It's rather a pity that the UK no longer has any electronics magazines with articles by UK writers using UK sourced components. Silicon Chip is a remarkable magazine with a strong highly technically qualified editorial team, which incidentally includes as a regular contributor, Dr Hugo Holden, who - as 'Argus 25' - was a valued member of this forum until January 2020, when he terminated his membership, which was a bolt from the blue. (His website, with many interesting projects, is here:
https://www.worldphaco.com/ ).
Were it not for Silicon Chip articles, EPE would have been gone by now.
The last Silicon Chip/EPE project I built was a precision 10V Reference - quite a simple project, for which I was able to source components from the UK and to etch my own PCB.
Both Altronis and Jaycar in Oz supply components and full kits for Silicon Chip projects and there is a UK website for Jaycar with prices in GBP:
https://www.jaycar.co.uk/
They're air freighted of course, so delivery is fairly speedy, but it comes at a price, as do the kits, and though the goods may be below the UK HMRC Customs threshold, VAT will be due and unless they 'come in under the radar' the Post Office (or other carrier) will collect the 20% VAT, plus their collection charge.
Quote:
"Your order can be delivered to anywhere internationally via air freight. Delivery is calculated based on your cart dollar value. Products are dispatched from Australia, so local customs duty & taxes may apply. Please read this website for information on paying VAT and customs duty":
Delivery Charges:
Up to £99.99 £20
£100 - £199.99 £30
£200 - £499.99 £40
£500+ £50
End quote.
So, a kit costing say £25.00 GPB, will have £20 shipping, making £45, on which £9.00 VAT will be due, plus maybe £8.00 Post Office fee (more if it's another carrier) for collecting the VAT on behalf of HMRC. Total cost, £62. (Even if it slips through without VAT hassles, it will be £45.00).
Jaycar operates in more than 90 stores across Australia and New Zealand and there are over 170 independent businesses who are Jaycar Stockists. This is quite remarkable considering the logistics. (Perth is as far away from Sydney than I am from Damascus).
When I can find a copy of EPE to browse in WH Smith's, which isn't often these days, I glance through it, but find that most projects - even for simple applications - seem overly complex, invariably use PICs, and many obscure components which are difficult to source in the UK. That's not a criticism - it's just a fact of life, but for many - if not most projects - it makes it rather impracticable and uneconomic, unless it really is a special project for which no other options exist. That said, I haven't see the Silicon Chip battery PSU project in EPE, so maybe it's a simple project with easily sourced components, in which case I'd be agreeably surprised.
The editorial in December 2021 Silicon Chip is interesting ' Making Kits is Not Easy':
https://www.siliconchip.com.au/Issue...is+not+easy%21
For anyone who might wish to build a simple battery powered 90V HT power supply for battery portables, Tony Thompson ('Aerodyne' on this forum, but sadly no longer active), designed one which featured in Radio Bygones, Spring 2017. It may have ben mentioned on the furm before, but I've attached a copy for interest. The pictures haven't come out well, but the text, circuit and PCB layout are clear enough.