Hi, I've had problems with them as well, two things to consider: 1. "order parts for prototypes" on homepage. Not sure max qty, they = might do as many as 40. I've gotten 15 or 20 before. 2. doom.com (paid registration required), partminer, etc. brokers. I've = gotten maxim parts thru brokers when I needed 100+. And yes, maxim is a real drag to deal with sometimes. I generally avoid = unless they have something that makes the design significantly better = than the alternatives. E.g. a nice battery monitor w/protection = circuitry, or a fully-isolated rs-485 chip, etc. I never use them for = dc/dcs or more conventional battery management or opamps or other stuff = available from TI, Linear, or National. It is a real shame they make small-qty designs such a risky hassle to do = with their parts. A questionable business decision, but they pretty = clearly don't spend much effort in this market. Which IMHO is bad in = the long run, b/c as soon as I have a working circuit that does = then that circuit is used in future designs if at all = possible. So whomever "wins" that chip "socket" as they say wins = multiple times. The qty 10 original design may be partially recycled = into qty 500 variation, etc. But maybe they just assume all significant qty orders (1K and up) will = always be designed from scratch for cost reasons, and so the trickle-up = from small qty designs isn't enough to bother. They may be right. Good luck J Anon wrote: > I don't know why Maxim makes it so difficult for small companies to des= ign with their components. > I am developing a new consumer electronics product. Unfortunately, I pl= anned to use 4 Maxim chips that are hard to find in small quantities (1-40)= . Standard distributors like Arrow, Mouser and Digikey don't cary them. The= se components are excellent matches for my design needs. Maxim offers some = of their ICs for purchasing on their website, but not the ones listed below= . Perhaps someone can recommend a broker or exchange website where rare Max= im components can be purchased at reasonable prices. I would love to find a= lternatives to these components if someone can offer some advice. National,= Linear and Analog devices simply cant match the selection, sophistication = and price of switching regulators and battery charging ICs. Please feel fre= e to recommend other IC manuafacturers that specialize in these types of co= mponents. > = > DS2745 Low Cost I2C Battery Monitor = > (chosen for its ability to cumulatively measure voltage & current to es= timate battery life, + its low cost, $1@1K) > http://www.maxim-ic.com/quick_view2.cfm/qv_pk/4994 > = > MAX1555 Dual-Input, USB/AC Adapter, 1-Cell Li+ Battery Chargers = > (chosen for its ability to intelligently charge a 1-cell lithium from a= wall adapter or USB port 5v rail, low cost .85@1K) > http://www.maxim-ic.com/quick_view2.cfm/qv_pk/4002 > = > MAX1522 Simple SOT23 Boost Controllers = > (chosen for its high frequency operation - small inductor, only a few e= xternal components, low cost $1.07@1K) > = > MAX1724 1.5=B5A IQ, Step-Up DC-DC Converters in Thin SOT23-5 = > (chosen for its ultra low quiescent current, only needs a 10uh inductor= , has built in FET, very few external components, low cost $1.45 @ 1K) > http://www.maxim-ic.com/quick_view2.cfm/qv_pk/3024 > = > = > --------------------------------- > Yahoo! Music Unlimited - Access over 1 million songs.Try it free. = -- = http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist