Maplin

[Brian Sweeting 2Participant @briansweeting2]

Maplins have now 'collapsed' according to todays news, sad but not unexpected by the thoughts on here.

[SamsarandaParticipant @samsaranda]

According to today’s newspapers Maplins is apparently owed by Edinburgh Wool Shop, who also own Peacocks, can’t see the business relevance with clothes retailers and Maplins in the same group, hardly related to each other, perhaps that indicates why the business plan of Maplins is in tatters.

Dave W

[David Standing 1Participant @davidstanding1]

Posted by Geoff Theasby on 28/02/2018 17:35:58:

DS1, I can not let this pass. Electronic modules and components, cheap or not, were just not available to the hobbyist until recent years. Just as we can obtain any 'in print' book from Amazon, whereas it took weeks from a bookshop, and we couldn't search their stocks without being in the trade, we are now becoming aware of electronics that were just not available, or didn't exist. Add to that the fragmentation of the hobbyist market into radio amateurs, robotics, drones, makers, micro computers, hi-fi, gadgets etc. In recent months, I have built power meters, transmitters, frequency counters, accurate, drift-free oscillators, motor speed controls, waveform generators, all for under £10 each. I have on order a multiband radio transceiver with lots of facilities, for £80. It needs a case preparing, sockets etc. fitting, but a similar plug&go product ready-built will be £several hundred.

Geoff

Re 'DS1', I presume that is directed at me?

You don't make your point clear at all.

If it is that you can make something for £80 that might have cost £hundreds, I daresay you are right.

Fine, but what about the hidden cost? You rarely get something for nothing in this world.

[martin perman 1Participant @martinperman1]

Rutland partners own Maplins, Edinburgh wool shop were possible buyers.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by V8Eng on 28/02/2018 17:16:16:

Posted by V8Eng on 28/02/2018 15:08:28:

I reckon people will find that Maplin’s is owned by Rutland Partners not Pizza Hut, although (I think) Pizza Hut UK Restaurants are also owned by Rutland Partners (look them up, perhaps for some surprises).

Edited By V8Eng on 28/02/2018 15:20:39

I have to correct my above post:-

Rutland Partners do not own Maplin, humble apologies to all from me for this error.😢 Can I ask the Moderators to kindly remove both of these posts? Thank you.

Edited By V8Eng on 28/02/2018 17:43:36

You've corrected the error.

Not sure what RP can do about their unrealised £65M investment in Maplin… ouch.

Neil

[Nicholas FarrParticipant @nicholasfarr14254]

Hi, I first became aware of Maplins, back in the early seventies when I started to build my Disco gear. I remember ordering a catalogue which was free and you were able to get £1.00 worth of goods using vouchers that were in the catalogue when you ordered your goods. It was called Maplin Electronic Supplies then and had a P.O. box number in Rayleigh, Essex. I found an advert for them In Practical Wireless, which I used to buy each month, take a look at the bottom left of page 66 in the May 1973 issue in this **LINK** all done by looking for adverts and posting an order and getting them up to a week later. Cricklewood Electronics were another good source of components, and many of the non preferable types were available from them, which many others didn't have and they are still trading from the same shop as they did then with much the same core products **LINK**

Regards Nick.

[Grindstone CowboyParticipant @grindstonecowboy]

Thanks Nick, for the heads-up about Cricklewood Electronics – didn't realise they were still going. Prompted by this revelation, a quick search shows me that another old favourite, J. Bull Electrical, is also still trading, albeit with a slightly different product line-up **LINK**

[Geoff TheasbyParticipant @geofftheasby]

Hi David,

In fact the £80 transceiver is from India, but the same principle applies. Due to modern components, a barebones, pcb only device can be built on a single circuit board, and the 'bells and whistles' provided in software. Auto keyers, recorded announcements, aerial tuners, PA protection, even automatic CW sending (via a keyboard) and reception, waterfall displays, spectrum analysis are all possible for not much extra cost. My point is that these were never available in Maplins, nor almost anywhere else, until the internet made it easy to see what was offered, even to the small, hobbyist market.

Geoff

[Geoff TheasbyParticipant @geofftheasby]

As for getting something for nothing, the pcb is assembled by machinery, the box can be anything you like, sockets to your taste, left handed front panel, your choice of colour. You provide the power supply. Rather than a neat, sculptured, identikit piece of equipment, you have a personalised item. The £10 kits or modules can be left as pcbs as they are used only infrequently. OK, I am supporting a repressive, communist state. Where were the Maplin equivalents?

Geoff

[Bob DringParticipant @bobdring71940]

The Maplins problem is essentially just a result of the changing times. When they began they probably put others out of business with their mail order catalog sales and now it is their turn.

In Australia we had Dick smith and Tandy who both tried to curry favor with the general consumer at the expense of the electronic parts buyer and they are now both history. They probably would have failed even if they hadn't switched.because they had no really unique products that couldn't be bought elsewhere to bring in customers.

Theoretically the likes of Maplin should buy UK manufactured items and sell them, but in reality they bought the same Chinese stuff you and I get today online, but in bulk and then marked it up greatly. The warranty and spare parts became a joke and are similar to China anyway (nonexistant).

I can remember when getting databooks was only for the IC vendors big customers but now I can get the data and order the part instantly. and I really like that.

Bob

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

My TDA2030A board from ~40 years ago is about 3" square. The modern version, with through hole components, same values is 1 1/4" by 3/4" for exactly the same circuit (except two long known to be unnecessary diodes left out).

There's no new technology involved but seeing the two side by side tells a story of itself.

Neil

[RobinParticipant @robin]

[rant]

The problem with China is they keep changing the spec, anything to save a penny. The times I have had to take 1000 pcs apart, replace some component then reassemble gives me pause. They assemble electronics with little regard as to whether it works or not. Often all it needs is 60 seconds in a fresh flux wash tank to make it burst in to life.

If someone turns up the torque on a screwdriver they don't notice, I notice and they send me 1000 replacement parts with apologies, God how they can send parts. I want to go back to making things in England, I want to check components before assembly, not when it's all too late. I want my plastic components moulded from virgin ABS, I don't want brittle regrind on it's 10th pass through the plasticiser. They have no trouble using virgin ABS but you have to ask. Unfortunately they only remember up to the moment they change supplier. God how they change supplier.

I test everything, I calibrate, I reject, I replace. They want to make commodities where they assemble parts then sell them on at a profit. They have yet to realise that quality control is more than a sticker. [/rant]

I feel better for that

[Barnaby WildeParticipant @barnabywilde70941]

You can define what Maplins business model should've been in anyway you like, fact is none of those models have a hope in hell of working within Maplins physical & financial structure.

They are/were a classic example of the type of business model they used coming to its natural maturity. It could only ever end in collapse . . . & they knew this, they aren't stupid.

If you think I'm wrong, consider the recent news surrounding Carpetright.

Nobody I know has ever purchased their carpets online. Whilst the market is heavily linked to first time buyers (which can be accurately predicted) there is still a known UK market for carpet sales, yet this business is in the early stages of failing.

How come? How can a business with such heavy borrowings be allowed to fail both by its own management & its creditors?

Because its ultimate failure is a known result & a part of its business model.

[John HaineParticipant @johnhaine32865]

Maplins are just suffering the same fate as nearly befell bookshops and is affecting every retailer – with the Internet for ordering and a sophisticated distribution system (which you need for retail anyway) plus local delivery, there is no point in having a store any more. Surprising they lasted as long as they did really.

It's a shame that a quick though limited source of components is vanishing, but again the Internet has made it possible and profitable for the likes of RS and Farnell to supply to anyone with a card or PayPal, not to mention a host of more specialised sellers for things like robotic parts. But with home construction always being a minority sport they had to move to gadgets, but again there's no margin there compared to Amazon, eBay, or Curries PC World.

When it comes to more specialised hobby electronics like the transceiver mentioned above, them semi-custom items are never going to have the volume and margin to support a retail store chain, when you can use the Internet/PayPal infrastructure to order from anywhere. Four other aspects have enabled things like this – the fact that given a suitable processor you can do practically anything in software such as the necessary radio processing; cheap radio ICs driven by the communications industry for the front end; open source software; and online PCB design and manufacture. This means that a bright engineer in Bangalore can design a radio front-end based around IC manufacturer's reference designs; put together an SDR software package from open source; design the PCBs using powerful and free tools such as DesignSpark; get the prototype PCBs made in a week in China; and once the system is debugged (or quite possibly before!) be selling it on eBay.

There's no way that a private-equity owned over-leveraged profit-focused retail chain based in the UK is going to be able to participate in that, alas.

[Mike PooleParticipant @mikepoole82104]

The often stunning service of online retailers means that I can order stuff and have it delivered before I would get around to visiting a shop. People often mourn the demise of the high street but if you use it you won't lose it. We were lucky enough to have a bakery in our village and it was well used and a viable business but when the baker retired he could not find anyone to continue the business. We still have a milkman which we pay dear to use but the convenience is worth it to us but he now covers a huge area and doesn't do many deliveries down my street. I like a pint but it has to be down the pub as I regard drinking at home is for alcoholics and people without friends, we still have three pubs in our village so even though most people rarely use the pubs there are just about enough to keep them going. Shops and businesses need to provide something that people actually want not what they think we want, I went in Maplin to get a project box which I had bought before but they had done their home automation makeover, I thought I was in the wrong shop and left empty handed, I ordered one on eBay that arrived a couple of days later. My wife will go shopping for pleasure but this is beyond my comprehension, I go with a purpose and once that is satisfied I go home. I am sure that Amazon Prime has repaid its cost over and over. Oxford do not want you to shop there and do their very best to discourage you with swingeing car parking costs, they must have shares in Amazon. Does anyone actually want to go shopping in this weather now it is so cold even girls in Newcastle have been seen wearing a coat.

Mike

[Geoff TheasbyParticipant @geofftheasby]

Yes John.

Another thing, I worked in satellite communications for 15 years, and we began by using discrete logic ICs, and linear RF components. Within 5 years we were having the pcbs machine assembled with vital components only inserted by hand. Every one worked on being powered up, so very little remedial work was required. Include software driven menus, premade cables and ever reducing power needs, they got so small they only occupied half of a standard 1U chassis.

Geoff

[Mike PooleParticipant @mikepoole82104]

I remember when we had a Racal 56kb modem that came in a 4U rack mounting enclosure, the last 56kb modem I used was in a PCMCIA card and also had an Ethernet interface, that was over 20 years ago! It seems electronics gets smaller but cars get bigger.

Mike

[CirclipParticipant @circlip]

And as cars get bigger, drivers brains get smaller.

Regards Ian.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by Rob Rimmer on 28/02/2018 20:33:33:

Thanks Nick, for the heads-up about Cricklewood Electronics – didn't realise they were still going. Prompted by this revelation, a quick search shows me that another old favourite, J. Bull Electrical, is also still trading, albeit with a slightly different product line-up **LINK**

Free spud gun with all orders…

[John HaineParticipant @johnhaine32865]

Maplin's problems summarised with 2 links:

**LINK**

**LINK**

Glad someone pointed out Cricklewood – will give them a go.

[Brian GParticipant @briang]

Hi John

The Maplin link is for a genuine Arduino, available from the Arduino Foundation for EUR20 whilst the other is a clone. (Incidentally a pack of 3 Elegoo branded Nano clones can be bought for £8.99 from Amazon with free shipping or next day with prime).

Brian

Edit:  EUR20 + VAT, which means Maplin were cheaper than the price direct from the Arduino Foundation or from CPC (or would have been if any of them actually had Arduino Nanos in stock.)

B

 

Edited By Brian G on 01/03/2018 15:53:13

[duncan webster 1Participant @duncanwebster1]

Less than £3 each, UK supplier, probably clones

**LINK**

or less than £2 each from Hong Kong

**LINK**

[John HaineParticipant @johnhaine32865]

Same chip.

[Wayne WardParticipant @wayneward51978]

For those of you near Derby, try RF Potts at the top of Babington Lane. They don’t have a website, but they do have a shop with real people (probably proper geeks). They do have a Facebook page, of you indulge in that sorry of thing: https://m.facebook.com/RFPottsDerby/?locale2=en_GB

[Barnaby WildeParticipant @barnabywilde70941]

Posted by Wayne Ward on 01/03/2018 19:48:14:
For those of you near Derby, try RF Potts at the top of Babington Lane. They don't have a website, but they do have a shop with real people (probably proper geeks). They do have a Facebook page, of you indulge in that sorry of thing: https://m.facebook.com/RFPottsDerby/?locale2=en_GB

I've always seen lektricity as something close to witchcraft, but I was hoping that someone would mention Potts.

Proper shop, what most of you thought Maplin should be

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.918578,-1.4773148,3a,75y,85.26h,78.9t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sAF1QipOyKqw7fSvNGW6BOTWxOussQxIcAukP8m3cnYCg!2e10!3e11!7i10528!8i5264

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