On Fri, 3 Jan 2003, Joe wrote:
At 06:01 PM 1/1/03 -0600, you wrote:
Oops, I have TIL311s, not the 306. I was thinking
that the 311s were
still in production. I guess the 311 with a built-in BCD controller
must still be useful in current products.
The 306/307s also have built in BCD decoders. I've been trying to find a
data sheet on the 311 so that I can see what the difference is between
it and the 306/307.
I have the datasheet for the 311 in pdf format if you'd like me to email
it to you. The 311 has a built-in BCD decoder, but not a counter, like the
306/307.
I'll make
a note to check a couple of my local surplus dealers over
the next few weeks. If I find any TIL306 displays, I'll pick them up.
Should I also hunt for any 307s?
306's or 307s will work equally well. The one difference between them is
that one has the decimal point to the left of the digit and the other
has the dp on the right. My unit doesn't use the decimal points so
either display will work fine.
Ok, thats what I wanted to be sure of. Often devices didn't use the
decimal points, but I didn't want to assume that was the case.
If all else
fails, would it be possible to salvage your displays? I've
carefully ground back ceramic and plastic on other dip components to
attach replacement leads in the past, but it isn't a fun task...
It's possible but all the leads on them are weak and I'd probably have
to eventually replace ALL the leads.
Been there, done that. I have a pile of early 74244s and other 7400 series
logic chips that have nearly nothing left of their leads due to the foam
that were stored in for roughly 15-20 years. Thankfully, the TIL311s and
most of the other chips that came in the same batch of parts didn't have
the same problem, though their leads had to be cleaned.
-Toth