shop – A Darker View

Transmissions

Transmissions — A pile of transmissions in the Transmission Technology shop in Hilo

One More RadioShack Closes

Our local Waimea RadioShack shop is closing.

RadioShack Pile — A pile of RadioShack components purchased at the local closing sale.

Our local RadioShack has survived several rounds of store closures as the chain has moved in and out of bankruptcy court. Time has finally run out for the store and it is liquidating the stock and will close by the end of the month.

I have commented on my view on RadioShack before. As an electronic hobbyist I have mixed feelings about RadioShack. In my younger years it was a decent place to buy electronic components. Some of the early computers I learned on were RadioShack products like the TRS-80 and Tandy 1000. I even worked as a RadioShack sales clerk one summer during high school.

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Hammered

Various types of hammers await use in the Keck machine shop

Tools Gallery

Rusted Hardware — The rusted hardware removed from a 20″ Obsession telescope

Loose Screws — Bins full of stainless steel machine screws in the supply room

Keys — A collection of keys

Drills — A pile of power drills await use on a shelf in the supply room

Fabrication — Tools and drawing lay on the table in the welding shop

A Scatter of Tools — A scatter of tools just outside the hatch, working on one of the large shutter drive motors atop the Keck 1 dome

Do Not Operate — An electrician’s tool bag, complete with lockout tag

Waiting for a New Heel — A local camposino waits for some new heels on his boots

Sockets — A drawer full of sockets in a summit toolbox

Spooled — Spools of wire await use in the electronics shop

Crimping Tools — A drawer full of specialized crimping tools await use

Cobbler — Old boots and an older sewing machine in a cobbler’s shop

Scattered Tools — A scatter of tools at CSO

Tools of the Trade — Tools racked for use at the Kua’āina Saddlery, Waimea

Please Remember to Return Tools — The Nasmyth Deck tool set in the Keck 2 dome

Machining the Mirror Cell — Machining the mirror cell from a piece of scuba tank

Tools at the Ready — Tools and parts ready for use in the workshop at Lagoon Cove, British Columbia

Circuit Board — A circuit board with surface mount components

Clamps — Clamping the rocker box of a 20″ Obsession