I visited Singapore again recently and took a few pics of the electronics scene over there. Click on any of the pics for a large version.
One main difference from what I'm used to is that many of the electronics stores are concentrated in the same building. Shit, I used to bike all over the Bay Area to visit my favorite shops - Singapore would have saved me a lot of time when I was younger.
Here's Sim Lim Tower where you can get the more common components:
Inside are about four or five levels, including the basement, of electronics - from components, PA equipment, cable, amateur radio equipment, tools, test equipment etc. One thing that seems odd at first is that no matter what you're shopping for in Singapore the smell of food is usually in the air.
Here's an view of the inside of a typical electronics shop in Sim Lim Tower:
A DIYer in Singapore told me about two other places that I wasn't aware of before. One is Martin Electronics in Burlington Square not far from Sim Lim Tower and closer to the computer centre Sim Lim Square.
Though the sign said they should have been open, Martin was closed the day I went there. I took a few bad pictures through the window though of some of their items on display. They had a selection of Hammond transformers with a small furry animal:
...and some Lundahls:
...along with some Japanese tube amps wrapped in plastic
...and also an old Dynakit:
They also had a sign that they do speaker repair. Looks like they mostly cater to the audiophile set.
The other shop I was told about was Koba Electronics located in People's Park Centre on Upper Cross Street in Chinatown. I hadn't explored Chinatown much in my earlier visits; is it just me or does it seems odd that a country with 75% Chinese would have a Chinatown? Fortunately, my wife was very familiar with that part of town and we had some great food and a lot of fun exploring that area. But it was a Sunday and sadly Koba was closed as well.
I understand they have a good selection of Elna caps and precision resistors. Oh well, there's always the food court in the basement:
I'm sure there's an electronics district in Kuala Lumpur as well, but didn't have time to research it before going. Anyone know?
One main difference from what I'm used to is that many of the electronics stores are concentrated in the same building. Shit, I used to bike all over the Bay Area to visit my favorite shops - Singapore would have saved me a lot of time when I was younger.
Here's Sim Lim Tower where you can get the more common components:
Inside are about four or five levels, including the basement, of electronics - from components, PA equipment, cable, amateur radio equipment, tools, test equipment etc. One thing that seems odd at first is that no matter what you're shopping for in Singapore the smell of food is usually in the air.
Here's an view of the inside of a typical electronics shop in Sim Lim Tower:
A DIYer in Singapore told me about two other places that I wasn't aware of before. One is Martin Electronics in Burlington Square not far from Sim Lim Tower and closer to the computer centre Sim Lim Square.
Though the sign said they should have been open, Martin was closed the day I went there. I took a few bad pictures through the window though of some of their items on display. They had a selection of Hammond transformers with a small furry animal:
...and some Lundahls:
...along with some Japanese tube amps wrapped in plastic
...and also an old Dynakit:
They also had a sign that they do speaker repair. Looks like they mostly cater to the audiophile set.
The other shop I was told about was Koba Electronics located in People's Park Centre on Upper Cross Street in Chinatown. I hadn't explored Chinatown much in my earlier visits; is it just me or does it seems odd that a country with 75% Chinese would have a Chinatown? Fortunately, my wife was very familiar with that part of town and we had some great food and a lot of fun exploring that area. But it was a Sunday and sadly Koba was closed as well.
I understand they have a good selection of Elna caps and precision resistors. Oh well, there's always the food court in the basement:
I'm sure there's an electronics district in Kuala Lumpur as well, but didn't have time to research it before going. Anyone know?
