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> it's in a position to be cutting edge for the maker scene I remember in the early 2000's there were a lot more discrete electronic components. Last time I we

by cfallin 11y ago

> it's in a position to be cutting edge for the maker scene I remember in the early 2000's there were a lot more discrete electronic components. Last time I went you could still find the soldering irons and oscilloscopes and resistors and such, but it wasn't nearly as impressive. Kind of sad! I guess not as many people do low-level circuits hacking in the age of surface-mount parts and Arduino boards on Amazon...

DCPOS_Anthony 11y ago
Arduino boards on amazon? Only if you don't mind paying five times the price. http://www.amazon.com/Arduino-ARD-NANO30-Nano-v3-0/dp/B003YVL34O http://www.amazon.com/Arduino-ARD-NANO30-Nano-v3-0/dp/B003YV... vs http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Freeshipping-Nano-3-0-controller-compatible-for-arduino-nano-CH340-USB-driver-NO-CABLE/32341832857.html http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Freeshipping-Nano-3-0-control... You just get them from aliexpress in china, which is where most of these things are made these days anyway.
- mcpherrinm 11y ago
  Five times $2 isn't much -- and sometimes I'm willing to pay to have something today: Not in 3-4 weeks. It's not like arduinos (or whatever) are something I'm burning through often enough to worry about a few extra dollars. So yeah, I don't mind paying 5x.
Animats 11y ago
"Kind of sad! I guess not as many people do low-level circuits hacking in the age of surface-mount parts and Arduino boards on Amazon." More people are building electronics than ever. But they're not buying from Fry's. Everybody serious gets their parts from Digi-Key and Mouser.
- cfallin 11y ago
  Oh definitely, I've done my fair share of Digi-Key orders too. The lack of a good actual-local-physical-store option for that one missing resistor on a Saturday is a little unfortunate though. I do wonder what the overall trend is. I mean, it's certainly harder to build anything close to "state of the art" in miniaturization without having a custom PCB fabbed and soldering SMT. And it seems with all the premade building blocks (Arduino shields and such) fewer people would actually need to design from scratch. Also our idea of what's "interesting" has shifted a bit... the radio receiver and burglar alarm and amplifier kits I built as a kid (in the 90's) might not be be as exciting today. But then maybe the maker movement brings an influx of new experimenters regardless. Awesome if so. And I also don't do hardware hobbyist stuff much anymore so I'm inclined to take your word for it if low-level circuit hacking really is getting popular again :-)
gaius 11y ago
Same with Maplin's in the UK, used to sell components, now it's just a general electrical consumer goods store.
- timthorn 11y ago
  Not to say that their focus hasn't changed (and I particularly lament the loss of IC pinouts and mini datasheets in the catalogue) but they still have a substantial range of components for sale.
  - gaius 11y ago
    Not on Tottenham Court Road nor in Canary Wharf!

by cfallin 11y ago

DCPOS_Anthony 11y ago

Arduino boards on amazon? Only if you don't mind paying five times the price. http://www.amazon.com/Arduino-ARD-NANO30-Nano-v3-0/dp/B003YVL34O http://www.amazon.com/Arduino-ARD-NANO30-Nano-v3-0/dp/B003YV... vs http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Freeshipping-Nano-3-0-controller-compatible-for-arduino-nano-CH340-USB-driver-NO-CABLE/32341832857.html http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Freeshipping-Nano-3-0-control... You just get them from aliexpress in china, which is where most of these things are made these days anyway.

mcpherrinm 11y ago
Five times $2 isn't much -- and sometimes I'm willing to pay to have something today: Not in 3-4 weeks. It's not like arduinos (or whatever) are something I'm burning through often enough to worry about a few extra dollars. So yeah, I don't mind paying 5x.

Animats 11y ago

"Kind of sad! I guess not as many people do low-level circuits hacking in the age of surface-mount parts and Arduino boards on Amazon." More people are building electronics than ever. But they're not buying from Fry's. Everybody serious gets their parts from Digi-Key and Mouser.

cfallin 11y ago
Oh definitely, I've done my fair share of Digi-Key orders too. The lack of a good actual-local-physical-store option for that one missing resistor on a Saturday is a little unfortunate though. I do wonder what the overall trend is. I mean, it's certainly harder to build anything close to "state of the art" in miniaturization without having a custom PCB fabbed and soldering SMT. And it seems with all the premade building blocks (Arduino shields and such) fewer people would actually need to design from scratch. Also our idea of what's "interesting" has shifted a bit... the radio receiver and burglar alarm and amplifier kits I built as a kid (in the 90's) might not be be as exciting today. But then maybe the maker movement brings an influx of new experimenters regardless. Awesome if so. And I also don't do hardware hobbyist stuff much anymore so I'm inclined to take your word for it if low-level circuit hacking really is getting popular again :-)

gaius 11y ago

Same with Maplin's in the UK, used to sell components, now it's just a general electrical consumer goods store.

timthorn 11y ago
Not to say that their focus hasn't changed (and I particularly lament the loss of IC pinouts and mini datasheets in the catalogue) but they still have a substantial range of components for sale.
- gaius 11y ago
  Not on Tottenham Court Road nor in Canary Wharf!