Local electronics store in DFW area?

[afischer82]

Hi,

I just recently relocated to the Dallas/Fort Worth, TX area (specifically, Plano) and was wondering if anyone on here knew of a good local place to pick up components?  I'm not very good about ordering things in advance, and often find my projects stalled for months at a time just because I'm missing a few parts.  As many of you know, Radio Shack just won't cut it in many instances.  If you don't know of a place here, do you have any tips on how to find a good local place?  I've tried just using google and the yellow pages, but I'm mostly coming across component manufacturers and wholesalers that don't have retail outlets. 

Thanks!

P.S.  I know... I know... Mouser is down here, so shipping is overnight.  Unfortunately the wife has tight reigns on the debit card, so I get in trouble when I order stuff and forget to tell her about it.  That's the primary reason I'm not good at ordering things in advance

[rmo]

Allied electronics, they have a lot of stuff. They're in Fort Worth, off 820, and they have a sales counter. You can phone in your order, and go pick it up same day.

http://www.alliedelec.com

You could also go to Fry's for single parts, but they're pretty marked up.

[tommy.genes]

I'm not that familiar with Dallas, but I saw a Fry's Electronics in Irving near the DFW airport when I passed through this summer. I think they have other Dallas area locations too.

You can view their on-line store at http://www.frys.com, but oddly enough, you can't find any info on their brick-and-mortar stores there.

You can also check out http://www.frys-electronics-ads.com, which is run someone not affiliated with Fry's who dutifully posts their newspaper circulars online every week. 

-- T. G. --

[StephenGiles]

I looked for you in DFW but you must have been in LOVE!!!!!

[O]

If you feel like taking a drive, Mouser Electronics is in Mansfield. Come west on 20 and then south on 287.

Fry's are ok to get components from. The one in Arlington has a very, very limited amount of components. The one in Irving is even worse. Probably, your best bet would be to go to the one in Garland.

Oh, and forget about asking for help. As soon as you mention the word "capacitor", the sales people's eyes gloss over and they just say they don't carry any.

[afischer82]

Thanks for the suggestions.

Does Mouser have a retail store or will call desk? 

Unless anyone else has a north Dallas suggestion, it looks like Allied and Mouser are my best bets.  Unfortunately they're both 40+ miles from me 

[O]

Well, I don't really know. I used to work for the company that owns Mouser, so I would get my parts delivered straight to my cubicle

[StephenGiles]

I looked for you in DFW but you must have been in LOVE!!!!!

Think about it!!!!

[Jason M.]

Tanner Electronics located at Valwood and 35E just north of 635.
Go west on Valwood and its on the right.

It is a great surplus place. All kinds of stuff, mostly reasonably priced.
ICs (no BBDs), transistors, blank pc boards, etching solution, connectors, drill bits for pc boards, electronics magazines (even international), etc.
Just don't buy their mini toggle switches, they are crap.

Unfortunately, Mouser doesn't have a will call desk anymore.
I remember the good old days of placing an order and picking it up on my way home.
Now, I just stop by Tanner on my way home!

Have fun!

J.

[afischer82]

I'll have to check out Tanner.  Thanks for the tip, Stephen!  That one's almost within 15 miles of me, which is way better than the 40-50 miles to Allied or Mouser. 

Stephen, I'm afraid I just don't get what you're going for here.  Care to shed some light?

[StephenGiles]

Surely LOVEFIELD was the old airport in Dallas!

[afischer82]

Ahhhh... I'm with you now

I wasn't thinking of the airport reference with DFW.  Love Field is still there.  It's actually the airport that Southwest flies out of, which is kind of strange because there are a lot of restrictions on what states they're allowed to fly to from there. 

I'll try to think more cleverly next time

[StephenGiles]

It comes from a song written by a strange English country singer called Hank Wangford, who is a gynecologist as well - just part time these days so he can keep his hand in!!!

[tommy.genes]

Love Field is still there.  It's actually the airport that Southwest flies out of, which is kind of strange because there are a lot of restrictions on what states they're allowed to fly to from there.

[Way OT] That's because of the Wright Amendment, which you can read about at http://www.setlovefree.com

I don't view Southwest as some little mom-and-pop underdog, they're now a huge corporation just like the rest of the airlines, although they do manage to actually make money unlike those other corporate welfare recipients. I just find it remarkable that local business interests were able to lobby for a federal law that was so blatantly designed to keep one company out of one airport in one city and state out of the whole country. So much for the "free" market...

-- T. G. --

[StephenGiles]

It comes from a song written by a strange English country singer called Hank Wangford, who is a gynecologist as well - just part time these days so he can still keep his hand in!!!

[afischer82]

I'll agree, I by no means meant to imply that Southwest is a mom and pop underdog.  They an amazing company, a major force in the airline industry, and a serious threat to the pricing structures and profitability of those airlines who have not yet figured out how to do things in an economical way.  Moreover, they benefit the public not only by offering good rates, but by forcing their competitors to do so as well.  I don't fly Southwest, because I personally don't care for their lack of assigned seating and typically rude flight attendants.  If they moved to assigned seating (which I hear they're looking at), I would consider using them again.  

I was actually already aware of the Wright amendment.  I was more indicating that I don't understand why Southwest hasn't abandoned its investment in Love Field and relocated to DFW.  I don't pretend to know everything about the circumstances surrounding the controversy, but I am aware of some of the issues at hand.  For instance, my brother and sister-in-law invested almost $300k in their first home in downtown Dallas (about a mile from Love Field) just before Missouri was added to the list of states acceptable to fly to from Love.  This addition (I'm told) roughly doubled the volume of flights coming in and out of Love, which means more and more big jets passing over expensive property at a low altitude.  Now, condos identical to his are selling for around $200k, and in my brother's words, "it just plain sucks" having jets pass over all the time.  He resolved that he can cope with the current level of noise, as well as the drop in property value, as long as the volume of flights doesn't increase.  If the Wright amendment is repealed, American Airlines will surely move into Love Field in full force the following day, dramatically increasing the volume of flights over downtown.

The bottom line, at least from my brother's angle, is that quality of life and property value in downtown Dallas shouldn't suffer because one airline is too stubborn to move to the airport that was intended for high volume passenger travel.  He believes it will kill atmosphere and desireability of the areas that are finally starting to thrive.  After all, DFW International just isn't that far away.  

Sorry for the political meandering.

[tommy.genes]

To continue the thread hijack...

Couldn't the City of Dallas decide to just close Love Field, or at least limit it to private and regional flights (say, RegioJet or similar and smaller planes)? If DFW can meet all of the region's high-volume air travel needs, why pay to maintain two such airports?

I'm curious to what extent airports are local ventures and to what extent they are regulated by the feds (e.g. FAA).

-- T. G. --

[afischer82]

I agree... it's especially strange that the whole scenario is part of a federal bill designed to deregulate the airline industry.  I could be wrong, but a quick Dunn and Bradstreet search seems to imply that Love Field is privately owned.  I think the whole thing started as trying to limit competition to the airlines and airport that Dallas so heavily invested in, but it's evolved into something completely different.  Looks to me like there's no room for Southwest in DFW, and no one wants to put up the cash to expand it.  Seems a little silly considering the revenues and jobs Southwest provides in this area. 

There's also the little issue of Love Field being Southwest's place of birth...

[StephenGiles]

It comes from a song written by a strange English country singer called Hank Wangford, who is a gynecologist as well - just part time these days so he can keep his hand in!!!

That was lost on y'all too!!!