It's called traceability: it means in case of trouble, you change supplier... as soon as your current inventory is depleted 🙂
Random I know but all I can say is:
I own a used VAG car, probably 5 previous drivers, 17 years old, everything works, only 88k, auto box Gooooood!
Suspension spring, MTFB 17 years...
Windscreen wiper blades MTFB months (Seriously these things are crap)
VW in India is unreliable, and charges monopoly spare parts prices.
Arrogant, they think they are the only people who can make cars properly.
Audi are among the cars with the lowest resale value, a ten year old A3 gets the owner about 4,000 US$. If he is lucky, and the car has working electrics, and electronics.
Last I checked, they have <3% of the Indian car market, now the fifth largest in the world.
Suzuki and Hyundai between them have more than 80%.
Those, and Toyota, are reliable, and part prices are realistic.
Suzuki Alto wiper blades are about $5 a pair, Fiat Linea were $150, and VW Polo were like $12 from after market sources.
Arrogant, they think they are the only people who can make cars properly.
Audi are among the cars with the lowest resale value, a ten year old A3 gets the owner about 4,000 US$. If he is lucky, and the car has working electrics, and electronics.
Last I checked, they have <3% of the Indian car market, now the fifth largest in the world.
Suzuki and Hyundai between them have more than 80%.
Those, and Toyota, are reliable, and part prices are realistic.
Suzuki Alto wiper blades are about $5 a pair, Fiat Linea were $150, and VW Polo were like $12 from after market sources.
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Guys, don't look now, but I think there's a contract on our heads for talking cars in a LM337 thread 🙂
Happens all the time, as long as we are polite, the admins tend to leave us alone.
You should see the Lounge threads...
As for the 317, I think we get ST and TI made ones here, about 20 cents each.
Many companies make those, and there are a lot of other chips available in competition.
It is basically a variable voltage controller with a max. rating of 1.5 A IIRC.
You can also set it up as a constant current source, very useful for driving LEDs, for example.
You should see the Lounge threads...
As for the 317, I think we get ST and TI made ones here, about 20 cents each.
Many companies make those, and there are a lot of other chips available in competition.
It is basically a variable voltage controller with a max. rating of 1.5 A IIRC.
You can also set it up as a constant current source, very useful for driving LEDs, for example.
I usually don't think much of the 317/337; these guys are the opposite of my faith: good intrinsic linearity, high bandwidth, and low feedback. But then again, for an outboard/detachable PS, I have to factor in protections, and that would make a discrete design a bit complicated. So my usual strategy is to use the 3 leggers offboard, and some cap multipliers onboard. I've applied this in a headphone amp I described in another thread. In the present case, I even have a bit of room for some extra stuff, maybe the LT3045/3094 if required.
You're lucky the previous owners have worked out the kinks for you, but beware, around 100-200K Km, big trouble! My MB has a quarter million Km, and I just handed 4K+ CHF to the mechanics. 🙁
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Epilog
Just in today, the last batch of LM337T from an eBay seller based in China. Slightly different markings, and they all test good.
From a sourcing point of view, I have 3 bad et 2 good sellers. The odds are not great, but I don't think it's an epidemic; just know there's a large quantity of bad items out there and test them on arrival.
To finish with the related topic, I finally decided to replace my car battery; the new one is a Varta F21 80Ah AGM, identical to the original, less the MB sticker, but at a considerably reduced cost. The old one had a date code of 27/12, meaning 27th week of... 2012: 11 years of age!!!
Just in today, the last batch of LM337T from an eBay seller based in China. Slightly different markings, and they all test good.
From a sourcing point of view, I have 3 bad et 2 good sellers. The odds are not great, but I don't think it's an epidemic; just know there's a large quantity of bad items out there and test them on arrival.
To finish with the related topic, I finally decided to replace my car battery; the new one is a Varta F21 80Ah AGM, identical to the original, less the MB sticker, but at a considerably reduced cost. The old one had a date code of 27/12, meaning 27th week of... 2012: 11 years of age!!!
My experience is otherwise. I drive Skoada (VW owned and build) cars since longtime (at my 3th now) and no one ever had serious problems, while the MB cars i drove (but owned by a friend) a lot always had little annoying problems like car computer crashes that immobilised the car, and only could be fixed at the garage (250€ for towing at that time and a 150€ for fixing it in 15min at the garage)... And it did not happen once with that car, it happened so much that that car (2011 E200 break) was sold soon and replaced with an VW made Audi (A6 break 2.0 TFSi) that never had problems in the 8 years it's in use now by a close friend.
But both have good and bad cars, and the rate of bad cars is low with both brands. That is what statistics say that are published here in Europe. You need to have a bit luck.
But to get back on topic: Alieexpress and the likes are full of fake parts of any kind, not only electronics. Buy from a reputed source and you won't have those issues.
If I really want a trouble-free car, I'd pick a Lexus or a Honda. Sadly, no Japanese car fulfill my other requirements that are just as important to me: Diesel engine for range, 4-wheel drive for the snowy mountain roads, and auto gearbox. All of the above at the same time.
Regarding roadside repair, we have a company here called "Touring Club Suisse" who will try everything they can to get you out of trouble, including international towing, against a reasonable annual fee. Kind of similar to the AAA in the US. As for the computer crash, I had it so often I think it's a VW way of life, so I didn't mention it. So biggy, turn on emergency lights, turn off engine, count to 20, and off you go, if you're not hit by a car behind.
Regarding roadside repair, we have a company here called "Touring Club Suisse" who will try everything they can to get you out of trouble, including international towing, against a reasonable annual fee. Kind of similar to the AAA in the US. As for the computer crash, I had it so often I think it's a VW way of life, so I didn't mention it. So biggy, turn on emergency lights, turn off engine, count to 20, and off you go, if you're not hit by a car behind.
Its unlikely so many are faulty.
Either as said above it is wired wrong or some other circuit problem.
My personal experience: I bought semiconductors from Ali 3 times in the past . The BJT worked ok. The Depletion MOSFET arrived were re-printed Enhanced MOSFET, and none of the IC's arrived in a tape worked. Don't buy from them unless you know some vendors that can be trusted.
And it might the the 100 or 500 mA version in there. Which “works” until you try to pull an amp or more off of it.
One really has a lot of spare time when buying parts like this and one gets a surprise every time which gives something to talk about!
Living life to the max 🙂
Living life to the max 🙂
Fully agree.
With the little jig I made, it took nearly a second per test, so, for the whole lot, it's over half a minute of my precious retiree's time.
What a waste! 🙂
With the little jig I made, it took nearly a second per test, so, for the whole lot, it's over half a minute of my precious retiree's time.
What a waste! 🙂
You must add the time needed to build the jig to test pulls/fakes from China. Then you still don’t know what they really are and what noise performance is.
Getting cheated by choice and rewarding the scammers, that’s what it is. This for about the cheapest classic regulators one can buy. Both LM317 and LM337 by an A brand cost less than 1 Euro each at a reputable distributor.
Getting cheated by choice and rewarding the scammers, that’s what it is. This for about the cheapest classic regulators one can buy. Both LM317 and LM337 by an A brand cost less than 1 Euro each at a reputable distributor.
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Maybe 10 minutes to build the jig (I didn't time myself).
And I don't care what they are, as long as they: 1) don't drift (check) and 2) survive shorts (check).
Re. noise performance, I totally relie on my secret recipe: a cap multiplier at the receiving end. A quick test with REW + Focusrite looks promising, at least better than before.
Don't get me wrong, I have nothing but contempt for scammers, but then again, I don't expect factories to do more than sample testing, else we'll be paying 10-100x more. I also don't think much of people with their noses in the air.
And I don't care what they are, as long as they: 1) don't drift (check) and 2) survive shorts (check).
Re. noise performance, I totally relie on my secret recipe: a cap multiplier at the receiving end. A quick test with REW + Focusrite looks promising, at least better than before.
Don't get me wrong, I have nothing but contempt for scammers, but then again, I don't expect factories to do more than sample testing, else we'll be paying 10-100x more. I also don't think much of people with their noses in the air.
It is not from factories you choose to buy from. In your first post you explain clearly that you repeatedly bought the regulators from dubious sources. That are scammers as you also pointed out but you thought it to be an LM337 epidemic. Truth is that you receive relabeled non functioning stuff that may be chinese knockoffs (by own choice thereby supporting the scammers). They are good at that over there and sometimes the parts even regulate.
That McKinnie preamp could have been repaired with A branded original regulators for less than 10 euro.
Maybe time to take the head out of the …
That McKinnie preamp could have been repaired with A branded original regulators for less than 10 euro.
Maybe time to take the head out of the …
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20€ extra is what Mouser charges for small quantities.
So far, my total expenditure is below that. And the costliest "scammer" is from Germany, and I don't even blame him, he could have been duped, like me.
So far, my total expenditure is below that. And the costliest "scammer" is from Germany, and I don't even blame him, he could have been duped, like me.
Maybe he puts his money on a Swiss bank 🙂 Pecunia non olet.
It is hard to admit it is you yourself that is to blame for supporting scammers. No demand means no scammers. You have spent below 20 Euro but what about reliability of the parts? ESD damage? Like many DIYers you could buy 10 x LM317 and 10 x LM337 plus some opamps, caps or whatever one may need and have the shipment for free.
On the picture in post 38 one of the most copied regulators in China. Are they real, are they fake? They do regulate.
It is hard to admit it is you yourself that is to blame for supporting scammers. No demand means no scammers. You have spent below 20 Euro but what about reliability of the parts? ESD damage? Like many DIYers you could buy 10 x LM317 and 10 x LM337 plus some opamps, caps or whatever one may need and have the shipment for free.
On the picture in post 38 one of the most copied regulators in China. Are they real, are they fake? They do regulate.
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