Best place to buy electronic parts?


MilwRoader_Steve

Well-Known Member
I'd be glad of recommendations for the various electronic parts needed for a layout. Things like:

SPST/DPDT toggles
Momentary PB switches
Wire
Connector (suitcase/tee)

And much of the other stuff we used to be able to go to Radio Shack and get.


Thanks all, --------Steve
 
All Electronics and Jameco for surplus , Mouser ,Allied or Digikey for new .

For Minnesota, Digikey probably would the fastest , they're out of Thief River Falls , they should be able to get it to you in 24hrs via UPS ground .

Here in Texas Mouser usually can get to you in less than 24hrs in non pandemic times 48 otherwise . I think their deadline is 8pm and you pay UPS ground and they tag it UPS air you get it usually between 10:30am -5pm (less than 24 hrs ) as long as its not going to El Paso. Allied is the next fastest.

Both Mouser and Allied are in North Texas .

A lot of times ebay is going to cheaper but not all the time.
 
Still have a Radio Shack dealer in the town I work for. Seems that most of the electronics supply companies local to Wichita have all gone out of business over the years.
 
In Canada and a lot of other places, anything you order from the USA will more than double the cost of anything, due to horribly opportunistic shipping and customs brokerage. The actual tax correction and duty is almost nothing. Vendors generally refuse to use the inexpensive way, USPS.

So I either buy from local hobby electronic stores, or order from AliExpress stores, mostly in China. I began to avoid Ebay after they jacked the fees yet another time, but you can get electronics from China there too.
 
Being from Canada also, NOTHING from the US because of shipping to Canada is way out of control and you can get much cheaper from AliExpress, Ebay and Amazon. I order lots of Arduino stuff and it's all from China. The ONLY problem is shipping time (30-45 days), but I usually plan for what I need, so I can wait.
I once wanted to buy a 4' x 8' Styrene sheet from the US for $18, but shipping was $350.
 
I'd be glad of recommendations for the various electronic parts needed for a layout. Things like:
SPST/DPDT toggles
Momentary PB switches
Wire
Connector (suitcase/tee)
I put that stuff in the electrical parts category. You can find those items at home improvement, ranch supply, hardware, and automotive stores. Like Home Depot, Lowes, Menards, Ace Hardware, TrueValue Hardware, TSC, Orscheln, AutoZone, etc. Don't forget that wire is in the electric section as well as the sprinkler system sections.

For real electronics - transistors, LEDs, resistors, diodes, capacitors, ICs and the like I've become almost exclusively a Mouser customer.
 
Just noticed this thread, otherwise would have responded sooner...

Are you in the Twin Cities? If so, check out Ax-Man Surplus stores. They have one of the larger selections of electronic components in B&M stores I've seen these days. Everything from LED's to reed switches, diodes, SPDTs, capacitors for a 1968 washing machine, and all sorts of other things that I have no idea what they are used for. Wiring selection is so-so (i.e. I haven't seen much fine gauge wire like for inside a locomotive). But just visiting the store is fun, they have all sorts of weird surplus things you never thought you might need, including various hobby-related supplies such as mini tools, cutting mats, or a set of glassware marked "PROM 2018 A NIGHT TO REMEMBER!" The best part is the all the signs they have on items around the store are hilarious. I was just there the other day and, for example, there was a box of small black electronic fittings with a flange on one end. The sign said, "Miniature Top Hats for small pets." Another was a bunch of rounded electric box mounting plates, labeled "Safety Ninja Stars." I think the St. Paul location has better selection than the one in St. Louis Park; I've not been to the one on the north side of town.

There's also Microcenter, in St. Louis Park. Primarily computers and electronics, they do have some supplies such as soldering equipment, breadboards, and a limited selection of components such as LEDs, transistors, etc.

Like others above, for some things like suitcase connectors, I've just ordered off Amazon.
 
Thanks skyliner! I am in the cities and will definitely go there. Now that you mention it, I have been to a like store on 55 near Winnetka - can't remember the name of it now, but don't think it was Axman.
 



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