CA3080s

[Kimmo Koli]

I suppose the metal can models are comparable to ceramic DIP packages and
and therefore the larger temperature range is partly achieved by the fact
that these package type are hermetic while plastic packages behave more
like "sponges" (ie. NOT hermetic).

Once the moisture gets through the package to the chip corrosion starts 
to happen and finally the chip says "pop" and smells bad. 
The other problem with the old plastic CA3080 must have been that
they don't have enough power consumption to keep the chips warm and dry as
old TTL chips would have done.

Plastic packaging must have improved since that while there is usually not
ceramic packages in for example in GSM-phones which have extensive outdoor
usage also. Or then the manufacturer thinks that nobody is using that
phone more than 3-5 years... 

Thats all, Kimmo Koli

On Thu, 27 Feb 1997 gstopp at fibermux.com wrote:

>      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.
>      
> 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?
>      
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   Kimmo Koli                         Helsinki University of Technology 
   kimmo at ecdl.hut.fi                  Electronic Circuit Design Laboratory
   http://www.ecdl.hut.fi/~kimmo      Otakaari 5 A 
   Tel:  +358 9 451 2273              FIN-02150 Espoo
   Fax:  +358 9 451 2269              Finland 
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