The term "jelly bean".

[Axtman]

What does the term "jelly bean" mean and how did it originate?

[wraper]

Dunno how it originated but in regards to electronics it means a common part with many direct substitutes, nothing special about it. Like usual resistor, capacitor, common logic IC or very common and basic opamp like LM358. Something that you can get in any store.

[RoGeorge]

Common and cheap, as the casual candies in glass jar containers, found at any corner shop/store.

[jonslab]

I think it means simple and common! not sure where it came from though 

[greenpossum]

It may be impossible to find the origin of the term because it's obvious when used in context. A part that is common, cheap, has multiple uses, that you just reach into a jar (parts box) and grab one when you need it.

[james_s]

And multiple sources. Countless companies have made jelly beans, they're one of the basic fundamental candies that you can find just about anywhere, at least in Western countries.

[vk6zgo]

General Accessories in Perth used to have two "loily jars" at the checkout filled with "cleanskin" silicon BJTs.
One contained NPN, the other PNP.

You could pick up a paper bag full for around the same price that kids paid for "candy".

We called them BC 10 "?"s, as they worked in most circuits specifying small signal transistors of the "BC" series.

[bsfeechannel]

Yeah, the term comes from brick and mortar shops (remember those?) where they put, so to speak, "commodity" components in revolving candy jars. In fact some electronics shops still do it.

[helius]

Has Maplin or Radio Spares ever sold "jelly baby components"?

[wilfred]

Back in the "olden days" there were lollies (sweets, candies) sold in corners shops which were everywhere. Maybe about two dozen different types but most were available everywhere. As a kid you could buy a selection you picked from big jars and they would be put into a small white paper bag and you paid your 20c or 50c if grandma was visiting.

One that was absolutely available everywhere was the jelly bean. No-one didn't like them (except maybe the black ones) and they filled the main lolly selection criteria. They were guaranteed to please and they were sweet and not too chewy and not too hard.

I guess jelly bean parts are parts that are widely available (ie common as dirt) and useful when there is no rigid specific characteristic to limit choice.

Are jelly bean parts fading out of use now that the choice is so vast? People seem to sneer at a 741. 

Is a 555 a jelly bean part? it had no alternative.



Now I am going to try to remember what lollies were available.
Jelly beans (of course)
raspberries
milk bottles
spearmint leaves
marella jubes
teeth
bananas (yuk!)
musk sticks
freckles
redskins
some kinds of hard boiled ones
gobstoppers
barley sugar
butterscotch
snakes


That's probably a peculiarly Australian selection from the 70's
https://www.goodygoodygumdrops.com.au/collections/retro-lollies

How could I have forgotten sherbies?

[Workalot]

In terms of electronic componentry i should think the 'jelly bean' moniker refers to those components which are widely acknowledged, well documented and obtainable from multiple sources.

The cheapness of the component, or its complexity, bears not on its 'jelly bean' attribute.

[StuartA]

The term "jelly bean" component is in use in the UK, but I'm pretty sure that neither Maplin nor RS ever used it. Don't recall any vendor using the term here.

[helius]

But jelly babies are different from jelly beans. They are semi-soft instead of semi-hard.

[james_s]

The term "jelly bean" component is in use in the UK, but I'm pretty sure that neither Maplin nor RS ever used it. Don't recall any vendor using the term here.

I don't recall any vendors using it here either, it's an informal word that people use in conversation, not something you call up a vendor and order.