> Multiply by 4096 and you have a major problem.
> 
> The only cheap ones I've found are 1N4148's and the like, at
> 8cents or less each

You're probably shopping in the wrong place - I'm not familiar
with Digikey's pricing but suspect they wouldn't be close to a
proper wholesaler. For comparison, if I bought 1N4148 from
Radiospares, I'd be paying NZ$0.12 / 1000. I always buy in
bulk when I can from a trade outlet, eg Active Components /
Arrow / Hagemeyer etc. The last 1N4148s I got were, I think,
NZ$0.009 / 2000. I know it was near to a cent anyway. Although
only 1000-ish were required for the job in hand, for the extra
10 bucks I need never worry about running short of 1N4148s

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