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Essential Components

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edward_g:
I thought I’d put this question to the forum:
What components do you consider to be essential or at least really handy to keep on hand?

As a hobbyist I’m noticing that I’m putting as much money into shipping as I am into parts. Since my interest is down at the hobby level, five or ten dollars of parts plus eight dollars to the courier every time I do a little project begins to add up in my brain. Plus, it’s kind of a bummer to get to the weekend with a little free time and find that I don’t have the bits available to de-bounce a switch or the right voltage regulator; takes the momentum away. I’ve been toying with the idea of getting a list of components together and putting in a more substantial order, something to build up a little inventory of parts that I’ll be able to draw on for awhile.

I’ve already got a bag of 1/4 watt resistors, a bag of ceramic caps, a few battery holders and 9v clips, a box of LEDs, that sort of thing. I’m thinking I need some voltage regulators, various switches and buttons, maybe some ICs, the kind of stuff that has applications in just about any project.

McMonster:
I would add a nice set of electrolytic capacitors, some LEDs, a few larger inductors for switchmode regulators and a few smaller for signal filtering (like uC ADC filtering), large quantity (because they're dirt cheap) rectifying and signal diodes, perfboards of different size, different guage wire, bipolar transistors (large quantity of both small, 100 mA NPN and PNP), some power MOSFETs, a few Schottky diodes, opamps of all kinds and devices per package, 555 timers, MC34063.

I think this covers most of the basic parts I needed for just playing around. I also love building circuits with 7400 and 4000 series of chips, they have a little of magic in them and I collect all the different chips I can find.

johnboxall:

--- Quote from: edward_g on October 30, 2011, 07:14:01 pm ---I thought I’d put this question to the forum:
What components do you consider to be essential or at least really handy to keep on hand?

As a hobbyist I’m noticing that I’m putting as much money into shipping as I am into parts.

--- End quote ---

Are you in Australia or New Zealand?

edward_g:
McMonster: Thanks for the ideas! Some of that stuff, like the perfboard, I wouldn't have thought to order.

tronixstuff: Nope, USA. I can't imagine the international shipping y'all have to pay.  :)

Chet T16:
Yeah dammit, there's only one shop and its in the US

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