And here's an RS catalogue from August 1978 (I was 11 back then, which probably explains the "Piccadilly 261" sticker :)
I remember the Maplin catalogue from 1979
Yes, I was pleasantly surprised when I wanted something that I could only find on the 'real' Farnell web site (as opposed to CPC) a few years ago. They were quite happy to sell small quantities (like two) and handling charges weren't too much.
I think RS must have noticed and now they are OK for small orders too.
Yes, they always had some awesome fantasy artwork on the covers.
I always considered Maplin to be more of a toy shop than a serious electronics component vendor though. Tandy even more so. Guess I was a bit of a component vendor snob back then...
My other favourite dealer was Electrovalue, being just a short bus ride from their northern branch on Burnage Lane. On a Saturday morning the shop would be rammed, and I'd have to queue for ages. Alas no more :(
You didn't get much choice in Lincolnshire, even a trip to Birkett's was a rarity.
Pretty modern. It has one of those new-fangled 'integrated circuits' on the cover and it isn't even a μA709.
Yes they were very much like that but when i were a lad we had to get stuff from Harold Gee's shop 94 a mill road Cambridge
Thanks for the info about Gees - I lived close by (off Mill Road) from
1996-1999 and frequented the place when I could. I have been interested to know anything about the history of it since I left.J^n
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