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Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 264
Potseal Offline OP
Member
Located where I am there is a limited number of places you can walk into and browse around looking for unique and interesting items related to the electrical/electronics trade. Sometimes the best items I find are when I am at work and there is stuff heading to the garbage after a retro or upgrade. I've saved quite a number of good items from the landfill over the years...well, good to me.

Recently I was in Orlando, Florida on vacation with my family. After a few days of the "magic" of Disney I was ready to hit the reset button and find something that was more my kind of magic. I took a search on the 'net and found it - Skycraft Parts and Surplus. When you see a place with a flying saucer on the roof how can you go wrong?

[Linked Image from i63.tinypic.com]

I spent 2 hours going through this place and I could've spent another 2, easy. Rows and rows of stuff that is neatly arranged considering the volume of small parts and components. It's one of those places that people like me enjoy because you never know what you might find. Unfortunately, I doubt I will be getting back there anytime soon.

Anyone else know of stores similar to this in Canada or the US? The next time I go on vacation it would be great to have a one-stop place to look up those hidden gems like Skycraft. You never know, I might be on vacation close by and once again need a vacation from the vacation.


A malfunction at the junction
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Dwayne
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 9,923
Likes: 32
G
Member
So what did you get?


Greg Fretwell
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 264
Potseal Offline OP
Member
I purchased some run-of-the-mill parts that I knew I would use. For example, I bought a couple add-ons for an Arduino that included a Wi-Fi shield and PIR sensor. Plus I bought a couple of low power laser diodes and digital DC voltage displays. All very small items that were in packages with labels which I didn't think would give me any grief when going through border security at the airport. I am not a seasoned traveller when it comes to flying/border crossing and I wasn't sure what items could raise eyebrows with security. For example, I remembered a discussion at work where someone said bringing transducers across the border is a bad idea. I never took the time to research that statement because it was long before I ever expected to be travelling to Florida. So once I found myself at Skycraft I decided to play it safe.

Now, if a store like that existed in my home town, or even a couple towns away from home, then I would likely have a much more exciting list of purchases.

Last edited by Potseal; 11/07/15 12:47 PM.

A malfunction at the junction
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Dwayne
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 9,923
Likes: 32
G
Member
I doubt they will be concerned about discrete parts that are packaged and unassembled. TSA might want to open your bag for a look at something wired together tho.


Greg Fretwell
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 814
B
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I wonder how many here remember Burstein Applebee? I used to buy stuff there when I was a kid. I built my first set of floor standing speakers using Utah speakers I bought there.

Of course they are long gone but at least we do have an independent electronics store in town that carries pretty much everything in the way of parts.

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Last edited by BigB; 11/28/15 07:16 PM.
Joined: Jul 2004
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I think I had that tape recorder. All I remember is it was stuffed with D cells. Kids can't afford a lot of D cells and it ate them.


Greg Fretwell
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 264
Potseal Offline OP
Member
The Weller soldering kit in that ad probably hasn't changed much other than the price...and likely the quality.


A malfunction at the junction
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Dwayne
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 814
B
Member
Originally Posted by gfretwell
I think I had that tape recorder. All I remember is it was stuffed with D cells. Kids can't afford a lot of D cells and it ate them.


Can you imagine something called "mini" today requiring D cells?

Joined: Jul 2004
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G
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If I talked to my grand kids they would not imagine an audio recorder that used tape (what is tape?) and the idea that it would not fit in their pocket would baffle them.
They brought me a VHS tape and asked what it was for.
The 8 track I came up with really had them going. "This big and only 12 songs"?

Their cheap cell phone is an audio player, video camera/player, game boy and it also makes phone calls with no wires.


Greg Fretwell
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 984
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We've got this in the Chicago/Milwaukee area.

http://www.sciplus.com/

It's always an adventure going through the oddball stuff in their stores...including their off-the-wall descriptions like this one for a scissors designed to cut stiches:

"Suture Self
"Or unsuture self, actually, with this pair of 4-1/2" long stainless steel suture scissors. Fulcrum is 1-1/4" from the tip. What makes them suture scissors is the little hook in the bottom blade, for getting under and lifting the stitch, but there's no law that says you can't cut anything else with them."


Ghost307
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