Making Things Talk

XII MAKING THINGS TALK

Some of them, like Jameco (www.jameco.com), Digi-Key

(www.digikey.com), and Newark (www.newarkinone.com;

their sister company in Europe is Farnell, www.farnell.

com), are general electronics parts retailers, and sell many

of the same things as each other. A full list of suppliers is

listed in Appendix B. If a part is commonly found at many

retailers, it is noted. Other parts are specialty parts, available

from only one or two vendors. I’ve noted that too. Feel free

to use substitute parts for things you are familiar with.

Because it’s easy to order goods online, you might be

tempted to communicate with vendors entirely through

their websites. Don’t be afraid to pick up the phone as well.

Particularly when you’re new to this type of project, it

helps to talk tosomeone about what you’re ordering, and to

ask questions. You’re likely to find helpful people at the end

of the phone line for most of the retailers listed here. In

Appendix B, I’ve listed phone numbers wherever possible.

Use them.

X

On Buying Parts

You’ll need a lot of parts for all of the projects in this book. As a result, you’ll learn about

a lot of vendors. Because there are no large electronics parts retailers in my city, I buy

parts online all the time. If you’re lucky enough to live in an area where you can buy from

a brick-and-mortar store, good for you! If not, get to know some of these vendor ...