Cadet/Castle components sources and substitutions

Nice!

With the stuff I pre-ordered from Visible Signals/@VisibleSignals, I will exhaust my own supply from the previous group buy and need to finally get more. …Though I might just go for a few direct from TI rather than trying to arrange a big/group buy in the U.S. this time around. (Not that I arranged the last one, but I did participate.)

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Hopefully the minimum order isn’t 100 or more at TI. I’m sure their prices were the best over here in Europe when I last checked a few months ago.

I also gambled on LM6172s from eBay and ended up with fake ones. :expressionless:

So I’ve now ordered 116 from Rochester via DigiKey and should be receiving them in a week or two. If anyone in the US wants to buy some of them, hit me up.

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Hey, yeah, I might want to get in on that. Not sure exactly how many I need until Aladan posts the BOMs for his modules. But maybe ~15-20?

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I’ve been working on them, really! I have a proof-reader who is helping now (thank you, anonymous proof-reader, you know who you are).

LM6172 counts:

  • RGB Matrix (Starter Pack) = 15
  • RGB Matrix (additional Input) = 1
  • RGB Matrix (additional Direct In) = 3
  • Video Mult = 1
  • Dual Distrib = 4
  • Wrangler = 3
  • Quarterizer = TBC
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I can finally offer something to this thread! :smiley:
I picked up some XD1881’s which are drop in replacements for the LM1881’s, but at about 1/10th the cost. It looks like the thru-hole version from TI are now obsolete.

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I bought 10 for 10€ about 4 months back on eBay. Took about 2 months to arrive and with no immediate way to test them, I didn’t qualify for a refund once I got some Cadets built :ok_man:t2:
Just plain stupid of me after reading so many similar stories on here.
Glad to read you bite down & put in an order for legit ones. I’m really glad I did it, its changed everything as they were the last thing I needed but stupidity hesitated on :man_facepalming:t2:

Nice one @VisibleSignals for posting the LM6172 count on your modules, I’m sure a few of us here are gearing up for their arrival :+1:t3:

@Fox, cheers for the tip, I’m really curious to see this chip in action. Have you been able to compare it in two of the same module or on a breadboard circuit?

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Hello everyone :wave:t3:
For anyone in Europe who needs any LT1251CN or LT1256CN ICs, I bite the bullet & bought 25 of each to get the lower price point. They’re used in the a few of the higher number #Cadet range. The 1251 is also used in @VisibleSignals’s RGB Matrix Mixer.
I’ve also got well over 100 of the PJ302M right-angled jacks that I sourced directly from #Thonk & plenty of LT6172 Op-Amps so if you’re in Europe (or elsewhere for that matter), send me a message and I’ll check the postage costs or pop over to www.post.de for letters & small packages. Www.dhl.de/en has an English option for info & such.
To most of Europe a tracked letter under 50g costs €4.20. A tracked padded envelope up to 500g costs €6.30.
There’s a well stocked electronic component shop 5 or 6 mins by bike from me. Online orders can be picked up from their door so if you need anything, I’m happy to include them.

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Will write u when i checked how many i could use

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Hello, was curious if anyone could recommend these ferrite beads from Tayda for LZX/etc DIY?

76Ω as opposed to 68Ω recommended in the Castle BOM, wasn’t sure how much that mattered?

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Really weird coincidence. Just yesterday I was going to post about those exact beads. I was making graphs comparing the cutoff frequency for both the 68R and 76R beads with the accompanying 10uF caps and got tired. It was really late. :laughing:
Yeah, they’re fine to use.

If you need more than 100 though, Mouser’s price break is a better deal for the 68R but the minimum shipping is $7.99.
https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/623-2743001112LF/

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hah, awesome, thanks!

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Okay, with some orders from Visible Signals and Syntonie and some other upcoming things, I think it is time for me to re-up my LM6172 supply.

@mrfang, still have any from your Rochester lot? I’d be looking for 20–25, depending on per piece cost.

Or does anyone else want to go together on another group buy?

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Update: sorry, @sean , I don’t have enough left to offer any.

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I’ll soon be ordering some more LM6172 ICs if anyone in Europe is interested in some. There’s some great news on Syntonie’s Modulargrid page :grinning:

Checkout the VU005 & there’s a couple of others surprises too :grin:

@syntonie, are you going to create a thread on here regarding your new modules or is the info on #Modulargrid the result of a successful cyber hack of your servers & leak of your closely guarded corporate secrets :wink:

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Just listed them today :wink:
VU006 is audio rate so it doesn’t require LM6172, there is a few in CBV002/VU005 though. Will do a thread once everything is ready :slight_smile:

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Re: VU007 Encoder

…however a RCA sync board could be designed and put in place of the existing power/sync board if there is any interest.

Going to jump the gun here and say, Yes, please!

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The race is on. :dash: :dash:

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Anyone order LM6172s from these folks before?

Because, yeah, that’s a good price if they’re legit.

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they have a Anti-Counterfeit Policy | WIN SOURCE
but I’d say, buy a few to see if it is real, then buy bulk?

ps: in the specs, they have this: “Fake Threat In the Open Market = 46 pct”. I wonder what that means