arcainmachineist:
Yes, you'll probably find the best deals at digikey; best mosfet I've
found for the price is the IXYS IGBT, 600V, 60A: spec sheet here:
[http://www.ixys.com/97538.pdf]
...available from
www.surplussales.com for $7 bucks per pop.
You can also pull transistors out of old stereo amplifiers. They're
the bottle-cap shaped things bolted to big finned aluminum heat
sinks.
You can teach yourself enough electronics in a couple weeks from
books. You don't need to understand everything just to build a circuit.
Just read about each type of component to understand what it does.
Contrary to what Loster infers, there's nothing wrong with Radio
Shack parts. The issue is really one of retail cost, and convenience.
HeHe, Harhar (idiotic laughing trailing off into the distance.)