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I think eBay is the killer. As an example, last year I was looking at DIY circuits to do head tracking for computer gaming.
I found a circuit that specified a specific make and model of infrared LED. Now you can imagin the hundreds of combinations of manufacturer, size and performance there are out there in the world.
Now imagine that Maplin, or any electronic retailer carriers the exact LED - practically zero.
Now in the old days, we would have looked at the LED, noted the emited light frequency, power etc. and selected an alternative that Maplin sell - and handed over £3.60 for a pair.
But these days, I just throw the model number into eBay and it finds the exact LEDs being sold by numerous sellers in China and what’s more I’ll get 20 of them for £1.50.
Cheers,
Nigel |
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