electro-music.com   Dedicated to experimental electro-acoustic
and electronic music
 
    Front Page  |  Radio
 |  Media  |  Forum  |  Wiki  |  Links
Forum with support of Syndicator RSS
 FAQFAQ   CalendarCalendar   SearchSearch   MemberlistMemberlist   UsergroupsUsergroups   LinksLinks
 RegisterRegister   ProfileProfile   Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages   Log inLog in  Chat RoomChat Room 
 Forum index » DIY Hardware and Software
My review of 1st Jameco purchace
Post new topic   Reply to topic Moderators: jksuperstar, Scott Stites, Uncle Krunkus
Page 1 of 1 [12 Posts]
View unread posts
View new posts in the last week
Mark the topic unread :: View previous topic :: View next topic
Author Message
dsipek



Joined: Mar 30, 2008
Posts: 11
Location: detroit

PostPosted: Sun Mar 30, 2008 8:55 am    Post subject: My review of 1st Jameco purchace Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Very disappointed.
Im building a SL mini synth and decided to buy some extra stuff.
there grab bags are a joke.

I wasted $23 on a linear IC bag that contained main useless chips and
hardly any of what the description in there catalog claimed.

I also got a transistor bag that had many parts without ANY labeling on them!
How am I supposed to know what they are?

I also bought the Schwabb grab bag that had many useless parts.

So all in all I wasted about $90 at jameco...

My advice is never buy grab bags and stay away from jameco.

Mouser of the other hand was great with cheap shipping.
Jameco over charge a lot on shipping
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
v-un-v
Janitor
Janitor


Joined: May 16, 2005
Posts: 8933
Location: Birmingham, England, UK
Audio files: 11
G2 patch files: 1

PostPosted: Sun Mar 30, 2008 1:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

I moved this to the DIY section as I thought that it had more relevance here Smile
_________________
ACHTUNG!
ALLES TURISTEN UND NONTEKNISCHEN LOOKENPEEPERS!
DAS KOMPUTERMASCHINE IST NICHT FÜR DER GEFINGERPOKEN UND MITTENGRABEN! ODERWISE IST EASY TO SCHNAPPEN DER SPRINGENWERK, BLOWENFUSEN UND POPPENCORKEN MIT SPITZENSPARKSEN.
IST NICHT FÜR GEWERKEN BEI DUMMKOPFEN. DER RUBBERNECKEN SIGHTSEEREN KEEPEN DAS COTTONPICKEN HÄNDER IN DAS POCKETS MUSS.
ZO RELAXEN UND WATSCHEN DER BLINKENLICHTEN.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
neandrewthal



Joined: May 11, 2007
Posts: 672
Location: Canada

PostPosted: Sun Mar 30, 2008 9:44 pm    Post subject: Re: My review of 1st Jameco purchace Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

dsipek wrote:
Mouser of the other hand was great with cheap shipping.
Jameco over charge a lot on shipping

That's funny. Coming from an international perspective, I'd say it's the opposite.

_________________
" I went through quite a few trannies til I found one I liked" - Wild Zebra
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
asafnetzer



Joined: Jun 16, 2007
Posts: 112
Location: Israel

PostPosted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 12:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Sorry to hear that, there's a first and last time for each of us with a specific vendor, I remember ordering from mouser, $15 worth of components and they have charged me $60 shipping Shocked

If you don't mind about slower shipping go with futurlec, they are the cheapest I have found for most components and they got most of the stuff a fellow DIY needs.

Best regards,

Asaf
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
dsipek



Joined: Mar 30, 2008
Posts: 11
Location: detroit

PostPosted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 3:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Thanks for the replies...

Im just not happy with them and wanted to rant...
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
goldenechos



Joined: Jun 06, 2007
Posts: 201
Location: Marshall, NC
Audio files: 1

PostPosted: Wed Apr 02, 2008 6:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

I can second that the grab bags from Jameco are USELESS.

I bought the resistor, cap and transistor grab bags 3 or 4 yrs ago. The resistors and caps were NOT SORTED, there was about 20% 570 ohm. Most of the transistors were UNLABELLED. A complete waste of time and money.

I sorted the resistors. Threw the caps in a drawer; I hit 'em when I cannot find a value and I am desperate!

The transistor are setting in a dark corner. I'll never use them because they have no markings on them... fuck am I supposed to do with 100 un-labeled transistors???

Tony
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
bubblechamber



Joined: Nov 04, 2006
Posts: 279
Location: NYC
Audio files: 1

PostPosted: Wed Apr 02, 2008 6:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

I got a few IC grab bags from Futurlec that were almost completely useful. and if you spring for the more expensive shipping it does show up much faster, usually within 3 or 4 days from Thailand to Los Angeles.

I used to order knobs from Jameco, a lot of them. We got what turned out to be our last shipment from them and the indicator lines looked like they had been painted on with a Q-Tip by a blind monkey. After speaking with a sales rep it turns out that Jameco was actually manufacturing these knobs. If you are not going to QC your own products, you're probably not going to care much about anything else you sell either.

The one tiny redeeming feature is that they have a will call office and if you're in the bay area you can place you order online, pay for it and then pick it up the next day at their office. but that's probably not much of a perk of most of this board...
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
goldenechos



Joined: Jun 06, 2007
Posts: 201
Location: Marshall, NC
Audio files: 1

PostPosted: Wed Apr 02, 2008 6:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

It was almost as though they had swept the floor of an assembly operation and then bagged the dropping by the ounce. I'm suprised I didn't find some bubble gum or cigarette butts in those grab bags!

Tony
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
dsipek



Joined: Mar 30, 2008
Posts: 11
Location: detroit

PostPosted: Thu Apr 03, 2008 6:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

goldenechos wrote:
It was almost as though they had swept the floor of an assembly operation and then bagged the dropping by the ounce. I'm suprised I didn't find some bubble gum or cigarette butts in those grab bags!

Tony


LMFAO!!!! Laughing
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Uncle Krunkus
Moderator


Joined: Jul 11, 2005
Posts: 4761
Location: Sydney, Australia
Audio files: 52
G2 patch files: 1

PostPosted: Thu Apr 03, 2008 7:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Just an idea.
There's a french guy, I can't remember his name (I'm sure someone will chime in) who builds these cool little touch controlled audio circuits on cardboard diagrams. If you used a transistor tester to simply work out which transistors were PNP and which were NPN, I'm sure that these circuits would be very forgiving. Well, it's a way of using up unmarked transistors, and it might take some of the sting out of the experience.

FWIW I agree, I don't do "grab bags" unless it's ebay, like some old timer's life long collection of parts etc. that I can see before I buy. Even that is rare.

My buying guide: -
Have a list bluetacked to the wall of your workshop of the things you need, keep adding to it, and work on something else until the postage justifies the order. (I know this is easier said than done) Over buy only about 15% on expensive items and up to 100% on really cheap things like resistors.

_________________
What makes a space ours, is what we put there, and what we do there.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
fluxmonkey



Joined: Jun 24, 2005
Posts: 708
Location: cleve

PostPosted: Thu Apr 03, 2008 8:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Uncle Krunkus wrote:
Just an idea.
There's a french guy, I can't remember his name (I'm sure someone will chime in) who builds these cool little touch controlled audio circuits on cardboard diagrams...


the site name is ciat lonbarde, which sounds french, but the guy's name is peter blazer, he's in baltimore md.

just got another order from jameco, excellent service, everything as advertised. including a couple very economical resistor and capacitor assortments (not grabbags). a grab bag is a grab bag--cheap, specific contents not guaranteed, likely not to be top-shelf. unless the transistor grab bag did not have transistors in it, it's as advertised. sorry to see a generally good company get unfairly panned by a disgruntled customer.

b
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
neandrewthal



Joined: May 11, 2007
Posts: 672
Location: Canada

PostPosted: Thu Apr 03, 2008 9:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Uncle Krunkus wrote:
My buying guide: -
Have a list bluetacked to the wall of your workshop of the things you need, keep adding to it, and work on something else until the postage justifies the order. (I know this is easier said than done) Over buy only about 15% on expensive items and up to 100% on really cheap things like resistors.


So far, I've only bought what I needed, but I am so jealous of those on the board who when a new circut pops up for consideration say "I just built it this morning, it's great" I wish I could do that, but I'm afraid of spending hundreds on parts then losing interest, only to never use them all.

_________________
" I went through quite a few trannies til I found one I liked" - Wild Zebra
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic Moderators: jksuperstar, Scott Stites, Uncle Krunkus
Page 1 of 1 [12 Posts]
View unread posts
View new posts in the last week
Mark the topic unread :: View previous topic :: View next topic
 Forum index » DIY Hardware and Software
Jump to:  

You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
You cannot attach files in this forum
You can download files in this forum


Forum with support of Syndicator RSS
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group
Copyright © 2003 through 2009 by electro-music.com - Conditions Of Use