Maxim small qty

[Paul Smith]

I'm looking for prototype quantities (25 each) of:

MAX1836EUT50

MAX4163ESA

MAX4164ESD

MAX922CSA

Digi-Key used to be really good at stocking Maxim, but none of these
parts are in stock. Maxim will send 2 samples; not enough.

Suggestions?

It's hard to understand Maxim's business model. For example, the
MAX1836 is showing 28 weeks delivery on the Maxim web site. How can
Maxim expect anyone to design in their parts if they are so hard to get?

Paul Smith
Indiana University Physics

 

[Roger Hamlett]

I'm looking for prototype quantities (25 each) of:

MAX1836EUT50

MAX4163ESA

MAX4164ESD

MAX922CSA

Digi-Key used to be really good at stocking Maxim, but none of these
parts are in stock. Maxim will send 2 samples; not enough.

Suggestions?

It's hard to understand Maxim's business model. For example, the
MAX1836 is showing 28 weeks delivery on the Maxim web site. How can
Maxim expect anyone to design in their parts if they are so hard to get?

Paul Smith
Indiana University Physics

Answers on a postcard to...
I have had the same problem with Maxim supplies, but also with their data
(the data sheet for the MAX3110, is significantly wrong, to the point where
the 'demo' code won't work...). I think the key (unfortunately), is that
they work on making their money on a small range of products _shipped in
quantity_ to customers who are using millions off. The lead time for
reasonable quantities for design, must hamper their final sales, but they
seem not to have realised this..
You may well find if you order the chips, that the final delivery time may
'beat' the estimate, but short of ordering the chips, or making a set of
phone calls round suppliers, there is little you can do. The Max4163ESA is
available in the UK, from RS (their 'electrocircuits' subsidiary, will
accept credit card orders from the US), and they are showing stock at
present. the Max922CSA, Dial electronics here, had last month, and may be
able to help.

Best Wishes

 

[Dave Platt]

It's hard to understand Maxim's business model. For example, the

MAX1836 is showing 28 weeks delivery on the Maxim web site. How can
Maxim expect anyone to design in their parts if they are so hard to get?

I'd guess that they expect people to "plan in" their parts well in
advance of need. Lead times of about 6 months are not uncommon for
specialized semiconductors of many sorts, whenever the market is "hot"
or when fab capacity is saturated.

My understanding is that Maxim is a fabless company. They are
dependent on third-party semiconductor foundries to make their parts,
and they must have to compete to some extent against other customers
for fab-line space. During the dot-com-bomb downturn, a lot of semi
foundries reduced their ongoing investment in production equipment.
Now that the industry seems to be coming out of its slump, a lot of
the production lines for certain wafer types and sizes are running at
or near capacity, and it's hard to get new wafers started in time to
meet short-term demands.

Remember what it was like, trying to get flash-memory chips a few
years ago?