[sdiy] Another new hard to find part....

[jbv]

Hi all,

I have 2 remarks (which will probably bring me my monthly share of flames) :

James Patchell
> I did not think would be hard to get, a regular 74HC283 in a dip package is

> no longer stocked by either Digikey or Mouser.  They are now special order
> with them....even digital crap now is starting to be difficult to get....

Scott Gravenhorst
> What I really hate about this is that mainstream electronics tends toward
> digital microprocessor methods which don't seem to yet be able to do what
> simple analogue circuits can do for music.  When analog is finally gone,
will
> the digital domain be able to satisfy our musical demands?  So far, it
> doesn't look that great, IMHO.

remark 1 : when I compare the time I used to spend 25 years ago designing +
debugging modules & drilling PCBs full of TTL logic with the ease to design
the
same stuff around a uC or a basic stamp, I realize that I don't care much if
big
companies decide to drop TTL logic in dip package...
Furthermore I don't think logic ICs had much influence on the analog sound...

remark 2 : in the late 60's & early 70's, when Bob Moog & friends used to cook

their modulars, did they made efforts to use technology from 30 years ago ?
Nope : they were just using parts of their time. And they managed to make
wonders
out of it.
When compared to what was available back then, today's technology is pretty
much
likle a treasure island. So is there really any difficulty to design great
stuff with today's
technology ?
Is nostalgia of analog sound really necessary ? Does digital really have to
compete
with analog ? Did analog have to compete with violins and drums ?
Since I went back to synth diy circa 1996 (after 15 years), I've always
suspected
that the nostalgia for analog technology and sound had much to do with lack of

inspiration (should I say "designers' lazyness" ?), rather than limited
technology...
I'm afraid that some of us complain about gone trannies, just like in the 70's
some
music fans used to lament about Hendrix' death, or later about Kurt Cobain's
suicide...
I've the feeling it's just nostalgia for the pleasure of it... Nostalgia of
the thrill and
difficulty to find parts & schemos in the 70's, when today everything is only
a
mouseclick away on the net... and 5 to 10 times cheaper...

JB