[Coco] Radio Shack looking back to their roots?

[Allen Huffman]

On Nov 11, 2012, at 9:05 AM, Frank Swygert <farna at amc-mag.com> wrote:

> I've been a fan of Instructables for a while now -- mainly just looking, but finding a few rather useful. I noticed Radio Shack sponsoring a contest on the site and advertising -- I wonder if they are looking at getting back to their roots a bit with kits and parts???
> http://www.instructables.com/id/A-DVD-Player-Hack/
> (click on "The Great Create" on the right as well).

There does seem to be someone within Tandy that is interested in promoting this. In October, I was able to go to a local RadioShack in Marshalltown, Iowa (smallish town about an hour away from Des Moines) and pick up an Arduino computer and various add ons and parts. I was trying to find something that could serve as an interface between pressure mats (in a Haunted house attraction) and a netbook computer that ran the control software. The Arduino did the trick, and over the next week or so, I visited various RadioShacks to pick up all kinds of parts -- connectors, prototype boxes, Arduino interface cards, etc.

I found that one RadioShack nearby (next town over, 10 miles from Des Moines) stocked all kinds of stuff not found in any of the others -- servo motors, joystick type inputs, wiring packs, etc. They said they just had enough folks buying the stuff to really stock up. I hadn't seen so much in a RadioShack in years -- and they were not being supported by a local college with an electronics class or anything. Just folks coming in and buying stuff. They did seem concerned that RadioShack was going to downsize all this stuff again.

While an Arduino isn't a full featured computer like the old 8-bits were, it was still a great hobbyist platform for specific projects and one available (for $35) at the local RadShack. Take a look at that section next time you go to one -- I found wireless modules, motion sensors, motor controllers as well as many types of build-it kits and "MakerShed" project books. They may not have the vast assortment of parts (but still quite a selection) as the 70s/80s, but they have a ton more stuff we could only dream of finding local back then.

It's alive, which is surprising in this day of "free 2nd day shipping" Amazon. For the Haunted House project, I was trying to buy as much as possible locally, so if something went out, I could get an instant local replacement without having to wait even two days for a new shipment. The folks I was hired to do this build for probably appreciated that, considering the numerous technical problems I ran in to that sent me scrambling for more parts.

It was a real eye opener finding out all the stuff RadioShack has started stocking in the recent years.
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Allen Huffman - PO Box 22031 - Clive IA 50325 - 515-999-0227 (vmail/TXT only)
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