Stocking up

[GoranP]

Alright... came into some money so I'd like to stock up a bit. Can't afford to hoard pots and footswitches and enclosures but can get a few resistors and caps and such.

My question to you peeps with man-caves and loads of little drawers and ziplock bags is what kind of transistors are used most often on your vero builds (feel free to include npn, jfet, mosfets...) and also typical diodes (zener, shottky, rectifier) and opamps?

I'm not looking for russian or japanese or mojo parts, just your regular "you can use this for that" vanilla components that will do in a pinch.

[IvIark]

My must haves:

NPN
2N3904
2N5088
2N5089
BC550C
MPSA18

PNP
2N3906
BC560C

JFET
J201
2N5457
2N5484
2N5952
2SK170

MOSFET
BS170

GERMANIUM
2N404
GT308V
MP38A

DIODES
1N4148
1N34A
1N4001
1N5817
BAT46
BAT85
9V1 zener

SINGLE OPAMPS
TL071
LM741
LM308N
CA3130

DUAL OPAMPS
NE5532
JRC4558
TL062 (low power, good for LFOs)
TL072
TLC272

QUAD OPAMPS
TL074

SPECIAL FUNCTION ICs
PT2399
MN3007
ICL7660SCPA
CA3080
LM13700
LM386N

NICE TO HAVE BUT NOT ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY OPAMPS
OP275GP
OPA2134PA
OPA2604AP
AD712JNZ
AD797AN
LM833N


I've hoarded maybe 100 different types of ICs but those are the main ones I would want.  Many of the others are similar or other special function ICs specific to certain pedals like the CD4046, CD4049 etc.

[PStevenson]

you should pop around here sometime Mark, I think I have a problem with ICs - I collect/hoard them - even ones I probably won't ever need. I must have thousands of different types.

though it is fun to get lots of random ones and do a datasheet breadboard session to see what they do

[GoranP]

Thanks Mark, just what I was looking for. I'll probably only get a third of the list this time around but at least I'll cover my bases.

[Silver Blues]

GoranP wrote

Can't afford to hoard... footswitches...

Sure you can.



--Silvie

[Ross]

I'd also add some BCE pinout silicons, like the 2SC1815 or BC183.

[smoss469]

What about resistors and caps? Do you find yourself using the same 4-5 values over and over again?

[IvIark]

I buy metal film kits every so often in 1/4W and 1/8W (for 3 hole spans) to make sure I've got even the less commonly used values just in case.  Then I bought 1000 of all the most common values as well, 1K, 4K7, 10K, 22K, 47K, 100K, 220K, 470K and 1M.  Then I know I've got plenty to last me for a long time and will just replace the individual values when I get low.  Sunpec is the place I got my last kits:

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/sunpec/_i.html?_nkw=metal+film+resistors+2500&submit=Search&_sid=706656558

and when I last bought individual values in bulk I got them from here:

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/CENTRUY-SOURCES-H-K-LIMITED/_i.html?_nkw=1000+resistors&submit=Search&_sid=1030696744

For caps I've built up quite a big stock of lots of different types, but I'd do the same thing now if I wanted to start a good collection.  But a multilayer ceramics kit for under 1nF values, Greenies for 1nf to 470nf, and electrolytics for 4.7u and above.  I'd get some multilayer ceramics for at least some of the other values too because Greenies get quite big 220nf and up, so the multilayer ceramics would all have a 5mm pitch, and they're cheap as chips even in 1uF and 2.2uF values.  MLC and Greenies can be got from here at great prices, I've bought from him many times now:

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/tiaochongyi

[GoranP]

Silver Blues wrote

GoranP wrote

Can't afford to hoard... footswitches...

Sure you can.



--Silvie

Wow, now that's quit a bit cheaper.

Are they decent enough quality?

[IvIark]

These are the cheapest I've found:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/271112295378?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

[JaviCAP]

Hi,

Don't know about  the seller that Silvie said, but I use to buy mine from:

http://www.ebay.es/itm/10PCS-3PDT-9-Pin-Effects-Stomp-Foot-Switch-T-Bypass-k1-/360308418528?pt=US_GPS_Chargers_Batteries&hash=item53e40e27e0#ht_3320wt_1163

Good quality, very quick shippin' (about 10 days to get to Spain), and  registered mail included on price.

BR

[Silver Blues]

--Silvie

GoranP wrote

Silver Blues wrote

GoranP wrote

Can't afford to hoard... footswitches...

Sure you can.



--Silvie

Wow, now that's quit a bit cheaper.

Are they decent enough quality?

IME, yeah, they're the same switches I can get around here for $10 a pop. So unless they changed something while I was away, you should be good.

[GoranP]

IvIark wrote

  But a multilayer ceramics kit for under 1nF values, Greenies for 1nf to 470nf, and electrolytics for 4.7u and above.  I'd get some multilayer ceramics for at least some of the other values too because Greenies get quite big 220nf and up, so the multilayer ceramics would all have a 5mm pitch, and they're cheap as chips even in 1uF and 2.2uF values.

How bendable are those multilayer ceramics, if you need to go 2.5 or 7.5? I have no reservation bending greenies or polyboxes but these look fragile and it's not always 5mm raster needed?

[smoss469]

I took the plunge and ordered a lot of parts from Tayda so I can start on my first projects (little apprehensive about actually starting) and noticed today I omitted some of the box style caps and picked 1 set of pots w/o solder lugs. Whoops!

That being said, I snagged a lot of spare resistors, transistors and a few things like that just in case.

[IvIark]

GoranP wrote

How bendable are those multilayer ceramics, if you need to go 2.5 or 7.5? I have no reservation bending greenies or polyboxes but these look fragile and it's not always 5mm raster needed?

They're plenty sturdy enough for that, they're no more fragile than the poly caps I've got, just smaller.

[IvIark]

smoss469 wrote

I took the plunge and ordered a lot of parts from Tayda so I can start on my first projects (little apprehensive about actually starting) and noticed today I omitted some of the box style caps and picked 1 set of pots w/o solder lugs. Whoops!

That being said, I snagged a lot of spare resistors, transistors and a few things like that just in case.

Most of the pots I have don't have solder lugs, I use a small 2 x 5 piece of vero to solder up the pots, and quite like this method because it's easy to daisy chain, or even add components straight to the pot.

[GoranP]

smoss469 wrote

and noticed today I omitted some of the box style caps and picked 1 set of pots w/o solder lugs. Whoops!

As long as you have the values covered, it'll do for starters. If a certain type of component is preferred, you'll probably see it in the comments. Not that that should keep you from experimenting, quite the contrary!
As for lack of solder lugs, it really doesn't matter. You can do as Mark does and use little bits of vero (I've done it if I needed some extra connecting points to avoid multiple wires soldered to lugs) or do what I do, simply solder directly to contacts. Lugs are nice to have but are far from necessary. As a matter of fact, I've come to like the non-lugs ones better lately...

smoss469 wrote

I took the plunge and ordered a lot of parts from Tayda so I can start on my first projects (little apprehensive about actually starting)

No need to be. Plenty of folks here to help you out if you run into problems. There are a few basic guidelines that you'll easily pick up on once you get started and when you scan through a few comment threads on builds similar to yours.

[smoss469]

The box caps were just an optional purchase, but I still meant to order them... whoops!

I've got a selection of Electrolytic and Greenies plus ordered some of the dual ceramics mentioned above so I'll have the values covered.

Just need to invest in a uni-bit to drill enclosures and possibly a few more odds and ends and I'll have everything to get started (I think).
 
Would like an easy way to cut a small rectangle into an enclosure though, so if anyone has any suggestions on that, I'd be all ears :)

[alex.s]

Not strictly appropriate as what you're after is suggestions on the kind of components (diodes, ICs etc) rather than values, but I saw this article a while ago and thought it was quite interesting.

Not something you should rely upon when stocking up but I guess if you put that against the BOM of the pedals you are looking to build you can get an idea of which values you might want to stock in larger quantities.

[GoranP]

smoss469 wrote

Just need to invest in a uni-bit to drill enclosures and possibly a few more odds and ends and I'll have everything to get started (I think).

Man, that unibit thing is a lifesaver, especially if you don't have a drillpress (which I don't)!
I went for some cheap ones off ebay fully knowing that they might need replacing shortly but I've been going easy on them and using plenty of wd40 as lubricant and I think they just might drill 50 enclosures before crapping out.
Just make sure you get the double flute ones, they are much more self-centering although not foolproof. You still need to do pilotholes and pay attention while drilling (a good idea anyways ).

smoss469 wrote

Would like an easy way to cut a small rectangle into an enclosure though, so if anyone has any suggestions on that, I'd be all ears :)

Me too, I've been thinking about it but anything short of a full blown metal press punch, I don't know of a way. Drilling round holes and filing out the leftovers just seems waaaay too much work.