Blog posts of '2013' 'January'

In an effort to help people identify and source the components they need this blog has been created. In the over 30 years that I have been buying and selling electronic components, I have seen many changes. In 1977 the slogan used by the Sprague Electric Company to sell its components was “don’t be vague ask for Sprague”. They were one of the biggest names in the industry. Today the name Sprague is not used very often. The Sprague Electric Company was purchased by Vishay Intertechnology in 1992 and even though some of the most popular part numbers such as the 30D series, a 105 degree axial aluminum electrolytic capacitor, are still being made many of the others have been discontinued.

Technology has reduced the demand for that particular style of capacitor and many of the other series that have been discontinued. If you need a particular type of capacitor and that part number has been discontinued you know that finding an alternate to use can be both difficult and time consuming. Even if the number you need is still currently being offered by the current manufacturer of the part you need in most cases you find that it is not in stock and has a long lead time.

What I hope to do with this blog is provide you with options. I will discuss a particular part number or style of capacitor and comment on is current market condition, any changes in the part number, what the part numbers are for exact replacements or upgrades that you can use to shorten or eliminate long lead time. In general I intend to make this type of information available in an effort to help you with parts that are creating a problem for you or your companies supply chain.

I hope that you will contact me with suggestions or comments on what I can do to improve this blog or for parts you need help in finding or replacing.

Long lead times for these capacitors have created a problem for many of the manufacturers that use this type of electronic component in their product. Lead times for certain capacitors are now as long as 32 weeks. This is a result of problems in getting the raw materials needed to the capacitor manufacturers.    

Here are a few suggestions on what can be done to help find a solution to the long lead times. In some cases it may be possible to substitute the capacitor required with a different dielectric that may be available for example using polypropylene in place of polyester. Another is to look for parts with a better tolerance such as 5% in place of 10%. In some case it may be possible to use axial style capacitors and then bend the leads to make them work in place of the radial style.

Selecting the right capacitor for your application is a decision that includes price and delivery. Certain materials that were considered common choices for the dielectric are now either obsolete or made in a very limited supply. Polycarbonate and polystyrene are two such materials. The limited availability has resulted in most cases with higher prices. The dissipation factor (DF), low equivalent series resistance (ESR) and maximum operating temperature are just some of the factors that should be considered when determining which dielectric will work best in your application.

Film capacitors are commonly used for filtering blocking and bypassing applications. The most popular styles are precision, pulse and high energy and interference suppression capacitors. Some of the leading manufacturers of this style capacitor are AVX, Epcos, Kemet, Illinois Capacitor, and Wima. If you would like more information on this style of capacitor please contact us.

Do you have an application that requires potentiometers? If your company manufacturers applications that serve the audio, automotive, computer, consumer, industrial, medical, instrumentation or telecommunications market; then chances are you require potentiometers on a regular basis. Understanding the tremendous need OEM’s have for these commodities, R&J Components stocks one of the world’s largest inventories of Bourns Potentiometers.

Similar to R&J Components, Bourns has been in business for over 60 years. They have a long history of bringing innovative, top-quality products to the electronics industry. Today, you can find power protection devices, sensors, resistors, switches, encoders, panel controls and dials with the Bourns name on them.

When you have a need for potentiometers…. Think Bourns…. Think R&J Components

Since 1948, R&J Components has served the electronics industry by supplying high-quality electronic components. Today, R&J Components is a broad-line, franchised, stocking distributor with over 380,000 line items in stock. R&J Components supports over 100 franchised lines and our 130,000 square feet of warehouse space allows us to claim one of the world’s largest inventories of parts. Our knowledgeable sales force is comfortable partnering with the smallest of OEM’s to the largest of contract manufacturer’s. At R&J Components, we are dedicated to doing well by our customers by providing fast, reliable service and competitive pricing.