The Chippocolypse is coming!

[ScribblesOnNapkins]

TI is declaring END OF LIFE on everything that was made in GFAB6 which I assume was previously owned by National Semiconductor.

I found out about it in a very round about way on a TI forum.
https://e2e.ti.com/support/amplifiers/audio_amplifiers/f/6/t/457875

One member got a copy of this and was nice enough to post it.
http://www.proaudiodesignforum.com/images/pdf/ti_20150901004_09292015_eol.pdf

A lot of this is stuff I could care less about because it is jelly bean stuff like LMC567 but there are nicer things on this list. My fear is what happens next? Are they going to close more fabs? How the heck can they continue to fab LME49720 but not the single LME49710?

TI, they failed to manage BurrBrown correctly and now they are doing the same to National.

[Marco]

Weird, LMC6001/662 are not on that PDF. Seems doubtful they could just transplant those design to their own processes.

[bson]

Yep, just getting the EOL notifications from digikey and mouser.  The 49710 is axed, as is the quad 49740, and the LM4562 in DIP (!).  The 49710 has been my go-to DIP audio band op amp for a while, and it's a really nice little device so I think I'll stock up...

[German_EE]

No more LM3916 Dot/Bar Display Driver, that one will be missed by quite a few audio constructors.

[SeanB]

No more LM3916 Dot/Bar Display Driver, that one will be missed by quite a few audio constructors.

that will probably be cloned soon enough though..... They are pretty expensive in any case for the actual circuit inside.

[JoeB83]

Crap. Thanks for the heads up, I've used LME49600, LM4562, LM49990, LM3875, and many more in my audio designs. Time to stock up.

[JoeB83]

What's much worse, LME49600/LME49610 are gone too! They are irreplaceable by any parts!

I love the LME49600-I've used it a lot-but BUF634 is pretty close to the LME49600. Plus it comes in SO-8 & TO-220-5, and DIP-8 in addition to DDPAK.

http://www.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/buf634.pdf

[dmills]

Just curious, do you need to do all the compliance tests and certifications again after a part was changed to a different brand or suffix number?

Not usually unless the part was safety related (Fuse, Opto across an isolation barrier, transformer, stuff like that) or you are in a regulated industry (Medical, safety critical applications, avionics...).

I would note that many of those parts seem to have very close equivalents, there are only a few really unique parts being discontinued (Those high current buffers being the boring ones, but there are near equivalent parts there, at the cost of a minor board respin).

This is why you try to NEVER design in a single source component unless you really have no choice in the matter, and for line evel audio at lowish impedance there is little wrong with the 5532/34 which is second sourced by **EVERYONE**.

Regards, Dan.

[John Coloccia]

I'm a huge fan of the LM833 for a lot of the work I do. Fortunately it looks like they're just killing off the DIP package but the surface mount ones are still available.

Oh well...I've been meaning to get a hot air station and dispenser anyway. I've already had to change some JFets over to surface mount. It really doesn't seem like a big deal except for a couple of chips that really have no good equivalent right now.

Incidentally, the J201 (that I had to switch over to surface mount because of sourcing issues in through hole) is even being cloned now in a throughole package if anyone really wants it. I'm sure the clones will show up soon enough.

edit:
Now that I think of it, I think I'm already using the ON Semi LM833, so no worries.

[ScribblesOnNapkins]

It is disastrous for Hi-Fi industry!

Look at it, LM4562, LME497x0, LME498x0, LME49990, they are all gone! Performance wise, under some situations, they even outperform OPA1612!

What's much worse, LME49600/LME49610 are gone too! They are irreplaceable by any parts!

And of course, all these chips I grew up tinkering with, 2577, 1876, 386, 2985, 833...

For the LME49710 which I use at work we are considering the Maxim (ya i know) MAX9632

http://datasheets.maximintegrated.com/en/ds/MAX9632.pdf

[ScribblesOnNapkins]

Weird, LMC6001/662 are not on that PDF. Seems doubtful they could just transplant those design to their own processes.

Marco are you sure those are made on GFAB6? I would think they would share the same node as the LMP series which is also extremely low bias current field effect.
(are they using teflon in the gate of the mosfets on those chips?)

[calexanian]

I am really surprised to see a few on there that they are not migrating to other fabs, that we know of anyways. Analog must just be disappearing at a crazy rate from new designs.

[ScribblesOnNapkins]

Digital stuff is easier to migrate between fabs. The analog stuff is a very different process.

Digital chips require a small feature size. Analog requires as fine control on things like transistor characteristics as possible.

The idea that digital is replacing analog is a myth. It was really only true in that one wave of change that replaced analog computers with digital ones.

[JoeB83]

Just a warning to my fellow EEVblog readers:

I just stocked up on all my soon-to-be-disco favorites on Mouser. A couple are ALREADY out of stock-if you want to stock up, do it soon. I haven't checked Digikey or Newark, (long story, I only shop @ Mouser) but I wouldn't be surprised if the same happens there.

[fivefish]

This just pisses me off. 

[coppice]

Just a warning to my fellow EEVblog readers:

I just stocked up on all my soon-to-be-disco favorites on Mouser. A couple are ALREADY out of stock-if you want to stock up, do it soon. I haven't checked Digikey or Newark, (long story, I only shop @ Mouser) but I wouldn't be surprised if the same happens there.

This is just scare mongering. TI are accepting orders until 28 Sep 2016. That's almost another year. People who need these parts are encouraged to work out their product lifetime needs and buy accordingly.

[JoeB83]

Just a warning to my fellow EEVblog readers:

I just stocked up on all my soon-to-be-disco favorites on Mouser. A couple are ALREADY out of stock-if you want to stock up, do it soon. I haven't checked Digikey or Newark, (long story, I only shop @ Mouser) but I wouldn't be surprised if the same happens there.

This is just scare mongering. TI are accepting orders until 28 Sep 2016. That's almost another year. People who need these parts are encouraged to work out their product lifetime needs and buy accordingly.

If I was associated with TI, probably so. You're also probably right, I'm sure more orders will come in. Just trying to be helpful! 

[jwm_]

Step 1. Buy up stock of soon to be discontinued chip
Step 2. Write an article for audiophile magazine extolling the benefits of the chip.
Step 3. Profit

[JoeB83]

Step 1. Buy up stock of soon to be discontinued chip
Step 2. Write an article for audiophile magazine extolling the benefits of the chip.
Step 3. Profit

 

[bson]

Seems like maybe the LME49710HA isn't EOLed.  This is the TO-99 metal can version.

[coppice]

Step 1. Buy up stock of soon to be discontinued chip
Step 2. Write an article for audiophile magazine extolling the benefits of the chip.
Step 3. Profit

It doesn't have to be a gouging exercise like that. There are some companies who specialise in stocking end of life parts from major semiconductors makers, and keeping them in good condition for years. Rochester Electronics is the most famous of these. They certainly charge for what they do, but the capital tied up in stocking stuff for years must be considerable. I assume their customers find overall value for money in what they do.

[ScribblesOnNapkins]

Just a warning to my fellow EEVblog readers:

I just stocked up on all my soon-to-be-disco favorites on Mouser. A couple are ALREADY out of stock-if you want to stock up, do it soon. I haven't checked Digikey or Newark, (long story, I only shop @ Mouser) but I wouldn't be surprised if the same happens there.

This is just scare mongering. TI are accepting orders until 28 Sep 2016. That's almost another year. People who need these parts are encouraged to work out their product lifetime needs and buy accordingly.

No if you are designing something right now and it is meant to have a lifecycle longer than this it will be an issue. I was working on something that has to be available for at least 4 or 5 years.

[ScribblesOnNapkins]

Seems like maybe the LME49710HA isn't EOLed.  This is the TO-99 metal can version.

That is weird. I hope you are right but I can not understand how that could be true given that the process node is being shuttered.

[mikerj]

LM380 and LM386!  I've lost count of the number of projects I've used them in over the years, though not for a while to be fair.

[zapta]

It is disastrous for Hi-Fi industry!

In a recent Amp Hour, a TI representative that works on audio IC bragged that TI is very aggressive on keeping old ICs available.