Can anyone recommend a few online retailers that offer quality products at a fair price (cheap is better!).

Thanks!

Tron75

 

Yeah me too.

I don't feel that automatically going with the 'cheapest' is the best move though. You need to remember that, for the cheapest retailer they have to be cutting some corners in order to be able to offer the cheapest prices.

I would prefer to pay extra for good communication and reliability. Think we are starting to lose the plot a bit with all this cheap, cheap biz -- everyone has to make a living. Everyone has to eat. Everyone needs a job.

You know what I mean amigo?

 

You pay a bit extra to deal with people that know what they are doing / talking about. In the long run you come out winning miles in front. Buying parts from some guy that hasn't a clue what he is selling isn't the go in my opinion.

 

Howdy, USNTron.
If you are looking for electronic components, it is best to stick with authorized distributors, such as AvnetExpress, Digikey, Mouser, Newark, Future Electronics, and whomever is listed as an authorized distributor on the manufacturer's website.

There is a huge "gray market" nowadays where unscrupulous people are counterfeiting parts using lasers to re-mark them, also doing such things as salvaging parts from junked electronics and selling the salvaged parts as new.

There are some suppliers that are not authorized distributors, but do stand behind what they sell.
BG Micro, Jameco, MPJA, Alltronics are in that category.

If you buy stuff on auction sites, you may very well think you're getting great stuff, and when it arrives it's junk. Even if the seller agrees to refund your money if you ship it back, often the combined shipping exceeds the value of the purchase - and you still won't have what you needed in the first place. Caveat emptor.

There are places like Electronics Goldmine and Skycraft Surplus that have really fascinating stuff, and you can wind up with lots of it if you are not careful. Best not to just buy a lot of stuff and then have a storage problem.

 

I have been reasonably happy with my dealings with Element 14 (formally Farnel Components)

Prices are good for semiconductors. They are negotiable as well. They follow strict anti-static protocols too. Sometimes a bit too over the top. BJTs and diodes are not at risk of damage.

 

Or find places that sell production overruns. I can't remember the name, but Jimpack or something like that is available in most local electronic suppliers. Most places that sell NTE which was known as ECG before, or SK.

There are not as many left these days since its hard to keep up with the constant changes in components.

I use Newark, Allied, Digikey for most components. For the best capacitors I use B&D Electronics. Mouser is one of my last choices which is usually obsolete parts.

 

BJTs and diodes are not at risk of damage.

Wrong. All semiconductor devices can be damaged by electrostatic discharge.

 

Wrong. All semiconductor devices can be damaged by electrostatic discharge.

If you're quoting a textbook then I agree. But in reality? I've never had one go on me. I usually place all CMOS parts on conductive foam or in tubes, but TTL etc .. I just throw them in my parts containers. Never had a problem in all my years.

 

I have an IC tester that plugs into my USB port too. I test before I use or sell.

 

This product: http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-TOP-TOP...218?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43aac7714a

Is totally unreal ! It will test almost any CMOS or TTL logic + RAM ICs that you can imagine. It can burn almost any EPROM, EEPROM and MCU too.

 

I thought about doing a project that tests discrete logic CMOS 4000 ICs until I bought that product. I thought that I was just buying an EPROM + MCU programmer at first. When I discovered what else it did for the money, I threw my hands in the air and said why bother! If I produced a project that only tested CMOS 4000 ICs for similar money then people would laugh!

 

If you're quoting a textbook then I agree. But in reality? I've never had one go on me. I usually place all CMOS parts on conductive foam or in tubes, but TTL etc .. I just throw them in my parts containers. Never had a problem in all my years.

I have. 2N2222A, CMOS, you name it, and it was at a place that had static controls in place.

I've had examples at home too, though I am a lot more relaxed about ESD protocols here, and know I'm occasionally going to have a part go south for no apparent reason. I know the reason.

It is a very common problem, not to be understated.

 

If you're quoting a textbook then I agree. But in reality? I've never had one go on me. I usually place all CMOS parts on conductive foam or in tubes

I am not quoting from a textbook.

but TTL etc .. I just throw them in my parts containers. Never had a problem in all my years.

You are DEAD WRONG. This may be the case for a hobbyist.

Students, engineers, professionals, please do not listen this guy. He does not know what he is talking about!

The electronics industry spends millions of dollars to ship you semiconductors in anti-static containers. They know what they are doing.

Talk to an expert in the semiconductor business!

They will show you electron-microscopic photographs of semiconductor structures that have been damaged by ESD. The component may still work for now but there is no telling when it will fail in the field. At that point the failure may be catastrophic!

 

I am quoting from several textbooks that I have read.

In fact, one even claims that metal film resistors can be damaged from static.

But no need to fear, all of my gold (MCUs, RAM and EEPROMS) are well protected in their tubes.

 

I have books that go back to 1982.

 

I have been reasonably happy with my dealings with Element 14 (formally Farnel Components)

Prices are good for semiconductors. They are negotiable as well. They follow strict anti-static protocols too. Sometimes a bit too over the top. BJTs and diodes are not at risk of damage.

You may have never had one completely fail, but you most likely have inadvertently affected the noise floor, gain, max breakdown voltage current, and other parameters that aren't readily apparent.

 

I have. 2N2222A

Most popular general purpose transistor ever developed?

 

You may have never had one completely fail, but you most likely have inadvertently affected the noise floor, gain, max breakdown voltage current, and other parameters that aren't readily apparent.

Knowing my luck most probably. Now I know why some of those circuits that I created made sense on paper but didn't quite cut it on the real world build.

 

Fact of the matter is, I cannot afford to maintain an inventory of spares which boast an outstanding anti-static method of storage.

 

I no doubt that there are better ways than what I have done, but pretty certain that there are worse too.