After working with some OPA1612 on my recent Topping PA5 D01 Module replacement project (at ASR),
a friend sent me a few OPA1612 opamps he ordered when they were in stock since i couldnt get them anywhere.
alongside with some aliexpress el`cheapos for like 2 buck a piece instead of 7..8 bucks for a genuine part.
i expected them to put some cheap crap in there, so i didnt wanna use them.
but was curious whats in there, so i opened one up.. surely they have put a tl072 or ne5532 in and relabeled it..
turns out, after extracting the Silicon Die, they are genuine.
Do they not meet the manufacturers specifications and are rejects or something else?
nothing my budget equipment can measure, but they worked fine, didnt have any louder hiss than the original parts and didnt oscillate or anything, even power draw was about the same.
this was from two different sellers at two difference price points on aliexpress, it doesnt mean everyone on there sells genuine parts.
i now ordered some more for like 80 cents a piece to see, whats going on with them. gotta wail til they arrive.
hearing them vs. the genuine part thats in spec, isnt conclusive either, its differences are so minor, my ears cant pick them up.
Original (mouser):
from a device that used them (actually the topping i mentioned above, extracted from the module)
, the damage to the right might be due to my extraction methods.. this chip is barely a millimeter in height and im not using any chemicals.
Aliexpress seller 1
Seller 2
(zoomed out, not to scale anymore)
for comparison, a genuine OPA1656
Ti NE5532
TL072
a friend sent me a few OPA1612 opamps he ordered when they were in stock since i couldnt get them anywhere.
alongside with some aliexpress el`cheapos for like 2 buck a piece instead of 7..8 bucks for a genuine part.
i expected them to put some cheap crap in there, so i didnt wanna use them.
but was curious whats in there, so i opened one up.. surely they have put a tl072 or ne5532 in and relabeled it..
turns out, after extracting the Silicon Die, they are genuine.
Do they not meet the manufacturers specifications and are rejects or something else?
nothing my budget equipment can measure, but they worked fine, didnt have any louder hiss than the original parts and didnt oscillate or anything, even power draw was about the same.
this was from two different sellers at two difference price points on aliexpress, it doesnt mean everyone on there sells genuine parts.
i now ordered some more for like 80 cents a piece to see, whats going on with them. gotta wail til they arrive.
hearing them vs. the genuine part thats in spec, isnt conclusive either, its differences are so minor, my ears cant pick them up.
Original (mouser):
from a device that used them (actually the topping i mentioned above, extracted from the module)
, the damage to the right might be due to my extraction methods.. this chip is barely a millimeter in height and im not using any chemicals.
Aliexpress seller 1
Seller 2
(zoomed out, not to scale anymore)
for comparison, a genuine OPA1656
Ti NE5532
TL072
Perhaps TI test rejects?
The easiest way to verify the device is to check gain bandwidth product at say a gain of ten, voltage offset and current consumption. That's usually sufficient to discriminate between most opamps.
TI TL072 are about 25 US cents here, and CDIL 2N3055 were 50 cents here, retail, single unit quantity.
CDIL is an Indian company, started in 1964.
Kia 4558 were about 25cents, JRC made 5532 were about 40 cents.
2030 / 2050 /1875 are in the 25 cents range, Chinese made, Chinese mark, not counterfeit.
And expect a big discount in 1000 quantity. Like 30%
Somebody here reported CDIL 3055 at 1.92 GBP from a UK retailer / seller of parts.
UK has high salaries, so if the handling is from Far East, expect much lower prices.
And the UK people want high margins to cover their low volumes...try asking a UK seller for 50k chip amp quantities, unlikely from stock.
Chinese seller will say yes sir, where is the money?
And it is only about 1 big carton, so next day shipping is normal.
And also, as above, buyer beware.
CDIL is an Indian company, started in 1964.
Kia 4558 were about 25cents, JRC made 5532 were about 40 cents.
2030 / 2050 /1875 are in the 25 cents range, Chinese made, Chinese mark, not counterfeit.
And expect a big discount in 1000 quantity. Like 30%
Somebody here reported CDIL 3055 at 1.92 GBP from a UK retailer / seller of parts.
UK has high salaries, so if the handling is from Far East, expect much lower prices.
And the UK people want high margins to cover their low volumes...try asking a UK seller for 50k chip amp quantities, unlikely from stock.
Chinese seller will say yes sir, where is the money?
And it is only about 1 big carton, so next day shipping is normal.
And also, as above, buyer beware.
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Mmm, meanwhile the suspicion has grown that OPA1612 is a new standard opamp (you find them in abundance even in very cheap ChiFi) and very cheap to Chinese manufacturers otherwise these simply wouldn't use them. It is maybe only expensive for private persons like many other parts.
Although specifications of OPA1612 (bipolar) indicate they are superior to that of OPA1642 (JFET inputs) in practice OPA1642 performs slightly better. Strange but found too many times to ignore it.
Although specifications of OPA1612 (bipolar) indicate they are superior to that of OPA1642 (JFET inputs) in practice OPA1642 performs slightly better. Strange but found too many times to ignore it.
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Search by "OPA1612" (lcsc.com)
When you buy them in bulk (1000+) the price is going to be low I guess...Still they have to make a profit, and for 80 cents (!) it's going to be a miracle that it's a TPA chip, albeit rebranded
When you buy them in bulk (1000+) the price is going to be low I guess...Still they have to make a profit, and for 80 cents (!) it's going to be a miracle that it's a TPA chip, albeit rebranded
The real prices of many parts are unbelievable when bought in quantities. Same counts for devices that are expensive to consumers.
It is all quite relative. Seen it so much that I learnt not to make a distinction based on retail prices. A difference in retail price of 100 Euro may be a difference of 10 Euro in manufacturing costs. Not always but often.
In China prices of original parts are lower than in the west too. The benefit of lower wages and the benefit of lower costs.
It is all quite relative. Seen it so much that I learnt not to make a distinction based on retail prices. A difference in retail price of 100 Euro may be a difference of 10 Euro in manufacturing costs. Not always but often.
In China prices of original parts are lower than in the west too. The benefit of lower wages and the benefit of lower costs.
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@jean-paul
In this specific case though, for the OPA1612 and 16xx in general: they are still relatively new and there's nothing "boutique" about them. Their form factor also limits the kind and range of false substitutes available.
I wager for now we can buy cheap (but not too cheap) Ali OPA chips with relative safety. In the future, as stocks dwindle/production stops and the Chinese grows ever craftier, who knows
In this specific case though, for the OPA1612 and 16xx in general: they are still relatively new and there's nothing "boutique" about them. Their form factor also limits the kind and range of false substitutes available.
I wager for now we can buy cheap (but not too cheap) Ali OPA chips with relative safety. In the future, as stocks dwindle/production stops and the Chinese grows ever craftier, who knows
2009…..
Where does the boutique come from? These are simply current technology opamps. Maybe it is OCD but I never buy semis from ebay or Ali. Don’t like the stupidity of incertainty because of a few Euro. When bought from official distributors and when I don’t use them they can be sold as original too.
The first Chinese airliner made its maiden flight last week….
Where does the boutique come from? These are simply current technology opamps. Maybe it is OCD but I never buy semis from ebay or Ali. Don’t like the stupidity of incertainty because of a few Euro. When bought from official distributors and when I don’t use them they can be sold as original too.
The first Chinese airliner made its maiden flight last week….
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Jean,
When I was referring to "boutique", what I had in mind are the MUSEs (01, 02, so on) and some OPAs like the 627, because of the general attitude "there's something about their SQ"
Also TIL OPA1612 dates back to 2009.
And no, you're totally reasonable. Buying legit products do both you (no compromise, no living in fear worrying the shiny new opamps you just paid 2 digits for are just humble TL072s in disguise) and the manufacturer (money going to the right place instead of scammers) a favor.
As for the Chinese airliner, I believe all the things that keep it upright in the air (like the engines and nav equipment) are of Western origin
K.
When I was referring to "boutique", what I had in mind are the MUSEs (01, 02, so on) and some OPAs like the 627, because of the general attitude "there's something about their SQ"
Also TIL OPA1612 dates back to 2009.
And no, you're totally reasonable. Buying legit products do both you (no compromise, no living in fear worrying the shiny new opamps you just paid 2 digits for are just humble TL072s in disguise) and the manufacturer (money going to the right place instead of scammers) a favor.
As for the Chinese airliner, I believe all the things that keep it upright in the air (like the engines and nav equipment) are of Western origin
K.