towson@AMSAA.ARPA (SECAD) (08/15/85)
Fellow hardware hackers - I was interested in some recent postings concerning
Microprocessors Unlimited in Beggs, Oklahoma, (918) 267-4961. Several readers
have reported very favorably concerning their dealings with this company, and
since I needed some parts, I decided to give them a try. I telephoned my
order on Friday 9 August, and the parts arrived via UPS Blue on Tuesday the
13th.
Just placing the order on the phone was a pleasant experience. The lady
with whom I spoke explained carefully who made each chip, its rated speed, its
price, and what optional parts were available. After I had made my selection,
she took the shipping and billing information, and then read-back ABSOLUTELY
EVERYTHING concerning the order to verify that she had the correct infor-
mation. The company prefers to take a credit-card number for their own
protection, but to be paid by check when the merchandise is received. Thus,
an invoice accompanies the package; and if prompt payment is made, no billing
is submitted to the credit-card company.
The chips were packed in anti-static carriers, and the group of carriers
were then wrapped in aluminum foil. A label cautioning the user about static
damage had been affixed to the foil package. A stout shipping box with
adequate shock-absorbant packing was used.
Along with the parts, there was a nine-page "newsletter" written by John
Gilchrist, who I presume is the proprietor. Some of the interesting items:
1. Several portions dealing with static electricity damage to IC's , and how
to prevent it. (Microprocessors Unlimited shipping personnel work barefoot
on a conductive floor mat!)
2. A discussion of the disadvantages of doing circuit development work using
surplus IC's.
3. A statement that the author believes three Japanese companies - NEC, Hitachi
and Fujitsu - make the best quality IC's.
4. A brief description of a Mitsubishi 64K DRAM having on-chip refresh.
5. A warning that to avoid damage, 2732A EPROMS must be programmed with 21
volts rather than the 25 volts used for non-suffix 2732's.
6. Several items dealing with the company's business policies.
So far, I have not tested any of the material I received. If I discover
anything further of interest concerning this company, I will post another
message.
Dave
towson@amsaa.arpanather@utastro.UUCP (Ed Nather) (08/16/85)
I have place two orders for 256K RAM chips with this company, in order
to upgrade IBM PC/XTs to 640K RAM on the motherboard. In both cases
they were the low bidder (the last batch was $3.25 each, packaged in
anti-static tubes with aluminum foil surrounding them). Their service
is really outstanding ... they seem to *care*.
Is there any way we can make this attitude infectious?
--
Ed Nather
Astronomy Dept, U of Texas @ Austin
{allegra,ihnp4}!{noao,ut-sally}!utastro!nather
nather%utastro.UTEXAS@ut-sally.ARPAjp@lanl.ARPA (08/17/85)
I'll second that. I have dealt with Microprocessors Unlimited intermittently for the past couple of years and my findigs are identical to those posted here. Mr. Gilchrist was very helpful with technical questions I had and the service was outstanding. Clearly, Microprocessors Unlimited is setting an example that others would do well to follow. Jim Potter jp@lanl.arpa
john@frog.UUCP (John Woods) (08/20/85)
> ... Their service is really outstanding ... they seem to *care*. > > Is there any way we can make this attitude infectious? > > -- > Ed Nather > How about printing all of the comments in net.micro about them and mailing copies to other vendors -- *without* orders. Perhaps if a few hundred people did this, they might take the hint... -- John Woods, Charles River Data Systems, Framingham MA, (617) 626-1101 ...!decvax!frog!john, ...!mit-eddie!jfw, jfw%mit-ccc@MIT-XX.ARPA