Print PDF
Favorite
Email
Step 12Best Electronic Suppliers
Here is a list of best and recommended electronic suppliers below. Please note most of those suppliers on this list do not offer samples.
Thanks to Brennn10 for letting me use his write up about the best suppliers from this forum.
Digi-Key - By Brennn10
Digi-Key is a large distrbutor of components from various manufacturers, offering a very large catalog with lots and lots of choices. However, the site uses small print that might be hard to read. The catalog includes line drawings but not part photos, but it does do an excellant job of labeling the parts. Overall, Digi-Key has a huge selection of products, but they might need a little looking to find them.
Mouser Electronics - By Brennn10
Another large distributor of components from various manufacturers is Mouser. I like how Mouser's site allows you to compile separate orders for different projects. You can come backa s many times as you like to complete your order and make your purchase. We also like how Mouser label parts because the labels are easy to read and provide alot of information about the specific part.
Farnell
Farnell is a large distributor components from various manufacturers of UK. They offer a very wide range of electronic components, test equipment, wire, tools and electrical hardware. Farnell provides a picture to all of their products and has technical information about the product. Farnell sells their products cheaply and they do a free next day shipping to UK residents.
Reynolds Electronics - By Brennn10
Reynolds Electronics is a good supplier of remote control components, micro controllers, and robot kits and parts. One feature that stands out on Reynolds Web site is the clear and helpful project/circuit tutorials. You can also find links for educational books on topics such as robotics and microcontrollers.
Hobby Engineering - By Brennn10
Hobby Engineering is a sit slanted towards the hobbyist. This site carries some useful items that can be harder to find from other providers who are catered towards the corporate customer. it also has a good supply of micro-controllers, robot kits, parts, ad miscellaneous components and tools.
Jameco Electronics - By Brennn10
Jameco has a very nice site catalog. It's not very big that you sspect a forest was sacrificed in its making. I has great color photos with relatively easy to find components. This is one supplier wih a low price fuarantee which means that if you can show a part offered for less, the lesser price is honored. jameco also provides lower priced generic products as well as name brands.
BG Micro - By Brennn10
BG Micro is a cool site for rare and pretty neat gadgets as well as a nice selection of alot of the items one will need for a weekend project. There is also a very nice search engine at the top which lets you search for an item you can't find on the left. (Thank you Las Vegas)
Futurlec - By Brennn10
Futurelec offers a very nicely done site with color photos of the parts that makes for easy browsin. Futurelec also offers semicnductor news links and also links to recently added parts to help you keep on the top of the latest and greatest as well as PCB design and manufacturing services.
Sparkfun - By Brennn10
Sparkfun was originally a PCB Manufacturer, and turned in to a company well beyond their expectations! They have a large variety of PCBs, LEDs, and MANY more everyday electronics components. The site is well organized with so much to choose from!
Radioshack - By Brennn10
Everyone knows Radioshack!. This electronics convenience store is pretty much like any food convenience store: CONVENIENT BUT EXPENSIVE. If you are stuck at 4:30 on a Sunday afteroon needing a small part to keep working on your project, this store is right for you. Be aware that not all radioshack are equal.
Maplin - By Brennn10
The British suppplier Maplin has stores scattered around the U.K. and also offers an online store.
Unlike electronic gadgets and appliances that operate on different voltages in European contries, electornic components are pretty standard. Although Maplin will ship overseas, you might want to check out U.S. Suppliers first.
DealExtreme -By Weston607
DealExtreme is a china based website with US prices. They major in low prices and little stuff, but they also sell expensive stuff like Cell Phones, MP3 Players. They also have great project stuff like 10 2000mcd 5mm blue LED's for $1.31! The best thing about DealExtreme is they do FREE SHIPPING ON EVERYTHING!
We hope you find this instructable helpful, if you know any suppliers and/or manufactures that give away samples, let us know and we will add it onto this instructable!
Thanks to Brennn10 for letting me use his write up about the best suppliers from this forum.
Digi-Key - By Brennn10
Digi-Key is a large distrbutor of components from various manufacturers, offering a very large catalog with lots and lots of choices. However, the site uses small print that might be hard to read. The catalog includes line drawings but not part photos, but it does do an excellant job of labeling the parts. Overall, Digi-Key has a huge selection of products, but they might need a little looking to find them.
Mouser Electronics - By Brennn10
Another large distributor of components from various manufacturers is Mouser. I like how Mouser's site allows you to compile separate orders for different projects. You can come backa s many times as you like to complete your order and make your purchase. We also like how Mouser label parts because the labels are easy to read and provide alot of information about the specific part.
Farnell
Farnell is a large distributor components from various manufacturers of UK. They offer a very wide range of electronic components, test equipment, wire, tools and electrical hardware. Farnell provides a picture to all of their products and has technical information about the product. Farnell sells their products cheaply and they do a free next day shipping to UK residents.
Reynolds Electronics - By Brennn10
Reynolds Electronics is a good supplier of remote control components, micro controllers, and robot kits and parts. One feature that stands out on Reynolds Web site is the clear and helpful project/circuit tutorials. You can also find links for educational books on topics such as robotics and microcontrollers.
Hobby Engineering - By Brennn10
Hobby Engineering is a sit slanted towards the hobbyist. This site carries some useful items that can be harder to find from other providers who are catered towards the corporate customer. it also has a good supply of micro-controllers, robot kits, parts, ad miscellaneous components and tools.
Jameco Electronics - By Brennn10
Jameco has a very nice site catalog. It's not very big that you sspect a forest was sacrificed in its making. I has great color photos with relatively easy to find components. This is one supplier wih a low price fuarantee which means that if you can show a part offered for less, the lesser price is honored. jameco also provides lower priced generic products as well as name brands.
BG Micro - By Brennn10
BG Micro is a cool site for rare and pretty neat gadgets as well as a nice selection of alot of the items one will need for a weekend project. There is also a very nice search engine at the top which lets you search for an item you can't find on the left. (Thank you Las Vegas)
Futurlec - By Brennn10
Futurelec offers a very nicely done site with color photos of the parts that makes for easy browsin. Futurelec also offers semicnductor news links and also links to recently added parts to help you keep on the top of the latest and greatest as well as PCB design and manufacturing services.
Sparkfun - By Brennn10
Sparkfun was originally a PCB Manufacturer, and turned in to a company well beyond their expectations! They have a large variety of PCBs, LEDs, and MANY more everyday electronics components. The site is well organized with so much to choose from!
Radioshack - By Brennn10
Everyone knows Radioshack!. This electronics convenience store is pretty much like any food convenience store: CONVENIENT BUT EXPENSIVE. If you are stuck at 4:30 on a Sunday afteroon needing a small part to keep working on your project, this store is right for you. Be aware that not all radioshack are equal.
Maplin - By Brennn10
The British suppplier Maplin has stores scattered around the U.K. and also offers an online store.
Unlike electronic gadgets and appliances that operate on different voltages in European contries, electornic components are pretty standard. Although Maplin will ship overseas, you might want to check out U.S. Suppliers first.
DealExtreme -By Weston607
DealExtreme is a china based website with US prices. They major in low prices and little stuff, but they also sell expensive stuff like Cell Phones, MP3 Players. They also have great project stuff like 10 2000mcd 5mm blue LED's for $1.31! The best thing about DealExtreme is they do FREE SHIPPING ON EVERYTHING!
We hope you find this instructable helpful, if you know any suppliers and/or manufactures that give away samples, let us know and we will add it onto this instructable!
| « Previous Step | Download PDFView All Steps | Next Step » |
It is also at http://futurlec.com.au (Australian site, prices in $AU), which has very competitive prices for we Aussies (most other locals are very pricey and the internationals usually kill us with the shipping cost!