Fake op-amps

I bought some op-amps from Aliexpress a few days ago. They seem to be working. I patted myself on the back for getting a such a deal, they were about $0.08 each!

All of the parts seem to be working except fro the LM308 which didn’t work at all.

After watching this video, I’m starting to think that all of them could be fake! Seems like companies are manufacturing op-amps, that work as op-amps, but are marking them with other part numbers.

Here is a link to a discussion on DIYStompboxes.com forum.


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2 responses to “Fake op-amps”

  1. Orson Avatar
    Orson

    So does this mean we should really be wary of buying any components from Aliexpress? I’ve heard about the fake diodes from them (and eBay), now fake op amps. I order a lot of 100 390pf capacitors, I wonder about those now, too.

    1. admin Avatar
      admin

      That’s a good question. I’ve bought some stuff from Aliexpress. Things like caps, 3PDT switches, and knobs. These seem hard to fake. And they work fine. Shipping takes a while but the prices are cheap, you get more for your money.

      When it comes to chips I’m not sure what to think. I have all of these op-amps, which seem to work, except for the LM308’s which don’t seem to work. But are these LT072’s real TL072’s? I’m not sure. Often making guitar pedals we use our ears. Death by Audio has been known to use transistors upside down and people are buying those pedals and liking them! From that perspective I’d say just use the cheap op-amps!

      On the other hand, if you have a specific circuit that has some requirements, it would be nice to know that you were using a part that matches the label. It’s incredibly frustrating to debug something for hours and later figure out a chip is bad, is the noise you’re hearing coming from an op-amp that should have a JFET input but doesn’t because it’s not what the label says it is.

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