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Part Sourcing Design Guide
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Sourcing parts

Welcome to part sourcing! Here's a ton of tips for you to optimize your part selection & costs!

If you're ever unsure of your BOM, send it in #highway! People can definitely help you pick better parts and make better decisions.

Overview

When picking parts, PLEASE be resourceful! Make the most out of every dollar and don't take the entire budget just because you can

Do's

  • Lots of research into what parts to use!
  • Ask in #highway for advice on picking parts

Don'ts

  • Buy a $100 Oscilloscope
  • Buy extra parts for later projects
  • Buy a $40 module on amazon instead of waiting 2 weeks to get it for $5 instead

At the end, everything should be in a BOM with links to specific parts.

Specific parts

General

Generally speaking, try to reference parts off of other projects since you'll eliminate more unknowns with the hardware

Modules (TP4056, LED matrices, etc)

Almost always the cheapest option is to get it from AliExpress; the only downside is that shipping may take awhile - usually a 2-3 week buffer is safe.

If you're in a pinch, Amazon actually has OK prices all things considered. I would avoid it though unless you're going to miss Undercity if you don't

SBCs (Raspberry Pi, Orange Pi, etc)

Raspberry Pi You can get Orange Pis from aliexpress.

Depending on your application though, you can also repurpose old laptops/desktops for your specific application if it's not space-sensitive

Microcontrollers (arduino, RP2040, etc)

AliExpress is still usually your go-to for this!

Arduinos are fairly outdated by todays standards

PCBs

  • If you're in India, use SEEED. They take HCB cards and are by far the cheapest option
  • If you're from another country, use JLCPCB, they offer pcbs for under $6 shipped as long as its under 100x100mm
  • If you're from the US specifically, use PCBWAY. They're roughly half the cost of JLCPCB because they're able to avoid tarrifs some how

Batteries (Li-Po, CR2032, AA, etc)

Specific countries

India:

  • Most vendors do not take int'l cards, which unfortunately HCB falls into the category of. Contact your local vendors to try to get that changed!

contribute here!! We're missing a ton of stuff

Tips for specific vendors

AliExpress

aliexpress is one of the highest skill ceiling stores out there - there's a ton of optimization you can do. Here's some tips:

  • The welcome deal only works once when you make your account, so don't budget off of that - you will be hit by significantly higher prices afterwards.
  • Pay attention to the estimate shipment date. This will vary by region, but generally speaking it's actually fairly reliable
  • Also pay attention to the shipping cost! Usually items that don't have free shipping but a lower initial price actually end up being more expensive when you tally the costs
  • There's specific vendors that are useful:
    • AITXEM ROBOT: Any microcontroller you can think of
    • Trianglelab: 3D printer parts!

Other resources

COMING SOON!