Jameco, Mouser, Digikey - cheapest bang for your buck.

[Penfold]

I was just wondering if anyone has compiled a Bom of items found at Jameco, Mouser, and Digikey at the cheapest pricing available for the Ren24, Ren16, and Ren64?

I know that would be a tremendous undertaking and if I new all there was to know about parts I would do it myself, but as it is I don't :(. I believe this will be one of those pipe dreams.

Mike

[ben]

Personally I think Mouser is the best deal OVERALL. Sometimes Jameco is cheaper for one item but for the whole controller BOM Mouer seems to be good.

Ben

[WakeFan]

I've worked on it some. I was using http://octopart.com/ to check prices. Once you enter the part in Mouser, it gives you the manufacturer's part #. You have to keep shipping in mind, and it really depends on how many you are buying. In bulk, it seems Mouser has everyone beat, ot at least in line with all others. For for small amounts, it really varies.

[ppohlman]

Penfold:

Kevin was wanting to know the price/channel in THIS THREAD (http://www.doityourselfchristmas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3128&page=3), and I posted a couple times there. On post #23 I listed some of the parts that I found were a bunch cheaper at Jameco than at Mouser. Some of the ones that I had pretty big savings were:

IC sockets, Vertical RJ45 Jacks, 3xTerminal Block & Triacs

Most of these parts are used on the Ren16 and SSR, but the IC sockets are used on all boards. Even with the added cost of shipping from two different vendors, I was able to save over $80 by spliting up my order.

[ctmal]

Ok, I checked out the difference if only buying parts for 1 Ren16 at a time if you split up the order. I came up with saving $8.29 - Jameco shipping(I was unable to check shipping prices). It looks like it would save a little for each board but if you were doing a bunch, I could see it giving a fairly substantial savings.

[ppohlman]

I agree, buying anything in small quantities won't change the overall price that much.

I purchased parts for 2 x Ren64, 32 x SSR, & 1 x Ren16 PLUS several spares for a bunch of the components.
Once you start buying larger quantities, that's were the $0.20+ difference bewteen vendors parts prices will add up quickly.

For example, I purchased 35 x vertical RJ45 Jacks.
Mouser Price = $1.42 vs Jameco Price = $0.56 (both @ 25+ Qty price)
For only 32 parts, I saved $27.52

So yes, it does depend on qty and also the parts you are purchasing. But, I would suggest looking into a price comparision for any of the parts that you're buying that seem to be a bit expensive.

[tommy]

ppohlman...

I'm about ready to order a bunch of parts for Ginches and SSR's. Could you post the Jameco part numbers of the Triacs, RJ45 jacks, LED's, IC sockets, and Opto's? I'm on a very tight budget so anything I can save will really help out.

Thanks,
Tom

[dnesci]

I find most parts that Jameco carries are better priced. As for Triacs, Jameco has a 400Volt 4Amp Triac (that I'm using in all SSRs, part number 140425) for $.29 each in quanities over 10 pieces. It is a 220AB case (smaller tab) but with a heat sink it is fine. The Mouser Triac is of $.60 in the same quantity. As for the 3023, they are priced the same. I find DIP sockets and RJ45's, resiters and capacitores cheaper. Jameco's biggest problem is that they have a small selection. If Jameco doen't have it, I go to Mouser.

To Mousers credit, they ship in have the time.

[Macrosill]

It all boils down to shopping around for the parts you need. There is no hard fast answer.

[ppohlman]

Sorry for the delay, I was busy this weekend and didn't have time to get online.

Here is a list of all Jameco parts I ordered:
Side Entry RJ45 Jack........524461
terminal block 2........152347 (Mouser is cheaper)
terminal block 3........152355
6 pin socket RoHS........683091
triacs........140425
MOC3023 ........277819
180 ohm R........690689
750 ohm R........690831
5 amp fuse........103932
LED - Green........253631 (Mouser is cheaper)
Vertical RJ45 Jack........524488
DIP Low Profile 14 Pin Socket........ 526192 - (RoHS 683112)
PIC 16F688........312611PS
Green rectangular LEDs........333745
8 pin socket........683104

[Penfold]

Actually I could save more with Jameco because Mouser is located in texas. The last order I put in I paid near $10 in taxes. Through Jameco I could save a little more without having to pay the sales taxes. At 8.25% down here in the valley (southern most tip of texas) I think Texas is one of the highest sales taxes out there.

[ppohlman]

Glad I could help out.
If you're like me, I REALLY enjoy saving money. That's one of the reasons I found my way to this forum.