On Mon, Jun 27, 2011 at 12:53 AM, Jesse Lackey <jsl-ml@celestialaudio.com>w=
rote:

> It is true often enough.  Everything discussed on this thread I concur
> with and have experienced.  The MAX1480BCPI fully-isolated 1-chip RS485
> interface is great.  And relatively expensive, and for 6 months totally
> unobtainable, as well as the related MAX1480ACPI.  I redesigned the
> board to have a fully-iso rs485 of mostly my design that had no
> single-source parts, put that design within the footprint of the DIP-28
> the MAX1480 comes in, and just before finalizing the proto they came
> back into stock.  All this effort doing design and trying to source
> world-wide (I bought 50 at very high prices just to be able to make some
> of the product for waiting customers) - all this effort and worry and
> hassle due to Maxim.  They just have to run their show better.  Everyone
> else can do it (Atmel is a problem also but nothing like maxim.)
>
> So Maxim's been the worst supplier / biggest PITA for my business thus
> far, 5 years and counting.
>
> Oh, and they have some great parts.  But seriously, I will /never/ use a
> maxim part again, I don't care how much more the TI/linear/ADI
> alternatives are in cost or boardspace.


I actually started buying components instead of sampling like a freeloader
and found TI to be pretty cheap actually. I found Linear to be expensive bu=
t
I really like their parts (like ideal diode controllers, linear regulators,
etc).

Now I just go to mouser and sort by price, then pick the part that is most
in stock (principles...) as well has a nice datasheet.

Ugly or nonexistent or hard to access datasheet =3D no buy.
--=20
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