Brandlin":1r4l7xfo said:
Terrible business model and the demise of a once very very good company.
They were a bit "wild estuary" back in the day though
The catalogue used to be printed on what looked like newspaper or thick loo paper and their stock was always slightly cheaper and nastier than RS or Farnell. I'm talking back in the 1970s though. That said, their toroidal transformers were excellent value (I built a lot of their MOSFET kits).
I think the failed business model was really the decision to sell sparkly tat to the masses (OK, I grant the shops were probably a bad idea, too), rather than stick to cheap electronic components by mail order, which they were pretty good at.
I sort-of regret never having built the Maplin Organ or one of their audio mixer kits, although those were not exactly stellar performers. I don't miss the more recent shops that kept only six of each 0.5W resistor value and wouldn't sell me leaded solder.
To the original questioner, Farnell/CPC probably has everything you might need.
Years ago, RS Components (nee "Radiospares") was so popular that the BBC's own internal equipment catalogue was printed in
exactly the same layout (so engineers wouldn't get confused). They used to be excellent for small orders - not cheap but totally dependable in quality and delivery times. Now they favour the industrial market, and I find their online system slow and awkward.
My dad was a staunch RS / Farnell customer for many decades, but in the last 15 years moved over to Rapid, but he understood exactly what he was buying, whereas I usually have to fiddle about comparing things to get what I need.
One of my earliest memories (from the early 1960s) was being taken to the Radiospares London trade counter and literally sitting up on the counter whilst dad's order was fulfilled. I was probably aged three or four. Happy days.
It's deeply ironic that Maplin's demise coincides with the "final" decision on Heathrow's third runway. After all that...
E.
