What Happened to Preston Electronic Components ? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Scata
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: August 21, 2016, 01:51:11 am
content: Last known address 172-174 High Street.I went to primary school with the owner. I was meaning to catch up with him but that was 15 years ago and I forgot.

author: Brumby
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 21, 2016, 02:08:49 am
content: It shows up in all the right places in a Google search and in Street View - but the phone number comes up as disconnected. So the likelihood they've gone seems pretty high.There is another business at the same address (upstairs) called PTP (Practical Training Pathways) and the number given for them still works. Maybe give them a ring tomorrow and ask if they know anything.

author: Brumby
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 21, 2016, 03:12:42 am
content: There's a lot of stuff that hangs around from years ago - not just street view.... But street view did give a lead for the other business I mentioned.

author: Scata
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: August 21, 2016, 03:53:19 am
content: Thanks guys, I'll give PTP a call and report back here tomorrow

author: VK3DRB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 21, 2016, 09:01:23 am
content: I do remember the Preston store around the mid 1980's. If you are old enough, you might remember Tasman Electronics which was in nearby Sydney Road, Coburg (actually just off Sydney Road, in Victoria Street opposite the library). It was run by an Italian chap and his missus. Great electronics store where you could get anything at very low prices. I used to go there in 1979/1980. They used to advertised in electronics magazines. Sadly, like most real electronics stores, it is long gone.There was also Northern Electronics in Coburg. They quoted a neighbour $2,200 (in today's money) to fix a black and white TV in replacing the mains transformer. The neighbour called me over for a second opinion. The defective component was the on-off switch, easily diagnosed, which I replaced for free.There was a lot of scamming going on in those days in the TV repair game. I guess at least 30% of TV repair people scammed consumers. I came across ripoff merchants quite often. Ever heard of Millerradio in Melbourne? A thief, charlatan and scammer all rolled into one unqualified TV "repairman", caught red handed by A Current Affair. Those were the days.

author: rob.manderson
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 21, 2016, 05:53:19 pm
content: Quote from: VK3DRB on August 21, 2016, 09:01:23 amI certainly remember Miller Radio - and the damn ACA program - it caused those of us who were being honest all sorts of grief - suddenly everyone was convinced we were *all* tarred with the same brush. It didn't help that it pretty much coincided with the great 6CM5 shortage (does anyone else remember that) where the only source of them was Brazilian and they were close but sometimes not close enough to work in sets where the manufacturer had 'tuned' for the Philips version (or the AWV version, you get the idea). So suddenly the price of the 'genuine' article skyrocketed, just at the moment Miller was being 'outed'.Happy days nonetheless...

author: Scata
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: August 22, 2016, 01:32:58 am
content: Quote from: rob.manderson on August 21, 2016, 05:53:19 pmHappy days they were indeed ! Well, the store upstairs didn't know much. Just that PEC shut down almost a year ago. The business' rego has gone too. I guess its R.I.P. for another great shop.That don't leave much to visit. Luckily, the kids love going to Jaycar with me :-)

author: Monittosan
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 22, 2016, 02:56:47 am
content: Hi Scata!I visited the store just over a year ago and had a lengthy chat with the owner. I had previously bought kits through them as they where the closest Altronics re-seller back about 15 years ago.They mostly stocked very old vintage components at pretty high prices (computer grade electrolytic panel mount capacitors, valves, TO3 package transistors, old car radios, amplifiers and speakers)and still had some old dicksmith electronics kits from the 70's and 80's.At the time the owner was off loading what he could on ebay and thinking of closing shop.He still had all those silicon chip magazines next to the front door.There was a sign before the new tenants moved in that said they have moved, So his still around in one form or another.

author: Brumby
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 22, 2016, 02:58:22 am
content: Quote from: Scata on August 22, 2016, 01:32:58 amWell, it was worth a try.This next suggestion comes with some degree of hesitation - but if you want to try and track the guy down....For all its good and bad points, Facebook just might land you some leads. Do you know the guy's name - any kids' names? Plug them in and see what comes back.

author: Brumby
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 22, 2016, 03:04:39 am
content: Quote from: Monittosan on August 22, 2016, 02:56:47 amOh ... interesting.Any idea where they movedto?

author: Scata
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: August 22, 2016, 08:47:54 am
content: Quote from: Brumby on August 22, 2016, 02:58:22 amHere is the old website (archived)...http://web.archive.org/web/20160306050928/http://pecparts.com/(the owner's name is on there somewhere).I'm sure he will pop up again on the internet some day...... Hi Darren !

author: Monittosan
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 22, 2016, 09:42:43 am
content: Feel free to ask:http://www.ebay.com.au/usr/kingmate7I don't think he has a shop front anymore tho maybe just a warehouse.Also I did ask and he didn't know about this forum back then, so your best bet is to contact him via ebay.

author: VK3DRB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 22, 2016, 12:36:54 pm
content: Quote from: rob.manderson on August 21, 2016, 05:53:19 pmYou are in the USA? The ACA program was in Melbourne.Multiply the following by about 10 for today's money, as it happened in the late 70's / early 80's... One bloke I met replaced a 20 cent fusible power 5W resistor that had gone open. He then cleaned the rear of the picture tube and wrong some fake numbers in white pen and charged $200 for a regun picture tube pus $50 labour. The scam was to show the customer the "fix" just prior to putting the rear cover back on. There are many other examples I knew of.There was a notorious TV repairman in Wangaratta who charged a customer $85 (in 1995 dollars) for a plastic pen case from a 50 cent BIC pen and some sticky tape. The pen was taped to the rear cover vent and he instructed to customer to twiddle the pen so if the picture ever played up, the customer had to move the pen (which intended to fix a dry joint). He said to the customer it was a problem with that model TV, and he was the only repairman who knew the fix, which was a complete load of. I was given the TV by a most digruntled customer after the repairman got nasty at the customer after she took the TV back when the "fix" did not work very well (it got worse). The repairman had quoted her another $85 to look at the problem again. I found the dry joint in 10 minutes using the back of a screw driver (tap, tap), then spotting it with my eyes and re-soldering it. It was blatantly obvious. I have never seen so much incompetence in a TV repairman.Most TV repairmen were honest. But I still guess that 30% were dodgy, including the big names. These days, it is car mechanics who are tainted with the brush. If you find an honest and competent one, they are worth keeping. Same with plumbers.The 6CM5's... common valves to go, as were their brother the 6AL3's. Black and white TV sets fetch good money these days. A working 1960's set will fetch $2,000 or more. The cafe latte art-deco set pay top dollar for them. But they have to have set top box to convert the digital TV to analogue.

author: rob.manderson
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 22, 2016, 12:51:15 pm
content: Quote from: VK3DRB on August 22, 2016, 12:36:54 pmI am now. But I was born in Footscray in the 50's and moved to the US in 2002! (And boy do I miss fish and chips!)

author: Brumby
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 22, 2016, 01:21:55 pm
content: No fish and chips in the USA? - or do they have something that just doesn't work?

author: rob.manderson
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 22, 2016, 01:31:35 pm
content: Totally inedible!

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 22, 2016, 09:25:13 pm
content: This may sound bloody stupid, but have you tried the phone book?Yellow Pages has the old High st address, but the white pages shows a "Preston Electronics Components" about 30 minutes away in Warrandyte. A quick Google comes up with the name of one of the owners/partners of the Preston store, and a family with the same last name live in the same street at Warrandyte.I'm no internet detective - or even a stalker - but that's where I'd start...

author: Monittosan
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 23, 2016, 11:20:08 am
content: His on Ebay lol he personaly told me to look up his ebay and we chatted about stupid customers, PM him

author: gamalot
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 24, 2016, 06:51:17 am
content: I don't even know there are two High Streets in Melbourne!