Counterfeit parts...

[John Robertson]

I recommend that you take a magnifying glass with you when buying
components these days. I've bought a couple of fake ICs and HOT
transistors lately and fortunately they are fairly easy to spot (so far)
as the print and quality of the part looks inferior to regular
production parts.

It looks like it is up to us to keep an eye out for these parts by
comparing the new part against original manufacturers parts to see if
the structure and lettering look proper.

No names are needed as this can happen to any small supplier, they can't
do a test on every part they buy...

John :-#)#


--
(Please post followups or tech inquiries to the newsgroup)
John's Jukes Ltd. 2343 Main St., Vancouver, BC, Canada V5T 3C9
Call (604)872-5757 or Fax 872-2010 (Pinballs, Jukes, Video Games)
www.flippers.com
"Old pinballers never die, they just flip out."

 

[Charles]

Buying parts on-line?

 

[Tim Schwartz]

I recommend that you take a magnifying glass with you when buying
components these days. I've bought a couple of fake ICs and HOT
transistors lately and fortunately they are fairly easy to spot (so far)
as the print and quality of the part looks inferior to regular
production parts.

It looks like it is up to us to keep an eye out for these parts by
comparing the new part against original manufacturers parts to see if
the structure and lettering look proper.

No names are needed as this can happen to any small supplier, they can't
do a test on every part they buy...

John :-#)#

Hello all,

I've definitely gotten fake transistors from reputable suppliers.
Usually on out of date or obsolete parts which they probably buy from
jobbers on the surplus market.

To make sure I get real output devices, I only buy from company's that
source from the manufacturer. So, I now order my Toshiba output
transistors from Digikey, as they are an official distributor.

Regards,
Tim Schwartz
Bristol Electronics

 

[John Robertson]

Hello all,

I've definitely gotten fake transistors from reputable suppliers.
Usually on out of date or obsolete parts which they probably buy from
jobbers on the surplus market.

To make sure I get real output devices, I only buy from company's
that source from the manufacturer. So, I now order my Toshiba output
transistors from Digikey, as they are an official distributor.

Regards,
Tim Schwartz
Bristol Electronics

Yes, this supplier is also a reputable local company. They've made good
on the parts as well. However, like Tim, I am buying more parts from
Digi-Key as a result...

John :-#)#

--
(Please post followups or tech inquiries to the newsgroup)
John's Jukes Ltd. 2343 Main St., Vancouver, BC, Canada V5T 3C9
Call (604)872-5757 or Fax 872-2010 (Pinballs, Jukes, Video Games)
www.flippers.com
"Old pinballers never die, they just flip out."