Components Guide
Insights on electronic component sourcing, market trends, and supply-chain best practices.
Optocoupler Equivalent Chart: PC817, 6N137, TLP521 and the 5 Specs That Must Match
An optocoupler equivalent is only equivalent when five specs match: output type, current transfer ratio (CTR) rank, common-mode rejection (CMR) and the voltage…
X7R vs X5R vs C0G: A 9-Row MLCC Swap Matrix for Buyers
X7R, X5R and C0G are the three MLCC dielectrics on most European BOMs, and they are not interchangeable in both directions. C0G (Class 1) holds its capacitance…
Tantalum Capacitor Replacement: Polymer, Hybrid or Ceramic? A 2026 Substitution Chart
A tantalum capacitor can usually be replaced by one of four technologies: polymer tantalum, aluminium polymer (including hybrid polymer), a multilayer ceramic…
SMD Package Size Chart: 25 Codes, Their Aliases and Which Swaps Fit
An SMD package code tells a buyer the body size and pad layout of a part, but the same body often carries three names: Nexperia's SOT23 is JEDEC TO-236AB, its…
NOR vs NAND Flash: The 2026 Buyer's Decision Guide
NOR flash and NAND flash store bits with the same floating-gate physics but wire the cells differently, and that one wiring choice decides everything a buyer c…
Part Number Suffix Decoder: 7 Chipmakers' Ordering Codes in One Chart
A component's orderable part number is the base part number plus up to five coded attributes: a qualification marker (often a prefix such as onsemi's SZ or a s…
BJT vs MOSFET: Differences and How to Choose
BJT vs MOSFET comes down to how each transistor is controlled and where it loses energy. A BJT (bipolar junction transistor) is current-driven and cheap with h…
MOSFET vs IGBT: Key Differences and How to Choose
MOSFET vs IGBT comes down to a simple trade-off: a MOSFET wins at high switching frequency and low-to-medium voltage, while an IGBT wins at high voltage and hi…
Types of Electronic Components and Their Functions
Electronic components are the individual parts that build every circuit, from a simple LED torch to an industrial control board. They fall into two big familie…