Top Ten ICs (was Re: [sdiy] Analog Design Book)

[Roy J. Tellason]

On Friday 22 October 2004 02:50 am, R. D. Davis wrote:

> Favorite sources of parts, however, were items that I disassembled,
> such as old TV sets found on the side of the road... still have
> assorted tubes from them.

Yeah,  I scrapped a lot of stuff over the years.  It's getting to be less fun 
these days,  though.

> Regret taking some things apart for parts, however, such as a chart
> recorder, a 1940's or so DuMont oscilloscope and some transistor radios that
> would now be collectors' items.

I don't think that I can list much that's in that category.

> Anyone here need a 25" Zenith picture tube from the early 1970's?  :-)
> Got that, and many other parts, from a roadside throwaway.  Still have
> that CRT taking up space on a workbench; can't bring myself to discard
> it since it might be useful for something, perhaps something SDIY
> related, or to someone, some day.  Anyone here ever used a picture
> tube in any sort of audio project having nothing to do with video,
> just using the tube for some sort of interesting characteristics?  Now
> then, can I get nominated for the SDIY Packrat Award for that?  It's
> been sitting there for about 25 years!

At one point in time I had a whole bunch of tubes around from having scrapped 
out a bunch of tv sets.  And I actually encountered a guy who was interested 
in taking them off my hands.  So he came over and got 'em.  He already had 
several.  I have no idea what sort of plans he had in mind for them...

<...>

> Other than that, my first IC other than that was some sort of amplifier chip
> which was part of a Lafayette electronics kit (anyone here remember
> the Lafayette electronics stores?).

Yes!  Their catalog was one of my wish-lists.  And the stores I could get to 
never seemed to have much of any of that stuff in stock,  when I went 
there...

For some reason "Argonne" transformers sticks in my head.

> Didn't get into digital chips until around 1980.
>
> > (The 555 isn't on my "first ten" list only because it was out of
> > stock!!)
>
> That chip is on my "always have some in stock" list (actually, I
> bought enough back in the mid 1980's so that I still have some in
> stock to play with).

Heh.  :-)