From BEAM Robotics Wiki

Also see: Kits and Hackables

BEAMers tend to learn quickly how to scavenge parts needed to build their projects from technoscrap. But there are always going to be times when buying new parts and/or materials will be desirable. Getting BEAM parts can sometime be as easy as simply going to Radio Shack. But as often as not, it can be difficult to find certain special parts. The suppliers listed below should help you to get even those hard to locate items:

Contents 1 Robot specialists 1.1 Budget Robotics 1.2 Bug 'n' Bots 1.3 Jameco's Robot Store 1.4 JCM inVentures 1.5 Pololu Robotics and Electronics 1.6 Solarbotics 1.7 Trossen Robotics 1.8 Wright Hobbies Robotics 2 Motor Sources 2.1 Didel SA 2.2 Pagermotors.com 3 General electronics 3.1 Digi-Key 3.2 Goldmine Electronics 3.3 Hobby Engineering 3.4 Jameco 3.5 Mouser 3.6 Newark Electronics 3.7 Sparkfun Electronics 4 Local and various stores 4.1 CSD Electronics 4.2 Conrad Electronics 4.3 ebay 4.4 Radio Shack 4.5 RS Online 4.6 Fry's

[edit] Robot specialists

(In Alphbetical Order)

[edit] Budget Robotics

Founded by Gordon McComb, this family-run business was founded to provide low-cost parts and kits to the amateur robot builder.

[edit] Bug 'n' Bots

• A provider of educational robotic kits and Parts, including a wide variety of BEAM and Microcontroller based products.
• Home of the popular FRED Photopopper kit
• A sponsor of the Eastern Canadian Robot Games and Canadian National Robot Games.
• Host of regular BuildFests, creative workshops that provide an opportunity to meet other BEAMers, exchange valuable hints and tips, and have a good time.

[edit] Jameco's Robot Store

• Specialize in robotics.
• Carry nearly everything a BEAMer might need
• Considerably cheaper than many stores (especially regarding ICs).

[edit] JCM inVentures

• Produces the CYBUG family of Robot kits, and the Vulcan Logic Trainer
• Be sure to visit the JCMInventures Forum

[edit] Pololu Robotics and Electronics

• Robot kits, parts, and electronics.
• Provide a Pololu robotics forum for interacting with Pololu engineers and other robotics enthusiasts about their products, your projects, and electronics and robotics in general.

[edit] Solarbotics

• Long time BEAM supporter
• The #1 BEAM supplier, completely devoted to BEAM
• Excellent service and very helpful.
• Good source for all those special parts that are hard to get elsewhere; including:
  • All of the ICs commonly used in building BEAM robots
  • A great selection of motors
  • Complete robot kits.

Go there, shop there!

• Solarbotics Products
• Documentation & Downloads

[edit] Trossen Robotics

• Robot specialty web shop.
• Not directly BEAM related, but they have a big choice of sensors.

Well worth a look

[edit] Wright Hobbies Robotics

• Founded in 2002 out of a passion for hobby robotics
• Carrying a wide vaiety of products for hobby roboticists and electronics professionals.

[edit] Motor Sources

(In Alphbetical Order)

[edit] Didel SA

Micropagermotorama! Lots of micro motors gears and other stuff. Excellent source for pager motors (small and very low voltage variants). Located in the swiss but with american distributors.

[edit] Pagermotors.com

Cheap and small pager motors, perfect for beaming. The flexible solar cells are quite good and cheap too! They got some BEAM components and kits too. Fine Shop.

[edit] General electronics

(In Alphbetical Order)

[edit] Digi-Key

• They have almost every electronic part or material that exists.
• Should be able to find anything you need to build your robot.
• A great resouce, even for exotic ICs.
• They ship more or less worldwide.

[edit] Goldmine Electronics

• I've never met a hardware geek who didn't love the Goldmine.
• If you're not on their free catalog mailing list, get on it! It's a treasure-trove of weird and wonderful parts and deep discounted gadgets.

[edit] Hobby Engineering

Good source for motors, robot kits, parts, and other geekly goodies.

[edit] Jameco

• Have most of the electronic of the parts you are likely to want.
• Are much better about lower order quantities than Digi-Key.
• Prices are normally around the same as Mouser, with some parts more expensive, and others cheaper.

[edit] Mouser

• Alternative electronic parts provider (in most cases either Digi-Key or Mouser will have anything you are likely to want).
• Often a bit cheaper than Digi-Key (and they have a nicer web site).
• Carry a larger choice of passive electronic parts.

[edit] Newark Electronics

• An online super-store of electronics.
• MASSIVE selection with prices a bit cheaper than Digi-key.

[edit] Sparkfun Electronics

They got alot of embedded computing stuff. Mostly more PIC than BEAM related - but still a lot of usefull stuff like distance sensors, cheap LEDs & stuff like that.

[edit] Local and various stores

(In Alphbetical Order)

[edit] CSD Electronics

A very good German store for any kind of IC and chips. Small German version of digikey.

[edit] Conrad Electronics

Simply the german version of Radio Shack.

[edit] ebay

Is there anything thats not on ebay? Good to get big bargains of LEDs and other stuff from asia.

[edit] Radio Shack

• They are quite common in the US.
• They should be able to provide youre basic parts needs.

They do not have everything, they do not have the cheapest prices, But if there is one around the corner ...

[edit] RS Online

An excellent resource in Europe. I think the exist also in England. Nearly as good as Digi-Key or Mouser.

[edit] Fry's

They aren't extremely wide spread yet, but they do have a nice selection of electronic components and tools.