🔌General Home Automation > Powerline Control Reliability

Semiconductor Shortage

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JeffVolp:
This forum has been dead for a week, so I thought I'd pass along some info.

Many of you know I have produced products for the X10 community since 2006. While I am phasing down production, I still plan to continue offering several products that are mostly machine assembled.

One of my products uses a 5V low-dropout regulator.  I had ordered it from Mouser last November, and they were supposed to be shipped in January.  Then Mouser slipped the shipping date to March.  Now Mouser says they should be shipped NEXT January.  A redundant order to Digikey should be shipped in August, but who knows if that will happen.

To try to get these boards built, I investigated second-tier distributors.  These regulators normally cost about 20 cents each at 100 pieces and just a dime in a full spool.  Several of the second-tier distributors do have stock, but want $6 to $8 each for them.  One offered a spool at $19,250!  That normally costs $253 at Mouser.  Yeah, I'll rush right out and order that!

I had searched for alternatives, and there is zero stock at all the authorized distributors.  Some second-tier distributors do have inventory, but at similar insane prices.

Obviously, this has to be impacting production of other electronic devices, and availability will be impacted as products already in the pipeline are depleted.

Jeff

petera:
You can see the X10 user base slowly melting away. Those that remain, diehards like myself have a fairly good grounding on the subject of X10, certainly from a software perspective and as you know only too well the hardware is practically bullet proof. It’s great to hear you’re still about when needed though.

Regarding the shortages, the effects on the automotive industry is well flagged. Those shortages are now trickling down to the white goods sector and the computer industry. Many brokers/speculators foresaw this crisis and bought up surplus inventories to achieve exactly what you have have experienced, make a killing. I’m surprised at the approach of the Chinese to pandemic this time round though. These arbitrary lockdowns are choking their economy and as a result we are feeling the effects. I don’t see these shortages being addressed anytime soon so for the present, the days of cheap electronics from Asia seem a long way off.

Brian H:
The Forum looking dead for more than a week. Has happened before.
I suspect that the knowledgeable users have their systems working as they want and don't need any feedback.

I have seen many vendors not having anything in stock or real long lead time and outrageous part costs.

In my opinion. Smartlabs is now officailly gone. With some users on the UDI forums. Receiving the how to handle claims against the company in the mail yesterday

JeffVolp:

--- Quote from: Brian H on May 01, 2022, 06:27:00 AM ---I have seen many vendors not having anything in stock or real long lead time and outrageous part costs.
--- End quote ---

I keep getting emails from Subaru saying how much they would give in trade for my wife's Forester, and describing new models with a click on link to check inventory.  But when I click the link, they have nothing in stock.

The Subaru is 12 years old now, and is coming up on replacement.

Jeff

Brian H:
I saw two dealers one was mine.
Spread the spare inventory over a majority of their lots. Probably to make it look slightly better.
My Toyota Yaris is a 2007 with ~35,000 miles. They still offer to buy mine  ;)

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