LA3607 likely fakes

I was just to order some LA3607 graphic equalizer chips from this seller (have other stuff in the cart from them) when realized that the chips in the photo are almost 100% fakes: there are traces of use on the left chip pins, and the one on the right shows clear signs of sanding to remove previous labeling before applying the new one.

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I'm tempted to tell the seller, just to see how they react:)

Reply to
asdf
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These days I test a sampling of chips when I order from anyone other than Digikey (Mouser, etc.). There are a LOT of fakes out there. You are correct though, these look faker than most. No manufacturers mark, imperfect plastic body, and the printing looks inferior to most industrial parts too.

John :-#(#

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Reply to
John Robertson

It seems that many ICs and simiconductors from China off ebay are fakes or do not work. Local ham ordered 8 RF transistors and they were all bad.

I have ordered many of the small devices for a few dollars each that are made of the China parts and they seem to work.

Seems like China items are a real crap shoot. I have 2 different brands of the handi talkies and they both work well, same as about 20 others that I know of. Some of their other ham radios either do not work exectally right or quit after a year or so.

Reply to
Ralph Mowery

Case in point: 2SC1969 and 2SC1971 They're very well known power RF transistors for HF and VHF which are not cheap, but Chinese sellers offer their fakes for less than 1/10 of their cost from reputable sources. Chips such as the NE5532 are counterfeit too, whoever buys them from Chinese suppliers basically gets relabeled TL072s if he is lucky.

I can confirm that. Batches of cheap ICs/Transistors etc. are almost certainly fakes, while modules and small devices usually do work. I've bought amplifiers, testers, uC modules etc and never encountered a problem, but try to stay away from active components, save for those that are so cheap that faking them isn't economically convenient anymore (LEDs, drivers etc).

Reply to
asdf

Oddly enough, some of the obsolete parts I have bought off eBay from Chinese sources have been authentic. Mind you the ICs were very specific in design and pretty much impossible to fake (had a socket built into the top of the IC, and they were also ceramic with gold legs). They came in factory tubes which made it easier to believe they were authentic when I ordered them. Buying through PayPal does give you protection against fakes...

I've bought parts from local electronics jobbers that turned out to be fakes.

There was an article in Popular Science back in the early 90s about counterfeit parts and the safety of aviation...so this is not a new problem. Heck even the Romans complained about innkeepers watering down the wine...

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"Let's be careful out there!"

John :-#)#

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(Please post followups or tech inquiries to the USENET newsgroup) 
John's  Jukes Ltd. 2343 Main St., Vancouver, BC, Canada V5T 3C9 
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Reply to
John Robertson

I'm from Rome, the wine fraud has been so popular even in recent times that it got into a local very well known popular song. Today in some places they do the same with beer.

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asdf

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