Fake components - which to look out for?

[jhob]

Following my discovery, thanks to these forums, that fake components are a thing.  Which are the ones to look out for as being fake?  Is it just transistors, such as the 2n5458, or are there other types of competent that are being faked?

I do always try to buy from reputable suppliers, but even when doing so I still got stung last time.

[GibsonGM]

Opamps, regulators, specialty chips like amplifier chips (TDAXXXX, for example). Seems most things are counterfeited now. 

Yes, use an outfit like smallbear etc for the best chance of avoiding the fakes! there's not much we can do about the others (ebay and so on).  I've gotten a few fakes, but they were still useable, but 'derated'....some amp chips I got would in NO way make 50W, for example - but I did turn them into maybe 20W output amplifiers.  Sensitive circuits seem to suffer the most from fakes.

[mozz]

I'm sure Alpha pots are probably faked. I know Bourns trimmers and the panel mount 10 turn precision pots are faked.

[jhob]

What are the go-to suppliers in the UK for pedal parts?  I've been mostly using bitsbox who are a seemingly reputable general electronics compent supplier.  Other more pedal-specifoc stuff I've got from musikding, but shipping is the quickest as coming from overseas.

[CheapPedalCollector]

Newark is probably your best bet in the UK. They don't carry everything related to pedals but they do have a lot of stuff too.

I use Mouser, Small Bear, Antique Electronic Supply. It's good to check any distributors credentials, many are accredited authorized resellers/distributors.

Places like Jameco are selling fake parts these days, unfortunately.

[GGBB]

It might surprise some as to how few "authorized" distributors/resellers there actually are for manufacturers. Texas Instruments (for whom I work) has very few: https://www.ti.com/ordering-resources/distributors.html. Analog has more: https://www.analog.com/en/about-adi/corporate-information/sales-distribution.html. But both also sell direct to consumers. Even when you deal with reputable resellers, it's unlikely that you can be sure their source is authorized by the manufacturer, so even resellers can be unknowing victims of counterfeiting. It boils down to a chain of trust that in the end is probably not all that reliable. Buy direct if possible, otherwise buyer beware no matter who you buy from.

[FSFX]

What are the go-to suppliers in the UK for pedal parts?

From my own experience, the most trusted suppliers in the UK are Industrial Solutions (formally know as RS Components), Farnell (CPC and Newark) and Rapid Electronics.
Most of the smaller suppliers will usually source their components from those distributors or from places like Mouser and Digi-Key.

[amptramp]

It might surprise some as to how few "authorized" distributors/resellers there actually are for manufacturers. Texas Instruments (for whom I work) has very few: https://www.ti.com/ordering-resources/distributors.html. Analog has more: https://www.analog.com/en/about-adi/corporate-information/sales-distribution.html. But both also sell direct to consumers. Even when you deal with reputable resellers, it's unlikely that you can be sure their source is authorized by the manufacturer, so even resellers can be unknowing victims of counterfeiting. It boils down to a chain of trust that in the end is probably not all that reliable. Buy direct if possible, otherwise buyer beware no matter who you buy from.

It would be interesting to buy from Spirit Electronics because as a defense supplier, they would have documented traceability back to the factory.  We usually demanded traceability as one of the provisions on our purchase orders for components because we had those requirements imposed on us in our contracts.

It is unfortunate that ordinary people are not eligible to join GIDEP, the government-industry data exchange program, because you have to be a manufacturer of equipment related to defense or spacecraft and you have to have industrial security with people having SECRET clearance in order to apply for membership.  In a couple of companies I was at, most engineers had SECRET clearance.  GIDEP trades information on bogus components and who to avoid as a seller.

I registered one company I was at for the Controlled Goods Program that allowed us to deal with materials that were not available to people without that registration, but that's a different story.  There are a number of different programs dealing with various things that you will never hear about outside of the defense / space industries.

[jhob]

Thanks everyone, this has been a really useful discussion.

I'll look at ordering from Newark (Farnell) in the future, just need to order enough stuff so it's over £40 so I avoid the fairly punative handling fees! 

thanks