Where to buy capacitors etc in Australia?

[Schmoburger]

Just a quick question to any Australian Mac guys in the know... where is the best place to go about getting replacement caps, diodes, resistors etc of the types used in compact Macs?

I used to buy mine from a local shop named Haven Electronics which specialised in the supply of such components... you could get almost every cap, diode, resistor, IC for anything it seemed, but as the demand for parts to facilitate component level repairs diminished due to the advent of cheap nasty disposable electronics, Haven faded into history. Last time I was there was about 2002 when I had to recap my Mac Plus anny board... they shut up shop not long after. xx(

So anyway... where is a one-stop place either in the meatworld or online to get such supplies in 2013?

Cheers!

 

[Byrd]

Hi schmoburger,

where in Australia are you?

I've found pretty much everything I need to repair a vintage Mac at Jaycar.

If you need more specific components (eg. big arse caps), I'd set up an account at element14.

If you want to support the little guys, see Oatley Electronics.

JB

 

[jongleur]

I have purchased online from both Jaycar and Altronics (and have a choice of local Jaycar stores)

http://www.jaycar.com.au/index.asp

http://www.altronics.com.au/

You can also try:

http://australia.rs-online.com/web/

http://www.futurlec.com.au/Components.jsp

http://au.element14.com/

. . . and many of the internationals will ship to Australia

 

[Schmoburger]

Ahhhh I forgot about Jaycar... I believe we have a Jaycar still, just gotta work out where they are now as the building the used to share with Uncle Petes Toys got sold and i know they relocated. I'm in Nowra just south of Wollongoing.

But yeh cheers for that guys I will keep a list of the above handy!

 

[Byrd]

I'm at my local Jaycar nearly every other week, but they have captured the market now. Most stores provide great service and advice but can be pricey with some items, although a few components here and there are only a few dollars of course.

If prepared to wait a little while and need something more exotic (and you know exactly what you want), purchasing from element14 is cheaper. If not in a hurry, I even look to eBay for components usually coming from Hong Kong. They always arrive, usually under 2 weeks. Sometimes you'll find the exact item Jaycar offers for a fraction of the price from HK.

 

[RickNel]

This is timely! I'm just looking for about 15 types of caps for two 68k Powerbooks with faulty displays. Jaycar has only a few of the values I need. Futurlec the same. Nobody sells 2.2uf x 35v SMDs. WES Components in Sydney has everything electro (though tiny range of Kemet-type tantalum SMDs), but I got a shock ringing through an order to WES for two sets of electros, with some spares, and getting a quote of $100+ delivered 8-o . Splitting the order among different suppliers doesn't add up because of minimum despatch charges.

I'll have another look at Altronics and element14, but I must say I haven't found them cheap in the past. When I see the prices in Asia, I can't help resenting the 1000% markups of local suppliers. Though I do appreciate they may have to hold a wide range of stock for a relatively small market.

Rick

 

[Schmoburger]

Hmmmmm for items such as capacitors I'd be happy to pay a little for the convenience of being able to walk into a shop or make a phone call and say yep, i need this, this and this many of these and walk out the door with a chicken dinner, but I guess if it came to be a hassle to source locally anyway, ordering from Asia might still be an option. At the end of the day it's a hobby and I've got enough other projects, both computer and other-world to keep me busy such that waiting a couple of weeks for a shipment of caps for a Plus isnt too much of an inconvenience if it came to it.

 

[RickNel]

Following this up, I ended up making an order with Element14 because they have by far the greatest range of cap types and specs - usually a choice of several manufacturers and sizes - eg for SMDs. Much better prices than Jaycar, though I still walk in there for anything reasonably common that I want in a hurry.

The toughest to find were 3.3uf x 35v SMD electrolytics - the Powerbook 160 display uses 9 of them. Very few suppliers stock them or even list them. Element14 accepted the order - then only when I read the order confirmation I noticed that they were tagged with a delayed delivery of 18 weeks!

Meantime I've ordered some Tantalum SMDs (from US seller - postage= 2 x price) and just hope they can fit the tight locations. If that fails, I can get 3.3uf x 35 radial electros from Hong Kong for a few cents that will probably fit the SMD locations with some tricky soldering. Just as well I'm not in a hurry.

Rick