Damn, every city should have this shops

[mcinque]

Awesome!

[echen1024]

I have visited something quite similar in Beijing. Good prices, I knew some of the suppliers, however, don't come here if you are looking for mission-critical reliability. Not all things I bought were in spec. Not much in the way of test equipment wither.

[echen1024]

Where is this Akiba?

[kripton2035]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akihabara

[XOIIO]

I want to take a trip over to china or a place with one of these massive malls of ships with a few hundred CAD converted to the local currency and just go nuts on parts. It would be awesome to live near one.

[mcinque]

oh-my-god.
I'm literally drooling. Seriously. I'm drooling.

[sacherjj]

Looks like we should have gone to Akihabara instead of Hua Qiang Bei on our trip.  Some components were legit, but many looked shady. 

I did pick up a nice pair of Samsnug headphones.    Seem to work as good as Samsung pair that they were cloned from.  Just a slight worse quality in the driver.

[scientist]

Wow, only $20 for a 5M strip of multicolor LEDs and a control box. Sparkfun sells (https://www.sparkfun.com/products/12028) 5M strips for $120, what a deal.

[XOIIO]

Wow, only $20 for a 5M strip of multicolor LEDs and a control box. Sparkfun sells (https://www.sparkfun.com/products/12028) 5M strips for $120, what a deal.

I think you kind find the same sort of price on ebay. sparkfun seems really overpriced in some areas.

[iampoor]

Wow, only $20 for a 5M strip of multicolor LEDs and a control box. Sparkfun sells (https://www.sparkfun.com/products/12028) 5M strips for $120, what a deal.

I think you kind find the same sort of price on ebay. sparkfun seems really overpriced in some areas.

Im almost 100% certain that Sparkfun buys everything at Tayda Electronics and jacks up the prices....

[IanB]

That's why I prefer Akihabara.

Didn't the famous electronic components section of Akihabara recently shut down? I thought I read something about it in the news, that people buy things online now and the market for over the counter parts become unsustainable?

[calexanian]

That's why I prefer Akihabara.

Didn't the famous electronic components section of Akihabara recently shut down? I thought I read something about it in the news, that people buy things online now and the market for over the counter parts become unsustainable?

A quick Google search reveals only one of the malls is changing formats and many of the other retailers in the area are still open. I have heard stories from the REAL old timers that Canal street in lower Manhattan was like that until the 60's. Endless little radio and electronics stores most handling surplus and used gear along side new equipment.

[iampoor]

I feel so lucky to live a few minutes from Akiba. If you get can idea for a project you can go and get all the parts right away. If you need a case they have every possible size and type, and CNC machines to do all the cut-outs.

How are the prices? Especially compared to ordering online? Is getting a cnc'ed case affordable?

I know this are vague questions, I just had a hard time figuring out how many yen everything was.

[VK3DRB]

In Australia there are almost no real electronics stores left. It is a national disgrace. Element 14 and Radio Spares.... sky high prices and 5 or more days lead time from overseas on almost everything. Crap.

The days of Ellistronics, McGraths, Stewarts and Tasman Electronics are gone. Dick Smith has become the national laughing stock. Ask a Techspert at Tricky Dicky for a 1K resistor and you will only get the reply, "A what?".

Akihabara is downscaling with real electronics. So probably is Nihon Bashi (The Osaka equivalent). I have visited both places a number of times, and it was a real pleasure to experience the exciting atmosphere in these electronic component enclaves (and buy some fantastic electronics). I don't think I would get the same feeling in red China.

[Greg Robinson]

In Australia there are almost no real electronics stores left. It is a national disgrace. Element 14 and Radio Spares.... sky high prices and 5 or more days lead time from overseas on almost everything. Crap.

The days of Ellistronics, McGraths, Stewarts and Tasman Electronics are gone. Dick Smith has become the national laughing stock. Ask a Techspert at Tricky Dicky for a 1K resistor and you will only get the reply, "A what?".

I know what you mean, I recently posted about some of my experiences with Element14. Even their Australian website was down for close to 3 weeks. I don't even bother with RS Components. Seems everything I ever want is only available in bulk.

[free_electron]

Singapore has sim-lim plaza (NOT tower, that is where they flog cameras and cell phones. Plaza is opposite corner of street, two blocks away.)

[Wytnucls]

Very confusing, but
Sim Lim Square is what the consumer electronics place is called these days.
Sim Lim Tower is where the electronics components are sold, on Jalan Besar, across the Rochor river, from Sim Lim Square.

[Wytnucls]

In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the best shops are in Pudu, on Jalan Pasar.

[calexanian]

I need to get out more! The only shops I see are Halted after I sell at the De Anza swap meet. All Electronics, which also has a mail order catalog, and Apex Electronics. Dave has done a video walk through of the place. Its the sort of shop that when you go, and after you have made your purchases, you spend a half an hour of so just looking around so next time you kinda have a feeling if what you need is there before you go. Also if you go enough and they know you you can make requests for them to find at their other facility and they can go get it for you, or the next time you come in. I have actually begun taking things to them (In quantity) to trade. As fat as components, you are only looking at a small portion of what they have. There are a few areas off limits to public due to safety, and the locked room and the office upstairs. In addition they have another warehouse down the street. The owner is named Don and his brother Steve has his own place he calls Apex Jr. where he specializes in Audio stuff. He has moved to Torrance and i went down to pick up a few things. You are better off ordering from his website though as his hours vary and he is a one man shop. He has the best prices on Chinese tube sockets and other commodity type amplifier parts. 

[VK3DRB]

I need to get out more! Its the sort of shop that when you go, and after you have made your purchases, you spend a half an hour of so just looking around so next time you kinda have a feeling if what you need is there before you go.

Rockby Electronics (www.rockby.com.au) in Melbourne had a massive new old stock section covering a whole building next door to their main retail was next door. After making purchases, you'd go next door to hunt around and memorize what was there for future projects. I once saw DIN subracks that sold for around $1000 from RS or Farnell for about $20.... brand new. An Italian-Australian family ran the place and the old grandfather used to potter around looking after the the junk section. You would often meet like minded people there. I guess now we have EEVBLOG to hang out. Hamfests are places where you could get good stuff too, but once a year is not the same as visiting your local Rockby on a Saturday morning.

This sort of store was commonplace in the 1970's and has become but a memory to most of us.

[noah_fakelastnamelike_bob]

my brother goes to bejing for school (international law ) and was wondering anything like that in bejing )not Zhongguancun

[envisionelec]

Very confusing, but
Sim Lim Square is what the consumer electronics place is called these days.
Sim Lim Tower is where the electronics components are sold, on Jalan Besar, across the Rochor river, from Sim Lim Square.

Sim Lim Tower isn't that exciting. I bought a few things there, but could have spent less buying on eBay. The 5m RGB LED reel I bought there still has a strong chemical odor.

[electronics man]

In Australia there are almost no real electronics stores left. It is a national disgrace. Element 14 and Radio Spares.... sky high prices and 5 or more days lead time from overseas on almost everything. Crap.

The days of Ellistronics, McGraths, Stewarts and Tasman Electronics are gone. Dick Smith has become the national laughing stock. Ask a Techspert at Tricky Dicky for a 1K resistor and you will only get the reply, "A what?".

Akihabara is downscaling with real electronics. So probably is Nihon Bashi (The Osaka equivalent). I have visited both places a number of times, and it was a real pleasure to experience the exciting atmosphere in these electronic component enclaves (and buy some fantastic electronics). I don't think I would get the same feeling in red China.

its the same in the uk the only one left is maplin, the dont sell many components over the counter but some, they do have some nice "lucky bags" of resistors, leds, diods, dip sockets, e caps, other caps (such as ceramic and film caps)

[noah_fakelastnamelike_bob]

damn i feel real bad about that i shall never complain again