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--- findingparts:distributors [2009/04/30 03:45]
nphillips Nate added his Futurlec sob story
+++ findingparts:distributors [2016/01/28 18:05] (current)
@@ Line 20: / Line 20: @@
 ==== Smaller shops ====
+This has been moved to [[Boutiques]]
-[[http://www.saelig.com/|saelig]]
+==== Bigger shops ====
-A small company with USB, USB-on-the-go, Ethernet, and RFID ICs, but also wireless modules, and test-gear like bargain LCD scopes, dataloggers and spectrum analyzers. I've bought stuff from them and they always seem to stock interesting things.
+These places are massive, and stock pretty much everything!
-[[http://sparkfun.com/|Sparkfun]]
+[[http://www.digikey.com/|Digikey]]
-caries all sorts of neat stuff. They also have a hobbyist PC board service.
+The best in the business: gigantic collection of in-stock parts, reasonably low costs, amazing searchable website, will sell small quantities of most stuff, doesn't rip you off for shipping and (most importantly) ships your order within the hour. Yes, hour. Next day really means next day. Get their catalog & cuddle it before you go to bed...they're more dependable than your boyfriend ever will be.  Currently Altium Designer (EDA suite) now has a direct database link from their parts library to Digikey's inventory.  Should be the first or second place to start any project, don't spec anything in unless Digikey or Mouser has it (if at all possible).
-[[http://www.jameco.com/|Jameco]]
+[[http://www.mouser.com/|Mouser]]
-Good selection, no minimum order, reasonable prices and very good service.  Good place to find old-school TTL, power supplies, tools and robot parts.
+Second only to DigiKey, Mouser is a hot-shot distributor with often-cheaper prices and if you place a large order they'll often upgrade your shipping from UPS ground to 2nd day!  Based in Mansfield Texas, and if you are shipping in Texas all shipping (ground) is next day.  Should be the first or second place to start any project, don't spec anything in unless Digikey or Mouser has it (if at all possible).
-[[http://www.elexp.com/|Elexp]]
+[[http://www.alliedelec.com/|Allied]]
-I love this site. Its a bit old-skool but they stock pretty much everything for hobbyists and very good prices.
+A so-so company, but tend to have a lot more things like switches, pots, etc. than the above.  More of a traditional distributor, less in stock but can stock items if you order large quantities.
-[[http://www.futurlec.com/|FuturLec]]
+[[http://www.newark.com/|Newark/InOne/MCM]]
-Man, I have no idea who these guys are, but they sell some really awesome chips for really cheap! (Unfortunately, they may never ship to you, I've had some bad experiences and so have others! Caveat emptor...)
+Nobody likes Newark, so use them as a last resort. They'll charge you $25 to ship a small cardboard box by UPS ground. Grrr.  More of a traditional distributor, less in stock but can stock items if you order large quantities.
-> Russ says:  I have used quite a bit, shipping sometimes slow, and not cheap, but shipping is disclosed before the buy and I have always gotten everything I ordered.  Lots of selection, cheap 1 % resistors, lots of selection on PIC's and Op amps to mention only a few.
+(Oct.2010) -- I've found Newark to be pretty good. Useful Web interface (sortable results in all categories, including price), and prices frequently better than Mouser or DigiKey, particularly for smaller quantities. They will now ship via USPS, FedEx, or UPS ground, starting at about $5, depending on weight. Seem to be pretty good about in-stock items too.
->Chris says: I had a really bad experience using futurlec. I made an order on their website (everything was indicated as "in-stock") which totaled around $800. I heard nothing from them for over a week, and the status page indicated that my order had not yet shipped. I emailed them to ask about this and they told me they needed my 3 digit security code from the credit card. I sent this to them promptly... Again over a week passes and no update as to the shipping status. I receive another email telling me not all the parts are in stock , and they don't know when they will be. I wanted to get building as soon as possible so I told them to cancel my order (so I could order from say digi-key). It took over a month for them to finally refund my money after several emails (beware of companies that charge you before they ship). My friend also had problems with this type of issue (items that appeared to be in-stock but weren't). I would personally never order from them again. Also you can expect a week turn around time for your emails to them. My 2 cents.
+[[http://australia.rs-online.com/web/]]
+Their range is amazing but so are their prices. When I first saw them I thought I was dealing with a different currency.
->Martin says: I had a great experience with them... I live in Canada so I have relatively few inexpensive means of attaining parts for my projects. I am working on my own MP3 player built around the STA013/CS4340 combo, and I ordered a pair of each, for $6.90 and $2.40 respectively, as compared to $17.14 and $5.16 from Digikey.  Since it was such a great price, I also got an assortment of diodes, IC sockets, some 74xx logic, some prototyping boards and a pair of SSOP adapters, and 100 assorted LEDs. Shipping included, it came to only $55.80. Took 3 weeks to ship, though, and came straight out of Thailand :) Apparently Futurlec is Australian, and they ship from Thailand. I would buy from them again. I mean, the thing is that just the STA/CS parts were less 66% and 50% cheaper, so even if they lost 1 order, I could buy from Digikey any still have not lost all that much money.
+[[http://www.arrownac.com/|Arrow Electronics]]
+Another traditional distributor.  Use only if you can't find what you need from Digikey or Mouser.
->Blankname says: I have also a good experience. At first I had troubles because I don't have credit card, but I contacted them and I paid with paypal. I took less than two weeks to arrive, very well packed. They don't give you a proper tracking number using the cheap shipping (4-10$ depending the order amount), but they give you the "receipt number", you can use it to track your packet using thailand post. They also don't have minimal order. They are Australian, with some offices in certain countries, and they send from his warehouse in Thailand. The bad thing for me is that they doesn't have some infrarred sensors I need (CNY70, TSOP17xx), but for ICs, diodes, resistors, some hardware (breadboars...) are good&cheap. If you buy, check the value packs, a lot of mixed value components (resistors, transistors, capacitors) at very cheap price.
+[[http://www.futureelectronics.com/|Future Electronics]]
+Another traditional distributor.  Use only if you can't find what you need from Digikey or Mouser.
->Nate says: eeeh. I have to give these guys a serious //caveat emptor//. I ordered a few pieces of a single part, and aside from seeing my account debited within minutes, I didn't hear anything for a week. Finally, I emailed them asking for a status update, and a day later a rep told me that the part I requested was out of stock when I ordered, and was given a list of alternatives, and that they weren't going to see any more of my part soon. I checked the page, and it still said they were in stock. I replied, questioning the dubious nature of taking someone's money, and not bothering to tell them that their //paid// request couldn't be fulfilled. I also mentioned a possible replacement piece, but first wanted to know if they had any idea when my specific parts would be in. Another day or so went by, and I simply received an email stating that my account was charged an additional amount (price difference) and that the other parts would be shipped immediately. ...not what I asked for. In hindsight, I probably shouldn't have even mentioned the other part. I didn't push the matter any further, though. The parts will get used, for sure, and it wasn't a huge amount of money (less than $15, including shipping). But, overall, I'm not at all thrilled with their service, and would seriously warn anyone from buying from them without giving it some thought. Next time, I'll go through eBay for cheap parts.
+[[http://www.avnet.com/|Avnet]]
+Another traditional distributor.  Use only if you can't find what you need from Digikey or Mouser.
-==== Bigger shops ====
+[[http://www.allamerican.com/|All American]]
+Another traditional distributor.  Use only if you can't find what you need from Digikey or Mouser.
-These places are massive, and stock pretty much everything!
+[[http://www.nuhorizons.com/|NuHorizons]]
+Another traditional distributor.  Use only if you can't find what you need from Digikey or Mouser.
-[[http://www.digikey.com/|Digikey]]
+[[http://www.ttiinc.com|TTI]]
-The best in the business: gigantic collection of in-stock parts, reasonably low costs, amazing searchable website, will sell small quantities of most stuff, doesn't rip you off for shipping and (most importantly) ships your order within the hour. Yes, hour. Next day really means next day. Get their catalog & cuddle it before you go to bed...they're more dependable than your boyfriend ever will be.
+Another traditional distributor.  Use only if you can't find what you need from Digikey or Mouser. Currently owns Mouser, but does not have cross inventory control or supply.
-[[http://www.mouser.com/|Mouser]]
+[[http://www.jameco.com|Jameco Electronics]]
-Second only to DigiKey, Mouser is a hot-shot distributor with often-cheaper prices and if you place a large order they'll often upgrade your shipping from UPS ground to 2nd day!
+Yet another. Does seem to specialize in hobbyists. Has its own line of branded commodity parts. Many components only sold in large quantities (e.g.: resistors only available in packages of 100 but they are $1.50-$2 for the package).
-[[http://www.alliedelec.com/|Allied]]
+[[http://www.distrelec.com|Distrelec]]
-A so-so company, but tend to have a lot more things like switches, pots, etc. than the above.
+Large European distributor. Cheap components (e.g. resistors, general purpose transistors) only available in packages of 100.
+==== Lab Supplies ====
-[[http://www.newark.com/|Newark/InOne/MCM]]
+[[http://www.techni-tool.com/|Techni-tool]]
-Nobody likes Newark, so use them as a last resort. They'll charge you $25 to ship a small cardboard box by UPS ground. Grrr.
+Carries essential lab equipment such as o-scopes, irons, solder, test equipment, microscopes, PCB supplies, etc..
-[[http://australia.rs-online.com/web/]]
-Their range is amazing but so are their prices. When I first saw them I thought I was dealing with a different currency.

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