Pedal builds - sourcing components

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For my first couple of pedal builds and various other electronics projects I’ve used cheap multipacks of resistors and capacitors off of eBay.  Specific one-offs, such as ICs and transistors have come from Switch Electronics or Fuzzdog.

I’m just gearing up for a build of a Nobels ODR-1 clone.  It has some of the less commonly used resistor values, and quite a high component count for a pedal.  My current stocks don’t really cover it very well, so I’m going to have to buy some more components.  What would be nice would be cheapo multipacks covering these less commonly used resistors, but I haven’t seen any yet.  Otherwise I’ll have to start buying small numbers of specific items, which will probably start to get relatively expensive.

Anyway it occurred to me that folks on here might be able to point me in the direction of some good component sources.  Anyone got any good tips?
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Comments

  • maltingsaudiomaltingsaudio Frets: 3098
    edited March 2021
    No pointers but feel your pain, just had to buy a specific trimmer pot for a repair 40p for the part from Farnell but you had to buy 5, no great shakes, then a £10 handling charge VAT and delivery!!! Sourced from eBay 2 for £7 delivered
    www.maltingsaudio.co.uk
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  • CirrusCirrus Frets: 8481
    Yeah, those online catalogue websites are great but only once you get above a certain quantity of parts. I did an RS order recently, all small quantities - 6 packs of ten resistors, 10 packs of ten caps etc, an enclosure... came to £45.  I'd gone to the bother of navigating the website to find things so I went through with it, but next time I also priced parts out on ebay and for the same list of things it was £10 cheaper.

    I think with components, if you want it to be cost effective you're better off taking the hit and ordering big numbers, and then you know you're covered for that component value in the future, and subsequent builds get cheaper and cheaper. If you only get what you need each time, it's going to cost £40-50 per pedal once you include a £10 enclosure, another tenner for pots & sockets etc.

    I have decided to avoid Banzai Music going forward, they're just too slow and their stock has no relation to what the website says. Then you finally get a portion of your order a month later and it's enclosures with no screws etc.
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  • BahHumbugBahHumbug Frets: 349
    Thanks for the answers guys.

    @maltingsaudio, I have looked at Farnell before, but had the same experience as you - as soon you get towards the end of the order process, the extra charges pile on and you realise they are not worthwhile for small orders.

    If anyone is interested I’ve found https://www.switchelectronics.co.uk to be quite generally quite reasonable for components, enclosures etc.  I don’t think they have the variety of stock that you might find at RS and Farnell, but they have a lot of the common stuff, as well as the not so common.  They seem to send the stuff out quickly, without ridiculous postage or other charges.

    Anyway, looks like I might be taking the short term hit of a bulk order of bits that ‘will come in handy one day’.

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  • phil_bphil_b Frets: 2010
    You can sometimes get the value you need by connecting multiple resistors in series and/or parallel. The downside is you need to find room for the extra components
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  • LastMantraLastMantra Frets: 3822
    Cirrus said:
    Yeah, those online catalogue websites are great but only once you get above a certain quantity of parts. I did an RS order recently, all small quantities - 6 packs of ten resistors, 10 packs of ten caps etc, an enclosure... came to £45.  I'd gone to the bother of navigating the website to find things so I went through with it, but next time I also priced parts out on ebay and for the same list of things it was £10 cheaper.

    I think with components, if you want it to be cost effective you're better off taking the hit and ordering big numbers, and then you know you're covered for that component value in the future, and subsequent builds get cheaper and cheaper. If you only get what you need each time, it's going to cost £40-50 per pedal once you include a £10 enclosure, another tenner for pots & sockets etc.

    I have decided to avoid Banzai Music going forward, they're just too slow and their stock has no relation to what the website says. Then you finally get a portion of your order a month later and it's enclosures with no screws etc.

    That's a shame banzai used to be really good. 
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  • CirrusCirrus Frets: 8481

    That's a shame banzai used to be really good. 
    Yeah, used them several times 2012-14 and they were a much smoother operation. Something must have changed along the way.
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  • tanihhiavlttanihhiavlt Frets: 659
    www.bitsbox.co.uk - sourcing the common pots in 9mm alpha sizes is a bit fraught but in all other aspects this is my go to. Fast and a good range of kit.

    Also rapid components are pretty good.


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  • kizzerkizzer Frets: 65
    As above Bitsbox are great with fast delivery usually within 2 working days.

    If you don't mind waiting a few weeks Tayda Electronics is also very good, but at the moment it can take about a month for delivery.
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  • BahHumbugBahHumbug Frets: 349
    I started the ODR-1 clone build today.
    Components came variously from a few random eBay sellers, bitsbox (yes, for the pots) and switch electronics.  Hunting down all the caps was particularly tedious!
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