On 2020/01/18 1:11 p.m., Cursitor Doom wrote:
Gentlemen,

How reliable are the old 'tin-can' encapsulated op-amps from say 40
years ago? I'm talking about the ones that look like large transistors
and have typically 8 leads in the TO5-8 package. I'm unable to provide
a part number as these don't have one as such. Could be a 741 perhaps
but I can't be certain. Are they known to fail?

thanks.


Many solid state devices from that era are still running. Physical
damage (moisture working in via the leads) is one primary cause of
failure. If the leads look good then chances are fairly good the device
will work.

I use lots of 30 to 40+ year old components all the time for servicing
our classic arcade games. Most are perfectly good. Other than
electrolytic capacitors...they definitely have a shelf life/best before
date!

John :-#)#

--
(Please post followups or tech inquiries to the USENET newsgroup)
John's Jukes Ltd.
MOVED to #7 - 3979 Marine Way, Burnaby, BC, Canada V5J 5E3
(604)872-5757 (Pinballs, Jukes, Video Games)
www.flippers.com
"Old pinballers never die, they just flip out."