General > General Technical Chat
Old electronics shops in Melbourne: what's there today (video)
wasyoungonce:
I had almost forgotten about Rockby, hadn’t been there in years. I has a squiz at their web site.... geez, I can save heaps on parts I use for some systems I repair....making a list now!
Just a question.... I assume there legit parts! Like 80C32 CPU?
It’s so difficult in electronic backwaters it’s usually either RS/E14 or eBay. Melbourne used to be a design hub with companies like Varian Techtron with Royal soldering.
Royal is now cheap junk. I still use the old stuff, have quite a few (many) de-solder resistance solder stations irons and tips. Sad to see it go to the dogs.
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digsys:
--- Quote from: wasyoungonce ---I had almost forgotten about Rockby, hadn’t been there in years. I has a squiz at their web site.... geez, I can save heaps on parts I use for some systems I repair....making a list now!
Just a question.... I assume there legit parts! Like 80C32 CPU?
It’s so difficult in electronic backwaters it’s usually either RS/E14 or eBay. Melbourne used to be a design hub with companies like Varian Techtron with Royal soldering.
Royal is now cheap junk. I still use the old stuff, have quite a few (many) de-solder resistance solder stations irons and tips. Sad to see it go to the dogs.
--- End quote ---
Yep, all their stuff is from ex-stock manufacturers, mainly from Melbourne. As you say, there used to be dozens and dozens in SE Melb so many years ago.
I used to look after / assist / contract to HUGE assembly places ... long time ago. Actually, Rocky is expanding, stuff from Truscotts? coincidence?
Stoopid me, I gave away a few carloads of electronic parts several months ago, I should have donated it to them. Now I have service work back, I have to buy it all again .. oh well.
VK3DRB:
--- Quote from: digsys on July 18, 2019, 11:29:51 pm ---
--- Quote from: wasyoungonce ---I had almost forgotten about Rockby, hadn’t been there in years. I has a squiz at their web site.... geez, I can save heaps on parts I use for some systems I repair....making a list now!
Just a question.... I assume there legit parts! Like 80C32 CPU?
It’s so difficult in electronic backwaters it’s usually either RS/E14 or eBay. Melbourne used to be a design hub with companies like Varian Techtron with Royal soldering.
Royal is now cheap junk. I still use the old stuff, have quite a few (many) de-solder resistance solder stations irons and tips. Sad to see it go to the dogs.
--- End quote ---
Yep, all their stuff is from ex-stock manufacturers, mainly from Melbourne. As you say, there used to be dozens and dozens in SE Melb so many years ago.
I used to look after / assist / contract to HUGE assembly places ... long time ago. Actually, Rocky is expanding, stuff from Truscotts? coincidence?
Stoopid me, I gave away a few carloads of electronic parts several months ago, I should have donated it to them. Now I have service work back, I have to buy it all again .. oh well.
--- End quote ---
Not sure if Rockby is expanding. They might be doing it tough as home brew and the electronics industry is dying in Australia. We have to give them 10/10 for staying around, having a great range of parts and being a terrific company to deal with. We should be buying from them as a preference. For a start, their prices are usually cheaper than elsewhere and they are a real electronics store, not a Dick Smith/Jaycar toy store. If we don't support Rockby, we will be sorry if they have to close one day. Incidentally, I have found some of their prices for relays to be cheaper than anywhere else cheaper than Digikey, Mouser, RS, Element 14, Altronics, Jaycar and anywhere else.
FOOTNOTE: I visited Rockby a few weeks ago and the guys mentioned they had not seen a regular named Trevor Patterson for some time, like he had gone off the map. I did some research and found out Trevor had passed away in late 2017. Trevor was a well known electronics techo in Melbourne. I had the pleasure of working with him in the early 2000's at Tennyson Technologies. I believe he hailed from the PMG/Telecom Australia. We became friends for some years afterwards but lost contact in the last few years. Trevor was a brilliant passive RF filter designer - everything from cavities to PCB mounted filters of all types and he ran a business designing, building and selling special RF filters. He wrote a book on RF filter design. I proofread the draft about 10 years ago. It was brilliant. The book was interesting, and very practical. I don't know if he got it published. Maybe someone else knows, because it would be a best seller for anyone interested in RF filter design and manufacture.
wilfred:
Anyone been to Truscotts recently? Is it still open or has it shut the doors for good now?
vk3yedotcom:
Only recent mention I've seen was a message on a Facebook group. Still going a few days ago. Have a couple of weeks apparently.
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