SMT "starter" packs [closed]

Question

I've found a number of "starter pack" suggestions for generic packs of items, but my ask is a little more specific. I am a (reasonably) experienced through-hole kit assembler, and can see some time in my future a desire to hand-build some items that I expect I'll want to "shrink" by using SMDs, so my first thought was to get a "starter" pack of resistors/capacitors that had a mix of values, so I'm looking for suggestions on where you'd suggest I look for these.

Is there "concerns" over different suppliers, for instance I've noticed some significant price deltas on ebay for what should be similar kits (mixed 5% 1/4w resistors + capacitors)?

One more consideration, I'm in Australia, so my "retail" options are limited, and places like Farnell I mean Element 14 or Mouser are options but often will incur freight above what a directed buy somewhere like ebay can get.

thanks in advance for suggestions!

Answer 1

Manufacturers will often supply free sample books of components.

Or, you can buy these. In the UK, one supplier I found is http://www.fastcomponents.co.uk/ who sell mixed packs of SMT resistors and capacitors.

Answer 2

Where I work we use the Murata's design kit. It's great for prototypes and there is several configurations to chose.

Answer 3

Not a direct answer to your question, but Element14 in Australia has free shipping on all orders ($10 minimum for credit card)! Very handy!

I've ordered single quantity resistors and capacitors from them when i need it, and haven't had the need to buy a whole resistor/capacitor pack yet. Prices are reasonable for prototyping quantities!

Answer 4

You can get very cheap 500x reels of resistors from eBay. Would probably be a good idea to get a set of your most common resistor values in these reels to save you some money in the long run.

Answer 5

Oh, boy. There are SO many available choices for parts kits these days. I'm going to suggest that you simply head over to eBay and search for (smd, smt) (kit, assortment) and make your choice from all those listed.

I've purchased several such kits over the years. For me, it turned out that the best choice was to order 0805 & 0603 resistor kits with E24 values but with 1% accuracy. In other words, E96 values as close as possible to the standard E24 values. I do a lot of analog work and find that I use 1% value resistors a lot.

Capacitor kits, on the other hand, don't need to have that many values per decade. Internally, I work with capacitors in what I call my E4 spacing: 1, 2.2, 3.3, 4.7. This spacing is useful for audio work. For general purpose electronics, I find that I use mostly the (1) value, then the (4.7) value, finally the (2.2) value. Again, I find that I do most of my work with 0805 and 0603 package sizes.