[time-nuts] OT Electronics Question

[Thomas A. Frank]

Folks;

Writing as someone in the US, I keep seeing interesting available  
electronic components coming out of Russia, the Ukraine, etc. on  
eBay. I rather suspect there are a lot more types available than what  
I see there.

Can anyone recommend any web sites where there might be spec sheets,  
catalogs, parts lists, and places to order these unusual (for the US)  
parts?

As one example, you can easily get Russian NIXIE tube driver IC's;  
I'm wondering if there are any other interesting functions that might  
have either never existed in the west (or which disappeared a long  
time ago), and which might be fun to experiment with.

It seems to me there is a whole other world out there that might be  
fun to explore.

Logically, this would also segue into eastern test equipment...do the  
Russians make cesium clocks that might be cheaper than HP's?  If so,  
a source of repair parts would be in order.

Any suggestions greatly appreciated.

Sincerely;

Tom Frank, KA2CDK

P.S. - as an aside, I know there is an entire selection of IC's  
available in China that are not available in the US expect under the  
most unusual circumstances...they are optimized for toys (think  
Mattel or Hasbro), and the documentation on them is very limited.