Help finding alternative parts for TAoLE - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: congruentsquare
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: October 09, 2019, 04:50:20 am
content: I am currently ordering parts for the labs in "Learning The Art Of Programming". It's a bit of a continuation of my previousthread.There's a bunch of parts that are hard to get for different reasons. Here's my list:https://octopart.com/bom-tool/v4JBbfdA5 74HC160N,6521 DM74LS503N1 MC74HC125ANG1 MM74HC125N1 74HC160PW,1184 CK05BX100K1 LT1073CN8#PBF1 LNG995PFBW1 1n52941 TIL3111 AD558JN1 XC9572XL-10PCG44C1 AD7524JN1 DAC08CP1 PA00081 M74HCT573B1R1 74HC4040N1 BUK9509-40B, 1271 74HCT574N1 M74HC161B1R1 NS74HC04N1 74HC861 C566C-AFS-CU0W02522 LM3581 74HC1391 74HC125As you can see there's a bunch. What would you recommend for alternatives?

author: andy3055
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 09, 2019, 04:22:25 pm
content: I tried a few of them from the top on Digi-Key web site and they were all available.

author: congruentsquare
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: October 09, 2019, 04:43:09 pm
content: Are yousure? It's out of a stock and marked obsolete so I assume it's not coming back in stock.I am not really sure what to pick as an alternative for it.

author: andy3055
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 09, 2019, 08:06:42 pm
content: You might be able to get equivalent parts from NTE:https://www.nteinc.com/quickcross/The trick is to put those numbers in the Keyword field. It will then give you the NTE number for each of them. Once you know that NTE number plug it in the Part# field and then you will find if it is available.See attached.

author: rstofer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 09, 2019, 08:25:59 pm
content: On the chips, throw out all the characters after the last digit. Package info is not important until you find out what is available.The TIL311 is not current production but they are all over eBay. You may need to take a chance and buy through them. They are a very nice display with built in latch and driver. I used a bunch of these back around '80 or so.That blue LED ( LNG995PFBW) is just a blue LED. Read the datasheet for Vf and If and then drill down through the dozens of other blue LEDs until you find something close. You only care about the fact that it is through-hole and it would be ideal (but not required) that the forward voltage and forward current be similar. There is learning in reading datasheets and recalculating the series resistor to accommodate reality. Here's one that is in stock but I haven't checked the specshttps://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/cree-inc/C5SMF-BJE-CR0U0451/C5SMF-BJE-CR0U0451-ND/4793773My guess is that a blue LED is a blue LED is a blue LED... Close enough for government work. Vf=3.4V, If=20mA OK, I did check the datasheet and the original has a Vf of 3.5V and If of 20 mA so, as I said, close enough!It is an exercise to buy all of the parts for all of the experiments because many are either redundant, trivial or just 'make work'. Do the ones that provide real learning and blow off those that are obvious.If you're diligent, I think you can find the parts somewhere.

author: congruentsquare
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: October 09, 2019, 11:14:16 pm
content: I am going try to find alternatives for the parts but for someone who is just starting to learn electronics can be a daunting looking at the tech sheets.If there was a person packaging all the parts together to sell with the book they would make a fortune. Finding and buying the parts is the hardest part of the bookEDIT: It looks like a lot of the parts on ebay... I would easily pay someone $100 over asking to gather these parts into a package.

author: rstofer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 09, 2019, 11:53:09 pm
content: But it's already been done - by DigiKey. I suspect the kits only contain the currently available parts (substitutes or otherwise) but it's a start:https://www.digikey.com/en/resources/edu/harvard-lab-kit

author: congruentsquare
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: October 10, 2019, 01:26:44 am
content: Quote from: rstofer on October 09, 2019, 11:53:09 pmNo they don't have all the parts in the package. Look at the original thread and you can see what I mean.It looks like ebay has alot of these chips but they're not cheap. I really want to do the labs and it seems like this is a comprehesive book but finding all the parts for the labs and figuring out which parts goes to which labs really suck. It's definitely a book that they want accompanied with a formal class which is a shame.

author: rstofer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 10, 2019, 02:23:07 am
content: I've thought for some time that the book is over-rated. For a fact, some of the assemblies used in the later digital modules probably can't be built. Somewhere on the web site there is a replacement board but I don't recall the terms, whether it is just a design or what. I looked into it a couple of years ago and decided the experiment wasn't worth the hassle.You may have to improvise. Take the TIL311. It consists of a 4 bit latch, a hex->7 Segment decoder/driver and a 7 segment display. 3 chips in one package.A latch is a 74LS75 and a 74LS47 drives a common anode display and 7 segment displays are all over the place:https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/lite-on-inc/LSHD-A101/160-1572-5-ND/560005So, lacking the proper device, it is easy to make one from parts and both of the 74LS parts and the display are in stock at DigiKey. When the project is torn down, the parts are left over for another experiment.Maybe this searchable list of chips will help:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_7400-series_integrated_circuitsWhen you get hung up, or better, a couple of weeks before you get hung up, post specific questions. There is always a way to work around parts.

author: rstofer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 10, 2019, 02:29:23 am
content: Quote from: congruentsquare on October 10, 2019, 01:26:44 amI looked at a few of the items on the original list and I didn't see a problem. They are either available on DigiKey or eBay. I didn't check all of them but nothing jumped out as insurmountable. I've discussed the blue LED and the TIL311 and I suspect there are substitutes for everything else on the list. Make sure to omit the packaging letters that follow the numerics. Change logic families: 74xx can become 74LSxx. I'm not up on all of the newer incantations which are primarily CMOS but as long as the project uses the same family, it should all work out. If not, post a question.That doesn't mean a newcomer is going to know how to design around the lack of a part but somebody on this forum can help when you come up against a serious problem. I doubt that anybody is going to work through that list just for giggles. Get to where it is a problem and post a question.

author: rstofer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 10, 2019, 02:48:34 am
content: That 10 pf ceramic capacitor, CK05BX100K, is in stockhttps://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/kemet/CK05BX100K/1001-2001-ND/2397484I just picked a part at random to see if I could find it...I don't know where you're starting from or where you plan to go with electronics. There is a program called "Real Analog" at Digilent that is quite good. There are lab experiments and such but there is also a kit of parts. The course tends to feature their Analog Discovery 2 and this is a really nice tool! People poo-poo about it, believing it is a toy, and they miss out on what it can do for the money. There is nothing like it! In any event, there is a kit of analog parts that is available.https://learn.digilentinc.com/classroom/realanalog/https://store.digilentinc.com/analog-discovery-2-100msps-usb-oscilloscope-logic-analyzer-and-variable-power-supply/https://store.digilentinc.com/analog-parts-kit-by-analog-devices-companion-parts-kit-for-the-analog-discovery/or combined (but it doesn't save much)https://store.digilentinc.com/analog-discovery-2-student-bundle/There are things you can do with the AD2 that would take an entire bench full of test equipment. I use it fairly often to breadboard a little example circuit as "Show and Tell" for my (adult) grandson who is majoring in ME. He is finally starting to see how things work now that he's a little further along with his courses.

author: MangoAutomata
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: July 24, 2023, 09:40:30 am
content: The DM74LS503N chip can apparently be recreated with a programmable logic array chip. Details here:https://www.eevblog.com/forum/beginners/learning-the-art-of-electronics-parts-bom/msg4976446/#msg4976446As for the rest, I've just completed a document collated from the original analog and digital lists, and the DigiKey parts kit (which is incomplete, and some obsolete now).If you're still interested in completing the course, let me know and I'll share the alternatives I found.