Things we CANNOT purchase:
- Cellular Radio or Communications Equipment (See: 4G/LTE Comms boards for RasPi/etc)
- Web Domain Names
Tax and Tariff Information
As a Government Institution, UT Arlington is required to not pay Texas State Sales Tax. As such, any vendor we purchase from needs to honor our Tax Exemption. Generally, that is not a problem, however we have run into a few vendors that have made things difficult.
Additionally, some vendors may charge us a tariff. This is generally acceptable.
Electronics Hardware
Preferred Vendors
UTA has business partnerships with the following organizations:
Mouser Electronics
Mouser Electronics is in Mansfield and UTA gets free shipping from them, the only vendor on this list with free shipping. We usually receive the products next-day as long as the order is in by noon. Their website can be cumbersome to use at first, but once you know what you are looking for, it is very easy to narrow it down based on parameters.
https://www.mouser.com/
ServoCity / goBILDA
ServoCity is located in Kansas, and shipping time is usually 3 days (they ship by USPS, not UPS/FedEx). We have a 15% educational discount with them.
Please Note: Our Tax-Free agreement is with ServoCity. When providing links, please use the ServoCity website if possible. The Part Numbers are the same on both websites, but they are legally two different entities.
https://www.servocity.com/ & https://www.gobilda.com/
Pololu
Pololu is located in Nevada, so shipping time is 3-4 days, but we do get a price break on their products.
https://www.pololu.com/
DigiKey
DigiKey is a competitor of Mouser, located in Minnesota. We get a small price break on products, but pay for shipping. They do tend to stock different products not available from other vendors, Mouser included.
https://www.digikey.com/
Amazon
UTA has special pricing for many things on Amazon. PLEASE take note that items that are not PRIME have 5-8 day lead times to get through the supply chain. If it’s marked as PRIME, we usually get it in 2-3 days.
https://www.amazon.com/
Other Electronics Hardware Vendors
UTA does not have business partnerships with the following organizations, but they are great places to find the things you need:
SparkFun
Sparkfun is located in Colorado, so shipping time is usually 3 days. However, they are generally quite detailed in their datasheets for the items they create themselves.
Take note that Mouser (above) does have quite a few of Sparkfun’s product lines – Typically $2-3 higher per item, but the free shipping from Mouser washes that out depending on quantities.
https://www.sparkfun.com/
Adafruit
Adafruit is located in New York, so shipping time is usually 3-4 days. They have videos for many of their in-house products, but datasheets can sometimes be lacking.
Take note that Mouser (above) does have quite a few of Adafruit’s product lines – Typically $1-2 higher per item, but the free shipping from Mouser washes that out depending on quantities.
https://www.adafruit.com/
Maker Motor
Maker Motor offers many options for making your project move – Motors are all they do. They also carry the Sabertooth motor controllers that are sometimes in-and-out of stock at our other options.
https://makermotor.com/
JLCPCB
JLCPCB is a PCB printing company overseas. Depending on options, typically it takes 2-3 days for them to build and package the PCB, and 3-5 days for the package to get from their facility to us.
https://jlcpcb.com/
Construction Hardware Vendors
McMaster-Carr
McMaster-Carr is a bulk hardware and materials vendor. Most items from them come in 10, 50, and 100 packs.
https://www.mcmaster.com/
Send Cut Send
Send Cut Send is a Laser-Cutting and Water-Jet-Cutting entity. There are a few rules to follow, but it is very easy to upload a design then specify any thread tapping, nut inserts, bending, etc. The materials they support include Steel, Aluminum, Wood, Plastics, and even Carbon Fiber.
https://sendcutsend.com/
Misumi
Misumi is our preferred source for all things Extruded Aluminum (T-Slot, 20/20, 80/20, etc). You can order extrusion at exact lengths down to 1mm accuracy. The website can sometimes be tricky to use (it’s kind of like Mouser’s) because there are so many small details that are different between part numbers.
https://us.misumi-ec.com/
Schmalz
Schmalz carries many parts and components for industrial automation processes – generally revolving around vacuum gripping for robot arms.
https://www.schmalz.com/en-us/
Grainger
Grainger carries alot of tools, parts, and hardware for building things, as well as compartmentalizing storage.
Grainger purchases cannot be made through the website – UTA has a Purchase Order system that must be used by a professor, lab coordinator, or the CSE Purchasing Agent.
https://www.grainger.com/
Home Depot
Ordering plywood, lumber, and other such items can be done through Home Depot – but a professor or lab coordinator has to be the one that picks it up from the North Arlington store (201 W Road to Six Flags St, Arlington, TX 76011). This is arranged through the CSE Accounting office.
https://www.homedepot.com/
Software / Assets
Unity Asset Store
UTA has a tax-free educational record on file with the Unity Asset Store.
ArtStation.com
Dr. Gieser is working with the UTA Business and Technology departments to have ArtStation.com added as an authorized vendor.
Digital Ocean
We have used Digital Ocean in the past for web development. DO has been approved by OIT and the EIR office:
https://webapp.uta.edu/tap/product/1557
EIR Accessibility assessment completed 7/2024 REQ05330005
Next Review: June 4, 2027