Electronics > Beginners

From no parts to decent stockpile, best approach?

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Solder_Junkie:
One thing not mentioned by others is to avoid buying semiconductors from China on eBay and similar outlets. There are a lot of fakes out there. Also be wary of electrolytic capacitors, often you need high grade, low ESR types and they aren’t cheap.

Farnell, Mouser, etc. can be surprisingly low cost, providing you reach their minimum order value. They sell genuine parts too…

Over the years we all tend to collect more parts than are easy to keep track of, and no matter how much stock you have, there will always be a need to buy something extra for a project. That’s life.

SJ

alligatorblues:
I always purchase at least up to the first break point, save items that are in excess of $10ea. I keep everything in the bags, tubes, tapes, etc that they are delivered in, and organize those in boxes, actives, transistors, diodes, electrolytics, other caps, resistors, expensive resistors, inductors and chokes, op amps and regulators, and I have a box of parts just for the Fluke 732b/c. beneath all that are many boxes of obsolete, defective, surplus boards that I haven't gotten to the solder pot. I also hold onto certain transformers.

Then I have hand and power tools, crimp ends, crimp-end bodies. I picked up a defective 732B. All it needed was a wire harness for the battery. I just happen to have all the parts to make that harness, because I've made them before. Then there's salvaged  fasteners. I keep those in small fishing-tackle boxes. I take all the screws out of almost everything headed for salvage pile.

Then I've got cooling fans, heat sinks, power supplies, meters, standards, electrical cords. I've got 48 NEMA-15 outlets ON my racks, which are actually wire shelving. I usually havenwhat I need on hand, but not always.

armandine2:
SOT-23 testing my scavenged haul of components - only two were transistors, half dozen were not identified, and the majority were various diodes (mostly Zener)

jeepe:
hi,

I'm sure that many people have done this... but I'll just write it down

I'm only into pedal building, but recently I realized that what I have (of components) is a lot...
so I've built a database... "mysql" -- that is mariadb...
using a linux server... but it can be done on someone's PC too..

it is just a new project, at a very rudimentary level...
but already works great...
.... details, if someone's interested.... ↓
my greatest invention so far is to have different "tables" for different types of parts... resistors, caps, ICs, transistors, pots, jacks...
otherwise the one table would be far to "complex"...

so right now,
when I suddenly decide to build something (simple things, like a Tube Screamer), I'll just go at it...
and when I don't find a cap or resistor of a certain value..
I'll search...
but no longer in my boxes but in the database :)

scenario #2:
when I decide to build something... and I'm about to place an order to a local store anyhow,
I'll check the pots, for example... in the database...
and check relatively rare values of anything making sure I'll have them at hand...

I'll also check resistors (which I used to always buy, regardless of anything)...

just a few searches, and...
I won't buy everything... and 3x of everything... all the time...
nor will I assume that I already have what I need...

THE RESULT of this can largely differ from person to person...
my hope is that my stash won't grow anymore...
but I'll have what I need when I have that idea to build that (simple) thing..

for professionals, using a database could result in
making precise orders all the time...
that is, limiting the redundance -- like "oh, let me make it 20 or 200, sure what's sure"...

both your orders and your boxes will be streamlined...
and everything under control...

a database and the "user interface" -- a web page in a browser window --- doesn't have to be super fancy...
and if you manage to keep complexity down...
you'll love it...



+1:

another good invention of mine :) is to indicate the "stash number", which can refer to a box or a room, whatever..
and this will release you from under the requirement to have everything at one place strictly...
you just place a number in the "stash" field, other than 1, and you'll know  where to look :)
you'll know that when you don't find it, it's not missing, it's just in another box / room / heap...

nick liu:
My approach, starting about 2 years ago was to get only resistors and capacitors in 0805 SMT kits.  ;D

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