Is IC power pin position (V+ / V-) for a package mostly standardized for opamps, comparators, INAs etc.?

Question

Is the power pin position for certain types of ICs standardized or practically, mostly standard? I assume there are rare exceptions and manufacturers could do what they want, but the general answer to be "yes".

Most opamps, comparators etc., for one package type and internal element count, seem to have their power pins in one place, regardless of their age. That is

• single opamp in DIP/SO 8: 4=GND, 7=+
• dual opamp in DIP/SO: 4=GND, 8=+
• quad opamp in DIP/SO: 4=GND, 11=+

And yes, I've seen exceptions, but they're rare and seem mostly to be scoped to instrumentation amplifiers.

Answer 1

No it isn't standardized, the manufacturers do what they want and what is best for their design. Manufacturers do, however, make similar designs to maintain compatibility. Most designers do not want to redesign a PCB because of a part. It is much easier to switch a part in production if you don't have to redesign a PCB. For this reason in many packages you can find similar pinouts. In newer packages that's often hard to find a pin compatible part.

Answer 2

The most common pinout for SO14/DIP14 is pin 4 for + and pin 11 for - (opposite of what you wrote).

Dual and single op-amps tend to have the same pinouts, as you suggest, but sometimes there is a shutdown pin or there are offset adjust pins or something else like that. Single comparators such as LM311 may use 8 as the + power pin. Many single op-amps are now in SOT23 packages with fewer than 8 pins.

I would say the most interchangeable pinout is that of the dual op-amp/comparator in an 8-pin package. There are no spare pins for the designers to exercise creativity.

In any case, though, you should always read the specific datasheets and ensure all the parameters are okay (including pinout) before making a substitution.