Tayda Parts Quality

[claytushaywood]

So i've always felt like parts bought from tayda were of lower quality.  I mean i know the resistors arent xicon the electrolytics are actually like consistently 15% below listed value.  and the faded lettering on the opamps was suspect... I've only recently begun to test this theory.  And I tested it on parts that I thought were the same- Alpha pots.  I have a bunch of 25k linear pots from tayda and small bear on hand.  They are both solid shaft 16mm alpha pots... I guess I didnt think there would be a difference.  But there is!

I had 8 of these from small bear and 8 from tayda (double ordered on accident)
all of the pots from smallbear measured between 24.5k and 25.6k (which I know is tighter tolerance than listed by alpha)  the pots from tayda ranged from 21.8 to 28.7.  i've noticed this before, just never really tried to do a direct comparison with a decent sample size.  I just assumed the pots were the same- i'm beginning to think they're not though... anyone else have any thoughts?

Now I'm wondering about these burr brown opamps from tayda... ive compared the JRC4558's directly and noticed huge differences in sound.  the faded printing is very suspect.

Maybe this is obvious, but what parts are good from tayda- i stopped ordering their transistors, diodes (after they sent me 1n914's labelled as 1n34a's) and fets a while ago.  humppphhhhh.  maybe the question is where is the best place to get quality components for cheap?  mouser absolutely pisses me off- their ordering system and random outrageously ridiculous prices.   

Sorry for the long and somewhat aimless post-- ordering parts is like my least favorite thing to do and I'm in need of some parts soon.

***as a side note I opened up an EQD Tone Reaper and saw they had some TINY 10uf 25v electrolytics from nichicon- i mean they look like the 0.47uf electroltyics found in old boss pedals- i've never seen these before.  anyone use them?  Theyd be killer for 1590a builds that u wanna run at 18v.

[Thomas_H]

Quality of Tada parts is always an issue. I may speak for the developers and PCB suppliers present here that build a lot of prototypes and most of us had issues with diodes, JFETs and Op Amps from Tayda where the prototyping failedbecause of these parts.

The only things I buy from them are the Alpha pots as they are still ok.
LEDs have been ok but not the RGB types.
You can also buy resistors and caps but dont expect the values you order. Always meassure them.
I you look close you see that the leads are very thin compared to parts sourced from other sources.
MLCC caps are ok but not really cheap. Electrolytics are ok too but you need to check the meassurements in the datasheet -if they have one. They are usually not the smallest
Milled IC sockets are ok. Pin headers not, they are hard to solder in.

Do not expect to see the same parts when ordering now and 4weeks later.

You can but standard OpAmps or Digital ICs like TL072 or CD40106 but nothing that is usually very expensive from other sources. You will get what you pay for 

If I need high quality parts in a short time I use Mouser but ai will order in quantities and therefore they are cheap for me.
I have a local electronics online store here in Germany for small orders- but compared to Mouser their shipping rates piss me off more if you look at the numbers you get and the shipping you pay for.

Nichicon is a good source for small electrolytic caps.

[claytushaywood]

from what ive observed and tested (on a relatively small scale)  the alpha pots they sell are not the same quality as the ones small bear sells.  and the MLCC caps have gotten cheaper in both price and quality.  the ones they used to have that were more expensive were a bit bigger in size and had much tighter tolerances. 

[mremic01]

The resistors are always in spec for me. They just feel cheap. Sometimes I want that though. They fit where the lead spacing is a little tighter.

Tayda electrolytics have always been worked for me (no duds), but I've never thought to measure them. I have two cap meters and the tolerance on both is way off, so I only trust them so much, but it might be interesting to compare readings on Tayda's caps vs caps from other suppliers.

I've gotten legit 4558s and ones that look fake. Usually it's one or the other, but once I got both in the same order. They were pressed into that pink antistatic foam in an alternating pattern. The TL072s are all good, and they recently started shipping me TI's, whereas before they were sending me ST's.

The Alpha pots are always in spec for me. Not only are they in spec, but they're usually pretty close to the stated value. I've been measuring my B10k's and dual B100k's for Klon stuff, and the Alpha 16mm pots from Tayda and way tighter than the 24mm Alphas I got from Small Bear. The dual ganged B100ks are particularly bad in the 24mm form factor. Out of something like 25, almost all of them had both gangs more than a few kiliohms off from each other.

Their MLCCs don't have the best dialectric (Z5U) from audio circuits. On the other hand, their regular dirt cheap ceramic caps work great and have been in some of my best sounding builds. They feel like junk, but work and sound fine.

They used to send me 1n270s that came in at about .5v. Way too high. But they sounded great in Klons that were run in series. The last batch I get was .25v. Those don't have the same magic.

Tayda's JFETs are all over the place. They look legitimate, but seem like they're factory seconds or floor sweepings or something. On the other hands, all the JFETs I've gotten from Small Bear have been very fake looking, but seem to be in spec. I gave up on through-hole JFETs and now I just get the smd versions and adapt them to through-hole with little daughter boards. That way, I know I'm using the real part.

[raulduke]

I read too many mixed reviews of Tayda stuff to trust them.

There are other more reputable vendors that I'd rather give my £ too.

If I was in the US I would most likely use Small Bear for all the 'pedal' bits I need (pots, 3PDT switches etc.)

The adage of 'you get what you pay for' always rings true IMO.

[drolo]

What I found most interesting with Tayda is the Alpha pots and and enclosures, even including shipping (which ridiculously is often cheaper than ordering closer to me in Europe...) That and the fact that China is so generous to send out so many "Gifts" and "samples" around the world, avoiding duties and taxes. Enjoy it while it lasts ...
I have not had issues yet with either caps, resistors or pots, although I did not really test them thoroughly.
Odd things like germanium diodes and FETs are more inconsistent.

That said I would be interested to know what other alternatives there are in Europe, besides Musikding and Banzai (I have had ongoing issues with Banzai's orders ...)
I have never ordered from Mouser as their shipping is ridiculous to Belgium ...

[Thomas_H]

That said I would be interested to know what other alternatives there are in Europe, besides Musikding and Banzai (I have had ongoing issues with Banzai's orders ...)
I have never ordered from Mouser as their shipping is ridiculous to Belgium ...

Http://www.reichelt.de.  Shipping to belgium is 6,95€

[kothoma]

That said I would be interested to know what other alternatives there are in Europe, besides Musikding and Banzai (I have had ongoing issues with Banzai's orders ...)

I use Musikding and http://www.uk-electronic.de/ a lot.

I have never ordered from Mouser as their shipping is ridiculous to Belgium ...

Isn't shipping free for orders over €65?
Taxes and custom fees are included in the prices.
And it is fast (typically two days from the US to Germany).

[raulduke]

That said I would be interested to know what other alternatives there are in Europe, besides Musikding and Banzai (I have had ongoing issues with Banzai's orders ...)
I have never ordered from Mouser as their shipping is ridiculous to Belgium ...

Both of the companies below are excellent, small businesses, and both are based in the UK so are EU friendly (for now anyway with the way politics are going  ):

http://www.doctortweek.co.uk/
http://www.bitsbox.co.uk/

There is also a company called 'poodles pedal parts' (something like that), but I have never ordered from them so can't vouch for what kind of service they offer.

Mouser do free shipping for orders over £50 to the UK which is pretty good when you need to stock up on a load of resistors, caps, IC's etc.

Also, if you haven't checked them out before, look at Rapid. They are similar to Farnell, Mouser etc. (ie. not great for esoteric 'pedal' parts) but have very good costings and a really nice website (easy to use).

[RobA]

...  mouser absolutely pisses me off- their ordering system and random outrageously ridiculous prices.   
...

Once you get used to using the Mouser search system, it is really the best out there. I use their search system to get part numbers to order from other places. You do have to check the data sheets and make sure you are actually getting what you want, but that's pretty much the same everywhere.

Avnet is the place to go for most TI parts. Their search system sucks. They occasionally send out free shipping coupons.

I don't have a better alternative for pots. I find 16mm Alpha pots to be pretty crap from every supplier. Mouser is the US distributor and their prices are higher than SmallBear. Tayda's  9mm Alpha pots feel and measure good to me.

One of the few things I still ordered from Tayda were the switches, which suck but are cheap enough for prototypes. The last set I ordered were rusted!

[GermanCdn]

Well we haven't had one of these threads for a while now  .

Haven't ordered from Tayda in six months, not for quality issues, but my stash simply isn't in need of replenishing as my box of unboxed circuits trumps the need to build new circuits.

What I will still order from Tayda

Hardware - SIPs, DIPs, bezels, DC jacks, the Neutrik style PCB mount jacks (the original ones they carried, not the new solder lug versions which suck), wire if I need it (makes a good order filler), Marshall style knobs

Passives - resistors and box caps (I measure all my caps and resistors before putting them in a circuit, and these generally test out to be in spec and usually within +/- 3%), electros (though I probably throw 10% away because they are way out of spec), MLCCs if I need them, Pots (seriously, how did I miss this the first time, oh yeah, pre-coffee brain).

Actives - TL072s, IN4001s, generic transistors (2N5088, MPSA18, etc), LEDs

Switches - had pretty good success with their red toggle switches, but you can't hit them with a soldering iron twice.

There's probably other things I missed, but that's generally what I have found to be acceptable.

The trend (at least that I've found) is that when they first get a product in, it tends to be of better/more consistent quality than when it's been around for a while.  I had much better success with their PT2399s a couple of years back, when they first had the 2N5952s in I ordered 30 (ish) and I actually managed to get two quad sets and 4 -6 double sets (don't remember exactly) out of them, which is a pretty good ratio.  Subsequent orders have been all over the map.

Reality is they are a low cost parts supplier, dealing in either overstock or (likely) out of spec products.  Buy a little at a time if you're unsure as part of an order filler, if you like a part, you can keep going with it, if you find it's a dud, you're likely out $1.  And they'll give you a store credit for that $1 if you ask them.

[LaceSensor]

For what its worth I order stuff from Tayda AND shock horror use it in customer builds

The GOOD

- The resistors have always been in spec for me.
- The Alpha pots 16mm and 9mm I defeinitely buy from there, never had issues. Regardless of source they can vary 20%, thats a known fact. If its a part that needs to be accurate, just measure it eg 100k for a delay pot.
- I recently picked up a bunch of MLCC caps they work out very good value and are nice quality.
- standard LEDs are fine
- 3pdt are no worse than anywhere else
- red toggles are ok
- rotary switches are excellent (alpha)
- knobs are lower quality but I never managed to strip one, and lets be honest a knob is a knob in all but the most OCD cases
-Op amps however TL 072/4 etc I wouldnt have an issue with they are typically ST parts.


The BAD
- I wouldnt buy the open frame jacks as I prefer to use better quality ones.
- I also wouldnt buy specific IC or JFETS, too many fakes.
- PT2399


Yeah you get what you pay for but of the stuff I do source from Tayda Im yet to have anything not work or fail.

Your mileage may vary

ps I think this is at least the tenth time Ive seen a similar topic to this.

[raulduke]

Yep these posts pop up all the time (Tayda and also getting hold of stuff in the EU).

Is it time for a 'sticky' thread where we can post good suppliers?

I know it can be difficult for us EU guys to source stuff sometimes, so a sticky where we can add/summarise which suppliers we use, and what they are good for would be handy...

[drolo]

Yep these posts pop up all the time (Tayda and also getting hold of stuff in the EU).

Is it time for a 'sticky' thread where we can post good suppliers?

I know it can be difficult for us EU guys to source stuff sometimes, so a sticky where we can add/summarise which suppliers we use, and what they are good for would be handy...

+1

[pickdropper]

Be careful with the 16mm pots.  A lot of them have undersized shafts, which looks pretty bad with single set screw knobs that are designed for .25" shafts.  The knob wobbles a bit when turned because it's too far off to one side.