Boy, do I miss those catalogs, and that's not just the nostalgia talking. Flipping through the parts, tools, and accessories is perfect project idea fuel, and if you've hit a frequent/current snag working on something, the color photos and well-written descriptions may present the perfect tool or component for solving the problem.
Sure, the Internet made access to any part you needed at prices that still make RS look like highway robbery (even after 30 years of inflation!), but there's something to be said for a curated list of the most common items a tech-geek would need, in a store where you could have the item in your hand in a hour.
I can't put my finger on it, but there was something more accessible when you had a physical catalog in your hand. I am not knocking modern online catalogs, which are great when you know what you want. Take Digikey, for example, often I don't know exactly what I want, but only roughly. It was so quick to just flip through the pages in the correct section of the catalog and zero in on it. The search features we have on Digikey's website today are excellent, but I can't help but feel they are still a little slow in many circumstances. Maybe it is just my age. EDIT grammar and a missing phrase.
I echo this experience. Also, thumbing through the catalog, you built a mental library of parts, so you could visualize an idea for a circuit or gadget. Same with "reading" the IC databooks.
A drawback was that the Radio Shack catalog was curated, and therefore, outdated. That's where Digi-Key and others (RS Electronics, McMaster-Carr) were eye-opening.
> Also, thumbing through the catalog, you built a mental library of parts, so you could visualize an idea for a circuit or gadget.
I can completely relate to this. Even decades later, I can remember seeing a particular part in the catalog, and even roughly what section it was in. But I don't know how to search for it using the online tools.
I often start with plain old Google, and I might try an AI chatbot these days. You need something to grab onto, and the electronics-specific tools won't tell you unless you already know. Google often provides a decent search into Mouser or Digi-Key if you include those names in the search phrase. Once you find a "close" part, then you can see what category the supplier has put it into, and then you've probably cracked it.
Oddly enough, this week I found a part I was looking for at the WalMart website, and it had a picture with a part number, which enabled me to find it at the more mainstream suppliers.
Sure, the Internet made access to any part you needed at prices that still make RS look like highway robbery (even after 30 years of inflation!), but there's something to be said for a curated list of the most common items a tech-geek would need, in a store where you could have the item in your hand in a hour.