Cross-referencing old/obsolete parts to new part numbers

I struggle with trying to look up and find comparable replacement part numbers. Right now I keep asking the Applications department to assist me and they have helped me every time. But, I know they have better things to do so I want to learn what I need to know. From looking at numerous posts, it appears I’m not the only one with this problem. It would be appreciated if someone could direct me to other posts or articles that would help expedite my learning curve. Thanks in advance.

That’s a task that has to be taken one bite at a time… My suggestion would be to find the product family for an item in question, look at the parametric filters available, and ask oneself what exactly each is trying to communicate. Then jump into the datasheet and do the same thing with the different info there.

Many/most parts have some sort of idealized model, for which a datasheet exists to characterize how the actual item falls short of that ideal.

I’d also suggest looking for old-school application notes; the kind written in the pre-internet era when communication was expensive, and people focused on communicating the underlying, extensible ideas about how to choose and use various classes of components. That kind of material is getting harder to find, but it is still there…