by Steve Anderson » Mon May 01, 2017 12:23 pm
Not only the issue of SMD packaging, but the prices seem too cheap. At least one of those sellers appears Chinese, one wonders about the quality. I would prefer spending a bit more knowing they came from a trusted source.
A lot of chips are made in China, also Indonesia, the Philippines and here in Thailand are branded by the 'Big Names', Philips, National Semiconductor and so on. The difference is the quality control of the whole manufacturing process, materials and electrical testing. I have more confidence if they're branded by these 'Big Names.'
I don't mind SOIC SMDs where the pin spacing is half that of a familiar DIP package, but when the pin spacing becomes 0.65mm and the actual pin width is then half that - forget it!
Steve A.