North American Ferrite core supplier for prototypes

Any suggestions for a North American supplier with a good online presence? Tiny to large E/RM/Pot core etc.

Most of the distributors and agents seem to have high minimum orders, no online stock checking, no online ordering etc. etc. just like in the 1970s. There's one within 15 minutes of my office, plenty of stock, but they want C$100 per *line item* minimum order (clamps, bobbins and cores are 3 line items...).

The only thing that seems to have changed with the internet is all the data and application notes are now online. I don't want to deal with surplus houses, the product needs to be known brand name stuff that can be had in production quantities.

Joerg?

Best regards, Spehro Pefhany

--
"it\'s the network..."                          "The Journey is the reward"
speff@interlog.com             Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com
Embedded software/hardware/analog  Info for designers:  http://www.speff.com

Too bad ElectroValue is in Rightpondia.

Best regards, Spehro Pefhany

--
"it\'s the network..."                          "The Journey is the reward"
speff@interlog.com             Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com
Embedded software/hardware/analog  Info for designers:  http://www.speff.com

Amidon,

sells Fair-Rite ferrite and Micrometals iron powder stuff. IIRC it's pretty easy to look at the Fair-Rite website and tell which piece is which Amidon part.

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Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Services
http://www.wescottdesign.com

I think they're more than friendly to transformer winders, not to engineers.

Small. I have some RM6 44 that will probably do but they're a touch taller than I'd like. Here's a photo of a cute little gapped EE core transformer that does about what I want to do:

Power is only about 25mW at 50-100kHz (discontinuous mode flyback). Must be a lot of leakage inductance with that split bobbin. It's taped and all glopped over with conformal coating, so the core is smaller than it looks.

Best regards, Spehro Pefhany

--
"it\'s the network..."                          "The Journey is the reward"
speff@interlog.com             Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com
Embedded software/hardware/analog  Info for designers:  http://www.speff.com

Ah, Fair-Rite has a search engine that shows distributor stock for four distributors including Amidon and Deltron in the UK (but no prices). Okay, better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.

I don't know what kind of knucklehead programmer designed the "PO" form, though. Who would use this option?

"To send the same Purchase Order to additional suppliers, follow these steps"

Who would send a PO to even one supplier without having a price quote, for that matter?

Best regards, Spehro Pefhany

--
"it\'s the network..."                          "The Journey is the reward"
speff@interlog.com             Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com
Embedded software/hardware/analog  Info for designers:  http://www.speff.com

Tried Epcos ?

Uk support for samples seems to be good.

Damn fine ferrite magnetic design program too ! Invaluable I'd say.

Graham

Surely you have some friendly distributors over there ?

After Epcos I'd suggest Ferroxcube and then maybe TDK. Again - you'll have to find distributors.

Are you looking for a specific core size ( general area ) or form style ?

Graham

I've just been struggling with a related question, myself. I bought out a whole rack of various toroids and cylinders (ferrite and powdered iron of differing permeability) to play with. I'm interested as a hobbyist and want to file away (dremel) bits of them to create gaps of different types and to test what I've been able to learn from the Unitrode magnetics books and class.

I'd like a mail-order supplier from which I can order any particular basic shape or paired shapes in any particular desired type in small, hobbyist quantities at reasonable prices. Permalloy tape-wound for low freq, amorphous metal alloys for higher freqs, etc. Composite powdered iron, permalloy, Kool Mu, and ferrite in toroids, various cylinders, etc. Just toys to play with.

But I'd like to know what the material is and its expected properties, when I buy it. Not because I need to depend on it, as I'd like to see about figuring these things out for myself. But because I'd like to be able to compare my results with the "known" value to see how I'm doing when I do figure something out and would like to know if I got anywhere close to right. Some of the places that sell these things "on the cheap" provide NO INFO, at all.

Jon

Try

and they will sample small quantities for the cost of shipping. If gap grinding is needed, then there is a set-up charge for that. There are probably other good places...

Yep...

Ferroxcube P14/8 or P14/8/I are a little larger in one dimension and smaller in the other. Their P11/7 is certainly compariable in size. Their RM6R is about 17.9 mm wide by 12.4 mm high. How about their E12/6/3 with the I19/6/5? crappy match, but that keeps one dimension down...

Thanks, Tony:-

Hmm.. Newark themselves show some AVX (Thompson) E-cores at low prices, but 2-month lead times, huge minimum orders (like hundreds up to >10,000 pieces) and no stock. 8-(

They're better on Ferroxcube- 17 days lead time and minimum oder 1 piece (and no stock shown, but probably they're drawing on Farnell, as you suggest).

Digikey could easily take up the latter supplier, they already deal with Ferroxcube's masters in Taipei (the old resistor company Yageo).

Best regards, Spehro Pefhany

--
"it\'s the network..."                          "The Journey is the reward"
speff@interlog.com             Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com
Embedded software/hardware/analog  Info for designers:  http://www.speff.com

This is my flyback based on Ferroxcube's E13/7/4-3C90 (or maybe 3C94 of

3F3, I forget). It can do about 6W!

I think it came from AllStar, but there was another Ferroxcube ditributor that I dealt with too that sold reasonably small quantities of stuff.

Good day!

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_____________________
Christopher R. Carlen
crobc@bogus-remove-me.sbcglobal.net
SuSE 9.1 Linux 2.6.5

in UK to see data/stocks but they own Newark Electronics and apparently direct Farnell part numbers can be ordered via them.

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Tony Williams.

Hello Spehro,

I'll second Tim's suggestion, Amidon. They have been good to me for decades and I even bought from them while in Europe. Haven't bought there lately but that is because I had stocked up big time on all the cores I might ever need in the lab.

If you can't find a core in their catalog call them. Often they can source it for you. BTW, many of their publications are good, too.

Regards, Joerg

Hello Spehro,

Another one, especially for power ferrites:

Contact Olaf Niemann (details on Int'l Sales page) for tech questions. These guys are very knowledgeable and speak English well.

Regards, Joerg

Hello Chris,

Ah, Nixie tubes. The good old days. This must have been a while back. I was surprised that there is an Atmel chip on the board.

Regards, Joerg

I think it's one of those retro things. The board is clearly contemporary, though a deliberate choice has been made to use through-hole parts.

Best regards, Spehro Pefhany

--
"it\'s the network..."                          "The Journey is the reward"
speff@interlog.com             Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com
Embedded software/hardware/analog  Info for designers:  http://www.speff.com

One time they cut and ground me few pieces for a custom job. Very approachable. None of this " And how many million will you be planning to purchase from us in the future"

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    Boris Mohar