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I know a lot of people like to search Digikey (or Mouser) for new parts... but please just use the manufacturer website. Digikey doesn't always carry every part
by nickff 6y ago
I know a lot of people like to search Digikey (or Mouser) for new parts... but please just use the manufacturer website. Digikey doesn't always carry every part, and their categorization is usually a bit messed up.
As an aside, AD has a large number of parts which are non-public. You will not find the part numbers (or any information about them) without an NDA and personal assistance from an AD rep.
- mschuster91 6y ago> You will not find the part numbers (or any information about them) without an NDA and personal assistance from an AD rep. As a hobbyist, this sucks so much. With PCB manufacturing reliable enough for high speed signalling being affordable and hackerspaces with soldering ovens in every major cities (and there was some startup - in NYC I believe - that you could give Eagle files and a product order list and they would buy you the components at Digikey and manufacture the board for you... anyone remember their name?!), it really really sucks that all the interesting stuff is hidden beyond such obscure walls. You won't even find Intel Thunderbolt datasheets on obscure Chinese sites. Wtf? And then Intel complains about why people aren't adopting it?
- nickff 6y agoThe unlisted AD parts are not ones that you'd be likely to use as a hobbyist. Everything that you're likely to know how to use is public. I wish I could be more specific.
- mschuster91 6y agoWas more of a general rant, sorry if it came across personal :/
- anticensor 6y agoDo those unlisted parts constitute the majority of Analog Devices products?
- duskwuff 6y ago> and there was some startup - in NYC I believe - that you could give Eagle files and a product order list and they would buy you the components at Digikey and manufacture the board for you... anyone remember their name?! I don't know about that specific startup, but there are tons of firms in China which will manufacture and assemble PCBs for you. Most of the big hobbyist firms, like JLCPCB, Elecrow, and PCBWay, offer some form of PCBA service. JLCPCB in particular is closely integrated with LCSC, and will source parts directly from them.
- bombledmonk 6y agoJLC/LCSC isn't exactly aiming to be a hobbyist firm, they have over $30M USD from Sequoia China and other VCs.
- HeyLaughingBoy 6y agoWhether they're aiming to or not, they are very hobbyist-friendly and popular.
- mkarr 6y ago> (and there was some startup - in NYC I believe - that you could give Eagle files and a product order list and they would buy you the components at Digikey and manufacture the board for you... anyone remember their name?!) Are you thinking of MacroFab (https://macrofab.com/ https://macrofab.com/) located in Houston? I believe they have been featured here before.
- bombledmonk 6y agoI believe you are thinking of PCB:NG
- simias 6y agoFair enough, but often I'm looking for a part not by manufacturer but by functionality. Skimming through all the vendor's websites to find what I'm looking for and comparing the various products is a bit of a pain. I agree that the categorization can be a bit tricky at times, but once you're used to it it's not terrible.
- mNovak 6y agoThis exactly. I'm looking for commodity parts, I don't want to preemptively narrow that search. Also often times you'll find some great component on e.g. Maxim's website, only to find no one distributes it, so it's effectively useless in the immediate sense.