4 ms·
Keeping latest-generation ICs out of reach for hobbyists and small startups is quite usual practice from many of manufacturers geared towards chips going into c
by fest 12y ago
Keeping latest-generation ICs out of reach for hobbyists and small startups is quite usual practice from many of manufacturers geared towards chips going into consumer devices.
Another example is gigabit ethernet- it has been around for 15 years, yet I still can't buy a gigabit-capable switch IC on Digikey. The part I need does exist but manufacturers either want $10k pre-payment before even giving at least partial documentation or the sales cycle is several weeks at best.
- userbinator 12y agoI wonder if Broadcom had anything to do with that... Realtek made the RTL8366/RTL8369 which have plenty of info available and you can get from Aliexpress for ~$20 each.
- fest 12y agoI didn't even bother trying to contact Broadcom. We were aiming for 3-port (2 PHYs, 1 MII) switches, and both Realtek and Marvel do make them (Realtek part is also available on aliexpress). Designing commercial devices (even for small production runs) based on key part available only in grey market seems to be a slippery road. Unless you live in China and can talk to vendors about previous and potential future availability of the chips ;(
- akiselev 12y agoIf you can get someone experienced to handle logistics, it isn't that bad. I know a few companies that routinely turn to grey market parts when st hits the fan for their mass manufactured product supply chains. In my experience, Marvell is one of the worst to work with but their fabricators make a lot of grey market copies of Marvel's chips during off hours. If you can find a reliable source (fabricator who makes chips for Marvell during the day and grey market copies during the graveyard shift), it will usually be pretty reliable.