Now I'm a cheap guy and maybe at a trade show where a stand gives away free samples , sure . But asking , requesting a company like TI , hey send me some free samples ... how big of a cheapskate can you be ?
TI can afford it. If they come out with a new chip and I'm a customer that already buys from them (they don't give samples to anyone who asks) they will provide samples of their products. It generates revenue and accepting free samples from TI or any other place has nothing to do with anyone being a "cheapskate".
I don't take free samples at Costco though.
When I offer free samples of some of my designs, I'll remember you insist in paying.
I don't take free samples at Costco though.
When I offer free samples of some of my designs, I'll remember you insist in paying.
Didn't matter. I needed some last-buy chips for school. I asked for two. They confirmed, but said EDU customers might be delayed up to 30 days. A day later they arrived: FROM BORNEO! Or probably Malaysia... IAC from the opposite corner of the globe. 12,000 mile next-day delivery to a residential area.
The wet-dream of all these free sample programs is something like the original Apple. Two guys in a garage, and whatever chip is in-hand grows to a billion dollar industry.
Well at the moment I would not recommend ordering from Texas Instruments unless you are willing to absorb the loss.
I inquired about a test board, they looked into it and confirmed that it was supposed to be something. When I received it, it did not look anything like what was on the website. The datasheet was for a clearly different item.
Well, that happens...so I notified them of the mistake, and got no reply for 3 days. On the fourth day I went ahead and online chatted them, and they have been dancing around with "doing an investigation".
So here I am with a useless piece of junk and its shipping materials, sitting around here, and no RMA from them to return a clearly erroneous item.
Based on this experience, I would say that if you are not prepared to just shrug your shoulders and accept your losses, maybe find another vendor.
I inquired about a test board, they looked into it and confirmed that it was supposed to be something. When I received it, it did not look anything like what was on the website. The datasheet was for a clearly different item.
Well, that happens...so I notified them of the mistake, and got no reply for 3 days. On the fourth day I went ahead and online chatted them, and they have been dancing around with "doing an investigation".
So here I am with a useless piece of junk and its shipping materials, sitting around here, and no RMA from them to return a clearly erroneous item.
Based on this experience, I would say that if you are not prepared to just shrug your shoulders and accept your losses, maybe find another vendor.
I have been quite pleased with the TI store service. My biggest problem was trying to do a bank transfer. My bank’s send function wouldn’t work as it would not accept TI’s bank transfer number.
Instead I just was allowed to create an open account with 30 day terms.
One of the amazing things is how low some of the prices are on old commodity parts.
I got reels of LM358s for under $.08 each! They work quite nicely as audio line drivers.
To be honest though, I have purchased more than 100,000 parts through the TI store.
When I started TI didn’t really want to sell onesies to hobbyists, so I went to other manufacturers, even for designs that would be produced in quantity. Today they are at least as hobbiest friendly as the best of them.
Instead I just was allowed to create an open account with 30 day terms.
One of the amazing things is how low some of the prices are on old commodity parts.
I got reels of LM358s for under $.08 each! They work quite nicely as audio line drivers.
To be honest though, I have purchased more than 100,000 parts through the TI store.
When I started TI didn’t really want to sell onesies to hobbyists, so I went to other manufacturers, even for designs that would be produced in quantity. Today they are at least as hobbiest friendly as the best of them.
So I guess I should have been chummy with them, and gotten 100,000 parts.
At the moment, they act like I can just sit on this and they sit on my money. Other vendors, they apologize immediately and tell me to send back the mishandled order.
So it's nice to know that when they do OK, they do OK. But in my case, they are behaving like a shifty ebay vendor. YMMV, it seems.
At the moment, they act like I can just sit on this and they sit on my money. Other vendors, they apologize immediately and tell me to send back the mishandled order.
So it's nice to know that when they do OK, they do OK. But in my case, they are behaving like a shifty ebay vendor. YMMV, it seems.
Well, this is just getting weird.
Take a look at both pictures here.
"Per checked the pictures, the part we shipped is consistent with the one LME49720NABD you have ordered."
Honest people do not make such a claim. It was a mistake to order from them.
Take a look at both pictures here.
"Per checked the pictures, the part we shipped is consistent with the one LME49720NABD you have ordered."
Honest people do not make such a claim. It was a mistake to order from them.
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I have never ha an issue ordering direct from them in nearly 20 years of doing so. A number of those were free samples and even those the service was impeccable. express shipping that gets from them to Australia in a couple days, for free? Its not like that anymore afaikl (I havent asked for samples for years, so not sure?), thats not surprising as thats not sustainable; but I guess i've ordered a couple hundred parts in the past 6 months, in 3 orders. The pricing is very competitive. You cant get everything from them directly, some parts are not available, but anything newish, especially in the modern packages is always 30-50% off vs. buying from digikey or mouser.
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I see no problem with getting free samples, if they are actually to help you evaluate their parts for a design that will require you to make significant purchases of their product (thats the whole reason they do it; why not take advantage of it?). Just getting free stuff because its free, with no intention or possibility of that happening ... hmmm; thats a bit more dubious IMO.
After eight days, I was finally able to talk to someone at Texas Instruments that acknowledged that the part that I paid for did in fact look different than what I had ordered. Now I have yet another promise to urgently review the matter.
But they still have not moved on it. No RMA, no refund, no exchange.
Very aggravating.
But they still have not moved on it. No RMA, no refund, no exchange.
Very aggravating.
Slightly OT: OPA627AP/BP (DIP8) appears to be heading to EOL. The last date to order is Sep 10 2022, and the last shipment date is Mar 10 2023. A bunch of other PDIPs are also being EOLed, including OPA604/2604, OPA552, BUF634 and so on.
https://www.mouser.com/PCN/Texas_Instruments_PCN20220224002_2022031714191122.pdf
Suggested replacement is OPA828, which is not pin-for-pin compatible.
SOIC8 OPA627AU/BU is still available in quantity, it appears.
https://www.mouser.com/PCN/Texas_Instruments_PCN20220224002_2022031714191122.pdf
Suggested replacement is OPA828, which is not pin-for-pin compatible.
SOIC8 OPA627AU/BU is still available in quantity, it appears.
Since there are some threads about Mouser and Newark and I didn't want to go off
topic in the "OPA1656 " thread where it didn't get much reaction , here are some
thoughts about buying directly from manufacturers instead of distributors , in this
case Texas Instruments.
There must be a lot of rich , mainly Canadians and Americans , on this forum
because I've never seen a mention about buying directly from TI and saving some
money doing so. ( of course I haven't read that much of the 1000's of threads
here). So for us less fortunate
Mouser/Newark/Digikey/RS/Farnell,... and the T.I store ?
So why not buy directly from the cheaper manufacturer , you know , the company
who actually makes them over Warren Buffett's orderpickers/robots ( and B. Gates apparently Access to this page has been denied. , I'm not getting political here) . mouser.com/BerkshireVisit/
For all the parts I have researched , TI sells them even for 1 piece . Huh, what ?
Imagine me buying one 74LVC1G32 in SOT23 for 0,066 $ ?
Could it be the extra shipping costs ? As far as I know TI doesn't sell R's , C's ,..
and all other parts that distributors do . But I see many on here already buying from
more than 1 source . Sure some give free shipping above a certain amount , but
even then , shouldn't I prefer to buy directy from the TI store ?
TI does ask for a company name and it's URL when you buy as non registered buyer , but that is easily circumvented by "bending the truth" a little.
So what are your experiences buying directly from the TI store ? Any pitfalls ? How is shipping/delivery ? Any reason not to buy from them ?
Need procurement from Texas Instruments, if you can please contact me: mikemikeqqq@outlook.com