Where are the parts?
 

I now have time to build but it seems that no one is selling small parts
except with large minimum orders or low variety of stock. Right now looking
for ADC converter chips but next week might be something entirely different.
Who sells small quanties of small items?
(broke=not working, retired=not working, retired=broke)

Brokebob wrote:

I now have time to build but it seems that no one is selling small parts
except with large minimum orders or low variety of stock. Right now looking
for ADC converter chips but next week might be something entirely different.
Who sells small quanties of small items?
(broke=not working, retired=not working, retired=broke)

A lot of chip makers now sell in small quantities on their website,
and a few will "sample" a chip or two for free. It helps to know what
you are looking for, if you want to know where to go. ;-)
--


Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida

Brokebob wrote:

I now have time to build but it seems that no one is selling small parts
except with large minimum orders or low variety of stock. Right now looking
for ADC converter chips but next week might be something entirely different.
Who sells small quanties of small items?
(broke=not working, retired=not working, retired=broke)

A lot of chip makers now sell in small quantities on their website,
and a few will "sample" a chip or two for free. It helps to know what
you are looking for, if you want to know where to go. ;-)
--


Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida

My main source for parts is DigiKey (http://www.digikey.com). They are not
the cheapest in the world, but they are quick, and they have the largest
selection, and their customer service is second to none. They do have a $25
minimum order and you need to be careful to specify UPS Ground or you will
end up paying expensive shipping.

Their selection of RF parts is a little limited, however. If you have time,
and he has what you happen to need, Dan's Small Parts and Kits
(http://www.danssmallpartsandkits.net/) has a lot of what you need for
amateur radio related construction, and he typically has prices that are
lower than anywhere. But he only deals by snail mail, which means at least
two weeks round trip.

http://www.kitsandparts.com (W8DIZ) has the best prices anywhere for
toroids, and he also stocks a limited supply of oddball parts at very good
prices. His stuff is small so he can generally ship by Priority Mail (which
generally translates into cheap).

http://www.bgmicro.com has a changing supply of parts, but for some things
they can be very cheap, in particular, LCD displays and connectors, if they
happen to have what you want. Be aware, however, that much of their stuff
is used or pulls, so be sure you read the description carefully. Also, for
some things, they are quite expensive. But there are items where they are
the best choice. I also put Mendelsohn's (http://www.meci.com/) in about
the same category. They have more stuff but it tends more toward the
mechanical.

Finally, if you need an RF power transistor or a large variable cap,
http://www.rfparts.com seems to be the only game in town. They are
expensive, though, and they have a $25 minimum order. However, unlike
DigiKey, it's tough to find $25 worth of stuff you want to buy there, partly
because if anyone else has something they have, it will be cheaper
elsewhere.

So a big part of the answer is shopping around and planning. Unless you buy
to stock your parts drawers, you can easily spend more on shipping than
parts for any given project. You need to work out the total package. You
could easily save 6 or 7 dollars getting an LCD display from BG instead of
DigiKey, but the shipping is going to cost you $9, so unless you are buying
a something else, it might not be worth it.

As usual, no connection to any of these perps except that they are key
contributors to lightening my wallet! Oh, yeah, and I've met W8DIZ a bunch
of times, he's a cool guy, chief perp of the Flying Pigs and a member of
ARCI.

...

"Brokebob" wrote in message
...
I now have time to build but it seems that no one is selling small parts
except with large minimum orders or low variety of stock. Right now
looking
for ADC converter chips but next week might be something entirely
different.
Who sells small quanties of small items?
(broke=not working, retired=not working, retired=broke)

My main source for parts is DigiKey (http://www.digikey.com). They are not
the cheapest in the world, but they are quick, and they have the largest
selection, and their customer service is second to none. They do have a $25
minimum order and you need to be careful to specify UPS Ground or you will
end up paying expensive shipping.

Their selection of RF parts is a little limited, however. If you have time,
and he has what you happen to need, Dan's Small Parts and Kits
(http://www.danssmallpartsandkits.net/) has a lot of what you need for
amateur radio related construction, and he typically has prices that are
lower than anywhere. But he only deals by snail mail, which means at least
two weeks round trip.

http://www.kitsandparts.com (W8DIZ) has the best prices anywhere for
toroids, and he also stocks a limited supply of oddball parts at very good
prices. His stuff is small so he can generally ship by Priority Mail (which
generally translates into cheap).

http://www.bgmicro.com has a changing supply of parts, but for some things
they can be very cheap, in particular, LCD displays and connectors, if they
happen to have what you want. Be aware, however, that much of their stuff
is used or pulls, so be sure you read the description carefully. Also, for
some things, they are quite expensive. But there are items where they are
the best choice. I also put Mendelsohn's (http://www.meci.com/) in about
the same category. They have more stuff but it tends more toward the
mechanical.

Finally, if you need an RF power transistor or a large variable cap,
http://www.rfparts.com seems to be the only game in town. They are
expensive, though, and they have a $25 minimum order. However, unlike
DigiKey, it's tough to find $25 worth of stuff you want to buy there, partly
because if anyone else has something they have, it will be cheaper
elsewhere.

So a big part of the answer is shopping around and planning. Unless you buy
to stock your parts drawers, you can easily spend more on shipping than
parts for any given project. You need to work out the total package. You
could easily save 6 or 7 dollars getting an LCD display from BG instead of
DigiKey, but the shipping is going to cost you $9, so unless you are buying
a something else, it might not be worth it.

As usual, no connection to any of these perps except that they are key
contributors to lightening my wallet! Oh, yeah, and I've met W8DIZ a bunch
of times, he's a cool guy, chief perp of the Flying Pigs and a member of
ARCI.

...

"Brokebob" wrote in message
...
I now have time to build but it seems that no one is selling small parts
except with large minimum orders or low variety of stock. Right now
looking
for ADC converter chips but next week might be something entirely
different.
Who sells small quanties of small items?
(broke=not working, retired=not working, retired=broke)