Care required when buying components!!

[julie_m]

I guess I must be fortunate in having an old-fashioned, specialist electronic components retailer within walking distance .....

[ms660]

Originally Posted by julie_m

I guess I must be fortunate in having an old-fashioned, specialist electronic components retailer within walking distance .....

Very fortunate, it's either Ebay, Farnnell/RS etc down here.

Lawrence.

[Station X]

Originally Posted by julie_m

I guess I must be fortunate in having an old-fashioned, specialist electronic components retailer within walking distance .....

Aren't you going to name them then?

[julie_m]

Sorry -- R. F. Potts of Babington Lane, Derby. 01332 343469. Much interesting stuff to be had there ...

[Hartley118]

I find Maplin useful for security cameras etc - and in fact for anything that I want to look at before I buy. And I also enjoy just having a browse round - Our Maplin is conveniently in one of the out-of-town shopping sites which, in the strange world of Cambridge, is pretty much in-town.

I guess that component stocks are a way of getting us hobbyists into the shop in the hope we might buy something bigger on the way to the stores counter. Tricky business model I think!

Martin

[TrevorG3VLF]

I once went to Potts of Derby for a power transistor for a TV. Robert spent a lot of time looking up an equivalent and then charged me about half the RS price.

I also buy from Bowood at Chesterfield as the owner goes to the same radio club as myself. He does most of his business by post and also goes to radio rallies.

[Maarten]

Originally Posted by Station X

It must be remembered that selling components to members of this and similar forums is not their core business. If it were they'd soon go out of business like the Bygone Radio Traders of old we reminisce about in the forums. It's unrealistic to expect them to stock large numbers of one particular component or to employ highly skilled staff.

Stocking largish numbers of (low impedance) electrolytics pays itself off as they are required so often.

[mark pirate]

I certainly don't bother with Maplin anymore, They are too expensive and never seem to have what I need.
CPC is where I get most of my components, orders over £5 are free delivery and I have never had problems with them, although the website could be better

I also find ebay a good source of components, again no problems as yet...

Mark

[high_vacuum_house]

I often use Ebay for components, A broad range of components are available and many are only a pound or 2.
The quality of components at Maplin is quite shocking varying from some toggle switches that fell apart when soldering a wire and almost unsolderable Veroboard and very poor quality 4mm terminal posts.

The fact I have more than 2 decades of electronic assembly and soldering experience, and I was using a Weller TCP iron and Multicore 60/40 solder for the joints and not their own brand lead free stuff and a cheapo soldering iron makes me wonder if anyone entering the electronics hobby for the first time would rather quickly give up
Christopher Capener

[Martin G7MRV]

I also avoid Maplins for components, and thats despite one of my oldest friends being one of their product specifiers! Its simply not their busness model anymore - they cater now to the tech toys market.

I use a variety of small suppliers in the UK, occasionally the big guns like CPC and RS, but mostly via ebay or another of the Far East mass stock suppliers. Its far cheaper. There is a risk of fake parts, but thats also true these days of the UK based merchants, who lets face it stock up from the Far East. I would use the UK for big ticket parts that have value to counterfeiters, but for little parts and common or garden ICs, opamps etc, they are so cheap to make in bulk theres no profit in faking them.

The downside is having to wait usually a couple of weeks, but when you can get ten of a part shipped for less than one in the UK, its worth stocking up

[mark pirate]

The downside is having to wait usually a couple of weeks, but when you can get ten of a part shipped for less than one in the UK, its worth stocking up

I recently ordered 200 0.001 400v capacitors for £3.48 including postage, these arrived within three weeks from china. They are an ideal replacement for those little brown Hunts

I checked a random 10% sample and found them to be spot on. I have since purchased similar quantity's of other common values from the same seller, these also are of decent quality.

It certainly makes economic sense to buy at prices that UK sellers just can't match, small passive components are not worth the trouble of faking. But I am still getting my electrolitics from UK sources!

Mark

[Ed_Dinning]

Hi Folks, our Australian cousins have all the luck and Jaycar. It is a great shop for parts and good staff (in Melbourne anyway). They have a good range of kits and books.
Piece parts are expensive in comparison to the likes of RS, but not too bad; they seem to keep good stocks.
have a look on their site as they will post kits to the UK.

Ed

[vidjoman]

Don't forget Rapid Electronics in the UK, part of the larger Conrad group. Conrad do a large catalogue of consumer electronics parts in Europe. A better form of Maplin by mail order.

['LIVEWIRE?']

I'll second a vote for Rapid Electronics. Don't use them all that often, my main source being CPC, but they(Rapid) do stock a wide range of components at reasonable prices, including good quality 4mm (Banana)plugs & sockets, and good quality, all metal Phono plugs & sockets. I also use Cricklewood Electronics & CHS from time to time, the latter being a good, if sometimes pricey, source of Manufacturers spares for just about every make! Sometimes, if I'm in one of the nearby towns which have a Maplin store, I buy a few parts from there. Never had any problems with the wrong item being supplied by them (yet!). I sometimes buy from Hardings in Cheltenham, one of the few independant Electronic Parts shops left.

[Biggles]

I use ESR Electronic Components Ltd in Cullercoats, (Tyne and Wear). They have a good selection of discrete components and always seem to have what I need in stock. They aren't local to me (25 miles away) but I tend to have a trip out to enjoy the coast at the same time. The nearest Maplins to me is about 20 miles away and to be fair I haven't really experienced problems with them before, even though I carefully check they supply the right bits over the counter. I sometimes use RS for bulk buy items and I can honestly say in all the years I have dealt with them through work and privately, they have never once slipped up with an order.
Alan.