Parts?

[tenwatt]

Hey guys.  Long time player, first time builder.  I'm pretty oblivious to electronics and circuits but I'm wanting to dive in and try to build the Egodriver and the Serendipity.  I'm good with an iron and great with following instructions so hopefully it won't be too daunting of a task.

I'm curious to where you guys order your parts?  When I was research the parts for the two builds I'd like to try out I couldn't find all of the parts I need at one place and it seems crazy to pay $5 shipping for $0.15 parts.  How do you guys go about this?

[redbean]

Absolute beginner here -- I have yet to build my first pedal (boards were ordered and are in the mail). Meanwhile, I have been working on compiling my own list of parts and tools, which is a slow and arduous task.

Here are the links I will use when I am ready to order my parts (I have spent several hours/days familiarizing myself with the companies listed here):

http://www.madbeanpedals.com/links.html

buena suerte

[tenwatt]

I'm pretty familiar with all the parts stores online.  I've done a lot of mods and such.  My question is more about how do you bulk all of your parts into one place to keep from paying $5 shipping on $0.10 parts.

[jkokura]

I'm not sure what more we can tell you.

Not many of us buy all our parts at one place. I've bought parts from eBay, Mouser, Smallbear Electronics (my favourite), Pedals Parts Plus, Caps n' Such, and Mammoth all in the last 6 months. Many people use Futurlec, Banzai, and other places as well, places I've never gotten parts from. I also have bought parts from local shops on Vancouver Island and in the Vancouver Area. it's almost impossible to get the parts all at one place, but you're right that paying 5 bucks in shipping for a couple parts seems a bit ridiculous.

The only solution I can give you is for you to pick one place, a place like Smallbear as an example, and then just choose to either buy everthing there even if it's a bit more expensive than other places. If they don't have a part you need, either see if there's a substitute they do have or post an add in the buy and sell here on the forum. Most of us will have some stock, and perhaps you'll get the part you need for the cost of a stamp.

For what it's worth, it's a hard learning curve to search for parts online, but once you get the hang of understanding which parts you need, it becomes a lot easier. I'm very certain you can get all the parts you need for both a Serendipity and Egodriver at Smallbear and Pedal Parts Plus. You might have to make some part subs, but it can be easy.

On one other not, part of the reason so many of us buy from all those different prices is because we buy for many more than 1 or 2 pedals at a time. I have stock for dozens and dozens of pedals of some parts, so that when I need to build a few, I can place a small order for the parts I'm needing from Smallbear. For instance, I have about 6 or 7 builds coming up, and I placed an order with Smallbear, an order with PPP, and I have all the parts I need for these and more. Next time I may end up needing to add Mouser to that list, but I may not have to get anything from Smallbear that time. It works out for us.

Remember too that if you HAVE to have that one part, you're still saving lots and lots of money over buying a Zendrive and OCD, so don't worry too much about the extra 5 bucks in shipping.

Jacob

[bigmufffuzzwizz]

I'm pretty familiar with all the parts stores online.  I've done a lot of mods and such.  My question is more about how do you bulk all of your parts into one place to keep from paying $5 shipping on $0.10 parts.

That can be a problem. When I ordered parts for the first time I had to order from about 3 different places. The shipping can suck but it matters where you order from. Effectsconnection.com gives free shipping for orders over $100. I ended up ordering extra parts so I wouldn't have to keep dealing with that. If i needed 1 i would order 5. If i need 3-5 i order 10. Also bulking up at tayda electronics is a great way to go. The products are very inexpensive and they ship fast(unlike futurlec who I'm still waiting for). $100 will go a long way there. I ordered resistors, some mylar capacitors, ceramic disc caps, pots, and more all in that one stop! And 1000 resistors is only about $2 to ship(mix and match). Enclosures are expensive but I think Mammoth Electronics and Pedal Parts Plus have it covered very well as far as cheap enclosures with the option of drilling and powdercoat painting! Just search and compare places. And I do encourage you to venture into big companies like Mouser and Digikey. It's confusing at first but makes more sense the more you scout around.  
Good Luck and ask if you can't find something.

[pauloman80]

Yup, it can be tough to find everything in one place.  Plus, certain sites have better pricing for certain parts, so even with separate shipping it can be more financially savvy to pull from various sites.  I tend to hit Smallbear and Pedal Parts Plus the most, plus I have a nice little local shop for bits I need in a pinch.

[tenwatt]

Cool.  Thanx guys.  I was just making sure I wasn't missing out on some trad secrets of getting all my parts from one location.