who are mostly interested in the end product, and they are
likely to hurt themselves along the way.

The people now saying "it's good for kids" don't realize what was good
about it, which was mostly self-exploration. No hand holding, it wasn't
about getting the parents to do your science project, it was about doing
it yourself, and learning in the process.

the "make" or "maker" stuff is obnoxious in my opinion but better than
nothing hands on at all. Maybe they'll hand out soldering irons and
greymark kits in gradeschool again, someday, but I sort of doubt this.

On the plus side, using your hands and getting dirty and lawsuit excuse
fear hasn't killed off all the fun yet. The fab shop where I've been
learning to MIG weld apparently allows kids- one gets dropped off and
picked up by his mom during open shop times where you can use any of the
equipment for any project. I can't imagine his peers do anything useful
with their time.

Arfa Daily wrote:


The permanent staff at their Bath branch are usually pretty
knowlegeable; some of the 'temps' aren't quite so clued-up, but they
are generally enthusiastic. Most importantly, none of them have tried
to pretend they understand things that they don't and nobody has ever
tried to bull**** me.


--
~ Adrian Tuddenham ~


I have to say ditto for the branch near me ...

The weekend before last I needed a 24v DC power supply in a hurry for a
job that had to be installed the following Monday. There wasn't time to
order anything by post so I popped into the Bath branch of Maplins and
bought a plugtop SMPS. I PAT tested it with 500v DC and it appeared OK,
but I wasn't very impressed by the 200mV p/p sawtooth ripple on the
output (it said "low ripple" on the box), so I installed some extra
smoothing in the audio filter which it it powered.

While I was installing it, a colleague touched the metal box of the
filter with one hand and the metal casing of an amplifier with the
other, and received a substantial 'tingle'. I measured 80v rms between
the two and a leakage current of 1.4 mA on short-circuit. The equipment
had to be put into service immediately, so I made sure the two boxes
were properly bonded together and left the PSU working.

When I reported this to Maplins a few days later, the shop-floor staff
promptly referred me to the manager. He took down all the details in
writing and assured me it would be reported to the chief buyer in his
e-mailed report that evening.

The shop staff handled it perfectly properly, but I wait with interest
to see how their head office will deal with it.


--
~ Adrian Tuddenham ~
(Remove the ".invalid"s and add ".co.uk" to reply)
www.poppyrecords.co.uk

On 23/05/2014 12:10, Adrian Tuddenham wrote:
Arfa Daily wrote:


The permanent staff at their Bath branch are usually pretty
knowlegeable; some of the 'temps' aren't quite so clued-up, but they
are generally enthusiastic. Most importantly, none of them have tried
to pretend they understand things that they don't and nobody has ever
tried to bull**** me.


--
~ Adrian Tuddenham ~


I have to say ditto for the branch near me ...

The weekend before last I needed a 24v DC power supply in a hurry for a
job that had to be installed the following Monday. There wasn't time to
order anything by post so I popped into the Bath branch of Maplins and
bought a plugtop SMPS. I PAT tested it with 500v DC and it appeared OK,
but I wasn't very impressed by the 200mV p/p sawtooth ripple on the
output (it said "low ripple" on the box), so I installed some extra
smoothing in the audio filter which it it powered.

While I was installing it, a colleague touched the metal box of the
filter with one hand and the metal casing of an amplifier with the
other, and received a substantial 'tingle'. I measured 80v rms between
the two and a leakage current of 1.4 mA on short-circuit. The equipment
had to be put into service immediately, so I made sure the two boxes
were properly bonded together and left the PSU working.

When I reported this to Maplins a few days later, the shop-floor staff
promptly referred me to the manager. He took down all the details in
writing and assured me it would be reported to the chief buyer in his
e-mailed report that evening.

The shop staff handled it perfectly properly, but I wait with interest
to see how their head office will deal with it.



At least Maplin policy on returns is to bundle them up and sell off at
the "trade" Nottingham auction house and the explicit caveat emptor that
goes with buying in that manner.
Compare with Aldi policy. My experience over the last year a Dremmel
like mains powered high speed drill. 13 GBP excellent value , at a 1/3
of the price of Dremmel and IMHO good engineering (just bad mains switch
position and speed control could be less prone to vibration movement). I
waited for them to turn up again , to buy a spare.
Bought a second one but one of the brass 1/8 & 3/32 inch collets was
missing. Returned it and got refunded but they were all like this in the
stock. Either security tab was obviously corrupted or like the one I had
bought was re-stuck (closer perusal showed they were not virgin security
tabs) and all were missing the second collet, ie returns by people like
myself I assume,
but Aldi trying to sell on regardless, at the same 13 GBP.
Next time they made an appearance, 2 weeks ago, now boxes themselves
obviously battered, as well as no second collet. But now the price was 8
GBP with marked down sticker and I bought one for a spare.