Re: [sdiy] Re: 3080---defunct?

[jhaible at debitel.net]

>* Maybe it's not a bad thing if the 3080 gets discontinued. *
>
>It was a wonderful device and the answer to synth builder's
>prayers when it came out, but that was thirty years ago (when
>some of wore brown flares) so surely we should be using 
>something better - less noisy and drifty.  But what?
>
>There are the 13600 and 13700 and the CA3280, but even with 
>these we're not getting the sort of SNR you'd expect for a 
>reasonably professional application.  And I can't see those
>being available for much longer.  (13600 gone already?)


Building VCAs from discrete transistors is the best solution anyway.

But in defense of the 3080 and its companions, they are very
useful for other applications than VCA, or analogue multiplying
in general. I often just need a current *switch* - a digital
signal changing the direction of a voltage controlled current
source. And for that, a tiny 3080 is really a nice solution.
As the input stage is not in its linear range of operation,
neither noise nor offset voltage are a problem anymore.

JH.