Is Nuts and Volts dead ?

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djmartins
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Re: Is Nuts and Volts dead ?

Post by djmartins »

gerty wrote: Thu Mar 26, 2020 11:02 pm I got one about 2 weeks ago marked "2019-5"
So it is the living dead.
Sean Lemieux
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Re: Is Nuts and Volts dead ?

Post by Sean Lemieux »

We are most definitely not dead. Just playing catch-up from the delay last year. 2019 Issue 6 is being finalized this week so we should be releasing that shortly.
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Lenp
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Re: Is Nuts and Volts dead ?

Post by Lenp »

WELL...The time has arrived. You can't find paper in the stores now either :x
Len

“To invent, you need a good imagination and a big pile of junk.” (T. Edison)
"I must be on the way to success since I already have the junk". (Me)
Msondg44
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Re: Is Nuts and Volts dead ?

Post by Msondg44 »

I had just aboout given up on ever getting any new issues but I saw that 2019 issue 6 has posted to the web site, which I promptly downloaded.
I've been a subscriber for so many years that I can't remember when i started. I hope to remain a subscriber until I can't afford it or die, whichever comes first.
Which brings me to a puzzlement; we;re so far behind on the issue count and schedule, I don't know when my current subscription expires, nor how many issues I have left .
How to find out how many issues I have remaining on my current subscription?

David M
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Lenp
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Re: Is Nuts and Volts dead ?

Post by Lenp »

That is pretty simple....
When you stop getting issues for about a year, your subscription has expired ! 😑
Len

“To invent, you need a good imagination and a big pile of junk.” (T. Edison)
"I must be on the way to success since I already have the junk". (Me)
Sean Lemieux
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Re: Is Nuts and Volts dead ?

Post by Sean Lemieux »

Hi David, you expire with 2022 Issue 4. You're good for a while!

-Sean
williams01933
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Re: Is Nuts and Volts dead ?

Post by williams01933 »

Sean.
Might be a good idea if you explained just how we can all check what our subscription status is.
Msondg44 is not the only one with that problem. I too am very confused now by all the delayed issues.
Just how can we check our own subscription status ?
solar3000
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Re: Is Nuts and Volts dead ?

Post by solar3000 »

Are we still trying to figure out if NV is dead?
Sad fact, but like it or not, it is fading slowly.
I remember when I was still reading Radio Electronics in cuneiform on clay tablets. Those were the days.
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williams01933
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Re: Is Nuts and Volts dead ?

Post by williams01933 »

Great news !

I had a reply from "nutsvolts@pubservices" yesterday May 18th which said . . .
"Due to mechanical problems with the printer early last year, our publication schedule has been delayed. We have resumed printing, and all delayed issues will be mailed out soon. We apologize for any and all delay and inconvenience."

So apparently they think that we will be getting ALL the delayed issues "soon".
I would be interested to hear their definition of the word "soon" in this context since it has already been over 12 months of delays.

I shall not be holding my breath, nor will I waste my time asking them for an update again.
They obviously live on a different planet to the rest of us.

I guess we must just sit and wait, then be humbly grateful if we receive anything at all.
Sean Lemieux
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Re: Is Nuts and Volts dead ?

Post by Sean Lemieux »

Hey Guys, I see a couple questions here that I don't want to leave hanging but I will need to get back to you. We are trying to get SERVO Issue 6 launched to wrap up 2019 so I need to deal with that first. However, I want to clarify that the response that williams01933 received from pubservice is not correct. "All delayed issues" are not scheduled to be mailing. I am not sure who there told you this but I will be contacting pubservice to have this response cleared up. In the meantime williams01933, please read through this entire thread as I have explained what is actually happening with the issues. If you have any further questions after reading this forum thread again, please feel free to send me a direct message and I will be happy to explain anything further.

-Sean
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Lenp
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Re: Is Nuts and Volts dead ?

Post by Lenp »

Just a mini-rant.
One of the areas I am still, or rather was, active in is electrical and electronic repairs for local printers and a binder. Ignoring the effects of this current pandemic, smaller, under 50 employee bindery and printing companies, are withering on the vine. Books are being sent overseas electronically, and the finished goods are coming back finished cheaper than the labor burden on local companies. Several local printing companies, that were my customers, are now belly-up. My son works at a large book distribution center and there are,without exaggeration, millions of books per week leaving their facility. weekly. The line-up of trailers being loaded is awesome, and most are carrying the Amazon logo.

So the little guy is getting squeezed out again by the giants and overseas capability, just like in almost every industry. Similarly, where are the big name electronic parts company from years ago, like Mallory, Stackpole, Cinch-Jones, Centralab, Meissner, Stancor, RCA, ... ? Mostly gone or just a shell and they were replaced with hard to pronounce suppliers of comparable, if not better, products at a much lower cost.

I admire Sean and the publishing side of N&V for their struggling attempts at survival and still trying to honor the fulfillment of subscriptions. I subscribed to many trade magazines that have long gone, and no refund was ever refunded. They just went broke, with no notice or fanfare.

Considering what other magazine choices are there for us with electronic ambitions, I hope they survive and continue to fill this market niche. If they can hang in there, so can I!
Len

“To invent, you need a good imagination and a big pile of junk.” (T. Edison)
"I must be on the way to success since I already have the junk". (Me)
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rebeltaz
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Re: Is Nuts and Volts dead ?

Post by rebeltaz »

So... I just wanted to add my voice to this subject...

I have been a reader of Nuts and Volts (and every other electronics magazine) since I was a kid, some 30+ years ago, and the school librarian subscribed especially for me - I was the only one in the whole school who read any of them. Once I got a job, I subscribed for myself and have been a loyal subscriber ever since. I have even been fortunate enough to have had a couple of my own articles accepted for publication!

Back in February of 2018, when I renewed my subscription, I went for the three year plan. Back then, the magazine was still on a monthly basis, so for that $71, I was expecting 36 issues. The next year, it was announced that the magazine was going to bi-annual issues. OK... That wasn't so bad, as long as I was still going to get the same number of issues that I had anticipated. However, the last printed issue I received was, like everyone else, the 2019 Issue #5. Yes, I've received the links for Issue #6 and the 2020 Issue #1, but it is now October of 2020 so there should have been, what? Four more issues to date? Besides that... I absolutely despise digital "magazines." I have always subscribed to the printed edition for a reason. There is absolutely no good way to read a magazine formatted for an 8-1/2 x 11 printed page on an electronic device. Even on a 10" tablet, it's still a pain. And forget trying to read it on a laptop or desktop with a landscape mode monitor.

I know that COVID has had an effect on every aspect of life these past months, but N&V seems to have been having trouble staying afloat for quite some time before this. With Nuts and Volts being the last true electronics hobbyist magazine left in the United States, it is sad to see what surely looks like the death knell of this once great publication.
Derek Tombrello
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http://www.RobotsAndComputers.com
Sean Lemieux
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Re: Is Nuts and Volts dead ?

Post by Sean Lemieux »

Hey Derek, we are definitely still here! I'd be happy to address all your concerns!

We did extend everyone's expire dates to honor the amount of issues that were originally purchased when we switched to bi-monthly in March 2018. You won't expire until 2022 Issue 2 is published.

The digital edition of the magazine is actually responsive on both our website and the app so you should be able to easily read our content on a phone or tablet as well as the replica 'page flipping' version. If you are having difficulties with this, please let me know and I will be happy to help.

As far as the issues being published, 2019 Issue 6 print has been sent. If you did not receive your copy, I will be happy to send a replacement. 2020 Issue 1 digital is released but you are correct that the print is not. We were hoping to have it sent a couple weeks ago but we ran into a few problems with our new account management software. We just switched as of this issue but noticed about 4,000 subscriber accounts did not import correctly so we've been trying to get through those before processing the lists. Once this is finalized and 2020 Issue 1 is sent, we should be getting back to a more normal schedule that will allow us to close the gap on the issues we are behind. Keep in mind, you will be receiving 2020 issues in 2021 but they will all be published and received. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me directly.

Kind Regards,
Sean Lemieux
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Jastreb_J21
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Re: Is Nuts and Volts dead ?

Post by Jastreb_J21 »

Well, the forum isn't dead, I've recently registered on it because lots of info I gathered for my personal project was found on there, or in the publications.
mpgmike
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Re: Is Nuts and Volts dead ?

Post by mpgmike »

Times are tough for N&V, and scads of other companies in kazillions of other industries; partially due to COVID-19, and in part due to global competition. I have been writing the "NEXTION" articles (as of this post, Part 4 was published) for N&V, and have enjoyed reading numerous articles for a couple years.

Point: Nuts & Volts provides value I enjoy.

I myself have dealt with publishing a quarterly magazine, and have also been obligated to meet web site article submission deadlines. At one point one believes there is so much "stuff" that "we" could never run "dry". That lasts for a couple months, at best. Nuts & Volts has been providing new, fresh, ground-breaking, revolutionary, and just basically informative articles for more years than I have been subscribed -- consistently!!! Nobody has died (at least that is what Robin told me). However, there were fires (California), a move, near death in the family, severe illness in the family (different family members), and the crap the rest of us deal with (COVID-19, elections, and so forth).

It is definitely frustrating when I drive 1/2 mile up the dirt lane to check the mail -- day after day-- hoping for the promised new edition of Nuts and Volt -- and it isn't there. It can be frustrating when one spends money on a subscription, only to find that the product isn't being delivered in the timely manner promised.

Here is my personal take: Robin & Sean are fighting battles we can only imagine. Sean has shared snippets on this forum. They have obligations to me and you for Nuts & Volts (and for Servo Magazine). Most folks could quit their job and the company would continue as before. Robin & Sean haven't quit.

As I perceive it, they are fighting battles that for most of us, go un-noticed. For them, these battles affect the shipping of their product, magazines. If you absolutely HAVE to have your delivery on time, you will be disappointed. If you are looking for new information, new concepts, unique ideas, well-written how-to articles, industry news, and cannot find it anywhere else, please bear with the Lemieuxes as they work out their personal issues and strive to provide us with goodies we simply cannot find anywhere else.
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