Page 61 - Robot Builder's Bonanza

30 GETTING PARTS

Local Electronics Stores

Not long ago most towns had at least one local electronic parts store. Even some automotive
outlets carried a full range of tubes, specialty transistors, and other electronic gadgets. Now,
RadioShack remains as the only U.S. national electronics store chain. In many cities across
the country, it’s the only thing going.
The situation is much the same for those in other countries. There’s Maplin Electronics and
Farnell in the United Kingdom; in Australia and New Zealand you’ll find Dick Smith.
Most of the nationwide chains like RadioShack continue to support electronics experiment-
ers. But they stock only the very common components. They’re great for getting emergency
replacement parts or filling in the odds and ends. If your needs extend beyond common- value
components, wire, and switches, you must turn to other sources— and for the best selection
that means going online.

Be sure to check your phone company’s business directory listings (Yellow Pages or similar) for
G any parts stores that you might not have heard about. Try the Electronics Retail and Electric
Equipment & Supplies sections. Check out a printed phone directory, or look up your city at
www.yp.com.

Online Electronics Outlets

There’s no shortage of choices for online electronics stores. While you have to wait for the
parts to ship to you, the selection is better, and (often) so are the prices.
Some of the online outlets are so vast you’ll be hard- pressed to just “browse the aisles.”
Their catalogs are extensive, numbering hundreds of pages. You really need to know what
you’re looking for, and fortunately they all provide a search function on their Web sites. You
may look for specific parts or search by category.
Here are some of the key online electronics retailers in North America that you’ll want to
know about:
All Electronics: www.allelectronics.com (they also have a retail store in the Los Angeles
area)
DigiKey: www.digikey.com
Jameco Electronics: www.jameco.com
Mouser Electronics: www.mouser.com
RadioShack: www.radioshack.com
This is only a short list, and there are others, including those outside the United States. See
Appendix B, “Internet Parts Sources,” for more.

Using FindChips.com to Locate Parts

If you’re looking for a particular electronic component, use the specialized search at www
.FindChips.com (Figure 3-1). Enter the part number or part reference, and the site will search

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