obakesan wrote:If you ever get to Australia pop into Jaycar or DSE or Tandy ... we have them in most towns (over 40,000 population), certainly in cities. Mail order seems to make things more difficult, as does phone calls to shops where noone speaks english (I really do need to improve my suomi, but its only been a year).
Yep, I’m aware that some countries have well-known retail chain networks catering for electronics hobbyists. Finland doesn’t, unfortunately. The above-mentioned companies – some of which may only operate from a single location – are pretty much all there is. (
Computer stores are all around – as you can see from those price comparison sites – but they don’t deal with electronics components or related tools and supplies... and to tell you the truth, many of those supposedly “independent” computer parts retailers are just fronts for
GNT Finland Oy.)
You might also want to visit a
Clas Ohlson store. They’re a hobbyist shop that deals with a pretty wide range of things – everything from power tools to oil-painting accessories to computer parts, with (some) electronics components included – although when it comes to the latter category, their product selection is nowhere near as extensive as that of a “real” electronics store. In any case, you can source some basic components (LEDs, resistors, fans, etc.) from them.
obakesan wrote:I am wanting to browse and sus out things rather than only a specific order (though the fan is one).
In that case, your only option is planning your purchases ahead and doing your business while visiting a bigger city... (which might not actually help much for that “browsing” part, since many/most/all of the actual electronics stores I’ve visited have kept most of their products stored away in the area behind the counter.)
Edit: As for that “over 40,000 population” thing,
here’s the horrible truth. :)
). The biggest towns have the largest female populations but the statistics are reversed in the small communities. Of course these gender imbalances are not unique to Finland.
