[sdiy] Re: 3080---defunct?

[spr at spridley.freeserve.co.uk]

> The Intersil Homepage lists the ca3080e as "active" Status???
> Time to buy a lifetime stock or not ? some more opinions ?

(Crash helmet on)

* Maybe it's not a bad thing if the 3080 gets discontinued. *

It was a wonderful device and the answer to synth builder's
prayers when it came out, but that was thirty years ago (when
some of wore brown flares) so surely we should be using 
something better - less noisy and drifty.  But what?

There are the 13600 and 13700 and the CA3280, but even with 
these we're not getting the sort of SNR you'd expect for a 
reasonably professional application.  And I can't see those
being available for much longer.  (13600 gone already?)

There are some seriously good VCAs available - SSM2164,
THAT2080 etc - but they're all exponentially controlled. 
That's fine for a volume control and very useful in VCOs and 
VCFs, but a nuisance for use as a VCA driven by conventional 
EGs or for adapting as four quadrant multipliers.  (It can
be done, but you need to use a log converter or use another
expo VCA to compensate for the law of the first)

So, anyone know of a linear VCA or OTA which performs like a 
21st century device and doesn't cost a fortune?  AD633?

I can't see there being a problem with finding 3080s to keep
old synths going.  Unlike specialist SSM and CEM stuff, 3080s 
are used in plenty of other non-synth stuff, and after being
made for over thirty years there should be plenty spares out 
there for our modest needs.



Steve Ridley

(going away to hide now)



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