General > General Technical Chat
How is Chipageddon affecting you?
coppice:
--- Quote from: tom66 on December 18, 2023, 05:16:52 pm ---There wasn't a major shortage for the biggest OEMs. Even car manufacturers could get parts, it was just a case that they could not get enough to satisfy all of their demand and a few specific line items were very difficult to source.
--- End quote ---
I think its more accurate to say they could get what they had contracted to get, but when they tried to increase orders they were rebuffed because the additional capacity wasn't there. For a semiconductor maker the automotive market is a huge PITA. Its big, which stops people walking away, but the prices are really low and the qualification requirements are really high. If you are capacity limited there are more profitable parts you can ship,
SiliconWizard:
Yep. You get constraints similar (not same, but still) to the aerospace industry with bottom-low prices, what's not to like? ;D
Neutrion:
--- Quote from: Neutrion on December 18, 2023, 04:26:06 pm ---Did anyone noticed that actual nation states were also bunkering ICs?
For Russia, if they were preparing for the invasion it would totally make sense, but but also for China.
Did not went through all the messages here, but I don't remember much discussion about it.
Other thing connected to this topic:
Ikea LED candle, board made in 2021 may. MCU number IRLZ272. Did not find anything about it, but obviously IKEA did not have any problems sourcing these in the middle of the shortage for such a cheap product.
What can it be? 14 leg SO? package, 8th-leg VCC 9th leg GND. Runs from under 2V uses around 2-3 mA when working.
--- End quote ---
Sorry, I was talking nonsense, 8th leg is VCC 14th, so opposite corner GND.
I thought IKEA might not going to use a noname chip also because the power management on this one seems quiet well made, in some semi-active mode with only the sensor on, with an IR led pulsing with 6 Hz, the power consumption of the whole unit is 3-500uA.
And these are sold now, so it seems the whole production of the electronics might was made in one run.(This candle was bought for a few days ago.)
So if we knew about the chip it would be interesting to know whether there was any shortage of of it
for others.
But talking about car producers, there was some halt of production for weeks or months because of quiet cheap chips if I remember right, maybe not more expensive than this one. (OK I know, different certs., but still...)
So the fact that IKEA had no problem with production and orders but car manufacturer had, would be a funny fact.
Also if this chip is a name brand one, than it would mean that IKEA puts a custom number on them.
Otherwise I don't think if in case a chinese chip there would be absolute no info on it on the web.
Maybe the whole chipageddon was caused by IKEA. At the moment they ordered the chips for this batch there were some other high profile buyers watching the market, saw stock numbers depleted, and starting to bunker as well! ::)
Kleinstein:
The chip shortage was real and the car manufaturer were among the ones hit the hardest, as they had just canceled / postponed oders before the crisis started and than still needed the parts. With high demand for computer ships they got surprised with long lead times. This were not necessary cheap chips - more like custom ones. Still a cheap part compared to the complete car that could not be finished. A shortage also with standard parts was a bit later.
For the Ikea lamps, i doubt that they are directly manufactured and planed by Ikea. This is more a Chinese (or may be Vietnam for even lower costs) OEM manufacturer that produced the parts. At the very low end this could be genuine Chinese parts, possibly less effected by the shortage and transport problems, as production and packaging could be together. It was not that all parts were short in supply - with the board production slowed down some products were also there in excess. AFAIR the low end µCs were not that critical, at least not all types. The short BOM list for the simple products also made things relatively easy - the tricky products were complicated PCBs, where many parts can be show stoppers.
Neutrion:
I think there is hardly anything manufacured "directly" by Ikea. But I am sure they were involved with the specifications. The flame imitation flickering is also quiet well made.
If it would be a chinese IC from a brand which is not sourcing complete junk, I think it would be possible to find some info on it. And I don't think a manufacturer would risk quality issues with a relatively quality conscious brand like Ikea with absoulute noname(even in chinese terms) questionable parts, with unknown failure rates.
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