6 ms·

Still can't buy RaspberryPis... not sure if it's related. But for some reason I can still buy boat loads of ESP8266 and other micro-controllers...

usrn 4y ago
That was a problem before the chip shortage.
markus_zhang 4y ago
Pico is still available, even in Canada.
- jrockway 4y ago
  The Pico is a great product, but probably not what people are looking for when they say "Raspberry Pi". If there was an Arduino shortage and you said "just get a RP2040", that would be helpful. But people want Linux boxes that make their 3D printer 4% faster or whatever.
- jazzyjackson 4y ago
  I am freshly obsessed with the RP2040 chip, last time I checked Digikey had like 90,000 in stock at 1USD a pop. I am really curious to what extent it could be configured to do the job of many of these out-of-stock chips that the car industry is hurting for, perhaps straight up emulate their I/O ?
  - jfim 4y ago
    I doubt the RP2040 is automotive grade. Cars are pretty harsh environments for electronics, they have to operate in all kinds of climates, hot, cold, humid, dry, with condensation, vibration, large voltage spikes while the car is getting cranked, etc. I don't think any manufacturer would sign off on such a replacement, only to have to recall the cars later on due to the replacement chip failing.
  - magicalhippo 4y ago
    Keep in mind that microcontrollers is just one of the type of chips that the car industry, and others, are lacking. Supporting ICs like power management/voltage regulators, opamps, ADC/DAC's, motor/bridge drivers, interface ICs like CAN bus drivers have all been massively out of stock. That said, as I understand it, a lot of the automotive microcontrollers are either specialized or they're part of an approved design. So switching them out is not trivial. On top of that it's the case of not being automotive grade as mentioned already.
    - johnwalkr 4y ago
      Qualification of a design takes a lot of time and money, and would need to be at least partially redone to replace a microcontroller. You need to be risk-averse when you sell hundreds of thousands of an expensive product with warrantees, and much more so when human safety is involved. I work in aerospace, not automotive, but I guess the industries are similar in that changing a microcontroller can easily take 1 year of time and 2-20 person-years of effort.
BlueTemplar 4y ago
Huh, this is weird - I happened to check recently, and the Pi 4 was listed as available, though ~20% more expensive than a few months after release ?

usrn 4y ago

That was a problem before the chip shortage.

markus_zhang 4y ago

Pico is still available, even in Canada.

jrockway 4y ago
The Pico is a great product, but probably not what people are looking for when they say "Raspberry Pi". If there was an Arduino shortage and you said "just get a RP2040", that would be helpful. But people want Linux boxes that make their 3D printer 4% faster or whatever.
jazzyjackson 4y ago
I am freshly obsessed with the RP2040 chip, last time I checked Digikey had like 90,000 in stock at 1USD a pop. I am really curious to what extent it could be configured to do the job of many of these out-of-stock chips that the car industry is hurting for, perhaps straight up emulate their I/O ?
- jfim 4y ago
  I doubt the RP2040 is automotive grade. Cars are pretty harsh environments for electronics, they have to operate in all kinds of climates, hot, cold, humid, dry, with condensation, vibration, large voltage spikes while the car is getting cranked, etc. I don't think any manufacturer would sign off on such a replacement, only to have to recall the cars later on due to the replacement chip failing.
- magicalhippo 4y ago
  Keep in mind that microcontrollers is just one of the type of chips that the car industry, and others, are lacking. Supporting ICs like power management/voltage regulators, opamps, ADC/DAC's, motor/bridge drivers, interface ICs like CAN bus drivers have all been massively out of stock. That said, as I understand it, a lot of the automotive microcontrollers are either specialized or they're part of an approved design. So switching them out is not trivial. On top of that it's the case of not being automotive grade as mentioned already.
  - johnwalkr 4y ago
    Qualification of a design takes a lot of time and money, and would need to be at least partially redone to replace a microcontroller. You need to be risk-averse when you sell hundreds of thousands of an expensive product with warrantees, and much more so when human safety is involved. I work in aerospace, not automotive, but I guess the industries are similar in that changing a microcontroller can easily take 1 year of time and 2-20 person-years of effort.

BlueTemplar 4y ago

Huh, this is weird - I happened to check recently, and the Pi 4 was listed as available, though ~20% more expensive than a few months after release ?