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The global chip shortage is starting to have consequences

cnbc.com

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Re: The global chip shortage is starting to have consequences

#381

Post by freeopinion »

baybal2 wrote: post #367
crote wrote: post #267

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm very loosely involved in the highly customized keyboard business, think runs of a couple hundred units. One vendor is having trouble finding any chip to design for. The software stack supports a couple of dozen STM32 chip series, but none of them are even remotely available. I've seen a lead time of over 11 months. Before COVID, pretty much every single chip was in stock almost all of the time. Respinning a board…

> Respinning a board isn't too difficult, but good luck doing that if there's no chip to respin it for. Some people hoard toilet paper, some people hoard baby formula, some people hoard Shanghai apartments, some people hoard microchips... Got burned with same STM32s recently. A purchaser been shopping parts, and ordered a given model of MCU by muscle memory. The price has moved one zero overnight, and we ran for quit…

Some people fail to stock toilet people, some people fail to stock chip fabs.

Re: The global chip shortage is starting to have consequences

#382

Post by tomcam »

robomartin wrote: post #285
neltnerb wrote: post #193

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I get that this is a potential big problem, but I had to stop reading when the dog washing company blamed needing to respin a new board on a chip being out of stock due to this. I'm sorry, but if you aren't buying enough chips to build all the boards you want to build of a revision, this is just what happens, chip shortage or no. Stuff gets obsoleted all the time, it doesn't take a chip shortage. Blaming a black swan…

> I had to stop reading when the dog washing company blamed needing to respin a new board on a chip being out of stock due to this ... > if you aren't buying enough chips to build all the boards you want to build of a revision Friendly advice: If you are going to be a consultant to industry, don't post comments like this. As someone who has been manufacturing tech products for over thirty years, my first reaction to…

First off, I really hope things go well for you and thank you for sharing your amazing story. I went through something similar in the software side of things.

Second, that was a great post and I want to read your (I’m sure imaginary) blog. It was like a mini business education in modern manufacturing.

Finally, I am amazed you’re able to write this with no bitterness. Hats off to you.

Re: The global chip shortage is starting to have consequences

#383

Post by Ericson2314 »

nerdponx wrote: post #347
ipqk wrote: post #289

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You don't have to "take away" the trucks, but just make them more impractical: - sales tax on cars/trucks is by weight and exponentially increases the heavier the vehicle gets - increase taxes on gasoline - require a special license to operate a vehicle over XXXX lbs. - rewrite laws or encourage DAs to prosecute drivers that injure other people in cars or pedestrians even if it's unintentional - illegal to have passe…

People will wail and cry and scream about their freedom being taken from them...

Do a Carbon Dividend and other people will scream when taking away the gas tax means taking away the dividend.

We need to stop these cowardly politics appeasing automobile users. This is how.

Re: The global chip shortage is starting to have consequences

#384

Post by pbourke »

baybal2 wrote: post #313
pbourke wrote: post #280

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> but the kit supplier itself can't migrate from Hitachi MCU because they don't have firmware sources as they themselves only copypasted the firmware as a binary for decades.. That’s seems like a rather existential problem. If I’m understanding correctly, the kit supplier makes the control board and the manufacturer does final assembly?

Yes, and the Chinese kit supplier seemingly got the tech from a Japanese aircon maker somewhere in nineties, and then copied the board verbatim ever since.

I wonder if you could run the firmware in emulation on a more recent CPU.

Re: The global chip shortage is starting to have consequences

#386

Post by fy20 »

epistasis wrote: post #183
seltzered_ wrote: post #170

Regarding cars: "Some carmakers are now leaving out high-end features as a result of the chip shortage, according to a Bloomberg report on Thursday. Nissan is reportedly leaving navigation systems out of cars that would normally have them, while Ram Trucks has stopped equipping its 1500 pickups with a standard “intelligent” rearview mirror that monitors for blind spots" I have an unpopular opinion, especially when we…

Yeah, the size of these trucks has completely put me off ever wanting one. I miss the small ones from a few decades ago... great for surfing, hauling the ver occasional bit of stuff, just as useful as the ugly beasts of today but far cheaper and more maneuverable and safer. I think we need to start requiring commercial drivers licenses on some of these beasts. They are intentionally designed to be difficult to see ou…

> I think we need to start requiring commercial drivers licenses on some of these beasts.

In the EU the maximum authorized mass (US: GVWR) you can drive with a standard car license is 3500kg or 7700lbs. That means for some models of the F150 you do need a commercial license.

Re: The global chip shortage is starting to have consequences

#387

Post by neltnerb »

robomartin wrote: post #285
neltnerb wrote: post #193

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I get that this is a potential big problem, but I had to stop reading when the dog washing company blamed needing to respin a new board on a chip being out of stock due to this. I'm sorry, but if you aren't buying enough chips to build all the boards you want to build of a revision, this is just what happens, chip shortage or no. Stuff gets obsoleted all the time, it doesn't take a chip shortage. Blaming a black swan…

> I had to stop reading when the dog washing company blamed needing to respin a new board on a chip being out of stock due to this ... > if you aren't buying enough chips to build all the boards you want to build of a revision Friendly advice: If you are going to be a consultant to industry, don't post comments like this. As someone who has been manufacturing tech products for over thirty years, my first reaction to…

I'm sincerely sorry for offending you so badly.

Re: The global chip shortage is starting to have consequences

#389

Post by whatgoodisaroad »

A little afraid to ask what may be an obvious question, but what exactly does the shortage consist of? Computer chips aren't generally interchangeable and I assume they're mostly purpose-built. Is there a shortage of raw materials? Or is there a drop in fab capacity?

Re: The global chip shortage is starting to have consequences

#390

Post by salawat »

ipqk wrote: post #289
istjohn wrote: post #192

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't disagree, but there would be a political shitstorm if you tried to take away their trucks.

You don't have to "take away" the trucks, but just make them more impractical: - sales tax on cars/trucks is by weight and exponentially increases the heavier the vehicle gets - increase taxes on gasoline - require a special license to operate a vehicle over XXXX lbs. - rewrite laws or encourage DAs to prosecute drivers that injure other people in cars or pedestrians even if it's unintentional - illegal to have passe…

Do you really think what you're suggesting doesn't map to "taking away" to the people involved?

News flash: People aren't stupid, and you're not that smart. NFA tax stamps aren't still a thing because people don't see the tax loopholes as a ban or infringement on the 2nd Amendment. They absolutely do. They've just grudgingly accepted there may be some positive utility to it. What you're talkong about is nothing but velvet gloved taking by policy.

And other posters are right. It'd be a shitstorm.

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