If you are a fast talker you can get free samples of anything but popcorn parts (resistors, and so on) MAXIM is a really famous source of free parts - I haven't paid for a MAX232 in many years. http://www.maxim-ic.com/ With their acquisition of Dallas Semi, they win my award for the wierdest product line in the industry. Also some really really useful dedicated ICs, such as special purpose NiMH battery charger ICs. Most copanies will give samples off their website. Most of them are trying to give samples to designers who design them in. You can approach this two ways - honestly tell them you are a starving student and one day will be a top EE designer giving them millions of dollars of business, or you can lie and say you are Lindy's Technical Services, designing a custom part for an unnamed client who will buy about 5000 of these. When the guy calls back in 6 months you can say the project was dropped. -- Lawrence Lile Senior Project Engineer Toastmaster, Inc. Division of Salton, Inc. 573-446-5661 voice 573-446-5676 fax Lindy Mayfield Sent by: pic microcontroller discussion list 06/24/2004 08:55 AM Please respond to pic microcontroller discussion list To: PICLIST@MITVMA.MIT.EDU cc: Subject: [PIC]: Question about Microchip samples Just curious, as I have heard many times here mentioned getting samples of chips. How is this done, and for whom? I mean, could I as a hobbyist get or ask for a chip and they would just send me one? (I cannot imagine that happening unless I died and went to New Haven.) Ciao!Lindy --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.699 / Virus Database: 456 - Release Date: 6/4/2004 -- http://www.piclist.com hint: To leave the PICList mailto:piclist-unsubscribe-request@mitvma.mit.edu -- http://www.piclist.com hint: To leave the PICList mailto:piclist-unsubscribe-request@mitvma.mit.edu