Chief Delphi - Big VEX sale at RadioShack

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Re: Big VEX sale at RadioShack

yeah you can fix that by buying male to male connectors.

Re: Big VEX sale at RadioShack

The VEX offerings here in Philly seemed picked over, with only a few additons still in stock and only one starter kit after I visited two stores.

Unfortuantly, I'm poor so I couldn't buy one. *sigh*

Re: Big VEX sale at RadioShack

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stuart

yeah you can fix that by buying male to male connectors.

Male to male connectors? Where can you buy them? I have one of the 2001 IFI systems I wanted to use with the VEX stuff instead of that one in the starter kit.

Re: Big VEX sale at RadioShack

It looks like the sale is only in the US stores. I called two radioshacks here and they both say its selling at $360 CDN. So which teams are coming to the Toronto or Waterloo regionals :P

Re: Big VEX sale at RadioShack

Radio Shack was the first store to sell personal computers in late 1970s. In late 1980s, they discontinued their line of personal computers and started selling IBM computers for a few years then Compaq computers. I know that during Christmas shopping season, there are piles of stuff blocking paths for some disabled people. Did Radio Shack get into trouble for blocking paths for some disabled people?

Re: Big VEX sale at RadioShack

Yep. Parental unit headed over to our local Radio Shack and purchased the last two. One for my family, and one for the team.

Re: Big VEX sale at RadioShack

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tom Bottiglieri

I just got the starter kit, programming module, and 2 sets of omni wheels.

My initial impression: the IFI engineers made it really hard for FIRST people to use vex. They swapped all the connectors on the vex controller from male to female and vice versa, so that nothing from FRC KOP lines up. Now I have to go buy 14 AA batteries :(

The battery that Radio Shack sells for the vex competition is pretty much a standard design that you can get anywhere. You wonder how do I know this?? Well, I've bought about five sets of batteries from toys r us that are probably the same batteries even down to the connector.

Quote:

I think that Radio Shack isn't doing well and plans to close some stores. Is Radio Shack planning to drop VEX Robotics product line? Both Radio Shack and Vexlabs still have some items out of stock. Does the company that makes VEX Robotics run into problems?

It's probably just a random sale. I just remembered that I almost bought a BOE-Bot after realizing how heavily discounted it was. The Basic Stamp kit next to it was not on sale though so who knows..

Quote:

RS may have decided that VEX is not a mass-market product, but is still worth handling in a limited way. You might only find it on their Website, or in the largest stores, but not everywhere. If RS is planning to make money on VEX, I wouldn't care much for this possibility. If they can't sell 20,000 kits a year (as a guess), the product probably doesn't have a future with RadioShack. If they view it in part as a promotional item, they might still carry it.

Supposedly, it was going to be one of their top five money makers of the 2005 holiday season. What a scary concept. Hey if you guys really want to find out call the 1-866-vex-robotics. Im not joking vex really does have a hotline.

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Our school got a few VEX kits, so we went to RS shopping for parts...they did seem about twice as expensive as they should be! so the 50% off sale puts the price about where it should have been in the first place (if they had actually wanted the product to sell)

No. They are actually the cheapest products out there if not slightly more expensive.. Just because they seem expensive does not mean that they are not comparatively cheap.

Quote:

I agree. I bought a Vex Ultrasonic Range Finder from Radio Shack and the manager was shocked I wanted one. He had moved all of the Vex stuff to the storage room. He said no one showed interest and he never sold any Vex products.

What? Is this the one of Massachusetts avenue? They told me they ran out of room.

Re: Big VEX sale at RadioShack

AAGHAGHA. I WANT ONE SOOOOO BADLY. Anyone have an old one theyd be willing to sell?

Re: Big VEX sale at RadioShack

I don't know why the sale is going on, BUT...

It is good for me. Before, my parents wouldn't allow me to buy even the starter kit :(... Now they let me buy it, and I have the programming kit and the optical shaft encoders and I'm going back to get omni wheels and maybe some other stuff.

I almost didn't buy all of it in after I went in the store because the guy at the desk said that the starter kit wasn't marked down... then a lady came and told him he was wrong and asked why he hadn't put the sign up for it... and then he decided he had lost it...

I'm going to get the power pack too - to bad that isn't half off... I think it will be worth it in the long run though.

Re: Big VEX sale at RadioShack

man radio shack isnt going to know whats going on by the end of this week

Re: Big VEX sale at RadioShack

I was wondering... While there is a sale, what do people suggest to buy :confused: ? Just trying to decide - I don't have enough money to buy everything :(...

Re: Big VEX sale at RadioShack

The starter set (obviously), then I'd suggest at least one more motor. Bonus points for two more motors, or perhaps a servo instead of a second one if your style of robot building leans that way. I'd also recommend a wheel set, just to let you get a full set of four bigger wheels that won't sit funky. And after seeing FVC 171 and FVC 4 in action at FVC Orangeburg, most forms of material handling just beg for the tank tread kit.

Re: Big VEX sale at RadioShack

Also as stated above what else shall i venture into? Do i need that programming kit?

Re: Big VEX sale at RadioShack

I bought out most of everything at one radio shack and most of the sensors at another ;)

Re: Big VEX sale at RadioShack

Don't forget the programing kit. With out it the VEX is a square bot RC. Also the Easy-C in the box is marginal. It's 50$ for the upgrade EASY-C. Skip the sonar sensor and go for a 60" range Sharp IR sensor- 12$.