Since Mammoth went out of business (for now?) it looks like Tayda is the only comparable carrier of Alpha rotary switches :-\
The bad part is that they have been out of stock on the common types for almost a year. On top of that, they have yet to reply to any of the 3 or 4 emails I have sent regarding whether or not a restock will ever happen.
Uggg
I assume you mean 4P3T and 3P4T? Small bear sells them... http://smallbear-electronics.mybigcommerce.com/rotary-switches-1/
Mouser sells 3P4T... https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Alpha-Taiwan/SR2612F-0304-21R0B-D8-N?qs=sGAEpiMZZMvNbjZ2WlReYnqYHrQfuERsZSOUXUestgo%3D
We all know how Greg feels about smallbear...wink. Greg I have a few rotary switches kicking around. What do you need? I may have it.
-Mike-
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What's wrong with Small Bear? Just curious.
Quote from: pickdropper on November 21, 2019, 04:38:08 AM
What's wrong with Small Bear? Just curious.
Typically I don't order from them...never really need to so no qualms here. I remember that Greg isn't a huge fan...I think.
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They stock the Alpha rotary switches at Jaycar in Australia, but I imagine the shipping would make that pretty unattractive if you're not in Aus.
Quote from: flanagan0718 on November 21, 2019, 05:36:50 AM
Quote from: pickdropper on November 21, 2019, 04:38:08 AM
What's wrong with Small Bear? Just curious.
Typically I don't order from them...never really need to so no qualms here. I remember that Greg isn't a huge fan...I think.
Interesting. While they aren't the cheapest around, they have the best selection, ship quickly and generally keep stock of most things. They also tend to have fewer low quality options than other pedal specific vendors.
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Only problem I've ever had with Smallbear was when it took just over 2 months for them to get a chip to me (I'm in the US). That was frustrating.
Quote from: pickdropper on November 21, 2019, 04:38:08 AM
What's wrong with Small Bear? Just curious.
I absolutely appreciate Steve and what he does for the DIY community. Personally, I just do not use Smallbear for a couple of reasons.
First off is price. Although he does offer a wide selection to our little world, his prices are hardly competitive. I realize he charges according to what he needs to make a profit but, in the past when I did use his services, I noticed that the higher prices did not mean a superior item.
Second is inefficiency. The few times that I did use Smallbear, I was often disappointed in their process. I deal with vendors every day for work. In today's world, latency in processing and shipment are not an excuse no matter how big or small your company is. When I would order, it would often take 2-3 days to get out the door. On one occasion, I had to send 2 emails to get it out the door over a week later. I was not impressed.
But.. like I said, if others are happy with what Smallbear provides than more power to them and I wish him success. It is just not for me.
Quote from: DLW on November 20, 2019, 09:47:33 PM
I assume you mean 4P3T and 3P4T? Small bear sells them... http://smallbear-electronics.mybigcommerce.com/rotary-switches-1/
Mouser sells 3P4T... https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Alpha-Taiwan/SR2612F-0304-21R0B-D8-N?qs=sGAEpiMZZMvNbjZ2WlReYnqYHrQfuERsZSOUXUestgo%3D
Yes. I know they are available at these vendors however, I did mention COMPARABLE. Meaning NOT twice the price ;)
Quote from: flanagan0718 on November 21, 2019, 12:38:06 AM
We all know how Greg feels about smallbear...wink. Greg I have a few rotary switches kicking around. What do you need? I may have it.
-Mike-
As always... Thanks to you Mike. I will see what I need and give you a shout 8)
Quote from: Govmnt_Lacky on November 21, 2019, 03:12:33 PM
Quote from: flanagan0718 on November 21, 2019, 12:38:06 AM
We all know how Greg feels about smallbear...wink. Greg I have a few rotary switches kicking around. What do you need? I may have it.
-Mike-
As always... Thanks to you Mike. I will see what I need and give you a shout 8)
Please do!
Also didn't mean to turn this into a "feelings about smallbear" thread.
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Quote from: Govmnt_Lacky on November 21, 2019, 03:11:35 PM
Quote from: pickdropper on November 21, 2019, 04:38:08 AM
What's wrong with Small Bear? Just curious.
I absolutely appreciate Steve and what he does for the DIY community. Personally, I just do not use Smallbear for a couple of reasons.
First off is price. Although he does offer a wide selection to our little world, his prices are hardly competitive. I realize he charges according to what he needs to make a profit but, in the past when I did use his services, I noticed that the higher prices did not mean a superior item.
Second is inefficiency. The few times that I did use Smallbear, I was often disappointed in their process. I deal with vendors every day for work. In today's world, latency in processing and shipment are not an excuse no matter how big or small your company is. When I would order, it would often take 2-3 days to get out the door. On one occasion, I had to send 2 emails to get it out the door over a week later. I was not impressed.
But.. like I said, if others are happy with what Smallbear provides than more power to them and I wish him success. It is just not for me.
Quote from: DLW on November 20, 2019, 09:47:33 PM
I assume you mean 4P3T and 3P4T? Small bear sells them... http://smallbear-electronics.mybigcommerce.com/rotary-switches-1/
Mouser sells 3P4T... https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Alpha-Taiwan/SR2612F-0304-21R0B-D8-N?qs=sGAEpiMZZMvNbjZ2WlReYnqYHrQfuERsZSOUXUestgo%3D
Yes. I know they are available at these vendors however, I did mention COMPARABLE. Meaning NOT twice the price ;)
I deal with vendors on many levels at work. None of the pedal specific vendors are on the same level as tier 1 vendors such as Mouser, Digikey, Arrow, Farnell, etc. Then again, smaller companies like Small Bear do offer options that aren't available. The downside is that, being a small business, they often can't ship quite as efficiently.
Yeah, their pricing is a bit higher, which is tough. I've found their parts stock is often higher quality than most pedal parts vendors. Certainly higher than Tayda for almost everything, and sometimes higher than Mammoth was.
Quote from: pickdropper on November 21, 2019, 06:05:24 PM
I've found their parts stock is often higher quality than most pedal parts vendors. Certainly higher than Tayda for almost everything...
Being quite honest... I have yet to get a "bad part" from Tayda. Granted that I do not get my ICs from them however, I have gotten transistors, switches, sockets, etc. from them and never had an issue. Luck? Possibly.
Remember that part of this OP was the communication. All emails I send get the auto-generated reply "We got your email" but there is hardly ever a follow up to answer the actual question. That.. to me... is sub standard.
Another business that I will rave about is (B)LMS. That place is a well oiled machine! Lightning fast shipping. Quality stuff! I did find a DPDT stomp that came to me that had bad threading one single time. I contacted Lawrence and he immediately offered to replace and thanked me (didn't require the replacement as I had plenty of others) but, that is what sets the bar for me. Great product. Great CS. Great shipping.
Mind you that I am not an 'industry.' I build for myself and sell occasionally so, my orders are not in the quantity of hundreds.
Quote from: Govmnt_Lacky on November 21, 2019, 07:41:45 PM
Quote from: pickdropper on November 21, 2019, 06:05:24 PM
I've found their parts stock is often higher quality than most pedal parts vendors. Certainly higher than Tayda for almost everything...
Being quite honest... I have yet to get a "bad part" from Tayda. Granted that I do not get my ICs from them however, I have gotten transistors, switches, sockets, etc. from them and never had an issue. Luck? Possibly.
Remember that part of this OP was the communication. All emails I send get the auto-generated reply "We got your email" but there is hardly ever a follow up to answer the actual question. That.. to me... is sub standard.
Another business that I will rave about is (B)LMS. That place is a well oiled machine! Lightning fast shipping. Quality stuff! I did find a DPDT stomp that came to me that had bad threading one single time. I contacted Lawrence and he immediately offered to replace and thanked me (didn't require the replacement as I had plenty of others) but, that is what sets the bar for me. Great product. Great CS. Great shipping.
Mind you that I am not an 'industry.' I build for myself and sell occasionally so, my orders are not in the quantity of hundreds.
Tayda can be great for trying things out and seeing if you like them. They tend to source things from all over the place so quality can be hit or miss. IMHO, a lot of their hardware has no business on anything that will ever be sold. If it's DIY, who cares, but a lot of it just isn't well made. It may work fine in the beginning, but much isn't as well made as other options. Things like resistors are probably safe, and things like enclosures are sort of hard to screw up (although their powder coat is strange). Other things like pots, seem to be just fine. It's hit or miss.
I occasionally will grab parts to goof around with from Tayda, but I find it confusing that so many defend their quality. Much of it is truly inferior.
The LMS are cool folks. I haven't ordered much from them, but they have some name brand, quality merchandise. And I'm curious about some of the other stuff. I'm going to order some and give it a shot.
Quote from: pickdropper on November 22, 2019, 02:36:22 AM
I occasionally will grab parts to goof around with from Tayda, but I find it confusing that so many defend their quality. Much of it is truly inferior.
Just out of curiosity... and to keep the good conversation going... what items from Tayda do you believe are inferior? (Other than ICs and transistors which have been reported here and there as faulty from just about every other distributor that we deal with in the DIY world)
Quote from: Govmnt_Lacky on November 22, 2019, 12:42:53 PM
Quote from: pickdropper on November 22, 2019, 02:36:22 AM
I occasionally will grab parts to goof around with from Tayda, but I find it confusing that so many defend their quality. Much of it is truly inferior.
Just out of curiosity... and to keep the good conversation going... what items from Tayda do you believe are inferior? (Other than ICs and transistors which have been reported here and there as faulty from just about every other distributor that we deal with in the DIY world)
I agree that this is an interesting conversation and I appreciate that you're taking it in the spirit it's intended (good discussion, not confrontational).
In general, I find much of their hardware inferior. Much of it is cheap stamped metal and not worth using. Their enclosed jacks seem like they might be OK, but they really aren't much cheaper than getting better options from Neutrik or (my favorite lately) Amphenol.
Over the years, I've come across suspect diodes. Usually Germaniums out of spec, but we had a problem with noisy silicon diodes when prototyping with FFX. Once we realized the culprit, we decided not to use Tayda parts, even when prototyping (we never used them for production pedals). I've also had issues with LEDs where the dome didn't properly cover the leads. This wasn't an issue if you used an LED bezel, but they would short out if touching the aluminum enclosure. I used to think Tayda LEDs were fine and use them in (non-FFX custom work). I got sick of replacing LEDs, so I stopped using them. I've had zero failures with better quality LEDs (usually Kingbright). FWIW, I verified the LED issues with a multimeter once I realized the problem, so I am certain that was the issue. As you mentioned, their ICs and transistors are also a problem. Not universally, but sometimes.
I am sure there's more, but that's what comes to mind. In general, I just find that getting better quality parts isn't usually *that* much more for many items. Things like resistors are probably fine, but I can get Xicon from mouser for 2 cents a piece in quantities of 10, so I'd rather get the better quality ones. Same things with film caps. Good electrolytic caps are pricier, but cheaper ones tend to fail over time, so I'd rather not saddle a buyer with that burden (particularly when there's usually far less than $1 cost savings per build by using cheapo caps). Again, if it's a DIY build who cares, as long as you don't mind swapping them out of something goes south years from now.
Other things (such as 9mm pots) seem just fine and I can't discern a difference between the ones from Tayda and the parts I get elsewhere.
I'll agree with just about everything you said. The most of the hardware is trash, especially the open frame jacks. I've had numerous ones break. I've had a bad transistor here and there but nothing that I wouldn't consider within "acceptable failure" for a company. Their electrolytic capacitors are junk so are stomp switches. Don't even get me started on the sorry excuse for wire that the have. I wouldn't trust their diodes or switches either.
In the end there really isn't too much I get from Tayda any more. I do use their SIP sockets and their IC sockets. Those are pretty reliable and cheap. I do use their WIMA box film caps on occasion (which are clearly not the real deal) but if I can get the EPCOS cap from Newark I will. I use their LEDs but pickdropper has me second guessing those and I now want to test all mine. The enclosures are ok but the powder coating is a bit strange. Common ICs and Transistors (like TL072, 2N3904 for example) can be decent but once again I usually spend 3 or 4 cents more and get them from Newark. The resistors are decent if i'm in a bind. To be honest I haven't had one fail yet. I also use their LDRs every once and a while too. 9mm Pots are fine.
I typically get my passive parts from Newark. Hardware and just about everything else I get from Love My Switches. Lawrence is a stand up dude and VERY reasonably priced. For other things that may be hard to find or what not I check DIYGP and various other sources like mouser or arrow.
-Mike-
On my end... the only complaint I have is with their ICs and open frame jacks. I have used their transistors, sockets, LEDs, stomp switches, capacitors (electro and the grey boxy ones), diodes (silicon only), rotary switches, closed frame Ts and TRS jacks, and maybe a few others with zero problems. I get all of my resistors from my work as we have hundreds of thousands of metal films in all resistance and power values.
As far as the stomp switches go.... unless they are Cliff stamped or have another name brand on them, you do realize that they are most likely all coming from the same area in China... right? I usually get mine from (B)LMS as well as knobs.
I don't know... maybe I am lucky but I have had pretty good luck but, like I said... I do not do production so my chances for failures are not as much as those who crank out pedals for sale.
Didn't notice it mentioned yet so to the list their knobs were entirely cringeworthy, plugs extremely poor quality, don't even think about it. I stopped using Tayda altogether. Not to mention the snails pace of shipping to Canada, weeks for an order, maybe that's changed, i won't be finding out.
dave
I think Tayda is fine. I've only had issues with knobs (bought them there once, never again) and their super cheap open jacks and the small style dc jacks. Of the 6-7 pt2399 I've bought from them two sucked, the rest are fine.
They have $.50 closed jacks that I've used dozens of times and I think are great.
I use them a lot because they are cheap and they have almost everything. The one thing that I find bothersome about this hobby is there is no one place it makes sense to get everything from. Stuff gets expensive if you've got to pay shipping from three different places to get all the parts. Smallbear is close to one stop shopping, but they are too pricey for me to justify because this is just a hobby.
^^^ +1 He said it best, it's just a hobby (for us). If I was building for bank( like several of you on this thread), regularly, I would user mouser most likely. I think small bear's shipping is just too high.
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Quote from: jimilee on November 23, 2019, 12:18:43 AM
^^^ +1 He said it best, it's just a hobby (for us). If I was building for bank( like several of you on this thread), regularly, I would user mouser most likely. I think small bear's shipping is just too high.
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And I have tried to draw that line in my posts. I think Tayda is fine for kick around DIY builds. If anything goes wrong you can always change it. I just don't think it's fair to push most of those parts on buyers that likely don't know what they are buying; especially if they are expecting a roadworthy pedal (which is a reasonable expectation).
The only thing about these conversations that I really shake my head at is the argument (which is common) that Tayda parts are equivalent to other, vetted parts based solely on the fact that a builder hasn't had issues with a relatively small sample size building and without observation over extended periods of time. Much of the hardware is clearly built poorly if one really takes the time to compare it to other parts.
Quote from: pickdropper on November 23, 2019, 12:25:40 AM
Quote from: jimilee on November 23, 2019, 12:18:43 AM
^^^ +1 He said it best, it's just a hobby (for us). If I was building for bank( like several of you on this thread), regularly, I would user mouser most likely. I think small bear's shipping is just too high.
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The only thing about these conversations that I really shake my head at is the argument (which is common) that Tayda parts are equivalent to other, vetted parts based solely on the fact that a builder hasn't had issues with a relatively small sample size building and without observation over extended periods of time. Much of the hardware is clearly built poorly if one really takes the time to compare it to other parts.
I agree. These parts are are dirt cheap and are coming from Taiwan.
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I don't mean to be pedantic, but Tayda is based out of Thailand, not Taiwan. Also, the implication that Taiwanese manufactured products are low quality is not entirely accurate. Taiwanese manufacturing is almost universally better than Chinese (which is likely the true origin of much of Tayda's knockoff parts).
I haven't had *many* issues with tayda. I don't use their jacks (I use lumberg minis from diyguitarpedals.com.au), but their push on knobs have been fine for me, while the 1590 Davies tend to strip a little. I love their large aluminum knobs too.
Their enclosures are usually pretty good too.
Quote from: pickdropper on November 23, 2019, 12:25:40 AM
Quote from: jimilee on November 23, 2019, 12:18:43 AM
^^^ +1 He said it best, it's just a hobby (for us). If I was building for bank( like several of you on this thread), regularly, I would user mouser most likely. I think small bear's shipping is just too high.
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And I have tried to draw that line in my posts. I think Tayda is fine for kick around DIY builds. If anything goes wrong you can always change it. I just don't think it's fair to push most of those parts on buyers that likely don't know what they are buying; especially if they are expecting a roadworthy pedal (which is a reasonable expectation).
The only thing about these conversations that I really shake my head at is the argument (which is common) that Tayda parts are equivalent to other, vetted parts based solely on the fact that a builder hasn't had issues with a relatively small sample size building and without observation over extended periods of time. Much of the hardware is clearly built poorly if one really takes the time to compare it to other parts.
I totally agree here if I was selling pedals I'd go with much higher quality jacks and stomp switches especially. Passives and IC's from mouser. I'm not sure the difference would be terribly large from a sound standpoint, but from a durability stand point I think it should be done.
IMHO it is a point of perspective.
In some contries two switchcraft jacks cost as much as a joyo pedal. Comparing to local products Tayda was really good for the price.
I had open jacks from other sources that were so thin, that they would bend when plugin in. After some time switched jacks would not switch anymore.
Since I moved and had access to quality hardware at a reasonable price my opinion changed. It's not as bad as some other stuff you can buy on aliexpress for the same price though.
I wish Mouser were more acessible outside the US. With the huge catalogue they have it would be much easier. Even in Europe taxes and shipping are prohibitory for DIYers.
Quote from: DLW on November 23, 2019, 03:26:10 AM
I don't mean to be pedantic, but Tayda is based out of Thailand, not Taiwan. Also, the implication that Taiwanese manufactured products are low quality is not entirely accurate. Taiwanese manufacturing is almost universally better than Chinese (which is likely the true origin of much of Tayda's knockoff parts).
Completely agree. Taiwan is generally where companies go for higher quality, often lower volume manufacturing (but not always).
That said, when it comes to components, it's less about country of manufacture than it is about the quality built into the product itself. With the possible exception of some hardware, most electronic components are built in Asia these days and the quality varies from fantastic to terrible; it's all in the materials and the quality built into the process. Products are built to exacting standards in China all the time.
Also, due to the current US/China trade situation, countries like Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand are seeing significant economic growth. An increasing number of product manufacturing is coming out of these countries, which is a trend that is likely to continue, even if the tariffs go away. Manufacturing cost in China has been steadily increasing in recent years. The tariffs have pushed some companies to neighboring countries in Asia, but some migration started even before that, which is why China is starting to push towards innovation and trying to drive the market (both their internal market and the export market). I've direct dealt with factories in China, Vietnam and Thailand directly and have sourced parts from Malaysia; all have capable manufacturing (and non-capable).
Quote from: thomasha on November 23, 2019, 12:57:12 PM
IMHO it is a point of perspective.
In some contries two switchcraft jacks cost as much as a joyo pedal. Comparing to local products Tayda was really good for the price.
I had open jacks from other sources that were so thin, that they would bend when plugin in. After some time switched jacks would not switch anymore.
Since I moved and had access to quality hardware at a reasonable price my opinion changed. It's not as bad as some other stuff you can buy on aliexpress for the same price though.
I wish Mouser were more acessible outside the US. With the huge catalogue they have it would be much easier. Even in Europe taxes and shipping are prohibitory for DIYers.
Yeah, that's a different problem. Do you get any coverage from Farnell, Arrow, or Future?
Quote from: thomasha on November 23, 2019, 12:57:12 PM
I wish Mouser were more acessible outside the US. With the huge catalogue they have it would be much easier. Even in Europe taxes and shipping are prohibitory for DIYers.
I don't know where you are in Europe, but Mouser has free shipping to Finland if the order is more than EUR 50. Taxes are what they are no matter where you order.
All points made are very valid. I try Tom make a few orders as possible. Newark is great for this. They have 90% of the passive components I need. Plus they prices are better than most and have cheap shipping costs too. Lovemyswitches is the other place I go for hardware and other parts. I do get a couple things from Tayda but not very often. Their shipping frustrates me though. It's a bit high for the delivery times they offer. But that's part of the game.
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Quote from: flanagan0718 on November 24, 2019, 08:25:12 PM
I do get a couple things from Tayda but not very often. Their shipping frustrates me though. It's a bit high for the delivery times they offer. But that's part of the game.
I always use their expedites (DHL/FedEx) option no matter what I order. It is the difference between waiting 3 weeks or 6-7 days.
My main concern and the reason I started this post has to do with customer service with regards to emails and inquiries. They used to be spot on and respond to questions within a week. Now, it seems that they can't be bothered. :-\
Funny enough, I just today received my first ever error in a Tayda order. Ordered some 100uF 35V electrolytic caps. Received 10uF 100V instead.
I'll email them to see how things go!
QuoteI always use their expedites (DHL/FedEx) option no matter what I order. It is the difference between waiting 3 weeks or 6-7 days.
Quite often it's cheaper for me to order DHL than regular postage. Usually, if I'm using the discount code I save enough to cover it anyway.
Just now sent a request to Tayda asking about an item. Received the "We got your request" email instantly.
Will report back IF I get a response.
Just took a leap and ordered a ton of things from Tayda. I figure I have to order from someone. I guess I'll hold my breath.
I've gotten two or three orders since this thread started. I still haven't had any issues.
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Interestingly enough.... I just got a response today ;D
Looks like they are back on the ball with the email responses!