What's your Futurlec order wait?

[Ben Harmless]

So, the first time I ordered from Futurlec, the package took about three and a half weeks to get here. Fair enough. I'm in New York State, across the country from the people who wait at least two weeks.

...But now it's been five weeks.

Anyone else on or around the east coast order from Futurlec? Anyone have an average wait time?

I've got an e-mail out to them as well, but I'm curious. I've never heard of anyone having any problems with them, but they took a few days to even confirm my order this time. Makes me nervous.

Not to mention the fact that my Pathfinder 15r is in pieces awaiting a new master volume pot, which Futurlec happens to stock the exact replacement for...

[metulmykul]

Same here in Oz...but not 5 weeks. Probably on back order.

I was in the same boat as you with my first order Ben. Very nervous. Heard nothing. Then out of the blue, about 2 weeks later i got an email. 3 or so weeks later i got parts. They cited parts on back order.

When i order from them now, i email them straight away with the order number and suggest that anything not in stock to be cancelled and for the order to proceed as is. i Usuallly get my order in about 2 weeks or so. I have gone the express route and got that within a week.

Never really had a problem. They Missed some items on an order once but had billed me. I contacted them and they refunded my card straight away. I received some transistors the other day that i forgot were on back order...from February!

That spun me out a little. Beware the back order as they will hold the entire order until all pieces arrive.

[Ben Harmless]

Good info. Thanks!

They did send me a notice that the orders had shipped (awhile back) so I assumed that meant that they had indeed shipped, but who knows.

On my first order, I must have screwed up entering my card info, and they sent an e-mail right out. I had the problem fixed in minutes. I anticipate a good outcome, it's just tough going back to old-school mail order practices when the modern world allows for so much instant gratification.

Why can't Futurlec be like onlinemetals.com and offer a machine that can simply print out your order in your home?

[11 Gauge]

Futurlec is definitely one of those places that I just submit my order and then do my best to forget about it. It's only when I forget that I'm pleasantly surprised when it shows up!

I just basically save them for ordering in really huge amounts, so it's now just 2 to 3 orders a year. But that will typically (each order) be enough to build the better part of around 300 pedals or so.

[pchilson]

Why deal with a company like that? If they want to conduct business like we are all still in the stone age let them but no reason you have to.

Allied Electronics
Fast inexpensive shipping and you can see the stock quantities real time on the site. No need to take a chance something is backordered.

Am I missing something here? If so, excuse me.

[metulmykul]

Originally Posted by Ben Harmless

...They did send me a notice that the orders had shipped (awhile back) so I assumed that meant that they had indeed shipped, but who knows...[/url]?

I think i'd be letting them know that you haven't recieved the order and can they confirm from their end.

like 11 Gauge says, you have to hit 'em up big a couple of times a year.
I use them because the are cheap and 99.9% of the time can fill my order. Their 'slowish' service doesn't really worry me.

[11 Gauge]

Originally Posted by pchilson

Why deal with a company like that?

Am I missing something here? If so, excuse me.

They have linear and log pots for only ~60 to 70 cents - decent Alpha minis (not the best, but certainly an industry standard).

...But that alone wouldn't be enough - they have all values in both linear and log, and they've always been in stock when I ordered from them.

If you build lots of pedals (or even just a decent number of different designs), it can be a real PITA to find a place that has pots that are:

- the right physical size & style
- the right resistance
- the right taper
- a good price
- always in stock

I would know - I have a great need for 16 mm minis that have to be 1M lin and 250K lin, with the split/knurled shaft. You could spend hours trying to find them online (at least I did), but they're right there at Futurlec.

...And if you're a "throwback" pedal builder like I am, you've got to have access to 20K lin knurled pots, as well. Try finding those in a 16mm size - if you can, the typical asking price is at least $2, and it's usually a lot higher, since it's the "standard" for the tone control in TS pedals. I just happen to find that it works a little better for my needs than the modern "shoe in" 25K lin pots.

And not only that, but AVX recently discontinued their wonderful line of box film caps - premium stuff for 5 to 20 cents a pop. Futurlec has the "next best thing" - Wima box caps for 15 cents a pop (unless you need .47uF or bigger).

But for the pots alone, Futurlec gets my business (for big orders that I don't need in a rush).

[pchilson]

I see I was missing lots...thanks

[Ben Harmless]

Update:

I contacted Futurlec, and they confirmed that my order should indeed have been delivered by now, and were convinced enough that they offered to reship the order next Thrusday when one of the components would be in stock again.

Of course, today the shipment arrived. I wrote Futurlec back and told 'em to cancel the replacement.

Very good customer service there. I wholeheartedly recommend them for the "order and forget" stuff. I probably won't look there for a specific part (like the one I need to fix my Vox Pathfinder) again though. I'm thinking I'll turn there if I need something more on the scale that 11Gauge is working on - which is somewhat unlikely.

[ibodog]

They're good if you want to order small quantity but wide variety, too. Get 5-10 of each type and value cap you think you might want to ever use in future projects. Lots of different silicon transistors there, too. Cheap IC sockets, etc, etc.

[11 Gauge]

Originally Posted by ibodog

Cheap IC sockets, etc, etc.

I suggest their socket value pack. Not because the average pedal builder will ever see the need for a 40 pin chip socket, but because you can cut the things up and use them as sockets for caps and such in prototypes. And if you don't want to replace them with machine style sockets, a dab of hot glue will keep your components locked down for the long haul.

...With the value pack, you could probably do about 150 pedals with projects that suggest socketing caps/diodes/transistors/etc...

[metulmykul]

As an aside, i received an order last wednesday that took inside a week. Everything as requested (about 1000 caps and resistors) I did however end up with 20 1000uF caps. It was on my electronic order form so was my mistake. Can't for the life of me think why i would want them. Not worth sending back.

Ordering big would be preferable but i think even small orders would be fine if you notify them straight away and tell them to cancel anything not in stock and proceed as is. And as Ben said, if you contact them with an issue they are pretty quick to respond and always seem reasonable.

[Gary in Boston]

Am I missing something? Is a 250 K pot so hard to get that you have to order it from a company that takes so long to get it to you. I think around Boston there is a store called You Do It Electronics. I'll bet they have 250 K pots on the shelf in the retail store..... or call them etc.

Gary

[11 Gauge]

Originally Posted by Gary in Boston

Am I missing something? Is a 250 K pot so hard to get that you have to order it from a company that takes so long to get it to you. I think around Boston there is a store called You Do It Electronics. I'll bet they have 250 K pots on the shelf in the retail store..... or call them etc.

Gary

Let's say you want a 250K logarithmic pot, and it would really be helpful to have a split shaft (knurled) so that you can use virtually any knob, instead of just those that have a setscrew, require a D shaft, or some similar sort of thing. And let's say you don't have a lot of money, just for fun.

Better yet, let's say you want the same exact pot, but in a linear taper.

While you can most likely find stuff locally, you will typically run into the following:

- A higher price than Futurlec. Typically around 3 times the cost, for basically the same Alpha part. And oftentimes even higher.

- Only one type of shaft, i.e. solid, D shaft, etc. for any given value or taper. otherwise it's not stocked, at which point ordering from Futurlec is almost the equivalent.

- Linear pots in lots of different values (pedals typically require stuff not found in most other electronic gear), with the split shaft, in stock, and at a reasonable price, can be difficult to find, if at all.

If money is no object or you don't mind altering the rest of the circuit around whatever pot the local place has in stock (or the enclosure if they only have a 24mm pot, or special knobs for each build), then I guess that using Futurlec would be pointless.

That's the long and the short of it, at least as far as the mini Alphas go.

[Gary in Boston]

Surley in and among this one page from You Do It is only the tip of the iceburg of what they have.


For Additional Product Information, refer to the
Single Turn Potentiometer Design Guide



EUP120
320° rotation
EUP125
Continuous rotation
1/2" dia.
Conductive plastic
HT plastic housing
EUP1100
285° rotation
EUP1125
Continuous rotation
1" dia.
Wirewound
HT plastic housing

EUP1400
285° rotation
EUP1425
Continuous rotation
1.58" dia.
Wirewound
HT plastic housing
EUP1900
Continuous rotation
EUP1950
340° rotation
1" dia.
Conductive plastic
HT plastic housing

EUP1910
Continuous rotation
EUP1960
285° rotation
1.58" dia.
Conductive plastic
HT plastic housing
EUP3100, EUP3125
Wirewound
EUP3200, EUP3225
Conductive plastic
1.3" dia.
HT plastic housing

SP12B
Conductive Plastic
1/2" dia.
Space Saver
All Metal Housing
Gold plated wire terminals
SP22E, SP22F
Conductive
Plastic
SW22E
Wirewound
7/8" dia.
General Purpose
Gold plated terminals for solderless assembly with AMP model 110S connectors

SP22D
Conductive Plastic
SW22D
Wirewound
7/8" dia.
Metal Housing
Rear Terminals for Compact Profile
SP22B
Conductive Plastic
SW22B
Wirewound
7/8" dia.
Metal Housing
Anodized Aluminum Housing
Very Low Starting Torque

SP22G
Conductive Plastic
7/8" dia.
HT Plastic Housing
SP22GS
Conductive Plastic
7/8" dia.
HT Plastic Housing
Lowest Cost Servo Mount

SK22B
Contactless Pot
7/8" dia.
Inductance Pot
300% Better Linearity
SP30B
Conductive Plastic
1 1/16" dia.
High Precision
Output Smoothness Below 0.1%

SP40B
Conductive Plastic
1 7/16" dia.
Longest Life
Bushing Mount
Low Inductance.
SW45B
Wirewound
1 5/8" dia.
Up to 5 Taps Available
Bushing Mount - Sleeve Bearings.

SP50B
Conductive Plastic
2" dia.
Highest Power Rating
Highest Precision Tolerances
SOP30B
Conductive Plastic
SO30B
Wirewound
1 1/4" dia.
Oil-Filled
Submersible up to 15 PSI

SLNB22
Wirewound
7/8" dia.
Low Torque
Servo Mount Standard
SPSC50S
Conductive Plastic
2" dia.
Sine-Cosine
Non-Linear Output
Longest Life

RV4
Mil Spec
Hot molded carbon
1.2" dia.
Meets MIL-R-94

[metulmykul]

Not being sarcastic here...
Reading all that info that Gary supplied, i had to check out the You Do It site.

It may just be me. I found the site a pita. I couldn't even find a pot, but their catalogue may be under construction.

I did find a 9 volt battery snap for $1.90 I think they are something like 9 cents Aus at Futurelec.

That was about the only thing i could find to compare. The prices for caps and resisitors were also very high in my opinion but maybe thats the premium you pay for the "need it now" situation.

Pretty similar to Jaycar that we have here.

[11 Gauge]

Originally Posted by metulmykul

It may just be me. I found the site a pita. I couldn't even find a pot, but their catalogue may be under construction.

I found their site to be worthless in regards to pots, because there is no link (direct, anyways) to them!

My local electronics shop is even worse (Baynesville Electronics) - they don't even have an online catalog, let alone the absence of a shopping cart!

But I don't see any prices or (detailed) spec's to go with that laundry list of pots. I need something that's at least partially like this. I need lin and log in a myriad of sizes, with a 6mm split shaft, and no bigger than a 16mm case, for most purposes. Otherwise it's oftentimes not very applicable to building pedals.

But Gary in Boston has also pointed out another important criteria that Futurlec meets (and the corner store typically does not) - the ability to shop online 24/7. I typically make up my component needs shoplists up after hours. This is when I have time to place the order, in most cases. Maybe the average builder has spare time to do it the old "20th century way," but I don't. And with online accounts, it makes reordering simple. I'll gladly take some wait time over the old method.

[Gary in Boston]

Well guys, sorry for for confusing things, I will admit I don't know much about electronics and such but It just didn't make sense to me that folks would order simple parts from a company and wait.............................................. ................................................
I guess if You Do It.... Don't Do It Live and learn

Gary

[Ben Harmless]

Yeah, the waiting isn't the fun part, but I'm not a professional at this stuff, so I'm not willing to pay several times the cost for the same parts just so I can have it quickly. I don't have the extra cash laying around.

Sure, if I only need a single pot or something, and I need it fast, I might go with Pedal Parts Plus, but I consider my Futurlec wait to be a good lesson in developing patience.

Heck, even if I were a pro, I'd still order from Futurlec, in much larger quantity, and well ahead of my need.

[super56k]

I put in an order for about $40 worth of stuff. It shipped only a few days later (Oct 6), and arrived within the next week. It was some of the neatest packaging I've ever seen. Everything was stapled in its own clear baggie.

I'll also add that their pancake style ts connectors are great. I bought 26 of them for a little under $12. Crazy bargain there. I now have a lifetime supply of mylar capacitors too (.015-.047), and have more resistors/ceramic caps than I'll ever use (value packs!).

And finally, a question to those who have ordered lots of stuff from Futurlec:

I noticed they sell mini pots, but do they sell push/pull pots on there too?

[11 Gauge]

Originally Posted by super56k

do they sell push/pull pots on there too?

Yes, but only in linear tapers, and only from 1K to 500K. But if your pedal calls for a linear pot (i.e. many tone controls), you're probably covered.

And they're only 80 cents, which is still less than half the price of your average Alpha without the switch, from anywhere else.

And they've also got dual concentrics (lin and log) and long shafts (solid only, lin only).

[jmclaren]

I've ordered from Futurelec several times and it always takes 3 to 4 weeks to receive my shipment here in California. Based on the paperwork I receive from them, their offices appear to be in Australia, but the parts are shipped directly from Asia. These geographic issues are probably the reason it takes so long. The wait's a pain, but their prices are cheaper than any other source I know of, they charge less than $5.00 for shipping, and there is no minimum order. Plus, they've never made a mistake on any of my shipments. The best method is to pre-plan your parts needs for several projects and do a large order in advance for all of them. For me, their pricing and accuracy is worth the wait.

[darrencch]

Hi all; I placed a US$ 208.00 order around midyear 2009 and have still not received my parts, now all my Emails bounce and return as not authorized to receive from my server .are others having the same trouble or does anyone have any more info on what’s happened to them or are other people still receiving their orders and I’m worried about nothing? …

[darrencch]

I did a search on futurlec and found this info ...I gave them a call and they answered the phone and said they would help...I will have to wait and see

Registrant:
Futurlec Co Ltd
2 / 136 Broadmeadow Rd
Broadmeadow, NSW 2292
au

Domain name: FUTURLEC.COM

Administrative Contact:
Bonnard, Alan
2 / 136 Broadmeadow Rd
Broadmeadow, NSW 2292
au
+61.249623231
Technical Contact:
Main, Dominic
PO Box 270
Chippendale, NSW 2008
AU
+61 2 9699 6099 Fax: 61 2 9699 6088

Registration Service Provider:
NetRegistry Pty Ltd,
61 2 9699 6099
61 2 9699 6088 (fax)
http://www.netregistry.com.au

[11 Gauge]

Originally Posted by darrencch

Hi all; I placed a US$ 208.00 order around midyear 2009 and have still not received my parts

Midyear as in July? Yeah - something is VERY wrong. I'm glad you got them on the phone. Was your credit card billed? If so, I'd simply have them refund it. If they refused, I'd report them. That's just unacceptable.

In your case, I definitely would NOT order from them (again), even if it was a bit more money or a slightly bigger PITA to use someone else.

[metulmykul]

Man, something is wrong there.

As mentioned, have you been billed?

I've had 2 orders (i think) sent to Brisbane in that time, within 10 days. I wouldn't have let it slide that long and my orders are usually only around 70 bux.

Also, My orders are always billed in Oz $$$. Did you convert for the forum?

I'm pretty sure they'll come through for you, but yeah, not the way to get repeat business.

Keep us posted.

[Ben Harmless]

I can only say that when I contacted Futurlec about the order that prompted my OP, they were more than happy to help. They agreed that it had been way too long, and were about to dispatch a replacement when my package finally arrived.

I wouldn't wait that long. My final time was about 6.5 weeks in the eastern US to give you an idea of what they consider to be excessive wait time.

I get the sense that once in awhile orders do get lost in shipping. They were perfectly happy to replace mine, and apologized.

[ibodog]

I just placed a new Futurelec order today. So start the timer!