Abstract said:
I'm supprised to find that many manufacturers give out free
samples(competely free!!). I'm wondering if anyone has constructed a list of
all the companies that do this. Right now I have only have microchip and I'm
waiting for the confirmation letter from National Semiconductors.
Maybe a nice informative list would be helpful?
http://sample.microchip.com/
Pic Microcontrollers, DSP's, Memory, Regulators, ADC/DAC, Linear, Power
Management, Misc.
Jon
Hi, Jon. Take a second and look at what the manufacturer is trying to
do here.
First, they're looking for design wins, those projects that result in
orders of thousands to millions of the part every year over a period of
years. A sample part is a small investment here, and all manufacturers
are willing to make that investment. I've had both positive and
negative experiences here.
Second, you have the aspiring student. If they have mercy on a poor
churchmouse of an EE major, they know that someday that undergrad may
become a design engineer, who might be predisposed toward their parts
because of a good experience in school. Again, possibly a good
investment, but chancy. I had a good experience from National
Semiconductor that actually caused me to lean toward their parts in my
later years.
Then you have the hobbyist or contriver of contrivances, who's
primarily interested in a one-off, and has little or no future sales
potential. These are a PITA to them, and are disposed of when
possible.
One issue that somewhat complicates things is that many manufacturers,
especially of passive components, will only issue samples through their
sales representatives in their area. You were talking about Vishay --
they're one of those -- I last got some samples for 1% SMT caps in
2004, and had to go through a rep because they were oddball parts that
could only be ordered in 1K quantities. But since I'm in the Chicago
area, there was a rep fairly close. I actually had a visit from those
folks, and got the project together with their samples without problem.
And they did get a "design win", although a small one. The customer's
revised BOM had the Vishay P/N on their print, and they will buy a
couple thousand of those parts a year. Their rep was not completely
unhappy with the time spent.
Obviously, there are ways to game the system. But, you have to ask
yourself if it's worth it.
1) The investment of your time is far more valuable than the cost of
any gumball parts like a PIC ($2) or an LM317 ($0.75).
2) You don't have any control over shipment on samples, because they're
"free". You may wait long for a "free" sample, which has slowed you
down by quite a bit. The loss of time is far more costly than the part
itself in nearly all cases. If I need something now, I'll have it sent
FedEx or second-day. I had a bitter example of this back in the '80s,
when I had a project on hold for a couple of weeks waiting for a
"sample" from a respected IC manufacturer. It didn't kill the project,
or my job, but it was a lot closer than I'd like on both. I had an
irrational bias against their parts for a while after that. They're
now in the Digi-Key catalog, so I don't have to worry about stock or
getting small quantities.
3) If there are enough people gaming the system, the manufacturers
will have to reevaluate their samples policy. It's a considerate thing
to only go to the well when you have to.
I'm not sure whether you're an electronics student or just a hobbyist.
Either way, get out your screwdrivers and soldering iron, and have at
every piece of electronics junk that comes your way. Once you've
spread the word, all your friends and relatives will gladly save their
"junk" for you rather than throw it out. You should soon have a
bountiful supply of transformers, transistors, and passives limited
only by your storage space and the time you have available. You might
even learn something about construction techniques, and if you're
lucky, you may be able to start fixing some of the stuff. That's
another part of your electronics education.
The costs you're incurring by going to the well and scrounging samples
are greater than the money you're saving. Even if you work at
MickeyD's, your time is more valuable.
Good luck
Chris