3 ms·
A circuit board where you replace one of the specified chips with a completely random one which only has the same pin count won't pass even basic QA controls so
by danmaz74 9y ago
A circuit board where you replace one of the specified chips with a completely random one which only has the same pin count won't pass even basic QA controls something like what, 99% of the time?
As another commenter said, smells like an urban legend.
- DanBC 9y agoBy the time the device gets to QA[1] the money has already been paid to the counterfeiter, and it's going to be hard to get that money back. Someone will lose money, but it's not going to be the counterfeiter.
- makomk 9y agoYeah, pretty much. SparkFun got an entire shipment of fake Atmega328s like this a few years bacK: https://www.sparkfun.com/news/395 https://www.sparkfun.com/news/395
- qb45 9y agoYes, and they were actually controller circuits for CPU voltage regulators. There is also a market for recycled and semi-properly labeled chips, for example selling low precision grade analog chips as a higher grade or chips tested for the usual 0-70°C operating temperature range as rated for military/aerospace range -55-125°C. This is harder to catch with QA. A few years ago there was an investigation in the US where they found some examples of such chips in military equipment and also proved counterfeiting beyond any doubt by ordering military grade parts which have never been offered by the manufacturer in military grade - the vendor simply relabeled them.