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Where To Get Sets and Parts For discussions about swapmeets, rallies, NVCF and BVWS, car boot sales, antique and charity shops, dealers, newspaper adverts, the local tip and just about any other source of equipment (other than eBay). |
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21st Sep 2016, 12:17 am | #1 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Oxfordshire, UK.
Posts: 4,934
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Maplin discontinue small Ali Boxes
Maplins have supplied some small and very cheap aluminium boxes e.g.
http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/aluminium-...m-box-11-lf12n ideal for small projects, but they are being discontinued . Does anyone know of an alternative source? I'm too mean to buy diecast unless really necessary. Thanks B |
21st Sep 2016, 6:28 am | #2 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: London, UK.
Posts: 3,687
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Re: Maplins discontinue small Ali Boxes
This is indeed annoying. However I bought some sheet aluminium off eBay, aviation shears from machine mart and use two bits of L shaped steel in a vice as a brake and just make my own now. One U shaped bit for the front panel and one top and one bottom. Takes about 20 minutes per box and the supply never runs out
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21st Sep 2016, 8:23 am | #3 |
Rest in Peace
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Bridgnorth, Shropshire, UK.
Posts: 787
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Re: Maplins discontinue small Ali Boxes
It is sad to watch key stock items like this slowly being deleted. I would probably weep if I saw a Maplin catalogue from 1980. In saying that, interesting new things have appeared - I recently discovered that Maplin now sell vactrols.
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21st Sep 2016, 9:22 am | #4 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: London, UK.
Posts: 3,687
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Re: Maplins discontinue small Ali Boxes
Vactrols are a bit of an odd addition based on what they are removing from their catalogue.
The do a reasonably cheap and nice analog meter as well: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/401033401302 (yes they use an ebay store front as well) I was never a massive fan of Maplin, particularly since about 1998. I was stuck near Stansted Airport for a good chunk of my life so the options I had were drive to Southend to go to Maplin, drive to Broxbourne to go to Cirkit Distribution or drive to Colchester to go to Rapid. Maplin rarely won and was expensive if you did end up there. |
21st Sep 2016, 10:48 am | #5 |
Nonode
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Resolven, Wales; and Bristol, England
Posts: 2,608
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Re: Maplins discontinue small Ali Boxes
I think many of us have at least one of those meters by now. I keep one in the car and one in it's box.
I remember writing to the sales director at Maplin in the 80's to find out why they would send out all the parts for one of their projects except one which was marked as 'no stock please re-order' with no indication of when it was due in stock, and they'd charge you postage for the OOS item when it was supplied! Don't remember getting a satisfactory answer. There are three Maplins in Bristol, they seem to sell electronic toys and disco gear.
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21st Sep 2016, 6:07 pm | #6 |
Nonode
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Leicester, UK
Posts: 2,534
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Re: Maplins discontinue small Ali Boxes
I have never seen these in the Maplin store at Leicester, only die-cast and plastic boxes. I do tend to find most of their stuff, particularly individual components very expensive (sometimes as much as 3x the online price elsewhere), although I have occasionally used them when I have needed something urgently. They usually only keep 2 of any component in stock, so if you want 3 or more of something then you usually have to have it supplied by post. Online I could only find die-cast/Eddystone boxes. Oh, and yes, the Leicester shop is also filled with electronic toys and disco gear....
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21st Sep 2016, 6:09 pm | #7 |
Moderator
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Location: Ipswich, Suffolk, IP4, UK.
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Re: Maplins discontinue small Ali Boxes
Jabdog used to supply these, but apparently they're having problems sourcing suitable aluminium.
http://www.jabdog.com/box-al.htm
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Graham. Forum Moderator Reach for your meter before you reach for your soldering iron. |
21st Sep 2016, 6:43 pm | #8 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: London, UK.
Posts: 3,687
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Re: Maplins discontinue small Ali Boxes
I've not had any problems getting hold of it. It's getting more expensive but it's still a better return on buying Hammond boxes.
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21st Sep 2016, 7:28 pm | #9 |
Octode
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Stevenage, Herts. UK.
Posts: 1,518
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Re: Maplins discontinue small Ali Boxes
Maplin have been running down their boxes for sometime. I guess there's not much demand anymore :-(
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21st Sep 2016, 10:19 pm | #10 |
Octode
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Belper Derbyshire
Posts: 1,935
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Re: Maplins discontinue small Ali Boxes
Last time I went into Maplin in Rugby to look for a box I came out empty handed as all the boxes were not much bigger than a couple of matchboxes and all black plastic.
Christopher Capener
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Interests in the collection and restoration of Tefifon players and 405 line television |
22nd Sep 2016, 3:54 am | #11 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Oxfordshire, UK.
Posts: 4,934
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Re: Maplins discontinue small Ali Boxes
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22nd Sep 2016, 10:18 pm | #12 |
Nonode
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: West Midlands, UK.
Posts: 2,181
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Re: Maplins discontinue small Ali Boxes
Maplin have been running down almost everything they can ,and not just recently. Once upon a time, a Maplin catalogue was worth the cost, as it was full of technical data. Maplin have opened more stores, but more and more are mini stores.
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22nd Sep 2016, 10:34 pm | #13 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Oxford, UK.
Posts: 4,980
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Re: Maplins discontinue small Ali Boxes
Around 15 years ago they used to stock Elna Cerafine electrolytics and Eminence high power drivers (such as are used in guitar cabs). All long gone from their line.
That they stock two different spec Vactrols is really strange though. |
29th Sep 2016, 5:25 pm | #14 |
Hexode
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Northampton, Northants, UK.
Posts: 380
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Re: Maplins discontinue small Ali Boxes
It may just be that there is less and less interest in constructing things that look "home made" as those project boxes do. They are convenient for stuff you'll only see on your workbench, but otherwise they look kind of naff. As an example, my current neverending project (I'm working on it today) is a rebuild of a Maplin amplifer (yes, the legendary 100W mosfet, heh) that I originally constructed in 1988-ish.
It started off as just spraying the case black and a general maintenance (everything was in surprisingly good order, only found one slightly dodgy solder joint, not bad for 30 years) but it soon mushroomed into a complete redesign (though on the Theseus's Ship principle, re-using as much as possible) in a smart case I'm custom building. The original case was a very large maplin two part case (aluminium lower, steel upper). It looked obviously home-made and amateurish, though it worked fine. Got the bits from Hammersmith Maplin, back when you could walk in and buy toroidal transformers and most everything from the shops. So I would guess that most folks now, especially the "Arduino generation" don't want things in obviously homebrew ali boxes. That may not be a bad thing, as the more "pro" homebrew stuff can be, the more people will think it worth doing. Electronics certainly to me seems to be more active at the moment thanks to the availability of the Pi, Arduino etc than in the "slump" that nearly killed Maplin altogether where for a while it seemed there was very little point in home constructing anything- I remember some beery discussions with a friend at one point where we concluded that the only justifiable home constructions had reduced to things like unusual power supply configurations. And if you look at the effort many contributors here put into restoring the cases and fittings of radios and TVs, that also illustrates how "the look" matters. |
29th Sep 2016, 5:38 pm | #15 |
Octode
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Cornwall, UK.
Posts: 1,275
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Re: Maplins discontinue small Ali Boxes
My experience of our local (Plymouth) Maplins is generally that if it is in the catalogue it won't be in stock I gave up trying to get parts from them a long time ago.
Gary |
29th Sep 2016, 6:29 pm | #16 |
Retired Dormant Member
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Shropshire, UK.
Posts: 3,051
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Re: Maplins discontinue small Ali Boxes
Since tobacco tins became less ubiquitous (though empty ones are available from pound shops) peppermint tins seem to have become popular as housings, at least in the US.
I have to admit to hoarding anything which looks as though it might serve as a case for something; some of them even get used! Depending on the application, electrical installation surface boxes with blanking front plates can be useful too. |
29th Sep 2016, 7:57 pm | #17 |
Octode
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Newbury, Berkshire, UK.
Posts: 1,770
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Re: Maplins discontinue small Ali Boxes
The one in Newbury is minuscule. Only thing I've ever bought there was a SSD for my NUC - it was a "distressed" purchase, I needed one quickly. On the bright side, it's probably better than the old Tandy store (Newbury's only other shop that was remotely interesting to electronic constructors) - that really was useless.
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29th Sep 2016, 8:09 pm | #18 |
Nonode
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Surbiton, SW London, UK.
Posts: 2,801
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Re: Maplins discontinue small Ali Boxes
If you still need that style of box, these are available;
https://www.rapidonline.com/retex-mi...losures-530145 |
29th Sep 2016, 8:30 pm | #19 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: London, UK.
Posts: 3,687
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Re: Maplins discontinue small Ali Boxes
At that price I'm glad I make my own
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29th Sep 2016, 8:34 pm | #20 |
Hexode
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Northampton, Northants, UK.
Posts: 380
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Re: Maplins discontinue small Ali Boxes
I find Maplin quite useful to be honest as I quite often want something today, not delivered some days in the future. So long as I don't want a quantity of the thing, it's worth paying the premium. In fact I buy enough there that I'm recognised by the staff in the shop, with my little Click And Collects of this and that. Mine (Northampton) has most stuff in stock, just not much of it... why they only (say) stock two capacitors of some value baffles me.
But I do think it's a Good Thing that there's a shop where I can buy 4000 series CMOS, some Veroboard or an op-amp, especially as it's only about 15 minutes walk. Most of the staff have very little knowledge of electronics though. A couple of weeks ago I asked for a 4001 chip and the staff member, following his order codes, handed me by mistake a piezo buzzer and was blissfully unaware of the error, since he had no idea what a NAND gate chip is supposed to look like. These are new Maplin electrolytics and polyesters on my (nigh 30 year old) Maplin amplifier board. Over on the left you can see a vintage Maplin 10,000uF "audio grade" capacitor pair, still going strong Note also the convenient repurposing of 50VA halogen transformers! |