I really do need to start buying in bulk

[ckim715]

I just got what I thought was my BOM for my Serendipity build. I forgot 2 1k resistors, a 4k7 resistor, a 470n cap, and a DIP8 socket. uuuuuuuuuugh. On the flip side, I apparently ordered an entire bag of .039 capacitors...so now I sit with my Riot missing a 1 uf and a .033 uf, and my Serendipity missing 4 simple components and a socket for my OPA2134. What a blast, lol

Where/how/what do you recommend I start purchasing in bulk?

[jkokura]

Depends on the part.

For Resistors, try ebay or mouser. I got 3000 resistors this past summer from Hong Kong. I was able to select 60 batches of 50 resistors from a list of available values. It didn't get me every value, and the guy who sent them to me made some mistakes, but it sure fleshed out my resistor stash. I think it was 20 bucks including shipping to Canada, so it was like 2/3 a cent per resistor, which is pretty dang cheap considering a resistor from Smallbear is 20 cents each. To flesh out my stash I've bought batches of 200 from smallbear, Mouser and local shops. There's a place in Vancouver that sells batches of 100 for 1.95, which is cheaper than average.

For Film Caps I usually recommend Smallbear. The Topmay film caps are wonderful to work with, and relatively cheap. I think when I got a full cap stash (bags of 100 in every value) I bought about 200 dollars worth of caps. I paid about 8 cents per film cap then, with some being 10 cents a cap and some being 12 or 14 (the 1uF type). I've also bought bunches of caps from mouser, esepecially if it's a value Smallbear didn't supply. I've also bought bags of 100 of the red panasonic caps from smallbear. Also good value.

For Electrolytic I recommend Mouser. They're the cheapest there from my experience. You can also get good grab bags on ebay that will have 5-20 of various values between 1uF and 1000uF. I've done that a couple times.

I usually get sockets from smallbear whenever I get an order from them. They're pricy at about 55 cents for the 8 pin and a buck for the 16pins, but they're worth it IMHO.

I get LED's on ebay, diodes from mouser, smallbear and ebay, and I get IC's from smallbear/ppp/mouser/etc - wherever I need to.

I've also bought stuff from Mammoth. They seem like a great place to get certain things like jacks, switches, IC's and some other stuff. I've also gotten resistors from them and they seemed to do pretty well. I've heard some complaints about them, and I was admittedly pretty skeptical of them because they kinda appeared on the scene and were undercutting both smallbear and PPP. Turns out that the parts they're supplying are cheaper, and you pay for what you get. Sometimes it's worth it to pay a little more for Cliff switches and switchcraft jacks. Sometimes you can just get by with the cheap stuff.

Remember to add in shipping when you're calculating your part values. 2/3 of a cent per resistor INCLUDES shipping. if it were just the 9 bucks for 3000 resistors... well, .3 cents per resistor sounds better than .66 cents, but it's not reality.

Jacob

[aziltz]

i'd say 39n is close enough to 33n that you won't hear the difference

[madbean]

200 carbon film from Mouser costs $2.80. 200 Metal Film costs $4.00.

I buy at least one pack of some resistor value every time I order from Mouser. And, since I do a few dozen orders a year, it stacks up!

I DO think the package deals on caps form Smallbear are very good....buying a bag of 100 here and there. The Topmay or Panasonics.

Sockets and trimpots: Tayda Electronics. Good deals there.

Electrolytic/ceramic/film caps, op-amps, transistors, diodes: Mouser.

I use mostly miniature electrolytic caps now. They used to be made by Xicon, but now by Lelon. Maybe they are a division of Xicon because they are the exact same except for the company logo. Any, I prefer the tiny ones...they are only 5-6mm tall, whereas regular electrolytic caps are 11mm.

mini: http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Lelon/SS100M1EBK-0505P/?qs=sGAEpiMZZMtZ1n0r9vR22fOIMi63Cj6pMjznIzIEUe4%3d
maxi: http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Lelon/REA100M1EBK-0511P/?qs=sGAEpiMZZMtZ1n0r9vR22Z8b58wL7NwvZlIRI187dww%3d

Pots: smallbear. Best deal there. You know how if you order 10 of a pot you get a discount? They don't have to be the same value! If you order 5 10k and 5 50ks you get the 10 pot discount.

I also usually order SDPT switches from SB, but Mouser has them too.

[gtr2]

Futurlec is good for box caps and resistors.  You can get good prices without buying mass quantities.  Like 10 resistors for 20 cents.  Just be prepared to wait a little.  I ordered a month ago and it just sent out.. But I know this is the case with them already, so I order in advance for a couple projects and additional stock.

[CRBMoA]

Agreed with above.

I buy 100 or 200 packs of resistors whenever I run low on a value. Do that for a year, and you never HAVE to order to complete a build again.

Caps are harder, because there are more values and types, but I use the same logic. If I need one for a build today, I buy 10. If I need 2, I buy 20. .

This year, (my third as an active builder), I am buying long on ICs. I have always bought long on trannies and diodes.

It is expensive to buy more than you need, INITIALLY, but the first time you jump on a project and realize that you built it COMPLETELY out of your own stock, and had to do no ordering, no waiting, no paying for shipping, it is a FANTASTIC feeling

Today, for example, I can build most thing Madbean offers without ordering anything.

cb

[Haberdasher]

Anybody try the 1/4 jacks from tayda?  They look kinda cheap (maybe on par with the mammoth ones?), but I was thinking about ordering a couple to see.
If anyone has experience with them I'd love to hear from you.

[ckim715]

Thinking about buying a resistor kit off of ebay. Good? Bad?

[jkokura]

As I mentioned above, I have. It worked out fine for me. Post a link?

Jacob

[ckim715]

http://cgi.ebay.com/1-4W-Metal-Film-Resistor-Assort-kit-1000-pc-50-values-/320655098224?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4aa8888170#ht_4741wt_1036

this one

[irmcdermott]

I'll throw a plug for Jameco as well because I've only had good experiences with them. I've only bought their Carbon film resistors in bulk, but I just looked and they have metal films for $0.90 for 100. But again, I've never bought metal films from there. But all the resistors, transistors, and diodes I've gotten from them have been great.

[jkokura]

Those eBay resistors are ok. There ate probably 15 values in there you'll almost never use, like 0.1R, etc. There are also key values missing like 4.7k and 12k. But if you want to start a collection, that isn't too bad. However, I got 3000 for the same price, and I was able to select the values I wanted so it worked much better for me. I don't mean to brag, just show thats not the best deal, but an ok one.

Jacob

[madbean]

Most needed resistors:

100R
220R
1k
2k2
4k7
8k2
10k
12k
15k
20k
22k
47k
68k
100k
150k
220k
470k
1M
2M2
10M

Most needed film caps:
1n
2n2
3n9
4n7
6n8
10n
15n
22n
47n
68n
100n
220n
1uF

Most needed ceramics:
47pF
100pF
220pF
470pF

Most needed electrolytic:
1uF
2u2
4u7
10uF
47uF
100uF

You could cut this list down a bit more, even. But these values will cover a lot of effects.

[eniacmike]

also if you don't want to go crazy stocking your bench when your starting out you can get a $5 grab bag of resistors at radio shack that has more than most.. they aren't metal film but they will cover you for a while. I still end up pulling from that grab bag when I am in a pinch.

I also bought a electrolytic assortment from velleman that did me pretty well. I think it was $20. the topmay boxcaps assortment and the electrolytic assortment from small bear are really pretty good although I think the electrolytic kit is 16v so if you want to run pedals at 18v check your ratings.

[jimmybjj]

does anyone know where you can buy jacks in bulk?