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-----Original Message-----
From: piclist-bounces@mit.edu [mailto:piclist-bounces@mit.edu] On Behalf =
Of
Michael Rigby-Jones
Sent: 19 May 2005 19:01
To: Microcontroller discussion list - Public.
Subject: RE: [OT]: Samples Rant



>-----Original Message-----
>From: piclist-bounces@mit.edu [mailto:piclist-bounces@mit.edu]
>Sent: 19 May 2005 18:47
>To: Microcontroller discussion list - Public.
>Subject: RE: [OT]: Samples Rant
>
>
>Dom,
>
>On Thu, 19 May 2005 17:54:12 +0100, Dominic Stratten wrote:
>
>>...<
>>  Maplins are
>> a bit better than Radioshack for components but sadly seem
>to be going
>>the  way Tandy did in the uk and are concentrating more on toys than=20
>>components  :-(
>
>Indeed, and the thing that really gets my goat is that they seem to be=20
>ramping up their "discontinued product"
>policy.  I've recently found things that they didn't sell the last time=20
>I looked, but are discontinued already!  It's a right pain.  Things=20
>that have gone that I would have liked to buy are the MSF 3-hand clock=20
>mechanism (you can get a whole clock, or digital modules), EL backlight=20
>inverters, E24 resistor packs, and octal relay-bases for DIN rail=20
>mounting (they still sell the relays, just not the bases!).  On the=20
>other hand they do have dsPIC30Fs in the current catalogue.  And=20
>PIC16F84A, of course!  The latter in -20 version is =A35, compared with=20
>the dsPIC30F2010 at =A37...
>
>I visited a newly-opened shop of theirs in Livingston (near
>Edinburgh) at the weekend, and they had "Opening Store" special offers=20
>- I had to buy the =A310 temperature controlled soldering iron, even=20
>though I didn't need it, just because it was such good value!  :-)

They sucked me into buying one of them as well ;)  Probably never be able=
 to
get a new tip for it, but for a tenner I couldn't resist.

<SNIP>

I bought a couple of these - gave my dad one. I had the hindsight to buy =
a
set of 3 tips for it (about =A35) - they are still available as a 3 pack =
for
about this - might be worth stocking up.

I found the tip supplied was ideal for SMT work - fine enough and hot eno=
ugh
to do anything I've thrown at it.

The build quality of the base station is a bit poor - who makes base
stations for soldering irons out of meltable plastic (especially where yo=
u
put the cleaning sponge !!!) and the tip needs tightening up after every
use. Oh and I had to adapt the bakelight ring where the iron slots into a=
s
everytime it got hot, it sprang out neatly depositing the iron on my lap
!!!!!

But for a tenner .............. ;)=09

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