Velleman kits & modules - transition to Whadda brand.

[SiriusHardware]

No-one ever seems to learn, I can think of a few non electronics examples where truly historic companies / brands irrationally decided to mess with familiar and respected brand names (Royal Mail -> Consignia as has been mentioned), but I'll go with an electronics one - does anyone remember the short period when Farnell, who had been 'Farnell' for decades, briefly decided to call themselves 'FarnellInOne'? 'Cellnet' was an eminently sensible name for a cellular network, whereas 'O2' is just senseless.

[McMurdo]

I suppose it's possible they want to sell-off the well-known brand to the highest bidde, or maybe the new owners only bought limited usage of the brand before having to relinquish it.

Another example, ostensibly inane, is the recent rebranding of Pioneer Pro DJ equipment (about the biggest name in pro cd/media players) to 'alpha theta corporation'. I suspect they will seperate totally from Pioneer Home Hifi in time.

We’re updating our corporate name to better reflect our values and vision. The change is not related to any merger, sale, or reorganization.

We take great pride in our commitment to the music industry and we’ve chosen our new company name, AlphaTheta Corporation, based on our passionate vision to innovate, inspire, and entertain.

huh?

[paulsherwin]

Don't forget the rebranding of GEC to Marconi. That certainly ended well

As others have said, these bonkers rebranding exercises are usually carried out by insecure chief executives who call in a branding agency. This process has been parodied many times, notably in the satire W1A where the airheaded agency Perfect Curve came up with a new BBC logo that looked very like the Israeli flag.

[unitelex]

Originally Posted by SiriusHardware

No-one ever seems to learn, I can think of a few non electronics examples where truly historic companies / brands irrationally decided to mess with familiar and respected brand names (Royal Mail -> Consignia as has been mentioned), but I'll go with an electronics one - does anyone remember the short period when Farnell, who had been 'Farnell' for decades, briefly decided to call themselves 'FarnellInOne'? 'Cellnet' was an eminently sensible name for a cellular network, whereas 'O2' is just senseless.

And Ever Ready batteries UK became Berec (the name it was using outside UK)

[Nickthedentist]

Marathon -> Snickers. How we all laughed! But it seems normal now.

[paulsherwin]

Back on topic please. Chocolate bars are straying too far.

[kalee20]

For me, one of the saddest was Hewlett-Packard, since Day 1 a test equipment manufacturer, rebranding its test equipment as Agilent... and then no sooner had we got used to this, than it happened again - Keysight.

[Refugee]

The Grundig name has moved from entertainment equipment to refrigerators.
The destination product being well off topic so only vintage Grundig products are allowed here now.

[Maarten]

It hasn't moved, it was copypasted. The manufacturer who renamed itself to Grundig Elektronik (Beko), still makes brown goods.

[Radio Wrangler]

Originally Posted by kalee20

For me, one of the saddest was Hewlett-Packard, since Day 1 a test equipment manufacturer, rebranding its test equipment as Agilent... and then no sooner had we got used to this, than it happened again - Keysight.

That wasn't just a re-branding, the instrument side was floated off on the stock market as a completely separate company.

Sad?

I'll say so. Not only was it a severing from a remarkable history, and two wonderful guys, all the employees that wound up in Agilent shortly afterwards fund out that the change of name had voided all their stock options. In some cases people had lost options that had been likely to have made over $100k. Some incentive scheme. Realising that they'd just kicked their higher-performers somewhere sensitive, an Agilent stock option scheme was rolled out to replace it, but it was significantly short of equivalence. Agilent stock performance was such that all the options would have been a loss if exercised any time before they expired. Everyone who wound up in Agilent at the change-over got given options on 100 shares, with a commemorative perspex block thing. As they never turned out to have any value in the end, the blocks were seen as comedy items. I understand that the folk in Boeblingen superglued a load of them together to make a large structure.

The management theory was that the old fashioned instrument side was holding back the computer side, stopping it looking like a thrusting young internet-savvy firm. The Wall Street Journal commented on the investment potential of the shares of the two firms. They pointed out that the computer side may have seven times the turnover of the instrument side, but the instrument sid made the profit, then WSJ asked 'Which are you going to invest in?' Subsequent history has seen the HP shares fall into doldrums, while Agilent has recovered from the bubble bursting in 2001 and has grown.

I've still got some HP shares (a dozen or two) just sitting there, worth less than a fifth of what they were pre-split. Can't summon the urge to sell them at a loss. You could put up to 10% of your salary to buying shares with a small discount on market price. You paid income tax on that discount. Thos shares had cost the pre-split price.

If this sounds like being on a gravy train and moaning about it, the firm took into account the whole package when setting salaries to be competitive with other firms, so you paid for it out of your base salary.

Friends who had been at Marconi and had been in their stock purchase scheme saw their shares fall pretty much to zero, so others had it worse.

David

[Aub]

HP still going strong in the IT sphere aren't they?
How about changing Vintage to Retro? That one's always rankled with me.

Vintage is something that's old and is old
Retro is something that's new , trying to look old.

Lights blue touch paper and retires immediately
Aub

[Wendymott]

As the "M" Word has been mentioned. I worked for Maplin's in the era where significant changes were made, The move from Saarfend to Wombwell, south yorkshire was the first part. In that the company upper structure was vastly changed with ownership passing to a company called Cannon St Investments, that also bought NEI "my employer", Nikkai, Goodmans and others. A massive warehouse in Wombwell with land for more expansion next door. We had to attend the monday morning meeting "no one was exempt" where we were told the last weeks sales etc etc and yes the extension was being built. One day the extension was not mentioned.
The goods in QC dept was summarily closed, as was new product evaluation. Overnight the stock lines were vastly reduced. At one time you could buy a Texas 7400, Philips 7400, + others that dont come to mind. That meant storage requirements were severely reduced, thus no new warehouse. The BEAN COUNTERS were at work. The Maplin kits were run down, no restocking. Vellerman kits were still going reasonably, and the high street shops were busy. Components were relegated to back of store and shop staff became disillusioned. I left the company well before the final axe fell.

[joebog1]

Its a very interesting story, especially from David. I have always thought Agilent and keysight were chinese companies. I cant afford expensive equipment anymore, but I always look three times at HP branded stuff. EXCEPT their computers. Real rubbish cheap junk here. Special windows ( probably to let the light in ) that cant be upgraded at home ( without HUGE problems, due to the "recovery partition " ) Reliability of a billy cart made from a 1930's pram ( perambulator ).

I bought a digital oscilloscope with one button that does everything, including making the trace so furry it looks like you have white noise in everything.

If this is progress I am a bit glad that the progress I make is in wrinkles and disbelief of this "future ".


Yes a bit of a winge.

Joe

[Radio Wrangler]

In the later days, everyone read Dilbert cartoons avidly, in order to see what was coming next.

Scott Adams always recounts how many people said he must have worked at their place. I suspect the flow was in the other direction.

David

[Maarten]

Originally Posted by joebog1

Its a very interesting story, especially from David. I have always thought Agilent and keysight were chinese companies.

I think that's what Siglent (an actual Chinese company) is trying to take advantage of. Noone knows what's what anymore so they make up a similar name.

[jez_145]

Originally Posted by Maarten

I think that's what Siglent (an actual Chinese company) is trying to take advantage of. Noone knows what's what anymore so they make up a similar name.

Yes and Rigol too. I believe Agilent/Keysight were using Rigol for production of some of their lower end gear at one point, but there was, erm, a bit of a falling out!

back to the main topic...

Funnily enough I ordered a "Whadda" kit from ESR only last week (pink noise generator). The PCB is still labelled P4301 and the kit number is WSAH4301.

- The kit arrived in a generic cardboard box rather than plastic - good.
- The price has gone up - bad.
- A printed circuit diagram/instructions is no longer included - you must view/download on-line - bad.

So it's a win win for Velleman. They have reduced their costs, increased their prices and, apparently, have demonstrated their committment to the environment.

Ok, most of their kits are pretty simple but a single sheet circuit diagram and part numbers/values list wouldn't go amiss - especially for beginners.

Whadda is a very poor choice of name IMHO.

Jerry

[David G4EBT]

Some forum members might have been around long enough to recall the short-lived attempt by RS to set up a retail arm branded as 'Doram' ('Doorway for amateurs'), and later, 'Electromail', which didn't last long either. Touched on in a previous forum thread some years ago.

https://vintage-radio.net/forum/showthread.php?t=92172

[G6Tanuki]

Originally Posted by David G4EBT

Some forum members might have been around long enough to recall the short-lived attempt by RS to set up a retail arm branded as 'Doram' ('Doorway for amateurs'), and later, 'Electromail', which didn't last long either. Touched on in a previous forum thread some years ago.

https://vintage-radio.net/forum/showthread.php?t=92172

Yes I remember Doram, I guess they served a need back in the era when RS would only deal with "trade" customers who had business bank accounts [Doram would accept postal-orders or personal cheques].

These days, as well as Velleman, there are loads of kits available via Internet-based drop-shippers, the range is vastly better than whar we knew about/had access to in the 60s/70s/80s.

Anyone remember Dick Smith Electronics? They were Australian, I built a couple of their HF linear-amp- kits that used Motorola MRF-series transistors.

[SiriusHardware]

For a brief time somewhere around 1979-80-81 there appeared in the small ads of radio and electronics hobby magazines adverts from a company called 'Gailan' offering mainly CB radio spares, which at the time was rather curious because CB radio wasn't legal in the UK until late 1981.

I rang the number given one day, merely out of curiosity, and the call was answered with 'Anglia Components, can I help you...?'

[joebog1]

I remember Dick Smith Electronics. I in fact worked there for a few months. Their kits were generally pretty good and all the components were name brand. It was actually owned by Woolworths after dick smith himself went broke doing CB radio. He would fly into work every morning in his Bell hellicopter and personally do the rounds of every employee to say good morning.
All the semiconductors used were sourced from the big supply companies and were always first class components.

Joe