DIYstompboxes.com

If there are any specialty parts that you are used to purchasing at Radio Shack.....you might want to stock up on them.

I just saw on the Fox business channel that Radio Shack is in a lot of financial trouble and is destined to go under next year.

I looked around on the web and found this among other things:

http://investorplace.com/2013/02/why-radioshack-will-be-dead-by-2015/#.UrDGKWOA3Qw

Do you remember Circuit City? Who would have thought that they would go under.

I've always thought to myself, "Who actually shops at Radioshack, but me?"

Not surprising. I have always hated the hard-sell you get from the sales people. Makes it the very last place I will go to look for something (I have to be really desperate). But I'll give them a little bit of credit for surviving as long as they have.

Oh, and I do like my RS multi-meter.

~ Charlie

I can see that Maplin in UK is heading that way.

I just check my email and found an email from Jameco with the headline "Radio Shack's losses double"
and this link:

http://www.jameco.com/Jameco/email/corner/gregs-corner-radio-shack.html?sp_rid=MzQxNTY5NzM0MzkS1&sp_mid=7497553&spMailingID=7497553&spUserID=MzQxNTY5NzM0MzkS1&spJobID=187328711&spReportId=MTg3MzI4NzExS0

Radio Shack is good in a pinch, (there is one within walking distance) but there are a few things that they sell that are kind of hard to find elsewhere.

You can order 100K center tapped pots from the online store. The pack of 5 LDRs are used in some projects (seem to have different specs than most)

and I think they sell a transformer for one of R.G.s projects?

But in a pinch....their store hours are great! Open Sunday? Mon-Sat till 10 pm?

You probably noticed that over the last several years RS has been converting from an electronics hobby center to a consumer electronics store.  More floor space dedicated to cell phones, Bluetooth devices, RC cars, music players, etc.  Less and less floor space dedicated to hobbyists.  It's probably what kept them solvent until now.

Radio Shack has been about-to-die for 20 or 30 years.

I remember in the 1980s, talking to a manager who thought RS would implode in a year.

Nobody, least of all Radio Shack, knows why they are still around.

Looking over their financials, sensible people with part-Billions to invest think RS has 5 or 7 years of future in it. They sure could be wrong. Like the people who supported Enron, or mortgage-derivatives. Except I don't think RS's management is smart enough to cook their books.

I'll bet one TL072 that Radio Shack will be around in 5 years, AND that you won't be able to buy a TL072 at Radio Shack.

Quote from: PRR on December 17, 2013, 06:35:17 PM
Radio Shack has been about-to-die for 20 or 30 years.

People and things that have one foot in the grave eventually find their other foot planted right next to it.

From a business standpoint, if they close stores and sell equity, they are still losing a massive amount of money.

As the article outlines, Radio Shack doesn't specialize in anything! They've recently held off the reaper by making a move into a market in which they can't compete.

If someone with big bags of cash, a better business plan, and a heart filled with sentiment came along, they might stand a chance.......but in this stagnant economy, this Santa Claus type of character would be few and far between.
Investors are holding on to their money, save for the sure thing. The probability of a Radio Shack comeback as a trend setting global competitor is far from a sure thing.

I'll see your TL072 and raise you a SAD1024!  :icon_wink:

My take is that they'll somehow be bought up by a cellphone franchise, and just convert over.   Or go completely away, who knows?  Name change and all.

They don't have much in there I can use, other than hookup wire/solder if I run out.   The rest of it comes from Newark, Allied, Mouser, in big quantities!    But I do remember when at Radio Shack...you could find enough things to make a radio   :icon_mrgreen:  1N34A's, magnet wire, high Z earpiece....not anymore.

I still remember Lafayette electronics, Heathkit, and Radio Shack was related the "HAM Radio Shack's"-- they were a sister Co. to Tandy Leather...  RS needs to go unfortunately.  I needed some jacks and wire the other day.. It was nice I could get the parts in town, but the quality and pricing is aweful.  Thank goodness for Mouser, and Tayda.  What can Brown do for me today?!

MC

Just think....

If RS still sold the SAD1024A in the Archer packaging at $10.95 (I think) they would probably be flush with cash........ if only from the people on the DIY forums at least!  :icon_eek:  :icon_lol:

Funny. The local radioshack manager is begging me to come work for him. I wonder how long I would have a job  ::)

Maybe I could raid the parts drawers when they close.....

Our local Active Electronics has been fading out components over the past year, and replacing them with more tools and niche products.  In particular, they have started carrying Arduinos, Beagle boards, Raspberry Pi, and a wall of Sparkfun and similar modules for the MAKE crowd.  They also seem to have upped their selection of tools and instruments.   I guess they figured that, for the store footprint that this inventory takes up, the profit margin is much bigger than on resistors, caps and chips.  They still have a decent selection of heat shrink tubing....but then who orders that sort of stuff on-line, right?  Same thing with chemicals that often cannot be shipped.

The investorplace article suggests that one of RS's less wise moves was to emphasize the same sorts of consumer electronics that the larger box store chains also carry and can easily underprice RS on.  I'm not saying Active will grow like gangbusters, but I think their move towards higher-end digital hobbyists may be a wiser move than what RS did, in terms of keeping them viable. 

It's been some time since I've gone into a RS for DIY parts, but I was a bit surprised to see the parts bin still there when I purchased my phone a while back. Last time I was there was for a 4 into 1 AV switch box, and the staff had no idea what I was talking about. After I found one myself, I had to explain to the staff why anyone would need such a thing. They glazed over somewhere between Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis and Nintendo 64. I think they actually got a little frightened when said CRT.

Breaking news from The Onion, in 2007:

Even CEO Can't Figure Out How RadioShack Still In Business
http://www.theonion.com/articles/even-ceo-cant-figure-out-how-radioshack-still-in-b,2190/ (http://www.theonion.com/articles/even-ceo-cant-figure-out-how-radioshack-still-in-b,2190/)

My favorite quote:

"One of Day's theories about RadioShack's continued solvency involves wedding DJs, emergency cord replacement, and off-brand wireless telephones. Another theory entails countless RadioShack gift cards that sit unredeemed in their recipients' wallets. Day has even conjectured that the store is "still coasting on" an enormous fortune made from remote-control toy cars in the mid-1970s."

Quote from: bwanasonic on December 17, 2013, 11:25:40 PM
the staff had no idea what I was talking about.

That's why the manager want's to hire me.  Sad though. Even a dumba­ss like me is able to look like an electronics guru among the knuckle dragging employees.

Quote from: tubegeek on December 17, 2013, 11:58:58 PM
http://www.theonion.com/articles/even-ceo-cant-figure-out-how-radioshack-still-in-b,2190/ (http://www.theonion.com/articles/even-ceo-cant-figure-out-how-radioshack-still-in-b,2190/)

I just emailed that to the manager  :icon_lol:


I think they are still in business because the mark-up on nearly all of the merchandise. Do you know what the employee discount is?......50% off.   They like to push batteries on people because they pay 17 cents for a certain battery and sell it for $20+.   There are major incentives for employees to sell batteries. I know this first hand.

Quote from: armdnrdy on December 17, 2013, 05:52:11 PM
You can order 100K center tapped pots from the online store.

are these suitable for the EH talking pedal?

The aforementioned pots are dual 100KA with a 40% tap.

I'm not sure without looking at the schematic which pot the talking pedal uses.

If I remember correctly, Dino (digi2t) made a clone of the talking pedal by using a LED/LDR combo in place of the pot.

Quote from: tonyharker on December 17, 2013, 05:41:07 PM
I can see that Maplin in UK is heading that way.

maplin: hmmmm i'm really tempted to say 'no loss' but they are handy if you just happen to be popping by, or need something quick,

IF they have it, or IF they have it in the right drawer, and IF they don't talk absolute b......s  ::) 

Quote from: haveyouseenhim on December 17, 2013, 08:53:12 PM
Funny. The local radioshack manager is begging me to come work for him. I wonder how long I would have a job  ::)

Maybe I could raid the parts drawers when they close.....

Same here, ha ha.  When I walk in they start to say "Can I help.." then "Oh, it's you - you're all set, right?".   

Every time I ask "do you have any electrolytic caps rated higher than 16V here? How about a 10uF NON polarized?" they do the eye glaze.    Found my own BNC connectors on their wall last trip, after the kid told me they just don't have that kind of thing...they look at me like I'm coming in to speak Chinese at them.

There IS one kid in there who is trying to pick up some electronics from the owner (a HAM guy) - so there IS a small spark of light in the RS world after all...

Quote from: bwanasonic on December 17, 2013, 11:25:40 PM
and the staff had no idea what I was talking about.

Last weekend I was Christmas shopping with my wife and when we walked past a RS I realized that I needed an extension cable for my headphones so I could practice when she is asleep.  The RS employee took me to the wall with all of their cell phone and music player accessories and handed me a white extension cable (a non-RS brand) for $22.95.  When I challenged him, he told me this is all they have.  So I went to the back of the store where they still have an aisle of DIY parts, connectors, soldering and hobby tools, etc. and found a RS branded black cable for $6.99.  I actually believe that the employee had no idea what was in the DIY aisle.

Worked for them in my school days. Mgr. hired me because I knew what the hell a 555 timer did! We were in a major university town, and come April, ALL the kids from the engineering school would be clammerin' for parts! I did enjoy that employee discount! They did have a direct corp. parts supply for schools in Texas. I used to get Purchase Orders for the University. Hell, i had to get corporate to send me a stack of paper catalogs to hand out.
  After I graduated and moved, the local store was going out of business. I was buying EVERY component. A HUGE black bag. after trying for a few minuets of trying to ring it all up,(and trying to figure out the discount via a calculator,pencil and pad, I might ad) The kid said.."look, NOBODY wants any of this. just gimmie $20 bucks and we will call it a done deal!" I'm STILL using those parts to this day!( it was about 6 years ago,)

Quote from: Mark Hammer on December 17, 2013, 09:04:57 PM
Our local Active Electronics has been fading out components over the past year, and replacing them with more tools and niche products.  In particular, they have started carrying Arduinos, Beagle boards, Raspberry Pi, and a wall of Sparkfun and similar modules for the MAKE crowd.  They also seem to have upped their selection of tools and instruments.   I guess they figured that, for the store footprint that this inventory takes up, the profit margin is much bigger than on resistors, caps and chips.  They still have a decent selection of heat shrink tubing....but then who orders that sort of stuff on-line, right?  Same thing with chemicals that often cannot be shipped.

The investorplace article suggests that one of RS's less wise moves was to emphasize the same sorts of consumer electronics that the larger box store chains also carry and can easily underprice RS on.  I'm not saying Active will grow like gangbusters, but I think their move towards higher-end digital hobbyists may be a wiser move than what RS did, in terms of keeping them viable. 

I buy what I can stomach buying from Active in order to support local, but it sucks when you go in for 10k resistors and 10uF electros and walk out only with the resistors (for something like $4 for 20) and end up desoldering your old TV set to get the electros you needed.

They also certainly aren't hurting for floorspace either.  They look like they struggle to spread out their components enough to cover the aisles.

Quote from: bcalla on December 18, 2013, 08:12:03 AM

Quote from: bwanasonic on December 17, 2013, 11:25:40 PM
and the staff had no idea what I was talking about.

Last weekend I was Christmas shopping with my wife and when we walked past a RS I realized that I needed an extension cable for my headphones so I could practice when she is asleep.  The RS employee took me to the wall with all of their cell phone and music player accessories and handed me a white extension cable (a non-RS brand) for $22.95.  When I challenged him, he told me this is all they have.  So I went to the back of the store where they still have an aisle of DIY parts, connectors, soldering and hobby tools, etc. and found a RS branded black cable for $6.99.  I actually believe that the employee had no idea what was in the DIY aisle.

I don't think half of the employees even know what the letters DIY stand fir,

5 resistors for $3.99 in excessively large packaging isn't a good business model. meanwhile, in the other 9.8/10ths of the store, celphones, clocks and cameras are being sold at less than a bargain than what the big stores are offering.



our local electronics surplus store is going through the same motions. every year they leave less room for parts and take more room for boringly common consumer electronics.

> one foot in the grave eventually find their other foot

I know bad business. The Shack has been bad for a long-long time. I don't know why they are still around, but I think it is foolish to predict 2015, 2020, 2525, or whatever.

> The probability of a Radio Shack comeback as a trend setting global competitor is far from a sure thing.

I would say the odds are dead-nuts zero. Too-dumb-to-die is also too dumb to lead.

> I'll see your TL072 and raise you a SAD1024!

Pass. I do think RS will be alive in 5 years, but I could be wrong, and want to keep my losses down. i.e. I have $0.39 confidence in my opinion. ($1.79 at RS, but if they die, I'll have to cover the bet at non-RS prices.)

> they were a sister Co. to Tandy Leather...

Charles Tandy had a small leather outfit, expanded, and made a million. He bought a small electronics "shack" and worked a second miracle. He died and it's been hit/miss ever since.

> from The Onion, in 2007

Thanks for knowing the cite I couldn't find. Perhaps the best investigative journalism on the topic.

Quote from: PRR on December 18, 2013, 11:34:13 PM

I know bad business. The Shack has been bad for a long-long time. I don't know why they are still around, but I think it is foolish to predict 2015, 2020, 2525, or whatever.

(2007) (excerpt from the Onion)
(Radio Shack) ranks as a Fortune 500 company, with gross revenues of over $4.5 billion and fiscal quarter earnings averaging tens of millions of dollars.

(2012)
Last year, RadioShack took a $139 million loss, a drastic 7% dip in same-store sales for the fourth quarter, and company debt swelling from $670 million to $777 million in 2012, the red flags are waving.

These aren't predictions. These are hard, cold facts. This company is in a downward spiral. There losses are unsustainable. They will soon reach a point when their creditors with call in their markers.....no more cash to pay for merchandise...time to sell off their equity, pay the bills, and close the doors. This is business 101....unless your the Government.....they play by different rules.  :icon_wink:

I wouldn't necessarily put "The Onion" and "facts" in the same sentence. The Onion is a humor site and makes up everything they write. If their stats happened to be correct, that's mere coincidence.

well, at any rate, the Onion gets closer to the Truth.  which may be more important than any facts

If they do go under, I'll miss the aluminum project box. There price on most things might be high but that's just about the cheapest metal enclosure of it's size that I've found.

There are a few other things I get there pretty regularly (perfboard, RCA jacks,). What I don't go there for is the "knowledgeable staff". I work next to a Radio Shack and on many occasion I have had to walk someone over there and show them something, because the RS employees insist they don't have it.

Quote from: PRR on December 17, 2013, 06:35:17 PM
Radio Shack has been about-to-die for 20 or 30 years.

I remember in the 1980s, talking to a manager who thought RS would implode in a year.

Nobody, least of all Radio Shack, knows why they are still around.

Exactly. To me, instead of "stable" or "profitable", I view their status as "chronic".

And I read these kinds of articles with a huge grain of salt anyway. Every year it's the same: predictions of who's going out of business next year. Many of the predictions never come true while many who were never predicted to, fall flat on their face.

(http://www.aronnelson.com/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=50215&g2_serialNumber=1)

Quote from: armdnrdy on December 19, 2013, 03:40:31 AM
These aren't predictions. These are hard, cold facts.

Oh no, you can not quote the onion and state 'hard, cold facts'  :icon_lol:

I just knew that some day someone on the internet would quote an Onion article as "cold, hard facts".

That day has come.


:icon_mrgreen:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/28/world/asia/chinese-news-site-cites-onion-piece-on-kim-jong-un.html?_r=0

Okay boys.........they went from a profitable company to unsustainable losses.

These are the cold hard facts.

(from Radio Shack Wiki)

In April 2012, after RadioShack had released very poor first quarter 2012 results, Moody's reduced its ratings on RadioShack to junk status.
On April 14, 2012, the stock sank to an all-time low early in the day's trading.
On July 11, 2013, the stock price sank again on rumors that the company would soon file bankruptcy.

All of this kind of begs the question whether a brick and mortar "parts, kits, and gadgetry" store could survive today. Let's say there is a decent selection of all three of those categories AND a knowledgable staff.

I know Dayton, OH has a couple such stores. I'm not sure if one is a small chain, but the one I have been in is independent. That particular store has parts in bins so you can buy in ones and twos or handfulls, new, used, and surplus, as well as a staff whose eyes don't glaze over when you say "op amp". (The downside is that Dayton is a 3-4 hour drive for me.) The older hands here may know if some place like that was the roots of Radio Shack 

If Radio Shack's longevity is a mystery, then I really wonder how those smaller, independent places - where the ohms are strong, the microfarads are good looking, and the parts selection is above average - can keep going in a world where "nobody uses that archaic stuff". There must be some market for it, and I wonder if there is a greater potential market that Radio Shack has consistently failed to tap.

Quote from: Electron Tornado on December 20, 2013, 12:59:55 PM
All of this kind of begs the question whether a brick and mortar "parts, kits, and gadgetry" store could survive today. Let's say there is a decent selection of all three of those categories AND a knowledgable staff.

Here in New Zealand (and in Australia) Dick Smith used to be a "parts, kits and gadgetry" store, but like Radio Shack, it moved to consumer electronics. Dick Smith, however, was far more successful at this, mostly because there weren't many other consumer electronics shops around when it made the move. Nowadays there's a few jacks and maybe an LED or two in some tiny trays at the back of some of their stores.

In New Zealand (and again, also Australia) we also have Jaycar. That's definitely a "parts, kits, and gadgetry" store. It also seems to be reasonably successful at doing this, they have a decent range and certainly a knowledgeable and friendly staff (NOT underpaid teenagers). It must be quite hard for a store like that to compete with online component shops, though. I have mostly stopped going there, and I only go there now to buy a couple of parts that I can't wait until my next online order. I did buy all the parts for a project from Jaycar once, and it came to about NZ$60, compared to what would have costed me NZ$20 online.

I'd be a little sad if Radio Shack disappeared. At least until I could find another place to buy their 276-150 perfboard. And the 276-159.

It's easy to overstate the decrease in hobby supplies at Radio Shack. The bins are still full are my local stores, the solder selection is still there, and there's a bunch of new maker-oriented stuff. I can get all of it cheaper and often better online. But it's good to have a place to get something in a hurry to address an actual, immediate, practical problem, unrelated to more programmatic projects for which RS has long been an obviously terrible idea.

I also have not in recent memory been the only person in Radio Shack. They tend to attract customers who appreciate a smaller, quieter space.

They don't seem to cultivate any customer base consistently, though. So it's not really surprising that their business model may be failing. Too bad, IMHO. I doubt I'm going to be super into whatever shows up in the space RS vacates, whenever that happens.

Quote from: derevaun on December 20, 2013, 11:57:48 PM
I'd be a little sad if Radio Shack disappeared. At least until I could find another place to buy their 276-150 perfboard. And the 276-159.

I agree with you 100%: I'm a pretty dedicated DIY electronics guy, and I can think of about two or three items (the same ones) that I like to buy at Radio Shack. That can't spell a bright future for them.

If they can't cash in on the Rise Of The Maker, they're in pretty big trouble. I have no idea why there isn't a giant LEGO Mindstorm display in every Radio Shack.

Quote276-150 perfboard. And the 276-159.

http://www.busboard.us/    Not the same, but better, IMO.

QuoteIf they can't cash in on the Rise Of The Maker, they're in pretty big trouble. I have no idea why there isn't a giant LEGO Mindstorm display in every Radio Shack.

Because they're dumb, remember?

@psych - you must have all the good jaycar staff over there, last time I went in, handed my bit of paper with 3 transistor numbers and 2 ic's, with quantities, so it would be an easy transaction, spotty oik says "are these transistors or something?" this while he's standing in front of about a thousand drawers full of transistors and stuff.

Radio Shack is a necessary evil over here.  No one else in this area seems to sell electronic components (or at least, on a consumer level where you don't have to buy in bulk), so the only real competition is online vendors like Small Bear or Mouser....but, the other trade-off is, Radio Shack is immediate.  Yeah, you can't really get premium stuff like Panasonics (Sometimes I get lucky) through them, but even then, the added cost (+ gas for the trip there) usually makes outweighs the convenience.

I think they've kind of brought this on themselves.  Most employees in their stores now don't even know what different components are, much less where they are.

Quote from: duck_arse on December 21, 2013, 09:59:51 AM
@psych - you must have all the good jaycar staff over there

Either that, or us Kiwis are better than Aussies  ;D

Just picked these up from radio shack today. Anyone notice what's wrong with this picture?
(http://i39.tinypic.com/2edwklk.jpg)

I'm no math genius but there seems to be something wrong here.

Details.....bah!!!  :icon_wink:

Quote from: Electron Tornado on December 20, 2013, 12:59:55 PM
All of this kind of begs the question whether a brick and mortar "parts, kits, and gadgetry" store could survive today. Let's say there is a decent selection of all three of those categories AND a knowledgable staff.

I know Dayton, OH has a couple such stores. I'm not sure if one is a small chain, but the one I have been in is independent. That particular store has parts in bins so you can buy in ones and twos or handfulls, new, used, and surplus, as well as a staff whose eyes don't glaze over when you say "op amp". (The downside is that Dayton is a 3-4 hour drive for me.) The older hands here may know if some place like that was the roots of Radio Shack 

If Radio Shack's longevity is a mystery, then I really wonder how those smaller, independent places - where the ohms are strong, the microfarads are good looking, and the parts selection is above average - can keep going in a world where "nobody uses that archaic stuff". There must be some market for it, and I wonder if there is a greater potential market that Radio Shack has consistently failed to tap.

Excellent points. We have an independent electronics surplus store in our area that is packed every time I go in there. Weekends, weekdays, it doesn't matter. The place is always busy. One thing I think that helps is they carry higher power components that electricians and HVAC people use in addition to the kinds of things we are interested in.  They also have a very good selection of wire & cable as well as hardware. I think businesses like this can thrive, but they have to reach out to a wider and more appropriate customer base. DIY-ers have more in common with repairmen than the average mall rat. And pretending to be electronics experts while just peddling the same cell phones as everyone else, while not really knowing any more, and many times much less, is just kind of silly. Yeah, they're not dead yet, but they are doomed to mediocrity, which they have consistently demonstrated.

Quote from: Harry on December 29, 2013, 07:22:36 PM
Just picked these up from radio shack today. Anyone notice what's wrong with this picture?
(http://i39.tinypic.com/2edwklk.jpg)

It's just that new math stuff.

I should imagine they go to 11 as well.

As far as local electronics parts supply stores go, around here, I (As well as one other member on this board, forget who. Reno, Nevada) am screwed.
The one place that is around here is just as expensive as Radioshack, but at lest they carry a shit ton of parts, tools, etc.
Although for most IC's transistors, its all NTE stuff.
But for me, its about a 60+ mile drive.

Damn, I miss Apex Electronics in the San Fernando Valley. Like 99% NOS parts. And LOTS OF THEM.
They have the stock numbers of Walmart crammed into a building about 1/4 the size.

@Harry

That is a sales ploy. It makes you feel like you are getting a bargain with the extra side  ::)

Just like the $0.99 sales pitch. Everything is ended in $0.99 to make you feel like you are saving money. Lord knows they need to at the RatShack!

Quote from: davent on December 29, 2013, 08:59:10 PM

Quote from: Harry on December 29, 2013, 07:22:36 PM
Just picked these up from radio shack today. Anyone notice what's wrong with this picture?
(http://i39.tinypic.com/2edwklk.jpg)

It's just that new math stuff.

the metric hexagonal knobs have 8 sides.

Quote from: DougH on December 29, 2013, 08:14:03 PM
Excellent points. We have an independent electronics surplus store in our area that is packed every time I go in there. Weekends, weekdays, it doesn't matter. The place is always busy. One thing I think that helps is they carry higher power components that electricians and HVAC people use in addition to the kinds of things we are interested in.  They also have a very good selection of wire & cable as well as hardware. I think businesses like this can thrive, but they have to reach out to a wider and more appropriate customer base. DIY-ers have more in common with repairmen than the average mall rat.

There was a hobby store in a town I used to live in that carried a few electronics kits that reminded me of the ones Radio Shack used to carry. The radio control and model building crowd is another market that such a store could cater to as well. Consider all the markets that have overlap with the amp and pedal DIY crowd. Get some knowledgable staff and maybe a repair shop and you could probably do well.

Quote from: duck_arse on December 30, 2013, 09:30:07 AM

Quote from: davent on December 29, 2013, 08:59:10 PM

Quote from: Harry on December 29, 2013, 07:22:36 PM
Just picked these up from radio shack today. Anyone notice what's wrong with this picture?
(http://i39.tinypic.com/2edwklk.jpg)

It's just that new math stuff.

the metric hexagonal knobs have 8 sides.

look again. i count 7 sides. hmmmm....  :o

Quote from: Dave W on December 31, 2013, 04:25:55 PM

Quote from: duck_arse on December 30, 2013, 09:30:07 AM

Quote from: davent on December 29, 2013, 08:59:10 PM

Quote from: Harry on December 29, 2013, 07:22:36 PM
Just picked these up from radio shack today. Anyone notice what's wrong with this picture?
(http://i39.tinypic.com/2edwklk.jpg)

It's just that new math stuff.

the metric hexagonal knobs have 8 sides.

look again. i count 7 sides. hmmmm....  :o

That seems to be a reasonable approximation.

You get a extra side at no extra cost! 

Quote from: Jdansti on January 02, 2014, 02:20:11 AM
You get a extra side at no extra cost! 

Now you can really throw the staff for a loop by going in and asking if they still have that "special" going on the hex knobs with the free extra side.

wow, that's incredible

Yep.Pretty sad.I actually went in there today to get a couple of 1/8 watt resistors,and they didn't hardly have anything.The Store Manager was arguing on the phone with her boyfriend I'm guessing while she ringing people up.Quality service at R.S. 

Liked the story on the "hex" knobs!! heh heh.

I've always got most of my quad pack synth knobs from RS.
They were reasonable in price and instantanious!
Otherwise, I've just ordered from Mouser or Digikey or Allied or SmallBear.

Yeh, I thought RS would have died YEARS ago.
Lost three other electronics stores here in sacramento.
But the RS's just keep on ticking.....
Now, all I do is just save my list until I get enough to order from Mouser.

R.I.P. R.S.
:(

My Weller soldering iron just died today in the middle of a build and I ran to RS and bought a switchable 15W/30W iron for $14. It won't last forever, but it will get me by until I decide which "good" one to buy.

Quote from: Jdansti on January 03, 2014, 11:01:20 PM
My Weller soldering iron just died today in the middle of a build and I ran to RS and bought a switchable 15W/30W iron for $14. It won't last forever, but it will get me by until I decide which "good" one to buy.

Is the handle burning your hand yet?

Quote from: toneman on January 03, 2014, 09:58:32 PM
Liked the story on the "hex" knobs!! heh heh.

I've always got most of my quad pack synth knobs from RS.
They were reasonable in price and instantanious!
Otherwise, I've just ordered from Mouser or Digikey or Allied or SmallBear.

Yeh, I thought RS would have died YEARS ago.
Lost three other electronics stores here in sacramento.
But the RS's just keep on ticking.....
Now, all I do is just save my list until I get enough to order from Mouser.

R.I.P. R.S.
:(

You can come over to Davis, our RS still has the good old component drawers.

Quote from: haveyouseenhim on January 03, 2014, 11:17:08 PM

Quote from: Jdansti on January 03, 2014, 11:01:20 PM
My Weller soldering iron just died today in the middle of a build and I ran to RS and bought a switchable 15W/30W iron for $14. It won't last forever, but it will get me by until I decide which "good" one to buy.

Is the handle burning your hand yet?

The handle is the only good thing about this POS. The giant conical tip is good at creating solder bridges and they don't sell any smaller replacement tips. Even if the tip was the right size, I can't tin it. Solder just beads off of it and drops onto whatever is below, usually my PCB. :icon_evil:  I've done every thing I can think of to clean the tip, short of sanding it.   I need to go to Fry's and get a decent Weller or Hakko.

Quote from: Jdansti on January 05, 2014, 06:16:38 AM

Quote from: haveyouseenhim on January 03, 2014, 11:17:08 PM

Quote from: Jdansti on January 03, 2014, 11:01:20 PM
My Weller soldering iron just died today in the middle of a build and I ran to RS and bought a switchable 15W/30W iron for $14. It won't last forever, but it will get me by until I decide which "good" one to buy.

Is the handle burning your hand yet?

The handle is the only good thing about this POS. The giant conical tip is good at creating solder bridges and they don't sell any smaller replacement tips. Even if the tip was the right size, I can't tin it. Solder just beads off of it and drops onto whatever is below, usually my PCB. :icon_evil:  I've done every thing I can think of to clean the tip, short of sanding it.   I need to go to Fry's and get a decent Weller or Hakko.

Is that the kind with the screw in tip?
If so, I had to resort to one of those for awhile.
I went to Home Depot (Or Lowes) and bought some solid core copper wire (12 awg I think), cut to length, stuck the pieces in a drill press and took a file to them.
They don't last long, but its a dirt cheap way to go.
You can make any tip shape/size you desire easily with that stuff.

Thanks. I finally put a very fine fingernail buffing block to it and it now is tinable. A little copper is showing through in a couple of places, so it won't last for long. At least I'm not pulling my hair out now. :)

Quote from: tubegeek on December 17, 2013, 11:58:58 PM
Breaking news from The Onion, in 2007:

Even CEO Can't Figure Out How RadioShack Still In Business
http://www.theonion.com/articles/even-ceo-cant-figure-out-how-radioshack-still-in-b,2190/ (http://www.theonion.com/articles/even-ceo-cant-figure-out-how-radioshack-still-in-b,2190/)

My favorite quote:

"One of Day's theories about RadioShack's continued solvency involves wedding DJs, emergency cord replacement, and off-brand wireless telephones. Another theory entails countless RadioShack gift cards that sit unredeemed in their recipients' wallets. Day has even conjectured that the store is "still coasting on" an enormous fortune made from remote-control toy cars in the mid-1970s."

Holy crap that was funny.

Hey I love RS for finding something I need in a hurry.

They have great little kitchen timers.  My last real purchasing experience with radio shack was with etchant.  A few years ago they actually sold it for less than ANYWHERE.  Since I was using literally gallons of it at the time, I asked the manager to order LOTS.  He did for a while, but kept having trouble getting it in.  (maybe one reason why they are in such bad shape now)  He said they sold the etchant mostly to artists and not at all to electronic hobbyists etc.

So I walk in to RS a couple weeks ago to pick up some of the cheap speaker wire they sell, which is the right size and works great for 9v DC patch cables.  They had busted a hole in the back of the store for a drive up window and they are selling cigarettes and lottery tickets out the drive-thru window.  And they got a pretty brisk business (inside and out) selling them.  I'm not making this up!  I guess this particular store sees the writing on the wall and they are diversifying  :D

JD

Quote from: jsleep on January 06, 2014, 04:50:06 PM
They had busted a hole in the back of the store for a drive up window and they are selling cigarettes and lottery tickets out the drive-thru window.  And they got a pretty brisk business (inside and out) selling them.  I'm not making this up!

For the love of god PLEASE take a picture of it.  :icon_eek:

Quote from: haveyouseenhim on January 06, 2014, 04:55:02 PM

Quote from: jsleep on January 06, 2014, 04:50:06 PM
They had busted a hole in the back of the store for a drive up window and they are selling cigarettes and lottery tickets out the drive-thru window.  And they got a pretty brisk business (inside and out) selling them.  I'm not making this up!

For the love of god PLEASE take a picture of it.  :icon_eek:

+1

Let's make it more interesting. Video yourself going to the drive through and asking for an NTE948 quad op amp.  ;D

sounds like the writing on that particular wall said "sledge here".

Quote from: jsleep on January 06, 2014, 04:50:06 PM
They have great little kitchen timers.  My last real purchasing experience with radio shack was with etchant.  A few years ago they actually sold it for less than ANYWHERE.  Since I was using literally gallons of it at the time, I asked the manager to order LOTS.  He did for a while, but kept having trouble getting it in.  (maybe one reason why they are in such bad shape now)  He said they sold the etchant mostly to artists and not at all to electronic hobbyists etc.

So I walk in to RS a couple weeks ago to pick up some of the cheap speaker wire they sell, which is the right size and works great for 9v DC patch cables.  They had busted a hole in the back of the store for a drive up window and they are selling cigarettes and lottery tickets out the drive-thru window.  And they got a pretty brisk business (inside and out) selling them.  I'm not making this up!  I guess this particular store sees the writing on the wall and they are diversifying  :D

JD

That is probably a non-corporate (franchise) store.  They can do what they want and carry anything they like, even non-RS product.

I worked at the Shack part- and full-time back in the early 2000s.  While it wasn't greatest place to work due to corporate's demanding cell phone quotas, I did learn a lot about customer service.  I would refuse to put minutes on prepaid phones (I mean, really?  Does the car salesman gas up your car for you?) except for the elderly and mentally handicapped (like my brother-in-law).  I would fix phone chargers and other things for customers and they would really appreciate that and give me a few bucks for it.  My store was a corporate store in Bloomington, IN (not the one in the mall).  I was damn sure they'd be out of business by now but amazingly they're still here.  I've got to stop and buy a MIDI cable today.
I used to get a kick out of people coming in and buying parts for cable descramblers.  When I asked if that was what they were building they'd get all embarrassed about it.

Fuel for thought:

Ars deathwatch 2014: RadioShack (http://arstechnica.com/business/2014/01/ars-deathwatch-2014-companies-on-the-edge-of-relevance/)

"...this store chain, which sees its core audience as "do-it-yourselfers"..., has been doing it to itself for the past two years....
...RadioShack's CEO Joe Magnacca ....came to RadioShack in February from Walgreens—yes, the drug store chain—and has brought on veterans from JC Penney and Under Armour."

Can't say I'll be sad to see them go. 

I stopped at one recently to check about buying a few parts to finish up some loose builds but couldn't bring myself to. 

Their prices, at least around here are all over 3x what I can get online.  :o

BTW I usually order from Jameco. 

Back in 1983, I had to spend some time at a subcontractor in Shalimar FL near Ft. Walton in the Florida panhandle.  I visited the local Radio Shack there and got a deal on a DMM - $39.99 on sale.  The same one was $99.99 in Toronto.  Just for laughs I brought down the Canadian catalog with the Canadian prices which were much higher (for everything).  The sales grunt there just couldn't believe there would still be a Radio Shack in Canada.  They are continuing under a different name here and at one point had an upscale offshoot called "Genexxa".

I have easy driving access to Sayal, A-1 Electronics, AA Electronics and Active Surplus (they have a new store on Steeles Avenue without the downtown parking hassles).  Who needs Radio Shack?  I picked up some 10µF 100 volt film capacitors at Active Surplus - you don't see those every day.

BTW flying into Ft. Walton was fun - the code is VPS (for Valparaiso, a small town north of there) and you land at Eglin AFB.  Our flights out somtimes had to hold for a squadron of Phantoms and F-15's were flying around all the time.

I went to radio shack and bought some super-puny 12V bulbs to fix the backlight in my Honda dash... They are good for something.  I think the fix was $2.50 and the Honda bulb would have been like $10 bucks.  Plus, it was down the street.  I just had to wind the super-tiny leads around the holder...

As an ex-employee of Radioshack, I have to say that I did see this coming. My store was in SW Florida, rapidly decaying from having gone unmaintained for ~45ish years. Where most of my customers were older people, usually seeking advice on repairing older, sometimes analog technology, (or less fortunately, asking how to use their mobile phones...) I was the only employee to ever be awarded "Employee of the Month", which I ended up winning twice. Not to mention I was the only employee who understood analog circuitry and technology. As the months dragged on, I was inspired by a coworker, a regular solder-junkie, to pick up electronics. Doing so, I began to learn all about electronic tech, and focused my direction on audio circuitry, which in turn, led me to stompbox building.
Because of my job at RadioShack, I now have a wonderful hobby that has changed my college major and direction in life entirely.

Thank you Radioshack, shame that you don't have any decent parts however.
For the record, I did regularly raid the parts drawers, the employee discount (%50 off all RS brand products) was far too good to pass up.
However, I left voluntarily because of incredibly demanding emphasis on sales performance, to be appreciated, you need to sell mobile phones madly.

I think I see one problem: they really ought to update their inventory. Also they ought to charge more than 57 cents for the catalog.

(http://i680.photobucket.com/albums/vv166/tubegeek-original/1957radioshackad.jpg)

That last one looks like it may have been from when Eisenhower was in office.

Quote from: amptramp on January 26, 2014, 08:01:25 PM
That last one looks like it may have been from when Eisenhower was in office.

Yup: 1957. Scanned from the pages of QSC magazine, the house publication of the ARRL - a ham radio specialty title.

That dual high-voltage power supply kit was a screaming deal, I wish I had gotten in on it.

50 to 11k was "hi-fi" in `57.  ;D

Hey, If radioshack goes under at least my local store manager has another career lined up.  :icon_mrgreen:

I have no comment for that.

(http://i.imgur.com/wH8tM.jpg)

Anyone catch the Shack ad during the Super Bowl?  It doesn't sound like they're planning to fold. 

Quote from: rutabaga bob on February 04, 2014, 10:32:03 AM
Anyone catch the Shack ad during the Super Bowl?  It doesn't sound like they're planning to fold.  

In case anybody missed it...here it is:

http://techland.time.com/2014/02/03/radio-shack-commercial-super-bowl/

I look at this as a last ditch effort to change it's image. Radio Shack is still in dire straits!

This move still leads us back to the question...what will they do different to stand out from the crowd?
Why will people want to flock to Radio Shack to purchase goods that they can buy online or at another known retailer?

I believe that this is the same business model that they tried when they brought in all of the cell phones......it hasn't worked.
That move just prolonged a slow, agonizing downward spiral.

What the commercial tells me is during their "restructuring", don't be surprised if they lose the electronic component section for a Dr. Dre Beats headphone display.  :icon_wink:

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=15703436&CAWELAID=120125420000004434&catargetid=120125420000031801&cadevice=c&cagpspn=pla&gclid=CJXozbnrsrwCFeV_QgodPl8Arw

Quote from: armdnrdy on February 04, 2014, 10:59:17 AM
Why will people want to flock to Radio Shack to purchase goods that they can buy online or at another known retailer?

Because you can receive personalized assistance from a knowledgable staff!  ::)  :icon_lol:

Quote from: haveyouseenhim on February 04, 2014, 03:18:06 AM
Hey, If radioshack goes under at least my local store manager has another career lined up.  :icon_mrgreen:

I could actually make out one or two words in the "song" by reading the subtitles.  ;D

Cellphone Shack to close 500 stores -

http://www.businessinsider.com/radioshack-is-closing-500-stores-2014-2

The Race to The Bottom continues......

I was also curious as to what's left for them to hustle - and where is PinkJimiPhoton going to get those aluminum project boxes now?  ;) 

I hadn't seen the store-closing thing...

Maybe just resort to Home Depot electrical boxes with blank cover plates. I've got a few projects in those and they're inexpensive and indestructible. He could use them for self defense when the girls storm the stage. ;)

I was thinking the other day about getting two of the blank junction box plates and fastening them together with some kind of standoffs maybe 1.5" tall? Wrap a strip of sheet metal around the outside, maybe pop-rivet the ends together, and you'd have a good size for a stompbox.

The stock junction boxes are too deep really, they look weird.

My idea kind of blows the whole "cheap and easy thing" though.

Some are pretty deep and look funny. Others aren't as deep and look funny too. On the other hand, if you don't care about looks, they're roomy inside. I could see them as good enclosures for someone who gigs a lot or tours. Based on the rig rundowns of professionals and my discussions with friends who gig a lot, pedals often get thrown around and end up looking pretty crappy anyway.

I buy the boxes with 1/2" knockout holes and use big washers as adapters.

Here's an old one of mine from when I started building these things. Notice the Radio Shack knobs... ;)

(http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q485/jdansti/433B9457-9B51-44A4-ACA0-B44F4D627CE2.jpg)

(http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q485/jdansti/73A02838-23E5-40A1-8F9E-5F414497DACF.jpg)

Since we've strayed this way, I use the 4" square junction boxes, too.  There are some really nice ones in a thread about enclosures here on the forum, done by Mojotronics - really nice paint jobs!

RS is called "The Source" in Canada (or at least in Québec). I went there recently because I wanted to get some RCA jacks as soon as possible, as I bought some from Tayda at 0,17$ each but shipping was taking for ever.
RS sells a pair for 5,99$... When I tried to leave the store, a clerk stopped me asking why I wasn't buying anything. I laughed and left.

(http://scontent-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/t1/1017398_10202441023722984_1989867895_n.jpg)

In the middle of a pedalboard rearrange, if you look at the lower left of the board there is a 4x4 junction box with a RG inspired Hum Free ABY, to isolate a stereo signal from my amps. in the upper right houses a buffered splitter to go to my vocoder carrier input and the other is my normal signal path built in one of the Rat Shack VHF/UHF booster/splitter boxes

Quotepedals often get thrown around and end up looking pretty crappy anyway.

Road scars! Man, sometimes at the end of the night, you just wanna leave, ya know?

It's financially impossible to have a brick and mortar store that sells electronic components without being subsidized by other income. RS never was an electronics store, they were a 'hobbyist' store, not a B&M Tayda. I don't see where everyone's expectations are coming from.

I always dug using the outlet boxes myself along with the Radio Shack knobs...the pic is quite old and pedal board doesn't even exist anymore, in this form.
(http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h310/MALICIOUS_DAMAGE/STP63097.jpg)

^ love that

Another one bites the dust!

Radio Shack is leaving from a city near you! This one is in Greensberg Indiana (between Indianapolis and Cincinnati)

http://www.greensburgdailynews.com/local/x1196465629/RadioShack-closing-succumbs-to-online-big-box-competition

Radio Shack to close 1,100 stores:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/markets/2014/03/04/radio-shack-to-close-stores/6007317/ (http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/markets/2014/03/04/radio-shack-to-close-stores/6007317/)

Maybe they should have save the money from the Superbowl commercial...  :-[

I wish Radio Shack wasn't just an overpriced crappy electronics store. If it were me, I'd gut the place and only sell name brand gadgets and expand the DIY parts selection, but priced more competitively.

Stuff like REAL r/c cars (Losi, Team Associated, etc), r/c helicopters, gizmos, and doo-dads...the electronics that people spend a fortune on. Kinda like a brick 'n' mortar version of thisiswhyimbroke.com or Think Geek.

Duplicate.

I believe we are past the beginning of the end. Three more days will mark the 30th day that RS stock has traded below $1.00.

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2014/jun/20/radioshack-stock-closes-below-1-share/

https://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4GGHP_enUS450US450&q=radio+shack+stock

"Credit-default swaps now imply a 45 percent chance of default in December and 86 percent by June 2015, according to data compiled by Bloomberg."

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-05-13/radioshack-lenders-seen-escalating-default-risk-distressed-debt.html

I had on my list to buy their pre-calibrated hall effect sensor, lol......anyone know where I can get one, to quantify pickup magnet strength.....

Reasons I need Radioschack:

1) It's the only place in town I've found Ferric Chloride

2) Sometimes I don't have time to wait for Tayda or I left something off my Tayda order.

3) See "1."

Quote from: vigilante397 on July 18, 2014, 05:02:16 PM
Reasons I need Radioschack:

1) It's the only place in town I've found Ferric Chloride

2) Sometimes I don't have time to wait for Tayda or I left something off my Tayda order.

3) See "1."

Well....I feel the same way! I don't want to see them go for much the same reasons but...
I don't think that your purchase of a few bottles of ferric chloride, or my purchase of a few items a year is going to make much of a difference whether they stay in business or close their doors.
It's all about profit. You cannot sustain a business losing millions of dollars per year!

Quote from: vigilante397 on July 18, 2014, 05:02:16 PM
Reasons I need Radioschack:

1) It's the only place in town I've found Ferric Chloride

2) Sometimes I don't have time to wait for Tayda or I left something off my Tayda order.

3) See "1."

There was a period during the mid-1980's when RS Color Computers were hugely popular with farmers and midwestern types.  At least going by the content of the magazines for the CoCo.  And the reason was pretty simple: for a lot of folks in rural areas, it was pretty much the only place around where you could actually buy a computer, and the various add-ons that went with them at the time.  Bear in mind this was long before we ever dreamed of ordering on-line.

Quote from: armdnrdy on July 18, 2014, 05:39:52 PM

Quote from: vigilante397 on July 18, 2014, 05:02:16 PM
Reasons I need Radioschack:

1) It's the only place in town I've found Ferric Chloride

2) Sometimes I don't have time to wait for Tayda or I left something off my Tayda order.

3) See "1."

Well....I feel the same way! I don't want to see them go for much the same reasons but...
I don't think that your purchase of a few bottles of ferric chloride, or my purchase of a few items a year is going to make much of a difference whether they stay in business or close their doors.
It's all about profit. You cannot sustain a business losing millions of dollars per year!

Very true. Last time I went in the worker told me that in the 5 years he worked there I was the first person to buy ferric :P What is the world coming to?

Quote from: vigilante397 on July 20, 2014, 02:03:13 PM
Very true. Last time I went in the worker told me that in the 5 years he worked there I was the first person to buy ferric :P What is the world coming to?

You don't need ferric chloride to talk on a cellphone or play a video game!  :icon_wink:

We live in a different time. The consumer generation. I believe that we are the last of the DIY, roll up your sleeves and get you hands dirty kind of folks.

Quote from: armdnrdy on July 20, 2014, 02:15:40 PM
We live in a different time. The consumer generation. I believe that we are the last of the DIY, roll up your sleeves and get you hands dirty kind of folks.

Actually, I think we live in the resurgance of DIY. I actually thought I might be the last person on the planet that wanted to build guitar effects in the late 80s. The movement in this and other DIY areas is astonishing. It's so big that, as one example, main stream electronics suppliers have started stocking parts specifically for electronics build. Mouser, for instance, now has footswitches, 9V dc relays, and Bourns "guitar series" potentiometers. That was simply unheard of in the late 80s. Finding **A** dpdt footswitch was a major undertaking, let alone having choices.

At that time, simply getting a PCB of any kind made in quantities under 100 of each meant you were going to hand-draw and hand-etch your own. Places that would make under 100 pieces of a design for under several hundred dollars simply did not exist.

We are, comparatively, living in the Second Golden Age. The 80s also provided no way to find information on electronics if you were not in the industry. Today's pedals sites are a cornucopia. Someone who came to this only after, say, 2000, thinks that today's state is normal. That's astonishing to me, but I realize that many effects builders could not yet READ when the internet started passing around information about circuits.

But then I remember days when I had to walk to school in the snow, without shoes, up-hill, both ways...  :icon_lol:

I suspect the third golden age will arrive with the improvements in programmed manufacture when the economical quantity to manufacture will tend towards one. Interestingly, that third step may be getting closer. I just saw a news story about a fashion designer using knitting/sewing robots to make high-fashion ladie's dresses. See "Natalia Allen". It's not replicator technology, quite, but it's getting better.

Quote from: R.G. on July 20, 2014, 03:04:12 PM
Actually, I think we live in the resurgance of DIY.

I have to agree with you there but...
I think the internet has everything to do with it. Information, (schematics, board images, sites such as this) as well as access to components.

The point I was trying (but failed) to make is: I'm not sure if the torch is going to be carried or even lighted after this round is over.
From conversation content, I get the impression that the average age of DIYers hovers closer to my age (51) than post pubescence.

I also see a trend in the workplace where the younger generation is good at technology based tasks, but not so good at physically fixing or building things....to the point of possessing absolutely no mechanical ability whatsoever!  

>I think the internet has everything to do with it. Information, (schematics, board images, sites such as this) as well as access to components.

Yep. Radio Shack hasn't kept up with the availability and pricing of components online. Probably because they focuses their business model on trying to sell phones in brick and mortar locations. 

>I also see a trend in the workplace where the younger generation is good at technology based tasks, but not so good at physically fixing things....to the point of possessing absolutely no mechanical ability whatsoever!

Another yep. It's sad that we have a whole generation of wussie men who can't change a tire, oil, or belts on their cars and women who can't boil eggs.

Quote from: armdnrdy on July 20, 2014, 03:21:21 PM

Quote from: R.G. on July 20, 2014, 03:04:12 PM
Actually, I think we live in the resurgance of DIY.

I have to agree with you there but...

+1

I tried to build a fuzz pedal around 1992, aged 16, with a 1970's electronics projects book from the library and the parts from Maplin. Needless to say it didn't work, and there was absolutely no way I could find any information to put it right. Fifteen years later, when I searched the internet in 2007 for a possible way to fix my dodgy Smallstone, a whole new world was waiting...

Quote from: Jdansti on July 20, 2014, 03:33:10 PM
It's sad that we have a whole generation of wussie men who can't change a tire, oil, or belts on their cars and women who can't boil eggs.

What about women who can't change a tire, oil, or belts on their cars or men who can't boil eggs?

^I guess my post might seem sexist. It was based my home's separation of duties.  It seems that in this new world of gender equality, both sexes have given up the ability to do anything for themselves. I still stand by my assertion that a man who doesn't know how to change the oil in his car is a wussie.  ;D

Of course not all young folk are wussies.  There are exceptions as shown by some of the young stars on this forum.

We've learned two things here.

1. R.G. was clearly raised in Yorkshire.
2. John needs a little help boiling eggs (but not changing oil).

Everything else I agree with.   :)

Quote from: bluebunny on July 20, 2014, 04:35:45 PM
1. R.G. was clearly raised in Yorkshire.

Was the giveaway the snow, no shoes, or uphill both ways?    :icon_lol:

I agree with one of Robert A. Heinlein's characters in that I think people should be versatile, and that specialization is for insects.

I can change oil, cook decent chili, construct stick-build buildings, make sabayon, replace piston rings, use a lathe. I have sewn myself a dress shirt from the fabric up, done cross-stitch needlework, and chipped flint into cutting tools as well as hunted with a cord sling. That last is a great way to diet, by the way.  You can eat anything that you run down and kill.  :icon_wink:

I must admit that I'm somewhat baffled by reverse split arbitrage, though. Still studying that one. And I doubt I'll ever be able to remove my own appendix.

I had a color computer 3!  :P And I read Rainbow magazine.... :-\

But as far as ferric chloride..I go with Meratic acid and hydrogen peroxide.  :D

Quote from: R.G. on July 20, 2014, 05:34:31 PM
And I doubt I'll ever be able to remove my own appendix.

I bet you could out of necessity!  :icon_wink:

But hopefully that will be left to speculation!

Quote from: bluebunny on July 20, 2014, 04:35:45 PM

2. John needs a little help boiling eggs (but not changing oil).

Actually, I have to boil my own eggs for tuna salad because my wife doesn't like tuna. That's probably the same reason I make a mean crawfish étouffée-she doesn't eat mud bugs.  ;)

I can use a sewing machine for very basic stuff, but if I tried to sew a shirt like RG did, my wife wouldn't let me leave the house with it on because I'd look like I was wearing caveman clothes.  ;D

To tie my point back to RadioShack, most people now days overpay for fancy sounding TV cables at BestBuy rather than scout out the bulk cable and connectors and make their own cables to length. Just one example.

The best reason why there are not a lot of DIY'ers or fix-it-yourself folks anymore is simply because it is cheaper to buy new!  :icon_eek:

The advent of cheap electronics and appliances combined with the increasing costs of repair parts and associated equipment make it more logical to buy NEW than to fix the OLD.

Case in point: Recently had our clothes dryer go bad on us. I did some research and here is what I found.

New Dryer = $650

Repair dryer = $600

DIY repairs = $400 in parts + time

Which do you think I chose?  ::)

This could apply to almost anything...

Quote from: Govmnt_Lacky on July 20, 2014, 09:33:12 PM
The best reason why there are not a lot of DIY'ers or fix-it-yourself folks anymore is simply because it is cheaper to buy new!  :icon_eek:

The advent of cheap electronics and appliances combined with the increasing costs of repair parts and associated equipment make it more logical to buy NEW than to fix the OLD.

Case in point: Recently had our clothes dryer go bad on us. I did some research and here is what I found.

New Dryer = $650

Repair dryer = $600

DIY repairs = $400 in parts + time

Which do you think I chose?  ::)

This could apply to almost anything...

Greg,
You didn't include the cost to build a dryer. After all....this is a DIY site.  ;D

Quote from: armdnrdy on July 20, 2014, 09:38:45 PM
Greg,
You didn't include the cost to build a dryer. After all....this is a DIY site.  ;D

Ha!

Probably the same as when you build your own pedal. By the time you put a price on your "time" it would be best to just go buy one!  :icon_eek:

Quote from: R.G. on July 20, 2014, 05:34:31 PM

Quote from: bluebunny on July 20, 2014, 04:35:45 PM
1. R.G. was clearly raised in Yorkshire.

Was the giveaway the snow, no shoes, or uphill both ways?    :icon_lol:

Ha ha!  All of the above.   ;D

Quote from: Govmnt_Lacky on July 20, 2014, 09:42:06 PM

Quote from: armdnrdy on July 20, 2014, 09:38:45 PM
Greg,
You didn't include the cost to build a dryer. After all....this is a DIY site.  ;D

Ha!

Probably the same as when you build your own pedal. By the time you put a price on your "time" it would be best to just go buy one!  :icon_eek:

very true, look at the nux time core for example..£30.00 :icon_eek:...several delays including reverse, and loops 40 secs too..but thats mass production for ya..

i might just rehouse em and sell em for £300... ;D

"there's an app for that"

From $76.88 in 1999 to .83 today. More than a $76 loss!  :icon_eek:

https://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&aq=&oq=Radio+shack&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4GGHP_enUS450US450&q=radio+shack+stock&gs_l=hp..5.0l5j41.0.0.0.10637...........0.n5cmZs4Wg2s

A guy I worked with at RS told me his stock was worth like $250K at one time.  He didn't sell and hung on hoping it would go back up.
I don't know if he sold it after they fired him or not.  Fun Fact: He was fired for accessing "inappropriate" websites.  He also apparently had a foot fetish (site left up on pc) and a thing for female celebrity fight fiction.

Quote from: theehman on July 21, 2014, 12:23:37 PM
A guy I worked with at RS told me his stock was worth like $250K at one time.  He didn't sell and hung on hoping it would go back up.
I don't know if he sold it after they fired him or not.  Fun Fact: He was fired for accessing "inappropriate" websites.  He also apparently had a foot fetish (site left up on pc) and a thing for female celebrity fight fiction.

Ron,

You sure seem to know quite alot about this....are you sure this was "A guy I worked with"  ;D

Quote from: armdnrdy on July 21, 2014, 12:36:45 PM

Quote from: theehman on July 21, 2014, 12:23:37 PM
A guy I worked with at RS told me his stock was worth like $250K at one time.  He didn't sell and hung on hoping it would go back up.
I don't know if he sold it after they fired him or not.  Fun Fact: He was fired for accessing "inappropriate" websites.  He also apparently had a foot fetish (site left up on pc) and a thing for female celebrity fight fiction.

Ron,

You sure seem to know quite alot about this....are you sure this was "A guy I worked with"  ;D

I gleaned this info from a) the manager and b) his logged in Yahoo account

My old manager (and still a good friend) was fired just after RS computers came out. He converted part of the back storage area into a workshop with chairs where customers could sit and drink coffee and chat with him while he worked on their computers. He was fired for buying a coffee maker for the workshop and listing it as a space heater on his expense report because he knew management wouldn't have approved a coffee maker.   He was guilty as charged, but never mind that he was selling a lot of computers and making money upgrading them. RS made the whole staff take lie detector tests. When we learned that he was fired, we all quit without notifying management. We just didn't show up for work. :icon_twisted:  We all got calls from a pissed off VP trying to get us to go in and open the store. They had to scramble to temporarily get workers from other stores.

Quote from: Jdansti on July 21, 2014, 01:36:32 PM
When we learned that he was fired, we all quit without notifying management. We just didn't show up for work. :icon_twisted:  We all got calls from a pissed off VP trying to get us to go in and open the store. They had to scramble to temporarily get workers from other stores.

That's great! I've had a job or two where I wanted to pull something like that off, never really happened though.

I had a boss that was giving me grief about being late....

I was supposed to show up at his house to head out to a job. I was there on time but...everyone else had shown up early so....he decided to leave without me.

His wife gave me the address, I drove to the location, and this guy, the boss man started giving me grief for showing up late!  :icon_eek:

I was not late!

I took his bull for about 15 minutes. (15 minutes too long) He was up on a roof and I was climbing up a ladder toward him.
He started in on his rant again and I took off my (his company) shirt, threw it in his face, and proceeded to give him a piece of my mind. He was slack jawed!

After giving him a major tongue lashing, I hopped in my truck and left.
I have to tell you.....that felt good!  :icon_wink:

Did you remove the ladder?   :icon_twisted:

I think I would have dropped the ladder to the ground as a parting gift.

*edit* Damnit. John beat me to it.

Nope.
I left the ladder where it was.

This guy was just one of those controlling, "I'm always right regardless of reality because I'm the boss" kind of guys.

After a few more go rounds with that type, and being a little lot older now....I do not allow people to talk to me like that now.

I've been my own boss for about ten years and now I have to deal with employees! Ugg! 

@ vigilante (mainly) - (and not helping him with his ferric *issues*) have a look over here:
https://www.rockby.com.au/Index2012.cfm

bottles of ferric, relays on special, 35c mpf102's ....... I have no interest or affilliation.

Quote from: duck_arse on July 22, 2014, 08:00:27 AM
@ vigilante (mainly) - (and not helping him with his ferric *issues*) have a look over here:
https://www.rockby.com.au/Index2012.cfm

bottles of ferric, relays on special, 35c mpf102's ....... I have no interest or affilliation.

Thanks, that actually looks like the kind of thing I need :) Now it's just a matter of whether they ship to the states :-\

As for my...issues... I quit cold turkey after my last bottle ran out...and I realized I have no money to buy more :icon_rolleyes:

Quote from: R.G. on July 20, 2014, 03:04:12 PM
But then I remember days when I had to walk to school in the snow, without shoes, up-hill, both ways... 

Well, before all this climate change stuff, it snowed a LOT in Texas, ain't that right? And according to the Almanac Of Backwards States, it wasn't until 1973 that the first pair of child's shoes was sold in Texas.

You did say "shoes" not "boots"?

-j, writing from snowy Brooklyn, NY, epicenter of urbane hipsterism if you don't count Austin

Quote from: tubegeek on July 24, 2014, 12:31:00 AM

Quote from: R.G. on July 20, 2014, 03:04:12 PM
But then I remember days when I had to walk to school in the snow, without shoes, up-hill, both ways... 

Well, before all this climate change stuff, it snowed a LOT in Texas, ain't that right? And according to the Almanac Of Backwards States, it wasn't until 1973 that the first pair of child's shoes was sold in Texas.

You did say "shoes" not "boots"?

-j, writing from snowy Brooklyn, NY, epicenter of urbane hipsterism if you don't count Austin

Yep. I was born in '62 and was the first child on my block in '73 to have shoes. Now excuse me while I saddle up, round up my cattle and check my oil wells. ;)

.... black gold ....
.... Texas tea ....

Quote from: tubegeek on July 24, 2014, 12:31:00 AM
Well, before all this climate change stuff, it snowed a LOT in Texas, ain't that right? And according to the Almanac Of Backwards States, it wasn't until 1973 that the first pair of child's shoes was sold in Texas.

Careful - it's no longer "climate change", that's passe. It's now "something is different, even if the difference is that it didn't change". EVERYTHING is more evidence that you have to register all your carbon with the Office of Carbon Control and pay your yearly Carbon Control Tax.

And since what really causes "something is different, even if it's not" is carbon di-OXIDE,  we can't neglect control of the two-thirds of CO2 - the oxygen. So we're setting up the Office of Oxygen Control so that doesn't get away from us and cause either difference or non-difference. Notice that this is not IN-difference. That's a different office.

And seriously folks... (that means that I didn't make this up, I read it) California is in a terrible drought. I feel from them, only recently having the climate - oops, weather (that's different, the climate is still changed!) get a little wetter here. However, California has instituted regulations prohibiting lawn watering. One couple was served notice to stop watering or get fined. They stopped watering. They were then served notice from an office of their city that they were violating the green-city ordinance or some such, and that they would be fined if they DIDN'T water their lawn. See http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/07/20/3462064/california-drought-fine-brown-lawn/ (http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/07/20/3462064/california-drought-fine-brown-lawn/)

In a mature society, everything not forbidden is mandatory. Interesting that some things can be both forbidden and mandatory.  :icon_lol:

I believe that it was called "global warming" until some parts of the "globe" were actually experiencing record snowfall and record low temperatures. So...to keep with the narrative that there is a problem...the name slowly traversed to "climate change".

There are way too many people profiting from this to take a step back and concede to the other half of the scientific community whos reports conclude that these changes are part of the natural cycle.

This webpage which advocates global warming has a lot of pretty graphs! It must be real if there are graphs!  :icon_wink:
http://ossfoundation.us/projects/environment/global-warming/natural-cycle

I've lived in Southern California all of my life. (born and raised) When I was a child, the smog was so bad that you could not see the local (San Gabriel) mountains through the haze! The greater Los Angeles area is a basin surrounded by mountains that act as a trap, preventing the onshore flow (ocean breeze) from dissipating the smog.
Due to EPA laws and vehicle emissions standards being tightened, that problem no longer exists. I would imagine that with all of the businesses and population density per square mile, the greater Los Angeles area has some of the cleanest air in the world. (but don't quote me on that!)

Off of the coast of California there are ocean currents that are fairly stable, but some years we have a phenomenon known as El Nino.

http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/tao/elnino/el-nino-story.html

One of the effects of El Nino is heavy rainfall (well above average) during the winter.
There is another phenomenon which is the opposite of El Nino, called La Nina. La Nina is when the ocean temperature is cooler than normal. This also has an effect on the weather.

So....here we see an example of a natural occurring weather cycle.

R.G. mentioned that California is experiencing a drought. Yes we are. I am 51 year old and have experienced droughts in the 70s, in the 80s, and in the 90s. I remember as a child when the same "ticket/fine if you water your lawn" ordinance existed.

So...here we see another example of a natural occurring weather cycle. Years with heavy Sierra Nevada Mountain snowpack (water source) and years with....not so much. Hmm.....I bet this is caused by global warming....I mean climate change!

What does this have to do with the original thread title Radio Shack to go under?

I believe that Radio Shack's drop in sales is directly connected to global warming. Let me explain.

It is a known fact that people would rather sit in front of their PC in their air conditioned homes, with a fist full of crispy crème donuts, washed down with a diet Pepsi, than hop in their car and brave the heat traveling to a brick and mortar store such as Radio Shack.

I have a solution! I will save Radio Shack...the world...and everything in it! I feel that it is my duty!

I will put together a website with a PayPal link for donations to the cause.
Armdnrdy's Radio Shack and world survival fund.

I also have a few other projects that I could use help with:

Armdnrdy's guitar collection fund, Armdnrdy's dream car fund, and Armdnrdy needs more beer fund.

We have not quite reached our goal and appreciate any and all contributions. Give generously and give often!  ;D



 

I think one of the pre-conditions for a Radio Shack bail-out should be:

1 - CEO salary limited to $10K/year

2 - CEO must renounce his MBA degree, and build a functional tube screamer

3 - bonus can be paid, but only in Hammond 1590B boxes.

4 - Radio Shack must be required to carry 1590B boxes.

I've never understood the global warming concern, as it is a problem that essentially solves itself - we will run out of fossil fuels in less than a century, some estimates put the number at half that.....before the inevitable societal collapse.....but whatevs.

I started a garden this spring when I learned that 50% of our food in the U.S. essentially comes from an irrigated desert.  Only 3 years into what could easily be an extended 100 year drought, at least by historical standards.  Goodbye almonds and fresh veggies in the middle of winter!

How did this conversation turn serious? I want my money back!

R.G. started it! He's a regular instigator!  ;D

Seriously though...I was poised and ready to go on this one!

By the way...when you get your money back, would you like to donate it to a good cause?  :icon_wink:

http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=56367.0

Quote from: Lurco on July 25, 2014, 01:51:59 AM
http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=56367.0

Excellent!

Read R.G.s replies in this thread. I believe he sums things up nicely! (as always)

One way for politicians to gain control over your life and to justify higher taxes is to "prove" to you that a problem exists.

Hitler used the Jews as the "bad guy", the "problem" to rally the German people so that the Nazis could implement Hitler's genocidal world domination agenda. It's all about feeding the public a narrative to change their perception of things.

I dare one person to present an absolute case where climate change has been proven without a doubt to be caused by mankind.

Before man walked this earth, or was civilized for that matter, forest fires caused by lightning strikes would burn unabated until they ran out of fuel. You might call that Global Burning. Cavemen didn't have fire trucks or water-dropping aircraft. (don't quote me on that either) Do you think those fires created a bit of C02?  :icon_wink:

I'm holding out for empirical data. The scientific community seems to be split on the subject so.....so am I.

here in australia, we had tandy selling radio shack stuff. I think tandy left us long ago, they are certainly not very visible these days.

and our wonderful, progressive thinkers of a government, has just repealed our carbon tax (they couldn't make a profit selling it). and now prices are all going to go down, or the government will refund us the difference.

they promise.

I remember seeing commercials for Radio Shack years ago that would end with Radio Shack.......a Tandy Corporation.

Here's the Tandy Corporation wiki that mentions the Tandy stores being sold to Dick Smith Electronics in Australia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tandy_Corporation

yep...  I commented on an old thread on exactly this topic (http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=99304.msg871693#msg871693)

david

I have to admit, the "Radio Shack" packaging was a bit confusing back in the day with packaging marked "Realistic", "Tandy", "Radio Shack", and "Archer".

I would have to walk outside and look up at the store sign to see where I was!  ;D

Quote from: duck_arse on July 25, 2014, 08:44:38 AM
and our wonderful, progressive thinkers of a government, has just repealed our carbon tax (they couldn't make a profit selling it). and now prices are all going to go down, or the government will refund us the difference.
they promise.

The Federal Government- a wholly-owned subsidiary of Big Business...  I have hours of rants about all of the stupidity  (e.g. note how the legislation repealing the tax bounced twice, then -when it could have potentially caused a dissolution- a number of otherwise *very* staunch "social democrats" crossed the floor, rather than stand up for their principles and likely lose their cushy jobs),  but I'm a freemason and topics of a religious or political nature are discouraged!!

david

Quote from: armdnrdy on July 25, 2014, 12:24:34 PM
I have to admit, the "Radio Shack" packaging was a bit confusing back in the day with packaging marked "Realistic", "Tandy", "Radio Shack", and "Archer".
I would have to walk outside and look up at the store sign to see where I was!  ;D

I thought it was all very clear...  :)
Realistic for the commodity items (radios/speakers/turntables).
Radio Shack (and Tandy)  for the components and batteries.
Micronta for the test gear.
Archer(kit) for the higher end commodity kits ('finished' items -like blue kit versions of the Micronta multimeters).
Science Fair for the beginner kits.

david

Nope...not that easy.

You're forgetting about Archer brand components.

(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/53299166/DIYstompboxes/Archer.jpg)

I just bought a handful of Archer components. Nixie tubes, CMOS chips, led 7 segment displays, and a few others that someone had donated to the local thrift store, so Archer had components too apparently. I also have a VHF UHF amplifier box that is proudly the new home of a SHO and an overdrive which I can't remember which one it actually is... But it sounds nice!
(http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g429/Mandoluke/a524ee84e2ff3528d50617058cf46212_zps5e3eaca4.jpg)

Okay...
Did you put the writing upside down to mess with me...or to mess with yourself because you like a challenge?  :icon_eek:

Haha well I was going for the input and output printed on the box to be on the correct side... So no matter how you slice it, it would have been confusing. The holes where the coax connect would have been too big for pots also so I just drilled them out a bit more for the stomp switches. It's a bit odd but I can't complain paying 99 cents for a 125a sizeish enclosure. Extra bonus, the nuts from the coax work on some of the 1/4inch jacks that I had previously lost nuts for :P

I would use that slide switch cutout for something...because it's there.

Switch diodes, caps, something.

I'm sure I will at some point. I was thinking about sticking some clipping LEDs under there so the light would sort of be glowing while clipping.

Here are some archer components I picked up. Some CMOS chips, led 7 segment displays, and a digital clock ic. I'm wondering if any of the CMOS chips would be useful for stompboxes? They are rs74c192 4 bit up down decade counter, mm74c08 quad 2 input AND gate, mm74c74 dual d flip flop, mm74c76 dual j-k flip flop. I can probably get a hold of a few more if I can put them to good use or if anyone else would be interested in them as well.
(http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g429/Mandoluke/c85a62820f64b6e7ee54aefca17002fd_zpsa0df56cd.jpg)

It looks like you can use them. The data sheet for the flip flop states 15 volts...When I first saw the model numbers I thought they were TTL....5 volts. I'm a late comer to the game...I'm more familiar with the CD40XX series.

Yep. Archer was components. Was a gift to a valuable member.
(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/3173950/Link%20to%20SAD1024.jpg)

I wish I would have found one of those with the others though it seems the person that donated these was more into clocks... At least I got some stuff to use and some to sell. Heck, selling the Nixie tubes alone is paying for the purchase of the rest of the stuff :icon_cool:

Quote from: armdnrdy on July 25, 2014, 12:59:49 PM
Nope...not that easy.

You're forgetting about Archer brand components.

Larry,
OK, I stand corrected - it has only been 20-something years...   :)    (I knew I should have pulled out some of the ancient stuff at the bottom of the junkbox,  I still have a fibreoptic RX/TX pair I got in one of their  'grab bags').

...so my list needs to have added:
Archer for components
Radio Shack for books and toys
Optimus & Genexxa for hifi speakers and turntables

Nobody else sold these brands  (until Dick Smith Electronics bought Tandy Australia - by then there were no more components and only the commodity stuff cross pollinated)

david

You got it straight now bud?  ;D

Quote from: Tony Forestiere on July 25, 2014, 08:02:19 PM
Yep. Archer was components. Was a gift to a valuable member.
(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/3173950/Link%20to%20SAD1024.jpg)

I bought one of these nice little still packaged items last year by being observant as it was mixed in and hidden in a lot of other ICs.

Can you say SCORE?  :icon_wink:

up here in the north east Market Basket workers are on strike!!! (over the sacking of Arthur t. Demoulas) turns out Jim Gooch ,new exec of MB, was the former Chief Executive at Radio Shack!

QuoteMany employees are distrustful of Arthur S. and two co-chief executives who were brought in from outside the company: Felicia Thornton, a former executive of the grocery chain Albertsons, and Jim Gooch, former president and chief executive at RadioShack Corp.

QuoteA closer look at his tenure at Radio Shack explains why. Share prices declined 84 percent since he took over. On July, 25 2012, the company reported an unprecedented loss of $21 million compared to a $25 million profit during the same period in 2011. Just weeks before being fired, Mr. Gooch killed the only reason to own Radio Shack's stock: the dividend. Sounds like running a company into the ground

Looks like he didn't do any good at RS either...
(http://www.concordmonitor.com/csp/mediapool/sites/dt.common.streams.StreamServer.cls?STREAMOID=l8_0uuFfNKNetnoFg7r4Js$daE2N3K4ZzOUsqbU5sYvRpwY5gtrw2uZVct4nw$KDWCsjLu883Ygn4B49Lvm9bPe2QeMKQdVeZmXF$9l$4uCZ8QDXhaHEp3rvzXRJFdy0KqPHLoMevcTLo3h8xh70Y6N_U_CryOsw6FTOdKL_jpQ-&CONTENTTYPE=image/jpeg)

Quote from: Quackzed on July 25, 2014, 11:36:50 PM
Just weeks before being fired

It is a shame that U.S. shareholders (citizens) can't do the same with a president that isn't doing a good job!  :'(

Clint Eastwood - RNC Aug. 30, 2012
"When somebody does not do the job, we got to let them go."

Radio Shack notified that it is out of compliance with the New York Stock Exchange:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-07-25/radioshack-gets-notified-that-it-s-out-of-compliance-with-nyse.html

- luke - all that crappy old junk good stuff you've got there looks like an octave box, to me.

- greaser - you were going so well, why did you spoil it with the masons [he does the evil-eye at him].

and seeing all that packaging reminds me why I hated tandy. walk in, look for the parts section, and there is a pegboard, with EVERYTHING individually packed. so, just 2n3904's, there is no room for any real range. and resistors in blister packs?

Quote from: duck_arse on July 26, 2014, 08:41:50 AM
- greaser - you were going so well, why did you spoil it with the masons [he does the evil-eye at him].

In the interests of fair dealing, mainly (one of the tenets of the organisation)...  :)

Quote from: duck_arse on July 26, 2014, 08:41:50 AM
and seeing all that packaging reminds me why I hated tandy. walk in, look for the parts section, and there is a pegboard, with EVERYTHING individually packed. so, just 2n3904's, there is no room for any real range. and resistors in blister packs?

Been to Jaycar lately?  :)  Soanar resistor package that looks somewhat like 1980 Tandy/Archer resistor packaging (https://www.flickr.com/photos/14643956@N06/14562068118/)

david

no. not lately. it seems they've taken up where dick smith left off - the parts LOOK just like the ones you want, and sure cost the same or more, but you gets them home, the contacts are backwards to sensible, or the lugs are so tarnish the plastic melts before the solder takes, the glue under the vero-copper *pops* in the heat of soldering, or the fecking thing just falls apart in your hands.

and once yuo see the tayda prices ......

[ .... evil eye again]

I go to radioshack for a few things,  but honestly the only things now I would touch are the packs of resistors and wire.

All of the pots have a chunky,  terrible,  inaccurate taper.  The boards melt and the pads pop up before the solder melts

You've gotta support your local suppliers where you can for the small stuff (admittedly a bulk pot or enclosure purchase needs to go to a cost effective supplier like tayda, but you should at least view the local guys catalogue).

[and you can evil eye me all you want, it won't stop me grabbing a pike and standing at your side when it's time to defend this wide brown land, mate!!!]  ;D

david

@da I was thinking octave box. I wonder if any of these would be drop in replacements for a CDxxxx in an octave box or if I could make minor adjustments to a circuit to use them. Sounds lik I'll already have a name for it... Crappy old junk octave box. Haha

Quote from: Luke51411 on July 26, 2014, 09:52:45 AM
I wonder if any of these would be drop in replacements for a CDxxxx in an octave box or if I could make minor adjustments to a circuit to use them.

Check the data sheets.

Quote from: Luke51411 on July 26, 2014, 09:52:45 AM
Sounds lik I'll already have a name for it... Crappy old junk octave box. Haha

You can call it the "Archer Octave Box" and put a cool image of a centaur on it!.....oh wait...that's already been done by Klon!  :icon_wink:

Too bad I already used my Archer box ::)
What octave boxes are there that use cmos chips? The only one I can think of is the Blue Box.

If you want to find uses/projects/ideas for those CMOS ICs.....buy a copy of the CMOS Cookbook.

I bought it earlier this year and it is a must have! It is very user/novice friendly with a ton of circuit examples.

I picked up my copy from Amazon...used, in pristine condition.

Edit:

I don't know if you are in the U.S. but...here is a very good deal.

http://www.thriftbooks.com/viewdetails.aspx?isbn=0672224593&mkwid=WmfTshnG|dc&pcrid=55707680472&gclid=Cj0KEQjwo82eBRCR1Yr2u-G-sK8BEiQAbrSjVLnOGuLUOvNrMXld_iPexh1rHefXrZjrUHEvblwkL_oaApej8P8HAQ

I am in the US thanks! I think I'll get that one. I might pick up the active filter cookbook too!

I was eyeballing the active cookbook as well.

I'm currently trying to punch in component values in a Sallen-Key low pass filter calculator....and it keeps kicking them back out!

It doesn't like me!  :icon_evil:

The reaper is just outside the door!

Take a look at the five year. Shares in the twenties....now worth 38 cents!

(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/53299166/DIYstompboxes/RS%20stock.jpg)

Quote from: armdnrdy on December 30, 2014, 01:15:06 PM
The reaper is just outside the door!

And just before his scythe makes its fateful slice, the bespectacled clerk at the counter will earnestly ask, "Do you need any batteries today?"

Hey... If it's good enough for Weird Al.... its good enough for me! BUY...BUY...BUY...  :icon_twisted:

(http://cnet3.cbsistatic.com/hub/i/r/2014/11/11/be3eafa9-4100-4b2f-aed0-a9c178fa2c82/resize/770x578/be6669d19bbc8e2c47ee3fbcf5007390/weirdal8.jpg)

Quote from: B Tremblay on December 30, 2014, 02:14:36 PM
And just before his scythe makes its fateful slice, the bespectacled clerk at the counter will earnestly ask, "Do you need any batteries today?"

That is funny!  ;D

I thought that RS employees only asked me that question because....I always look like I need batteries!  :icon_lol:

It just keeps getting worse for Radio Shack:


http://money.cnn.com/2014/12/29/news/companies/radioshack/index.html?iid=EL (http://money.cnn.com/2014/12/29/news/companies/radioshack/index.html?iid=EL)

http://money.cnn.com/2015/02/02/news/companies/radioshack-trading-suspended/ (http://money.cnn.com/2015/02/02/news/companies/radioshack-trading-suspended/)

You have to wonder what sort of MBAs they crank out these days.

Target - a going concern in the USA - moved into Canada just under two years ago.  The stores tanked, and Target announced they were losing too much money and were closing all their stores here.  The stock liquidation sales begin Thursday.  Unfortunately, besides milk and eggs, they don't really have much of anything that I want.  The execs who oversaw this fiasco got 6 and 7-figure handshakes, though.

Quote from: Tony Forestiere on July 25, 2014, 08:02:19 PM
Yep. Archer was components. Was a gift to a valuable member.
(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/3173950/Link%20to%20SAD1024.jpg)

what, you can buy components packaged like this!?

Quote from: Mark Hammer on February 03, 2015, 09:29:13 AM
Target - a going concern in the USA - moved into Canada just under two years ago.  The stores tanked, and Target announced they were losing too much money and were closing all their stores here.  The stock liquidation sales begin Thursday.  Unfortunately, besides milk and eggs, they don't really have much of anything that I want.  The execs who oversaw this fiasco got 6 and 7-figure handshakes, though.

I always wondered why Target failed in the great north. They are very successful here in the states.

Any ideas Mark? Would love to hear what you think....

Quote from: Govmnt_Lacky on February 03, 2015, 10:18:25 AM

Quote from: Mark Hammer on February 03, 2015, 09:29:13 AM
Target - a going concern in the USA - moved into Canada just under two years ago.  The stores tanked, and Target announced they were losing too much money and were closing all their stores here.  The stock liquidation sales begin Thursday.  Unfortunately, besides milk and eggs, they don't really have much of anything that I want.  The execs who oversaw this fiasco got 6 and 7-figure handshakes, though.

I always wondered why Target failed in the great north. They are very successful here in the states.

Any ideas Mark? Would love to hear what you think....

My wife works at Target and according to her, it was mainly a case of too much, too soon.  They opened too many stores too quickly and didn't have the merchandise to fully stock them.

That pretty much sums it up, Ron.  They should have built up slower than they did, and adopted an IKEA-type strategy: be more desirable andd exotic by being less available.  Unfortunately, they purchased the sites of another Canadian low-end retailer that already had more locations than they could afford (which is why they went under), and there wasn't either the stock or clientele to make all those outlets viable.

With RS going under, those slots in malls will be relatively easy to fill.  Not so for the malls here where Target was the "anchor store".  There are a limited number of retailers that take up spaces that big.

But enough about retail economics.  This thread is about us venting over our mutual former "golden child" where so many of us got our start.  :icon_wink:

idk.....they always say RS is going under. like, for the last 30 yrs! -lol

i wouldn't worry too much.....in this age of 'government intervention', they'll probably get subsidies or a total 'bailout'.

Quote from: plexi12000 on February 04, 2015, 01:53:52 AM
idk.....they always say RS is going under. like, for the last 30 yrs! -lol

i wouldn't worry too much.....in this age of 'government intervention', they'll probably get subsidies or a total 'bailout'.

You probably believe in unicorns, Santa Claus, and the tooth fairy too!  ;D

http://www.cnbc.com/id/102376542#.

I believe this is the "real" end.

I read an article that said that Sprint was going to take over a number of the stores. Probably turn them into Sprint phone stores and get rid of the rest of the merchandise.

Someone posted this over on MEF.  Haven't watched it, so I can't speak for its content.

Quote from: Mark Hammer on February 04, 2015, 02:39:42 PM
Someone posted this over on MEF.  Haven't watched it, so I can't speak for its content.

Mark, gotta take the 's' out of the 'https' address.

Does this apply to The Source in Canada ?

Quote from: Hemmel on February 04, 2015, 03:38:45 PM
Does this apply to The Source in Canada ?

Completely separate company, that simply leases Radio Shack brand stuff. 

Quote from: Mark Hammer on February 04, 2015, 06:46:03 PM
Completely separate company, that simply leases Radio Shack brand stuff. 

Awww too bad...

http://www.forbes.com/sites/antoinegara/2015/02/05/radioshack-cuts-the-cord-after-90-years-files-for-bankruptcy/

Fare well, my old friend.

I have a local RS near me. With my luck, it will be one they convert to a Sprint store  :icon_cry:

Won't be able to capitalize on the "Everything goes" sales.

Quote from: Govmnt_Lacky on February 06, 2015, 09:22:20 AM
Won't be able to capitalize on the "Everything goes" sales.

I keep driving by the local Radioshack hoping to see a "going out of business sale" sign. I don't buy much from there, but that is where I buy my ferric and my spools of solder, so hopefully I can stock up before I have to start looking elsewhere 8)

Last time I was in I was told by the gentleman working there that in the 8 years he's worked there I've been the first person he's seen buying ferric :P

Quote from: Govmnt_Lacky on February 06, 2015, 09:22:20 AM
I have a local RS near me. With my luck, it will be one they convert to a Sprint store  :icon_cry:

Won't be able to capitalize on the "Everything goes" sales.

I have a feeling that when the "takeover" happens....the items that we are interested in will be the first thing to be deleted from the stores inventory.

Anything worth snagging from there before it goes out, aside from solder spools?  I think I read earlier in this thread that someone likes the digital multimeter they have from RS...my cheapie from Harbor Freight is in the process of dying, worth grabbing the RS one?

Different branches will obviously have different stock, but some of them do actually have some very reasonable multimeters.

they have big, gnarly, metal 5mm LED bezels with nice rubber place-holders. my personal favorite, but def retro looking, not for the everything-must-fit-in-a-1590A-enclosure crowd.

(http://demandware.edgesuite.net/sits_pod26/dw/image/v2/AASR_PRD/on/demandware.static/Sites-radioshack-Site/Sites-master-catalog/default/v1423234826479/images/02760080_01.jpg?sw=350&sh=350&sm=fit)

Quote from: vigilante397 on February 06, 2015, 11:42:18 AM
Different branches will obviously have different stock, but some of them do actually have some very reasonable multimeters.

I noticed on their website they have a ton of different models...ranging from $20-80+.  Are those $20 units any good, or are the decent units the $80+ multimeters?  Cuz if the $20 units are at all decent, I may as well pick one up!

A little blood in the water and....the sharks are starting to circle!   ;D

(http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q485/jdansti/97C9EB3A-B192-4AE0-853A-1443FA694C5E.jpg)

(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/53299166/DIYstompboxes/sharks%20solder.jpg)

That's pretty much how it's going to be. Still no sign outside Radio Shack, I might just head in after work today and ask them about it :P

Quote from: vigilante397 on February 06, 2015, 04:32:10 PM
That's pretty much how it's going to be. Still no sign outside Radio Shack, I might just head in after work today and ask them about it :P

"So guys... how much longer will it be before you liquidate this place and start claiming unemployment? I ask because I was looking at that strat over there and really want a great deal."

A question actually asked of me when I worked at Mars and the bankruptcy news came out.

Quote from: wavley on February 06, 2015, 04:40:58 PM

"So guys... how much longer will it be before you liquidate this place and start claiming unemployment? I ask because I was looking at that strat over there and really want a great deal."

A question actually asked of me when I worked at Mars and the bankruptcy news came out.

So....how long did he have to wait?? and what kind of a deal did he get??  :icon_lol:

Since they're going through Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the judge will usually require them to restructure and to minimize further losses so they can repay their creditors.  The purpose of Chapter 11 is often for the company to emerge as an ongoing business (possibly with a different owner and name).  Whether that includes liquidation of assets through clearance sales or selling them outright to another business remains to be seen.

I would take ANY Radio Shack meter if it was half-price.

They are all (in my experience) good. Much better than generic junk. Often nearly as good as the Top Name Brands (Fluke etc) with slightly fewer features that you might never need. But they have been priced to cover mall-overhead and rare buyers. I suspect part of going-forward will be to clear out all this slow-moving stock and get it off the books, take 50 cents on the marked-up dollar to have cash-in-hand now and free space for the SPRINT counter.

Don't wait for SALE signs to go up. Radio Shack has been so clueless lately, they probably won't think to put up signs.

Shoot, I'm sold.  I'll be picking up a new DMM from RadioShack tomorrow...sale or not, I need a new one and if these are good meters, I'm in.

Quote from: canman on February 06, 2015, 05:29:31 PM
Shoot, I'm sold.  I'll be picking up a new DMM from RadioShack tomorrow...sale or not, I need a new one and if these are good meters, I'm in.

Make sure you purchase the extended warranty plan...  :)

I still have a Radio Shack Micronta DMM that I got in Florida in 1983 for $39.99 and it is my go-to meter for everything except specialty measurements (like up to 30 megohms, which I can do with another meter).  Every once in a while it gets erratic and I have to open it up and clean the contacts on the PCB which is where the selector switch is printed on.  Still a good meter.

This was my first RS meter:

(http://www.thehecklers.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/ArcherKitMultimeter-217x300.jpg)

Second kit build.

*edit* corrected link

It's the end of the shack as we know it!~

http://www.forbes.com/sites/lauraheller/2015/02/06/radioshack-liquidation-sales-start-now-but-this-is-not-the-end/

(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/53299166/DIYstompboxes/RS%20Vultures.jpg)

Liquidation sale!  :icon_eek: Game on!  :icon_twisted:

http://www.wsj.com/articles/radioshack-to-launch-first-wave-of-store-closing-sales-1423257675

Quote from: armdnrdy on February 07, 2015, 03:34:24 PM
Liquidation sale!  :icon_eek: Game on!  :icon_twisted:

http://www.wsj.com/articles/radioshack-to-launch-first-wave-of-store-closing-sales-1423257675

YES. I just might swing by on my lunch break and clean out their ferric chloride and 60/40 solder :icon_twisted:

Just checked my local store. Same high prices as of today.

Edit: I just found out that some stores are liquidating and some stores are not. I'm now at a store that is going to close, and everything is 30%-60% off. The only problem is the discounts aren't marked. You have to have the merchandise scanned at the counter to find out the discounted price. 

(http://forum.miata.net/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=209796&d=1423349167)

Hasta la vista!

I paid $18 (40% off) for a RadioShack brand variable speed rotary tool that looks as well made as a Dremel and $8 (also 40% off) for 8oz of 40/60 0.032" solder.

The meters were 40% off too, but even at that price, I couldn't justify adding another meter to the three I already own.

Let's hear what kind of deals other folks get.  Don't forget to call ahead to see if the store is closing.  Three out of four stores that are within 8 miles of me are closing.

Saw this elsewhere:

(http://i.imgur.com/C5GmbJS.jpg)

Hey y'all, I'm a total noob and this is my first post!

What would y'all suggest I go and try to find/stockpile for my local Radioshacks?  Are there certain components, tools, etc., that y'all would recommend a beginner to start amassing? 

Welcome to the forum :)

Do they carry decent solder stations there? Because that would be an obvious buy if you don't already have a good one. I personally plan on stocking up on solder and ferric chloride, hoping to improve my etching technique. I may also look at pots, since I never seem to have enough around, and they also have some cheap "project enclosures" I might snag as well for projects that aren't worthy of a more expensive Hammond box yet.

EDIT: Just remembered, most Radio Shacks also carry breadboards, which are an EXCELLENT buy, especially for beginners ;D

So I just got back from RadioShack and found out that my local store apparently isn't closing :-[ Nothing is on clearance, and the worker told me that they were told to expect everything to be as usual until mid-March. The other stores in the area, including the one in the city where I go to school 30 minutes away, are closing and are clearing out their inventory, so I'll probably swing by after class tomorrow.

And it turns out I'm not the only person in my town that buys ferric! Just yesterday they said a guy came in and cleared out all their inventory, and even wanted more than they had! ??? Maybe I'll have better luck at the other store.

Here's a list, but only 1 in Hawaii is closing!
http://personal.crocodoc.com/RWyNZ0R

Thanks for that Aron.

There are two Radio Shacks in my town, Costa Mesa, California...about 1 1/2 miles apart..they are not on the list.  ;D

Interesting....

Couldn't find my RS on the list anywhere.  :-\

Checked it 3 times.

So the stores not on the list will eventually become Sprint stores?

Quote from: bluesdevil on February 10, 2015, 05:07:07 PM
So the stores not on the list will eventually become Sprint stores?

I don't know about that but....

My store is not on there and when I went to it this afternoon I was told "We haven't heard ANY news about closing."

Then again, they are the only RS in a 50+ mile radius so....  :-\

Wow, I hate to think the employees are the last to know about their demise.

Looks mine is staying but 3 in my home town of Louisville, KY are closing.

I think they were Tandy here? Anyway, John Oliver has shown how they should send themselves off.  :icon_lol:

Quote from: Crowella on February 10, 2015, 07:47:28 PM
I think they were Tandy here? Anyway, John Oliver has shown how they should send themselves off.  :icon_lol:

Thanks for that! Funniest thing I have seen in quite awhile. Fond memories from the late '70s.

That is funny! You have to watch the whole thing!  ;D

That was priceless. I wish RadioShack would actually run that.

Went to my local one last night and MIRACULOUSLY go the last bottle of etchant, last 15 soldering iron tip, last silver-bearing solder and soldering braid.
Really sad to see them go - ironically, at the other end of the strip (there were only three stores) was Blockbuster....

I finally made it to the store close to my school, but this one was already cleaned out of ferric and solder of a usable size. I did manage to score a couple plastic enclosures about the size of a 125B, an aluminum enclosure a little bigger, a pack of 9V battery clips, some 1/4" jacks, a momentary switch (going to put a killswitch on the guitar) and some automatic wire strippers SUPER CHEAP. Like wow. I accidentally said "holy crap" out loud when he told me the total, and he responded "I know, right?" :P

Quote from: aron on February 10, 2015, 01:52:49 AM
Here's a list, but only 1 in Hawaii is closing!
http://personal.crocodoc.com/RWyNZ0R

I see three, actually:

981005 MOANALUA RD #110
AIEA HI 96701

WAIKELE CENTER #2B
94799 LUMIAINA ST
WAIPAHU HI 96797
              
NUUANU SHOPPING PLAZA
1613 NUUANU AVE #A11
HONOLULU HI 96817

Reid

I missed those. So the Ala Moana store will keep going. Pearlridge will close as well. But a lot of smaller ones will continue I guess???

Nice deals you are finding! I almost wish my local shack was going out... Not really though the owner and manager are cool people, I'd feel bad for them. The manager drives a hearse with a custom license plate "dirt nap" I'm in a small town and I think the local branch does ok.

so i just ran to my local radio shack, (closing) and it was pretty barren... excepting ,of course, the parts bins!!  :D no surprise there! all the parts were 50% off...  :icon_neutral: not too great when you consider they're usually about 10 times more pricey than big online parts suppliers.
BUT!!! the 'guy' told me to check back next week, as everything will be FURTHER REDUCED!  :icon_smile: and the week after THAT, they'll be REDUCED AGAIN!!!
so I just wanted to share my findings. it seems week by week, stuff remaining on the shelves (meager as it may be) will continue to drop in price...
and we all know that nobody buys stuff from the parts bins... so if you check shacks that are closing in a few weeks you should be able to score some bits and bobs VERY CHEAPLY INDEED! 

Checked my local Shack yesterday.  Nothing on sale until the weekend and max discount of 25%, aaaaaaaand all diy stuff has already been moved to another store 80 miles away.  Oh well   

I might go this weekend, just to see what they have.

Like I said before... the one by me is not on the list at all AND it is alive and kicking. Manager told me there was no word at all about closing. Everything still full (and outrageous) price!  :icon_rolleyes:  :-\

We may be forgetting the franchise-owned stores as opposed to the Corporate-owned.
http://rapidcityjournal.com/blog/business/radio-shack-owner-shares-info-on-future-of-local-stores/article_56a442f0-e0d0-5f0f-997d-d128b00699cf.html

I have bought a few things at good discounts from the local stores but I felt a little sad.
In the 70's and 80's RS was a cool place to buy stuff and it had good books to learn from, even to the 90's I would buy boxes, tools, solder and other parts for projects and even the beginner project here was "designed " so you could buy most of the parts from RS.   I would still buy transformers and other things when I needed them from RS
It also was a good place to buy fuses when you needed them and could not wait.

One of the things I bought today was an over the air antenna to replace the old one, I was thinking where else could you walk in a store and buy an over the air antenna made in the USA.

It is sad.

I just realized I don't know where to buy solder anymore :icon_eek: I literally have never bought solder anywhere else in my life.

^ I've only bought it at the Shack too. Do you have a Fry's nearby?

I went in the local RS yesterday and bought some stuff.. I asked the dude working if this was one of the locations that was getting closed or transformed into a Sprint store. He said "nope" it's here to stay.. I'm thinkin in my mind 'yeah right' at least that's what corporate wants you to think... Especially if they want to keep the revenue flowing smoothly till the last moment, they don't want a bunch of employees jumpin ship prematurely... Oh no, not like I haven't ever been in that kind of situation before..  :icon_rolleyes: When they make it a point to have a company meeting and tell you that you have nothing to worry about, be very worried! Start lookin or ride it out and collect your unemployment that amounts to just a dollar shy of jack sh!t.

Quote from: Jdansti on February 15, 2015, 01:52:12 AM
^ I've only bought it at the Shack too. Do you have a Fry's nearby?

Nope, closest Fry's is several hundred miles away. Do hardware stores carry solder? I have a Home Depot, ACE, and Harbor Freight nearby. Guess I'll start looking there? ???

> Do hardware stores carry solder?

They always have Plumbers Solder. You do NOT want that.

Be real careful buying "electronic" solders. Many vendors don't know their stuff. Some do not know 60:40 from 40:60 (big difference).

For DIY quantity, I would tend to electronic specialists and particularly small hand-soldered specialists like Small Bear. Steve won't send you the wrong stuff unless you explain why *you* need the wrong stuff. Tube-amp specialists are another good source. Go for the plain-and-simple, NOT virgin-Silver exotic solder. Be sure it is small and rosin flux core.

Harbor freight may have our types of solder. They do have soldering irons last I was there. They may not have decent size rolls though. Hmmm. Methinks he will visit there website and have a look.

Edit: This is apparently it: http://www.harborfreight.com/lead-free-rosin-core-solder-69378.html

Quote from: bloxstompboxes on February 15, 2015, 05:18:15 PM
Harbor freight may have our types of solder. They do have soldering irons last I was there. They may not have decent size rolls though. Hmmm. Methinks he will visit there website and have a look.

Edit: This is apparently it: http://www.harborfreight.com/lead-free-rosin-core-solder-69378.html

This ^ is silver solder, not Sn/Pb, but if that's what you want, fine. As PRR said, stay away from the "acid core" solder used for plumbing work.

You can find plenty of solder online, but the shipping costs might make the total price per ounce higher than you are used to paying.

http://www.qsource.com/m-17-aim-solder.aspx

We use the sixth one down at work and it works really well. But it is overkill for our DIY stuff. The other cheaper options should work fine.

I bought a 4oz spool of  "Benzomatic" branded 60/40 rosin-core solder at Home Depot a few months ago. It's 0.062", though, so a bit large (though workable) for our uses. I don't remember if they had anything smaller, but I'd guess I probably bought the smallest they had. I'm not exactly a solder connoisseur, so I can't comment on it's quality past that it works.

Sorry if I kind of derailed the thread, but I appreciate the input. I definitely remember seeing irons last tie I was in harbor freight, and I will definitely look for the right stuff. My high-end super-boutique tube amp building skills are embarrassingly non-existent so I most certainly do not need virgin silver solder :P

And for some reason I hadn't even thought of Small Bear. I have always had great experiences with them and Steve himself seems like a great guy.

Thanks for the suggestions ;D

Oh, and to get a little bit back on track, I made my third trip to the Radio Shack that's closing (I have a serious problem) and picked up some automatic wire strippers. My life has changed forever :icon_eek:

I went to the RS near me in the ghetto that is closing and got all this for $30.  Since I'm a total noob, I'm going to build my own version of the Beavis Board/Idea Box so I can start prototyping circuits. 

(http://i.imgur.com/VR8OoDT.png)

Quote from: Prince on February 16, 2015, 10:41:37 AM
I went to the RS near me in the ghetto that is closing and got all this for $30.  Since I'm a total noob, I'm going to build my own version of the Beavis Board/Idea Box so I can start prototyping circuits. 

I would say that's definitely a great place to start :)

got a "radio shack" t-shirt!!!  :D for 3$ ... RepreSent Yo!
(http://demandware.edgesuite.net/sits_pod26/dw/image/v2/AASR_PRD/on/demandware.static/Sites-radioshack-Site/Sites-master-catalog/default/v1420988430007/images/06801639_01.jpg?sw=350&sh=350&sm=fit)

Quote from: Prince on February 16, 2015, 10:41:37 AM
I went to the RS near me in the ghetto that is closing and got all this for $30.  Since I'm a total noob, I'm going to build my own version of the Beavis Board/Idea Box so I can start prototyping circuits. 

(http://i.imgur.com/VR8OoDT.png)

Nice!

radio shack might stay afloat a little longer if they asked lance for some of the money back. everyone else is.

Just when you think things couldn't get any worse.....

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/3559546-181/reported-armed-robbery-at-santa

^That loss of cash will probably cause the remaining stores to close. ;)

He took an undisclosed amount of cash from the register and robbed two male customers in the store. He also took a pair of headphones before fleeing in an unknown direction, Sprague said.

Store staff members said the man wore a pair of white gloves and his gun had a flashlight on it.


I wonder if the salesman looked at the flashlight on the gun...and asked the assailant, " do you need any batteries for that today?"  ;D

Quote from: armdnrdy on February 22, 2015, 11:16:08 AM
I wonder if the salesman looked at the flashlight on the gun...and asked the assailant, " do you need any batteries for that today?"  ;D

Sir... do you need a pre-paid cell phone to notify your accomplice?  :icon_lol:

QuoteI wonder if the salesman looked at the flashlight on the gun...and asked the assailant, " do you need any batteries for that today?"

:D :D :D :D :D

+1!  We definitely need a "like" button. I wonder if they sell them at RS.

is that saying Sprague "sprague", as in the capacitors, the good ones? at RS?

"excuse me, do you stock spragues?"

RS is the Generalissimo Francisco Franco of American business. Is it still dead?

At least the perpetrator didn't take any 60/40 solder.

I wish there was a line in that story that said : "The criminal fled after quickly running to the part of the store that no normal consumers go to. He reportedly took all of the Lead-Free solder in the store."

I stopped-by my local Radio Shack today - one of the ones that is staying open (apparently they do enough repairs to still be viable) - and, lo and behold, the parts section had been re-stocked! I'm guessing they got a bunch of stuff from stores that *are* closing; there was some positively ancient stuff in there... like an LM386 in the old-style cardboard packaging (which was faded almost to un-readability - do old lm386s have mojo?).

Let's see... I'm in the mood for a robbery, what place has the least amount of cash on hand...  ::) and a lot of cheap cameras pointing at me?

We stopped by one of the RS stores that's closing and it was basically Empty  .... they even had prices on the fixtures  ...  :icon_eek:   

So my question is....

Is Radio Shack actually "going under" if there are still many stores that are not closing?

Going to get my weekly update from my local store however, last one revealed that there were no plans to close in the near future.

My understanding is that radioshack declared chapter 7 bankruptcy, so they whipe their debt and restructure, so they don't have to shut every store down. What's going to happen is that the stores that are staying open will be half sprint have whst RadioShack was before the bankruptcy.

I've stopped by 2 in my area that are closing and one was nearly empty, the other still fairly full. I ended up buying all the .022 solder they had at 30% off and all their etching solution, which should have been 20% off, but rang up as $1.95 which was over 90% off. It seems that at least around me no one is really grabbing the soldering stuff. I nearly bought one of the digital pro soldering stations which was marked as $40, with 20% off, but ended up deciding not to, cause if it had problems I would be screwed.

Some of the things they have had their prices marked back to list, then have the percent off, so it's not as good of a deal as you may think. The components left are still crazy expensive.

Quote from: rocket8810 on February 25, 2015, 10:30:02 PM
I nearly bought one of the digital pro soldering stations which was marked as $40, with 20% off, but ended up deciding not to, cause if it had problems I would be screwed.

Is this the one you are talking about? Still $69 at the store near me  :P
(http://www.madelltech.com/images/AT201.JPG)

I would probably get that... not bad at $40

Radio Shack just re-brands it form these guys
http://www.madelltech.com/m3-8.html

I picked up one of the cheap RadioShack DMM's...I'll be returning it tomorrow.  The thing seems to read accurately, but holy crap the user interface is GARBAGE.  It has this weird flip top thing...but the actual meter won't come out of the weird flip top thing.   :icon_rolleyes:  Lesson learned.

that ^ solder station is cheaper than the new element my weller needs. and due to the dead element, I have to use an archer mains 25W from someone's junk box.

Quote from: J0K3RX on February 25, 2015, 10:45:04 PM

Quote from: rocket8810 on February 25, 2015, 10:30:02 PM
I nearly bought one of the digital pro soldering stations which was marked as $40, with 20% off, but ended up deciding not to, cause if it had problems I would be screwed.

Is this the one you are talking about? Still $69 at the store near me  :P
(http://www.madelltech.com/images/AT201.JPG)

would probably get that... not bad at $40

Radio Shack just re-brands it form these guys
http://www.madelltech.com/m3-8.html

Yep that's the one. In one store that's closing they had one and the box was beat to hell marked at $40, in the other they have 6 of them in good boxes and it's marked back up to $80, and both would get 20% off. If it was $40 with 20% off that would make it $32, which would be so cheap I could keep it as a spare. The reviews are fairly good about it too, the complaints come from those that don't know it's made by madelltech, because the biggest complaint is the parts are impossible to find. Im waiting till the percentage off to get more drastic then I may pick it up. But  in the meantime, after many years building effects using my trusty 40watt weller iron, I did finally buy a station, I bought an edsyn 951sxe, and can't wait to use it.

Picking strings of meat off of the bones.

http://consumerist.com/2015/03/20/only-one-bidder-for-radio-shacks-remains-wants-to-keep-any-stores-open/

(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/53299166/DIYstompboxes/RS%20Vultures.jpg)

The shack at my local mall closed without any sale as far as I know (maybe it was a one week or weekend deal). The other one is operating business as usual. Same silly prices. They do have that one aluminum enclosure that sells for $3.49 - not gig worthy but good enough for personal use.

Quote from: MaxPower on March 22, 2015, 01:56:31 AM
The shack at my local mall closed without any sale as far as I know (maybe it was a one week or weekend deal). The other one is operating business as usual. Same silly prices. They do have that one aluminum enclosure that sells for $3.49 - not gig worthy but good enough for personal use.

I have one of those enclosures, thinking of using it for something other than a stompbox, maybe the theramin I'll be building soon.

Quote from: Luke51411 on March 25, 2015, 02:13:38 PM
I have one of those enclosures, thinking of using it for something other than a stompbox, maybe the theramin I'll be building soon.

Save it for something else.  Build your theremin in one of these:

(http://www.improbable.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/badgermin01.jpg)   :icon_biggrin:

Lmao. What in the hell? That some kind of rabbit's revenge thing?

Quote from: bluebunny on March 25, 2015, 05:27:44 PM

Quote from: Luke51411 on March 25, 2015, 02:13:38 PM
I have one of those enclosures, thinking of using it for something other than a stompbox, maybe the theramin I'll be building soon.

Save it for something else.  Build your theremin in one of these:

(http://www.improbable.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/badgermin01.jpg)   :icon_biggrin:

I couldn't find that one at my local branch, is it in with the RC cars? ;D

Quote from: bluebunny on March 25, 2015, 05:27:44 PM

Quote from: Luke51411 on March 25, 2015, 02:13:38 PM
I have one of those enclosures, thinking of using it for something other than a stompbox, maybe the theramin I'll be building soon.

Save it for something else.  Build your theremin in one of these:

(http://www.improbable.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/badgermin01.jpg)   :icon_biggrin:

is that a badger, marc? some sort of large rat?

Badgermin.

No, really.  Google it.   :icon_eek:

The best part is that the guy is in a formal tuxedo to play the Badgermin!  :icon_lol:  :icon_lol:  :icon_lol:  :icon_eek:

The Radio Shack near my house is staying open. If you know what you are buying, they have great products. I love their large roll of solder because i know its mixed right for electronics. I started using it when I used to set up guitars and do wiring harnesses - I use a RS 30 watt gun for 9.99 and dont think you need anything fancier, it works perfect. the solder leaves nice shiny connections; and they carry the replacement tips. I use their flux as well

Not to mention, as I just found out, all of learning labs from Beavis Audio use the RS A-J 1-30 board , makes it pretty easy to follow that way. I think they cost a lot more but their stuff is nice. The other components I would buy, way overpriced and made more for radio controlled cars, boats and those drone copters thingies

is shortwave radio still popular? I used to listen to art bell, I still have a 61 silvertone 10 transistor but its not long banded...I use it to listen to cardinal baseball broadcasts

I hit up the local still-staying-open Radioshack yesterday and found that the stock of things I needed was disappointingly low, but the sales associate assured me that "We can order in anything we don't have for you." Are they still trying not to go out of business?

It may be up to a judge. If the "auction" is deemed unfair...the liquidator/largest debt holder may win the auction and shut down all of the stores.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/26/us-radioshack-bankruptcy-idUSKBN0MM2MO20150326

Quote from: armdnrdy on March 26, 2015, 04:19:47 PM
It may be up to a judge. If the "auction" is deemed unfair...the liquidator/largest debt holder may win the auction and shut down all of the stores.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/26/us-radioshack-bankruptcy-idUSKBN0MM2MO20150326

I wonder how that bodes for franchise stores? My local store manager is quick to note that it is a franchise store not a corporate store and the bankruptcy thing doesn't affect them the same way it does the corporate stores. He also says "we're not going anywhere." He also just acquired his second hearse and puts on a hearsefest downtown one weekend in the summer. He says it drives surprisingly well in the snow.

Quote from: Luke51411 on March 26, 2015, 04:35:32 PM
He says it drives surprisingly well in the snow.

As it should! The deceased deserve a nice smooth ride to their final resting place!
And could you imagine being late for your own funeral because you're stuck in the snow?  :icon_wink:

> "We can order in anything we don't have for you." Are they still trying not to go out of business?

Part of going out of business is turning the surplus inventory into money.

And I worked in the RS warehouse.... it was huge and stocked high.

If there is a hot customer in Idaho, they should be ordering-in all you will buy.

Quote from: armdnrdy on March 26, 2015, 04:55:28 PM

Quote from: Luke51411 on March 26, 2015, 04:35:32 PM
He says it drives surprisingly well in the snow.

As it should! The deceased deserve a nice smooth ride to their final resting place!
And could you imagine being late for your own funeral because you're stuck in the snow?  :icon_wink:

"someone" would have to get out and push.

Quote from: duck_arse on March 27, 2015, 09:47:55 AM
"someone" would have to get out and push.

Not if you're in the right vehicle!

(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/53299166/DIYstompboxes/redneckhearse.jpg)

you'd need tall pall bearers, and fast runners, too!

Even in sunny Southern California...if it is God's will...you are not getting to your own funeral on time!...but...at least you have someone to hang out with on the side of the road!  :icon_wink:

(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/53299166/DIYstompboxes/Dead%20hearse%20driver.jpg)

Just went there the other day, what a total waste of time!!! If they're real going under then I say the sooner the better!!! Radio Shack was the reason I got into electronics in the 1st place :icon_cry:They shoulda let Best Buy sell TVs & Cell Phones cuz they sure don't know how to! Not looking forward to a going out of business sale cuz they don't have anything I'm looking for.

Felt bad for these guys at my local shack thats closing down, they were always willing to help me out when i started doing diy projects. But it didn't take long for me to realize how overpriced they really are, not to mention understocked. I guess their glory days were before my time, especially when i bought a tackle box at a swap meet full of radio shack parts from the 70's, all good quality Japanese made stuff. Sure wish i had a stockpile of that sort.

there will never be a brick and mortar store that sells everything we want, it's a lovely dream though...

Quote from: garcho on March 30, 2015, 10:42:06 AM
there will never be a brick and mortar store that sells everything we want, it's a lovely dream though...

Well...it looks like the judge gave RadioShack a "new" lease on life!

http://www.wired.com/2015/03/radioshack-bankrupcy-deal/