933
It's about time somebody invented Amish 2 (lemmy.world)
submitted 1 week ago by to c/funny@lemmy.world
154 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] 127 points 1 week ago (11 children)

They closed radio shack cuz they didnt want us building our own open tech. You can't change my mind

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • hideshow 11 child comments
    •
  • [–] 77 points 1 week ago (5 children)

    As a kid I remember wishing radio shack was a more general consumers electronics store. As an adult I really wish I had easy access to the stuff they sold, like I've had a lot of projects that need a random transistor or whatever.

    I was too young to appreciate them for what they were and they went out of business before I could.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 5 child comments
    •
  • [–] 26 points 1 week ago (1 child)

    If you dig around, you can find value kits with a few of of each major transistor, cap, resistor, diode, LED, and logic IC's.

    Radio Shack didn't really have the breadth of stock you'd want, you were just hoping you could get by.

    Buying a kit every time you need a compoenent, you end up with your own stock super easy.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
    •
  • [–] 4 points 1 week ago

    Yeah, Radio Shack really screwed the pooch by not branching out into the online system earlier.

    If they had set it up so that you could order whatever parts you needed online and then have it shipped to your local store and ready for pickup for you, they'd probably be tech Amazon right now.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 3 points 1 week ago (1 child)

    We have one open still near me and it's incredible for hobby electronics, they have basically any small part you could ever want. Dunno how it still exists, but I'm glad it does.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
    •
  • [–] 5 points 1 week ago

    I have one still in my town as well. Sure they charge $3 for a single 555 chip and I can get a pack of 100 of them for $8 online, but if I'm in a bind and need it today, as long as it's before they close at 6pm I can hit up the RadioShack (they're phasing out the RadioShack branding but still) and probably get what I need

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 34 points 1 week ago (3 children)

    Speaking as ex rat shacker, components and kits were already trending down as consumer electronics became more difficult or impossible to repair. Then they ultimately folded after incompetent leadership bet the farm on cell phones sales exactly while iPhones were still AT&T/Apple store exclusive.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 3 child comments
    •
  • [–] 17 points 1 week ago (2 children)

    I was working there during that time and it was awful. No one with any interest in electronics ever came in. Just the thirteenth person of the day asking for an HDMI cable for their phone which like 3 phones supported at the time. Why did everyone want that feature? I’ve never met a person who actually used that setup.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
    •
  • [–] 17 points 1 week ago*

    That was me. I remember asking about phone HDMI cables in a RadioShack as a teen.

    I wanted to Bluetooth a controller to my phone and plug my phone into my tv and play some emulators.

    I never did manage to do either with my phone back then. I can do it now, but I never play games on my phone lol.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 4 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

    Lol I just remember trying to sling the Samsung Instinct, was laggy and pretty awful to use, but the best we had comparable to the "buttery smooth" iphone. Those were tough days.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent