[CountChoculaBot]

I'm about to order

2x LT1469
2x LT1364
2x LT1361
2x LT1057

as free samples from Linear Technology. Since the total cost would be pretty high if I actually bought them, I was wondering: when filling out the Intended Application part of the free sample order form, do they care about what I put in?

 

[luvdunhill]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CountChoculaBot /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm about to order 2x LT1469 2x LT1364 2x LT1361 2x LT1057 as free samples from Linear Technology. Since the total cost would be pretty high if I actually bought them, I was wondering: when filling out the Intended Application part of the free sample order form, do they care about what I put in?

good luck actually getting the samples. I've been trying to get some LSK389 for a bit now... I've talked with multiple people on the phone, and they have never shown up for some reason.

As for the intended application, why not just be truthful?

 

[CountChoculaBot]

It was mostly because of this statement at the top of the free sample order page:
Linear Technology reserves the right not to send samples at their own discretion.

And darn... maybe I'll have to actually buy them

 

[ericj]

Quote:

Originally Posted by luvdunhill /img/forum/go_quote.gif good luck actually getting the samples. I've been trying to get some LSK389 for a bit now... I've talked with multiple people on the phone, and they have never shown up for some reason. As for the intended application, why not just be truthful?

LSK is Linear Systems, different company.

I got some samples from LT once, and i was honest on the form. But the thing is, at the time i was working for a company that actually did manufacture some boards. And it turned out, one of these boards that we manufactured about 10,000 of actually used an LT part.

I felt bad when they FedExed my parts all the way from some far east fab, and then a sales engineer from LT started calling me at work and asking to take me to lunch and help me with my design . . . .

Edit: Oh, and my guess about not being able to buy the LSK jfet pairs: They don't exist. They're probably not actually in production yet.

 

[amb]

Linear Integrated Systems LSK389 (N-channel) exists, but not the P-channel counterpart (I assume it would be called LSJ109). And yes, that's a different company than Linear Technologies.

 

[luvdunhill]

Quote:

Originally Posted by amb /img/forum/go_quote.gif Linear Integrated Systems LSK389 (N-channel) exists, but not the P-channel counterpart (I assume it would be called LSJ109). And yes, that's a different company than Linear Technologies.

huh, I never realized they were two different companies

I have a friend who got a few of the dual LSK389 from a distributor, so that's my next route. For someone who advertises in AX I'd expect them to hand out samples by the truck load.

 

[Paragon]

Free samples are meant for distributors, researchers, or businesses that will be ordering large quantities and such or don't have money to be sinking into expensive parts for research, etc. They are meant for professionals, not hobby electronics.

I couldn't even get a DIP socket from millmax so I had to put a special order into mouser for it (didn't realize I needed them until the order shipped and didn't want to spend $8 on a $.50 part.)

The companies don't have a problem telling you to see their distributors to purchase your parts. It won't hurt them at all since you need the parts one way or another.

 

[ericj]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paragon /img/forum/go_quote.gif Free samples are meant for distributors, researchers, or businesses that will be ordering large quantities and such or don't have money to be sinking into expensive parts for research, etc. They are meant for professionals, not hobby electronics.

Some companies have fairly liberal sampling policies and either don't care or tacitly encourage hobbiests. And some don't.

The tale goes that long ago, Fairchild Semiconductor turned down a sample request from some hippie called Wozniak, and Apple Computer has thus never purchased a single part from them. Some companies see this as a cautionary tale and a good enough reason to waste a few dollars on people who probably won't buy thousands of parts from them, but then again, maybe will some day.

 

[beerguy0]

I work in the electronics industry (mostly R&D), and we use a lot of LT parts. I even have a profile on the LT web site, with my company information. I've ordered samples a few times, and only once ever received any parts. They seem to be one of the more difficult companies to get samples from, in my experience. I suppose I could call the rep, but I really hate all the follow-up stuff, like the phone calls and the rep stopping by just to visit.

TI and Analog Devices, OTOH, are very liberal with samples. They ship very quickly and typically with no questions asked.

Let us know if you actually receive any parts.

 

[alleyezon_d]

I too tried to get some samples (2x LT1364) from LT and waited 2 weeks with no response so I ended up ordering from Newark instead. Then yesterday a LT sales rep called me and wanted to "touch base" before forwarding the samples to me. It's really not worth the hassle considering Newark got the parts to me in 1 day (and I live in Canada). Never bothered calling the sales rep back.

 

[ericj]

Quote:

Originally Posted by beerguy0 /img/forum/go_quote.gif TI and Analog Devices, OTOH, are very liberal with samples. They ship very quickly and typically with no questions asked.

National is also pretty liberal. The caviat seems to be that if they have to ship them from an overseas fab and you're not a big customer, they make you pay for shipping.

I paid $12 for my three samples of LM4562, shipped, and then one of them has one dead channel and another one has huge offset on one channel.

So, there's the 2nd caviat about National samples. For $12 shipped i got one working part. I ordered these samples before the lm4562 was available from retail distributors, though.

 

[majkel]

NI sample policy sucks. They want to charge you even if you represent a huge worldwide company. Linear sends for free but you have to wait several weeks sometimes. ADI and TI are pretty fast delivering and the TI is even more generous.