Maplins UK - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 28, 2015, 12:35:24 pm
content: Against better judgement I called into Maplins Peterborough UK today while wife was clothes shopping ,I needed a 470R pot and 4x schottky Signal diodes,simple off the shelf components,and was directed to the "Parts Expert" hmmmmmm worrying.,first of all no diodes in the vast component store, so 470R pot yes sir freezer spray yes sir, switch cleaner yes sir, bought items got home sprays yes 470R pot the expert said was in the bag morphed into a 470K pot, I know I should have checked,my proper supplier has no competition,be ware of the Maplin Experts.

author: and101
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: February 28, 2015, 01:52:28 pm
content: Maplins is always a last resort when you need something urgently and even then it is a 50/50 chance that they will have what you want. I only use them now for connectors and a few other small bits and pieces. If I can wait a day then I just order it from farnell or RS.As for their "experts" I expect that they are experts in something but it isn't electronics.

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 28, 2015, 02:33:02 pm
content: Hi I have rapidly come to the same decision + side their switch & freezer sprays are cheap and so are their ABS cases,and I'm glad I satisfied my curiosity however thats it

author: Lightages
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 28, 2015, 02:49:12 pm
content: I was in London Sept. 2014. I was actually staying in Hammersmith. While I was wandering around I encountered a Maplins. Of course I went in to look around as I needed a USB3.0 hub and wanted to see what other stuff they had.I found a lot of junk, cheap multimeters, off brand power supplies, car stereo parts, overpriced headphones, and no USB3.0 anything.It felt like going into a Radio Shack in North America, maybe a bit better.

author: 22swg
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 28, 2015, 03:21:21 pm
content: Maplin seem to have abandoned the basic hobbiest component supply , it is a last port of call for me to ( usually check their stock online ) and I have been a customer since the 80's I still have a load of their 'Electronics ' Magazine Wife could loose me in there for hours ,,, not now...

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 28, 2015, 03:25:12 pm
content: Maplins are highly reliable in that when I've gone to a store for a component they havealwayshad it in stock.But then I do check on their website to see what stock is available in each local store!Simple. Effective. No wasted journeys.

author: AndyC_772
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 28, 2015, 03:39:35 pm
content: I wouldn't normally touch them with a long pole, especially since the last couple of ICs I bought from them were handed to me loose in a plastic bag, with no anti-static or physical protection at all. (I'm ashamed to say I needed the use of the chips more than I needed to try and lecture someone on ESD).That said, last week I needed a sheet of copper clad board, and Maplin not only had them in stock but they were cheap too.

author: PGrant
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: February 28, 2015, 11:09:58 pm
content: I find they are ridiculously expensive for the most part, but occasoinally they can be cheap.Like most "experts" in shops, they are hired on their customer service experiance. What they know is mostly what they pick up on in the store, or what the computer tells them.

author: Howardlong
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 01, 2015, 12:44:36 am
content: I find Maplins to be a variable experience. I usually go in there and buy more crap than I really need, "just in case", although the other day I was amazed that they had a particular DC power connector that I was expecting to have to hack off a busted SMPS brick used for a NAS and solder to a replacement supply from Maplin.They used to do reasonably priced audio and video cables about five or ten years ago, now they're just silly money, no wonder everyone buys that stuff online or at the pound shop.We may slag it off, but for many of us in a pickle it's all we've got.The one closest to me is next door to a Currys/PC World, which takes the shit customer experience to a whole new level, if ever there was a race to the bottom, that has to take the biscuit.

author: 22swg
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 01, 2015, 09:49:51 am
content: I've used the Maplin Tri-pad board for ages, then seemed it was being discontinuedso I checked online 3 in a Maplin store 30 ml away , made a special trip, and bought them... removed cards and put them into stock... happy bunny... till I came to use one 3 months later ... 28 pin DIP socket would not fitholes not correct spacing , complained online , but I had no receipt no packaging just bank statement ... after severalemails with their "technical Support " I gave up and put it in the bin.... Perhaps they don't like loyal customers ?Agree they can get you out of a hole occasionally , but at a cost....

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 01, 2015, 10:23:41 am
content: Quote from: Howardlong on March 01, 2015, 12:44:36 amNow you've asked for it, Currys pc world, My laptop went in for a simple service windows 7 home edition, came back 3 weeks later with windows 8then they wanted me to pay to get it taken off and have windows 7 put back on at £180.00p, I just buy computers from John Lewis these days.

author: Howardlong
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 01, 2015, 10:26:56 am
content: Quote from: 22swg on March 01, 2015, 09:49:51 amStandard 0.3" and 0.6" DIL work on the tripad boards perfectly in my experience. They had stock of them at my local outlet yesterday at any rate.

author: SteveyG
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 01, 2015, 10:54:57 am
content: Quote from: Negative-Bias on February 28, 2015, 12:35:24 pmHi from Peterborough!

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 01, 2015, 11:33:56 am
content: Ref Maplin....When I started working with Electronics at age 7 my father took me to my local electronic components emporium, Hanny's of Bath. There began my life in electronics. I regularly walked the short distance from school to Hanney's to spend my limited funds on various components and surplus equipment. I got on well with the propriator and learnt a great deal about electronics during my visits. Those were the days when a shop owner dealt directly with the public and was happy to discuss challenges that presented themselves to the young mind.Move forward a few years and as a Student I applied for a job at Hanney's working Saturdays and holidays. I was successful. The pay was poor at £10 day (1985) but I knew that the knowledge gained working there was like gold for me. Unlike some, I knew that a student job wasn't just about the amount of money being offered. I could, and did, earn a lot more at Sainsbury's but what use that knowledge in the world of electronics eh ?Maplin opened in Bristol 22 miles away and there was concern that Hanney's might suffer as a result. Maplin, at that time, was far more flashy than Hanney's and had a big shiny catalogue. In fact most of our customers stuck with us as they said we knew electronics and the Maplin staff did not have a clue what they were selling and were just quoting from the catalogue.I used to buy kits from Maplin, such as the 137MHz NOAA weather satellite receiver, but I mostly bought my components through Hanney's, even after leaving to start work in London. Weekend visits home always had time allocated to visit my old hauntHanney's closed a few years ago as the owner was well over retirement age. He wondered whether I would be interested in buying his shop and stock but I did not have the surplus money and was uncertain of the future of such shops. I come from a period when it was fun to build electronics and a challenge to repair faulty equipment. Low retail prices in the UK make repair unlikely these days. Sad times. Computers and smart phones seem to have hit the hobbyist electronics market badly.Maplin responded to this situation in a similar way to Dick Smith Electronics in Australia....they diversified into finished products and toys...... then down sized the hobbyist electronics stocks.Now to the crunch..... I was a child of my time when building things, mechanical or electronic was considered 'fun' ..... I effectively self taught myself from age 7 using quality electronics magazines...... remember those ? I then served an 'apprenticeship' in Hanney's whilst a student and could quickly diagnose faults, find equivalent parts and read component colour coded values as though they were numbers in plain language. I knew the RS and Farnell catalogues inside and out. I was also capable of providing customers with good advice and assistance in solving their problems.The question is....... where have all these great electronics emporiums gone and where do youngsters get the opportunities that I was lucky enough to enjoy ? Sadly the truth is that both are now long gone. The world has changed.I have just retired at age 47 and can honestly say that I am not sorry. I now have the time to complete projects and help others. I have already received three 'head hunting' job offers, with the companies stating that they just can't find skilled electronics engineers these days who are able to work at component level in both design and repair. I have declined as it is time for me to rest up for a while.The Maplin that you see today is just a sad reflection of what the modern marketplace wants...... I am a dinosaur in the eyes of some strident youngsters, but I am a happy old dinosaur who has skills and world experiences that they can only dream of, so no worries .... I'm happyAs for the the cr*p that I have heard my local Maplin's staff spouting to customers whilst visiting.....well it was appalling and I felt so sorry for the customers that I have caught them before leaving the store to provide the correct advice ! They have, without exception, always been grateful for the help.Maybe I should get a semi retirement part time job at Maplin as their resident electronics specialistComment on Hanney's closing......http://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/showthread.php?t=19915AuroraUpdate: Pictures of Hanney's (as it was known locally) added. During close down and when empty....a sad sight for me but few seemed surprised. I can confirm that the rear store room was filled to the roof with finished retail products and the up stairs store room was filled with cable, thermionic valves (thousands of them - NOS), components stock and lots of surplus equipment from the past 60 years ! A true Aladdin's cave that very few ever got to see. Reg D. (Owner) told me he was going to dump the unsold stock in a skip rather than sell it to some 'Vulture' offering next to nothing for it. Reg was a man that you did not mess with....old school, firm but fair. I have seen him tell customers that they are not welcome back ! (they had messed him around prior to this decision though) A bit like getting barred from your local pub

author: Howardlong
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 01, 2015, 12:24:31 pm
content: My trip has not been dissimilar to yours.We had two local emporia in Loughborough in the mid to late 70s, H&R Electronics and Taurus. I moved to London 25 or so years ago, with an eight year stint in Manchester in between.I went past H&R about five years ago, it must've only recently closed, but even back in the 70s they were making most of their money from selling disco equipment. I'd say their parts selection wasn't a million miles off what Maplin is today. I remember buying 555s for 70p - that's over £5 in today's money. We didn't have 0.1" breadboards back then, but we had S-decs, a similar concept, but massive pitch in comparison, maybe 0.25" or so. Once I bought a version of the s-dec, a u-dec or something, for £18, or, wait for it, £130 in today's money. It had the same s-dec setup but included to 16 pin dil socket broken out. H&R was all new stuff, no junk.Taurus is still going under the name of Sinequanon.co.uk. They had a better selection of parts particularly TTL, and were a bit cheaper than H&R. There was an enormous bloke behind the counter, he used to select the parts one by one from the drawers and balance them, often dozens, upon is rotundness. Of course as school kids this was a source of much idle chit chat amongst the nerds. Taurus, unlike H&R, also had plenty of surplus stuff. They used to sell NiCd AAs ex equipment for a quid a pop, told you they just needed a bit of reconditioning, and of course you believed them....I retired from the rat race about four years ago, but I still live in London. I've seen Edgware Road almost completely disappear. 30 years ago it was a mecca for electronics nerds, a trip to London back thenwas not complete without a wonder down Edgware Road. The only shop remaining is Henrys, and I haven't stepped foot in there for at least ten years, the last time I went in there I walked out empty handed, either it was completely useless surplus tat or CCTV in there.Cricklewood Electronics still seems to be going, but again it's been some time since I went in there, the last time was for some CA3028As in a metal can about ten years ago that we were using to build a bit of space hardware, and that device in that package had heritage.We are, collectively, part of the problem, in that we can order from a much larger selection, at a cheaper price, and have parts turn up the next day, so that's what we do. No longer do we have to wait 28 days for delivery: remember that? Although I'm rarely an apologist for Maplin, I am pretty amazed it still offers parts at all. I remember thinking a few short years ago, when they opened their then new Kensington store, with those high rents, I bet they won't sell you a resistor, but they do.

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 01, 2015, 12:33:06 pm
content: Quote from: Aurora on March 01, 2015, 11:33:56 amThey have gone to ebay and RS/Farnell type web front ends. That plus home delivery is much better for everythingexceptbrowsing and chatting.I believe there is just about one surplus shop left, Burketts in Lincoln. Somebody recently got me a 1970s HP 1740 scope from there - lovely.QuoteThe whole highstreet is in the process of being gutted, and replaced by coffee shops. Maybe it will recover, but the future is murky in this respect.Once upon a time people shopped at local stores and had goods delivered by the shop; think of Ronnie Barker in "Open All Hours". That was supplanted by not-quite-so-local shops and cars. Now it has again been supplanted by web+couriers. Curiously back in 1996 I and some colleagues realised that there would be money to be made by courier services; but I didn't think it would take so long to come true.

author: Howardlong
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 01, 2015, 12:37:01 pm
content: When I built my first radio with my father around 1973, we lived in Mansfield and there was a small emporium there, resistors were 30p each <cringe>, that's nearly £3.50!On special occasions we went to Birketts in Lincoln, I think that might still be going?

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 01, 2015, 12:43:11 pm
content: Quote from: Howardlong on March 01, 2015, 12:24:31 pmThanks for that pointer!QuoteJust so.I recently resurrected a hack I made in the 1970s, and thought it worth noting down How Things Were Done Then - and what has/hasn't changed. (Including International Money Orders for paying for parts from the US, groan). If you are curious, seehttp://entertaininghacks.wordpress.com/2015/02/21/vintage-hacking-or-the-past-is-a-foreign-country-they-do-things-differently-there/

author: 22swg
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 01, 2015, 01:30:21 pm
content: Howard , re Tri pad , just the one from the 3 was faulty, pitch was slightly off 16 -20 pin just about fitted 28 not , think they may either be on last stock or have changed supplier. my advice check with a socket in the shop .My recomended supplier is ESR score 10/10 upt north ! 3 day post turnaround

author: Howardlong
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 01, 2015, 01:41:45 pm
content: Quote from: 22swg on March 01, 2015, 01:30:21 pmThat seems a bit weird! I think those boards are made by Vero. I frequently use them, and always have some in stock. Here's a board of mine with a 28 pinner on it, that's why I didn't understand how you'd had difficulties. I'm not questioning that you did, but I'm sure like you probably thought it's a bit of a head scratcher!

author: Tandy
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 01, 2015, 01:54:50 pm
content: Quote from: Aurora on March 01, 2015, 11:33:56 amI agree with most of what you say but there are fundamental problems for the general retail industry as a whole before you begin to tackle the industry specific issues, in the UK in particular the main problems are.Rent:Traditionally there has been a limited amount of retail space available making the rental costs high. Although rents are coming down gradually many retailers are locked in to long upward only rent review leases. The landlords use these income levels as an expectation for new leases so they are asking unreasonable rents and wondering why so many of their properties are sitting empty.Business Rates:Ironically the business rates paid on these premises are based, not on what rent you pay but the average value of rent from a few years ago, long before the global economic downturn. So you will be paying approximately 50% of the official rent value as valued by the valuation office in addition to your rent.For example rent might be £12,000 PA but the rateable value is £15,000 so business rates will be an additional £7,500 PA rather than the somewhat fairer but still ridiculous £6,000 if it was based on actual rent paid.Local Authority Profiteering:Despite the local authorities receiving huge amounts of income from the business rates paid they see parking as a way of generating income. They claim they are trying to reduce congestion and pollution in towns and cities by removing a majority of on-street parking and at the same time greatly inflating the parking charges. They are trying to get money from both ends by taking it from the retailers in business rates and from their customers through parking charges. The net result is that customers stop visiting the shopping areas due to inability to park (or high charges) as it becomes easier to just order on-line.Imagine having to make £2000 of profit per month on your sales just to cover the rent and rates. If your profit margin is an optimistic 30% that is over £6000 of sales a month just to cover this basic overhead. Unless you are going to work 7 days a week and can do everything all by yourself you need at least one employee, probably two. That is at least another £1000 per month per employee making it another £6000 of sales a month. This is before you add things like utilities, insurance, store maintenance etc. So it is not entirely unreasonable to say that a relatively small store needs to turn sell £15,000 worth of goods @ a 30% margin each month just to survive before making any profit.The competition however is on-line retailers that operate out of low cost warehouses likely in low rent cities with tax breaks for bring work to a troubled local economically. The large warehouse can hold many more products as they don't have to be displayed neatly.Even worse is that the cost of posting goods from China is subsidised by the Chinese government and these products do not have to meet stringent standards that would be required if sold in the UK and as everybody knows the Chinese workers have very little in the way of workers rights compared to Europe.So how do you make a retail store work ? There are only a few ways of doing it.1. Increase your profit margins. The reason we see a prevalence of coffee shops in our shopping streets is simply because the cost of making a coffe or a slice of cake is a tiny fraction of the sales price giving great margins. While you can buy coffee from the supermarket and make your own people are willing to pay to sit in a cafe. In the case of Maplin the few electronic components they do stock are significantly higher than from most places. Their gross margin on these items are probably 200%+ but some people who need it in a hurry or don't know where to buy the items at a lower price will pay it. But still even if Maplin makes £1 on every £1.50 capacitor they would have to sell many thousands of them every month just to stay in business. No matter how high they increase their prices this will never sustain them, and the higher they push the prices the more customers they loose.2. Increase the average sale value. If you can sell a £50 toy instead of a £5 cable you need to make far fewer sales to achieve the same profit. Again in the case of Maplin you can clearly see this trend, the number of components has fallen and the number of toys and gadgets has grown, most directly imported from China to maximise margins.3. Showroom Store. Stores like the Apple stores and mobile network stores need not make a profit as many of the customers who go there will later buy the product on-line and as the product is unique to that company it doesn't matter as the company still profits from the sale regardless of where the customer buys from. If you are an independent retailer who sells branded goods, for example you sell iPhones then if someone comes into your store and looks at the phone and then goes and orders from amazon you gain nothing and actually your staff time has been wasted when they could have been helping a paying customer.These issues apply to all types of retail now electronics (component) retailing has its own additional issues.First the hobby is a niche market, you are unlikely to find 1000 regular customers in a town of 10,000 people so you have to sell more than just components. Diversify too far from this product line and you will get criticised like Maplin do for bing nothing more than a gadget and toy shop with overpriced components.Second the average sale is low value, even an enthusiastic hobbyist is not going to buy a great deal of stuff from your store. You don't need 500 discrete components to build a project any more, you can do it with 1 micro controller or application specific IC and half-a-dozen common passive parts.Third is the fake market, while a store based in the EU will have to ensure all products are genuine and meet safety standards etc the market is flooded with cheap fake products via eBay and the like.

author: KJDS
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 01, 2015, 01:59:04 pm
content: Those boards will be drilled in a stack. It's not unusual for the drill to wander a bit, particularly as it gets blunt. The boards at the bottom of the stack then get holes in the wrong place.B&M retailing is struggling across many sectors as has already been discussed, Maplin deserve credit for still going.

author: nali
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 01, 2015, 02:05:36 pm
content: Quote from: tggzzz on February 28, 2015, 03:25:12 pmNot always... I've been on a wasted journey before, I think it was November, where they'd cleared the store to make way for their Xmas stock of inflatable Santas, RC toys & other seasonal tat . They didn't bother updating the web stock, just shifted everything out for a few weeks then back again in the new year

author: 22swg
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 01, 2015, 02:10:45 pm
content: It was not the fact the tri-pad board was off spec it was the questionable customer service when I complained , ....This is a nearly fitting 20 pin the more flexible pin ones fitted.

author: Howardlong
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 01, 2015, 02:29:51 pm
content: Quote from: 22swg on March 01, 2015, 02:10:45 pmYip, that's indeed rubbish.

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 01, 2015, 02:38:38 pm
content: Well in Peterborough, we do have one called Harry Donna who resides in werrington,it's a bit chaotic and he deals only with cash unless over a £10.00p, I do like it in there,he's helped me no-end for parts when I'm in the mood to build some Ham radio antenna's.And Radio Amateur Rallies are excellent ,but go early RSGB page on the net will tell you where they are,the reason I go early is two fold ,bargains and old transceivers I buy to restore along with loads of parts for sale,Two it grieves me to say this as a radio ham, some hams need to get out more and others might consider taking a bath/shower before going to public events enough said.All life is at the rallies,and I do like them.

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 01, 2015, 02:40:45 pm
content: Quote from: SteveyG on March 01, 2015, 10:54:57 am

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 01, 2015, 02:48:00 pm
content: Quote from: 22swg on March 01, 2015, 02:10:45 pmLooking at the creeping error I would say that the machine that is making it is very badly worn, with the wear in a gear train gradually increasing as it machines across the SRBP blanks. I wonder how they drill these, probably a multihead drill and a few passes to get the full rows of holes then another machine that does the milling of the copper off where needed. Probably accounts for the undercuts on the boards. I have had some which were quite offset in the holes in one direction or the other. The QC must be pretty lax, so long as it is in the copper it passes.

author: Howardlong
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 01, 2015, 02:49:17 pm
content: Quote from: Negative-Bias on March 01, 2015, 02:38:38 pmMy folks live in Peterborough, although I've never lived there. I do fancy paying a visit to the place in Werrington next time I'm there, it's an excuse get me out of the house!

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 01, 2015, 02:51:31 pm
content: Quote from: Howardlong on March 01, 2015, 02:49:17 pmOK, he's on lincoln road at the werrington end, and should be on your right he does have a sign

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 01, 2015, 02:53:05 pm
content: Quote from: Howardlong on March 01, 2015, 12:37:01 pmYes Birketts is still going

author: Zero999
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 01, 2015, 05:11:50 pm
content: Quote from: Negative-Bias on March 01, 2015, 02:53:05 pmI did a search and here's the website:http://www.zyra.org.uk/birkett.htmIt looks like an interesting place but I live in Bedford and wouldn't travel that far just to browse. Peterborough is a much closer though.

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 01, 2015, 06:01:18 pm
content: I haven't been to H Gee's in Cambridge for a quarter of a century, but google streetview shows them as bing there last year.The last thing I bought there was a surplus ammeter to use as a Land Rover's fuel gauge. I probably had the only car with radioactive fuel - the fuel gauge was calibrated in Roentgens/hour

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 01, 2015, 06:02:45 pm
content: @Hero999I'm in Milton Keynes so not far from youAurora

author: Dave Turner
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 01, 2015, 06:50:18 pm
content: Yup, it used to be that no trip to London was complete without a visit to Edgware road. Usually with tongue hanging out for the bits that you couldn't afford.I also remember, in the 70's, an excellent old style shop in Edinburgh near the George IV bridge which I used to get bits from. I've no idea if it's still there though. It's 35 years since I've been there.

author: AndyC_772
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 01, 2015, 07:13:48 pm
content: Quote from: tggzzz on March 01, 2015, 06:01:18 pmIt's nice to know they're still around, though I can't imagine how. Density of students, no doubt.I bought my first DMM and soldering iron there. Both cheap, and terrible, but they got me started.

author: AHT52
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 21, 2015, 02:38:17 am
content: A few years back I popped into the Harrogate store of maplins after first checking the stock levels on some connectors etc on their website. So I handed my list over of about a dozen different items to the assistant behind the counter. He helpfully replied "I am sorry sir I can`t sell you these items as you will use up all the shop stock". "Can you please order these online they should be with you within a few days".was all I could think and walked out in disgust.Where as I regularly went to the Middlesbrough store and the staff were helpful and could nt do enough for you. They always had stock of items requested and even would send stuff out if they did nt have it (free of charge!). So it shows it might be down to who is behind the counter and what sort of day they are having. I have recently become bit of a fan of Altronics here in oz as this reminds me of the o`l days visiting the Middlesbrough store.

author: 22swg
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 21, 2015, 10:13:57 am
content: AHT52 . Your tale made me smile , agree it still does depend on staff , unfortunately they have started to 'pounce' on customers , I expect they mean well and would be fine with non tech customers or 'stuff in the back' but I just find it a little annoying. They do seem to keep very limited stock. last year I had a LM2940 emergency i needed 2 they sold me the 2 in stock , said the would have 2 more next day.

author: Howardlong
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 21, 2015, 11:38:04 am
content: They do tend to have a 2-in-stock policy on many stocked parts, and that's been the case for some time. I remember about fifteen years ago doing a Maplin shop around half a dozen stores for some IR LEDs and photodiodes for a homebrew gray encoder. Luckily being in London there are no fewer than fifteen Maplin stores within a five mile radius of me.I have no idea why you couldn't purchase the entire shop stock of a part. If it's not for sale, what's it there for? Complete nonsense!

author: Aodhan145
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 22, 2015, 01:03:32 am
content: I have been there. My soldering station had broken. A resistor had burned out because something shorted. I could not get a lift to maplin and I wanted to fix this really quickly. I walked 10km to maplin to buy a 360R resistor. When I got there, I asked someone where their resistors were, she didn't know so she directed me to someone who knew where the where but didnt know what they looked like. I tell him what I need and bought them. Then I walk home to find out it was a 330 ohm resistor. I was really pissed off. I spent like 3 hrs walking to get the wrong resistor. Remember to check what you buy from incompetent staff.

author: wagon
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 22, 2015, 01:49:51 am
content: I live in Toowoomba, Qld, Australia and we have a Jaycar reseller who have pretty much the whole catalogue, in good stock levels, along with gadgets of various kinds. They do a bit of Altronics too, and there is an agent for them here too, but they don't have the full range. I also have a big range of parts I sell to the general public at my workshop when the other shops don't have it, but it's a big chunk out of your day to sell a couple small parts for just about nothing! Dick Smith started to go down-hill years ago, and finally sold off all their component stock a couple of years ago. They are now just a seller of consumer crap.

author: Zero999
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 22, 2015, 10:10:56 am
content: Quote from: Aodhan145 on March 22, 2015, 01:03:32 amThat's probably because they didn't have 360R in stock, so gave you the nearest value but they should've been honest about it, then you could've considered buying other values to connect in series/parallel to get it right.330R in place of 360R might've been close enough for it to work. You should have tried it.

author: G7PSK
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 22, 2015, 10:33:07 am
content: Quote from: AndyC_772 on March 01, 2015, 07:13:48 pmI grew up in and around Cambridge a fellow pupil from the school I went to worked at Gee's and took it over I think when the old man retired, but as I moved out to Norfolk I have not visited Gee's for around 20 years. They are still listed though in guides for Cambridge.http://cambridge.openguides.org/wiki/?H_GeeAnd yes it is the student population that keeps such shops running in Cambridge.

author: Howardlong
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 22, 2015, 11:24:17 am
content: Quote from: Hero999 on March 22, 2015, 10:10:56 amIf I'd gone to that level of trouble, I think I might've considered a resistor pack. I note that the old 1% E24 packs are no longer sold regretfully, I am still going through a couple of those I bought about a decade ago, to fill in between the E3 values that I have tons of. There is still a 610 part E12 pack though. By far most of what I do is SMD though, so you're pretty much out of luck at Maplin for that! I have definitely been known to pop in there for odd power resistors though, I don't carry a general stock of those.

author: Aodhan145
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 22, 2015, 12:03:09 pm
content: Quote from: Hero999 on March 22, 2015, 10:10:56 amThey had it in stock I checked their website. I went back the next day and the man actually new what he was doing and he gave me the correct 360R resistor.

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 27, 2015, 05:59:04 pm
content: I agree with you, talking of prices I went to Harry Donna's last week which is now run by his son, I needed 2 x 8 pin ic sockets ,that cost me £2.00p ouchhh, I was in a pinch, I then ordered 25x 8 pin ic sockets from a internet shop not ebay, and sockets made by the same maker the cost for 25, was £1.60 free post,guess where the rest will come from.

author: wagon
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 28, 2015, 09:07:50 am
content: Quote from: Negative-Bias on March 27, 2015, 05:59:04 pmAs someone who owns a small business, (not under my house or back shed) I know you have to charge like that! Overheads kill you, big time. Also, how long did that little sale take? I don't encourage people to buy stuff like that off me, because it takes 10 minutes for a $2 sale. (I'm really a repair business)

author: kerrsmith
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 28, 2015, 10:51:38 am
content: Quote from: G7PSK on March 22, 2015, 10:33:07 amGee's is still open in Cambridge and is exactly the same as it always has been. The walls are floor to ceiling component draws and the back room is full of boxes stacked to head height.I often go in and buy wire and other odds and ends that I need in a hurry - the man who works there knows instantly where everything is and is very helpful and friendly.

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 28, 2015, 10:44:47 pm
content: Quote from: wagon on March 28, 2015, 09:07:50 amI could accept what you are doing, this company is not a repair outfit, they sell to parts to the public,and his buisness is in a large shed in his garden.

author: BurningTantalum
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 31, 2015, 05:31:53 am
content: Talking of the UK - BoB Potts' was still in Derby last summer when I made a pilgrimage - Babbington Lane right in the centre. He and his staff (daughters ?) have never let me down over the decades.In the 70s I recall a tiny shop in Nottingham on Radford Boulevard (?) absolutely jammed with components, ham junk and ex-military gear. I recall that on one occasion some of the military gear was not 'ex' enough and the proprietor was hauled in front of the beak. He had a wonderful name something along the lines of Grenville Roland Geoffery De Havilland, and was reputed to be related to the great aviation family. What happened to it and him ?BT

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 31, 2015, 08:55:33 am
content: I placed an order with Bardwells of Sheffield a couple of days ago.http://www.bardwells.co.uk/Browsing their ebay shop was like revisiting Hanney's ..... lots of New Old Stock components. I even started to wonder whether Bardwells bought the Hanney's stock as much looks very familiarLots of NOS Germanium transistors as well.http://stores.ebay.co.uk/bardwellselectronics?_trksid=p2047675.l2563I see that they sell NOS electrolytic capacitors... the blue axial type....... they must be almost vintage. I would not trust them to be within spec after all these years but someone must buy them and maybe they are good for cases where originality is important ?http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/470UF-63-VOLT-AXIAL-PHILIPS-CAPACITORS-X-5-/230766448970http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2200uf-63v-Dubilier-Axial-Capacitor-/291412074334They even have the old Mullard 'Mustard' foil capacitors that we used to sellhttp://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MULLARD-MUSTARD-1N5-400V-CAPACITORS-X-5-/290405149666And the wonderful multi coloured polyester caps.....later replaced with boring orange liveryhttp://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/150NF-0-15UF-250V-MULLARD-C280-TROPICAL-FISH-CAPACITORS-/231061630510Anyone care to guess at the current capacitance and ESR of this old CSA electrolytichttp://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/150uf-16-VOLT-AXIAL-CSA-VINTAGE-CAPACITOR-/291235844420At Hanney's we used to have a dustbin full of mixed resistors and another full of NOS Electrolytic capacitors. Customers could but them by the weight as a 'mixed bag' I likely still have some left over from my days there.It is nice to see a shop very much like Hanney's still operating thoughIt was like a journey back through time for me.Aurora

author: Codemonkey
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 31, 2015, 09:12:40 am
content: Bardwells has been going years. I used to cycle into Sheffield when I was in my teens (>25 years ago) and blow all my pocket money in there. Not been in for a long time but I doubt its changed much. They just had a counter with assorted common components laid out (leds, switches, jack sockets etc), then behind where the staff were were racks upon racks of components. If they didn't have what you wanted, they'd order it for you. Used to spend hours in there!There's also JPG Electronics in Chesterfield which is pretty much the same sort of thing.

author: Howardlong
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 31, 2015, 11:09:44 am
content: I happened to be nearby Cricklewood Electronics yesterday, and checked on availability of a couple of parts online that I was after for a repair, which they had, so went in for the first time in about a decade.It seems larger than when I was last there, I am not sure if it's just a reorganisation, but it's two shop fronts, one of which is open for customers and the other I assume is used for further storage of parts.Traffic around there is renowned for being sticky to say the least, and that's a major reason why I hardly ever go there. I could imagine parking might be a bit tricky, particularly at the weekend, there were lots of resident bays but very few nearby pay and display street bays. Being midweek, I didn't have much of a problem parking in an adjacent side street pay and display (actually it was RingGo online payment).Anyway, I walked out with what I wanted, namely some high voltage Mosfets and some bipolar caps.They seem to be geared up to the DIY audio crowd more than any other genre, as well as CCTV, but parts is the name of the game here.The customer walk in area is reasonably tidy and for self pick are mostly audio, video and consumer RF cables of various types, with the parts behind the counter.The guy I spoke to knew his stuff. He offered me the bipolar caps, which turned out to be axial, I asked if he had radial, he went off and came back a few seconds later saying no radial but he did have leaded ceramic, and had the drawer ready with him in case I wanted some.Pricing-wise, no, it's not Farnell, but it's not Maplin either. I noticed that Maplin are doing 1 off 1/4W resistors for 39p each nowadays, CE are doing 10 for 30p. Reasonably speaking, if I was a shopkeeper and someone came in to buy a single 1p part, you're making a loss as soon as the guy dings the bell as he walks into the shop. The parts stock is far more extensive than Maplin.I think I'll probably frequent it more that I have done historically if I'm in a pickle, but in spite of it only being six miles away, in the traffic I'd be lucky to make it there and back in a couple of hours.

author: KJDS
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 31, 2015, 11:21:06 am
content: Quote from: Howardlong on March 31, 2015, 11:09:44 amUse a bicycle?

author: Howardlong
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 31, 2015, 03:07:47 pm
content: Quote from: KJDS on March 31, 2015, 11:21:06 amIndeed, but it's all up hill to Kilburn!

author: Fred27
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 31, 2015, 04:01:28 pm
content: Quote from: Howardlong on March 31, 2015, 03:07:47 pmThen it'll be all down hill on the way back.

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 31, 2015, 04:27:31 pm
content: Quote from: Fred27 on March 31, 2015, 04:01:28 pmAh, but the wind, the wind...If the wind isn't against you, you aren't cycling fast enough.

author: Howardlong
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 31, 2015, 04:53:47 pm
content: Quote from: Fred27 on March 31, 2015, 04:01:28 pmIt is Kilburn, not sure if me bike will still be there when I come out of the shop.OK, OK, I know I'm not going to win this one!

author: steve30
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 03, 2015, 03:42:11 am
content: I haven't been to Bardwells for a few years. It is a nice shop though. Trouble is, bus fare to Sheffield is £5, whereas a stamp and padded envelope for a few components is only around £1, so mail order is usually the way to go here unless I'm going past.Funnily enough, I just received an order from Rapid Electronics, and one of the parts was a ferrite rod antenna, and that had a sticker saying 'Maplin Electronics', with a Maplin part number.Unfortunately the ferrite rod itself was snapped, but I don't think the length will matter too much, and I do have some spares somewhere.

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 28, 2015, 08:06:40 pm
content: Quote from: Fred27 on March 31, 2015, 04:01:28 pmWhat is Kilburn like these day's I was last there in the 1970's,I'll bet it's changed.

author: Howardlong
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 28, 2015, 11:54:04 pm
content: Perhaps, possibly the demographic has changed ethnically to some degree, but it's never been a destination place as long as I've known it, unless, of course, you're going to Cricklewood Electronics that is.

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 29, 2015, 06:10:41 pm
content: I have been to cricklewood electronics in the past,I was there for about a Year,working for Marconi company on a job we had there I was a mere boy,made the Tea, got the blame for everything and learned loads.

author: Kibi
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 29, 2015, 07:26:32 pm
content: "When I was a boy" it was very simple. In Zimbabwe, we had no electronics suppliers at all. That was then end of it.I do remember browsing through the odd electronics magazines, acquired from charity shops, and drooling over the advertisements from various companies, Cricklewood being one of them. From 6000 miles away, I dreamed of one day being able to walk into an electronics store and buy some real components instead of having to scour old circuit boards for parts or wait for relatives to visit from overseas.There was one supplier in town who called himself "Radio Spares" (nothing to do at all with RS), he had loads of LED's, 741's and 555's in stock, but sadly not much else. There was a marginally better supplier in a city 550KM south, who went by the name of "Radio Parts", but it was only on the rare occasion that we were in that part of the country.Later on, Maplin came out with their very own full colour magazine, whereupon a relative took out a subscription for me for me as a birthday gift. This only made things worse as they had some rather tasty (for a 12 year old) projects in their pages, but I couldn't build any of them as they usually required some sort of logic IC which was not present on my old circuit boards.Finally, at the tender age of 17 a real supplier, by the name of Keltronix, opened his doors. This guy was not only in my home town, but he had "everything" in stock! It was mind-blowing for the lowly Zimbabwean. It was a proper electronics shop with a very long glass counter displaying some of his wares and hundreds of component cabinets behind. Twenty or so staff manned the counter to serve the customers who came in their droves. It was not uncommon to approach the shop to find an orderly queue formed out of the door.He did not stock any tat what-so-ever. It was purely components here thank you. His prices, even for Zimbabwe, very extremely reasonable too. 1/4 watt resistors were 10cents each (equivalent to 1p at the time), however the maths was simple, if you wanted 100, then that would be ZW$10.Every transistor was available, if not a very good equivalent. He even stocked the big thick transistor data books! Logic IC's, which range would you like?He couldn't cope in that premises though, parking was a nightmare and the other shop owners were complaining that all of his customers had gobbled up the parking spaces. Also, as a customer in the winter time, queueing up at sub 20ºC temperatures was causing discomfort to those having to join the queue outside.He did move to a bigger premises, with even longer counters, more staff and an even wider range of stock including a special overseas service for non-stocked components (which was rarely used, but practically the only way to get components in to the country). I did utilise this service to facilitate an order of three 750VA toroid transformers. Despite being on friendly terms with the owner, who viewed me as a valued customer, he did insist on full upfront payment for that particular order.I have now been living in London for over 15 years, and have never once visited Cricklewood Electronics. I should make the effort. I must whizz by it twice daily on the new fangled, air conditioned, Metropolitan Line trains.

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 29, 2015, 07:45:16 pm
content: Hi Kibi, So what did you do for lots of components,here in the UK as a boy I dismantled old TV's and Radios "Wirelesses".

author: Kibi
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 29, 2015, 08:17:48 pm
content: Yes, it was old TV's, circuit boards, whatever was on hand until Keltronix came along.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 30, 2015, 07:08:39 am
content: You were deprived Warwick, I had, when I was growing up, 4 electronics stores within an easy bus ride. A1 radio, Hamrad, Ron Tomlin and Basic Electronics. Of them only A1 Radio and Ron Tomlin is still in business, though much reduced in size. The others closed down over time. I got a lot of data books from Basic Electronics when they closed, sort of free and I only had to carry them away.The staff and the surviving stores has stayed pretty much unchanged for decades, I still know many of them from when I was young, though there have been a few that retired over the years.

author: BurtyB
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 02, 2015, 09:14:42 pm
content: Must admit I miss the old days of Maplin but I doubt they'd survive as they used to be - in later years with their magazine with projects you could buy as kits (or parts for) in the UK and then there was ordering photocopies of datasheets you could hardly read.I was looking through old boxes the other day and found some of kits I'd built from Maplin a "couple" of years ago aIBM Expansion Cardand a sort ofRoulette Wheelbringing back memories.

author: tehmeme
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 02, 2015, 10:03:54 pm
content: You just have to browse there (Maplin) often enough and long enough to see where & why the priority has shifted.The sales guy spends 10 minutes with a couple and sells a £650 IP CCTV kit.Another sales assistant spends 30 minutes with another customer (ahem, me) getting about 45 components of varying types & values (& and the occassional on the fly recalculation to accomodate for the available value) and the total?£22.68I completely understand why Maplin wants to treat their component section as an "emergency" supplies retailer. Infact I suspect their long term plans are to remove the components section all together.Speaking to the staff there, it's clear that they vary tremedously in technical knowledge as there is no technical training and they are "sales assistants" paid the UK minimum wage (£6.70) with no official technical experts, just what they learn on the job.

author: Ian.M
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 02, 2015, 10:26:13 pm
content: Quote from: BurtyB on June 02, 2015, 09:14:42 pmYou haven't by any chance got the instructions for the IBM expansion card?I've got one hanging aroound and still have a few old PCs with ISA slots, so it would be helpful to know how to configure the port base address with the dipswitch.

author: BurtyB
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 02, 2015, 11:11:51 pm
content: Quote from: Ian.M on June 02, 2015, 10:26:13 pmI'm not a hoarder... honest.Switch number: SW1-1 SW2-2 SW1-3 SW1-4 SW1-5 SW1-6 SW1-7 SW1-8Address Line: A9 A8 A7 A6 A5 A4 A3 A2Binary Value: 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 (for 0x300)Switch Setting:ON ON OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF OFFA1/A0 select PortA(00)/PortB(01)/PortC(10) (R/W) and the control register(11) (W).Hope that helps once you've blown the dust off.

author: Ian.M
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 02, 2015, 11:30:42 pm
content: @BurtyB: Many thanks.

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 26, 2015, 08:47:31 am
content: Quote from: BurtyB on June 02, 2015, 11:11:51 pmHi Bunty, I am a hoarder, that is until my wife finds my stash ,and throws it all away,without me knowing

author: Sionyn
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 26, 2015, 09:32:32 am
content: i remember asking for some opamps in maplins only to be redirected to their awful dj section range of carpy poweramps