Digikey degrading...

[John Larkin]

A recent Digikey parts search, sorted by price, starts with thousands
of \"marketplace\" products priced at 0.01 and not in stock.

And they feel free to ignore search constraints... not that their
constraints make much sense to start with.

Datasheets are often just a link to a manufacturer\'s web site, which
sometimes requires registration and a password.

A rep from another distributor told us that most distributors no
longer stock parts, but are middlemen to the manufacturers, and that
Digikey was one of the few stocking distributors. Looks like that\'s
not the trend.

So Digikey is just a multi-vendor search engine and maybe a source for
a few prototype parts if they are available. That doesn\'t sound like
good business.

Some of their pricing is crazy too, like a dinky connector for $450.

Mouser is going \"non stocked 26 weeks\" a lot too. They often have no
datasheet link at all.

 

[Ricky]

On Thursday, April 20, 2023 at 10:40:08 AM UTC-4, John Larkin wrote:

A recent Digikey parts search, sorted by price, starts with thousands
of \"marketplace\" products priced at 0.01 and not in stock.

And they feel free to ignore search constraints... not that their
constraints make much sense to start with.

Datasheets are often just a link to a manufacturer\'s web site, which
sometimes requires registration and a password.

A rep from another distributor told us that most distributors no
longer stock parts, but are middlemen to the manufacturers, and that
Digikey was one of the few stocking distributors. Looks like that\'s
not the trend.

So Digikey is just a multi-vendor search engine and maybe a source for
a few prototype parts if they are available. That doesn\'t sound like
good business.

Some of their pricing is crazy too, like a dinky connector for $450.

Mouser is going \"non stocked 26 weeks\" a lot too. They often have no
datasheet link at all.

You can exclude marketplace goods and you can select only items in stock, with a data sheet. I\'d expect someone to know this when they\'ve been using it for a while.

--

Rick C.

- Get 1,000 miles of free Supercharging
- Tesla referral code - https://ts.la/richard11209

 

[Fred Bloggs]

On Thursday, April 20, 2023 at 10:40:08 AM UTC-4, John Larkin wrote:

A recent Digikey parts search, sorted by price, starts with thousands
of \"marketplace\" products priced at 0.01 and not in stock.

And they feel free to ignore search constraints... not that their
constraints make much sense to start with.

Sounds like you\'re using it to search for a part by function. Use google.

Datasheets are often just a link to a manufacturer\'s web site, which
sometimes requires registration and a password.

A rep from another distributor told us that most distributors no
longer stock parts, but are middlemen to the manufacturers, and that
Digikey was one of the few stocking distributors. Looks like that\'s
not the trend.

So Digikey is just a multi-vendor search engine and maybe a source for
a few prototype parts if they are available. That doesn\'t sound like
good business.

Some of their pricing is crazy too, like a dinky connector for $450.

Mouser is going \"non stocked 26 weeks\" a lot too. They often have no
datasheet link at all.

 

[Wandere]

I miss the catalog. The internet is fine for finding things if you know what you\'re looking for, but you can\'t browse it like you did the catalog and go \"What that?\".

 

[John Larkin]

On Fri, 21 Apr 2023 11:48:42, Wanderer<dont@emailme.com> wrote:

> I miss the catalog. The internet is fine for finding things if you know what you\'re looking for, but you can\'t browse it like you did the catalog and go \"What that?\".

I agree, but the catalog would be 30,000 pages now.

I do like pictures. Sometimes the best way to google for something is
to select \"images.\"

I hate web sites (often Japanese for some reason) that show lists of
model numbers with no summary specs or pictures, only links to PDFs.

My 1965 Allied catalog is fun.

 

[Martin Rid]

John Larkin <jlarkin@highlandSNIPMEtechnology.com> Wrote in message:r
> A recent Digikey parts search, sorted by price, starts with thousandsof \"marketplace\" products priced at 0.01 and not in stock. And they feel free to ignore search constraints... not that theirconstraints make much sense to start with.Datasheets are often just a link to a manufacturer\'s web site, whichsometimes requires registration and a password.A rep from another distributor told us that most distributors nolonger stock parts, but are middlemen to the manufacturers, and thatDigikey was one of the few stocking distributors. Looks like that\'snot the trend.So Digikey is just a multi-vendor search engine and maybe a source fora few prototype parts if they are available. That doesn\'t sound likegood business.Some of their pricing is crazy too, like a dinky connector for $450.Mouser is going \"non stocked 26 weeks\" a lot too. They often have nodatasheet link at all.

They were always middlemen.
Look at mouser, its owned by tti. They do no share stock.

Cheers
--


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https://piaohong.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/usenet/index.html

 

[John Robertson]

On 2023/04/21 10:02 a.m., John Larkin wrote:

On Fri, 21 Apr 2023 11:48:42, Wanderer<dont@emailme.com> wrote:

I miss the catalog. The internet is fine for finding things if you know what you\'re looking for, but you can\'t browse it like you did the catalog and go \"What that?\".

I agree, but the catalog would be 30,000 pages now.

I do like pictures. Sometimes the best way to google for something is
to select \"images.\"

I hate web sites (often Japanese for some reason) that show lists of
model numbers with no summary specs or pictures, only links to PDFs.

My 1965 Allied catalog is fun.

I just picked up (eBay) a reprint (Silver Anniversary in 1960) of the
1935-36 Radio\'s Master Encyclopedia. I have a number of those from the
50s and 60s to help me track down the names and specs of parts that have
no catalogues that were ever saved.

My component catalogues from the early 70s come in handy too.

Al Kossow hasn\'t scanned all of them yet (bitsavers.org)

Part of my restoration library...

John :-#)#
--
(Please post followups or tech inquiries to the USENET newsgroup)
John\'s Jukes Ltd.
#7 - 3979 Marine Way, Burnaby, BC, Canada V5J 5E3
(604)872-5757 (Pinballs, Jukes, Video Games)
www.flippers.com
\"Old pinballers never die, they just flip out.\"

 

[Ricky]

On Friday, April 21, 2023 at 1:02:24 PM UTC-4, John Larkin wrote:

On Fri, 21 Apr 2023 11:48:42, Wanderer<do...@emailme.com> wrote:

I miss the catalog. The internet is fine for finding things if you know what you\'re looking for, but you can\'t browse it like you did the catalog and go \"What that?\".
I agree, but the catalog would be 30,000 pages now.

I do like pictures. Sometimes the best way to google for something is
to select \"images.\"

I hate web sites (often Japanese for some reason) that show lists of
model numbers with no summary specs or pictures, only links to PDFs.

My 1965 Allied catalog is fun.

I remember looking at MCUs from a Japanese company and having a hard time figuring out the rational behind their product selections. Many companies have a product line with members that are from a feature matrix. They may not make every possible item in that matrix, but it\'s clear the combinations they are supporting and which they are not yet interested in. The Japanese company\'s product line populated the matrix like a hen pecking at the ground, and a few products didn\'t even fit the matrix. Come to find out, they mostly brought out new products when a customer would buy a few million of a feature set specific to their purposes.

I remember asking a customer support engineer how to find out what feature combinations they supported and which they didn\'t among the hundred or so parts they made. He said I should read the data sheets... *all* of them! Essentially, they felt the customer should become the customer support engineer.

I started looking at ARM processors.

--

Rick C.

+ Get 1,000 miles of free Supercharging
+ Tesla referral code - https://ts.la/richard11209

 

[Ricky]

On Friday, April 21, 2023 at 2:49:47 PM UTC-4, Martin Rid wrote:

John Larkin <jla...@highlandSNIPMEtechnology.com> Wrote in message:r
A recent Digikey parts search, sorted by price, starts with thousandsof \"marketplace\" products priced at 0.01 and not in stock. And they feel free to ignore search constraints... not that theirconstraints make much sense to start with.Datasheets are often just a link to a manufacturer\'s web site, whichsometimes requires registration and a password.A rep from another distributor told us that most distributors nolonger stock parts, but are middlemen to the manufacturers, and thatDigikey was one of the few stocking distributors. Looks like that\'snot the trend.So Digikey is just a multi-vendor search engine and maybe a source fora few prototype parts if they are available. That doesn\'t sound likegood business.Some of their pricing is crazy too, like a dinky connector for $450.Mouser is going \"non stocked 26 weeks\" a lot too. They often have nodatasheet link at all.

They were always middlemen.
Look at mouser, its owned by tti. They do no share stock.

TTI may have bought Mouser, but they started on their own. I recall having a phone conversation with someone there, before Digikey or Mouser were very big. I asked what was up with the name. He didn\'t know either.

--

Rick C.

-- Get 1,000 miles of free Supercharging
-- Tesla referral code - https://ts.la/richard11209

 

[Three Jeeps]

On Friday, April 21, 2023 at 3:49:16 PM UTC-4, John Robertson wrote:

On 2023/04/21 10:02 a.m., John Larkin wrote:
On Fri, 21 Apr 2023 11:48:42, Wanderer<do...@emailme.com> wrote:

I miss the catalog. The internet is fine for finding things if you know what you\'re looking for, but you can\'t browse it like you did the catalog and go \"What that?\".

I agree, but the catalog would be 30,000 pages now.

I do like pictures. Sometimes the best way to google for something is
to select \"images.\"

I hate web sites (often Japanese for some reason) that show lists of
model numbers with no summary specs or pictures, only links to PDFs.

My 1965 Allied catalog is fun.

I just picked up (eBay) a reprint (Silver Anniversary in 1960) of the
1935-36 Radio\'s Master Encyclopedia. I have a number of those from the
50s and 60s to help me track down the names and specs of parts that have
no catalogues that were ever saved.

My component catalogues from the early 70s come in handy too.

Al Kossow hasn\'t scanned all of them yet (bitsavers.org)

Part of my restoration library...

John :-#)#
--
(Please post followups or tech inquiries to the USENET newsgroup)
John\'s Jukes Ltd.
#7 - 3979 Marine Way, Burnaby, BC, Canada V5J 5E3
(604)872-5757 (Pinballs, Jukes, Video Games)
www.flippers.com
\"Old pinballers never die, they just flip out.\"

This brings up something I\'ve been wondering about. I have two fairly large bookcases of data books from early 70\'s through mid-90s. Including Intel, Mot, TI, AD, BB, Fairchild, Signetics, zilog, amd, etc. plus a number of cross-reference catalogs and a number of volumes of ICMaster.
I\'ve kept them around when I did design at home but as the years wore on, they are mostly used if I am repairing older gear and came across an unfamilar device.
Going through a downsizing and am wondering 1) Is there a library of old data books online? I know about bitsavers but didn\'t think they focused on data books. 2) Are there any scanning/archiving projects going where these data books could be donated?

In addition, I have a collection of Tek and HP product catalogs during that same era. Any scans of those anywhere on the net?
J

 

[boB]

On Fri, 21 Apr 2023 20:09:24 -0700 (PDT), Ricky
<gnuarm.deletethisbit@gmail.com> wrote:

On Friday, April 21, 2023 at 2:49:47?PM UTC-4, Martin Rid wrote:
John Larkin <jla...@highlandSNIPMEtechnology.com> Wrote in message:r
A recent Digikey parts search, sorted by price, starts with thousandsof \"marketplace\" products priced at 0.01 and not in stock. And they feel free to ignore search constraints... not that theirconstraints make much sense to start with.Datasheets are often just a link to a manufacturer\'s web site, whichsometimes requires registration and a password.A rep from another distributor told us that most distributors nolonger stock parts, but are middlemen to the manufacturers, and thatDigikey was one of the few stocking distributors. Looks like that\'snot the trend.So Digikey is just a multi-vendor search engine and maybe a source fora few prototype parts if they are available. That doesn\'t sound likegood business.Some of their pricing is crazy too, like a dinky connector for $450.Mouser is going \"non stocked 26 weeks\" a lot too. They often have nodatasheet link at all.

They were always middlemen.
Look at mouser, its owned by tti. They do no share stock.

TTI may have bought Mouser, but they started on their own. I recall having a phone conversation with someone there, before Digikey or Mouser were very big. I asked what was up with the name. He didn\'t know either.

Our TTI sales person(s) say that Mouser is completely separate.

I wish they weren\'t, if that is really the case.


boB

 

[Wandere]

On Sat, 22 Apr 2023 12:53:41 -0700 (PDT), Three Jeeps wrote:

In addition, I have a collection of Tek and HP product catalogs during that same era. Any scans of those anywhere on the net?

There use to be some but I find most of the links in my bookmarks are broken.

This one still works.
http://bitsavers.org/pdf/tektronix/catalog/

These links are not catalogs but they still work.

http://www.philbrickarchive.org/
http://www.smecc.org/

otherwise ... The internet is full of ephemeral places.