Anyone heard of a DOOF chip?

Sounds like a custom chip to me. Had the same problem with another company (I atleast recognised the company logo). Called them up and they said the chip was a production run designed for a specific customer and that the couldn't give out info on it. Gah. DOOF doesn't sound like a part ref to me (perhaps a manufacturer internal code for date or run).

I think your stuck unless you can identify the company. What's the chip suppost to do?

snipped-for-privacy@electropar.co.nz wrote in news:1162756216.564880.314210 @e3g2000cwe.googlegroups.com:

Well, I was stuck... now *I* feel like the "DOOF." I pulled several more units out of inventory and took them all apart until I found one with a clear enough imprint to make out. That durn "fishhook" turns out to be an incredibly badly imprinted outline of the state of Texas. [And I *live* in Austin, TX.] Yep, it's a TI chip - and exactly as you guessed... namely once I had the manufacturer, it was easy to figure out the rest.

It's a TI TPS2375 PoE Ethernet powered device receiver. [If I am ever elected lord high god of the known universe, one of my first royal decrees is to make schematics availability MANDATORY for any commercial product! ]

Thanks for the reply...

jmk

----------------------------------------------- James M. Knox TriSoft ph 512-385-0316

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On Sun, 05 Nov 2006 18:16:19 GMT, "James M. Knox" put finger to keyboard and composed:

Aren't DOOF chips responsible for the sound that subwoofers make?

- Franc Zabkar

--=20 Please remove one 'i' from my address when replying by email.

No, that's caused by the Doofus who owns it.

You've got my vote. Can't be any worse than the other DOOFs out there, and I like your platform.

You could start by looking here and finding the logo:

Good luck.

When I get the chance (ha), I'm going to require that chips be marked with high contrast ink/whatever so I can read them without getting the angle just right in good light and ...

I've wondered if that is the mark of the counterfeit IC.

I bought one of those $1.99 FM radios that tune by the press of a button, to see what was inside. At first, the number was not readable. But from the circuitry that was there, I made a guess, which was wrong, but that led to a variant from the same manufacturer that was the device. At that point, some more squinting revealed that yes, that must be the number on the IC.

But the marking was so lousy, I assumed it was a bootleg IC. I can't see why a company would not want their number (and logo) to be nice and clear. And no, there was no sign of sandpapering.

The marking reminded me of various ICs I got from Poly-Paks circa

But generally, I can't say I've seen such faint markings on ICs I've paid decent prices for. Or for that matter, most ICs I've come across in commercial equipment over the decades.

Michael

You could try rubbing powdered chalk on the chip. It gets stuck in the little grooves the laser-etching leaves behind, and increases the contrast enough to read the label. It's a trick I've seen used when scanning PCBs to make board layout images, but it works pretty well for reading off part numbers too.

Or if you don't feel like getting chalk on your fingers, buy a torch (flashlight, MagLite, ...) and a cheap magnifying glass. It's easier to move a torch around than it is to manipulate a huge board into just the right position to read the markings...

snipped-for-privacy@FreeNet.Carleton.CA (Michael Black) wrote in news:eirit7$2qd$1 @theodyn.ncf.ca:

Good grief, someone else who remembers Poly Paks... I bought stuff from them back in the early 60's. 16 pin IC's (TTL and RTL) with only 15 legs. Mask ROMs with patterns already burned in (used to be advertised as "Some bits may be useful"). Transistors with the emitter or collector burned out (still makes a good diode). Tons of unmarked diodes of every make and description.

Brings back memories... not all of them good.

BTW, to the person who was talking about using chaulk to bring up the markings... I have found that chill spray sometimes works as well. Cool the chip, then blow gently on it. The condensation has a higher light reflectivity.

----------------------------------------------- James M. Knox TriSoft ph 512-385-0316

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Poly Pak...... We're giving our ages away ;-)

you're making me feel very old now.