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real or fake?

S

say it as it is

pfm Member
ok seen a very curious code on TDA1541A HSH0201 5 serial 41073
so correct me but that means 1st week 2002? serial number seems much higher than my 1997 one fitted to my CD3

if this is real seems like a fake but removed from an Arcam 70.2 what years were they made?
 
that was my feeling as i thought 1998 was last year of manufacture but this was pulled from an arcam player unless its a fake been fitted at some point by the owner not even marked as Taiwan build very curious apparently it sounds like the real thing when tested
 
It could well be a real TDA1541 but remarked.

It's a common practice in China to remark IC's pulled from scrap electronics. Sometimes they remark stuff just to make it look like new, sometimes they add value by remarking as a more desirable derivative (e.g remarking a standard TDA1541 as an S1) and sometimes they'll remark anything in the right package size and sell it as something more valuable (i.e. any old DIP28 IC remarked as a TDA1541).

Never ever buy valuable IC's on ebay from China. 'Genuine' OPA627's at £4 a piece? Yeah right :rolleyes: :mad:
 
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Yes I agree way too risky but same token taking old chips from older players must be a risk as well. I have given up looking for TDA1541 S1 or S2 the cost makes fixing the CD3 more than its worth. Hate to scrap a good working player just to get another potentially going. If any TDA1541 chip will fit I might try anything going
 
Don't worry about getting an S1 or S2 all versions of the TDA1541 sound good. The important thing is to get the player fixed.
 
+1 to that.

@say it as it is - you can easily find lists of the huge variety of different players that TDA1541A were fitted to - have a hunt for one of them s/hand: the kind of thing that goes for bobbins on local gumtree/FB/market place websites, or indeed those weird quasi-pawnshops that resell old games cartridges, consumer phones , ipads etc. E.g: I've a known working Arcam alpha 5, bought for £30, that I'll sacrifice if/when I need to, to my modded Naim CD2: since the arcam will donate a known-good CDM9 laser, an SAA7220B, and a TDA1541A S1...
 
Yeah the chip doesn't seem right with the date stamp I must admit.
From what I have read the older non A chip can be just as good or even better so might go very retro need a pre 88 player for that
 
The TDA1541 is not a drop-in for TDA1541A - you need to fiddle with connections to pins 3 & 4 in a later player, because there's difference in what each version needs to clock-in data.
And the TDA1541 is not 'better' at all; not worth the bother.

There is an awful lot of wishful/imaginary BS around these dacs, often based on utterly shite /coloured implementations (of which there are hundreds esp in the DIY realm); some would even have you believe the 14bit original, the tda1540 is the best. Well - no, Just no.



Seriously - just go find a TDA1541A donor player. It's not hard.
 
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Decap it! (If you're not going to use it)

Not sure I've seen a remarked moulded IC but if they've resurfaced and remarked then it could be obvious under magnification.

Best way to tell is a decap which in its basic form is a fun procedure. Full decap will give nice clean chip to read the markings from.
 
say it as it is said:
decap it ? sorry bit thick here what you mean?
Click to expand...

Sorry, I meant decapsulate it. Drastic but basically boil it in acid (preferably fuming nitric) and rinse it in acetone then you'll be able to read off the silicon and see what exactly was in the package.
 
say it as it is said:
funny I have just read hoe the A and non A are interchangeable deffo a lot of BS out there very frustrating
Click to expand...

An “A” will work in a non “A“ circuit but not vice versa. The “A” is a later version and is a little bit better, apparently the later “A” versions pretty well all came up to single or double crown standards as the production process was so well sorted by then. The “R” version is a slightly relaxed spec version for use in lower end CD systems. The 14 bit TDA1540 achieved 16 bit resolution through noise shaping and oversampling but was mono so expensive, anyone who uses the 1540 in non os mode is basically a dick.
 
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Buy a donor player, do not trust eBay! Choose one with a single sided PCB and easy to remove!
 
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