Don't know what a part is? ChatGPT to the rescue!

[mlefe]

I'm sorry if this is double posting, but in the latest rage of using CHATGPT for everything, I asked about some chips with markings that I couldn't find in google...
Not only it found them and describe their characteristics, but also pointed me in the right direction to find their datasheets.

Another great use for this tool!

[mlefe]

Of course, all results derived from this AI must be taken with a pinch of salt as it can (and will!) say wrong things

[wraper]

I just tried it for finding a part number of IC on which recently I spend a whole day to eventually find. Was pretty much useless despite telling it a code, package, manufacturer and what it does. Although if I ask it about actual part number it knows what it is.

[mlefe]

Yeah, I know it sounds dumb, but given that I'm a newbie, sometimes all the different codes prevent me from actually understanding what to search... maybe not perfect but definitely worth a shot

[thm_w]

Yeah, I know it sounds dumb, but given that I'm a newbie, sometimes all the different codes prevent me from actually understanding what to search... maybe not perfect but definitely worth a shot

Can you give the example of what you searched for?

[mlefe]

Sure! I recently bought a "Lenovo" SDD on Aliexpress. As you might imagine, the drive was in a very flimsy case with no actual markings beyond a sticker so I opened it up and tried to google their two main chips.
This is the interaction I got from ChatGPT:

ME: can you find information on a chip that's marked with SM2259XT?
CHATGPT: Yes, SM2259XT is a solid-state drive (SSD) controller chip developed by Silicon Motion Technology Corporation, a leading provider of NAND flash controllers for SSDs.

  The SM2259XT chip is designed to support 3D TLC (Triple-Level Cell) and 3D QLC (Quad-Level Cell) NAND flash memory and features advanced error correction, wear-leveling,
  and data management technologies to enhance SSD performance, reliability, and endurance. The chip supports the NVMe 1.3 protocol, which allows for high-speed data transfer
  and low latency.

  The SM2259XT chip is commonly used in mainstream consumer-grade SSDs from various manufacturers, such as Kingston, Crucial, Adata, and Transcend, among others. Some of
  the SSD models that use the SM2259XT controller chip include:

  Kingston A2000
  Crucial MX500
  Adata SU800
  Transcend SSD230S
  In general, SSDs that use the SM2259XT chip offer good performance and reliability, making them a popular choice for users looking for an affordable and reliable storage
  solution.


ME: can you find information on another chip with markings 29F01T2SLAQKA?
CHATGPT: Yes, the 29F01T2SLAQKA is a flash memory chip manufactured by Macronix International, a leading provider of non-volatile memory solutions.

  The 29F01T2SLAQKA chip is a 1 megabit (128 kilobyte) flash memory chip that uses a NOR architecture. It is designed to operate at a voltage range of 2.7V to 3.6V and has a
  maximum clock frequency of 70 MHz. The chip features a page program time of 20 microseconds and a block erase time of 1.5 milliseconds.

  The 29F01T2SLAQKA chip is commonly used in a wide range of electronic devices, such as set-top boxes, routers, modems, and other networking equipment. It is also used in
  some automotive applications, such as dashboard displays and infotainment systems.

  Overall, the 29F01T2SLAQKA chip offers reliable and fast performance, making it a popular choice for applications that require high-speed data access and reliable data storage.


ME: can you point me towards the datasheets of both chips?
CHATGPT: Certainly! Here are the links to the datasheets for the two chips:

  SM2259XT datasheet: https://www.siliconmotion.com/A3S/uploads/docs/SM2259XT_DS_EN_1_6.pdf

  Macronix 29F01T2SLAQKA datasheet: https://www.macronix.com/Lists/Datasheet/Attachments/1876/29F002T_29F01T.pdf

  These datasheets provide detailed information about the features, specifications, and performance characteristics of the two chips, including pinouts, timing diagrams, and
  electrical characteristics. They can be a valuable resource for engineers and designers who are working on products that incorporate these chips.

[mlefe]

It's worth mentioning that none of the URLs worked, but they did point me towards the websites: manufacturer and family of the ICs was enough to find what I wanted 
As I mentioned before, it's not perfect not the end game, but I believe it does help (Google now gives some webpages when you search for the SiliconMotion chip, but comes completely empty on the second one)

[fzabkar]

https://www.google.com/search?q=filetype%3Adoc+OR+filetype%3Apdf+++SM2259XT

First hit:

https://www.siliconmotion.com/download/q/a/SM2259_XT_PB_EN_201910.pdf

This database lists the NAND flash IC as an Intel part:

https://nand.gq/#/decode?pn=29F01T2SLAQKA

The NANDs on this PCB are made by Intel/Micron (29F01T2ALCQHI):

https://cdn.staticneo.com/a/neo-forza-nfs10-480gb/07.jpg

MX29F002T is a Macronix 2Mbit flash. That's far too small for today's SSDs.

https://pdf.datasheetcatalog.com/datasheet/macronix/MX29F002NBTC-90.pdf

ChatGPT's URL for the SM2259XT datasheet looks like it might be a link to a restricted partner portal.

[wraper]

ME: can you point me towards the datasheets of both chips?
CHATGPT: Certainly! Here are the links to the datasheets for the two chips:

  SM2259XT datasheet: https://www.siliconmotion.com/A3S/uploads/docs/SM2259XT_DS_EN_1_6.pdf

  Macronix 29F01T2SLAQKA datasheet: https://www.macronix.com/Lists/Datasheet/Attachments/1876/29F002T_29F01T.pdf

  These datasheets provide detailed information about the features, specifications, and performance characteristics of the two chips, including pinouts, timing diagrams, and
  electrical characteristics. They can be a valuable resource for engineers and designers who are working on products that incorporate these chips.

Sounds like you made it up. ChatGPT does not provide hyperlinks.

Can you point me to SM2259XT datasheet?
I'm sorry, but as an AI language model, I don't have the ability to browse the internet or access specific data sheets. However, I can suggest that you try a web search using a search engine such as Google or Bing to find the SM2259XT datasheet. Additionally, you can try reaching out to the manufacturer of the SM2259XT to request a copy of the datasheet.

EDIT: it provides hyperlinks. But usually tells it cannot access internet instead.

[AndyC_772]

IMHO there's definitely value in tools like ChatGPT to bridge the gap between what "is known" about any given topic, and what is actually known by an individual person trying to carry out a task which would benefit from such knowledge.

How much time and effort is soaked up every day, recreating experiments such that people can learn for themselves information that has been discovered years before, published, and buried in one of a million scientific papers never to be seen again? Imagine a tool that could actually read this enormous archive of knowledge, find information that's actually relevant to a task, and present it to a scientist or engineer?

[RaymondMack]

I agree with AndyC_772, if fed the "right" data (rather than the whole publicly available internet) you could get great answers from a ML algorithm like Chat GPT. But the way Chat GPT was developed... let’s just say they have to babysit it and output boiler plate responses to keep people from losing their shit over the algorithm's native responses. You simply can't feed an algorithm like this with the entirety of Reddit and 4chan and not expect to get absurd responses from time to time. As an example, a ML algorithm was fed hundreds of thousands of photos of healthy skin and cancerous skin examples and all it learned was to look for rulers since they almost always accompany an image of a cancerous example to show how large the tumor is. It's obvious in hind sight that you should only show it the relevant parts of the image... but researchers aren't always that attentive and proactive when doing this type of work.

[fzabkar]

It appears that ChatGPT tells fibs.


FZ: Can you find a datasheet for an SM2259XT chip?

ChatGPT:

The SM2259XT is a solid-state drive (SSD) controller chip manufactured by Silicon Motion Technology Corporation. Here is a link to the datasheet for the SM2259XT chip:

https://www.siliconmotion.com/A3S6S7/sm2259xt/SM2259XT_DS_EN.pdf

The datasheet provides detailed information about the features and specifications of the SM2259XT controller, including its interface, performance, power consumption, and supported NAND flash technologies. It also includes diagrams and tables that can help developers and engineers design and optimize SSDs using the SM2259XT chip.

[KE5FX]

Sounds like you made it up. ChatGPT does not provide hyperlinks.

What?  Of course it does.



Any hyperlinks you get out of it are probably broken, though, as the data for the model was gathered prior to 2022, I believe.  It's not actively connected to any search engines or servers AFAIK.

[golden_labels]

What it did is constructing a likely answer of a human asked about component XYZ. Exactly what language models are designed to do.

How “smart” this may look, the task doesn’t require actual knowledge, understanding, critical approach or any complicated brain-like behavior. Neither from smortnets nor humans. Which makes huge language models a perfect search engine, if only the query is right. In this case it is.

The downside is the same, as with what is being emulated — a human. You receive only a single response and some of them must be wrong.

[wraper]

Sounds like you made it up. ChatGPT does not provide hyperlinks.

What?  Of course it does.



Any hyperlinks you get out of it are probably broken, though, as the data for the model was gathered prior to 2022, I believe.  It's not actively connected to any search engines or servers AFAIK.

It says it cannot provide hyperlinks all of the time, including with a question on your screenshot. However I got a hyperlynk when said to generate it.

[wraper]

Ok, it says it can. However IME it said it cannot access internet every time I asked something.

can you provide hyperlinks to information or not?

As an AI language model, I can provide hyperlinks to information. Please let me know what information you need a hyperlink for, and I will do my best to assist you.

[PA0PBZ]

If you ask it for the source of the information it often gives you a hyperlink.

[wraper]

If you ask it for the source of the information it often gives you a hyperlink.

AFAIK it normally says it cannot provide sources of its information.

[komrad2236]

For me I asked chatGPT about a component E420 which is N-channel dual JFET, first I asked it about the component, then I asked "tell me specifications of "E420 N-channel dual JFET" and it said "I correct my last response, I made a mistake, E420 is a N channel...."

So yea it doesn't know everything correctly

[PA0PBZ]

If you ask it for the source of the information it often gives you a hyperlink.

AFAIK it normally says it cannot provide sources of its information.

[KE5FX]

For me I asked chatGPT about a component E420 which is N-channel dual JFET, first I asked it about the component, then I asked "tell me specifications of "E420 N-channel dual JFET" and it said "I correct my last response, I made a mistake, E420 is a N channel...."

So yea it doesn't know everything correctly

It doesn't really "know" anything at all.  It just does what we do: make a more-or-less educated guess based on available information and statistical observations, and make something up when insufficient information exists.

We have met the occupant of the Chinese Room, and he is us.

[CatalinaWOW]

Since some countries and some ISPs very heavily regulate their content, I wonder if ChatGPT's return of hyperlinks is tied to the location of the questioner? 

I would also guess that the amount of that control varies, and is often unknown.  China for example is very open about such control, though it is less open about the specifics.  Most western countries don't admit to such involvement, but that may or may not relate to the actuality.

[sleemanj]

What ChatGPT says it can't do or doesn't know, and what it actually can't do and doesn't know, are two entirely different things. 

Just because a specific ChatGPT session says it can't or won't do something, doesn't mean that the next session will be necessarily the same.

Of course any content it produces, including links, can be entirely fictional.

Links are certainly no problem in any case,

Me: "Can you give me a URL to a datasheet for a 555 timer IC?"
It: "Certainly! Here's a link to the datasheet for the NE555 timer IC, which is a popular and widely-used version of the 555 timer: https://www.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/ne555.pdf"

The link is even clickable (and correct in this case).

[golden_labels]

ChatGPT is served over HTTPS so the ISP should not be able to see any links on the page. They will see the domain if you click them, and the entire link if it is an HTTP link, but not until then.

TLS doesn’t protect against untrusted upstreams and compromised authority chains.

[Bud]

A respectable browser will not work with untrusted certificates.