Halp! I Need Some Basic Parts Advice From All You Pros...

jessenator said:
When I was buying from Tayda maybe 10 years ago, there were some QC issues: spindly leads on everything, no-name lugged 3PDT switches failing outright, electro caps being WAY out of spec, toggle and foot switch epoxy having abysmal thermal performance.

These days, the only things I've got from them that haven't been up to snuff have been the breadboards, and one batch of electros, but I've steered clear of the names I don't recognize.

They stock Panasonic, Nichicon, Rubycon (in some values and packages). Never had problems with the bog standard film or MLCC caps, either. Also second on the ICs. 99% success. I couldn't tell if one of the PT2399s I got was a latent defect or if I gave it too much voltage. But their other chips, op-amps in particular, have performed.

@Harry Klippton I'm curious what you hate about them. Sorry you've had a bad experience :/ and not saying your experience is invalid or anything like that, I'm just wondering if there's something to look out for (besides just straight up not working, obviously).

I've had bad luck with these, but thankfully was only a few—hit or miss epoxy wise:
www.taydaelectronics.com

3PDT Stomp Foot / Pedal Switch

3PDT | ON-ON | Latching | Solder Lugs | Long Lasting | High Quality
www.taydaelectronics.com www.taydaelectronics.com
Click to expand...
It's been my experience that PT2399s are hit or miss no matter where you get them from. There are a lot of cheap Chinese knock offs on the market.
 
chris.knudson said:
It's been my experience that PT2399s are hit or miss no matter where you get them from. There are a lot of cheap Chinese knock offs on the market.
Click to expand...
Yeah… I definitely couldn't tell you if mine were genuine. Would cabintech be a source of the real McCoy? I wonder if that's why one of my reverb pedals distorts with a high volume signal…
 
jessenator said:
Yeah… I definitely couldn't tell you if mine were genuine. Would cabintech be a source of the real McCoy? I wonder if that's why one of my reverb pedals distorts with a high volume signal…
Click to expand...
Yeah, it's hard to tell which are fake and which are real. I just bought a bunch from different sources, and I always socket them. If one doesn't seem to be working properly, I just pop it out and try another until I find one I like.
 
Wow, huge thanks to everyone! This is very, very helpful and I'm starting to see a lot of trends.

@MBFX ,@jimilee ,@Erik S ,@spi ,@Harry Klippton ,@jessenator ,@Nic ,@Bio77 ,@owlexifry ,@chris.knudson ,@PunchySunshine - Thanks!!

Learned some things (I think):

- Don't be afraid to order almost everything from Tayda, with maybe a few exceptions. It seems like the cheapest game in town (unless buying huge bulk amounts), and most components will work well without issue. Mouser can be great, but is a little pricey if not buying 100s of each component. I already got some "starter" stuff from Amazon in the meantime, and it seems mostly ok. Some surprisingly decent 3PDTs with little daughterboards, some stereo jack Switchcraft knock-offs, a diode assortment and a big resistor kit. It all looks fine, but the resistors are pretty thin- I wonder if Tayda's are better? Seems like some of you like them, and I'll likely give it a go. Chanzon's resistors seem nice.

- for any fun NOS transistors or diodes, StompBoxParts and Small Bear are both reliable, and maybe the only game in town - although it seems that people have more positive feelings about StompBoxParts overall. Might get some switches and semiconductors from them... pots too? They seem to not be much more than the Tayda branded pots, although dust covers are separate. Love My Switches seems good for hardware too, but I really don't want to be paying separate shipping costs to like 6 places! There are a couple oddball transistors that only Mouser and Digikey have, too - cripes!

- getting higher-end (TDK, WIMA) for MLCCs and Film Caps likely won't affect the sound too much, but may have better longevity. It's probably safe to go with the basic, white Kemet box films I see a lot (anyone know which "series" that is? Kemet has a few it seems..."). An assortment of small, no-name pF MLCCs at Amazon or Tayda would probably be just fine - maybe some nF values too, where boxes might not fit. I also wish Chanzon had a bigger resistor kit - they look nice with thick leads. Maybe they have MLCCs too? Gotta check.

- It may be advisable to get Panasonic or Nichicon for elec. caps for reliability rather than superior sound/lower noise, although it isn't as crucial to stick with them as I've read. I'm tempted to just get a big assortment at Amazon and call it a day. Still a little hesitant about that - there are quite a few vocal builders who insist on "name-brand only" with those!

MBFX - that rundown was especially thorough. I wonder what you mean by "brand doesn't matter until it does", though... I'm still trying to suss out where that threshold is I guess. And when you mention wiring being part of the noise equation - in what way? I don't see many builders using truly shielded wire, but I do see heat-shrink on ends, etc... Is that kind of what you mean? Or general tidiness?

This has ALL been a big step forward, THANK YOU.
 
StompBoxParts has 1kg soft click footswitches that are the shit. Only ones I use.

MBFX - that rundown was especially thorough. I wonder what you mean by "brand doesn't matter until it does", though... I'm still trying to suss out where that threshold is I guess. And when you mention wiring being part of the noise equation - in what way? I don't see many builders using truly shielded wire, but I do see heat-shrink on ends, etc... Is that kind of what you mean? Or general tidiness?
Click to expand...

What I mean by the brand thing is that cheap parts are fine, if you're buying in bulk/don't need tight tolerances/they aren't parts that benefit from being "nice". If you cheap out on buying a single PT2399 for a delay pedal, you have a high chance of getting a bad one that doesn't work well. On the other hand, if you cheap out on a big electrolytic capacitor kit, you're still going to get a lot of capacitors that are in-spec.

Wiring can relate to noise because all wires have internal resistance and capacitance, can pick up radio, etc. I was tracking guitar once, and my line out for my in-ear monitors wasn't properly shielded. It laid across my instrument cable, and the metronome and backing track came through my (very loud) amplifier! That's just one macro example of what can go wrong with wiring. I have an old amp that would play AM radio while unplugged, just off the power stored in the capacitors. The rat-nest point-to-point wiring happens to be a pretty good AM radio antenna set to a nearby Mexican radio station. I feel a hot wind, on my shoulder...
 
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I get a lot of transistors and ICs from Tayda and haven't had any problems at all. The parts I avoid from Tayda are the jacks. I've had no issues with their Lumbergs but don't buy the fake Lumbergs, ie the DC jacks which look exactly like Lumbergs but have no brand name. They're crap!

Jacks are one thing where it's worth buying the good ones. Switchcraft, Neutrik, Lumberg... The cheaper ones just aren't worth it. You WILL have problems.

I think it's worth the extra $$ for decent electrolytics like Panasonic or Nichicon. For me it's just peace of mind that they will work.
 
HamishR said:
don't buy the fake Lumbergs, ie the DC jacks which look exactly like Lumbergs but have no brand name. They're crap!
Click to expand...
I really like how snug those knockoff Lumbergs are, but the solder lugs leave a lot to be desired.

Edit: Definitely agree with you about the Neutrik 1/4" jacks, though. After a few bad experiences with various no-name styles, I'm sticking to those. Well worth the extra buck or so on the cost of a build.
 
Here's my $0.02 on parts (some of which has already been said by others, sorry!):
  • I almost always use resistors from Tayda and almost always use metal film resistors. As with a lot of things they sell, these used to be middling-to-poor quality but have dramatically improved as of a few years ago, and now have reasonable-thickness leads that don't seem to cause problems. Can't really go wrong with solid 1% metal films for 1.5 cents apiece with only a 10 pc MOQ, and you can get nearly any value you need. I've used their 1/4 and 1/8W variants and both are good.
  • I always use box-type film capacitors for "middle-values" and get them from Tayda whenever possible. These days I am heavily favouring the Wimas because of their higher quality (and red is my favourite colour) but for routine work I admit they're a bit overkill. The white Kemets will serve you fine. I don't use the grey Faratronic/Arcotronics box caps for no other reason than I think they're ugly, and I don't use the green Mylar chiclets because they're ugly and take up too much vertical space (functionally there is no problem with them). Usually, pedal layouts will call for a 7.2 x 2.5 mm footprint for 1s, 10s and low 100s nF values and 7.2 x 3.5 or 5.0 for higher values up to 1uF. The lead spacing is typically 5.0 mm. These will usually have a voltage rating well beyond what's needed for most pedal applications (50+ V).
  • For routine population of small (pF) values you can use ceramic disc capacitors or multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs), but I favour the latter and avoid the cheapie ceramic disc caps they sell at Tayda because they are extremely fragile and have chicken legs that I don't like. Lead spacing is typically 2.5 mm for these, and they too will usually have a voltage rating well beyond what's needed for most pedal applications (50+ V). You can go to polystyrene film or silver mica if you want to be fancy but these can get very expensive.
  • Bad electrolytics can cause a lot of problems, so try not to skimp on these. You have to be more careful with voltage rating here as it's easy to find an overabundance of low-voltage electrolytics, especially if you want a large value in a small form factor. For 9v circuits you should be going to at least 16V ratings and for 18V circuits you should be going for at least 25V ratings. The blue JB electrolytics they sell at Tayda are pretty good quality at a nice price, and of course you can't go wrong with well-known brand names. I like Nichicon or ELNA wherever possible but there are a lot of perfectly good choices. Avoid electrolytics with random Chinese brand names.
  • I've never had a problem with any ICs or transistors of any kind from Tayda.
  • Tayda is by far the cheapest place to get LEDs.
  • My favourite 1/4" jacks are the Neutrik NYS229, which you can get at Tayda, but these have a somewhat large form factor and I've had problems with space inside some builds. My next favourite are the Lumbergs, but if you want real Lumbergs you have to get them from Love My Switches or Antique Electronic Supply. These are also a good option.
  • You should not settle for less quality than the Lumberg "thinline" DC jacks or an equivalent (Cliff, e.g.). I have a bunch of the Tayda knockoffs and have been lucky to not have problems with most of them, but don't take the chance.
  • I'm very particular about footswitches, and usually use soft-latch bypass in my pedals, but my current favourite 3PDT is the LMS Pro, and the Gorva 3PDT is almost as nice. These are very spendy for routine use though, so I'll refrain from further opinions on this point. For soft-latch, I'm using these from Tayda these days and have been having a good time.
  • Pots are super cheap and good quality at Tayda, so no fear buying from there. I nearly always buy the Alphas but I got a handful of the Tayda-branded ones recently and was honestly surprised at the quality.
  • Tayda has a pretty broad selection of knobs but the quality control is so-so. Sometimes they arrive looking nice and other times they don't, but I never feel like they're going to break or fall apart.
  • The toggle switches they sell at Tayda are decent but not amazing (cheap though). The Taiway switches they sell at LMS are the shit, nicest toggles I've tried so far.
  • eBay is seriously your friend if you know where to look. Eastern Europe/Ukraine/old Soviet stuff is a goldmine of NOS parts as long as you're buying from the right seller.
  • Grab some DIP-8, -14 and -16 machine-tooled IC sockets (not the leaf-spring ones).
  • Also grab some strips of SIP sockets, you can cut these up to the necessary sizes for socketing all manner of components.
 
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jimilee said:
Stompbox parts 3pdts are a little more spendy, but better quality. Shipping is cheaper, so it works out to be a better deal.
Click to expand...
That's from a US-centric viewpoint 😉; I wonder what the shipping is to Canada (then tax/duty/brokerage fees if any...).
Shipping to Down Under or Europe will be formidable, might be still cheaper to order from Tayda, at least for Australia, NZ.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


@Ginsly — With the big guys — such as Mouser, RSonline, & Digikey etc — it really helps to know EXACTLY what you're looking for. Read the datasheets of the products you're buying, for example make sure you're getting the right lead spacing, or that you're not getting 600v rated caps (too big for pedals, but if you do order some by accident, save them because you might build an amp some day). There's a lot of stuff that LOOKS like what you want, but those thumbnail pics online can be misleading.

Besides, taking a pic of every size/version of capacitor and uploading it in each product description is time-consuming.
One pic for all? Good enough.

A-4850.jpg
1.5NF (152) 400V 5% POLYESTER MYLAR FILM CAPACITORS​
AEC | Capacitance: 1.5nF | Tolerance: ±5% | Pin Spacing: 4.0mm | RoHS​
AEC - Get It Fast - Same Day Shipping​
SKU: A-4850 | Qty Available: 398888​
Link to Datasheet broken.
Good thing the leads are maleable on that 4mm spaced Tayda unit, average lead spacing for that type of cap on the boards I have is 5mm, IIRC.


NEXTGENGUITARS​
​
Mylar_Caps__24096.1594913841.jpg
Voltage-Rated: 100V​
Tolerance: ±5%​
Wide Operating Temperature Range: -40°C to +85°C​
RoHS: Yes​
No link to datasheet.

NO mention of the lead spacing anywhere on the NextGen page. Pic is of a 470n (2A473J), btw.
 
This community RULES. Thank you all, this is SO helpful!

@MBFX your IC/capacitor example makes perfect sense! I see what you’re saying- certain parts are more prone to being problematic if you cheap out.

@HamishR are you talking specifically about Tayda’s no-name power jacks, or mono/stereo jacks as well? Jacks and 3pdts are where I’m still trying to decide. @chris.knudson I’m gonna look at Love My Switches again! @PunchySunshine that 3pdt from Tayda looks pretty good too…

@Feral Feline good lord, I’m gonna have “Final Exam” nightmares from those spec windows at Mouser! Very good point, and I’m learning what to look for when it comes to components- still a little confusing sometimes!

@Silver Blues WOW, thanks for such a clear, detailed rundown! This is where I’m at after considering all of it:

I’m absolutely getting resistors from Tayda. Seem cheap and good.

I found most of what I need for nF box capacitors there too, and largely opted for Kemet. There were a few values where Kemet didn’t pop up, so I have some WIMA and Faratronic/Arcotronics greys (so they’re ok, just ugly? :)

For small pF values I opted for Tayda’s MLCC’s (Multicomp brand?), except for a couple that weren’t available- I got a Vishay axial NP0 and a cheapo ceramic disc for those. Can’t imagine that would be a problem.

Stuck with Nichicon/Panasonic for elec. caps. Sounds worthwhile. I’ve seen “audio grade” Nichicons on some sites, I assume that’s not worth it?

I’ll need mostly DC switching jacks since I plan to install battery snaps, but I’ll look for decent ones. Aion’s rundown mentioned Kobiconn (163-4302-E) ones from Mouser, although they’re a little pricey. I think I’ll have to order at least a few things there that Tayda doesn’t have, so I’ll think about it. That CLIF looks nice, wish Tayda had em!

For 3PDT, I’m still trying to balance cost/quality. I’d love to just stick to Tayda and Mouser for now, but seems like Love My Switches is the place to go for hardware.

Those low-profile stereo jacks you linked to look great! Again, wish they were available elsewhere, rats… I’m gonna spend $75 in shipping alone if I order from 5 places! Ha… Space is DEFINITELY a concern for me, as I like to use the smallest box possible. I wonder if Switchcraft enclosed jacks are as big as the Neutrik ones you like? Lumberg look exceptional, maybe if I order from LMS…

Looks like Tayda for pots! I got an assortment of Alpha and Tayda, depending on what was available. Got a bunch of dust seals too.

eBay-wise, I’d really have to get a “hot tip” to know who’s who when it comes to NOS parts, ha! I’ve heard that before, but good lord, I wouldn’t know where to start…

I mostly need basic silicon transistors for now, although Tayda only had about half of what I need. Mouser has most of the rest, although it’d be nice to get some not-terribly-expensive NOS ones- the various BC108/109‘s, etc… I already ordered from Small Bear a couple weeks ago, so I’d probably look elsewhere- maybe Stomp Box Parts if I have to get anything there? Any other transistor recs (types and sources) would be very cool!

I actually have a bunch of those socket-rows, couldn’t they be used for ICs if I cut them in rows of 8/14/whatever is necessary? Good to know about the leaf-spring ones- I thought they were the nicer sockets!

Thank you so much!!
 
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Ginsly said:
This community RULES. Thank you all, this is SO helpful!

@MBFX your IC/capacitor example makes perfect sense! I see what you’re saying- certain parts are more prone to being problematic if you cheap out.

@HamishR are you talking specifically about Tayda’s no-name power jacks, or mono/stereo jacks as well? Jacks and 3pdts are where I’m still trying to decide. @chris.knudson I’m gonna look at Love My Switches again! @PunchySunshine that 3pdt from Tayda looks pretty good too…

@Feral Feline good lord, I’m gonna have “Final Exam” nightmares from those spec windows at Mouser! Very good point, and I’m learning what to look for when it comes to components- still a little confusing sometimes!

@Silver Blues WOW, thanks for such a clear, detailed rundown! This is where I’m at after considering all of it:

I’m absolutely getting resistors from Tayda. Seem cheap and good.

I found most of what I need for nF box capacitors there too, and largely opted for Kemet. There were a few values where Kemet didn’t pop up, so I have some WIMA and Faratronic/Arcotronics greys (so they’re ok, just ugly? :)

For small pF values I opted for Tayda’s MLCC’s (Multicomp brand?), except for a couple that weren’t available- I got a Vishay axial NP0 and a cheapo ceramic disc for those. Can’t imagine that would be a problem.

Stuck with Nichicon/Panasonic for elec. caps. Sounds worthwhile. I’ve seen “audio grade” Nichicons on some sites, I assume that’s not worth it?

I’ll need mostly DC switching jacks since I plan to install battery snaps, but I’ll look for decent ones. Aion’s rundown mentioned Kobiconn (163-4302-E) ones from Mouser, although they’re a little pricey. I think I’ll have to order at least a few things there that Tayda doesn’t have, so I’ll think about it. That CLIF looks nice, wish Tayda had em!

For 3PDT, I’m still trying to balance cost/quality. I’d love to just stick to Tayda and Mouser for now, but seems like Love My Switches is the place to go for hardware.

Those low-profile stereo jacks you linked to look great! Again,
wish they were available elsewhere, rats… I’m gonna spend $75 in shipping alone if order from 5 places! Ha… Space is DEFINITELY a concern for me, as I like to use the smallest box possible. I wonder if Switchcraft enclosed jacks are as big as the Neutrik ones you like? Lumberg look exceptional, maybe if I order from LMS…

Looks like Tayda for pots! I got an assortment of Alpha and Tayda, depending on what was available. Got a bunch of dust seals too.

eBay-wise, I’d really have to get a “hot tip” to know who’s who when it comes to NOS parts, ha! I’ve heard that before, but good lord, I wouldn’t know where to start…

I mostly need basic silicon transistors for now, although Tayda only had about half of what I need. Mouser has most of the rest, although it’d be nice to get some not-terribly-expensive NOS ones- the various BC108/109‘s, etc… I already ordered from Small Bear a couple weeks ago, so I’d probably look elsewhere- maybe Stomp Box Parts if I have to get anything there? Any other transistor recs (types and sources) would be very cool!

I actually have a bunch of those socket-rows, couldn’t they be used for ICs if I cut them in rows of 8/14/whatever is necessary? Good to know about the leaf-spring ones- I thought they were the nicer sockets!

Thank you so much!!
Click to expand...
I actually prefer the leaf springs.
 
Erik S said:
I actually prefer the leaf springs.
Click to expand...
Absolutely this. Especially for testing/experimenting. Single row (SIP) style of machined sockets are good for snipping to length, but I'm kinda weird, so for TO-92 transistors, I've taken to buying DIP-6 sockets, splitting them and trimming them up.

I find that the machined sockets vary in quality depending on where you get them. And with that qualifier, the sockets I've purchased (from both Mouser and Tayda) are only good for about 3 to 4 in-out installs. BUT that's also dependent on the size of the leads of the component. a lot of newer TO-92 BJTs I've got have squared-off leads, while older specimens are rounder. Some soviet-era transistors vary widely in lead thickness, and the little flying saucers are more spindly than 2010 tayda resistors. I'll be blunt, I friggin hate those transistors solely because of their leads.

I diverted there, but what I'm getting at is IME machined sockets wear out far more quickly than leaf spring based, and they are far more cost-effective.
 
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