Popular Parts

With so many different parts available, it can be hard to figure out which component to use. Taking a look at what others regularly use might make this process easier.

Note that links may or may not be to the best source. Look around, add a link if you find a better one. Do not delete a link, unless product is gone for good.

Kits and Projects

If you're working from a kit or published project consider getting extras of the parts. The authors of these things tend to know, and pick, what's popular. If you use them once you may use them again; there are exceptions, though.

PICs

Because PICs are mostly digital logic, if you use PICs you will need most of the stuff in the Popular Parts#X=Digital Logic section as well as stuff in this section.

What	Comment	Specific Part
The PIC	microcontroller#Microchip_PIC Starting with PICmicro controllers See the Selecting a PIC Section. I like the 16F877, but this may be out of date. Selection of PICs	16F877A 18F2553 [1] 18Fxxx
Debugger	I don't recommend wasting time on pure programmers for development purposes. Once you get past the blinking LED stage, you are going to need a debugger.	RealICE - Mid to High End PICs ICD2 - Broadest range Pickit2 - Low to Mid range PICs
Proto Board	Some People hate them, but many find them a nice quick way to experiment. I have found a max clock speed of 4 megHz works well. Breadboard	see links
Crystals	I keep 4 megHz and 20 meg Hz on hand. Note that some PICs can do without crystals, but timing is not very accurate. Check your spec. sheet, some PICs may be able to go to 40 meg Hz. Note that a couple of capacitors are needed as well. Ceramic resonators may be used instead. Crystal 20MHz	4 meg Hz 20 meg Hz
Pull Up Resistors	Can be used as pull down as well. I use 10k ohms, often useful for other stuff as well. Metal Film 1% 10 for 20 cents.	10K
Generally Useful Chips	What are the best useful variety IC’s to have around for PIC Microcontrollers? from ChipHacker	na
Op Amp	Need to condition your inputs? a op amp may be just the thing. See section on op amps.
LED	How else can you say hello world? Pretty much anything will do. Do not forget to get a current limiting resistor 220 ohms or anything close. LED also come in arrays and as 7 segment displays for numerical read out.	220 ohms
Push Button	Need this for input. I get mine from salvage. Later I will find a source for you. Mini Push Button Switch TACT001 - Small Black Tactile Switch	see links
Low Side Switch, Driver Chip	When you need more power from an output port this is the way to get more than 10 times a much current, Not very expensive. One chip will drive 2 stepper motors. ULN2803 has 8 inputs and outputs. ULN2803A Darlington Driver 8-Channel ULN2803 DIP	ULN2803
High Side Switch Driver Chip	Like a low side switch, but on the high side. If you are driving "rows and columns" then you need some on the low side some on the high side. The UDN2981 has 8 inputs and outputs. UDN2981A	UDN2981
Sensors	There are so many, for light photo diodes and transistors, for temperature LM34 and similar see section on Sensors.	*whatever
LCD Display	Put out full alpha numeric data, several characters. Seems like a better? solution than LED when many characters are required. Probably best used with a controller to keep use reasonably simple. Microcontroller User Interfaces Optoelectronics#LCDs Basic 16x2 Character LCD STN - Black on Green LCD Front Panel Set	*HD44780 parallel interface

Op Amps

What	Comment	Specific Part
op amps	consider ... what,	358 dual "Specifying an op-amp" "TL08x series op amps (single, dual, quad) … when you want to have a stash of opamps for prototyping, these are your best bet." LM386N-3 speaker driver [2]
Proto Board	Some People hate them, but many find them a nice quick way to experiment.	?
Resistors	For precise gain you need 1 percent resistors. I start with 10k and use multiples and sub multiples.	10k 20k 100K
trim pots	When you need a bit of adjustability.	10k
diodes	When you need current one way, not the other. See Transistors, Diodes, etc. for details.	(FIXME: isn't this already too many? Trim.) MBRA140 (1 A DC forward; 40 V reverse) SMT for Reverse Protection Diodes 1N914 (300 mA DC forward; 75 V DC reverse) 1N4148 (0.2 A DC forward; 100 V reverse) TH glass 1N5711 (0.015 A forward; 70 V reverse) TH glass Schottkey diode 1N5817 (1 A DC forward; 20 V reverse) TH Schottkey diode TH $0.15 BAT48 Schottkey diode (0.35 A DC forward; 40 V reverse) BAT85 Schottkey diode (0.20 A DC forward; 30 V reverse) 1N5406 (1N5408 is better) (3 A DC forward; 600 V reverse) TH $0.25 1N4001 (1N4007 is better) (1 A DC forward; 50 V reverse) TH $0.10 1N1188 (1N1189A is better) (35 A DC forward; 400 V reverse) threaded stud ($5.00 Newark 2010) 40EPF12PBF (40 A DC forward, 1200 V reverse) ($3.50 Newark 2010)
Power Transistors	An op amp might be good for 20 mA. Couple it to a darlington transistor and get a full ampere (1000 mA). You may want to go push pull with a pair of npn and pnp transistors. With this you can build power supplies, battery chargers, motor drivers, and audio amplifiers.	TIPsomething
Sensors	Measure something. See Sensors.	Sensors

Digital Logic

If you use any microcontroller, you will probably also need most of the stuff in this section.

What	Comment	Specific Part
Gates		74HC132 Quad 2-in Schmitt-trigger NAND gate
Counters	If you use a microcontroller in your project, the counters inside that microcontroller will probably be all the counters you need.	?
Shift registers	Often used to expand the number of ports.	? 74HC595 -- for more output pins. SIPO eight bit shift register with output latch. Perfect for letting the propeller clock POV display slowly clock in the next value, then LOAD them all at once. Near the bottom of the page describing the "Digital Numeric LED Displays Tachometer (RPMs), Temperature, and Counter" project, David Cook says: "The 595 is a great 8-bit serial chip because data can be shifted in without affecting the existing output. All new data is then switched over at the same time. The 595 can also be daisy chained. In this case, 48 outputs are controlled with only three wires (data, clock, and latch)." 74HC166 -- for more input pins. PISO 8-bit parallel-load shift registers. 74HC165 -- for more input pins. PISO 8-bit parallel-load shift registers.
Voltage Regs	Power to the Chips	LM7805
Voltage Reg	Easy choice is LM7805. A couple of caps usually go with it. .1 and .01 bypass caps are generally useful. Voltage Regulator - 5V 7805T	7805 .1 uf .01 uf
decoupling capacitors.	"I can only recall using less than 1uF decoupling cap in one circuit in the last 8 or so years ... 100nF bypass caps [0.1 uF bypass caps] are so 1990s. If someone tells you that should be the standard value, you should be careful about what other bad or outdated advice they may be dispensing." -- one post in the PICList Thread (EE) "1.0 uF Decoupling Cap - A Must?" by Olin	1uF through-hole caps for solderless breadboard 1uF 0805 ceramic caps for dead bug style prototyping and custom PCBs

Electric Motors

See motor driver for details.

transistor

"my favorite International Rectifier FU5505 power MOSFET transistor" -- David Cook

External Links

• The Big List These are the parts the EE Shop keeps in stock to sell to students. UNL likes them why not us?
• This section contains circuit examples from commercial products and datasheets of transistors which are studied in this course. If MIT studies them, maybe they are worth looking at.
• Choosing an op amp: it's no longer a trying task The oldies in particular may be good, but not expensive parts.
• Starting with PICmicro controllers See the Selecting a PIC Section
• DorkbotPDX: Recommended Parts
• John C Luciani Jr. answers "What parts would you recommend stocking?"
• Partfinder from ladyAda
• [3] Dangerous Prototypes' list of common parts