Parts bin...

A question to all the repair and mod people here. What components (resistors, caps, diodes, etc.) do you always have readily available in your kit/shop/junk drawer? I'm getting tired of the drive to the store to spend time looking for components that they don't have (DAMN YOU, FRY'S IN OREGON!), so I'm scoping eBay and other online outlets for parts.

Just general parts and values (whatever is common in most mods/kits).

For resistors I usually stock 75ohm, 100ohm, 124ohm, 150ohm and 220ohm.
For caps I usually stock 0.1uf, 1uf, 4.7uf, 10uf, 22uf, 47uf, 100uf, 220uf, 330uf, 470uf, 680uf(?) and 1000uf since most cap kits use them.
As for diodes, usually just some 5.1v ones ~700mA.
I also keep spools of 24awg wire for most mods, some 22awg for kick harnesses (Don't know why people need 24awg).

For CMVS builds I always keep these on hand:
+5v@3A Power Supplies
2.1mm Barrel Jack
Rocker Switches
LM1881
LED holders
LEDs
NeoBiosMasta
Neobitz Encoders (Best for the Neo, hands down)

And a bunch of other stuff.

Do you keep SMD resistors and caps handy, too? I've seen spools go cheap from China online.

Xian has some basics covered.

I also keep:
Common Voltage Regulators
Diodes: Standard 4001s, 4004s
SCRs for Pins
Common EPROMs: 256, 512, 1024, 4096 and their NON-JEDEC equivalents for Mask replacements
Common Processors: 68ks, Z80As and Z80Bs
Few common Logic: 74S

I keep whatever I need at the time on hand - if I find I'm missing something I always have digikey - cheap parts, reliable (and fast!) shipping, and great customer service. If I'm in a pinch I have a few sellers on ebay that can get me the odd part here or there. unfortunately, for ICs I usually have to resort to UTSource, which takes weeks to get anything in.

Pretty much what replicax and xianxi said.
Also ic sockets. Mostly 0,3" 0,6" sockets. 8 pins all the way up to 42 pins.
Kynar 30awg wire for some of the trace repairs.
Various rams..

Careful with the cheap China stuff or the cheap kits available on ebay/amazon etc.. There are sometimes reasons why some of those are dirt cheap. There's counterfeit components (caps, resistors ... ) or components that dont actually meet their specifications or even fake components.
Get your stuff from places like digikey/mouser/farnell when possible..

Yup, that's my bunch of other stuff category. In simpler terms, you need to stock a small electronics supply store.

For the caps I do stock the dip ones but I also carry standard values for SMD caps as well for doing Namco and Konami boards usually.

Like shadows said IC sockets, mine goes from 8 pin to 64 pin (1.78 and 2.54)
Kynar wire, great for trace repair
Green Nail polish for trace repair

I also stock a crap load of eproms, 68k (1.78 and 2.54) various speeds, way too many RAMs (DIP, SMD, SOJ), also Z80/A/B
Project boards or whatever they're called now (Boards with copper islands and predrilled holes for circuit making)
Pots, slide switches, joystick harnesses, DB9, DB15, DB25, VGA connectors, cable assemblies

ZIP TIES.

still a bunch of other stuff and I need to go to the store because I ran out of right angle break away headers.

I just got back from Radio Shack...Probably the last time I EVER go there. The clerks in there are just freaking retarded.

I usually order my stuff from Mouser (caps, RCA jacks). I may have to go that route again.

I just thought that since majority of components sold in stores are manufactured in China or Thailand anyway, might just get it from the source. But I do understand the "bootlegged" aspect of it

goombakid said:

I just got back from Radio Shack...Probably the last time I EVER go there. The clerks in there are just freaking retarded.

I usually order my stuff from Mouser (caps, RCA jacks). I may have to go that route again.

I just thought that since majority of components sold in stores are manufactured in China or Thailand anyway, might just get it from the source. But I do understand the "bootlegged" aspect of it

Click to expand...

Radio Shack is basically just a cell phone store now. They do carry some of the most common components at about 10x the price. Inventory shrinks more and more all the time. I use mouser quite a bit.

Mitsurugi-w said:

Radio Shack is basically just a cell phone store now. They do carry some of the most common components at about 10x the price. Inventory shrinks more and more all the time. I use mouser quite a bit.

Click to expand...

Buying locally, options are pretty limited. I've never been able to have much luck with Radio Shack, and as you said, the prices are bad. Fry's is pretty limited too. Sometimes I can find things at a local store called Ack Electornics. Mouser is my go-to place. If not there, then Newark. The biggest problem is that I won't pay $10 shipping for a $0.10 item, so I end up buying an assortment of other random things on the off chance that I might need them in the future.

Mitsurugi-w said:

Radio Shack is basically just a cell phone store now. They do carry some of the most common components at about 10x the price. Inventory shrinks more and more all the time. I use mouser quite a bit.

Click to expand...

10x the price and typically only 2 in stock.

Mouser and Digi-key pretty much fill my needs.