Is Maxim now AD? If so, this set of SMPS eval boards is interesting...

[Phil Hobbs]

<https://www.maximintegrated.com/en/products/power/linear-regulators/MAXESSENTIAL02EP.html>

Datasheet:
<https://datasheets.maximintegrated.com/en/ds/MAXESSENTIAL02EP.pdf>

A set of _nine_ nice-looking eval boards for their new analog-focused,
low quiescent power switching regulators, all for $49 in a nice plastic
case and all.

Dunno if I\'m brave enough to use a Maxim part yet, but some of those
look vaguely interesting.

Cheers

Phil
--
Dr Philip C D Hobbs
Principal Consultant
ElectroOptical Innovations LLC / Hobbs ElectroOptics
Optics, Electro-optics, Photonics, Analog Electronics
Briarcliff Manor NY 10510

http://electrooptical.net
http://hobbs-eo.com

 

[Rich S]

TPS54302 is pretty good.

I\'ve got that in my notes from your previous recommendation, but haven\'t
tried it yet.

Cheers

Phil Hobbs
--

https://www.ti.com/product/TPS54302
\"4.5-V to 28-V Input, 3-A Output, EMI Friendly Synchronous Step-Down Converter\"

\"EMI Friendly\"? .. could mean different things.
EMI is usually not our friend!
Barney the purple dinosaur is editing spec sheets

 

[server]

On Sat, 21 May 2022 10:57:00 -0700 (PDT), Rich S
<richsulinengineer@gmail.com> wrote:

TPS54302 is pretty good.

I\'ve got that in my notes from your previous recommendation, but haven\'t
tried it yet.

Cheers

Phil Hobbs
--

https://www.ti.com/product/TPS54302
\"4.5-V to 28-V Input, 3-A Output, EMI Friendly Synchronous Step-Down Converter\"

\"EMI Friendly\"? .. could mean different things.
EMI is usually not our friend!
Barney the purple dinosaur is editing spec sheets

It does radical spread-spectrum switching. That smears the spectrum
and helps it pass FCC/CE radiated tests, but it still makes spikes
that can get into analog stuff. But it is pretty good about that too;
Trr is about 20 ns, could be worse.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/jban5vjybbb2g77/TPS54302_PWM.JPG?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/etctkh2rzesockj/TPS54302_spectrum.JPG?raw=1

The spectrum shaping must be done right, because all that duty-cycle
thrashing doesn\'t make noise on the DC output.

It\'s rated for 3 amps out but gets pretty hot up there, and you can\'t
heat sink the SOT23 package much. I use it up to 2 amps.

Not bad for 99 cents.



--

Anybody can count to one.

- Robert Widlar

 

[server]

On Sat, 21 May 2022 11:31:38 -0700, jlarkin@highlandsniptechnology.com
wrote:

On Sat, 21 May 2022 10:57:00 -0700 (PDT), Rich S
richsulinengineer@gmail.com> wrote:


TPS54302 is pretty good.

I\'ve got that in my notes from your previous recommendation, but haven\'t
tried it yet.

Cheers

Phil Hobbs
--

https://www.ti.com/product/TPS54302
\"4.5-V to 28-V Input, 3-A Output, EMI Friendly Synchronous Step-Down Converter\"

\"EMI Friendly\"? .. could mean different things.
EMI is usually not our friend!
Barney the purple dinosaur is editing spec sheets

It does radical spread-spectrum switching. That smears the spectrum
and helps it pass FCC/CE radiated tests, but it still makes spikes
that can get into analog stuff. But it is pretty good about that too;
Trr is about 20 ns, could be worse.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/jban5vjybbb2g77/TPS54302_PWM.JPG?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/etctkh2rzesockj/TPS54302_spectrum.JPG?raw=1

The spectrum shaping must be done right, because all that duty-cycle
thrashing doesn\'t make noise on the DC output.

It\'s rated for 3 amps out but gets pretty hot up there, and you can\'t
heat sink the SOT23 package much. I use it up to 2 amps.

Not bad for 99 cents.

It should be possible to make a plus-to-minus converter with that one.
Gotta try that.

It won\'t (legally) do +24 to -5, but it\'s close.



--

Anybody can count to one.

- Robert Widlar

 

[server]

On Sat, 21 May 2022 13:19:34 -0700, jlarkin@highlandsniptechnology.com
wrote:

On Sat, 21 May 2022 11:31:38 -0700, jlarkin@highlandsniptechnology.com
wrote:

On Sat, 21 May 2022 10:57:00 -0700 (PDT), Rich S
richsulinengineer@gmail.com> wrote:


TPS54302 is pretty good.

I\'ve got that in my notes from your previous recommendation, but haven\'t
tried it yet.

Cheers

Phil Hobbs
--

https://www.ti.com/product/TPS54302
\"4.5-V to 28-V Input, 3-A Output, EMI Friendly Synchronous Step-Down Converter\"

\"EMI Friendly\"? .. could mean different things.
EMI is usually not our friend!
Barney the purple dinosaur is editing spec sheets

It does radical spread-spectrum switching. That smears the spectrum
and helps it pass FCC/CE radiated tests, but it still makes spikes
that can get into analog stuff. But it is pretty good about that too;
Trr is about 20 ns, could be worse.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/jban5vjybbb2g77/TPS54302_PWM.JPG?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/etctkh2rzesockj/TPS54302_spectrum.JPG?raw=1

The spectrum shaping must be done right, because all that duty-cycle
thrashing doesn\'t make noise on the DC output.

It\'s rated for 3 amps out but gets pretty hot up there, and you can\'t
heat sink the SOT23 package much. I use it up to 2 amps.

Not bad for 99 cents.

It should be possible to make a plus-to-minus converter with that one.
Gotta try that.

It won\'t (legally) do +24 to -5, but it\'s close.

Actually, abs max is 30, so it might.



--

Anybody can count to one.

- Robert Widlar

 

[Phil Hobbs]

rbowman wrote:

On 05/20/2022 07:33 PM, Lasse Langwadt Christensen wrote:
lørdag den 21. maj 2022 kl. 03.21.09 UTC+2 skrev rbowman:
On 05/20/2022 11:25 AM, Phil Hobbs wrote:
https://www.maximintegrated.com/en/products/power/linear-regulators/MAXESSENTIAL02EP.html



Datasheet:
https://datasheets.maximintegrated.com/en/ds/MAXESSENTIAL02EP.pdf

A set of _nine_ nice-looking eval boards for their new analog-focused,
low quiescent power switching regulators, all for $49 in a nice plastic
case and all.

Dunno if I\'m brave enough to use a Maxim part yet, but some of those
look vaguely interesting.
Why? Maxim has been around for a long time. Maxim ate a lot of companies
but there\'s always a bigger fish in the pond.

Maxim is infamous for teasing with datasheets and samples,
but when it come to buying for production you are not getting any
unless, I guess, you need millions so they can be bothered to actually
make some


Ah, the Motorola problem. If the auto industry placed an order for
millions you went to the end of the line. We\'re back to the mid-80\'s
where the salesmen would estimate delivery out a year or more with a
straight face.

I never had MOTA do what Maxim does. The worst thing I encountered from
them was the way they derated their otherwise very nice MC35084 quad
decompensated FET op amp. The GBW and slew rate specs decreased by
_half_ between the preliminary and production datasheets. That was very
inconvenient, because at the time (1987) there weren\'t any low cost FET
amps that fast.

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

--
Dr Philip C D Hobbs
Principal Consultant
ElectroOptical Innovations LLC / Hobbs ElectroOptics
Optics, Electro-optics, Photonics, Analog Electronics
Briarcliff Manor NY 10510

http://electrooptical.net
http://hobbs-eo.com

 

[Lasse Langwadt Christensen]

yes, since august last year, https://www.analog.com/en/about-adi/maxim-integrated-acquisition.html

 

[Phil Hobbs]

Lasse Langwadt Christensen wrote:

yes, since august last year, https://www.analog.com/en/about-adi/maxim-integrated-acquisition.html

I know AD bought them--what I\'m getting at is, \"Has Maxim stopped acting
like d*ckheads by continually cancelling recently-introduced products
just when you\'re going into production?\"

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

--
Dr Philip C D Hobbs
Principal Consultant
ElectroOptical Innovations LLC / Hobbs ElectroOptics
Optics, Electro-optics, Photonics, Analog Electronics
Briarcliff Manor NY 10510

http://electrooptical.net
http://hobbs-eo.com

 

[John Larkin]

On Fri, 20 May 2022 13:25:38 -0400, Phil Hobbs
<pcdhSpamMeSenseless@electrooptical.net> wrote:

https://www.maximintegrated.com/en/products/power/linear-regulators/MAXESSENTIAL02EP.html

Datasheet:
https://datasheets.maximintegrated.com/en/ds/MAXESSENTIAL02EP.pdf

A set of _nine_ nice-looking eval boards for their new analog-focused,
low quiescent power switching regulators, all for $49 in a nice plastic
case and all.

Dunno if I\'m brave enough to use a Maxim part yet, but some of those
look vaguely interesting.

Cheers

Phil

Those Maxim parts look redundant on the ex-LTC LTM modules. Analog
owns both now.

I hope they did a better job on switcher noise than Linear did.
LTM8078 is ghastly. If you try the eval kit, maybe you could look at
that.

TPS54302 is pretty good.





--

If a man will begin with certainties, he shall end with doubts,
but if he will be content to begin with doubts he shall end in certainties.
Francis Bacon

 

[John Larkin]

On Fri, 20 May 2022 14:51:32 -0400, Phil Hobbs
<pcdhSpamMeSenseless@electrooptical.net> wrote:

Lasse Langwadt Christensen wrote:
yes, since august last year, https://www.analog.com/en/about-adi/maxim-integrated-acquisition.html


I know AD bought them--what I\'m getting at is, \"Has Maxim stopped acting
like d*ckheads by continually cancelling recently-introduced products
just when you\'re going into production?\"

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

Duckheads?

--

If a man will begin with certainties, he shall end with doubts,
but if he will be content to begin with doubts he shall end in certainties.
Francis Bacon

 

[Phil Hobbs]

John Larkin wrote:

On Fri, 20 May 2022 13:25:38 -0400, Phil Hobbs
pcdhSpamMeSenseless@electrooptical.net> wrote:

https://www.maximintegrated.com/en/products/power/linear-regulators/MAXESSENTIAL02EP.html

Datasheet:
https://datasheets.maximintegrated.com/en/ds/MAXESSENTIAL02EP.pdf

A set of _nine_ nice-looking eval boards for their new analog-focused,
low quiescent power switching regulators, all for $49 in a nice plastic
case and all.

Dunno if I\'m brave enough to use a Maxim part yet, but some of those
look vaguely interesting.

Cheers

Phil

Those Maxim parts look redundant on the ex-LTC LTM modules. Analog
owns both now.

I hope they did a better job on switcher noise than Linear did.
LTM8078 is ghastly. If you try the eval kit, maybe you could look at
that.

That would be my primary interest. We\'ve revamped our standard
photoreceiver packaging to use a machined-from-solid brass box with a
flat brass lid, communicating via feedthrough caps and a U.FL F to
bulkhead SMA cable. All the switchers go in another board under the
brass box, with a black powder-coated steel or aluminum lid, with a
black plastic shroud covering the feedthrus and supporting a
bulkhead-mount power jack. The lid can be soldered down if desired, for
really tough EMI situations. Once we have the new models up on the
website, I\'ll post a link.

Turns out that with modern laser cutting and 3D printing, the whole
works is cheaper than the Hammond box we were using, besides being
dramatically better electrically and much much more bling with all that
gold(ish) and black. (Free-cutting brass looks more like gold than
yellow sheet brass does.)

Simon unofficially calls the new version of our QL01 nanowatt
photoreceiver the DK02, for Donna Karan.

The new boxes are good for fast APDs, SPADs, and MPPCs/SiPMs.

Check out SendCutSend for some very interesting capabilities.

TPS54302 is pretty good.

I\'ve got that in my notes from your previous recommendation, but haven\'t
tried it yet.

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

--
Dr Philip C D Hobbs
Principal Consultant
ElectroOptical Innovations LLC / Hobbs ElectroOptics
Optics, Electro-optics, Photonics, Analog Electronics
Briarcliff Manor NY 10510

http://electrooptical.net
http://hobbs-eo.com

 

[John Larkin]

On Fri, 20 May 2022 16:26:56 -0400, Phil Hobbs
<pcdhSpamMeSenseless@electrooptical.net> wrote:

John Larkin wrote:
On Fri, 20 May 2022 13:25:38 -0400, Phil Hobbs
pcdhSpamMeSenseless@electrooptical.net> wrote:

https://www.maximintegrated.com/en/products/power/linear-regulators/MAXESSENTIAL02EP.html

Datasheet:
https://datasheets.maximintegrated.com/en/ds/MAXESSENTIAL02EP.pdf

A set of _nine_ nice-looking eval boards for their new analog-focused,
low quiescent power switching regulators, all for $49 in a nice plastic
case and all.

Dunno if I\'m brave enough to use a Maxim part yet, but some of those
look vaguely interesting.

Cheers

Phil

Those Maxim parts look redundant on the ex-LTC LTM modules. Analog
owns both now.

I hope they did a better job on switcher noise than Linear did.
LTM8078 is ghastly. If you try the eval kit, maybe you could look at
that.

That would be my primary interest. We\'ve revamped our standard
photoreceiver packaging to use a machined-from-solid brass box with a
flat brass lid, communicating via feedthrough caps and a U.FL F to
bulkhead SMA cable. All the switchers go in another board under the
brass box, with a black powder-coated steel or aluminum lid, with a
black plastic shroud covering the feedthrus and supporting a
bulkhead-mount power jack. The lid can be soldered down if desired, for
really tough EMI situations. Once we have the new models up on the
website, I\'ll post a link.

Turns out that with modern laser cutting and 3D printing, the whole
works is cheaper than the Hammond box we were using, besides being
dramatically better electrically and much much more bling with all that
gold(ish) and black. (Free-cutting brass looks more like gold than
yellow sheet brass does.)

Simon unofficially calls the new version of our QL01 nanowatt
photoreceiver the DK02, for Donna Karan.

The new boxes are good for fast APDs, SPADs, and MPPCs/SiPMs.

Check out SendCutSend for some very interesting capabilities.

TPS54302 is pretty good.

I\'ve got that in my notes from your previous recommendation, but haven\'t
tried it yet.

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

We did a couple of custom extrusions to replace the horrible Hammond
boxes. We buy them blue anodized and blast all the artwork with a Boss
laser.

http://www.highlandtechnology.com/DSS/J736DS.shtml

http://www.highlandtechnology.com/DSS/T130DS.shtml

I\'ll be in truckee later this month. I could drop in on sendcutsend
just for fun.

--

If a man will begin with certainties, he shall end with doubts,
but if he will be content to begin with doubts he shall end in certainties.
Francis Bacon

 

[Phil Hobbs]

John Larkin wrote:

On Fri, 20 May 2022 16:26:56 -0400, Phil Hobbs
pcdhSpamMeSenseless@electrooptical.net> wrote:

John Larkin wrote:
On Fri, 20 May 2022 13:25:38 -0400, Phil Hobbs
pcdhSpamMeSenseless@electrooptical.net> wrote:

https://www.maximintegrated.com/en/products/power/linear-regulators/MAXESSENTIAL02EP.html

Datasheet:
https://datasheets.maximintegrated.com/en/ds/MAXESSENTIAL02EP.pdf

A set of _nine_ nice-looking eval boards for their new analog-focused,
low quiescent power switching regulators, all for $49 in a nice plastic
case and all.

Dunno if I\'m brave enough to use a Maxim part yet, but some of those
look vaguely interesting.

Cheers

Phil

Those Maxim parts look redundant on the ex-LTC LTM modules. Analog
owns both now.

I hope they did a better job on switcher noise than Linear did.
LTM8078 is ghastly. If you try the eval kit, maybe you could look at
that.

That would be my primary interest. We\'ve revamped our standard
photoreceiver packaging to use a machined-from-solid brass box with a
flat brass lid, communicating via feedthrough caps and a U.FL F to
bulkhead SMA cable. All the switchers go in another board under the
brass box, with a black powder-coated steel or aluminum lid, with a
black plastic shroud covering the feedthrus and supporting a
bulkhead-mount power jack. The lid can be soldered down if desired, for
really tough EMI situations. Once we have the new models up on the
website, I\'ll post a link.

Turns out that with modern laser cutting and 3D printing, the whole
works is cheaper than the Hammond box we were using, besides being
dramatically better electrically and much much more bling with all that
gold(ish) and black. (Free-cutting brass looks more like gold than
yellow sheet brass does.)

Simon unofficially calls the new version of our QL01 nanowatt
photoreceiver the DK02, for Donna Karan.

The new boxes are good for fast APDs, SPADs, and MPPCs/SiPMs.

Check out SendCutSend for some very interesting capabilities.

TPS54302 is pretty good.

I\'ve got that in my notes from your previous recommendation, but haven\'t
tried it yet.


We did a couple of custom extrusions to replace the horrible Hammond
boxes. We buy them blue anodized and blast all the artwork with a Boss
laser.

http://www.highlandtechnology.com/DSS/J736DS.shtml

http://www.highlandtechnology.com/DSS/T130DS.shtml

I\'ll be in truckee later this month. I could drop in on sendcutsend
just for fun.

Google says they\'re about 45 minutes from Truckee, so that might be a
good use of half a day. They keep adding capabilities--they now do
laser-cut steel (12 different alloys iirc) up to 12 mm thick, for cheap.
Even titanium.

It seems to be just the sort of thing American manufacturing used to be
unequalled at--apply capital and ingenuity to become the low-cost, high
quality producer even in a high-wage country.

They\'re pretty focused on laser cutting and surface coatings--anything
out of the plane costs extra. Simon knows a lot more about them than I
do, and is a huge fan.

It reminds me a bit of designing with MSI logic chips BITD--with some
time and creativity you can make some pretty neat things while staying
within the cheap zone.

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

--
Dr Philip C D Hobbs
Principal Consultant
ElectroOptical Innovations LLC / Hobbs ElectroOptics
Optics, Electro-optics, Photonics, Analog Electronics
Briarcliff Manor NY 10510

http://electrooptical.net
http://hobbs-eo.com

 

[rbowman]

On 05/20/2022 11:25 AM, Phil Hobbs wrote:

https://www.maximintegrated.com/en/products/power/linear-regulators/MAXESSENTIAL02EP.html


Datasheet:
https://datasheets.maximintegrated.com/en/ds/MAXESSENTIAL02EP.pdf

A set of _nine_ nice-looking eval boards for their new analog-focused,
low quiescent power switching regulators, all for $49 in a nice plastic
case and all.

Dunno if I\'m brave enough to use a Maxim part yet, but some of those
look vaguely interesting.

Why? Maxim has been around for a long time. Maxim ate a lot of companies
but there\'s always a bigger fish in the pond.

 

[Lasse Langwadt Christensen]

lørdag den 21. maj 2022 kl. 03.21.09 UTC+2 skrev rbowman:

On 05/20/2022 11:25 AM, Phil Hobbs wrote:
https://www.maximintegrated.com/en/products/power/linear-regulators/MAXESSENTIAL02EP.html


Datasheet:
https://datasheets.maximintegrated.com/en/ds/MAXESSENTIAL02EP.pdf

A set of _nine_ nice-looking eval boards for their new analog-focused,
low quiescent power switching regulators, all for $49 in a nice plastic
case and all.

Dunno if I\'m brave enough to use a Maxim part yet, but some of those
look vaguely interesting.
Why? Maxim has been around for a long time. Maxim ate a lot of companies
but there\'s always a bigger fish in the pond.

Maxim is infamous for teasing with datasheets and samples,
but when it come to buying for production you are not getting any
unless, I guess, you need millions so they can be bothered to actually make some

 

[server]

On Fri, 20 May 2022 18:33:15 -0700 (PDT), Lasse Langwadt Christensen
<langwadt@fonz.dk> wrote:

lørdag den 21. maj 2022 kl. 03.21.09 UTC+2 skrev rbowman:
On 05/20/2022 11:25 AM, Phil Hobbs wrote:
https://www.maximintegrated.com/en/products/power/linear-regulators/MAXESSENTIAL02EP.html


Datasheet:
https://datasheets.maximintegrated.com/en/ds/MAXESSENTIAL02EP.pdf

A set of _nine_ nice-looking eval boards for their new analog-focused,
low quiescent power switching regulators, all for $49 in a nice plastic
case and all.

Dunno if I\'m brave enough to use a Maxim part yet, but some of those
look vaguely interesting.
Why? Maxim has been around for a long time. Maxim ate a lot of companies
but there\'s always a bigger fish in the pond.

Maxim is infamous for teasing with datasheets and samples,
but when it come to buying for production you are not getting any
unless, I guess, you need millions so they can be bothered to actually make some

I used about 3000 of MAX9690. They discontinued it without notice, and
then they started failing in the field. We had to replace all of them.

We had to build our own:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/y5n23tfd0adwao5/MAX9690_Kluge.JPG?raw=1





--

Anybody can count to one.

- Robert Widlar

 

[rbowman]

On 05/20/2022 07:33 PM, Lasse Langwadt Christensen wrote:

lørdag den 21. maj 2022 kl. 03.21.09 UTC+2 skrev rbowman:
On 05/20/2022 11:25 AM, Phil Hobbs wrote:
https://www.maximintegrated.com/en/products/power/linear-regulators/MAXESSENTIAL02EP.html


Datasheet:
https://datasheets.maximintegrated.com/en/ds/MAXESSENTIAL02EP.pdf

A set of _nine_ nice-looking eval boards for their new analog-focused,
low quiescent power switching regulators, all for $49 in a nice plastic
case and all.

Dunno if I\'m brave enough to use a Maxim part yet, but some of those
look vaguely interesting.
Why? Maxim has been around for a long time. Maxim ate a lot of companies
but there\'s always a bigger fish in the pond.

Maxim is infamous for teasing with datasheets and samples,
but when it come to buying for production you are not getting any
unless, I guess, you need millions so they can be bothered to actually make some

Ah, the Motorola problem. If the auto industry placed an order for
millions you went to the end of the line. We\'re back to the mid-80\'s
where the salesmen would estimate delivery out a year or more with a
straight face.

 

[server]

On Fri, 20 May 2022 22:48:21 -0600, rbowman <bowman@montana.com>
wrote:

On 05/20/2022 07:33 PM, Lasse Langwadt Christensen wrote:
lørdag den 21. maj 2022 kl. 03.21.09 UTC+2 skrev rbowman:
On 05/20/2022 11:25 AM, Phil Hobbs wrote:
https://www.maximintegrated.com/en/products/power/linear-regulators/MAXESSENTIAL02EP.html


Datasheet:
https://datasheets.maximintegrated.com/en/ds/MAXESSENTIAL02EP.pdf

A set of _nine_ nice-looking eval boards for their new analog-focused,
low quiescent power switching regulators, all for $49 in a nice plastic
case and all.

Dunno if I\'m brave enough to use a Maxim part yet, but some of those
look vaguely interesting.
Why? Maxim has been around for a long time. Maxim ate a lot of companies
but there\'s always a bigger fish in the pond.

Maxim is infamous for teasing with datasheets and samples,
but when it come to buying for production you are not getting any
unless, I guess, you need millions so they can be bothered to actually make some


Ah, the Motorola problem. If the auto industry placed an order for
millions you went to the end of the line. We\'re back to the mid-80\'s
where the salesmen would estimate delivery out a year or more with a
straight face.

Government agencies are now hogging FPGAs.

We make stuff for a giant semi fab company, and we can\'t get FPGAs.
They are using all their clout to get us parts, but even they are
second in line.

If we can\'t ship, they can\'t make fab lines, so people can\'t make
chips. That logic isn\'t enough to get us parts.



--

Anybody can count to one.

- Robert Widlar

 

[rbowman]

On 05/21/2022 08:25 AM, jlarkin@highlandsniptechnology.com wrote:

On Fri, 20 May 2022 22:48:21 -0600, rbowman <bowman@montana.com
wrote:

On 05/20/2022 07:33 PM, Lasse Langwadt Christensen wrote:
lørdag den 21. maj 2022 kl. 03.21.09 UTC+2 skrev rbowman:
On 05/20/2022 11:25 AM, Phil Hobbs wrote:
https://www.maximintegrated.com/en/products/power/linear-regulators/MAXESSENTIAL02EP.html


Datasheet:
https://datasheets.maximintegrated.com/en/ds/MAXESSENTIAL02EP.pdf

A set of _nine_ nice-looking eval boards for their new analog-focused,
low quiescent power switching regulators, all for $49 in a nice plastic
case and all.

Dunno if I\'m brave enough to use a Maxim part yet, but some of those
look vaguely interesting.
Why? Maxim has been around for a long time. Maxim ate a lot of companies
but there\'s always a bigger fish in the pond.

Maxim is infamous for teasing with datasheets and samples,
but when it come to buying for production you are not getting any
unless, I guess, you need millions so they can be bothered to actually make some


Ah, the Motorola problem. If the auto industry placed an order for
millions you went to the end of the line. We\'re back to the mid-80\'s
where the salesmen would estimate delivery out a year or more with a
straight face.


Government agencies are now hogging FPGAs.

We make stuff for a giant semi fab company, and we can\'t get FPGAs.
They are using all their clout to get us parts, but even they are
second in line.

If we can\'t ship, they can\'t make fab lines, so people can\'t make
chips. That logic isn\'t enough to get us parts.

What are they doing with them? I knew the defense industry used quite a
few but not all of them. NSA building bigger and better facial
recognition tools?