

Digikey products now listed on Octopart - dfranke
http://octopart.com/blog/archives/2011/1/digi%252Dkey-products-now-listed-on-octopart

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dfranke
I know there's a sordid history here (<http://paulgraham.com/good.html>). I'd
love to hear about what brought them around.

~~~
sam
It was a combination of a few things:

\- Building a relationship

\- Having users that were vocal about wanting Digi-Key listed on Octopart

\- Time

------
axiom
Octopart is an insanely useful tool when you're doing hardware. A few years
back when I was doing hardware design their site was like a second homepage
for me.

It's really exciting to see them succeed. The whole space they're in needs to
be shaken up.

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rb2k_
Our university wanted to order some Pandaboards (<http://pandaboard.org/>)
from DigiKey, but we were kind of scared off by the weird, weird ordering
process (and strange localisations) compared to other online shops :(

~~~
FraaJad
Since you are familiar with SBCs, do you happen to know any other board with
similar CPU and memory config but having RS232/RS485 Connections on them?

~~~
amelim
I believe the Pandaboard comes with an RS232 connection. But you could also
try the Beagleboard. You might want to take a look at the Gumstix Overo line
and their various expansion boards, but I'm not exactly sure if they provide
what you need. Also, you could try a USB->RS485 converter if you need that
specifically.

~~~
nitrogen
Are you aware of any USB->RS485 converters that cost less than $30?

~~~
sigstoat
[http://apple.clickandbuild.com/cnb/shop/ftdichip?productID=1...](http://apple.clickandbuild.com/cnb/shop/ftdichip?productID=102&op=catalogue-
product_info-null&prodCategoryID=91)

If you're willing to just breadboard it, or want to integrate it into
something else, an FTDI chip + Maxim 1308x is basically what they're selling
you, and I don't think they cost half that.

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nitrogen
I'd love to see Octopart add precise component outlines to its database, with
an API so that a component can be added to a board layout or schematic
directly from the Octopart meta-catalog. This would make Octopart even more
awesome.

~~~
andres
Our backend is already equipped to handle this and now we're starting to focus
on getting manufacturer data feeds. If you have a chance, please send me an
email to let me know which manufacturers you think we should prioritize
(andres@octopart.com).

~~~
pingswept
I nominate Atmel, Microchip, Micrel, Micron, and NXP. I'd suggest prioritize
strongly based on what Sparkfun sells because I bet they dominate the market
among early adopters.

Also, footprints for as many standard JEDEC components as possible.

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zck
Digikey (now) has ads on Octopart, as well as an image in the search results
instead of their name in text the way other result sites are shown.

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planckscnst
I really prefer Digikey's search: I can really narrow down to the specs I'm
looking for. For example, when I'm searching for a graphical display it's
quite important to be able to pick the pixel count I'm interested in. If price
is important, I use Digikey to find the specific part, then look for that part
number elsewhere.

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kragen
If this deal is successful for Octopart, Digi-Key will no longer own the
customers; people will go to Octopart instead to search for parts. That means
Digi-Key has to compete in a competitive market, which is going to
substantially reduce their profits.

~~~
blackguardx
Digikey doesn't compete on price, they compete on inventory. Most hardware
designers I know use Digikey exclusively because Digikey is pretty much
guaranteed to stock the part they want to buy. If Digikey doesn't have it, no
one else does either.

Also, Digikey ships things out extremely fast. Not many other places offer
overnight shipping, which is important when you are closing in on a deadline.

If you are doing real engineering and not just screwing around in your
basement, you don't really care that much about price. The last thing you want
to do is order from multiple vendors because it eats time and is more
expensive in the end because you will be raped by shipping costs.

~~~
jdeeny
_If Digikey doesn't have it, no one else does either._

I don't think that is really true. Digikey does have an impressive inventory,
but there are plenty of brands that they don't stock aggressively (first thing
that comes to mind is Lattice).

 _Digikey ships things out extremely fast. Not many other places offer
overnight shipping_

Digikey's major competitors, like Newark and Mouser, offer essentially the
same shipping options. All 3 can get things shipped out late in the day (say
5:30PM) for next-day early AM delivery.

 _If you are doing real engineering and not just screwing around in your
basement, you don't really care that much about price. The last thing you want
to do is order from multiple vendors because it eats time and is more
expensive in the end because you will be raped by shipping costs._

This is the opposite of my experience. When buying for production, price is a
primary concern. When buying for R&D, there are usually other orders that can
by added to, so there is no shipping concern.

~~~
blackguardx
If you are buying parts for production from Digikey, Newark, or Mouser, then
you must have very low production runs. Most companies buy production parts
from major distributors who don't sell in low quantities.

It all depends on the scale of your operation. If you work for a big firm, you
don't order parts yourself. Someone else does that from whomever the company
has relationships with. If you are at small to medium-sized company, you may
order parts yourself and your order may be delayed to combine with other
orders. If you are are a consultant, you really don't have the time to pour
through different catalogs searching for the best price. You just stick with a
few companies for most items.

In the end, most people don't order resistors from one company and capacitors
from another just to save a few bucks. The time it takes to do this outweighs
any price savings. This was the point I was trying to make. Many hobbyists
don't like Digikey because they are expensive. I used to feel the same way
until I had to order parts for freelance work. Ordering parts sucks and
sticking with one company makes it easier.

Unlike others posters, I don't think this Octopart deal is going to cut into
Digikey's bottom line. Like I said, Digikey doesn't compete on price, they
compete on inventory.

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RK
Congrats to Octopart!

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JabavuAdams
MmmmmmcMaster-Carr next?

