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04-20-2018, 07:26 AM
I've been meaning to reply to this ever since kresty first posted, but the robots held me down and prevented me from doing so.
This list is by no means comprehensive, but it's at least part of my list of usual suspects. Most of these companies I know well, some of them I know the owners personally, so I might be able to provide more information than the short descriptions written here. (though I can't really imagine why you'd need more. Just click "purchase" right?)
Robot resources
Robot Shop
These guys have a huge selection of robot related parts, from motors to controllers to lidar to legos. They tend to be more expensive than more general or direct outlets, but if you can’t find something they’ll probably have what you need.
https://www.robotshop.com/
Banggood
This is a Chinese clearing house, some combination halfway between ebay and Amazon. Their prices can’t be beat, but as it ships from China it can take a long time for what you’ve ordered to arrive and customer services is greatly variable. Also, if you’re looking for something very new or very brand name there’s a good chance you won’t find it here.
https://www.banggood.com/
AliExpress
This is another clearing house along the lines of BangGood. I always check them both when I’m looking for something that I need a great price on.
https://www.aliexpress.com/
Adafruit
Adafruit rocks. They’re a great bunch of people and they have awesome electronics for sale. They’ll also teach you how to use them. Not only do they sell all the good stuff, but they design and sell their own high quality IOT and embedded tech. They’re based in New York, and their prices reflect that. Can be expensive.
https://www.adafruit.com
Sparkfun
Another great electronics supplier. I don’t know much about the company itself, but I have purchased things from them many times and have always been happy with what I’ve gotten. Reasonable prices, though not as cheap as direct, and they’ve got a huge selection. They also have tutorials and a blog that’ll fill you in on what’s new and cool
https://www.sparkfun.com/
Vex robotics
For those of us involved in competitive robotics, Vex is a household word. They sell a lot of high quality robot hardware of all sorts. It’s best if you know what you’re looking for when you get there, but a great resource
https://www.vexrobotics.com
AndyMark
AndyMark is another company that caters specifically to competitive robotics, particularly FIRST, but a great many of the parts they sell can be used for building droids too. Wheels, motors, batteries, belts and drive chains, etc.
http://www.andymark.com/
eBay
And lastly, of course, ebay. If you know specifically what you’re looking for ebay can be a great place to find it cheap, if you need to read spec sheets and see related parts and gather more information before you buy, one of the above sites would be a better place to start.
https://www.ebay.com/
This list is by no means comprehensive, but it's at least part of my list of usual suspects. Most of these companies I know well, some of them I know the owners personally, so I might be able to provide more information than the short descriptions written here. (though I can't really imagine why you'd need more. Just click "purchase" right?)
Robot resources
Robot Shop
These guys have a huge selection of robot related parts, from motors to controllers to lidar to legos. They tend to be more expensive than more general or direct outlets, but if you can’t find something they’ll probably have what you need.
https://www.robotshop.com/
Banggood
This is a Chinese clearing house, some combination halfway between ebay and Amazon. Their prices can’t be beat, but as it ships from China it can take a long time for what you’ve ordered to arrive and customer services is greatly variable. Also, if you’re looking for something very new or very brand name there’s a good chance you won’t find it here.
https://www.banggood.com/
AliExpress
This is another clearing house along the lines of BangGood. I always check them both when I’m looking for something that I need a great price on.
https://www.aliexpress.com/
Adafruit
Adafruit rocks. They’re a great bunch of people and they have awesome electronics for sale. They’ll also teach you how to use them. Not only do they sell all the good stuff, but they design and sell their own high quality IOT and embedded tech. They’re based in New York, and their prices reflect that. Can be expensive.
https://www.adafruit.com
Sparkfun
Another great electronics supplier. I don’t know much about the company itself, but I have purchased things from them many times and have always been happy with what I’ve gotten. Reasonable prices, though not as cheap as direct, and they’ve got a huge selection. They also have tutorials and a blog that’ll fill you in on what’s new and cool
https://www.sparkfun.com/
Vex robotics
For those of us involved in competitive robotics, Vex is a household word. They sell a lot of high quality robot hardware of all sorts. It’s best if you know what you’re looking for when you get there, but a great resource
https://www.vexrobotics.com
AndyMark
AndyMark is another company that caters specifically to competitive robotics, particularly FIRST, but a great many of the parts they sell can be used for building droids too. Wheels, motors, batteries, belts and drive chains, etc.
http://www.andymark.com/
eBay
And lastly, of course, ebay. If you know specifically what you’re looking for ebay can be a great place to find it cheap, if you need to read spec sheets and see related parts and gather more information before you buy, one of the above sites would be a better place to start.
https://www.ebay.com/