Post by: Scout26 on July 21, 2008, 05:54:37 PM
http://scitoys.com/
(The photo can cannon being the favorite of the neighborhood kids. Hideously smelling, cheap perfume marketed to teenage girls makes the best fuel. I even built a three barrel cannon.
The gauss and railgun are pretty cool also.)Anywoo, we (I) decided that we'd tackle the crystal radio. Fortunately, American Science and Surplus http://www.sciplus.com/ is just down the road from us in Geneva, IL, so I've been able to pick up most of the stuff we need for our experiments on the cheap.
However, the one thing they didn't have is a 1N34A Germanium diode or any suitables diodes for that matter. No problem, the instructions from the Scitoys website say "Radio Shack Part# 276-1123".
Stop by Radio Shack on the way home. Now I remember when they still had the free vacuum tube tester in every store, and the walls were covered with all kinds of electrical and electronic gizmos, parts and doo-dads. Now it's all cell phones and toys.
So I look around and through the drawers with the electronic parts and can't find either Silicon or Germanium diodes. Ask the kid behind the counter for Part#276-1123. He types it into the computer and announces that they no longer cary that part. "Okay, how about any other Germanium diodes ?" Again, nothing listed as in they don't carry them anymore, however I can drop $70-$100 on one of their "100 Electrical Experiments" kits. No, plugging cards into a board according to a diagram is not what I'm looking to do. These are really build-it-yourself projects. So right now we're stumped on the diode. I was really wanting to have a crystal radio not only for the experience of building it together, but also to have for if and when we have storms and poweroutages to still get info.
On to the next project.
Post by: Headless Thompson Gunner on July 21, 2008, 06:16:26 PM
Try one of the following:
www.digikey.com
www.mouser.com
www.newark.com
Looks like Mouser has 4,301 of 'em in stock:
http://www.mouser.com/Search/ProductDetail.aspx?qs=A09egTk0tbXMpOf3uR8i2Q%3d%3d
Of course, it kinda sucks having to order a single diode. You'll spend $7 on shipping just to get a 50 cent part.
Post by: Scout26 on July 21, 2008, 06:54:33 PM
Of course, it kinda sucks having to order a single diode. You'll spend $7 on shipping just to get a 50 cent part.
Perxactly. When we went to AS&S, I dropped $45 and got enough stuff to build about 12 of the experiments along with some other cool stuff.
Post by: Headless Thompson Gunner on July 21, 2008, 07:14:47 PM
Post by: cosine on July 21, 2008, 07:34:51 PM
http://www.goldmine-elec.com/
Post by: Nick1911 on July 21, 2008, 07:40:56 PM
I'll look through my parts drawer - might have one or two that I'll mail to you for free.
On a side note, I've built that project. Tons of fun - I couldn't believe how well it worked!
Post by: Nick1911 on July 21, 2008, 07:49:40 PM
PM me your mailing address, and they are yours.
Post by: Regolith on July 21, 2008, 08:42:20 PM
Post by: Tuco on July 22, 2008, 02:36:34 AM
You got questions?
We got batteries.
Post by: wmenorr67 on July 22, 2008, 02:39:09 AM
Post by: Manedwolf on July 22, 2008, 03:52:45 AM
Radio Shack is frustrating to buy stuff from. Not one store has the same stock on hand. Many years ago when I was taking HS physics, we had to build a small vehicle using gearing and an electric motor. In one Radio Shack, I could find decent mini-electric motors, but no gears or anything that I could use to make the motor actually run something, while at another they had the gears but not the electrical components I needed to make the motor run....its like a freaking goose chase. Trying to find the Radio Shack that has the majority of the parts you need for a build is an exercise in futility.
The market has changed. Demand for parts like that dropped so much that it was just dusty "dead inventory" on shelves, as opposed to fast-moving items like headphones, cellphones, flatscreens and other general consumer goods. It's why they moved them all into drawers, and some stores don't have parts anymore.
People who want to build stuff generally order it off the web. It didn't pay for the stores to stock the parts anymore...so they don't.
Post by: charby on July 22, 2008, 04:52:59 AM
Post by: doc2rn on July 22, 2008, 05:06:39 AM
Post by: 41magsnub on July 22, 2008, 05:47:09 AM
Post by: Gewehr98 on July 22, 2008, 07:22:27 AM
Radio Shack has gone downhill considerably in the last several years. Even their online parts catalog is threadbare at best. I use MCM Electronics or Allied Electronics online these days, or I visited a place called Astro Too in Melbourne, FL (they ship). I have a bunch of the old Radio Shack/Tandy branded stuff, including a pristine PC-6 Pocket Scientific Computer I use for engineering/GD&T stuff at work. Getting stuff like manuals or printer paper and pens through their catalog system is well-nigh impossible these days. Even a couple of pilot lights and toggle switches for my last lightning detector build was a chore, they've reduced their parts department to basically one rack of drawers.
But you can buy a cell phone there, no problem.
Post by: Manedwolf on July 22, 2008, 07:26:26 AM
Oh, heck. My dad builds crystal sets in his sleep for kids and museums, and has tons of 1N34 diodes, germanium diodes, and galena crystals for that purpose. (His favorite build is using just the galena crystal and a razor blade for the detector/tickler assembly). If Nick1911 can't provide the part you need, just let me know.
Radio Shack has gone downhill considerably in the last several years. Even their online parts catalog is threadbare at best. I use MCM Electronics or Allied Electronics online these days, or I visited a place called Astro Too in Melbourne, FL (they ship). I have a bunch of the old Radio Shack/Tandy branded stuff, including a pristine PC-6 Pocket Scientific Computer I use for engineering/GD&T stuff at work. Getting stuff like manuals or printer paper and pens through their catalog system is well-nigh impossible these days. Even a couple of pilot lights and toggle switches for my last lightning detector build was a chore, they've reduced their parts department to basically one rack of drawers.
But you can buy a cell phone there, no problem.
Radio Shack has gone downhill considerably in the last several years. Even their online parts catalog is threadbare at best. I use MCM Electronics or Allied Electronics online these days, or I visited a place called Astro Too in Melbourne, FL (they ship). I have a bunch of the old Radio Shack/Tandy branded stuff, including a pristine PC-6 Pocket Scientific Computer I use for engineering/GD&T stuff at work. Getting stuff like manuals or printer paper and pens through their catalog system is well-nigh impossible these days. Even a couple of pilot lights and toggle switches for my last lightning detector build was a chore, they've reduced their parts department to basically one rack of drawers.
But you can buy a cell phone there, no problem.
To be fair, as I said, that's what their market is now. That's the target demographic, and it's what sells and makes them money. They moved in this direction because they were nearly bankrupt, the old sales model was selling to a market that vanished.
A 50 cent diode taking up valuable shelf space for a year makes no money. A cellphone that moves every week, for which the cellphone provider pays them as well for promotion, that's what makes the shareholders happy.
Plus, most new electronics are disposable solid-state devices. Just TRY to "fix" a wafer-thin iPod. You'd need a microscope. People don't fix radios and things anymore, except for niche markets like amateur radio. And there's not enough sales to justify keeping the parts on the shelf. Niche markets are most cost-effectively served online and via shipped goods, from the corporate profits end of things. Brick and mortar locations lose money on smaller markets of that sort.
For all intents and purposes, the "Radio Shack" of the 1980's no longer exists, just like Abercrombie & Fitch is no longer a supplier of gear for your hunting trip. They've re-invented, and companies online sell what they used to sell, shipping direct from the overseas suppliers as orders come in. The only reason why they haven't changed their name is that there's such legacy recognition. They've been trying to reduce it to the red R-in-circle without the word at a number of locations, and I expect they'll change to "RS" eventually, in a sort of hybrid of Apple Store and KFC's letter branding.
This is the current one-word-and-catchphrase logo.
It's their new market, can't do anything about that.
Post by: Gewehr98 on July 22, 2008, 07:33:43 AM
Radio Shack should do the same, maybe something like Best Circuit Depot, to put further distance between what they sell and what they started out as, which as Mtnbkr and I can tell you is a store designed for real guys with real Radio Shacks running antennae hither and yon. (Google the term...)
That's all I'm sayin'...
Post by: Manedwolf on July 22, 2008, 07:36:06 AM
Allegedly, Kentucky Fried Chicken rebadged themselves as "KFC" when they throttled back on the real chicken content of their meals.
Radio Shack should do the same, maybe something like Best Circuit Depot, to put further distance between what they sell and what they started out as, which as Mtnbkr and I can tell you is a store designed for real guys with real Radio Shacks running antennae hither and yon. (Google the term...)
That's all I'm sayin'...
Radio Shack should do the same, maybe something like Best Circuit Depot, to put further distance between what they sell and what they started out as, which as Mtnbkr and I can tell you is a store designed for real guys with real Radio Shacks running antennae hither and yon. (Google the term...)
That's all I'm sayin'...
Heh. I'd just added that before seeing what you wrote, having considered further.
So I definitely agree! Problem is that Radio Shack has such a "they're in every mall" legacy to the name. It's Where You Go for that crazy battery or the HDMI cable still (though overpriced!), so...
Was the term "radio shack" initially used on land, or on ships, the small isolated cabin with the noisy Marconi gear in it? I've studied the sorts they had on Edwardian liners, with the condensers and spark and all.
Post by: Gewehr98 on July 22, 2008, 08:03:29 AM
The Little Radio Shack Out Back:
Back in the day:
Post by: Brad Johnson on July 23, 2008, 08:22:26 AM
Quote
Radio Shack is frustrating to buy stuff from. Not one store has the same stock on hand.
If it's a company store it will have the same inventory. If it's a dealer store (franchise) then they pick and choose their own inventory.
The giveaway is the sign. The franchises will have "Dealer" in small letters below the Radio Shack.
Back when I worked for them (late 80's & early 90's) they were still mostly a component store. Components weren't moving very fast even then. With the advent and success of the Mega-Tainment stores (Circuit City, Best Buy, etc) Radio Shack switched to a similar model, albeit on a greatly reduced scale.
Brad
Post by: Scout26 on July 23, 2008, 09:39:38 AM
My basic plan was to do some of the these experiements to try them out and then over the next couple of years, to do them as Cub Scout projects with my son's pack. Most boys do like making things that either go bang or do something really cool.
Post by: Headless Thompson Gunner on July 23, 2008, 09:59:34 AM
Post by: StopTheGrays on July 23, 2008, 10:11:09 AM
Art Bell?
Post by: Firethorn on July 23, 2008, 10:11:28 AM
If you do the electronic stuff "right" you can make it catch fire or explode. Boys will love it.
Yeah, except when I do that I secretly use model rocket igniters...
Very impressive, and doesn't smoke anything hard/expensive to replace.
Post by: Scout26 on July 23, 2008, 02:08:37 PM
If you do the electronic stuff "right" you can make it catch fire or explode. Boys will love it.
There are some projects/experiments listed on that sight that do go *BANG*, but there are other ones (electric/magnetic/aerodynamics/thermodynamics) that make the kid's eyes go wide and they say "Cooooooooool".
Plus they then get to take them home and show their parents, so "Mom !!! Dad!!! Guess what !!!! Our Den Leader showed us how to make a nuclear fission bomb and here it is !!" probably isn't such a great idea.
The projects are fun and aren't just for kids: http://scitoys.com/
Post by: G_P on July 23, 2008, 07:48:46 PM
I left and never went back and was overcome with joy as i watched them go out of business 6 months or so later.
About a week or so after they closed i was at another RS location that was a company store Picking up a replacement battery for my cordless phone and i asked if they knew why the location in my town closed down. Turns out they were charging at least double for some of their products and had gotten so many complaints to corproate HQ about the price gouging and horrid customer service that Radio Shack decided to stop sending them merchandise they ordered as they were giving the company a bad name.
Now i dont even go to RS anymore. they used to be good for picking up small components that you needed right away and couldnt wait a week or so to be delivered from a mail order catalog. Now all they are is a store selling low end merchandise at high end prices.
Post by: Regolith on July 23, 2008, 10:10:01 PM
Quote
Radio Shack is frustrating to buy stuff from. Not one store has the same stock on hand.
If it's a company store it will have the same inventory. If it's a dealer store (franchise) then they pick and choose their own inventory.
The giveaway is the sign. The franchises will have "Dealer" in small letters below the Radio Shack.
Back when I worked for them (late 80's & early 90's) they were still mostly a component store. Components weren't moving very fast even then. With the advent and success of the Mega-Tainment stores (Circuit City, Best Buy, etc) Radio Shack switched to a similar model, albeit on a greatly reduced scale.
Brad
Yes, but why in the world would you sell one thing but not the other things that are required for it to work? Selling the motors without gears seemed like about as smart a decision as selling a remote-control car but not the batteries to make it run. Not only are they missing out on an extra sale, but they're also frustrating the customer. I should note I had to travel 71 miles to get the gears that were needed to make the vehicle work, and the only reason I was able to get the gears at that particular location was because the Radio Shack dealer there happened to be an RC plane enthusiast.
Not surprisingly, the Radio Shack where I bought the motor went out of business a year or two later. It's now a convenience store.
Post by: Phyphor on July 24, 2008, 05:59:47 AM
If you do the electronic stuff "right" you can make it catch fire or explode. Boys will love it.
Ah yes, the Exploding Capacitor trick.... er...uh..not that I've ever done anything like that, oh no....
Post by: Brad Johnson on July 24, 2008, 09:53:31 AM
Quote
Radio Shack is frustrating to buy stuff from. Not one store has the same stock on hand.
If it's a company store it will have the same inventory. If it's a dealer store (franchise) then they pick and choose their own inventory.
The giveaway is the sign. The franchises will have "Dealer" in small letters below the Radio Shack.
Back when I worked for them (late 80's & early 90's) they were still mostly a component store. Components weren't moving very fast even then. With the advent and success of the Mega-Tainment stores (Circuit City, Best Buy, etc) Radio Shack switched to a similar model, albeit on a greatly reduced scale.
Brad
Yes, but why in the world would you sell one thing but not the other things that are required for it to work? Selling the motors without gears seemed like about as smart a decision as selling a remote-control car but not the batteries to make it run. Not only are they missing out on an extra sale, but they're also frustrating the customer. I should note I had to travel 71 miles to get the gears that were needed to make the vehicle work, and the only reason I was able to get the gears at that particular location was because the Radio Shack dealer there happened to be an RC plane enthusiast.
Not surprisingly, the Radio Shack where I bought the motor went out of business a year or two later. It's now a convenience store.
Just because someone has the money to pay the franchise fee doesn't automatically make them good at co-merchandising or inventory management.
Brad
Post by: Thor on July 24, 2008, 10:11:32 AM
Since my relocation to Texas, I've discovered that the ancient electronics parts supplier is still in business here locally. They beat the heck out of Radio Shack. I reflect sadly on the days when I could go to RS and get all sorts of electronics components. My start into electronics was due to RS and their little projects. I built a light activated binary up-counter when I was 12. Simple, but fun.
Post by: Gewehr98 on July 24, 2008, 03:27:49 PM
None of that stuff in the pictures is mine.
I have an ancient CIA-purchased Hammarlund receiver sitting in my office, and that's about it. Although, I'd love to have the setup the guy in the first pictures has...
Post by: Scout26 on July 29, 2008, 08:13:13 PM
The diodes came in the mail today. We'll finish the radio later this week and report in.
Here's what we're playing with currently. ($10 at Radio Shack, on clearance....
)http://www.estesrockets.com/rockets.php?pid=001876