EEWorld visited Green Brook Electronics in No. Plainfield, NJ, a candy store for engineers, technicians, and hobbyists.
Sometimes, you need a part — be it a transistor, switch, soldering tip, or connector — and you need it today. Sometimes, you need that hard-to-find part from wherever you can quickly get it. That’s when you need one of the remaining electronics parts stores. Perhaps you’d simply rather support a small, independent business.
I miss the last electronics parts store in my area, You-Do-It Electronics, which closed in 2024. Now, if I need a part and can’t wait for shipping, or it might be too rare to find online, I must drive 400 km (250 miles) to Green Brook Electronics, a five-hour trip on a good day, or order it online.
Green Brook opened in 1974, and the business is now owned by Brad Jonas, whose father was one of the founders along with Tom DiQuillo. Tom still works there after 52 years. The great thing about such stores is that the people who work there have seen it all and can usually find the part you need. If they can’t, they know how to get it. I certainly hope so. More on that later. I visited Green Brook on June 30, 2026.
Walking in, my jaw dropped just looking at the inventory, which includes active and passive components, wire and cable, used test equipment, and audio gear. Green Brook not only sells parts, but they also offer repair services, particularly for audio equipment and electronic musical instruments.
In the video, Brad and Tom provide some history on the store and how it operates. Then Scott Sullivan takes us to the back room where Green Brook’s inventory for shipping resides.
As Brad mentioned in the video, Green Brook customers are not just seasoned engineers or technicians. School-aged children come in, too. Indeed, he’s working with schools to raise the next generation of electronics enthusiasts.
Let’s take a tour of Green Brook Electronics, starting with the wall of switches.
The hardware display includes nuts, screws, spacers, and bumpers.
Yes, LEDs are still used in electronics, and not just for lighting.
Have you ever tried finding a mating connector for a “wall wart” charger/power supply? That may seem daunting given the many lengths and diameters of these barrel connectors. When You-Do-It closed, the community lost a sample board that let you bring your charger to the store and search for a mating connector. Green Brook has something just as good: a set of drawers that contains numerous barrel connectors.
Knowing I was to visit Green Brook Electronics, I brought along my father’s old Unger soldering iron with the hope of finding a replacement heating element. The store has an entire section dedicated to soldering, including many heating elements and soldering tips. The section includes other soldering supplies such as solder wick, solder removal guns, flux, and even tips for soldering guns (I have one or maybe two). Here’s a sample of what you’ll find.
Unfortunately, the store didn’t have the heating element I was looking for, though Tom did give me a new tip to use if I ever find one. Hopefully, Brad and Tom will find the right heating element. You see, the soldering iron’s handle has a heat insulator made of cork, and I want to keep using it.
Test equipment needs probes and test leads, and Green Brook has a wide array of them. Here’s a sample.
Of course, what’s the point of having test leads without equipment to plug them into? Moving to the back of the sales area, I found several pieces of equipment, including digital and analog meters.
Some people prefer analog meters when all you need to see is pointer movement. Here’s a classic Simpson 260 volt-ohm-ammeter for $25, or you can pay $540 on Amazon for a new one.
If you attend a flea market, you expect to see test equipment with the HP name as opposed to Keysight or even Agilent. Both names are still too new.
A handheld DMM for just $2.00, a steal if it works.
What do you do if the power fails and you still have to write that paper? Would any youngster coming into the store even know what this is?
Have you visited Green Brook or any other electronics parts store? Leave a comment.