"Sylvain VAN DER WALDE" wrote in message
news:...

"Peter Lynch" wrote in message
...
I've just been on their website, looking for a transformer to power
my latest and greatest piece of futility (that's the DIY angle).

Looked up the mains transformer section and got a real surprise.
All their toriodal transformer range is listed as "discontinued" :-(
Just out of interest I looked up variants:
Their total stock holding of PCB mounted mains transformers come to 7
(5 of one type, 2 of the other)
So far as traditional mains transformers goes, most of the voltage
ranges only have single-figure stock levels. the only range that
has what I'd've thought of as practical stocks is the sub-miniature
range.

OK, putting aside any views of "they're not a serious vendor anymore,
they're only interested in selling toys" that people may have. Does
this paltry offering reflect lack of demand or is it just another
symptom of their decline?


They're opening a new store in Camden, London. What does that suggest to
you?
Don't ask me. I don't know.

Sylvain.

Pete

--
.................................................. ........................
. never trust a man who, when left alone ...... Pete Lynch
.
. in a room with a tea cosy ...... Marlow, England
.
. doesn't try it on (Billy Connolly)
.....................................

Sylvain VAN DER WALDE has brought this to us :
"Sylvain VAN DER WALDE" wrote in message
news:...

"Peter Lynch" wrote in message
...
I've just been on their website, looking for a transformer to power
my latest and greatest piece of futility (that's the DIY angle).

Looked up the mains transformer section and got a real surprise.
All their toriodal transformer range is listed as "discontinued" :-(
Just out of interest I looked up variants:
Their total stock holding of PCB mounted mains transformers come to 7
(5 of one type, 2 of the other)
So far as traditional mains transformers goes, most of the voltage
ranges only have single-figure stock levels. the only range that
has what I'd've thought of as practical stocks is the sub-miniature
range.

OK, putting aside any views of "they're not a serious vendor anymore,
they're only interested in selling toys" that people may have. Does
this paltry offering reflect lack of demand or is it just another
symptom of their decline?


They're opening a new store in Camden, London. What does that suggest to
you?
Don't ask me. I don't know.

Sylvain.

They got into the electronics enthusiasts market and as that
deteriorated, tried to move into commercial component supply,
completing with the likes of Farnell and RS. They didn't compete very
well and then moved into the 'toy' market, but retaining some relics of
their component business. Now it seems they don't know quite what they
are trying to be. Shame really, they were the first good national
source for electronics parts -better than Tandy/Radio Shack.

--

Regards,
Harry (M1BYT) (L)
http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk

Harry Bloomfield wrote:

They got into the electronics enthusiasts market and as that
deteriorated, tried to move into commercial component supply,
completing with the likes of Farnell and RS. They didn't compete very
well and then moved into the 'toy' market, but retaining some relics of
their component business. Now it seems they don't know quite what they
are trying to be. Shame really, they were the first good national
source for electronics parts -better than Tandy/Radio Shack.

Now that CPC have made it much easier for the public to buy from them
direct, Maplin are being very badly squeezed. However, it's hard to feel
too sorry for them; they've had several chances over the years to create
their own distinctive place in the market, and missed every one.

More worrying is the effect CPC is having on its own sister company
Farnell. As the two companies gradually merge their inventories, the
Farnell people will have to work hard to keep their company separate and
distinct. I don't mind a few "engineer toys" in the Farnell monthly
promos, but when I'm buying components from the Farnell catalogue,
components are *all* I want to see.

By the way, there is a list of UK suppliers of electronic components and
related items, at:
http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek/in-prac/components.htm

The list gives particular emphasis to the way suppliers deal with
individual hobbyists. Comments, corrections and recommendations are
always welcome (bearing in mind that there is some DIY content, but it
isn't meant to be a DIY list).


--
Ian White

In article ,
Ian White wrote:
By the way, there is a list of UK suppliers of electronic components and
related items, at:
http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek/in-prac/components.htm

Very useful list, thanks.

The list gives particular emphasis to the way suppliers deal with
individual hobbyists. Comments, corrections and recommendations are
always welcome (bearing in mind that there is some DIY content, but it
isn't meant to be a DIY list).

I think it's a bit out of date as regards RS. At one time it was difficult
for the individual to buy from them. This isn't the case anymore -
provided you have a credit card.

--
*Snowmen fall from Heaven unassembled*

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Harry Bloomfield verbally sodomised in
:

Sylvain VAN DER WALDE has brought this to us :
"Sylvain VAN DER WALDE" wrote in
message news:...

"Peter Lynch" wrote in message
...
I've just been on their website, looking for a transformer to power
my latest and greatest piece of futility (that's the DIY angle).

Looked up the mains transformer section and got a real surprise.
All their toriodal transformer range is listed as "discontinued" :-(
Just out of interest I looked up variants:
Their total stock holding of PCB mounted mains transformers come to 7
(5 of one type, 2 of the other)
So far as traditional mains transformers goes, most of the voltage
ranges only have single-figure stock levels. the only range that
has what I'd've thought of as practical stocks is the sub-miniature
range.

OK, putting aside any views of "they're not a serious vendor anymore,
they're only interested in selling toys" that people may have. Does
this paltry offering reflect lack of demand or is it just another
symptom of their decline?


They're opening a new store in Camden, London. What does that suggest
to you?
Don't ask me. I don't know.

Sylvain.

They got into the electronics enthusiasts market and as that
deteriorated, tried to move into commercial component supply,
completing with the likes of Farnell and RS. They didn't compete very
well and then moved into the 'toy' market, but retaining some relics of
their component business. Now it seems they don't know quite what they
are trying to be. Shame really, they were the first good national
source for electronics parts -better than Tandy/Radio Shack.


Yeah, never heard of them.

--
Phil Kyle™

T
h i
i s
s l
f i l
S o n o
i u e n
g r s g

"Ian White" wrote in message
...
Harry Bloomfield wrote:

They got into the electronics enthusiasts market and as that
deteriorated, tried to move into commercial component supply,
completing with the likes of Farnell and RS. They didn't compete very
well and then moved into the 'toy' market, but retaining some relics of
their component business. Now it seems they don't know quite what they
are trying to be. Shame really, they were the first good national
source for electronics parts -better than Tandy/Radio Shack.

Now that CPC have made it much easier for the public to buy from them
direct, Maplin are being very badly squeezed. However, it's hard to feel
too sorry for them; they've had several chances over the years to create
their own distinctive place in the market, and missed every one.

More worrying is the effect CPC is having on its own sister company
Farnell. As the two companies gradually merge their inventories, the
Farnell people will have to work hard to keep their company separate and
distinct. I don't mind a few "engineer toys" in the Farnell monthly
promos, but when I'm buying components from the Farnell catalogue,
components are *all* I want to see.

By the way, there is a list of UK suppliers of electronic components and
related items, at:
http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek/in-prac/components.htm

The list gives particular emphasis to the way suppliers deal with
individual hobbyists. Comments, corrections and recommendations are
always welcome (bearing in mind that there is some DIY content, but it
isn't meant to be a DIY list).


--
Ian White

That's an interesting list. I currently order most of my stuff from Maplin
and RS, but I will try some of the others. Have you considered adding Edmund
Optics at http://www.edmundoptics.com/UK/ to the list? They are the only
supplier of optical components I know of that's geared-up to sell to
hobbyists, although their prices are sometimes scary.

In article ,
Simon wrote:
That's an interesting list. I currently order most of my stuff from
Maplin and RS, but I will try some of the others.

I did, but now mainly use Rapid. I don't spend a fortune with them as it's
just a (sometimes) paying hobby. They are generous with their catalogue -
unlike RS.

--
*Generally speaking, you aren't learning much if your lips are moving.*

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
That's an interesting list. I currently order most of my stuff from
Maplin and RS, but I will try some of the others.

I did, but now mainly use Rapid. I don't spend a fortune with them as
it's just a (sometimes) paying hobby. They are generous with their
catalogue - unlike RS.

Paper catalogues tend to be cyclic:

1. "We've just printed a new edition, but you can't have one in case
somebody wants one."

2a. "Here is your paper catalogue, and please tell your friends."
2b. "Here is your paper catalogue, and please tell your friends."
2c. "Here is your paper catalogue, and please tell your friends."

3. "We've run out. There won't be any more until the next edition."

Loop until cynical.



--
Ian White

Simon wrote:
Have you considered adding Edmund Optics at
http://www.edmundoptics.com/UK/ to the list? They are the only supplier
of optical components I know of that's geared-up to sell to hobbyists,
although their prices are sometimes scary.

Thanks - I'll have look.


--
Ian White

In message , "Dave Plowman (News)"
writes
In article ,
Simon wrote:
That's an interesting list. I currently order most of my stuff from
Maplin and RS, but I will try some of the others.

I did, but now mainly use Rapid. I don't spend a fortune with them as it's
just a (sometimes) paying hobby. They are generous with their catalogue -
unlike RS.


I find that strange, I've never had any problems getting catalogues out
of RS

CPC on the other hand ...

--
geoff

In article ,
raden wrote:
I did, but now mainly use Rapid. I don't spend a fortune with them as it's
just a (sometimes) paying hobby. They are generous with their catalogue -
unlike RS.


I find that strange, I've never had any problems getting catalogues out
of RS

Yes - but you're a business. I was talking about DIY or hobby stuff.

CPC on the other hand ...

Not a firm I use often. Probably history with their once diabolical
website.

--
*Income tax service - We‘ve got what it takes to take what you've got.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

In article ,
raden writes:

I find that strange, I've never had any problems getting catalogues out
of RS

When I was at a previous company, I tried opening an account
with RS (would have been ~15 years ago). They sent an application
form, wanted a bank reference and another supplier reference,
a copy of the company's annual report, and probably some other
things I've forgotten. I had got half of it together, and a
sales guy from Farnell knocked on the door and offered a catalogue
and account there and then. It was almost as if he must have known.
We never bothered persuing the RS account.

CPC on the other hand ...

If CPC didn't send me a catalogue, they wouldn't get any orders.
I really wish they would learn to pack things so they didn't
either burst in transit or packed in such a way they're
guaranteed to be broken on delivery. Just had a broken
fluorescent tube from them, although amazingly, given how
split the box was and the number of the tiny parts in it,
nothing was missing. Replacement tube arrived next day at
the wrong address, after I had agreed with the call centre
staff to cancel the item as I didn't need it quickly and I'd
just stick another one on the next order. But I still like
using CPC, and I just can't resist the weekly offer leaflets;
I suspect they are quite a marketing success.

--
Andrew Gabriel

In message , Andrew Gabriel
writes
I had got half of it together, and a
sales guy from Farnell knocked on the door and offered a catalogue
and account there and then. It was almost as if he must have known.
We never bothered persuing the RS account.

The big advantage of RS was the no minimum quantity order (not that I'm
given to always making small orders). Now they have put a delivery
charge on orders under £20, Farnell might see more business


CPC on the other hand ...

If CPC didn't send me a catalogue, they wouldn't get any orders.

The first one's not a problem, it's when you want a second. They went
away to check that I had a big enough spend with them ... and then said
they'd see if they had any spare

RS on the other hand, always send extras if you ask for them

I really wish they would learn to pack things so they didn't
either burst in transit or packed in such a way they're
guaranteed to be broken on delivery.

Don't, as they say, get me started on that one

or the time a car vacuum cleaner arrived with the rubbish from someone
else's car in it

But I still like
using CPC, and I just can't resist the weekly offer leaflets;
I suspect they are quite a marketing success.


Yes, except that you have to watch out, some of the offers aren't that
good

--
geoff

On Sat, 28 Oct 2006 21:49:56 GMT, raden wrote:

In message , Andrew Gabriel
writes
I had got half of it together, and a
sales guy from Farnell knocked on the door and offered a catalogue
and account there and then. It was almost as if he must have known.
We never bothered persuing the RS account.

The big advantage of RS was the no minimum quantity order (not that I'm
given to always making small orders). Now they have put a delivery
charge on orders under £20,

Not if they are entered via t' internet.

Farnell might see more business

For a long time Farnell's website was pathetic. It's better now.

My biggest gripe about RS is their stock levels at regional trade
counters. Seemingly down to 1 or 2 minimum order units even for small
cheap components.

DG

On Sat, 28 Oct 2006 00:28:05 +0100, "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:

In article ,
Simon wrote:
That's an interesting list. I currently order most of my stuff from
Maplin and RS, but I will try some of the others.

I did, but now mainly use Rapid. I don't spend a fortune with them as it's
just a (sometimes) paying hobby. They are generous with their catalogue -
unlike RS.

At our local trade counter they are generous with catalogues on
CD-ROM. I can scarcely pick up the box containing the multiple volume
paper catalogue we get nowadays.

The "Radiospares" Catalogue used to be a folder about the size of a
book of log tables that hung on a nail in every electronic workshop,
and the company penetrated the market by issuing enough of them such
that a service engineer always had one within his reach without
getting up off his seat.

In those days components were typically re-marked RS and it was
commonly speculated that semiconductor manufacturers sold their
in-spec devices under their own brand name and their out of spec
devices ...

DG

In message , Derek ^
writes
On Sat, 28 Oct 2006 21:49:56 GMT, raden wrote:

In message , Andrew Gabriel
writes
I had got half of it together, and a
sales guy from Farnell knocked on the door and offered a catalogue
and account there and then. It was almost as if he must have known.
We never bothered persuing the RS account.

The big advantage of RS was the no minimum quantity order (not that I'm
given to always making small orders). Now they have put a delivery
charge on orders under £20,

Not if they are entered via t' internet.

Yes, but we were having a whinge about catalogues and I was in telephone
ordering mode

Farnell might see more business

For a long time Farnell's website was pathetic. It's better now.

My biggest gripe about RS is their stock levels at regional trade
counters.

Or rather their stock levels full stop

since they transferred over to this new system, the whole thing seems to
have fallen apart - for example, I've run them out of capacitors several
times this year with over a month's lead time on replacement stock ...
and then you find that they've run out of the alternative as well !

--
geoff

In message , Derek ^
writes
On Sat, 28 Oct 2006 00:28:05 +0100, "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:

In article ,
Simon wrote:
That's an interesting list. I currently order most of my stuff from
Maplin and RS, but I will try some of the others.

I did, but now mainly use Rapid. I don't spend a fortune with them as it's
just a (sometimes) paying hobby. They are generous with their catalogue -
unlike RS.

At our local trade counter they are generous with catalogues on
CD-ROM. I can scarcely pick up the box containing the multiple volume
paper catalogue we get nowadays.

The "Radiospares" Catalogue used to be a folder about the size of a
book of log tables that hung on a nail in every electronic workshop,
and the company penetrated the market by issuing enough of them such
that a service engineer always had one within his reach without
getting up off his seat.

In those days components were typically re-marked RS and it was
commonly speculated that semiconductor manufacturers sold their
in-spec devices under their own brand name and their out of spec
devices ...

I still keep a few old catalogues so that I can e.g. decypher what that
old IC with the six digit stock code printed on it is


--
geoff

The Natural Philosopher wrote:

and their out of spec devices ...

...to clive sinclair.

Funny, I was just about to say that...

--
Andy

Derek ^ wrote:
it was
commonly speculated that semiconductor manufacturers sold their
in-spec devices under their own brand name and their out of spec
devices ...


....to clive sinclair.

DG

In article ,
Andy Wade writes:
The Natural Philosopher wrote:

and their out of spec devices ...

...to clive sinclair.

Funny, I was just about to say that...

A friend of mine bought a ZX80 or XZ81 kit (can't recall which).
The diodes for the power supply bridge rectifier were rejects
because the band was marked on the wrong end, it turned out
after he powered the thing up...

--
Andrew Gabriel

Andrew Gabriel wrote:

A friend of mine bought a ZX80 or XZ81 kit (can't recall which).
The diodes for the power supply bridge rectifier were rejects
because the band was marked on the wrong end, it turned out
after he powered the thing up...

Ah...

Remember the germanium "micro alloy transistors" used in many of his
earlier efforts (I still have an original X10 (PWM) amplifier
somewhere)? Those are documented somewhere as being a job lot of
rejects he bought from AEI.

--
Andy

raden wrote:
My biggest gripe about RS is their stock levels at regional trade
counters.

Or rather their stock levels full stop

since they transferred over to this new system, the whole thing seems
to have fallen apart - for example, I've run them out of capacitors
several times this year with over a month's lead time on replacement
stock ... and then you find that they've run out of the alternative as
well !

It probably isn't their fault. The RoHS directive has thrown the
component industry's JIT manufacturing and delivery processes into
chaos, so there are gaps where certain components just aren't being
made.


--
Ian White

In article , Derek ^
writes
On Sat, 28 Oct 2006 00:28:05 +0100, "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:

In article ,
Simon wrote:
That's an interesting list. I currently order most of my stuff from
Maplin and RS, but I will try some of the others.

I did, but now mainly use Rapid. I don't spend a fortune with them as it's
just a (sometimes) paying hobby. They are generous with their catalogue -
unlike RS.

At our local trade counter they are generous with catalogues on
CD-ROM. I can scarcely pick up the box containing the multiple volume
paper catalogue we get nowadays.

The "Radiospares" Catalogue used to be a folder about the size of a
book of log tables that hung on a nail in every electronic workshop,
and the company penetrated the market by issuing enough of them such
that a service engineer always had one within his reach without
getting up off his seat.


Blimey, I remember when the Radiospares cat was no thicker than the
Beano;!....


--
Tony Sayer

In message , Ian White
writes
raden wrote:
My biggest gripe about RS is their stock levels at regional trade
counters.

Or rather their stock levels full stop

since they transferred over to this new system, the whole thing seems
to have fallen apart - for example, I've run them out of capacitors
several times this year with over a month's lead time on replacement
stock ... and then you find that they've run out of the alternative as well !

It probably isn't their fault. The RoHS directive has thrown the
component industry's JIT manufacturing and delivery processes into
chaos, so there are gaps where certain components just aren't being made.

Not, as far as I know, in the instance I gave (electrolytic
capacitors), identical components (AFAICS) just that they ran out of
stock. Items received when they eventually sent them looked identical to
previously received items

.... and it's hardly as if RoHS is something that was sprung upon them
overnight


--
geoff

On Sun, 29 Oct 2006 08:30:28 +0000, Andy Wade
wrote:

Andrew Gabriel wrote:

A friend of mine bought a ZX80 or XZ81 kit (can't recall which).
The diodes for the power supply bridge rectifier were rejects
because the band was marked on the wrong end, it turned out
after he powered the thing up...

Ah...

Remember the germanium "micro alloy transistors" used in many of his
earlier efforts (I still have an original X10 (PWM) amplifier
somewhere)?

Did it work? I was at uni at the time studying electronics. The
lecturers poured scorn on it because the output transistors and diodes
did not have good enough characteristics to switch off the current
pulse through the inductive voice coil of the speaker without a lot of
power loss. Sure enough the only one I ever saw had burnt out output
transistors.

Those are documented somewhere as being a job lot of
rejects he bought from AEI.

Legend has it they had been used as hard core under a new drive.
Sinclair bought them and paid to have them dug up.

Thinking back it must have been just before the UK semiconductor
industry went over to silicon. They could have been the tail end of
Ge. transistor production ??

DG

Derek ^ wrote:
In those days components were typically re-marked RS ...
DG

I often wondered how much their insistence on re-marking cost RS.

Often it was obvious that the manufacture hade modified the mould to
obliterate their own name and add RS.

Then there was their insistence on all plastic being grey, so different
materials were needed as well as moulds.

You could usually tell who made most components just by comparing
samples.

I remember when they introduced their first range is TTL DIL ICs (7400
series). The original markings were covered up by a layer of black
gloss paint with just the type number stamped on top in white (but so
large that it was much easier to read than most, if not all, other
ICs!)

Often our rep would tell you the original manufacturer if you asked
nicely. However, when I changed jobs, the RS rep there was a snotty
so-and-so who would only answer "RS" to every query.

I remember when he turned up the day after I'd returned from a visit to
Wales with his little sample case of new 'goodies'. When I asked "who
makes that?", pointing to a particular component, he promptly answered
"RS!".

So I asked "who makes your pots?". "RS!" he said. "Strange," said I,
"yesterday I was looking at some of your pots undergoing life-testing
at AB Electronics factory at Abercynon!" We didn't get much of a
response, but the look on his face was very interesting!

Terry

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember raden saying
something like:

I find that strange, I've never had any problems getting catalogues out
of RS

I used to get RS catalogues easily. Then I moved here and didn't bother
any more, postage being a brute.

CPC on the other hand ...

Never been a problem, but they didn't send one this year; which meant
dealing with their dreadful web****e.
--

Dave

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember (Andrew
Gabriel) saying something like:

But I still like
using CPC, and I just can't resist the weekly offer leaflets;
I suspect they are quite a marketing success.

Especially when there's something that you would use anyway.
A few months ago they were clearing out unpopular tie-wrap sizes and
offering bags of 1000 for a quid. Now everything is tie-wrapped wherever
I've been. I've probably got enough to see me out.
--

Dave

In message , Grimly
Curmudgeon writes
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember (Andrew
Gabriel) saying something like:

But I still like
using CPC, and I just can't resist the weekly offer leaflets;
I suspect they are quite a marketing success.

Especially when there's something that you would use anyway.
A few months ago they were clearing out unpopular tie-wrap sizes and
offering bags of 1000 for a quid. Now everything is tie-wrapped wherever
I've been. I've probably got enough to see me out.

I bought 3000 the year before last

they're almost gone now



--
geoff

On Fri, 27 Oct 2006 08:53:46 +0100, in uk.d-i-y Ian White
wrote:

By the way, there is a list of UK suppliers of electronic components and
related items, at:
http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek/in-prac/components.htm

The list gives particular emphasis to the way suppliers deal with
individual hobbyists. Comments, corrections and recommendations are
always welcome (bearing in mind that there is some DIY content, but it
isn't meant to be a DIY list).

"The Maplin catalogue is available in major magazine shops and shows
VAT-inclusive prices. There is also a CD-ROM."

You have to buy their catalogue, at about £3.50 and its revised
quarterly I think. I tried their early CD version and it was hopeless.
The website 'more details' generally brings up an almost illegible scan
of a complete catalogue page. And of course 'bigger image' just brings
up the same size one in a separate window... duh!!

Well done for list, extremely useful, thanks.

Phil
The uk.d-i-y FAQ is at http://www.diyfaq.org.uk/
The Google uk.d-i-y archive is at http://tinyurl.com/65kwq
Remove NOSPAM from address to email me

Derek ^ wrote:

[Sinclair X10]
Did it work? I was at uni at the time studying electronics. The
lecturers poured scorn on it because the output transistors and diodes
did not have good enough characteristics to switch off the current
pulse through the inductive voice coil of the speaker without a lot of
power loss. Sure enough the only one I ever saw had burnt out output
transistors.

Work? Not in any meaningful way, no. The output devices didn't blow up,
but did run "rather warm" and any audio output I managed to achieve was
grossly distorted. Also the output was completely unfiltered with the
result that reception of the Light Programme on 200 kHz was completely
wiped out. I went back to EF86s and EL84s after that experience...

Legend has it they had been used as hard core under a new drive.
Sinclair bought them and paid to have them dug up.

I've never heard that one before. I thought the "transistors as
hardcore" story related to Mullard Research Labs (later PRL) at Redhill?

Thinking back it must have been just before the UK semiconductor
industry went over to silicon. They could have been the tail end of
Ge. transistor production ??

I suspect that came later. The Mullard/Philips alloy junction devices
(AF115/6/7) had a long run in portable radios and also TV IF strips.
Then the early transistorised UHF TV tuners had Ge devices (AF186, IIRC).

--
Andy

On Oct 29, 8:37 am, Ian White wrote:
raden wrote:
My biggest gripe about RS is their stock levels at regional trade
counters.

Or rather their stock levels full stop

since they transferred over to this new system, the whole thing seems
to have fallen apart - for example, I've run them out of capacitors
several times this year with over a month's lead time on replacement
stock ... and then you find that they've run out of the alternative as
well !

It probably isn't their fault. The RoHS directive has thrown the
component industry's JIT manufacturing and delivery processes into
chaos, so there are gaps where certain components just aren't being
made.

Oh, come on! RoHS has been on the cards for some time. Anyone quoting
it is using it as a convenient excuse for their own cock-ups (like a
blinkered "It will never happen", or "I don't need to worry about it"
attitude), rather than a real reason.

MBQ

wrote:
since they transferred over to this new system, the whole thing seems
to have fallen apart - for example, I've run them out of capacitors
several times this year with over a month's lead time on replacement
stock ... and then you find that they've run out of the alternative as
well !

It probably isn't their fault. The RoHS directive has thrown the
component industry's JIT manufacturing and delivery processes into
chaos, so there are gaps where certain components just aren't being
made.

Oh, come on! RoHS has been on the cards for some time. Anyone quoting
it is using it as a convenient excuse for their own cock-ups (like a
blinkered "It will never happen", or "I don't need to worry about it"
attitude), rather than a real reason.


What you say is true of some manufacturers and end users of electronic
components, but it's largely *not* true of the distributors in between.

The distributors can only sell what they get, and most of the RoHS
problems are upstream at the manufacturers.

For the past several years I have been placing the same regular order
for about 100 different kinds of components, and have watched this
problem develop. If I thought the distributors were to blame, then
believe me, I wouldn't hesitate to say so; but there's very little real
evidence for that.

The major UK component distributors are nobody's fools. They have been
planning for RoHS for years, because they knew they'd have hundreds of
thousands of different stock codes to change. All things considered,
most of them have handled their end of the problem quite well. It is
largely the manufacturers who have let them down by unpredictably late
deliveries.

The underlying reason is that electronic components are a global market,
but the RoHS changeover is taking several years to roll around the
world. Predictably, the USA is the last to change, so the ongoing demand
for the old-style components has tempted some manufacturers to keep
production lines running far longer than they should. In some cases they
have left themselves insufficient time to make a smooth changeover, so
production has stopped altogether.

The distributors have seen all this coming, but it's a true chaos
problem - there is no way to predict exactly which components it would
affect.



--
Ian White

On Mon, 30 Oct 2006 09:44:26 +0000, Andy Wade
wrote:

Derek ^ wrote:

[Sinclair X10]
Did it work? I was at uni at the time studying electronics. The
lecturers poured scorn on it because the output transistors and diodes
did not have good enough characteristics to switch off the current
pulse through the inductive voice coil of the speaker without a lot of
power loss. Sure enough the only one I ever saw had burnt out output
transistors.

Work? Not in any meaningful way, no. The output devices didn't blow up,
but did run "rather warm" and any audio output I managed to achieve was
grossly distorted. Also the output was completely unfiltered with the
result that reception of the Light Programme on 200 kHz was completely
wiped out. I went back to EF86s and EL84s after that experience...

Legend has it they had been used as hard core under a new drive.
Sinclair bought them and paid to have them dug up.

I've never heard that one before. I thought the "transistors as
hardcore" story related to Mullard Research Labs (later PRL) at Redhill?


TBH I always thought it referred to "Newmarket" transistors.

But this quite illuminating webpage says it was Texas Instruments in
Bedford.

http://www.rickmaybury.com/bootpages...sinclairtv.htm

Maybe it's apocryphal.

Thinking back it must have been just before the UK semiconductor
industry went over to silicon. They could have been the tail end of
Ge. transistor production ??

I suspect that came later. The Mullard/Philips alloy junction devices
(AF115/6/7) had a long run in portable radios and also TV IF strips.

A but expensive for schoolboy hobbyists and didn't appear on the
surplus market.

Then the early transistorised UHF TV tuners had Ge devices (AF186, IIRC).

I can remember playing with the AF186 in band 3 pre-amplifiers, & it's
Si successor the BF180, in 1988 at uni I did a band 3 pre-amp project
using the Motorola MC 1550G IC.

DG