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SILICON
SILIC
CHIP
www.siliconchip.com.au
Publisher/Editor
Nicholas Vinen
Technical Editor
John Clarke, B.E.(Elec.)
Technical Staff
Jim Rowe, B.A., B.Sc.
Bao Smith, B.Sc.
Tim Blythman, B.E., B.Sc.
Nicolas Hannekum, Dip. Elec. Tech.
Technical Contributor
Duraid Madina, B.Sc, M.Sc, PhD
Reader Services
Rhonda Blythman, BSc, LLB, GDLP
Advertising Enquiries
Glyn Smith
Phone (02) 9939 3295
Mobile 0431 792 293
glyn<at>siliconchip.com.au
Regular Contributors
Dave Thompson
David Maddison B.App.Sc. (Hons 1),
PhD, Grad.Dip.Entr.Innov.
Geoff Graham
Associate Professor Graham Parslow
Ian Batty
Cartoonist
Brendan Akhurst
Founding Editor (retired)
Leo Simpson, B.Bus., FAICD
Staff (retired)
Ross Tester
Ann Morris
Greg Swain, B. Sc. (Hons.)
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Semiconductor shortages
are becoming serious
When the news of COVID-19 hit, it was evident that
there would be widespread effects on industry from
factory shutdowns, reduced capacity due to mitigation
efforts, etc. It was almost a miracle that so many sectors
seemed to be marching on throughout 2020 and early
2021, somewhat unaffected.
There was plenty of talk about semiconductor
shortages, but that mainly seemed to be related to desktop CPUs and graphics
processors, many of which have been essentially unobtainable for the past year.
But now we are noticing many ICs being out of stock and with very long
lead times. The worst-hit appear to be microcontrollers, more-or-less across
the board. Many PICs are out of stock at all major retailers, as are micros from
NXP, ST Micro and many others.
To get an idea of how bad it is getting, at the time of writing Digi-Key lists
91,292 different microcontrollers on their website, but only 21,176 or 23.2%
are in stock. And many of those listed have single-digit quantity in stock.
During better times, I would expect that figure to be closer to 50%.
It isn’t just microcontrollers, either. We’re having trouble getting some of
the other semis that we sell in our kits, such as regulators and Mosfets.
For those parts which are out of stock, the wait for the next batch can be
very long indeed. Some parts are showing expected delivery dates in 2022!
I don’t know why the situation has degraded recently, but it has. There’s no
easy way to tell how long it will continue, but I suspect it won’t be resolved
anytime soon, or even this year.
So don’t be surprised if you have difficulty sourcing specific components
required for some of our designs (or perhaps your own). For devices like
Mosfets, it is sometimes possible to find an equivalent device. But often, we
are finding that most or all of the compatible devices are also out of stock.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see a shortage of many consumer electronics
lines in the next few months, due to the manufacturers finding it impossible
to get all the parts they need.
The right to repair
Printing and Distribution:
It should not come as a surprise that we are generally supportive of the
efforts of many people to secure the legal ‘right to repair’. We see this as a
way to push back against companies that deliberately (or perhaps through
incompetence) make it difficult or overly expensive for people to repair their
possessions when they go wrong.
Given that automobiles are one of the most expensive (and often
troublesome) purchases that an individual can make, it’s no surprise that
some of the earliest (and strictest) right to repair legislation has involved
that sector (back in 2012, in the USA).
New laws, proposed to come into effect in Australia from the 1st of July
next year (assuming they are legislated), will require car-makers to provide
service and repair information to independent repairers. This is a step in
the right direction, as manufacturer-authorised dealers can be costly. And
despite this expense, in my experience, they can provide worse service than
a good independent mechanic.
More on this at:
http://consumersfederation.org.au/morrison-government-levels-theplaying-field-for-independent-repairers/
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ISSN 1030-2662
2
Editorial Viewpoint
Silicon Chip
by Nicholas Vinen
Australia’s electronics magazine
siliconchip.com.au
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