When purchasing components, is there any reason to think that component specs from different manufacturers, but the same part# (e.g. 2n2222 transistors) would be different? And is there a single location/PDF that provides datasheets for most of the common components?
1 Like
Google finds data sheets just fine.
From manufacturer to manufacture, components are almost always equivalent.
Always check the footprint of the components.
1 Like
BTW
When you buy components, suggest you download the data sheet PDF so it’s always at hand.
In fact, print the first 2 or 3 pages which usually has the most important characteristics.
When you buy 1 for your project, buy 4 extra 
.
Edit
There are programs that can edit PDFs for most hardware platforms.
Here is PDF Expert for the iPad.
You can annotate the PDF as needed.
3 Likes
As to answer your question....
When I google the part for a datasheet I type : "Part number" datasheet -- example - 2N3904 datasheet, and see what Google will pop up. I click on pdf site, check it, if it make sense - it is the part ? than I download the datasheet for later use. Different manufacturer may have different lay out and explanation of the part you looking for but they are the same characteristics. Some parts may be hard to fine, so a check https://www.mouser.ca/ to check if a part that I can find may be there and try to get a datasheet ( relays and others parts ) and more web surfing trying to find datasheets for part that is older. Depending on the part that you are looking fore, it may have more than one datasheets available. But for harder to find parts, any datasheet will do.
Just to add ... sometime you may need to find a datasheet for a module, so you google the module, check out the sites and also search for the main IC chip of the module, it will give you the datasheet for the chip of the module, so with both datasheet, you may try to figure out how the module work and figure out a way to code a basic "hello world" to see the module working and understand the module better.
2 Likes
JDEC numbers (1Nxxx, 2Nxxxx) are the same between vendors. In order to be called a 2N2222A, it has to PERFORM as a 2N2222A. Vendor part numbers tend to be unique.
2 Likes
Heh. I recently got in trouble elsewhere for noting that there is at one manufacturer who is selling a "2n2222a" transistor in a TO92 plastic case. It's supposed to be a TO18 metal can, and the metal can version has significantly higher power dissipation rating...
Packaging is independent of all electrical params except heat dissipation. the 2N2222A TRANSFER FUNCTION is the same, independent of packaging. Same die, different pkg, doesn't change its electrical specs of the die.
that was essentially my argument, and presumably the manufacturer's.
But that "power dissipation" spec can be pretty important...
In a slight tangent ….Beware of where you buy them from too
. Big packs at low prices could well be devices that are out of spec.
Most values on data sheets have ranges of values anyway ( min typical max ) and it’s a good plan to allow for this range in their use .
I would expect most of these would overlap between suppliers anyway .
There is only likely to be a handful of different transistors etc you will use ( we all have favourites ) . So it’s not too hard to compare from any suppliers you might use ( Mouser, RS , Farnell) .
In these cases I write the parameters I’m interested in on the container . (Eg hfe Ic, power , pin layout )
- I probably only use 4 different types of npn/pnp and a similar variation in p and n type fets.
-RS components have a good range of data sheets for their parts .
This topic was automatically closed 180 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.