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Vintage Linear IC$ — Parallax Forums

Vintage Linear IC$

ercoerco Posts: 20,259
edited 2011-11-17 09:14 in General Discussion
I always thought ye olde LM3909 was expensive at ~$4-5, but I just found them for $2: http://www.ebay.com/itm/IC-LM3909N-NSC-DIP-8-/250881986100 Futurlec is even out of stock, their price was $2.75!

Just checked on an older 8-pin VCO, the LM566. Yowsah, $9.50 plus shipping: http://www.ebay.com/itm/NE566-Music-Synthesizer-Function-Generator-LM566-566-/370557744373?pt=Keyboards_MIDI&hash=item5646f674f5 No deals on that one, so I'll make a VCO out of a 555.

Thank goodness you can still get LM555s for a dime each: http://www.ebay.com/itm/IC-DIP-8-NE555P-NE555N-LM555CN-LM555N-20PCS-/260820480006?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cba1cb006

This seller polida2008 has some good prices on many other parts, like 50 transistors for $1.25 . Might be worth a look if you want to stock up your junk drawers.

Comments

  • RobotWorkshopRobotWorkshop Posts: 2,307
    edited 2011-11-16 13:52
    erco wrote: »
    I always thought ye olde LM3909 was expensive at ~$4-5, but I just found them for $2: http://www.ebay.com/itm/IC-LM3909N-NSC-DIP-8-/250881986100 Futurlec is even out of stock, their price was $2.75!

    They say they are LM3909 on the chips but I suppose you'd need to get a few to see if they actually work and are those chips. As I recall there have been fakes of older obsolete chips that suddenly appear as available out of China. Some are real and some are fakes.

    With some of the prices on older chips going up it may be time to clean out the junk drawers of all the old chips that haven't been (and may never be) used and get them up for sale...
  • GordonMcCombGordonMcComb Posts: 3,366
    edited 2011-11-16 13:57
    Top octave synthesizer chips continue to demand high prices:

    http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AMI-S50240-13-Note-TOS-Top-Octave-Synthesizer-MK50240N-/170659321630

    The Propeller probably could imitate one of these puppies, as long as the timers in each cog aren't phase locked.

    -- Gordon
  • Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514
    edited 2011-11-16 14:04
    Gordon,

    Does anything about that TOS chip look fishy to you? Like maybe the top has been sanded and the nomenclature is upside down? DIPs are always labeled with pin one in the lower-lefthand corner.

    -Phil
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,259
    edited 2011-11-16 14:08
    It is funny that you can buy a whole uC for less than the price of these old ICs. And that uC is better, faster, and more versatile than the IC ever was.

    Surely somewhere someone has begun collecting one or more of each obsolete IC. Oh wait, that's me... :)
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,259
    edited 2011-11-16 14:22
    Found another nice site with useful info on LM555: http://www.williamson-labs.com/555-circuits.htm

    But my favorite is still: http://www.kpsec.freeuk.com/555timer.htm
  • davejamesdavejames Posts: 4,047
    edited 2011-11-16 14:58
    Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) wrote: »
    Does anything about that TOS chip look fishy to you? Like maybe the top has been sanded and the nomenclature is upside down? DIPs are always labeled with pin one in the lower-lefthand corner. -Phil

    When I opened the link, my immediate reaction was WT? - the lettering is upside down as you say. The wordage should be readable from left to right with the package divet on the left.

    ...very interesting...
  • GordonMcCombGordonMcComb Posts: 3,366
    edited 2011-11-16 15:17
    A lot of these TOS chips were inhouse (Conn, Baldwin, whatever) so quality control on the imprinting may not have been a high concern! I doubt the chip in the auction is something else, as these can be tough to duplicate. If they're not the exact thing the organ won't sound right.

    6581 SIDs are also crazy expensive.

    -- Gordon
  • kwinnkwinn Posts: 8,697
    edited 2011-11-16 19:56
    erco wrote: »
    It is funny that you can buy a whole uC for less than the price of these old ICs. And that uC is better, faster, and more versatile than the IC ever was.

    Surely somewhere someone has begun collecting one or more of each obsolete IC. Oh wait, that's me... :)

    Just in case these are missing from your collection I have 4 HA2525's, 5 MC1438R's, and about 50 MC1552G's in my parts drawers. Feel free to make me an offer ; - )
  • Beau SchwabeBeau Schwabe Posts: 6,568
    edited 2011-11-16 20:55
    Crazy, there's only 4 transistors inside that IC....

    http://home.cogeco.ca/~rpaisley4/LM3909.html
  • zoopydogsitzoopydogsit Posts: 174
    edited 2011-11-16 21:42
    Interesting discussion.
    Though an observation of trying to sell components on e-Bay is that you can wait a very long time between buyers! sigh. I've been trying to sell some parts and have had zero views on any of them. Although I can technically hoard them forever (they don't go off), but it's easier to justify additional spend to the wife on new exciting stuff if I sell some of the older dusty stuff. I was about to find a Ham Trash & Treasure boot sale to move them on to other folks that will use (or hoard).

    I'll list my stuff in the classifieds. Suggest have a look. As I'm in Oz, then it may be better for folks state side to bulk buy, ship and re-distribute.
  • frank freedmanfrank freedman Posts: 1,983
    edited 2011-11-16 23:03
    Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) wrote: »
    Gordon,

    Does anything about that TOS chip look fishy to you? Like maybe the top has been sanded and the nomenclature is upside down? DIPs are always labeled with pin one in the lower-lefthand corner.

    -Phil

    Oddly enough if you go to this site: http://www.vintagechip.altervista.org and scan down the page of pictures and products using these ancients, this chip will show up exactly as pictured. In fact it appears that ALL of the AMI chips appear to have the inverse pin notch of the rest of the manufacturers. Wish I could find one old box, to many moves. Had an AMI chip that was for touch switches in a 40DIP form. Sample, with datasheet and nice color brochure.....

    Frank
  • Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514
    edited 2011-11-16 23:21
    Wow, you're right. I guess they didn't get the memo. :)

    -Phil
  • frank freedmanfrank freedman Posts: 1,983
    edited 2011-11-17 05:52
    Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) wrote: »
    Wow, you're right. I guess they didn't get the memo. :)

    -Phil

    I think the main location was up on Homestead(?). Maybe someone installed the printer upside down and rather than look stoopid they left it as is. Or the packaging systems design did not permit them to correct and left pin 1 180 out from text.

    You were quite correct to point out the growing problem of bogus devices. Problem is if not large qty, most will just $h!tc@n the bogus parts, put it up to experience and move on. And that sucks.....

    Frank
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,259
    edited 2011-11-17 09:04
    The collective knowledge in the Forums constantly astounds me. I throw out an obscure topic and everyone has informed replies, Frank even finds vintagechip.com! I'll bet we've all got junkboxes full of treasured chips & parts we've been saving for that perfect app that hasn't come along just yet. My search for vintage speech chips last month led me to jolly old England, where I found the elusive SPO-256. I ordered 10 to justify shipping. I may have a few extras of those for a while... :)
  • Beau SchwabeBeau Schwabe Posts: 6,568
    edited 2011-11-17 09:08
    erco,

    Heck, I might have a "SPO-256" still in the Radio Shack blister pack ... wonder how much that would go for?
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,259
    edited 2011-11-17 09:14
    Beau Schwabe (Parallax) wrote: »
    erco,

    Heck, I might have a "SPO-256" still in the Radio Shack blister pack ... wonder how much that would go for?

    CONFOUND YOU, MAN! Just when I happy with my 10-IC bulk pack...

    NEWMAN!

    SCHWABE!
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