Component selection is a key part of every project, but the reasons behind those choices can vary widely. We’re curious—what factors carry the most weight when you’re deciding what to use?
Bonus Question:
Can you share an example where a specific factor—like availability or documentation—completely changed what component you ended up using?
I tend to choose components based on the following criteria - in order:
Sometimes I will buy everything from one place for convenience, even if one part is slightly cheaper elsewhere.
If everything is essentially equal, I would buy from Avnet/Newark/Farnell just to support element14.
Documentation has dictated which supplier several times, even when the cost was a bit higher, I chose the supplier with the better documentation.
I tend to do research before making component decisions, so datasheets and documentation are important at that stage, as is a good parametric search engine.
Sometimes I will buy something just because it is a great value, even though this doesn't always end up being useful.
Sometimes (quite often) I will buy more than I need to take advantage of price breaks. Sometimes this takes a long time to pay off...
Sometimes I buy extra because I went to the trouble of putting it into mu CAD library, which also means I will likely order more PCBs than I need.
Sometimes I will up-sell myself (get a better component than I need) to reduce future learning curves.
Sometimes I will down-sell myself to eliminate a learning curve or use up stock.
I tend to choose components based on the following criteria - in order:
Sometimes I will buy everything from one place for convenience, even if one part is slightly cheaper elsewhere.
If everything is essentially equal, I would buy from Avnet/Newark/Farnell just to support element14.
Documentation has dictated which supplier several times, even when the cost was a bit higher, I chose the supplier with the better documentation.
I tend to do research before making component decisions, so datasheets and documentation are important at that stage, as is a good parametric search engine.
Sometimes I will buy something just because it is a great value, even though this doesn't always end up being useful.
Sometimes (quite often) I will buy more than I need to take advantage of price breaks. Sometimes this takes a long time to pay off...
Sometimes I buy extra because I went to the trouble of putting it into mu CAD library, which also means I will likely order more PCBs than I need.
Sometimes I will up-sell myself (get a better component than I need) to reduce future learning curves.
Sometimes I will down-sell myself to eliminate a learning curve or use up stock.
