What happened to Rod Irving Electronics. - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Ed.Kloonk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 26, 2011, 06:13:01 am
content: Was rummaging through so old gear and found an old ad for this mob and wondered what would show up on google.Didn't find much, I did find this however...Quotehttp://blogs.theage.com.au/business/executivestyle/managementline/archives/2006/12/10_monster_boss.htmlFrom a new paper article about monster bosses. Does any one know if there is any truth in this posters comments?

author: GeoffS
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 26, 2011, 07:29:36 am
content: They had a store in York St, Sydney near Tandy and Jaycar?Went into receivership in 2004 (I think)I remember buying some cables in about 2002, not sure who served me but customer service was not their strong suitMust have made an impression if I remember it after all this time.

author: RayJones
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 26, 2011, 08:43:34 am
content: A work colleague allegedly went through tertiary tech school with Mr Irving himself.Apparently he made a killing by installing coloured TV aerials when colour TV it was introduced into Australia in the late 70's.Gotta wonder when you hear stories like that, preying on uninformed gullibility.

author: sonycans
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: May 05, 2011, 01:24:27 pm
content: I don't know who is James Peter however he maybe someone (like many) that will use a pen name over the Internet.I have worked in Rod Irving Electronics (Ritronics Wholesales) since 1994 to their closure in 1999. I had worked in a number of stores around Melbourne as well as the head office in Clayton. The thing is that what what James is saying is quite true.Rod Irving did make a killing however he made a killing by having two extremely good manager whom have been with him from close to the very start. Hugh Goodyer (whom left RIE in 1995ish and worked in a company called Magnafield (Ritronics Wholesale's competitor) and Gary Kicic whom stuck with RIE till the very end. Gary currently manages at CNG Systems. They are the reason for RIE success.I cannot verify however since I am naming names, you might do a google search on them and I am sure that you can locate an e-mail address for verification.About Rod Irving ElectronicsRod Irving was not at all a nice man. He was sexist, crude to the women and pretty much creepy. He nearly got himself into trouble with one of the lady workers but managed to pacify her by promoting her to a store management position in their new Nunawading office and a company car. I never liked the person and in relation to James Peters comments many people did leave. Rod was a bully however if you stand up to yourself against him he will quieten down. Sometime he would come in and he maybe in a shitty mood and shout at anyone and everyone. The place was terrible.The place in Clayton was bad where the lunch room smelt of mice and because he hired many cheap labour, he had someone crudely built a toilet next to the lunch room. It is impossible to work there and it was an OH&S hazard.Now this James Peter states that he was there until the end however I cannot remember that name. There used to be a Peter Jones whom was the purchasing office for Ritronics Wholesale but he was old back then.RIE and RW went into liquidation since October 1998 and closed on February 1999. There were a couple of people Steven and Rodney Garwood that set up a shop in Springvale repairing computers that were from Rod Irving Electronics.

author: Ed.Kloonk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 07, 2011, 11:14:09 pm
content: Thanks for that insight sonycans.

author: GeoffS
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 08, 2011, 12:02:18 am
content: Quote from: GeoffS on April 26, 2011, 07:29:36 amI might have been thinking about David Reid Electronics and not Rod Irving. At the time, all of the electronics retailers - at the hobby level, were located together on York St.

author: Ed.Kloonk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 08, 2011, 01:01:28 am
content: Quote from: GeoffS on May 08, 2011, 12:02:18 amYeah, that sounds right. Begs the question tho, what ever happened to David Reid Electronics?

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 08, 2011, 11:51:29 am
content: Quote from: GeoffS on May 08, 2011, 12:02:18 amI don't ever recall RIE electronics being in York St, they were always somewhere down Parramatta Road. It was Dave Read's, Jaycar, Tandy, & Tricky Dicks on York St - "Silicon Alley" as it was known.There was also Sheridan Electronics in Cleveland(?) St. Mike Sheridan ran that until his son Darren took it over and moved to Blacktown (or was it a 2nd store?). Anyway, the Blacktown store didn't last very long and Darren admitted it was a big mistake and it shut down after about 6-12 months or so.Dave.

author: DrGeoff
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 17, 2011, 12:21:12 am
content: There was another that lasted a few years back in the early 80's. Not RIE though. I think the owner was an ex DSE guy or such like.John Carr's was down on Sussex before being bought and turned into Jaycar. John Carr mostly did the ETI4000 synth stuff. Interesting little nook, a bit like Applied Technology in Waitara (that little building is still there).

author: GeoffS
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 17, 2011, 01:12:44 am
content: Does anyone remember Edge Electronics on Parramatta Rd in Croydon? There for many years, later moved to Burwood.Bough my first oscilloscope there, a 30 kg, valve based monster.

author: RIE Fan
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 21, 2012, 11:00:16 am
content: I worked for RIE in the early 80's, first at northcote, then at the store in a'beckett st in melbourne city. Sure he may have been 'eclectic', but he was a very smart man, and he taught me many valuable lessons. Sheesh he was doing cp/m and other awesome stuff when i was just building my dream 6800! Thank you Rod for the lifelong memories. Oh and Rod, you were right, stripping wires with my teeth did mess them up!Colin.

author: johnwa
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 23, 2012, 09:51:07 am
content: I remember getting a computer from RIE some time ago, they always had pretty good deals, but they disappeared just as the home PC market was taking off.There is a Rod Irving selling solar panels on eek-bay, I wonder if he is the same guy?

author: BloodyCactus
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 23, 2012, 03:06:19 pm
content: I remember RIE had a bbs you could call... and it had a backdoor in it for wide open access. hacking the RIE bbs for fun and sport. not that there ever was much going on there.

author: gregariz
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 23, 2012, 10:25:36 pm
content: Quote from: GeoffS on May 08, 2011, 12:02:18 amYes David Reid it was, I remember going in there when I was a kid, sometime in the early 80's. As far as customer service goes, it was kind of like the aldi of electronics, with alot of surplus non-cataloged parts in bins, IIRC.There were a few other small parts places I wonder what happened to. Remember Lance Chapman? - used to sell the receiver modules and lots of valves. And then All Electronic Components (AEC) in Melbourne (Little Lonsdale St?) used to sell alot of Boards and Kits.

author: Converse
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: April 07, 2012, 03:58:49 pm
content: Wow I remember going into this store quite alot back in the early to mid 90's here in Melbourne. I remember going into the A'beckett st store in Melbourne and buying some computer gear that they had in a "bargain bin" in the store...lolI think I picked up an old 486 motherboard and a 486dx2 66mhz CPU and some ISA cards to suit around the mid 90's sometime...haha!The Rod Irving Electronics building is empty but still standing in A'beckett st Melbourne across the road from Jaycar Electronics, which is still there to this day and doing very well.

author: Atreidae
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: January 15, 2014, 11:19:03 am
content: Sorry for the thread resurrection but I'd figure I'd jab in here as I just watched the 35 years of test gear videoMy Parents (step father actually) met at RIE in Clayton and I do have some vivid memories of the place, Both my parents would come home stressed and worn out frequently.In fact I think they both left due to stress related issues but I was quite young so couldnt say for sure.I also do remember that crummy toilet that sonycans mentioned next to the massive collation machine, along with the always faulty UPS screaming its head off.I did however build some of my first projects using parts from Rod Irving (A Simple piezo morse code device for my grade 3 science project) and folded and stuffed lots and lots of marketing envelopes (cheap labour once again) and yes, as Dave mentioned the graphics were horrible because they were all done on the in house copier that had a small monkey inside taking rough impressions of the original document. But thanks to the different systems there I learned about Pick (a weird arse operating system, more info athttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pick_operating_system) and I do remember that the entire family including us kids were invited to the company Xmas parties (and his kids got awesome water pistols and shot us all day) so you could say I got my start in electronics there..Anyway. figured I'd post for a bit more "insider" info.. even if I was an ankle biter

author: digsys
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 15, 2014, 12:23:08 pm
content: ahhhhh memories. Then there was Stewart Electronics in Huntingdale. The VERY WORST customer service imaginable,but he had specialised stock, and a large selection, IF you ever got served. AEC became Ellistronics?, who sold out and closedafter a year or 2. Truscotts and Rockby are STILL going, from that era.

author: digsys
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 15, 2014, 09:58:18 pm
content: Quote from: wilfredapp 36 Stafford St, Huntingdale 3166. Just checked google maps, that area has sure changed. I live only a suburb away still.

author: johnboxall
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 15, 2014, 10:15:48 pm
content: Quote from: digsys on January 15, 2014, 12:23:08 pmTruscott is winding down a little, still doing repairs and has heaps of second-hand stuff to rummage through, buckets of NOS components, random boards, tons of old books and magazines. Also has many old/rare logic ICs, eg. 74C925 in stock.

author: johnboxall
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 16, 2014, 03:25:14 am
content: Quote from: wilfred on January 16, 2014, 03:19:21 amAre the prices low enough to make rummaging worthwhile? - Depends on your negotiating skills and level of repeat business.Do the have an online catalogue? - NoWhere are they? 27 The Mall Croydon.

author: digsys
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 16, 2014, 03:52:46 am
content: Quote from: wilfredI drop in a few times a year, for quick buys. It's not a large store, and there is a lot of "old" stuff - hifi, radio,music equipment, DIP ICs - small selections of tools and test gear. He mainly lives off repairs these days.Worthwhile? If you like digging around "old" stuff, yes, otherwise Rockby may be better.

author: Zaphod
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: May 01, 2014, 04:31:30 am
content: *bump*Hi all, another ex-employee here , so a big shout-out to the other ''ex's" here on the thread, esp. sonycans, RIE Fan, & Atreidae.Quote from: BloodyCactus on March 23, 2012, 03:06:19 pmAhh.. So it was YOU!! (That BBS was my creation, unsure if it out lived me or not..maybe it did, don't remember it being hacked on my watch.)...I suffered though the late 80's and early 90's at A'Beckett St , followed by Northcote, and eventually Head Office.. As already discussed by others, Rod truly was a pig to work for. (especially for the females.)However, personality aside, one of (IMO) his biggest problems, was, given his ' young start' in life was operating out of his parents garage in Northcote , I don't think he ever matured as a business owner/manager as his business took off, into 4 or 5 retail shops, plus the Ritronics, wholesale arm of the business.(I still remember one stocktake when Rod (VK3TOY) had one of his tirade about someone 'helping themselves' to some pens from the stationary cupboard... (however, all the missing RAM from the memory cupboard, was acceptable. "..all part of doing business.")G

author: vk3yedotcom
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 01, 2014, 08:46:22 am
content: Never had the chance to go into a Rod Irving, though remember their smudged and cluttered ads for computer systems in the magazines. A similar market position to what MSY is now.Does anyone remember Preston Electronic Components (could even be still going) in High St near Bell St? They outlasted the likes of McGraths, RIE, Stewarts etc and had an odd assortment. Around the early 2000s they had bagged kits (possibly old stock from Rod Irving) at rather high prices, valves and possibly some audio stuff. They also modded commercial radios for UHF CB.They're young enough to have a website - last updated in 2004http://www.pecparts.com/

author: johnboxall
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 01, 2014, 08:52:22 am
content: Quote from: vk3yedotcom on May 01, 2014, 08:46:22 amWow - they're still there. Might go and have a look next week.