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Grogster

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Joined: 31/12/2012
Location: New Zealand
Posts: 9586

Posted: 07:02am 10 Oct 2021

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That global silicon chip shortage is starting to bite everywhere....

Microchip state they won't have any more 170 MM2 chips in SSOP flavour till roughly this time NEXT YEAR.

I have found some at element14, but I had to pay more for them, but C'est La Vie....

"It's a funny old world" - Alexei Sayle

Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops!

matherp
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Joined: 11/12/2012
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 10196

Posted: 10:43am 10 Oct 2021

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It's certainly becoming a real pain.

About 18 months ago STM announced a 64-pin STM32H7B0RB processor that had the full display driving capability of the H7 in the CMM2 but with 1.2Mbyte of internal RAM. Using the 144-pin version of the same chip on a Nucleo board I developed a VGA adapter and designed a PCB with with the same footprint/pinout as an ILI9341 display. The firmware accepts the ILI9341 control sequences over SPI. This would allow anyone using a program that used an ILI9341 to swap out the display and immediately have a VGA output.

Thought it would make a really good project for SC etc.

HOWEVER, in the 18 months since the chip was announced it has been continuously unavailable - that was a complete waste of my time

Grogster

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Posted: 12:17am 11 Oct 2021

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Well, perhaps not a COMPLETE waste of your time. The project would still be a very useful add-on adaptor thing once the chips are available. It just kinda means that your project is in limbo till you can get the chips. But I encourage you NOT to abandon the project, as that would be a useful thing to have - once we can get the chips.

It does make planning ahead for ANYTHING using MCU's difficult though, when you are told you can't get the chips for another full year, and I guess perhaps even that is not guaranteed.

I'm starting to understand how Ford must feel trying to assemble cars.
Perhaps they need to drop all the electronics, and go back to basic dizzy, points and coil!

I use more SSOP 170's then any other type, as they are nice and small and can fit into much less PCB real-estate, so they are pretty much my default footprint for MOST of my PCB designs now, although, I do still use a handful of SOIC's and DIL depending on the designs. But I use more SSOP by far these days, so them not being around for another full year is a worry to my supply chain of various things. Sigh.

Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops!

Quazee137

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Joined: 07/08/2016
Location: United States
Posts: 593

Posted: 08:59am 11 Oct 2021

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I am lucky in a way as a project I bought 170's for didn't go into production.
Now 3 project are ready for boards and all those chips have happy homes.
Sadly 2 more projects go into hibernation till I can get a few 1000 of the 170's.

One partner thinks China has done this purposely to push their productions while
holding the rest of the world back.

It would be nice to know how/what is the true cause of this. From my understanding
all the major chip plants stayed in production so is it basic materials that is at
the root of it all.

Along for the ride where ever the journey takes me.

Quazee137

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Posted: 06:45pm 13 Oct 2021

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Grogster check Mouser.com

They have 229 of PIC32MX170F256B-I/SS.
Its the 40MHz one not sure if it'd work for you.

Grogster

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Posted: 04:19am 14 Oct 2021

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Ta.

Yes, slow ones are fine. I normally throttle them back to about 10MHz anyway, so speed is not an issue for what I need them for.

Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops!

Bryan1

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Joined: 22/02/2006
Location: Australia
Posts: 1437

Posted: 09:21am 15 Oct 2021

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It is only microchips that are in shortage either, today at work we tried to get some 24mm bright bar only to be told sorry it's out of stock, went to the major bolt store to get some 9/16" socket head cap screws only to told we have 11 2" ones left and 6 weeks before any new ones arrive.

So expect things to get worse as stocks run out and no supplies come in, and we were told lets bet everything on China now how is that going eh when we can't even get a ship to come here.

Grogster

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Posted: 04:25am 16 Oct 2021

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Yep, I would agree with that. I went to buy some clearfile book things the other week, and they were totally sold out and could not even say when they would have more, as no-one freakin' knows anymore at this point, and saying anything is probably just a best-guess. Tried three different stationary shops - same story. And they were missing many other things on the shelves too.

I used to say to my mates way before the coof even came on the scene: "If anything major ever happens to China, we're all

. EVERYTHING is made there!"

I was thinking natural disaster like huge earthquake, flood or volcanic eruption or something like that.

Back then I was never a great fan of putting all your eggs in one basket, but they don't seem to teach that to suit-wearing politicians - perhaps they never did.
All the politicians care about, is the cheapest price, even if it means hundreds or thousands of their own people losing their jobs.

A few years back, the then NZ-Rail closed down our own NZ-based railway workshops, and bought in a whole heap of rolling-stock and new engines etc from - surprise, surprise - China. Even though it meant hundreds of NZ'ers lost their jobs, when we COULD have made what they wanted here just fine - we had the workshops, the tools and the talent.

But government bought from China, as it was cheaper by about twenty mill or something, ignoring the fact that keeping your people employed is important and they all feed back into the system via tax, but no - lets fire everyone and get them made in China where it is cheaper.

About six months in, engines found to have asbestos in them, and many of the wagons wheels were developing serious problems requiring them to be replaced etc, cos the wheels were not made to run on the hard-steel rail we have here, so they just fell to bits inside the first year pretty much.

It had ended up costing the NZ government more then the difference they "Saved" getting the stock made in China, to have the faults fixed. China would not fix them for free, arguing that certain things had not be stipulated in the contract.

Just one example.

But......opps........I digress just a little.

Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops!

Bryan1

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Joined: 22/02/2006
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Posted: 06:59am 17 Oct 2021

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Grog's I'll tell a little story here that happened to me back in the late 80'S. I worked on ripping out a steel mill in the Flat Products Division at BHP Port Kembla, the Chinese had bought the mill and a delegation came over to oversee the removal of the mill and all the infrastructure. I had a chinese enginear assigned to my team and as I was the leading hand I delt with the ching enginear. In 3 short weeks we had taught him to speak chinglish and oneday he pulled me aside while looking around to see if ant minders were in earshot then he told me China will open up to the west and let the worlds business come in and rape and pillage us then we give them 24 hours to get out and watch the world faulter then we take over.

Now just think about this that was back in the late 80's and for this enginear to have that forward insite is very scary indeed.

What is going on is just the start and expect it to get even worse.

Tinine
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Joined: 30/03/2016
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Posted: 03:56pm 17 Oct 2021

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@Bryan1

Back in the 90s I listened to an audio book about Chinese hegemony....it's what they're all about.

It's happening right now but the masses are oblivious to it.

I haven't been in a room with a switched-on TV for more than 12 years. I got wise to the propaganda and fake news, long before that.

Grogster

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Posted: 11:45pm 17 Oct 2021

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It's truly sad, that when you think of all the wonderful things we can do with technology etc, and just how far we have come, SOME people would let all that disappear if it means they get more power.

"Power corrupts, and infinite power corrupts infinitely"

@ Tinnie: I have given up on all mass-media "News" networks. They are all a bunch of liars and propaganda merchants now. There was a time, the news media cared about the truth and reporting that truth to the people. Not anymore. They only care about clicks and money, and will happily lie through their teeth to get those clicks.

My TV died on me during our first major lockdown in 2020 over here, and I have never replaced it. I feel better for not watching the propaganda.

Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops!

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