PT2399 Sourcing

Ginsly

Ginsly

Well-known member
Wondering a bit about PT2399 sourcing, and how to avoid the stinkers as much as possible.

For the most part, they're anywhere from .80 (Tayda, LCSC) to around 2 bucks give or take (PPCB, SBP, AP). Stewmac's are, uh, $6. Shocking.

Aion's are around 4 bucks, and he mentions that he gets them directly from Princeton to avoid rejects and whatnot. His component prices are generally pretty reasonable, and I take it there must be enough of a benefit to be doing it this way..? Not sure where everyone else sources theirs.

It seems like all of the sources I listed are pretty comparable quality-wise, and I figure there are gonna be some chips that are noisier than others, even within Aion's stock. Any reason to be spending more on them?
 
Robert said:
I doubt LCSC is sourcing them from eBay.
Click to expand...
Exactly! This is what I was wondering about - how much more reliable could Aion's be than any other reputable source like PPCB?

vigilante398 said:
I have a dozen or so lying around that I'm unlikely to do anything with, they're yours to grab next time you're in the neighborhood. Maybe I'll finally actually invite you over for a screenprinting day over the holiday break if you're around :p
Click to expand...
Woo hoo! Yes indeed, we gotta dirty some screens finally!!
 
I've played with a lot of PT2399's (mostly Eurorack modules and a guitar pedal or 2, I'm guessing I've installed 50 or so all together) and don't think I've come across one that didn't work. I'm not sure whether any had 'better' or 'worse' sound or useable range since they were all being controlled by vactrols and those things are famously variable and weird. Pretty sure every one of my PT's came from Tayda.
 
Ginsly said:
Exactly! This is what I was wondering about - how much more reliable could Aion's be than any other reputable source like PPCB?
Click to expand...

I suppose they could be sorted for low noise, but unless that is specifically stated somewhere (along with some criteria) then probably not. I'd plaster it in bold if I took the time to do it. :ROFLMAO:

I think the main benefit of buying from one of the "little guys" as opposed to Tayda / LCSC is that if you get a defect it'll be much less painful to get a replacement. Plus, if you only need one, and are already placing an order with them then it saves a bit in shipping costs / transit time.

With that said, if you're building in any sort of quantities beyond one or two then you probably don't want to get your parts from me. Go to the source when it makes sense.
 
Last edited:
Ginsly said:
What's your take on Aion's "direct from Princeton" approach?
Click to expand...

Adding to this.... I think the idea is that when you buy from less reputable sources you're more likely to get fakes or rejects from someone who has sorted out all the good ones. Then there's proper storage, handling, etc...

The truth is, even the good ones are noisy.
 
Robert said:
Adding to this.... I think the idea is that when you buy from less reputable sources you're more likely to get fakes or rejects from someone who has sorted out all the good ones.
Click to expand...
Ah - didn't realize this chip was worth faking, but I guess there's BS everywhere if you're not careful... I have to assume that's why eBay/Amazon/Ali are not a good idea.

Edit: @Robert well, I seem to have forgetten the whole reason I started this thread... You gettin these in soon? :)
 
Last edited:
I have to wonder if it's sometimes not so much about the value of the part that is being faked, but just a way to get rid of some less desirable stock by passing it off as something more desirable. A quick pass on the laser and those dusty old NTSC decoders are flying off the shelves again.

You can get good, genuine parts from sellers on eBay/Amazon/Ali, but there is definitely a high risk.

Out of the first 22 results of an Amazon search for "germanium diode" only three show photos of actual germanium diodes. All of the others are clearly silicon/schottky...

I don't think I've bought many components from Amazon but I have eBay and AliExpress. I've personally never had any issues but it's not something I do regularly.
 
I had a couple of PT2399's that didn't look fake, and only worked if I connected one of the pins to ground momentarily
 
Robert said:
I have to wonder if it's sometimes not so much about the value of the part that is being faked, but just a way to get rid of some less desirable stock by passing it off as something more desirable. A quick pass on the laser and those dusty old NTSC decoders are flying off the shelves again.

You can get good, genuine parts from sellers on eBay/Amazon/Ali, but there is definitely a high risk.

Out of the first 22 results of an Amazon search for "germanium diode" only three show photos of actual germanium diodes. All of the others are clearly silicon/schottky...

I don't think I've bought many components from Amazon but I have eBay and AliExpress. I've personally never had any issues but it's not something I do regularly.
Click to expand...
I’ve had successes and failures from both amazon and ebay. Amazon ive bought several 13700’s no issue, 1044scpa issues (now i buy those from digikey so much cheaper…).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top