BL3207 no marking

Started by matopotato, June 16, 2024, 09:26:43 AM

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Mark Hammer

I heard back from Banzai tech support, and apparently the chip you received is somewhat of an anomaly, with others having the normal physical form.  However, I was assured that pins 1 and 8 can be identified by the usual means: adjacent to the "B" in BL3207.

Kudos to Banzai for their quick response.

matopotato




Good news! And thanks for walking the extra mile for me.

Based on the orientation in the picture the pins are

8 7 6 5
[Bl3207]
1 2 3 4
Right?
"Should have breadboarded it first"

ElectricDruid


matopotato

Update: The Swedish Postnord managed to crush the package that arrived today...





But somehow it seems to have survived



I plugged it in and did not do any trimmer adjustments, so cannot say how it sounds just yet, but there is flicker on the LED and all kinds of swaying sounds.
Filter matrix seems to switch between full on swinging wobble vs something like stuck flanger. But will need to trim first to know if this is expected or if it changes.

One thing surprised me though, there was effect, but no bypass. When I turn off, it is silent. Will have to investigate the 3PDT but I thought I already checked poles and where they go...

Again, thanks all who helped out in this. Once the set up is made I will try also the notchless original with its missing leg. But for now, all is well
"Should have breadboarded it first"

Mark Hammer

I do not know for absolute certain, but have strong suspicions that the "filter matrix" on the Electric Mistress co-evolved with the EHX "Hot Foot" pedal.  I say this because the Hot Foot (a foot operated device for rotating pots, before the advent of expression pedal inputs) required two important things: wide spacing between pots to allow for the screw that held the end in place on the pot shaft, and a big and heavy, or otherwise secured, pedal to avoid it flipping over.  Both of those are qualities of the original big-box EM.  But the "killer app" was that, a person could use the Hot Foot and set the pedal to filter matrix for manual flanging.  If I'm not mistaken, I think the range of delay times was even wider in filter matrix mode than in modulated mode.  The other killer app for the Hot Foot was to use it to quickly change the delay time on a Memory Man, to get pitch-shift a la Whammy pedal.

idy

Filter Matrix is a stuck flanger sound. One of the knobs allows you to manually sweep.Congrats.

duck_arse

it is interesting that the batch number used [chosen?] on the maybe fake part is the same as the number on the new, genuine, workable, dented part, no?

also interesting that for all the mashing done by the post office, they still couldn't properly damage the goods, much as they tried.
I had a slight fever

matopotato

Quote from: duck_arse on June 27, 2024, 11:06:41 AMit is interesting that the batch number used [chosen?] on the maybe fake part is the same as the number on the new, genuine, workable, dented part, no?

Not fully sure it is serial no. Some seem to use it as some sub-division.

Quotealso interesting that for all the mashing done by the post office, they still couldn't properly damage the goods, much as they tried.
Yes  ;D  not for lack of trying though. Touch wood, but first time in many packages that it happened.
"Should have breadboarded it first"

Kevin Mitchell

Quote from: duck_arse on June 27, 2024, 11:06:41 AMit is interesting that the batch number used [chosen?] on the maybe fake part is the same as the number on the new, genuine, workable, dented part, no?
With my experience in dealing with resurfaced & relabeled BBDs, could only guess it's for a bait n' switch effort. A bad one at that.

Knowing how the BL3207 is considered superior to say the currently produced V3207, one could very easily pull a con - an extra buck here and there will add up.

I've got a post somewhere here about a lot of MN3204 chips I had purchased but turned out to be MN3207 (double the delay stages). The first sign of trouble was the Panasonic branding - they were discontinued well before Panasonic acquired Matsushita. The definitive test was my prototype tester which gave an approximate count of how many stage clicks pass before the signal shows up on the output.
If it passes audio, who's really going to question it? Well, I did :icon_rolleyes:

Happy to see that they made it right by sending you a functioning device.
But I'd have doubts on the authenticity of the BL3207 - if it even matters to you.

Anyways, I wouldn't blame the seller. I understand tough times and all. But really, they could do better by not going with questionable distributors or passing off questionable chips to their customer (I know, QC is a big ask for some folks).
But really, the easiest thing for any new-old-stock vendor to do would be to update the listing photos showing the current stock so the customer can make that judgement for themselves - rather than be duped.
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PRR

Quote from: Kevin Mitchell on June 27, 2024, 03:36:45 PMwell before Panasonic acquired Matsushita.

Matsushita (founded by Mr Kōnosuke Matsushita) invented the Panasonic brand (they used "National" globally but that was a trademark in the US). In 2008 the company admitted that they were known-as Panasonic and officially adopted that name for everything. Technics was the fancy-brand. Sanyo was the brother-in-law but Panasonic merged with Sanyo. Hiro Matsushita is Kōnosuke's grandson and the only Japanese to race the Indy 500.
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matopotato

Quote from: Kevin Mitchell on June 27, 2024, 03:36:45 PMHappy to see that they made it right by sending you a functioning device.
But I'd have doubts on the authenticity of the BL3207 - if it even matters to you.

Anyways, I wouldn't blame the seller. I understand tough times and all. But really, they could do better by not going with questionable distributors or passing off questionable chips to their customer (I know, QC is a big ask for some folks).
But really, the easiest thing for any new-old-stock vendor to do would be to update the listing photos showing the current stock so the customer can make that judgement for themselves - rather than be duped.
Thanks!
So if this was a fake, how could I detect that?

I saw a YT clip (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n30-hlBKAYE) recently about 4558s and the different versions had a second number printed, but that seemed to be more of a detailed specs number than an individual serial number, else what was left for the serial part would make the number series very limited.

I understand that lots are going on in the IC business and profit can be made by selling fake or wrong branded stuff, but I still have a hard time thinking that a well-known company would do this as a business strategy.
Then I would expect their QC to pick up on "cloned serial numbers" rather easily. If they work with ICs, this should not be a big challenge.
But this is all IMHO.

The chip I got seems to flange. Perhaps it is a 256 and not the expected 1024, and I am not equipped to tell the difference. If so I have perhaps been cheated financially, and also intellectually by thinking I do have a close-as-it-gets home-built clone of EMV2...
Might look for another 3207 elsewhere, but again doubt I will be alble to tell the difference.
"Should have breadboarded it first"

Kevin Mitchell

Quote from: matopotato on June 28, 2024, 06:23:43 AMSo if this was a fake, how could I detect that?
Quote from: matopotato on June 28, 2024, 06:23:43 AMThe chip I got seems to flange. Perhaps it is a 256 and not the expected 1024, and I am not equipped to tell the difference. If so I have perhaps been cheated financially, and also intellectually by thinking I do have a close-as-it-gets home-built clone of EMV2...
Might look for another 3207 elsewhere, but again doubt I will be alble to tell the difference.
My guess would be old stock MN3207 or new V3207 as they're far more prevalent than any other BBD in the market today.
There's a gentleman around the forum who decaps ICs and uses a microscope (or is it an Amscope?) to inspect the wafer. Wafers often have the manufacturer or chip name printed on them. That would be the most sure way to identify the brand apposed to deep-diving into contrasting with undoubtedly authentic devices.

I wouldn't worry about it at this point unless it really bugs ya  :icon_rolleyes:

They could always turn out to be real Belling devices!
-I had a lot of MN3010 BBDs (dual 512 stage) that were resurfaced & relabeled. Could you believe that they all tested out authentic?! I can't think of any other reason for that to be worth-while for anyone unless it was a bait n' switch attempt if one had a substantial follow-up order.
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matopotato

Thanks Kevin,
I'll cancel my backup order for MN3207 then since it would not add anything except the print I guess.
"Should have breadboarded it first"

duck_arse

Quote from: matopotato on June 27, 2024, 01:22:35 PMNot fully sure it is serial no. Some seem to use it as some sub-division.

generally, it would be a batch number for a day's run of production, not a unique serial number. and yes, bait and switch - a real part number and a real batch number, well, it must be the real McCoy [sp?], yes?



Quote from: PRR on June 28, 2024, 02:08:13 AMHiro Matsushita is Kōnosuke's grandson and the only Japanese to race the Indy 500.

win? place? finish?
I had a slight fever

matopotato

"Should have breadboarded it first"

Kevin Mitchell

Quote from: PRR on June 28, 2024, 02:08:13 AMMatsushita (founded by Mr Kōnosuke Matsushita) invented the Panasonic brand
I had no idea!
Thanks for the history. Should have known they're all under the same umbrella. I always thought they were just bought out by bigger companies (ignorant 90s kid here).

Being an Indy 500 racer is a hard flex. Cool!
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PRR

Quote from: duck_arse on June 28, 2024, 11:12:43 AMwin? place? finish?

As matapotato's link shows: Hiro had a good career in multiple styles and levels on self-merit (not rich-kid). The whole family is full of achievement. (We don't know that National brand in the US but it was all over Japan, Korea, and even Australia for decades. Who else had both ABBA and Pink Lady hawking their ovens and reefers?)
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