Source for LM/CA3080s?

forshee · Joined: Dec 16, 2010 Posts: 46 Location: Hopkins, MN

I'm about to build a twin wasp and I'm wondering if anyone has a good source for CA3080s. Smallbear and the ebay are the best I've seen and there still $1.80 or higher.

Dave Kendall · Posted: Fri May 06, 2011 5:22 pm Post subject:

Hi.

To be honest, I doubt you'd get them any lower than $1.80 unless you were *very* lucky. IMO $2,50 isn't so bad, and they'd be genuine ones from Small Bear, not possible knock-offs or fakes.....

just my 2 pence worth..... Smile

cheers,
Dave

andrewF · Posted: Fri May 06, 2011 6:42 pm Post subject:

yep $1.80 is as good as it gets these days
unless you get a tube of 50, I think it was hongkongsuperseller, then its about $1.20 each

kupfer_m · Joined: Oct 14, 2010 Posts: 48 Location: Belgium

Futurlec sells them at $1.90.

andrewF · Posted: Sat May 07, 2011 4:52 am Post subject:

kupfer_m · Joined: Oct 14, 2010 Posts: 48 Location: Belgium

forshee · Joined: Dec 16, 2010 Posts: 46 Location: Hopkins, MN

Thanks everybody! I ended up getting them off ebay. Too bad all these OTAs are getting hard to find.

CJ Miller · Joined: Jan 07, 2007 Posts: 368 Location: 127.0.0.1

For new designs, I find that using half of a 13600 is just as good as a 3080. Of course since it is a dual it is not a drop-in replacement. Way back I made a 13600 hex VCA which was one of my first successful perf layouts. You could practically make a whole synth out of 13600s.

3080 OTAs I am saving for repairs or older PCB projects which call for them. When I can afford to buy more chips I am definitely going to buy a tube of 3080s to hold me over... averaging $2-3ea on the cheap side, I don't see them getting cheaper over time.

On a happy note though, this month I bought 5x CA3280 for $20, which was a nice score.

forshee · Joined: Dec 16, 2010 Posts: 46 Location: Hopkins, MN

I think I got fakes or dead chips!! Evil or Very Mad

I was only getting a faint signal through the wasp on hi-pass and notch. And I got continuity from ground to the -5v line!!! So I pulled the chips out and no more continuity. Powered it up without the chips and the rails were all were they should be so nothing was damaged.

CJ Miller · Joined: Jan 07, 2007 Posts: 368 Location: 127.0.0.1

forshee · Joined: Dec 16, 2010 Posts: 46 Location: Hopkins, MN

So they were counterfeit or bad. I got some from small bear and my wasp worked just fine. So lesson one is sometimes it pays to spend a little more. But lesson two is there are still good people out there even on ebay. After I sent a message to the ebay seller he agreed to replace all 10 chips.

Just thought I'd post to let everybody know how things ended up.

Peake · Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2011 3:46 pm Post subject:

eeedesigner on ebay have confirmed working 3080s for less than $2.00 each.

Senso · Joined: Aug 06, 2007 Posts: 7 Location: Amsterdam

Be careful! I bought such 3080 from two sellers in Hong Kong and both were total rubbish.
The date codes on them were H0223 and H0237. I don't know what he was selling before, when the above was posted, but the current ones from eedesigner are stamped H0238, which looks like another run of the same crap.

Unfortunately, most people give positive feedback on eBay after promptly receiving goods that "look" ok. When using them later and finding you have been had, it's too late to change that. So don't give feedback before trying chips! Your positive feedback will just help to lure more victims into this trap!