Here is a table of sources for electronic components I have compiled (for the USA). They all have some sort of web presence with either online ordering, and/or a PDF catalog. N=Primarily New parts S=Primarily Surplus parts |
| Site | N/S | Description |
| Circuit Specialists | N | Resistors 200/$2, excellent source for PCB making supplies, breadboarding. Good component selection. |
| All Electronics | S | Medium size catalog. Great selection on caps. |
| Alltronics | N | Extensive IC and tube section, connectors, components. Polystyrene caps. |
| BG Micro | S | A smaller catalog, but some good deals |
| Digikey | N | Another extensive catalog, not quite as big as Mouser. |
| ebay Electroncs Parts, Test Equipment | N/S | The famous online auction site has an extensive electronics components and test equipment area. Probably the best place to pick up an oscilloscope or DMM cheap. Lots of components, too - some real bargains, but you have to keep your eye on the listings. |
| Electronics Goldmine | S | Lots of components, connectors, cheap copper clad board |
| Electronix | S | Pretty big catalog, lots of components, tools |
| Futurelec | S | Microcontrollers and programmers, components. I've heard they take a while to ship, however. |
| Jameco | N | Extensive catalog of all kinds of components. Cheaper than Mouser/Digikey. |
| Mouser Electronics | N | These guys have everything, but some things cost more. Excellent semiconductor prices. |
| MECI | N/S | Fairly well stocked website. Good deals on pots. |
| Micro Mark | N | This is actually a model builders' catalog, so they have lots of tools for working in miniature. Best deal on itty bitty drill bits (for PCB's). |
| Ocean State Electronics | N | They have good deals on certain items. Online ordering, but you still have to call in and give a creditcard number. |
| Small Bear Electronics | N | Oriented towards building guitar effects, but they have BBD's and the PT2399 and PT2395 echo chips. |
| Unicorn Electronics | N | They have good deals on certain items. They have the 2N4391 JFET, used in ASM-1 type sawtooth VCO's. Resistors, caps, transistors, sockets, ICs (CA3080 and LM13600), etc. |
|
If you are serious about DIY on an ongoing basis, try to build up a stock of components, especially things like resistors and caps. The surplus sources are a great place to stock up on parts. Buy more than you need for your particular project. Nothing is more frustrating than getting an idea for some new module, and not having the parts to breadboard them. For IC's and semiconductors, usually the mainline sources like Mouser, Jameco, and Digikey have prices close to (sometimes better) than the surplus places, and their selection is extensive. Buy parts in bulk. ebay can be a great source for this - but you have to keep your eyes on the listings. Hint on getting the best auction price: Bid in the very last minutes, even seconds, of an auction. This is called "sniping". There is even software that can bid for you automatically (see Turbobid). ebay is also the prime source for used test equipment. A good oscilloscope is not out of your budget! Learn where part substitutions can be made. For example, a schematic calls for a 50k log pot, but you've got some 10k's. Can you use it? Can you substitute one kind of opamp for another, or transistor? Publishers of schematics (and I plan on doing this when I start putting my og2 schematics online), should indicate which components are critical and where substitions can be made. |