Hello all, I’m a newbie, just now realizing just how in over my head I am. I’ve spent the past couple of days trudging through enough online manufacturer’s pages, shops, search pages, etc. to make my head spin. I’m wondering if anyone knows any good shops in the DFW area where I can actually walk in, ask questions, and look at physical components so I can have a better idea of what I need to buy. I’m mostly looking for 6x6mm Tactile switches (in both top mounted and side mounted forms, both through-hole) and small JST connectors, from 2-5 pin positions.
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I wish, but not really. I think the closest we have these days is Altex, and that’s not at all close.
Take a look at Digikey. Their online search is much more well developed than Mouser. My normal mode of operation is to search on both, and look up price and availability on both. They are usually pretty close on both, but there are several times where they diverge wildly in either price or availability.
It’s certainly unfortunate that Tanners isn’t around anymore. 2 local large distributors are Allied & as Rich mentioned Mouser. However you wont be able to stroll in & start asking questions about the components. Another brick & mortar is Microcenter, although they have limited selection.
As far as asking questions, Id recommend coming in & starting a conversation with the different electronic folks.
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Ok, thanks! My main problem with Digi-Key’s search is that it’s so complex. It’s really built for Electronics pros who know what they’re looking for, and my problem is I don’t quite know what exactly I’m looking for (exact part numbers, etc.)
For example, even if I find one JST connector that I think will work, how do I find the matching connector? I’m also thinking I’ll need vertical connectors on some boards, and 90 degree connectors on others…
When it comes to connectors, the best place imho is the manufacturers website or catalog. Most of the time they list mating part numbers. Connectors are never easy.
Digikey often (usually) has mating connector/contact and compatible contact information at the bottom of the connector/shell page. You almost always need to scrll down, and as @michaelb observes you need to look at the manufacturers catalog page/datasheet for the part. JST’s dat ais generally pretty good, others like AMP/Molex are pretty opaque.
Thanks, everyone! Sounds like Digi-Key is the place to go, I just need to spend more time learning how to use their website lol.
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Allied rebranded to “RS” recently.
That’s right. I forgot about that. Not a fan of their website re-direct either.
Mouser is full of datasheets for parts. You’ll need to search for parts and review them to find the appropriate parts. It’s not easy, but that’s how you’ll have to do it.
I personally find Mousers website a little easier to navigate than most. One thing to point out is I know Mouser will put the class of connector or whatever you are searching. You can usually find a product manual based of that information. For instance TE CPC connectors, I was able to find items I needed based off the book.
Worst case, you can go to the space & open the Mouser catalog.
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I’m in the same boat… I like the search where I can specify things like number of pins, spacing, thru-hole vs. SMT, etc. in narrowing down what I’m looking to find. Gets rid of a lot of unnecessary parts to look through.
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This is related to the general topic of of how do we effectively use the Internet, social media, and technology. I start by finding an online community that uses similar components. For example, through Google I found a simracing subreddit where they shared specific part numbers for knobs and pushbuttons. The components feel really well-built and they’re not too big or too small. Also, now that I have a point of reference, if I want a slightly different components, I can compare the datasheets and have a really good idea of what I’m getting.
Another great source of info is communities for open-source electronics projects. I’m building a 3D printer and a CNC router, and for both there’s Discord channels where thousands of people are sharing their research, sourcing parts for their projects. Some people source the cheapest knock-off components they can find, while other people work at the company that makes the parts, and they use stuff that’s way out of reach for most hobbyists. In the end, there’s a lot of knowledge about what works.
Another resource: other online retailers. Mcmaster-carr has CAD files for a lot of what they sell. Even if I don’t plan to actually buy from them, it’s really helpful to download that CAD file, put it inside the enclosure and make sure that that component is roughly what I expect.
Finally, sometimes ordering the wrong part isn’t the end of the world. I bought these tiny clicky switches, which were half the size I wanted and the actuation force was feather light.When I was almost done with my project, I realized that they were perfect for a different function, and they ended up on my device along with the clunky pushbuttons.
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Thanks for all the advice, everyone! I stuck with it and was able to find matching connectors on Digi-Key (both Vertical and Right Angle sockets for PCBs, plus matching cable connectors). I’ve ordered some parts, and once I have them in hand, I’ll have a better idea of what footprints to use in KiCad, as well as where to place them on the boards!
The tricky part will be designing the oddly-shaped PCBs to fit into my oddly shaped Controller shell, hahaha…
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