it's a sad day in manchester, ct , indeed....

[pinkjimiphoton]

radio shack no longer carries or stocks transistors in my local store. all that's left is a few chips and every goddang kinda led you can imagine.
but no more ubiquitous multipacks of 3904's and stuff...

it's a sad @#$%ing day in america.   

[bluebunny]

[duck_arse]

you better get in there and ask them what they did with the stock that came off the shelves, you never know.

[garcho]

@Jimi, at least they didn't replace them with SMT just to rub it in your face, ha! Keep the USPS in business and order through the mail. You can get 1000 2N3904s on e(vil)Bay for 30 dollars. 30 bucks gets you what, a couple dozen transistors at RS? Just sayin', no more running out last minute.

@Duck Arse, thank god you changed your avatar, ay caramba!

[joegagan]

i don't know if i can muster the energy to devote any sadness to this. simple supply and demand.
the internet has sucked up 98% of the remaining customers that would buy transistors at RS. the upside of internet availability outweighs the resulting crush of walk-in transistor store transistor business by 1000%.

of course i have used pnps and npns from the RS multipacks over the years, it was fun. but in terms of importance in my life, this ranks down around priority number 4,378.

still, a historic move any way you look at it.

[armdnrdy]

The 15 pack is still sold in all of the Radio Shacks within 5 miles of my location.

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062586

Have you considered moving to civilization? 

[Mark Hammer]

Well, Jim, it gets worse.  Our local Active/Future Electronics is not distracted by selling TVs, phones, or mobile devices, and they too are abandoning components.  On the bright side,, I was greeted by an aisle of Arduino, Beaglebone, RSpberry Pi and Spark fun shields and modules when I went in yesterday, so hobby electronics is notQUITE dead.

[alanp]

Dick Smith moved out of the components business years ago, here (no more resistors or other small parts), deciding to focus on computers, cellphones, that kind of thing. I'm absolutely not surprised that they are now having even more trouble than before, trying to compete with Harvey Norman and Noel Leemings.

[pakrat]

I thought part of the RS "resurrection" plan was to focus more on DIY again.... I guess that was short lived. I'm with ya Jimi, it truly is a sad day 

[analogguru]

Here is your chance in the world of today:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/100-pcs-2N3904-MOTOROLA-TO-92-NPN-GENERAL-PURPOSE-TRANSISTORS-FREE-SHIPPING-/121087246590?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c315cc0fe#ht_1318wt_795

[toneman]

Sooo many other places, Jimi.

digikey, mouser, smallbear, arrow, future, Allied.

just have to wait a few days....

T

[pinkjimiphoton]

i just found it sad... i often pop in, grab a bag here or there for just general purpose crap.

sometimes it was nice to roll a 1/4 mile down the street to grab some if i needed for a quick last minute fix or something.

i have thousands of 'em already, so no worries, but i just hate to see this happen.

its the end of an era, my brothers..

they said anything they don't sell x number of per month is discontinued. that and fairchild no longer producing thru-holes is gonna make stuff get weird for us in the future.

i know in the grande scheme, big deal.... but it's one more piece of america sliding down the pipes, soon to be gone forever. that really bothers the more conservative side of my brain.

[garcho]

one more piece of america sliding down the pipes

Seriously, because your hometown RS, which coincidentally was determined by Business Week to be the second worse company to work for, doesn't stock Chinese transistors anymore?

Also, if it's a piece that can "slide down the tubes", do you really want to keep it?

[pinkjimiphoton]

kinda sick of watching america degenerate gary. this is just "another brick in the wall". 

[J0K3RX]

kinda sick of watching america degenerate gary. this is just "another brick in the wall". 

I agree but transistors are the last on my "things to worry about" list... an old man once said worrying is like rocking in a rocking chair, it keeps you busy but doesn't get you anywhere...

learn to adapt, that will most likely be one of your most useful tools in the near future...

[pakrat]

I agree with Gary and Jim in that it's not such a big deal because we get most orders online. But I also agree with Jimi that I don't really like the idea of RS being "gone". It's been around as long as I'm alive, along with Sears and other major chains going out. It's just sad to see it go. R.I.P. RS.... sniffle....

[garcho]

kinda sick of watching america degenerate gary.

Just sayin' RS not selling transistors anymore doesn't mean zombies are coming fer yer brains, that's all. On a positive note, weed was legalized in Washington and Colorado. Yeah, drones are everywhere, habeas corpus has been forgotten, and American students owe over a trillion dollars in student loans, but hey, ups and Jimi, ups and downs!  

[pinkjimiphoton]

lol....dudes... DUDES... i am not like all bummed out or anything, i've kinda expected it... just kinda reporting on it happening.
it's a drag only in that a lot of newbs like me had literally no idea where to get crap to blow things up with, and now it's become a dinosaur.
yes, it's a bummer.... but it's just the way the new world seems to unfold. transistors have gone the way of thermionic tubes. obsoleter than a colecovision.

rock on



jest reportin a little history.... peace out

[J0K3RX]

lol....dudes... DUDES... i am not like all bummed out or anything, i've kinda expected it... just kinda reporting on it happening.
it's a drag only in that a lot of newbs like me had literally no idea where to get crap to blow things up with, and now it's become a dinosaur.
yes, it's a bummer.... but it's just the way the new world seems to unfold. transistors have gone the way of thermionic tubes. obsoleter than a colecovision.

rock on



jest reportin a little history.... peace out

Stop toying with our emotions...  You know, we are unstable enough and you might send one of us over the edge with your shenanigans

[pinkjimiphoton]

ha, jim gets me. 

you guys have an awesome day. i gotta go play a 10 band benefit. sadly i gotta play with 5 of 'em, so hippy is gonna be incommunicado for a few days drinking %^&*tails and trying to learn to walk again. lol...

wish me luck, hoping to raise a couple g for the afflicted today. rock on.

and support your local rat shack. build a fuzz




while you can.