Dontronics Closure

Dontronics Closure

Hi all,

I believe I was the second company on the web selling Electronic kits, beaten only by my friend Peter Crowcroft (DIY Electronics HK), who passed away in 2006.

I know I pioneered a lot of new Internet concepts such as online payments that are commonplace today. The Commonwealth Bank of Australia treated me like an alien initially.

I assisted the Australian Tax Office with the introduction of the GST tax laws, as they had no idea what the web was about, and didn't comprehend the variety of global transactions that could be done.

I will be closing Dontronics down, and have a tentative closure date at this stage of the 30th of June 2018.

At 75 years of age, it is really getting beyond me. After being in business since 1964, I have to shut down as my two daughters don't have an electronics background, and have other business interests they wish to pursue.

I wish to get rid of all stock by this date. Many items are currently heavily discounted.

In the last two years, I have greatly reduced the range and stock levels on products, so I don't have large stock levels. I have a lot of connectors and header pins, etc., that would suit microcontroller projects and am open to offers on bulk orders on these.

Cheers Don...

--
Don McKenzie 

https://www.shop-dontronics.com
Reply to
Don McKenzie
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Congrats. Meanwhile the kids worry about competing with Amazon.

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Reply to
news16

No, if you can't beat them, join them :-)

BTW The 50% off coupon is "TBS" for these URLs.

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When they are gone, they are gone.

Cheers Don...

--
Don McKenzie 

https://www.shop-dontronics.com
Reply to
Don McKenzie

You didn't!. I was one, of probably a number of people,that taught therm they had to have a warehouse/distro centre. Their customers would order books off me when they were waiting weeks for Amazon to fulfill their orders. It was nice while it lasted, but my supply chain folded. so farewell.

Reply to
news16

My wife was one of their first OZ customers, and got an early kindle, now on her third. Still gets books from the states. They still get lost and have to be resent. Most of the stuff she reads isn't in stock in Australia.

My eldest daughter is an affiliate for the US market with general products, and this is starting to build up nicely. She says OZ is getting crap products, and although they don't have affiliates in oz yet, she won't sell to Australians as she reckons we will be getting the cheap Chinese rubbish.

Cheers Don...

--
Don McKenzie 

https://www.shop-dontronics.com
Reply to
Don McKenzie

Good on you Don. IIRC you started out with mechanical totes machines or something similar. You've covered a lot of ground.

You should visit Dave Jones EEVBlog forum and join up there.

I'm certain you'd be welcome and be a good source of knowledge and experience for others to draw on! Make sure to pick a user name that allows us to ID you.

Best of luck.

Reply to
Perry

Thanks for the kind words and tips Perry.

Yes, I actually worked on Australian designed and built electro mechanical tote machines that were built in the 1930s. see:

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Cheers Don...

--
Don McKenzie 

https://www.shop-dontronics.com
Reply to
Don McKenzie

I wondered where I'd read about that!

Reply to
Perry

Hi Don,

By sheer coincidence I just realised that I can access newsgroups from t he NBN via Google (my new ISP has no news server). Sorry to hear that you'r e winding up Dontronics. I've bought a few things from you and had some int eresting discussions over the years.

Good luck in your post-Dontronics future!

Reply to
Bob Parker

Hi Bob, yes good to hear from you again, and thanks for the business over the years.

I had some very good years, but can't keep going forever. We are catching up on family and doing a bit of traveling these days.

I hear that Maplin in the UK is going under. Lots of customers owing money, and they can't find a buyer.

I never gave anyone credit, so I can walk away from this business fairly easily. By the same token, I never owed anyone money. I think I was virtually unique from this point of view.

Cheers Don...

--
Don McKenzie 

https://www.shop-dontronics.com
Reply to
Don McKenzie

Apparently Maplin has just gone down the gurgler in the UK.

Reply to
Ian Field

Hi Don, Just wanted to say, I still have my DT001 Rev C board (1997) and a bunch of its accessory boards. I learned a lot from assembling and programming them. Good luck and thanks for all you've done. Best regards, Tim

Reply to
geogriff99

Hi Tim,

thanks very much for your kind words.

It is very pleasing to hear feed back on my efforts over the years.

I remember when this Newsgroup platform started, (for me around 1993) and yes I was able to advertise right here. It was not only well received, but most welcomed. As the years progressed, it suddenly became spam, and I can understand why. Of course it finally destroyed the newsgroup and brought them down to what they are today.

I founded many groups including the Australian Electronics web ring, and the very first AVR user group, about a month after the first AVR 1200 device was released.

I estimate that I provided close to 4000 technical answers to people seeking information on Electronics in this group, and the aus.computers group.

It was a lot of fun, but nothing is forever. Again thank you.

Cheers Don...

--
Don McKenzie 

https://www.shop-dontronics.com 
 Click to see the full signature
Reply to
Don McKenzie

yes I was able to advertise right here. It was

ddenly became spam, and I can understand why.

t they are today.

the very first AVR user group, about a month

ing information on Electronics in this group,

h of its accessory boards. I learned a lot from assembling and programming them.

Hi Don, I worked for ATL in the late 70s I think we meet in Brisbane w hen I installed second tape drives in the vans. I also had to fix a machine I had not touched but which had a dead DMR asserting on the NPG line. Alwa ys thought you guys were playing me! Anyway, I had to go down to Gladesville to pick up something to day, so I also went to have a look at the old family home (totally rebuilt) . As that is not far from Meadowbank I decided to go and have look at the A TL building. I thought it had a heritage listing but no it is gone! The ar ea we used for car parking down to the river, Nev Mitchell said would neve r be built on is now built out. Nancarrow Ave is like a canyon now, nowhere to park just like Hong Kong (yes I was dragged into the Shatin disaster).

Anyway All the Best in Retirement snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com

Reply to
Don Norris

..and did not care what it cost to those of us on the pre-1994 Aussie Internet were using long-distance dial-up, and actively ignoring the non-commerical traffic rules on CSIRO and other networks to email their accounts with novice-level gear like BASIC Stamps.

Don also lied constantly. Especially in posts from people reporting their orders were missing/RMA/etc.

A couple of absolutely clueless old guys on their new Windows box were over the moon for their first internet contact, but the network abuse had the rest of the aus.electronics newsgroup telling him to stop, and every Australian provider deleted his accounts for violating their AUPs from us reporting it. After that happened about 3 times, Don took to an overseas to continue scraping email addresses and spamming everyone.

Naturally, he lavished praise on the old guys; they were maybe

5% (but growing) of the newsgroups users, but enough to fake a perception his scraping emails and spamming emails were okay and he was like everyone's Internet Friend. Don did the complete "HA HA FUCK YOU" to anyone who complained in email. He stills owes me about $90 for the bill I sent from his mailbombing of my long-distance UUCP link.

Dontronics was Australia's first 'Canter & Siegel'-spec spammer.

--
Chris 
bushwire!werple!scorch!glencoe!cjb
Reply to
Chris Baird

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