Bitsbox

Bitsbox, an electronic component shop for the UK maker market

Bitsbox is a small, independent supplier of electronic components based in Solihull, in the West Midlands. The company describes itself as family-run and states that it was established in 2006. Its customer base is the hobby electronics market together with schools, colleges and maker groups in the United Kingdom.

The business operates as an online shop organised by component families rather than by finished devices. Its stated aim is to offer quality components at low cost, and the prices displayed on the site include UK VAT.

Component ranges in the catalogue

The catalogue is structured around the usual building blocks of an electronics project. The main groups listed are:

• Passive components: capacitors, resistors, potentiometers, inductors, crystals and resonators.
• Semiconductors and optoelectronics, alongside a separate section for semiconductor hardware.
• Switching and protection: switches, relays and solenoids, circuit protection.
• Connection and wiring: connectors and leads, cable and wire, data cables.
• Power: batteries and holders, transformers and power supplies.
• Enclosure and mounting: electrical enclosures, fans, storage, hardware and tools.
• Motors, sensors and transducers.

Two further sections sit alongside the individual parts: component kits and project kits, plus a group of maker modules. The shop also lists gift certificates among its product categories.

Kits, modules and the Bargain Corner

Beyond single components, Bitsbox groups ready-made assortments and small project packs. Among the items shown in the new products listing for October were a spare bit for an LED soldering iron, a 1590B switch and jack PCB, 2200uF electrolytic capacitors in 50V and 63V versions, a 40W soldering iron with LEDs and an ICL7660S charge pump converter in SMT format.

Featured products at the time of writing included a 127-piece heat-shrink tubing kit, spring clamps in 100mm and 50mm sizes, a 12-LED rotating ring kit, a BCD to 7-segment project kit, Wago three-way lever-operated connectors, a WCS1700 70A current sensor module, an MH-M38 Bluetooth audio module with a 5W+5W amplifier, packs of cable ties, stripboard measuring 95x64mm, metallised polyester capacitors, a boxed electrolytic and ceramic development kit, a 480-piece 0.25W carbon resistor kit and a 16x2 LCD module with a green/yellow backlight.

The site also maintains a Bargain Corner section for discounted stock, separate from the main component categories.

Ordering, VAT and international customers

Purchases are made through an online account system. The shop allows guests to order, but warns that a guest cart is emptied after fifteen minutes of inactivity, whereas a logged-in cart is retained between sessions. Prices on the website are stated to include UK VAT.

Dedicated pages cover how to order, shipping and returns, and an international FAQ, which indicates that orders from outside the UK are handled within the same shop structure. A gift certificate option is available for purchases intended as presents.

Practical information and notices

The company publishes a contact page, order status lookup, site map and a set of conditions of use, privacy notice and accessibility statement. A help section answers recurring questions, with notes on subjects such as Arduino piezo tone, ProMini programming and reading an RFID card, and the site points to customer projects for reference.

A notice on the homepage announced an early closing at 12:00 on Friday 28 August for the Bank Holiday weekend, with a request to place urgent orders in good time. The company gives its location reference as What3words ///knots.rich.cycles.