Information on purchasing electronic components

[Drew23]

I would be interested to hear from members where they purchase there components from?, especially if you can buy just one or two, and not have to buy ten at a time.

Also I would like to know which manufactures of electronic components that member’s use, because of the quality of there products?.

 

[pc1966]

Birkett's? John Birkett died last year IIRC, he had been running the shop(s) since 1960.

Ah yes, I also remember them. Nice folks to deal with as well.

I too used to trek to the Edgware Road in my early teens to get parts to build projects. The excitement of coming home with a bag or bags of brand new components, clean and shiny, ready to begin work, was unforgettable. Henry's, Smith (there were a few), Proops... Henrys hung on longer than most but even they are gone now.

It was Smiths I think that I remember most fondly. They had wooden trays with sleeving in them in the middle of the shop, fibreglass stuff for high temperatures, silicone, etc. I think the main guys were Arthur (oldest?) and Raymond, both really helpful.

Also just a block away was Samson transformers, they had all sorts from valve radio output stages to smaller HV stuff it seemed.

 

[Julie.]

I use
RS
DigiKey
Mouser

In about equal measure, I build a shopping list over the free delivery and switch stuff around until I get a balance.

Sometimes it's better to pay a few pence extra on some components to get free delivery from one supplier.

I have also used LCSC components (partner of jlcpcb.com - where I usually get my pcbs made)

All have been OK.

Depending on what you are looking for each has a better range than the others.

I have found RS pretty poor with regards to modern electronic components though.

 

[pc1966]

DigiKey
Mouser

I use them as well when I could not get specific bits from others like RS, but often they imported from USA so extra cost/hassle for import duty. That might be less of an issue now.

Also the tedium of filling out a US export request for parts made in Mexico...

 

[timhoward]

For small quantities and a limited range of items, Hobbytronics are quick, fairly cheap, efficient, and their packaging is beautiful.

 

[Julie.]

I use them as well when I could not get specific bits from others like RS, but often they imported from USA so extra cost/hassle for import duty. That might be less of an issue now.

Also the tedium of filling out a US export request for parts made in Mexico...

Never had that.

I merely build up an order over the ~ £30 mark, plus the VAT, then they turn up a few days later.

The parts have often arrived before stuff from the UK ordered at the same time.

Never any additional import duties - that's always been sorted out by them with no interaction from me.

I think I had to declare the use of the parts the first time I used DigiKey, but that was just a short phone call (from their end).

 

[pc1966]

OK, must have been some 15 years ago I used them and avoided ever since due to that experience. Seems worth looking at again.

 

[Drew23]

CPC are still around, part of the same group as Farnell these days. Their actual component range is limited although prices tend to be good on the stuff they do stock. Their strength is in electrical commodities like IEC cordsets, where their pricing and availability are very good for a traceable supplier. I use all of them, RS, Farnell, CPC for different reasons. Audio and video stuff I get from Canford; their catalogue prices are sky-high but with a trade account they are hard to beat.

Not sure about the best way to buy small quantities. Cricklewood Electronics have a reputation for being friendly and helpful with small orders but I don't know what their range is like, as I only use them for a few specialities. There's an incentive not to shop around when one needs to maintain turnover on a trade account. eBay can get you out of a hole for some obscure and obsolete parts, but there are many items that I absolutely would not buy from an untraceable source because of the percentage of fakes. Certain semiconductors are almost guaranteed to be fake unless traceable under a QM system. Some will work but not to spec, others will be dead, or a different part, or whatever. Sometimes the higher cost of the pro suppliers is well worth paying.

Thank you for your reply, with all your very informative information, especially the fact about the number of fakes
components out there.

 

[brianmoooore]

Willow Vale Electronics - now long gone. They had an early on line ordering system, which consisted of a box screwed to the underside of my TV, and a battery powered, infra red linked, keyboard. Can't remember much about it now, other than it took about five minutes to order each item.

 

[suffolkspark]

Omni electronics. And what about J. Bull and Greenweld with their unusual surplus stuff.

Do greenweld still exist? Ive not used them for about 20 years but their website seems a bit dead now since thdy merged into something else

 

[DPG]

Do greenweld still exist? Ive not used them for about 20 years but their website seems a bit dead now since thdy merged into something else

I always assumed they were long gone, but perhaps not eh

 

[pc1966]

I always assumed they were long gone, but perhaps not eh

The greenweld site tries but fails to redirect to www.sciencestore.co.uk

 

[suffolkspark]

The greenweld site tries but fails to redirect to www.sciencestore.co.uk

I put a few things in the basket on greenweld, it did work that far, seems like a journey back to the 00s though

 

[suffolkspark]

I use cpc as cant fault the service, and like the accuracy of stock levels, ive used rs but they seem dearer, their batteries are shyte