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A compilation of links relating to electronics me and my friends have bought from China. It is online as a resource for others just starting out in electronics, and are looking for projects to do.

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Electronics from China

This repo is a work in progress. Me and a bunch of my discord friends on Spacehuhn's discord server all like to purchase cheap electronics from China for projects, so we figured it'd be good to make a list of stuff that we have bought for those that are just starting out and want ideas/parts for projects.
All prices in Euro and USD.

Full Disclosure: Many of the links in the list are affiliate links, but since it is ali and prices are low we make next to nothing. We don't choose products based on what has an affiliate link available; everything is picked based on quality, ratings, and our own experiences, and affiliate links are added later if they're availible for that listing.

Feel free add to it by making a PR.

Contributing Rules:

  • Issues are only for category requests, reporting or questions.
  • If a price is outdated make a PR.
  • If a Link is broken or outdated try to find a newer one or remove it if necessary then make a PR.
  • Make sure you add prices in both Euros and USD. You use google to find one or the other of them. Indicate a delivery charge by adding "+ Delivery" at the end.
  • Collaboration list below is only for major contributors.

This is a collaboration between:

Table of Contents

Starter Kits

Item Name Item Description Item Link Price
Keyestudio Learning Kit A microcontroller starter kit. Link €36.12/$45.00
Arduino Uno Starter Kit This starter kit has LOTS of stuff and seems to be the best on AliExpress Link €28.33/$35.30
Extra Component Case A cheap package with some extra components. Link €6.25/$7.79

Arduinos

Arduino Compatibles

Item Name Item Description Item Link Price
Arduino Pro Micro 5V Small arduino with HID injection capabilities, can be used as makeshift rubber ducky Link €3.47/$4.27
Arduino Pro Micro 3.3V Small arduino with HID injection capabilities, 3.3v so need voltage level shifter for USB Link €5.28/$6.49 + Delivery
Arduino Nano For the Ethernet shield Link €2.22/$2.75
Digispark Small arduino like platform, keyboard injection capable but requires driver installation Link €1.23/$1.53 + Delivery

Shields

Item Name Item Description Item Link Price
Arduino Nano Ethernet Shield For the Arduino Nano; can be used for @spacehuhn's arp poisioning project Link €3.37/$2.91 + Delivery
Arduino GPS GSM GPRS Shield For projects where you need to involve SMS or location tracking Link $12.27

WiFi / ESP8266

ESP Modules (Arduino compatible wifi modules)

Item Name Item Description Item Link Price
NodeMCU Wifi Development board for ESP8266, Deauther compatible , get the CP2102 version instead of the CH340 Link €3.04/$3.78
Wemos D1 Mini Another ESP, but smaller (and cheaper) Link €2.69/$3.29 + Delivery

ESP8266 Deauther

Our friend @Spacehuhn, the maker of the deauther gets a small commission from everything bought from the DSTIKE store. Your purchase there helps to support the development of new cool open source projects! (These items can also all be reprogrammed for your own projects, if you so desire)
Item Name Item Description Item Link Price
NodeMCU Look at @Spacehuhn's deauther project Link €3.04/$3.78
DSTIKE Deauth Detector Deauther USB device that alerts you when a wifi deauthentication attack is detected Link €/$10 + Delivery
WiFi Deauther OLED ESP8266 + antenna + 18650 connector + OLED + preflashed deauther software Link €24.37/$30.37 + Delivery
WiFi deauther mini Deauther with screen, controls, LED and IPX connector for external antenna Link €/$12 + Delivery
WiFi Deauther Wristband The deauther in watch form Link €0/$33

Wifi Adapters

Item Name Item Description Item Link Price
Usb WiFi Adapter Small USB 2.0 MT7601 WiFi Wireless Network card/adapter for wifi, injection capable (depending on the one you get) Link €1.47/$4.18
USB WiFi Adapter USB WiFi RT5370 RaLink Non-detachable Link €2.60/$3.37

Wifi Antennas

Item Name Item Description Item Link Price
Yagi Antenna Long Range directional WiFi Antenna Link €9.45/$11.75

SBC's / Raspberry Pi related

SBC's

Item Name Item Description Item Link Price
Orange Pi Zero Mini PC, like Pi Zero, but with USB and Ethernet ports Link €6.83/$8.49

Cases

Item Name Item Description Item Link Price
Clear Raspberry Pi 3 Case Clear plastic case with gpio access Link €1.34/$1.67
Protective Black Plastic Case Pi 3 Black case with fan and heatsink Link €0/$3.89
"Official" looking case ABS plastic with heatsink Link €0/$2.21
Pi 3 Layered case Case with heatsink and cooling fan Link €0/$5
Aluminum Case for Pi 3 can also include fan and heatsink Link €0/$6.22
Pi 3 Layered Case Transparent Case for stack of 6-11 Pis Link €0/$14.5
Pi 3 TFT LCD Screen Case Clear case with touch screen on top Link €0/$16.68
Pi 3 Aluminum Heatsink Case Includes dual fans, case acts as heatsink Link €0/$11.16
Aluminum Case with Black option May include fan and heatsink Link €0/$7.86

Hats

Item Name Item Description Item Link Price
Cell Service and GPS Hat Compatible with 4G/3G/2G/GSM/GPRS/GNSS Link €0/$64.23
Pi E-Paper display hat E-paper/E-ink screen with SPI Interface Link €0/$20.46
Pi 0 Ethernet Hat Adds RJ-45 and Ethernet to Pi zero Link €0/$17.87

Other-Addons

Item Name Item Description Item Link Price
Pi GPIO Extension/Cascade Board Allows pinout with RPi GPIO and Weidmuller connectors Link €0/$4.11
RPi GPIO Ribbon Cable Breakout Allows transfer of all RPi GPIO pins to a breadboard Link €0/$3.05

General Electronics

Switches & Buttons

Item Name Item Description Item Link Price
Mushroom Switch Big Red button for your big red button needs Link €3.49/$4.30
Standalone Red E Stop button Just a mushroom button, no case Link €0/$1.38
Mushroom Key Switch Mushroom button with key Link €5,07/$6.02
Simple Toggle Just a basic toggle. Link €0.77/$0.95
Momentary Pushbutton 10pcs 12mm colored pushbutton Link €0/$1.36
Large illuminated rocker switch They come in different colors and have a satisfying click Link €0/$0.68 + shipping
Metal Locking Power LED Pushbutton illuminates with selected voltage, and has power icon on switch (sidenote: whenever you buy a switch like this, get the optional connection socket. You'll thank yourself later) Link €0/$0.90
Metal Locking LED Pushbutton Same as above item, but without the power symbol on the button Link €0/$0.90
Rectangular Rocker Switch 10pcs, Comes in Red and Black Link €0/$1.15
Round Rocker Switch 10pcs, Comes in Red and Black Link €0/$1.65
Micro Slide Switch 50pcs - Very cheap slide switch, great for implanting in projects Link €0/$1.65
DIP Slide Switch 10pcs Used to select settings, are compact and resilient Link €0/$01.26
25 Types assorted micro push button Allows you to test out various switch types for projects Link €0/$4.70
10pcs Micro Limit Switch Good for using as an input for robots/projects that require feedback Link €0/$2.64
10pcs Mini Micro Limit Switch Smaller version of above limit switch with roller Link €0/$1.19
Large Metal momentary push button 3 pin, with either red or green color Link €0/$0.90
3 Position Metal Rotary Switch Also has different color LEDs Link €0/$0.71 + shipping
Arcade Style Push Buttons Various colors, 28mm Link €0/$1.10
5pcs Square Momentary Push Button It's a button Link €0/$1.01
Covered toggle Switch These light up, and are super sweet Link €0/$1.55
Rectangular Rocker Switches with Waterproof cover Black switches with transparent cover, 5pcs Link €0/$1.20
Momentary Foot Pedal Switch IDK what this is for, but it's cool Link €0/$1.81
200pcs Tactile push button switch kit varying stem height, from 4.3mm - 13mm Link €0/$3.79
100pcs Tactile Pushbutton with Covers Varying Covers, 12x12mm pushbutton Link €0/$6.78
Key Switch Key itself is low quality, but it still looks cool Link €0/$0.71

Switch-Accessories

Item Name Item Description Item Link Price
Tactile Pushbutton switch cover Makes tactile switches easier to use Link €0/$1.12
Metal Potentiometer Control Knobs 10pcs, add the finishing touch to a project with pots Link €0/$0.82
30pcs Potentiometer Knobs Plastic, these work well and are very cheap Link €0/$1.51
5pcs aluminum Potentiometer Knobs These are larger and have a nice finish Link €0/$2.50

Relays

Item Name Item Description Item Link Price
5V Relay Connect this to projects with a higher voltage Link €0.43/$0.53
5V Multichannel relays Allow you to control more than one thing at once, have 2, 4, and 8 channel options Link €0/$1.48
IRLB8721 N-channel Mosfet 10pcs, Low switching voltage, works well with 12V LED Strips Link €0/$3.02

Microcontrollers

Item Name Item Description Item Link Price
Teensy 2.0 popular small form factor development board, can be used as HID injector Link €5,99/$7.12

Lasers

Item Name Item Description Item Link Price
10pcs Red Laser Diodes 5V 5mW Link €0/$1.48

Displays

Item Name Item Description Item Link Price
16x2 LCD Cheap, good for Arduino and Raspberry Pi Link €1.27/$1.5
OLED Display Good cheap, small display. I2C Driven (.96 inch) Link $2.84
OLED Display Good cheap, slightly larger display, SPI (1.6 inch) Link $3.66
4 Digit 7 Segment Display TM1637 library Link €0/$0.69 + Shipping

LED's

A small note on LED Strips - the 5V ones with WS2812B in the name are individually addressable, meaning you cam make every led in the strip a different color if you want to. The 12V ones are only one color throughout the entire strip. This is why the price for the 12V ones is always lower, since there's less complexity there. If you just want an RGB LED Strip, the regular 12V ones work just fine, and you can control them with an arduino using mosfets (see Relays)
Item Name Item Description Item Link Price
LED SMD LED 0603 Link €1.97/$2.45
LED SMD LED 0805 Link €1.87/$2.33
RGB LED WS2812B LED 30 pcs Link €3.01/$3.75
RGB LED APA102 LED Strip Black 1M 30 IP30 Link €10.46/$13.03
2pcs LED Colored Bar Module LED bar with different colors, can be used as a progress bar of sorts Link €0/$0.59 + Shipping
WS2812B Individual LEDs Daisy-chainable LEDs on individual PCBs Link €0/$2.37
WS2812B Individually Addressable LED Strip, with various options Can choose from 30-144 LEDs/meter, 1-5m length, and various waterproof ratings Link €0/$2.08-48
5m 12V LED Strip with 300 LEDs Link €0/$7.60

Passive Kits / Sets

Item Name Item Description Item Link Price
Resistor resistor kit 0603 Link €1.16/$1.45
Resistor resistor kit 0805 Link €1.61/$2.01

IC's

Item Name Item Description Item Link Price
10pcs 555 Timer Simple Timer IC Link €0/$3.47

Handy Modules

Item Name Item Description Item Link Price
Level Converter TXS0108E 3.3v<>5v converter Link €0.60/$0.75
I2C HD44780 Adapter I2C HD44780 display driver Link €1.58/$1.97
CAN Module spi can module Link €1.04/$1.30
USB to Serial Allows you to connect your computer to serial devices for debugging Link €0.87/$1.08
RTC Module Real Time Clock, uses onboard battery to keep time accurately even when project is powered off Link €0/$0.84 + Shipping

Sensors

Item Name Item Description Item Link Price
Humidity/Temperature Sensor DHT22 Link €2.27/$2.83
Temperature Sensor Thermocoupler MAX6675 Link €2.00/$2.49
Gyro-Accel Sensor MPU-9250 Gyro Accelerometer Sensor Link €2.03/$2.55
Accurate and Compact Temperature, Humidity and Pressure Sensor Accurate, small, and reasonably priced Link €0/$11.64
Magnetic Contact Sensor for Window/Door For if you want to trigger something when a door is opened/closed Link €0/$1.13
HC-SR04 Ultrasonic Distance Sensor Measures distance, reads over I2C Link €0/$0.75

Connectors

Item Name Item Description Item Link Price
USB connector USB male A 10 pcs Link €1.17/$1.38
USB connector USB female A 10 pcs Link €1.24/$1.46
DuPont Headers 1550 Male/Female Dupont Headers for projects Link €2.95/$3.50
RJ45 Ethernet sockets They're ethernet sockets. There's 20 of them. Link €2.54/$3

Cables & Wires

Item Name Item Description Item Link Price
Wago Type Lever Nuts 54pcs, allow you to make wire connections quickly and without a breadboard/soldering Link €0/$14.40
Crocodile clip for testing electronics self holding clip for testing circuits Link €0/$1.10

Power Modules, Boost Converters & PSU'S

Item Name Item Description Item Link Price
Step down 3A Voltage Regulator Step Down Voltage Regulator Link €1,03/$1.22
DC-DC Step-down converter DC-DC Step-down converter 5 pcs Link €2.88/$3.40
High Voltage Boost Converter HV Boost Converter Link €7.71/$10.79
Step Up/Step Down Converter Step Up/Step Down Converter Link €2.39/$2.82
DC-DC Step Up/Step Down Converter Step Up/Step Down Converter Link €1.16/$1.37
USB test load 15w USB test load Link €2,16/$2.57
3 USB Charging Module 3 USB Charging Module Link €1.64/$0
3.3V DC Stepdown 3.3v DC Stepdown Link €0.19/$0
AA Battery Holder Link €0/$0.34

Soldering Practice Kits

These type of kits are fantastic for people trying to get into soldering, both regular THT (through-hole) and SMD (surface mount). If you're just starting out soldering, I DO NOT recommend trying to do SMD. It requires a different set of skills, and you'll likely just get frustrated. The C51 Clock kit is one I've used personally, both to solder myself and to teach others the basics of soldering, and I highly recommend it. No matter what kit you buy, you should buy more than one, because you're likely to make a few accidents on your first one. -PwnKitteh
Item Name Item Description Item Link Price
Water Flowing LED Kit mixed SMD and THT Link €0/$0.44
AT89C2051 Electronic Clock Kit All THT Link €0/$2.52
C51 4 Bits Electronic Clock The Kit I recommend: check these and see which is cheapest before you order. Link €0/$1.56
C51 4 Bits Electronic Clock The Kit I recommend: check these and see which is cheapest before you order. Link €0/$1.84 + Shipping
DC Power Supply DIY Kit THT (sidenote: don't expect any kind of kit that you solder to be actually quality lab equipment.) Link €0/$3.88
16 Tone Music Sound box Link €0/$0.91 + Shipping
FM Radio Receiver Module Kit THT With one SMD IC Link €0/$1.15 + Shipping
"Breathing" LED Heart Kit All THT Link €0/$0.69 + Shipping
SMD Soldering Practice board All SMD (obviously), I have used this personally and it is pretty good Link €0/$1.39 + Shipping

Other Components

Item Name Item Description Item Link Price
Portable Cable organizer large cable organizer for bringing with you on the go Link €0/$3
12V LED Strobe It's a strobe light Link €0/$3.85
12V 120dB mini siren this looks awesome to play around with Link €0/$4.75

Handy Adapters & Cables

Item Name Item Description Item Link Price
Micro HDMI to HDMI Adapter for Pi Zero Link €0,78/$0.93
Micro USB to USB Small adapters for Arduino Pro Micro Link €0.48/$0.60
HDMI to VGA For that old VGA monitor you have lying around Link €3.49/$4.33
USB A Male to Micro USB Female USB A Male to Micro USB Female Link €0.72/$0
USB A Male to Micro USB Female USB A Male to Micro USB Female 5pcs Link €0.53/$0
Arduino Micro SD Card Adapter For when you want to integrate a micro SD card into your project Link €0.74/$0

Other Electronics

Item Name Item Description Item Link Price
Mini USB Host Shield Mini USB Host Shield Link €4.92/$0
USB SNES Controller A USB SNES-style controller Link €0/$3.07

Tools

Meters & Testers

Item Name Item Description Item Link Price
USB Tester QC2.0/3.0 USB voltage selector for testing Link €3.19/$0
USB power meter USB power meter Link €1,95/$2.32
LCR meter HoldPeak HP-4070L Digital Capacitance Meter Inductance Meter LCR Meter Link €15,59/$18.59

Test Cables, Alligator Clips etc

Item Name Item Description Item Link Price
Alligator Clips Alligator Clips set of 10 piece Link €0.59/$0

Prototyping

Item Name Item Description Item Link Price
Mini Breadboard Small breadboard for projects Link €0/$0.42
Jumper Wires 3 types Dupont wire 20cm Link €1.95/$0
Jumper Wires 3 types Dupont wire 10cm Link €1.57/$0
20pcs assorted protoboard great for making circuits more permanent, comes in various sizes Link €0/$6.57
10x15cm large single side perfboard large perfboard for large projects Link €0/$1.85

Networking Tools

Item Name Item Description Item Link Price
POE Tester NF-440PT 802.3AF/AT POE tester Link €5.95/$0

Hand tools

Item Name Item Description Item Link Price
Crimptool Dupont crimptool Link €3.91/$0
Tweezers 6pcs Metal Anti-static Tweezers Link €1.95/$0
Wire Cable cutters for working on pcbs and wiring Link €0/$1.76

Programmers

Item Name Item Description Item Link Price
USB Byte Blaster USB Programmer for JTAG CPLD FPGA and NIOS Link €2.26/$0

Storage

Item Name Item Description Item Link Price
Mini Pelican Case Mini shockproof case for storing items Link €2.05/$0

Other Tools

Item Name Item Description Item Link Price
Soldering/Bench Mat For when you need a place to work on your desk. Silicon, claims to be heat resistant. Link €15.17/$18
Anti-Static Mat For working on Electronics, helps to ground your body Link €16.76/$0
Measuring Tool 0-36 Round AWG Wire Thickness Ruler Gauge Link €3.44/$0

Networking

Routers

Item Name Item Description Item Link Price
Mini Router Hub Small router with two ethernet ports Link €15,73/$18.68

POE Splitters

Item Name Item Description Item Link Price
POE Splitter POE Splitter 5V 2A Output Micro USB Link €5.68/$0

USB Networking

Item Name Item Description Item Link Price
USB to Ethernet USB to Ethernet adapter, great for connecting to a Raspberry Pi Zero Link €1.40/$0
USB to Ethernet hub Same as above, but with 3 USB ports added in Link €0/$3.10

RF Related

SDR

Item Name Item Description Item Link Price
RTL-SDR Allows you to receive signals floating in the air around you and decode them in programs like GQRX Link €0/$8

RF-Adapters

Item Name Item Description Item Link Price
IPEX To RPSMA 5 pcs IPEX To RPSMA 17cm Link €2.92/$0
IPEX Connector IPEX Connector 20 pcs Link €1.16/$0
SMA Male To RPSMA Male SMA Adapter Link €2,27/$2.37
SMA Male To RPSMA Female SMA Adapter Link €0.77/$0
SMA Female To RPSMA male SMA Adapter Link €0.70/$0
SMA Female To RPSMA Female SMA Adapter Link €0.78/$0
SMA Male To SMA Male SMA Adapter Link €0.74/$0
SMA Female To SMA Female SMA Adapter Link €0.86/$0
RPSMA Male To RPSMA Male SMA Adapter Link €0.86/$0
RPSMA Female To RPSMA Male SMA Adapter Link €0.68/$0

Lora

Item Name Item Description Item Link Price
RPSMA PCB Edge Connector RPSMA PCB Edge Connector 10 pcs Link €1.95/$0
868MHz 5dBi RPSMA Antenna 868mhz 5dBi RPSMA Antenna Link €1.34/$0
LORA RFM95 868MHz LORA RFM95 868MHz Link €9.09/$0
LORA Module Shield LORA Module Shield (dont buy, pcb is wrong) Link €0.82/$0

RF Modules

Item Name Item Description Item Link Price
RF Radio Module CC1101 433MHz Version Link €2.97/$0

GPS

Item Name Item Description Item Link Price
GPS Antenna GPS Antenna for RTL-SDR or Arduino board Link €2.80/$3.32
GPS GPS NEO-6 Serial 3.3v Link €3.74/$0
GPS GPS NEO-m8n Link €17,99/$21.37

RFID

Item Name Item Description Item Link Price
RFID Module RFID Module Link €0,83/$0.99

UHF / VHF & Ham Radios

Item Name Item Description Item Link Price
UV-5R Boafeng UV-5R Boafeng; Cheap Handheld Radio Link €27.47/$0

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A compilation of links relating to electronics me and my friends have bought from China. It is online as a resource for others just starting out in electronics, and are looking for projects to do.

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