Do NTE series ICs exist

[N_Cook]

Did they ever exist?
Why would some company make IC eqivalents for ICs that were used in 30
year old domestic equipment? I could understand, for keeping ancient
industrial equipment going. Or is it just another Google-ad income
generator?
eg NEC uPC1167 FM radio IC of circa 1980, apparently equivalent to
NTE1488, complete with apparent datadsheet with OCR/translation errors
from Japanese original data sheet

[dave]

Only use NTE as a last resort. Digikey, Mouser both ham/experimenter
friendly. MCM (Farnell?) good folks too.

[John Robertson]

NTE parts are real, they simply relabeled existing parts. Probably have
a huge inventory of spares, but they did always ask a premium price for
these.

They were used in the Radio/TV/VCR repair industry, originally called
ECG and they were bought out by NTE.

John :-#)#

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[jurb...@gmail.com]

In th old days alot o shops used them. I avoided it because I could usuall get te OEM for less. The 123 and 159 for exa,ple were just 2N3904 and 6. I used to joke that you pay more for the bag than the part.

Actually NTE was not first. Their "line" was the same as ECG which was Sylvania, ECG stood for Electronics Components Group while NTE stood for Nu Tone Electronics. Another cheap brand using the same cross reference was ERS, and those were not even as good as the others.

And none of them ever made a part. They simply remarked them, and sometimes didn't even do that. The SK line sold by RCA was actually better quality, and of course RCA mad/makes some semiconductors. I imagine they have access to better ones and can control the quality better. They used a totally different set of numbers though.

In my work, I got to the point where I didn't even bother with part numbers. the application told me what was needed, and for those who say that ain't kosher, I remind you that most shops used ECGs or NTEs which was much worse.

My system was better. For example 2SC1887 replaces 2SC1885 for most line oiutput in RCA NTSC sets of certain years. They are identical except the 1887 is a bit beefier. So I can buy 20 of those and get the discount instead of buying ten 1885s and ten 1887s. Upgrading a line output transistor in the US has been perfectly kosher since about 1976 when it became illegal for the safety of the set to depend on the failure of a seiconductor device. Before then they counted on the transistor failing to keep the HV should certain faults occur which would ake it rise to undesirable levels.

Same with the 2SC1881 replacing the 1879, they are slightly different than the 1885/7, but the same as each other. And then in audio there were the popular pairs to blow the 2SC3280 and 2SA1301. Well of course I gave them 2SC3281 and 2SA1302.

Certain transistors are critical though, bias transistors in amps I like to stick with the original if at all possible, in fact oin most audio when it comes to the audio chain itself. When it comes to voltage regulators, relay drivers etc., it really doesn't matter. But for transistors that actually amplify audio or video, you want the specs really close. That means looking at the spec sheet.

I bought the books in the old days, not I just get them online. I have very little problems finding most replacement parts for old stuff. Alot of people like me started doing the same thing and that pretty much marginalized these replacement lines. And now, lately I needed an FM IC for a Technics receiver and has no choice but to use an NTE, and the thing didn't work right.

No choice at all. I have stayed away from those thing if possible for at least twenty years.

[dansabr...@yahoo.com]

I too rarely use NTE unless there is no alternative. That being said however, I do have a large selection in stock of both NTE and ECG components. I often need to use these for anyu germanium replacements.

If you need a specific one that is no longer available, let me know. I may have one or two.

Dan

[N_Cook]

So whatever the NTE or CGE label says, the underlying IC would be
original Sanyo/NEC/Harris or whatever of the 1980s or even 1970s?

[Michael Black]

There were lots of replacement lines, RCA SK, Motorola HEP, Radio Shack
had a small selection, I recall GE did for a while. It was an attempt at
providing a universal line, when otherwise getting the part meant dealing
with multiple sources. Some were better than others. Radio Shack wsa
pretty limited. HEP started out small, and the ICs were mostly Motorola
(and they at least aimed it at the "Hobbyist, Experimenter, Professional",
so for the first two, "something close" was good enough, and it was more
important to be able to get reasonably current ICs in West Podunk, ND than
to get it cheap only if you mail ordered. HEP got better with time, but
like some of them, the replacements were generally work alikes rather than
exact, so the substitution guide would often cross to a similar sort of
IC rather than an exact match.

I had various guides, they were useful since it was easier looking up
transistor specs and not hving to go through differnet books from
different manufacturers. But since the replacement parts were so
expensive compared to the original, I couldn't afford the replacement line
parts.

ECG and then NTE came later, and offered a higher level of replacement.
They were less about workalikes than exact replacements. Each were a much
mroe extensive line, which meant a store that stocked them had to carry
more items, but at least they all came from the same source. Or I suppose
if they didnt' carry it, they could get the item from the distributor
fast, and still avoid having to deal with multiple distributors.If you
looked up a part in the ECG or NTE guide (that eventually became one and
the same), you were getting either the part, or very close to it. Earlier
replacement lines would expect you to live with a generally the same type
of transistor (though at least those were prime components if you were
buying from Motorola), so a lot of devices would cross to the same
replacement part. ECG and NTE seemed to try to be a lot closer match,
hence the much larger replacement line.

Michael

[Michael A. Terrell]

Not CGE, it was Sylvania's Electronic Components Group. RCA was the
first supplier of universal replacements in the '60s, when it could take
six months or longer to get an original transistor or diode. GE
followed, with some of the worst crap ever sold to a service tech.
Workman and ECG followed. NuTone Electronics copied the ECG numbering
system. before ECG was sold to Philips. NTE bout the remains of ECG
when Philips left the market. The reason for the pricing is because a
distributor had to sit on a lot of slow moving inventory. In the '60s &
'70s you could pay the price, or lose a customer by having to wait too
long.

BTW, the original RCA cross reference was printed on a fold out the same
size as their retail tube price list so you could carry it in a shirt
pocket.


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have a DD214, and a honorable discharge.

[whit3rd]

On Friday, October 31, 2014 9:01:02 AM UTC-7, N_Cook wrote:

> So whatever the NTE or CGE label says, the underlying IC would be
> original Sanyo/NEC/Harris or whatever of the 1980s or even 1970s?

Yes. The mold markings give away the origin, sometimes, but the
print on the package is always the NTE part number and logo.
One presumes that NTE has a warehouse of new-old-stock parts.

[N_Cook]

I wonder how they disguise the inevitable age-corrossion of the pins.
Unless you stored them in vacuum, any sort of storing even in a heated
building, UK anyway, the pins go grey with age. Perhaps they do some
sandblasting and then solder-pot dipping

[jurb...@gmail.com]

They generally bagged them up individually. It surely helped. I am sure this was not thir intention, to get their money (not) like 35 years later, but oh well.

[Michael Black]

When they bagged them individually, it could be "self-serve". And yes,
those things last long as artifacts.

There's a place here that looks like a parts store forty years ago. I'm
not sure it's been in the same location all that time, but it's been
around at least that long. Specializing in shortwave, it's an odd mix of
parts and old equipment. And the window is wonderful, all kinds of old
junk, including packaged parts from the old days.

Michael