In the past couple of years, I've designed a handy relay-driver chip, the Infineon TLE7232GS, into various things... none of which have been made in significant quantities, on account of being mainly parts of test fixtures that get used to test the things that get made in quantity.
Well, in ordering from Digi-Key the parts for a little add-on board, I came across the dreaded "Limited quantity available, not recommended for new design" message, with the limited quantity being 4700 or so. And it looks like nobody else has any at all.
Eep?
I need two this week, and maybe another couple of dozen later, depending on whether there's respin of the main board before we build the second unit.
There's another part, apparently of similar functionality, the TLE7232G... which has an altogether different pinout. I haven't yet compared the datasheets to check for fiddly stuff like software compatibility. At least it doesn't have any NRfND notices.
Being as how I've got things on the drawing board that (a) involve relay drivers, (b) won't be built for a while yet, and (c) are meant to be products in their own right, it's a good thing I happened across this now.
(Come to think of it, the TLE7232GS may have been doomed before I started using it. If memory serves, a few days after I bought some specimens from Digi-Key I got a call from someone at Infineon who was Very Interested in the prospect of getting any design-ins. Like, maybe I was the first customer or something.)
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