Last week I stopped by HSC Electronics in Santa Clara to pick up a few parts for my PID Controlled Soldering Hotplate project.

Earlier this year, there was an announcement that HSC was moving because their landlord would not renew the lease on the building they have occupied for the past 15-20 years.  At the last minute they were able to negotiate a lease for half of their original space, forcing them to vacate what was previously the warehouse/mail order side of the building.

So far, the evidence of these changes to their customers has been very limited.  Maybe there were a few extra items at the annual sidewalk sale and some extra bins of parts on the showroom floor, but overall things looked pretty much the same – until my most recent visit.

Now there is a new HSC Clearance Annex open to the public in what was formerly the employees-only warehouse space:

I found some neat things inside: IEC line filters, variable inductors, an assortment of crystal oscillators, bags of PCB mount right angle RCA jacks.  Most items are $1-2 and many come in bags of 10-100 for that price.

They also had huge boxes of assorted hardware and electrolytic capacitors – you can create your own grab bag for $1.  Usually these are only available during the sidewalk sales and are a surprisingly popular attraction:

If you’re in the area, HSC might be worth a visit.  HSC is located at 3500 Ryder Street, Santa Clara, California 95051.

I also recommend a side trip to Weird Stuff and Fry’s Electronics, both are within a few miles of HSC.  Stop at all three and you are pretty much guaranteed to satisfy your appetite for electronics.