Maybe not a big deal, but when I was shopping for name-brand bipolar caps on Mouser I noticed that Nichicon's 10uF (several SKUs) are marked EOL.
(https://i.imgur.com/CPIQbso.png)
Price isn't too bad, considering. QoS:
(https://i.imgur.com/ymMvacY.png)
IDK, in the vintage computer world, recapping power supplies and such, Nichicon was the recommended brand. Anyhow, there it is : P
Yeah I noticed that the other day when I was placing an order. Looking into it further, it's not just their bipolar caps either; Nichicon seems to be discontinuing most if not all of their 5x11, 6.3x11, and 6.3x15 electrolytic capacitors due to "decreased order volume and product obsolescence". This is a real bummer, as they were always my go-to electrolytic capacitor brand alongside Panasonic. Here's hoping they don't end up following suit...
I too saw this and I was bummed out as they were also my go to for electrolytics.
I'm not sure what will fill the gap, Rubycon has discontinued a lot too, as well as Panasonic.
Update here. Just got a notification that these are now marked EOL :/ and what's worse, there's only a week left to purchase. Short notice...
Unfortunately this is probably the beginning of a larger trend- with most consumer electronics having long-since moved to surface-mount devices, there just isn't enough demand for through-hole parts for large manufacturers to justify continued production. We DIYers are insignificant in the grand scheme of things. I've noticed this happening with several chips as well, most notably the OPA2134, and I'd expect it to start affecting more and more parts over time.
Noooooooo
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Mouser still has plenty of Panasonics.
https://www.mouser.com/c/passive-components/capacitors/aluminum-electrolytic-capacitors/aluminum-electrolytic-capacitors-radial-leaded/?m=Panasonic&product=Bi-Polar%2FNon-Polar%20Electrolytic%20Capacitors&voltage%20rating%20dc=16%20VDC~~25%20VDC&instock=y&rp=passive-components%2Fcapacitors%2Faluminum-electrolytic-capacitors%2Faluminum-electrolytic-capacitors-radial-leaded%7C~Voltage%20Rating%20DC&sort=pricing
This is all the more reason to keep busting open those big old electronic organs from the late 60's - 70's. They're chock full of great parts! The electrolytic caps in them always measure perfectly fine on my ESR meter (because they weren't building obsolescence into the components back then). And I have done side-by-side comparisons with newer electrolytic caps, and the new ones are NOISIER than those old caps! People still regularly give old organs away for next-to-nothing on Craigslist and OfferUp. It's a way to double-stick it to the modern world of throw away tech: you recycle instead of filling landfills with their garbage, and you keep using the very components they're trying to get rid of.
It's time to get out the magnifying glasses and tweezers and stock up on SMD!
(https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2016-09/21/20/asset/buzzfeed-prod-fastlane03/anigif_sub-buzz-14752-1474505553-2.gif)
Quote from: lars on November 16, 2023, 02:10:14 PM
It's a way to double-stick it to the modern world of throw away tech: you recycle instead of filling landfills with their garbage, and you keep using the very components they're trying to get rid of.
Are you secretly Gerolf a.k.a. the Post Apocalyptic Inventor? :P
Fun channel, if you're not familiar.
I haven't been thrifting in some time, but I might go do that one of these days. Some years ago I salvaged a Wurlitzer 4100 which netted me many 12FQ8s, and some other valves—mostly microphonic (or so I was told, since I payed those forward)—Good-All caps, and more mojo resistors than I feasibly can use :P
Bet you could stock up at Newark. I've got a pretty hefty hoard of audio caps, they always have some EOL caps for pennies (red star). They ship from US and UK. Just make sure you check where each item is coming from before you put it in your cart. If you're in the US and select the UK ones it splits the order and makes shipping a pain.
This is only for non-polar and bi-polar caps though, right? It would be really surprising if run-of-the-mill polarized caps were being ended.
Quote from: Haberdasher on November 17, 2023, 11:13:20 AM
This is only for non-polar and bi-polar caps though, right? It would be really surprising if run-of-the-mill polarized caps were being ended.
I'm pretty sure.
https://www.mouser.com/c/passive-components/capacitors/aluminum-electrolytic-capacitors/aluminum-electrolytic-capacitors-radial-leaded/?diameter=5%20mm&lead%20spacing=2%20mm&m=Nichicon&termination%20style=Radial&instock=y
no sign of EOL/OB on the rest of the polar 5mm dia caps. still, a portent of things to come?
Quote from: jessenator on November 16, 2023, 04:10:31 PM
Are you secretly Gerolf a.k.a. the Post Apocalyptic Inventor? :P
I only wish I could be somebody with that great of a title (I will be watching his channel now, thank you). I'm merely a hobbyist with a soldering iron and an eye for quality components. One time I found some Aerovox .01 caps in an old Magnavox console radio that measured a dead-on .01, 100% good on my ESR meter, even though they are older than Sputnik! I still have them just to prove that "drift" and obsolescence are bogus rubbish.
Aw bummer, I always looked at these as the Cadillac's of caps.
Since I haven't been building for 5-6 years I noticed this change too. Trying to follow older BOM links coming up on EOL, none in stock, on Mouser.
Fortunately my Filipina Fiancé is a professional electronic assembler. She does large chips with solder pads underneath, bakes PCBs, does rework with no magnification. 20+ years. I'll take lessons. Hehe..
Quote from: blearyeyes on December 05, 2023, 07:57:44 PM
Fortunately my Filipina Fiancé is a professional electronic assembler. She does large chips with solder pads underneath, bakes PCBs, does rework with no magnification. 20+ years. I'll take lessons. Hehe..
Nice. While in a different hobby I invested in some SMD gear, but boy it's nerve-racking to do. I wish you all the luck! ;D