CA3080s

[gstopp at fibermux.com]

     I suspect that the main difference between various batches of CA3080's 
     is who manufactured them and how old they are. When I built my first 
     modular back in '76 I used RCA units in the metal can plus a few 
     plastics here and there. These tended to fail more often than other 
     chips, for no apparent reason. I had one plastic one blow up on me 
     once, complete with a loud "pop" and shrapnel to boot. I have the 
     feeling from experience that the RCA cans were more reliable than the 
     RCA plastics.
     
     Harris is now carrying the 3080 torch, having inherited them from the 
     now-defunt RCA, by a somewhat bumpy route the details of which I can't 
     totally remember. The 3080's I use today (plastic, BTW) I get from our 
     local distributor (one of the perks of working in engineering) and 
     they are first-run production Harris units. I must say these 3080's 
     are really nice - very low offsets, very robust, very clean. Harris 
     still makes cans too.
     
     No matter which batch you have, these are useful chips and worth hours 
     and hours of synth-diy fun!
     
     - Gene
     gstopp at fibermux.com


______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Re: CA3080s
Author:  midas at teleport.com (Brian Coates) at ccrelayout
Date:    2/27/97 8:12 AM


>These seem to be *very* ubiquitous chips 
>in synth circuits.
     
I've got a full tube of them in the plastic 8pin form that I've never been 
able to use up (yet).  I am curious to know from people the difference 
between the plastic and the metal can versions.  I suppose the metal can 
would be better, but have I been missing out considerably all these years?