Chapter 15
Ten Great Parts Suppliers
In This Chapter
Understanding what you need in a supplier
Finding suppliers who offer the world
Discovering suppliers who save you money
Trading convenience for cost
W
hen you enter the world of electronics projects, you begin a long-term
relationship with electronics suppliers — the companies from which
you buy resistors, transistors, sound chips, breadboards, and more.All suppliers are not made equal. Some give better service, some offer better
prices, and still others stock unique or hard-to-find items. In this chapter, we
give some advice about what to look for in a supplier, listing ten or so suppli-
ers we think are worth looking into.It’s probably worth ordering catalogs from all the suppliers listed here. The
catalogs are free, and you can order them online. They come in handy for
browsing because they organize things into categories that can help you find
what you need. If you buy anything from a supplier’s catalog, that firm usu-
ally sends you updates automatically. (And if nothing else, the hefty catalogs
make great doorstops.)When Is a Supplier Right for You?..............................................................
If you’re like us, sometimes you go to a large discount store for bargain bulk
groceries; other times, you’re off to a corner store because it’s convenient or
to a gourmet shop for a special (but expensive) treat. So how do you choose
what electronics supplier to go to? What makes one electronics supplier
better than another? Just like with food shopping, that might depend on your
need of the moment.