[time-nuts] DIP Is Dead R.I.P

David McGaw n1hac at dartmouth.edu
Mon Nov 10 01:30:59 EST 2014


As long as the chip in question is still available in surface mount, one 
can use a SM to DIP adapter.  I use these all the time to evaluate and 
prototype with SM chips.  It would be expensive to rechip a whole unit, 
but onesies in case of a failure is OK.

David


On 11/9/14 10:36 PM, Bob Camp wrote:
> Hi
>
> There is one thing to consider:
>
> At the point that the monthly rent on the storage spaces equals Y
>
> — and —
>
> As you add more spares it goes to 2 x Y
>
> — and —
>
> There 12 months in a year
>
> — and —
>
> This *will* go on for years
>
> How much is a brand new bench full of gear?
>
> How much is a bench full of stuff you use on a regular basis?
>
> Hmmmm……
>
> Ok, here’s my numbers:
>
> Storage is $500 a month right now. It’s full.
>
> Probably 80% of what is over there has been there or someplace just like it for > 10 years. ( = I’ve run that sort of bill for > 10 years)
>
> Maybe 50% of what is over there, is > 20 years. ( = I’ve run ~2/3 that bill for a lot longer)
>
> Ok, so let’s use 10 years for a start.
>
> That’s 6K a year times 10 years…. $60K ….
>
> Ok but that’s not all. I’ve moved the stuff twice on inter-state moves. I also *paid* for it with *cash* that I no longer have. That cash could have been earning interest for the last 10 or more years. The same cash in the bank applies to the rent money. Then there’s the time it will take to troubleshoot / cal / revitalize each of the gizmos. It does not just take parts. I think it’s over $100K and close to $200K without a lot of thought going into it. That’s a lot of test gear if you buy the cheap PC connected modern stuff.
>
> Hmmmm ….. how may more spares?
>
> Ok, so how many KS-24361’s was that ???
>
> Bob
>
> (anyone who relays *any* of those numbers to my wife will be shot …)
>
>
>> On Nov 8, 2014, at 7:47 PM, Perry Sandeen via time-nuts <time-nuts at febo.com> wrote:
>>
>> List,
>>
>> Wrote: The days of DIP parts are drawing to a close.
>>
>> I was shocked, absolutely shocked, really, when I looked at
>> the latest Mouser catalog about the lack of PDIP I.C.’s.
>>
>> That said, we are faced with a dilemma.
>>
>> In all my HP test equipment I probably have 500 or more PDip
>> IC’s, so what to do to keep the equipment running properly?
>>
>> My first two thoughts are to re-cap all the power supplies
>> and attempt to have greater cooling, especially in the notoriously hot 5370B
>> units. For them I've given thought to using external switching regulator
>> supplies or removing the heat sink and making it a separate module or external
>> dropping resistors.
>>
>> Another choice maybe is to replace some of the original 74
>> series with LPS or similar later types to reduce internal instrument heat.
>>
>> It may be time to get a number of *running spares* from
>> reputable Ebay sellers.
>>
>> Perhaps all of the above in different proportions. I have
>> far, far too much money in HP test equipment just to sit and watch my units
>> fail one by one.
>>
>> Regards,
>>
>> Perrier
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