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Suppliers I Use or Have Been Suggested |
| Name | Comments |
| Arcade World UK | Not used these guys yet, but they turned up in searches and have an extensive range of switches at a good price. |
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They have now ceased trading and the Touch Board plugin is no longer being maintained. |
These folks provide a circuit board that combines and arduino variant, MIDI / MP3 decoder and a capacitive sensor input. I have found the capacitive sensor more consistent than the Adafruit variant. Search on their site for "Touch board". These are getting increasingly difficult to programme. They need to use version 1.8x of the Arduino IDE (now up to 2.2x), along with various IOS updates. I'm looking into using a variety Adafruit and Sparkfun alternatives, Oct 2024. Additional problem found (28MAy 2024) the conductive paint supplied with the boards deteriorates over time. This is an issue if you have used the paint to bridge between contacts to convert the board to MIDI mode. Use solder if you need a permament solution. Making a MIDI based instrument. NB Two things. Don't use double sided tape to mount these as you can destroy the board if you want to move it later. They have a lot of surface mount components that "ping" of if you flex the circuit board. Also shop around on price. Buying direct is expensive, other retail outlets are about 20% cheaper. Datasheet for the Touchboard. Nov 2017, they some times do special offers, so worth checking out periodically. How to get started 2023. N.B. You need to use a "Legacy 1.8x" version of the Arduino IDE as the Touchboard is not compatible with ver 2.2x. N.B. Bare Conductive boards appear to be unavailable from their own website. You get redirected to sites such as RS and offered kits going at two to three times the cost of the original single board. I will not be starting any new projects with these boards. |
| BitsBox | Useful and inexpensive source of hardware (including jack sockets and plugs). Have 3mm nylon nuts & bolts etc. |
| Cool Components | An alternative source of Arduino supplies, sheilds and electronics. Can use Royal Mail delivery which I find more convenient. |
| CPC | They have (almost too) comprehensive list of components. Because of the site size it can take a bit of drilling down to get a full description of a device if you are just browsing for inspiration. Back in my good books (they have been erratic and slow in the past but seem to have got their act together. Recently bought some "Bare Conductive Boards" about 20% cheaper than anywhere else. |
| Electrosmart | General purpose electronics supplier, fast and effecient, uses Royal Mail (saves hanging around. |
| ESR Electronic Components | Very simialr to the "old" Maplins. Some good value loud speaker and amplifier components. N.B. Prices given are EX VAT on their website. |
| Hobby Components | A new supplier providing low cost "clones of Arduino's I use these Arduino's for testing new ideas that might "smoke" them.. They also have a have a good range of sensors.Good turnaround |
| Hobbytronics | Now only offering a very limited range of Arduino related products (July 2023). |
| Inclusive Technology | Expensive (£23 to £60 +) but very sensitive low-pressure buttons in different sizes. "Access Switches" have the advantage that you can unscrew a transparent top and put your own symbol in e.g., G major. |
| Kitronik | Primarily aimed at schools, good range of hardware but limited mail delivery options. |
| Maplins | Original Supplier down in March 2018. A great loss to inventives. They have returned as an on-line site, courtesy of Peter Jones of Dragon Dens fame. Their website search engine needs some fine tuning. (14 April 2021/2). Website much improved 2023. Good selection of instrument cases and enclosures and more. |
| MIDI | Musical Instrument Digital Interface |
| MK Metals | Sheet metals |
| Mouser | Large supplier of a electronic of components. Wide range of tactile switches. |
| OkDo | Recommended to me, alternate source of all the usual culprits, PI, Arduino, uBit etc. |
| Pimori | Adafruit combination process / codec / amp boards. |
| Pi Hut | They also do Arduino, BBC Microbit and a lot of useful hardware.. They use Royal Mail who don't use "knock a door runaway". You have to be a child of the 60's to understand that. Expensive power regulators. |
| Proto-Pic | A good range or Arduino's and shields, plus arcade quality buttons and joysticks. |
| Quasar Electronics | Audi kits, Mixers, Amps, pre-Amps, EQ's. Kit or built. NB Not used yet but looks useful |
| Rapid | Rapid on Line, some nice amplifier kits. 2.5W, 10W, some with speakers. N.B. I've stopped using Class D amps in non-experimental situations as they are electrically noisy. This can cause an Arduino to glitch if it shares the same power line. Some useful enclosures / cases. |
| RS-Online | Good range of Arduin boards plus other electronic components. |
| RK Online Store aka rkeducation | Source of inexpensive amplifier kits with a wide supply voltage range e.g. RKAmp4. They specialise in the design and manufacture of unique, low cost products for effective teaching and learning in design and technology and for use by electronics hobbyists. |
| RobotShop | Not used these yet, worth a look, also they have Pololu 5v step down, 2.5A power regs which I use sometimes (no longer supplyed by HobbyTronics). |
| Supermarkets | These can supply a variety of useful products that can be "re-purposed". e.g. chopping boards are very useful for mounting components on such as push buttons. It is much easier than cutting Perspex (and cheaper). |