Quality capacitor and resistor starter kits - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: msknight
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 13, 2021, 06:00:32 am
content: I'm looking for a range of common capacitors and resistors to get me started, but I seem to be stuck at either having to hand pick everything from a quality brand, or going for packs of cheap, unknown components. Is there a cross over somewhere... a decent brand making kits of common values? Or is my thinking on this all wrong?Grateful for guidance.

author: audiotubes
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 13, 2021, 06:52:16 am
content: I have no idea how good the component kits are but for example eleshop.eu has component kits. I've several transactions with the shop and I can recommend them. They're honest about stocking levels and they ship very promptly. Prices have been good on the items I wanted. I'm sure there are many similar shops, large and small.It's been decades but when electronics was more of a mainstream hobby I went to the local chain store and bought packages of whatever I needed for various projects and built up a nice inventory over time. I would say rather than go for a package of things you might or might not need, try and see if you can find quantities of the components you need for this or that project and that way in a short time you'll be likely to collect relevant parts and not pay for things you don't need.

author: BrokenYugo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 13, 2021, 07:10:25 am
content: Cheap resistors kits are fine, generally in spec. The cheap cap kits avoid entirely the little old school ceramic disc assortments, the electrolytic kits are fine for screwing around on a breadboard (don't use for repair or permanent stuff, order those as needed from a reputable vendor). I assume the poly film, dipped ceramic (really a SMD cap with leads added), etc. are gonna be ok, at least for low voltage, but I have no experience.

author: Hamelec
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 13, 2021, 07:23:26 am
content: My experience with a cheap metalfilm resistor kit (not THIS one but LIKE this one:https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B075ZN78JZ/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A1QYNW8GSP8HVC&psc=1- about 20% of the parts out of 1% tolerance- color code not easy to read- very thin leads, it will easily bend using it with protoboard

author: strawberry
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 13, 2021, 08:16:05 am
content: I take what I need for project or common failure components for repairslike 470R 1% <100ppm 1206 metal film 2.80$ for 100pcs vishay/daleor 10Mohm 10pcsin kits 50% of values may not be needed and common values will end quickquality datasheets ??for cheap resistors on ebay... metal film or carbon?? and price difference is almost same as distributors

author: rdl
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 13, 2021, 08:26:51 am
content: Yeah with kits, they usually try to cover a fairly wide range of values. After a few years you'll probably find you only actually used a small number of them.

author: John B
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 13, 2021, 09:18:04 am
content: What is your budget? Are you looking for through hole resistors and caps to breadboard?I wouldn't bother with those no-name ebay or amazon packs. They have very thin legs which can produce intermittent contact in breadboards, and IME they always measure way out of spec (1% yeah right), and always on the low side. High tempco too.Ebay ceramic caps are a mixed bag too. I've had ones that were -50% of their claimed capacitance and had a habit of shorting out at quite low voltages even though they were "rated" at 50V.Electrolytics have been the safest so far from ebay/whatever. They typically have less capacitance than their claimed value, but other than that I haven't had catastrophic failures even with 63V caps pushed right to their max rating (wouldn't rely on it though).This leaves you with making some large purchases from a supplier. I have done that with cheaper suppliers for passives like LCSC. Yes you do drop some cash, but you also end up with parts you'd actually want to use in a real project. Ebay stuff is only good for the bin once you have some legit parts.

author: msknight
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 13, 2021, 11:17:58 am
content: Many thanks for all the answers.Budget probably £100 for caps for learning on breadboard and testing with. I do have left over caps and resistors from other work, although they are specific values and they're the best quality I could shop for at the time. So I don't necessarily want to use them for messing around with, particularly as some of them were difficult to get hold of for recapping 40 year old stereos.However, I don't want to go to the cheap end either, specifically because of the tolerance issues that people have stated and also if I am successful in making circuits then I'd want to put them into project boxes and use them. So, ceramic caps, electrolytic caps and resistors probably quarter watt.We used to have Maplin and could walk in and get what was needed as well as talk with people who could offer advice and guidance, but that's not around any more.

author: msknight
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 13, 2021, 11:24:28 am
content: Aaaaand.... Eleshop.eu can't ship to the UK. Shame as I'd built up a nice little cart

author: msknight
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 13, 2021, 11:32:53 am
content: OK, so minimum 150 euro order and it has to be done by e-mail.

author: msknight
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 13, 2021, 02:00:22 pm
content: Having a hard time building an order on Eleshop EU but the kits were Velleman so I found a supplier who is doing them on e-bay who has a good reputation, and I bought some of those kits from them and saved having to unnecessarily pack an order and then suffer the issues of import. So... job done. Many thanks for all the help and advice.

author: audiotubes
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 13, 2021, 09:54:04 pm
content: Quote from: msknight on July 13, 2021, 11:24:28 amSorry about that. Brexit has wreaked havoc. Many of my go to shops for various things were in England. It's been a nightmare.

author: msknight
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 14, 2021, 06:57:25 am
content: Quote from: audiotubes on July 13, 2021, 09:54:04 pmNo need to apologise. These are circumstances that are, what they are. People manage to do what they do, in spite of their governments. A way will be found :-) ... and it was actually by looking on their store that I worked out that those kits exist, so I was able to find them elsewhere. So... it all worked out.

author: strawberry
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 14, 2021, 08:57:32 am
content: https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2380057.m570.l1313&_nkw=mlt+resistor&_sacat=0Russian MLT resistors new old stock from east europe , good quality metal film ,rated power at 85deg (underrated for today standards)and there is vishay panasonic .. resistors from Poland (old factory stock?) but prices mostly same as brand new