Electronic components sourcing.

[stern0m1]

Looking for low cost sourcing leads for general electronic components.

Thanks

[syrinxtech]

Well, there are the old favorites:

1. Mouser
2. Digikey

You can always source cheaper from China but there is a huge delay in shipping and you sometimes get what you pay for.  YMMV.

[jra]

In addition to Mouser and Digikey (who generally have everything) you can sometimes find common parts at Jameco for reasonable prices.  Don't overlook requesting samples, either.  I have found that Ti, Atmel, Maxim and Microchip have been pretty accommodating as long as you don't go overboard.

[syrinxtech]

jra, what's a common sample size that doesn't arouse too much suspicion?

[stern0m1]

Am I naive if I think the ic's they sell on aliexpress ebay taobao for a fraction of what they go for in the usa are real?

Specifically, right now I see ic m2302a a step down converter on aliexpress for 50 cents to a dollar  https://www.aliexpress.com/wholesale?catId=0&initiative_id=SB_20170303100626&SearchText=M2303ADN

In the usa in bulk the cheapest I see is like $3.

[Felix]

You really are a newbie ha
I would fear china like the plague for anything that is a chip or more than like a resistor, even resistors I would not buy from there. Maybe switches, headers are OK. See my "from china with love" blog entries for my face-palm experiences with some china products.
That's not to say some other "proven" things cant be bought - for instance I imported a big laser cutter crate and I am a happy user. But choose such vendors with wisdom, scour the web for feedback in other forums etc before you invest away a few grand on such tools.

[syrinxtech]

My partner and I (especially my partner) does a fair bit of purchasing from China.  We have purchased a few SD card readers, RTC oards, etc. and generally they work just like the mainstream stuff (Adafruit, etc) and are MUCH cheaper.  The one downside is the shipping costs (if you can get ePacket then do it) and the shipping times (especially during their holiday season).

I can't say I would build a production line like Felix has on Chinese parts, but for the relative costs it isn't the worst thing.

We have had good luck with Alice.

[jra]

@syrinxtech Ti generally allows you to sample up to 5 copies of each part you are sampling.  I don't think I've asked for more than 4 different parts per order.  Atmel limits you to 3 copies of each part, don't know if that has changed since they were bought by Microchip who's sample policy is (I think) 2 copies per part and no more than 3 orders per month.  Maxim allows you to sample 2 copies of each part, maybe 2 or 3 different parts at a time.  I've also had good luck ordering  from alice1101983 on ebay but those are generally for modules, displays, pro mini's, etc. as opposed to individual components.

[syrinxtech]

@jra.....thanks for the info.  I've often thought of asking for a sample but I figured they would soon expect a big order.

I agree on your comment regarding alice....we generally order modules, not parts.

[perky]

Some manufacturers allow ordering samples on their website with little hassle. You can also often get samples from distributors, but they usually require you to 'register' your project with them along with projected future requirement information so that only they can supply preferential pricing for volume, in that way they make it more likely you'll buy from them when it comes to production as they will be the most competitive. If it's for a hobby thing then it's up to you how you describe your project to them and what your future requirements might be

Mark.

[TomWS]

If it's for a hobby thing then it's up to you how you describe your project to them and what your future requirements might be

In the 'old days', Distributors couldn't be bothered with Hobbyists and didn't even want to talk to you unless you had an established business account.  In some ways this made sense, every order was taken over the phone or fax, written, and filled by hand - there was a lot of overhead with each order.

But now, with major distributors like Mouser, Newark, Digikey etc, supporting online sales, some of which will take PayPal as payment and all of which will use low cost postal service if appropriate (are you listening Adafruit?), IMO it doesn't help anyone to nitpick with a Distributor over a couple of parts.  They'll even take returns (are you listening yet, Adafruit?) if you haven't broken it.

Tom

[syrinxtech]

I hear ya TomWS!!

I can't tell you how many times I've purchased parts from Adafruit totaling < $10 and had to pay $9.50 for USPS delivery.  They make great stuff, well documented, good code but their shipping prices from NY suck!

[stern0m1]

I would fear china like the plague for anything that is a chip... See my "from china with love" blog entries for my face-palm experiences with some china products.

To make an all inclusive general statement that all components from china are garbage I would say is wrong. All our parts are originating in china anyways. Yes, I get it there is a lot of garbage coming from china. I have my own "from china with love" experience.   I ordered a bunch of boards that would just not work, until I realized a diode was on backwards effectively blocking all current. But I wonder if theoretically, in general if its possible for the Chinese to be selling genuine parts for a fraction of USA prices.  We know they work for a much lower markup. I dont know exactly  how the supply chains work, but maybe because they are at the source of the manufacturing they can get it for a fraction of the price. Also the Chinese government is involved in various forms, to prop up the economy which may result in lower prices.     
Practically speaking the question is if its possible to find a honest Chinese supplier and save a ton.

@Felix, Your critique of the esp8266 was mainly due to not being low power. At lowpowerlab obviously you have a big interest in low power but in general there are many applications where low power is not necessary. The same in regards to the range. One big benefit of wifi for wireless technology, is because everyone is carrying around a cellphone these days with wifi. Hence the user can interact with the module without needing  another device.

[Felix]

Practically speaking the question is if its possible to find a honest Chinese supplier and save a ton.

@Felix, Your critique of the esp8266 was mainly due to not being low power. At lowpowerlab obviously you have a big interest in low power but in general there are many applications where low power is not necessary. The same in regards to the range. One big benefit of wifi for wireless technology, is because everyone is carrying around a cellphone these days with wifi. Hence the user can interact with the module without needing  another device.

Totally agree. Believe me I am heavily vested into making real products here, I spend a lot of money on parts, not junk, not counterfeit or questionable rejects, I have tried long and hard to rely on chinese stuff because of price is really tempting and other than PCBs  (which is also hard) and headers I could not really buy anything meaningful and consistent from china. If you can find a supplier that will send you 10 times the same identical product you pay for 10 times then you are pretty lucky. It's just that bad.

The ESP has its applications but range and power are really major drawbacks, so I believe FSK has has its strengths, hence we have something to talk about and research here in this forum and others as well.