Changing face of Sydney's Silicon Alley.

It is the sign of the times and of the hobby/trade generally.  :(

"Andy Wood"



** Was in Jaycar York Street yesterday  -  seems to be the exact same store
Tandy was in to me.  A major improvement for Jaycar from the pokey shop they
used to occupy.

The nearby DSE store has almost given up on supplying small components  -
ie bins for 16mm pots were all empty. So staffer " Chris " phoned the Mid
City store for me and confirmed they had good stocks of what I was after.

I was told the new DSE Pitt Street store carries no small components.



.......   Phil

The new Jaycar entrance, with the stairs going down,  is exactly where
the Tandy entrance was, but the new  store is much wider than Tandy
was. It extends right across under Adelong Computers, which is where
David Reid was. The old David Reid entrance is closed off and that and
the old display window are covered with a Jaycar sign. When I was in
the new store a pegboard panel behind the displays of loudspeakers in
that corner of the store was down, and the old stairs that used to
lead into the David Reid store were visible.

 

pokey shop they


Andy Wood
snipped-for-privacy@trap.ozemail.com.au

Do you remember the original Jaycar / John Carr in a basement in Haymarket.
Anything is an improvement over that store.

That was always inevitable.
I have fond memories of spending many hours in "Silicon Alley" as a
kid, which of course would be followed by a detour to Sheriden
Electronics.

Dave.

    Ah, the memories. But do you remember what preceded Sheridan
Electronics? http://members.ozemail.com.au/~bobpar/bag.jpgmight give
you a clue. :)

Bob

"Bob Parker"


**  Never forget a face like that, now would I  ??





**  LOL  !

That store disappeared *very soon* after opening.

BTW:

Did a lot of business with Barry Sheridan at his hobby shop in the late
1980s   -  as result of my being mildly addicted to building RC racing boats
powered by 2 and 4 stroke glow plug engines.

That pastime soon got me into some very deep water

-   pun absolutely intended.



 ........   Phil

...what about Oxford St?  Radio House near Martin Place?  Great places for
me as a kid.  And the tobacco shop in Pitt St used to save all their cigar
boxes for me

David

"David L. Jones" wrote:

But who here remembers Lisle Street in London?

message

...and does anyone remember Kerrs Corner in Stanmore?  It was my first job
managing a store when I was a kid of 17 - ah memories

David

"David L. Jones" wrote:

I remember Radio Dispatch in Railway Square near Central with fondness - I
bought from them from a side alley shop before they moved to a street front
shop.  When they closed one of the staff opened a components shop out in the
suburbs but I don't think it was open long.

Regards  Malcolm

Add info - must have been in the 1960/70's?
Malcolm

Geoff Wood, Lane Cove. "Geoff for chips"


Andy Wood
snipped-for-privacy@trap.ozemail.com.au

    Going WAY back, as a very young kid I remember my father taking me
to RDS when they were in some kind of arcade under the Marcus Clark
building (I think), before they moved down Broadway to the place Phil's
referring to. Only guessing, but it might have been around 1960 or a bit
earlier.
    It was "Wood for Chips" as I recall.
    And Bill Edge also had his own shop for a while. Edge Electronics?
    I'm open to corrections here ... it was all a long time ago.

Bob

"Bob Parker"



** On my single day working at RDS,  Norm Edge showed me the basement
"dungeon"   -   filled with dusty old stuff that looked like it was right
out of the 1940s.





**  Edge Electrics in Burwood Road  -  I worked there for the first half of
1973.

Later it turned into " Bill Edge's Electronic Agencies " in Parramatta Road,
Concord  -   then Gary Johnson bought the business ( including staffer Bruce
Routely) and the shop became the main Jaycar store.




.......   Phil

The arcade wasn't far from their later shop (a few minutes walk at most ) -
I recollect there being an ice skating rink behind and the Marcus Clarke
building sounds right.  Their shop was a counter about 2M wide and I can't
rember there being any shelves in sight - they went behind the scenes to get
bits.

Before that there was Prices Radio in Angel Place (I think) near the GPO and
there as all those disposal places selling war surplus (wwII) gear.

Malcolm

    I remember them! They did a lot of mail order sales and advertised
in RTV&H.
    Then there was ACE Radio in Marrickville and more places flogging
WW2 stuff in Oxford St, like Deitch Bros.
    These young blokes don't know what they missed. :)

"Bob Parker"




 **  LOL  !!

I remember buying five nickel iron ( Ni-Fe ) cells at Dietch Bros in

the mid 70s  -  WW2 vintage of course.

In pale green in steel boxes about 5 x 5 x 3/4 inch with a screw plug to
allow more KOH to be added.

Made a neat 6 volt pack for my bicycle's head lamp.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nickel-iron_battery



.......  Phil

    How about that .... I bought some of them too, probably a few years
before that. Never found a practical use for them though.
    There was another disposals shop on Oxford St back towards the city
from Deitch Bros. Run by an old bloke - I think his name was Joe Keeps.
It was a dimly-lit emporium of old gear, valves, instruments &
everything, like entering some ancient tomb. I bought some 1944 vintage
807s (I think they were 75 cents each) & lots of other stuff there.
    Them were the days. :-)


Bob