Who remembers RS Components ?

[rustic]

Formally Radio Spares, wow that's a long time ago.
I know Briggie will know them lol, well they used to supply the trade only, you hade to have an account, well yesterday I wanted to buy a mains filter, (IEC)
£10-£15 delivered from elsewhere, this was uner £5 from RS including free next day delivery, I bought it as a guest visitor.


Why did I have to buy this filter?
It's a replacement, it's fitted in line with an automatic outside light, to stop it operating every time a switch is operated in the house, or a spike on the mains.
The original was over 20 years old, plus a few more years in my tool box lol.
Well Monday night whilst relaxing, all sockets went off. I went into the garage, and there was this awfull acrid smell. The filter had failed, smell everywhere, it blew it's own 3A fuse, tripped a 16 A Mcb and tripped the main earth leakage breaker.
I had to find the fault, and cause before going to bed. After locating the fault, the smell lingered on me, in my hair, on my hands for two days.
I seached the internet, these mains filters, particularly those made by schaffner were prone to time failure, as two capacitors absorb moisture and short out big time. So that rules out buying a replacement off ebay, as people state new on many items, when they really mean... never been used, but could already be 10 years old.(tyres are often quoted as new, even though they have been a spare for 10 years or more) Infact RS were cheaper than any "New" ones on ebay, where you know they have a good turnover and kept in sealed bags.

So guys, for electronic components, tools, google RS components and have a look.
http://uk.rs-online.com/web/?cm_mmc=...FYTnGwoduiIImQ
Rustic

[zippy656]

Yep, I remember them


Got a catalogue from them. 1980 vintage some place

[Blocky10]

Here's a piece of RS equipment! Walked into my office this morning and found it just sitting there. Someone's having a sort out I reckon
20160721_074554.jpg

[Blocky10]

Along with this?
20160721_074614.jpg

[Banshee]

Yeah I have lots of RS Components stuff too, not long back we binned an RS Components briefcase from work that was full of old soldering stuff etc

[rustic]

Originally Posted by zippy656

Yep, I remember them


Got a catalogue from them. 1980 vintage some place

I remember the earlier catalogues, they had one with two staples through the spine. Over the years it got thicker, over an inch, then it went to two, then three.
Then it went to cd, but I still preferred the paper version, as you could flick the pages, not sure if they do catalogues or even cds now.

[rustic]

Originally Posted by Blocky10

Here's a piece of RS equipment! Walked into my office this morning and found it just sitting there. Someone's having a sort out I reckon
Attachment 7967

Oooooohhh a variac or variable ac transformer. Used for swinging the input voltage to equipment, over the voltage range +10 - 15%
You could also do brown out tests, where you drop the voltage low enough to cause the equipment to malfunction.
A simple piece of kit but very useful.
Rustic

[Banshee]

Originally Posted by rustic

Oooooohhh a variac or variable ac transformer. Used for swinging the input voltage to equipment, over the voltage range +10 - 15%
You could also do brown out tests, where you drop the voltage low enough to cause the equipment to malfunction.
A simple piece of kit but very useful.
Rustic

Didn't realise that was called a brown out test, is that an official term? Or just what you refer to it as?

[rustic]

Originally Posted by Banshee

Didn't realise that was called a brown out test, is that an official term? Or just what you refer to it as?

Yes that is right, the voltage drops, you may have noticed the odd Brown out fault at home, lights dim, but items with switch mode electronic power supplies can work below 100 volts will still appear to work.

It's motor driven equipment, like washing machines that don't like prolonged brownouts, as they can stall, and burn out.

A total cut in supply is called a black out. That's easy to remember.

Rustic

[jims-terrano]

Oh yes I remember RS and also Farnells too, think they're still around but owned by CPC.
My feelings too about most cheap Chinese gadgets from eBay. Thank goodness your house is well protected Rustic. Heard of a few fires lately with household appliances but despite my warnings the family would still happily go out and leave the washer or dishwasher on let alone all the wall warts.

Oh the acrid smell of hot plastic, once walked into my brothers house when I was a teenager and could smell it, he thought it was outside until we went down into his cellar and found the consumer unit rather warm. Forget what it turned out to be but as the house was rented a sparky was called out and fixed in good time.

All that test kit in the photos looks ace, would have cost a fortune in its day.

[Banshee]

Originally Posted by jims-terrano

Oh yes I remember RS and also Farnells too, think they're still around but owned by CPC.
My feelings too about most cheap Chinese gadgets from eBay. Thank goodness your house is well protected Rustic. Heard of a few fires lately with household appliances but despite my warnings the family would still happily go out and leave the washer or dishwasher on let alone all the wall warts.

Oh the acrid smell of hot plastic, once walked into my brothers house when I was a teenager and could smell it, he thought it was outside until we went down into his cellar and found the consumer unit rather warm. Forget what it turned out to be but as the house was rented a sparky was called out and fixed in good time.

All that test kit in the photos looks ace, would have cost a fortune in its day.

Yep, they just go by CPC now but did adopt the name CPC Farnell for a while too, I have an account with them we get stuff from them for work, mainly networking stuff, I've use them a few times for capacitors for TV's

Originally Posted by rustic

Yes that is right, the voltage drops, you may have noticed the odd Brown out fault at home, lights dim, but items with switch mode electronic power supplies can work below 100 volts will still appear to work.

It's motor driven equipment, like washing machines that don't like prolonged brownouts, as they can stall, and burn out.

A total cut in supply is called a black out. That's easy to remember.

Rustic

Every day is a school day

[jims-terrano]

Originally Posted by Banshee

Every day is a school day

it is for you n me for sure, well ok monday to friday

[terranosaurusdoug]

There is an RS components on geldard road opposite porsche garage Jim!

[jims-terrano]

Aye passed it Saturday on way to MachineMart

Known about the place for years but never been in tho, try and avoid Leeds if I can as I hate driving around Leeds.

[terranosaurusdoug]

Originally Posted by jims-terrano

Aye passed it Saturday on way to MachineMart

Known about the place for years but never been in tho, try and avoid Leeds if I can as I hate driving around Leeds.

yeh me too, i was only passing cos i was dropping the aston off for a service