Subject:
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Re: Radio shack basic electronics book
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.robotics
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Date:
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Tue, 23 Nov 1999 23:57:32 GMT
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Original-From:
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Mark Geddes <mark@AudeSi.com>
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Viewed:
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739 times
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That's too bad. I hate it when companies don't bother with international
orders. It's near sited of them.
I'd like to recommend Digi-key for parts. They have a huge selection (no
books though). The prices aren't bad either, considering the amount of
inventory they must keep. In Canada we can get parts the next morning, if I
order by 5:00pm ($8 Cdn shipping). I think they're based in Minnesota USA.
They cater to Canadian customers very well. They even sent me a catalog with
prices in Canadian dollars! The minimum quantity is 1, but I think you have
to spend $30. They even have French sales reps. I usually order on-line, but
I found they are very helpful, and knowledgeable about the parts when I've
phoned them. As a matter of fact I'd say they are the easiest & most
reliable company I've ever dealt with. They also have the most organized
catalog going. I hope I'm not setting you up for a disappointment if they
don't ship outside North America.
You can find them at : http://www.digikey.com/ or phone 1-800-344-4539, or
218-681-6674, (fax 218-681-3380). I would doubt the 1-800 number will work
outside of North America.
A lot of American companies are reluctant to ship outside a group of
"approved" countries. I think it's just too hard to deal with all the
government approvals & paperwork. I can't see why France won't be "approved"
though.
I'd like to clear up the misconception that you'll get much help with
technical information at Radio Shack. They are now mostly electronic toy,
battery, phone, computer, etc. type stores. They used to have a very
impressive stock of electronic parts, but now days they mainly stock the
most popular stuff. I guess it's better then nothing, if you have one near
by, but I rarely buy parts from them - just toys :-). They just can't
compete with Digi-key if you need to buy a few items. The salesman are
basically just salesman & they don't necessarily have any electronics
knowledge at all.
I live in Calgary, Alberta, Canada & I bet I pass at least 10 Radio Shacks
on the way home from work (1/2 hour drive). I don't think I've ever been in
a Mall anywhere in North America that doesn't have a Radio Shack, even in
small towns. I have to give them credit, because at one time they were about
the only place to buy anything related to electronics. They don't sell Lego,
but they sell a bunch of educational electronic kits that I loved when I was
a kid.
Mark Geddes
> Radio Shack Canada has an online store ( http://www.radioshack.ca/rstore/ • ).
> I found some basic electronic books you may want to order. I'm not sure if
> they're set up to deliver to France, but I don't see why not, if you paid
> the shipping. (They even have a French language site).
>
> http://www.radioshack.ca:80/rstore/search/Search.asp?&ct=rs%5Fsrc&so=rank%5 • B
> d%5D&qu=%28%40meta%5Fcopy%5Ftext+%28book%29+OR+%40meta%5Fname+%28book%29%29 • &
> mh=10&sh=10&ae=1&RN=11&qu_init=book
>
> I thought they were everywhere. You can't throw a rock without hitting a
> Radio Shack in North America. Maybe a good franchise opportunity in France
> ;-)
>
> Seriously, I think they're part of Tandy Corp., so they may go under a
> different name in Europe.
radioshack.ca Canada doesn't ship outside Canada.
I couldn't find the book in the catalog at radioshack.com - I must be dumb
but I couldn't find how to make a search in the catalog so I had to
look at the list of the 161 available books and perhaps I missed the book.
Anyway, I don't think they ship outside US - I have tried to find out but
they won't tell you about their shipping conditions unless you give your
card number, apparently. But in the "commercial sales" section they say
they don't ship outside US.
I remember seeing a Tandy store once. I think that one does not exist
anymore. In any case, it was a consumer electronics only shop, it had
no parts.
Really, shops that cater to the electronics hobbyist are rather rare
around here (and I live in Paris !). And in general they are small shops.
We have no equivalent of shops that sell consumer electronics and parts
at the same time. To find parts you have to be "in the know".
Radio Shack says (on their site) that 94% of Americans live within 5
minutes of a Radio Shack store. That's scary. I wonder how they can
justify carrying electronics parts in so many stores. Surely not 94%
of Americans ever need to buy a LED or a resistor (let alone a
microcontroller) ?
Cheers,
--Jonathan
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