Jump to content
IGNORED

1985 ?"RadioShack PLUS COMPUTER CENTER":GOTO 1985


Mr SQL

Recommended Posts

I loved how RS bought all kinds of technology home to the average consumer and beginning hobbyist. I would not know as much as I do about electronics if RS wasn't around.

 

The kits, the discrete parts, the Forrest M. Mims books, the tools and supplies.. All of it. Ready-made products and phone and tv accessories. Great stuff easily accessible to kids, hobbyists, parents, and everyone.

 

Those old Forrest M. Mims books, especially the "Getting Started in Electronics" are on my bookshelf today and my iPad in pdf.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 hours ago, Keatah said:

I loved how RS bought all kinds of technology home to the average consumer and beginning hobbyist. I would not know as much as I do about electronics if RS wasn't around.

 

The kits, the discrete parts, the Forrest M. Mims books, the tools and supplies.. All of it. Ready-made products and phone and tv accessories. Great stuff easily accessible to kids, hobbyists, parents, and everyone.

 

Those old Forrest M. Mims books, especially the "Getting Started in Electronics" are on my bookshelf today and my iPad in pdf.

Very cool! I loved the Electronics kits, the building block components that locked together like Lego blocks with spring loaded contact connections were over the top. Learning about Diodes, Triode tubes and Transistors at the building block level and creating your own circuits was inspiring in a very similar way as learning to program with programming languages was later on.

 

I think Radio Shack inspired new inventions and technology innovations from bright minds; I bet it inspired the Outer Limits or Twilight Zone episode where a special Radio Shack catalog edition is received with parts to build a Sci-Fi machine.

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The spring-loaded project kits were like kid versions, big and colorful versions, of modern FPGAs. You had this big rectangular parts box (with parts in fixed locations) that you could wire up in hundreds of ways. Thousands of ways. All according to a node-list in the included instruction manual. A manual that taught you something technical in plain english mostly. No need to learn Verilog or VHDL. woot..

 

Especially neat was the 1" integrated circuit (that white ceramic one with a kilometer-thick layer of conformal coating!) where you could see the actual insides. Technically was a hybrid circuit. But to a kid it really was a real I.C.

 

You were buying more than just a box of parts!

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 11/21/2020 at 4:59 AM, Mr SQL said:

Radio Shack at it's height...

this colorful catalog walkthrough from Mr Science captures the tremendous fun the and variety of inspiring technology available at these learning centers for anyone who missed them bitd, and for anyone who remembers! :)

 

Very cool.  I will have to check this out soon.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...