Re:Common Parts Library
by noonespecial on Monday September 29, 2014 @08:49PM
(#8386198)
Example: I needed to make a circuit with a logarithmic response to voltage that ran off single rail +5vDC. I needed about 200 copies of this configuration. I chose a low VCC rail-to-rail single-source op-amp from Digi-key. Twice. Both got EOL'd and impossible to get between the time I got my prototype done and the time I was ready to order in quantity.
Many ICs are produced for specific purposes for a short time and are never made again. As a "pro-am", its hard to navigate this part of the supply chain. Ostensibly a common part library would have smart people looking to make sure that a part remained source-able in the long term. If the idea became big enough, the CPL would cause these chosen parts to be so.
What kind of projects do you work on that finding things at Digi-Key and Mouser is not easy? What kinds of components are difficult for you to source?
If you're looking for specific types of components within a broader range (such as you want a < 10 ppm SMD crystal at a strange frequency), sure, I can see finding something like a suitable crystal being less than easy. But for normal components (everything Digi-Key sells is "normal" to me) I have a hard time understanding how changing Digi-Key's search tool would make it better.