Date   : Wed, 07 Dec 2005 00:28:28 -0000
From   : "David Hunt" <dm.hunt@...>
Subject: Re: Vanishing electronics suppliers

> > I could understand if they were geing undercut by the likes of
> > Maplin, but Maplin - if they actually stock the parts - are more
> > expensive.
> 
> Maplin went downhill a few years ago and from what I hear they haven't
> recovered (I gave up on them completely a couple of years ago). Either the
> stock they had was rubbish, they outright didn't stock something, or they
> stocked it but it was never actually *in* stock.
> 
> > Maplin don't do PCB-mounted IDC plugs, Molex pins, various
> > 74-series ICs. In fact, most of the bits I need for the IDE
> > interface.
> 
> Stockpile. Blowtorch dead PC boards and salvage parts from them. It's the
> only
> way...

Cool, there I was thinking I was totally insane, a blowlamp in a vice and a
pair of pliers... Craplin - only if I'm desperate, the quality of the
components is atrocious. I buy from CPC (Farnell) <http://www.cpc.co.uk/>
I've never had any reason not to recommend them. The prices are good and
they stock the unusual stuff that I need to repair old micros etc.

> 
> > My only alternative now is online ordering from places like
> > Farnell, which require a credit card, which I don't have and won't
> > get.
> 
> I'm surprised they don't take debit cards...

I think CPC do take Switch/Maestro, why won't you get a credit card, just
pay the balance off at the end of the month and don't use it for actual
credit. Some credit cards are offering 1p/2p back in the pound, it's the
only reason I use them!

> 
> > What on *earth* possessed Acorn to use that connector on the PSU?
> 
> I suppose they were common enough connectors at one point - often inside
> peripherals rather than computers.
> 
> Plus what alternatives were there for chassis-mounting DC power connectors
> at
> the time? If you use D-type connectors then you have to start doubling up
> pins
> - and fend off support calls where people have mistaken the port for data
> of
> some kind and plugged in their printer or whatever.
> 

Aux power was a new phenomenon back in the 80s most computers either used
RCA jacks, headphone sockets or like the Beeb a special connector to put all
the voltages together in a safe, polarised, locking connector. Don't forget,
the Beeb has an internal PSU rather than a Spectrum or C64 that has an
external PSU. Logically for those machines, an aux connector would tap the
wire between the computer and the PSU. I doubt if Acorn realised that people
like us would be still using the computer well over 20 years later and the
Molex connector would be like hen's teeth! 

Dave ;)