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From: Fred Bartoli on 3 Feb 2010 21:19
Joerg a �crit :
> Fred Bartoli wrote:
>> Joerg a �crit :
>>> Fred Bartoli wrote:
>>>> It's a primer for me, but it had to happen one day or another...
>>>>
>>>> I've a product designed and working using one such small 4-20mA IC
>>>> for a customer (a one manned business).
>>>>
>>>> The customer manages the subcontracted production and also managed
>>>> to get short of those XTR117, which next production run from TI
>>>> seems to be due by the end of April.
>>>>
>>>
>>> Interesting. It is not the first time with this chip.
>>
>> What kind of stories?
>>
>
> It was an engineer who asked whether I could consult and sent me his
> schematic. Later the boss didn't want to have an outsider involved so I
> didn't proceed. I saw this XTR thingie in there and urged them to design
> it out, prontissimo. But found them 1k of them in Italy (not DFN) as a
> courtesy, which they probably slurped up because they had some boards
> already made. The usual distributors were non-stock.
>
>
>>> Suggest to move to another 4-20mA transceiver but I guess for your
>>> client it's too late. TI seems to have some logistics issues lately.
>>>
>>>
>>
>> Unfortunately, that one is 'the' one. Without it the product can't
>> exist :-(
>>
>
> Well, there are still some (few) SOP packages available. Sure there
> isn't any other way to do this board?

Mainly a space issue (really small and densely populated) and also that
one also has a thermal pad.
The MSOP, at more than 5x3, is... huge, 4-20 can dissipate quite a bit
of power and case temp can go to 100�C.
And some other issues, too...
If it were possible, I'd have done it.

> Otherwise you guys probably have
> to put in orders for oodles of these, wait until end of April, and then
> stash them all in a safe deposit box.
>

Yep, already told this.

>>
>>>> In deep need of those devices and, despite warnings, he finally
>>>> turned to Chinese brookers... and got burned.
>>>> He bought 500 of what revealed to be faked ICs (why they do bother
>>>> with $1 devices on that small market is beyond me).
>>>> The boards were stuffed with that POS, but fortunately he only
>>>> launched 50 of them.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Now, I did manage to find 15 pieces, yes!, but I suspect it's all over.
>>>>
>>>> Now, before he turns again in despair to another of those bastards,
>>>> I thought I might ask if some here is using it and could sell(or
>>>> whatever), say fifteen to one hundred of those, which will get him
>>>> out of trouble (lots of sample enquiries on a ramping up cute little
>>>> new product).
>>>>
>>>> He's willing to pay a fair price for them...
>>>>
>>>
>>> Farnell Asia says "awaiting delivery", whatever that means. Photo is
>>> deceiving, it is the DFN package:
>>>
>>> http://export.farnell.com/_/dp/1180131
>>>
>>> Then there's the usual, have ma, dad, grandma and so on in his area
>>> register and order samples :-)
>>>
>>
>> Hmmm, why didn't I think of that? (already did it once, but shh!
>>
>
> I think John Larkin had to do that with a Maxim part. Pretty sad state
> of affairs when semi mfgs announce nice parts and then can't deliver.
>


--
Thanks,
Fred.
From: Joerg on 3 Feb 2010 21:47
Fred Bartoli wrote:
> Joerg a �crit :
>> Fred Bartoli wrote:
>>> Joerg a �crit :
>>>> Fred Bartoli wrote:
>>>>> It's a primer for me, but it had to happen one day or another...
>>>>>
>>>>> I've a product designed and working using one such small 4-20mA IC
>>>>> for a customer (a one manned business).
>>>>>
>>>>> The customer manages the subcontracted production and also managed
>>>>> to get short of those XTR117, which next production run from TI
>>>>> seems to be due by the end of April.
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Interesting. It is not the first time with this chip.
>>>
>>> What kind of stories?
>>>
>>
>> It was an engineer who asked whether I could consult and sent me his
>> schematic. Later the boss didn't want to have an outsider involved so
>> I didn't proceed. I saw this XTR thingie in there and urged them to
>> design it out, prontissimo. But found them 1k of them in Italy (not
>> DFN) as a courtesy, which they probably slurped up because they had
>> some boards already made. The usual distributors were non-stock.
>>
>>
>>>> Suggest to move to another 4-20mA transceiver but I guess for your
>>>> client it's too late. TI seems to have some logistics issues lately.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>> Unfortunately, that one is 'the' one. Without it the product can't
>>> exist :-(
>>>
>>
>> Well, there are still some (few) SOP packages available. Sure there
>> isn't any other way to do this board?
>
> Mainly a space issue (really small and densely populated) and also that
> one also has a thermal pad.
> The MSOP, at more than 5x3, is... huge, 4-20 can dissipate quite a bit
> of power and case temp can go to 100�C.
> And some other issues, too...
> If it were possible, I'd have done it.
>

Well, that would be the end of the rope then :-)

Or maybe not quite. I would talk to someone high up at TI, at least at
the level of the sales manager for France. Discuss the situation, if
needed drop a hint that word about this has spread (and about MSP430
delivery issues, all this not being so good for the corporate image and
yada, yada, yada), and see if they can't speed up the foundry schedule
for this part. LTC once did something similar for me and a client, I
didn't want the DFN but the MSOP of a part because it's a hi-rel product
where flexing must be tolerated. Got an answer next day and almost
couldn't believe it: "Ok, we'll get some and stuff the channel at
Digikey with MSOP if you want us to" ... Wow.

IME Texas hasn't been quite that customer-oriented in the last years but
it cannot hurt to try. Essentially one phone call. Also, ask him if they
have die and are willing to sell some. If the heat-sinking thing in
there isn't too complex maybe you could have those finished at a
packaging place to tide you over the three month wait.

[...]


--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

"gmail" domain blocked because of excessive spam.
Use another domain or send PM.
From: Joerg on 3 Feb 2010 21:50

> Well, that would be the end of the rope then :-)
^^^

Should have been a frownie :-(
From: Spehro Pefhany on 4 Feb 2010 09:24
On Wed, 03 Feb 2010 18:50:30 -0800, Joerg <invalid(a)invalid.invalid>
wrote:

>
>> Well, that would be the end of the rope then :-)
> ^^^
>
>Should have been a frownie :-(

Oh, snap.

From: Spehro Pefhany on 4 Feb 2010 09:40
On Thu, 04 Feb 2010 02:03:10 +0100, Fred Bartoli <" "> wrote:

>Joerg a �crit :
>> Fred Bartoli wrote:
>>> It's a primer for me, but it had to happen one day or another...
>>>
>>> I've a product designed and working using one such small 4-20mA IC for
>>> a customer (a one manned business).
>>>
>>> The customer manages the subcontracted production and also managed to
>>> get short of those XTR117, which next production run from TI seems to
>>> be due by the end of April.
>>>
>>
>> Interesting. It is not the first time with this chip.
>
>What kind of stories?
>
>> Suggest to move to
>> another 4-20mA transceiver but I guess for your client it's too late. TI
>> seems to have some logistics issues lately.
>>
>>
>
>Unfortunately, that one is 'the' one. Without it the product can't exist :-(

Is this one of those things that has to live inside a 6mm (0.25")
tube?

I doubt they (Burr-Brown) got much market penetration. In the process
control market design lives are very long and there is little reason
to change from (relatively) jellybean precision op-amps, references
and discretes once a product is designed.

And newer stuff is moving away from analog 4-20mA to fieldbuse and
other digital and hybrid analog/digital (eg. Hart) protocols.

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