[sdiy] Favorite (American) Parts Suppliers

[Scott Gravenhorst]

Nicely commented.  Thanks for this...   -save-

Scott Stites <scottnoanh at peoplepc.com> wrote:
>Hi List,
>
>After my Rat Shack rant of yesterday, I figured maybe it would be 
>more useful to list suppliers I *do* like. Bear in mind I'm 
>situated pretty much in the geographical center of the contiguous 
>48 states, and these suppliers are in the States. Hence, the 
>inclusion of 'American' in the subject line. 
>
>I'll leave off the overly obvious suppliers like Mouser and 
>Digikey - those are so well covered, it would be redundant (even 
>for me) to list them. 
>
>====
>Jameco Electronics
>http://www.jameco.com
>
>I've mentioned off-list that I always go to Jameco first. Why? 
>Mainly because they generally have the best prices and often for 
>IC's that are not easily found elsewhere. If you want to load up 
>on CA3080E's, this is the place I recommend. The 3080's I've 
>gotten from them are the RCA's (IIRC). They also have a great 
>transformer for +/-15V power supplies for a decent price. They're 
>prompt and rarely make mistakes. If they do make a mistake, they 
>rectify it quickly. 
>
>Warning: Canadians, I do seem to recall a list member having 
>problems ordering from Jameco, so proceed with caution. Had to do 
>with duty or something like that? 
>
>====
>Allied Electronics
>http://www.alliedelec.com/
>The only thing I *ever* order from Allied is Vactrols - best 
>prices hands down on them (except for the VTL5C2 - see the entry 
>for BGMicro). Prompt delivery. 
>
>====
>Hosfelt Electronics
>http://www.hosfelt.com/
>Good place for CMOS and linears. Excellent prices for reed 
>switches, etc. Medium good delivery times. Very reliable. 
>
>====
>Alltronics
>http://www.alltronics.com
>Want one of those cool joysticks MECI used to have? Go to 
>Alltronics and you'll find they're cryptically hidden in the 
>resistors section. Good pots, etc. Nice surplus selection. It's 
>been a while, so I can't remember how long my orders took to get 
>here, but definitely reliable. 
>
>====
>All Electronics
>http://www.allelectronics.com/
>This is where I get my patch cables (3.5 mm/1/8"). Nice price, 
>they work well, and like Peter G says, if it breaks - what the 
>hell, it only cost a buck! Good surplus selection. Reliable and 
>fairly quick. 
>
>====
>BG Micro
>http://www.bgmicro.com/
>Good surplus, indeed. Often will have 'by the tube' deals. The 
>only place you can get VTL5C2 Vactrols for 50 cents apiece. 
>Reliable, fairly good delivery time. 
>
>====
>Electronic Goldmine
>http://www.goldmine-elec.com/default.htm
>
>Ma and Pa Goldmine get the sexiest surplus stuff around, and it 
>doesn't last long (they've been the cause of a stampede or two on 
>the list). Keep an eye on them, and subscribe to their circulars. 
>Good delivery. Reliable, if not frustrating when they've sold 
>out. Have been known to make inappropriate knob substitutions in 
>at least one case I know of (not me, someone else), but I love 
>these guys anyway. I put them in my will. Medum good delivery 
>time. 
>
>====
>Ocean State Electronics
>http://www.oselectronics.com/
>
>Very good surplus selection. I've ordered once from them - got 
>what I'd ordered, but man, oh, man did it take a long time - 
>perhaps they were moving or something. After five weeks, I 
>figured the order never went through and re-ordered the same 
>stuff from someplace else. Their order arrived on *the same day* 
>as the other stuff I ordered. That put the kibosh on the 
>spouse-gating for a while, I gotta tell ya. 
>
>====
>Futurlec
>http://www.futurlec.com/
>
>Yes, the dreaded Futurlec. Futurlec is this amorphous entity that 
>exists *somewhere*, but you're not really sure where. Ordering 
>from them is a gamble where the level of frustration is the 
>payoff. Weird problems emerge ("post office can't find your 
>address", "your credit card number doesn't work", etc.). They can 
>take a month (or, I've heard, longer) or less than a week to 
>deliver. IIRC, Ken Stone has sworn off them completely. So why do 
>I list them here and abuse myself by ordering from them? (1) I 
>actually have received everything I ever ordered (no matter how 
>long or even short it took), (2) I absolutely am addicted to the 
>protoboards they sell and (3) they do have a great IC lineup for 
>not-so-bad prices. So, they're reliable in the fact that you'll 
>probably get what you ordered and also that it may be a painful 
>experience. But it's such sweet pain =-D. YMMV rating. 
>
>====
>MCM In One (Formerly MCM Electronics)
>http://www.mcminone.com/
>
>MCM has a great selection of replacement chips, semiconductors, 
>and other stuff. They even have (sotto voice) bbd's. Good 
>delivery, quite reliable. 
>
>====
>Small Bear Electronics
>http://www.smallbearelec.com
>
>I'll preface this by saying I *love* Small Bear. They're a DIY 
>wet dream, mainly because that's what they're geared for. Great 
>crew, reliable, a bit of a wait for delivery. *Excellent* 
>inventory. My PT chip source. And they have (hushed voice) BBD's. 
>
>====
>American Microsemi
>http://www.americanmicrosemi.com/
>
>An excellent source for hard to find semiconductors, sometimes 
>for hilariously out of balance pricing. Very reliable, quick 
>delivery. 
>
>====
>Marlin P. Jones (MPJA Online)
>http://www.mpja.com/
>
>Excellent source for power supplies.  Good surplus selection.  Fast and reliable.
>
>====
>Unicorn Electronics
>http://www.unicornelectronics.com/
>
>Good selection, I've ordered twice and always gotten what I've 
>ordered, can't remember delivery times, etc, but everything's 
>worked for me. ======================= 
>
>A place I haven't tried yet:
>Electronics Plus
>http://www.electronicplus.com/
>
>An impressive listing of IC's (they have the MM5386N noise 
>generator, BTW). Not so hot prices generally, but what the hey? 
>
>=======================
>A place I used to order from but don't anymore:
>
>Newark In One (formerly Newark Electronics)
>http://www.newarkinone.com/
>
>I used to order from this company quite a bit - their packaging 
>of resistors and IC's is nothing short of awesome. However, at 
>some point along the line, it seemed that they started gearing 
>more for OEM type of stuff, and I got the impression that my 
>pesky nuisance orders weren't entirely welcome. I still get their 
>(huge) catalogs, but their prices don't strike me as being as 
>good as they once were. Maybe just my imagination, but, anyway, I 
>really haven't *needed* them for quite a while. 
>
>=======================
>
>Well, that's it. Hope it's been a help. If anyone has their 
>personal favorites, I'm always willing to spend money on 
>Electronic parts =-D. 
>
>Spouse gater extraordinare,
>Scott
>
>
>PS:  And, BTW, I found this to be a most profound statement:
>
>"When parts like CA3080 and LM13600 are referred to by manufacturers as
>"obselete", they don't mean that they have replaced them with a better
>OTA chip, rather they mean that all of the applications of these ICs
>are obselete! " - Metrophage
>
>________________________________________
>PeoplePC Online
>A better way to Internet
>http://www.peoplepc.com
>

---------------------------------------------------------
- Where merit is not rewarded, excellence fades.
- Hydrogen is pointless without solar.
- What good are laws that only lawyers understand?
- The media's credibility should always be questioned.
- The only good terrorist is a dead terrorist.
- Governments do nothing well, save collect taxes.

-- Scott Gravenhorst | LegoManiac / Lego Trains / RIS 1.5
-- Linux Rex         | RedWebMail by RedStarWare
-- FatMan: home1.gte.net/res0658s/fatman/
-- NonFatMan: home1.gte.net/res0658s/electronics/
-- Autodidactic Master of Arcane and Hidden Knowledge.