How is Chipageddon affecting you?

[AndyC_772]

I forgot there even were RS trade counters, I've never actually visited one.

[magic]

I'm curious how hard could it be to create an alternative search engine for parts.

The hard part is who pays for it or how to make money off of it.

For example, the reason Octopart doesn't let you have your own preferences and private reputation system for vendors is not because they are lazy or incompetent, but because they want you to fully trust them and to share your own information with them so that others can fully trust them too.

I have seen this same arrogant "know it all" pattern too many times on "marketplace" type platforms to believe that it is even remotely accidental. These guys genuinely believe that they are making money by offering unique information and connections, not software tools that anyone else could develop too. Their goal is literally for you to type "NE555" into their search box and get the best deals there are; anything else they don't care about.

The scary thought is that this may be the best method of making money off such services that has evolved, and if you want to compete with established players you have to become a dick like them.

Myself, I believe that nothing ever changes and torches and pitchforks still ought to have as much place in society as they ever did

[bookaboo]

Don't forget Octopart often have wrong info from RS regarding stock. To the point where its not trustworthy at all (for RS).

[tom66]

Also TI stock is often shown as zero but if you log in they may have inventory.  Maybe an anti-scalping move by TI?  But I've  taken to logging in now to see what the actual TI.com inventory is, for the odd TI part we still buy.

[exe]

For example, the reason Octopart doesn't let you have your own preferences and private reputation system for vendors is not because they are lazy or incompetent, but because they want you to fully trust them and to share your own information with them so that others can fully trust them too.

Wait, what private information? I don't even have an account there. You mean when using it as an integration, say, with altium?

[magic]

I referred to the issue brought up by KE5FX.

They can't be assed to help you filter out results from suppliers you know are unreliable based on your personal experience, but they will "appreciate" your "feedback" about such suppliers so that they can better verify them and optimize their careful balance between pissing off their paying customers (i.e. the part suppliers, as I understand) versus pissing of the users without whom the customers wouldn't be paying.

edit
Looked it up, yes, it looks like their revenue is fees from the suppliers listed there.
And they are associated with Y combinator and the American startup scene → guaranteed to be all about calculated, cynical ripoff, money milking and "data driven" business optimization.

[bookaboo]

I thought Altium owned Octopart:
https://octopart.com/blog/archives/2015/08/octopart-is-joining-altium-2

Or have they been bought out recently? I'm sure I heard it mentioned on a recent Altium YouTube as well.

[tom66]

This is the perfect opportunity to write a Tampermonkey script or similar to filter anything out that isn't Digikey, Mouser, Farnell, Arrow, etc.

I will say I do still like Octopart and use them every day even if they have problems.  The inventory history in particular is very useful, you can get an idea if supply for a part is transient or if a supplier is keeping up with demand.

[fourfathom]

guaranteed to be all about calculated, cynical ripoff, money milking and "data driven" business optimization.

Otherwise known as "not going bankrupt."

[Karel]

guaranteed to be all about calculated, cynical ripoff, money milking and "data driven" business optimization.

Otherwise known as "not going bankrupt."

There's no middleway anymore?

[SilverSolder]

guaranteed to be all about calculated, cynical ripoff, money milking and "data driven" business optimization.

Otherwise known as "not going bankrupt."

Providing a valuable, useful, and desirable products and services for customers at a fair price is the best way to do that!   Old school, I know...

[fourfathom]

guaranteed to be all about calculated, cynical ripoff, money milking and "data driven" business optimization.

Otherwise known as "not going bankrupt."

Providing a valuable, useful, and desirable products and services for customers at a fair price is the best way to do that!   Old school, I know...

Well of course!  That's the first step in not going broke, and I'm not defending evil business practices.  But you then need to do a lot of that other stuff (ethically, it doesn't have to be a "cynical ripoff").  Or don't continuously optimize your business, just keep treading water and hope for the best.

[peter-h]

I've been in business 45 years and IMHO the blatent opportunism of the last 2-3 years is totally unwarranted.

I hope lots of those firms go bust but they probably won't because they don't treat their direct and large volume customers that way.

[MT]

The chip shortage / spot market crisis during early 90ies where big elephants (GSM era) bought every logic chip they could get hold of inc from temporary mom and pop garage sized
bissnissess was not even close to the greed and crockery seen in this latest chip shortage. But back then there was no cheap 32bit MCU's, FPGA's etc and other things to get crocked over.

[Infraviolet]

Post #1875 and related...
Even their online way of showing stock availability isn't good. You filter down for various parameters to see what parts might meet your needs, then you have to check each and every part listed before you can see if it is in stock, on backorder or not available at all. Farnell lets you filter to show in stock items only, I don't see why RS can't do this on their website.

[SiliconWizard]

I've been in business 45 years and IMHO the blatent opportunism of the last 2-3 years is totally unwarranted.

True. Then again, most of what has happened these last 2-3 years is totally unwarranted.

[tszaboo]

I've been in business 45 years and IMHO the blatent opportunism of the last 2-3 years is totally unwarranted.

True. Then again, most of what has happened these last 2-3 years is totally unwarranted.

I'm like 99% sure there was a some sort of time distortion event somewhere in 2015 when it all went downhill and we ended up with the worst timeline possible.

[SiliconWizard]

I've been in business 45 years and IMHO the blatent opportunism of the last 2-3 years is totally unwarranted.

True. Then again, most of what has happened these last 2-3 years is totally unwarranted.

I'm like 99% sure there was a some sort of time distortion event somewhere in 2015 when it all went downhill and we ended up with the worst timeline possible.

Well, but time is an illusion, isn't it?

[magic]

I'm like 99% sure there was a some sort of time distortion event somewhere in 2015

2015?

I could see shit going downhill since early '10s, and honestly I was still a young naive kid then.
Are there even any adults left out there?

[Ed.Kloonk]

I'm like 99% sure there was a some sort of time distortion event somewhere in 2015

2015?

I could see shit going downhill since early '10s, and honestly I was still a young naive kid then.
Are there even any adults left out there?

You would have loved the '70s. Such a prolonged cascade of dismay.

[peter-h]

I've been in electronic mfg since 1978 and little has changed in the way the industry behaves.

It has gradually got worse with the internet. It has brought us easy to find data sheets, forums where you can get help (just as well because nobody can read 2000 page RMs) but it killed all other support, so part mfgs have cut themselves off from non OEM volume users, and the distis which used to do this job have almost universally filled up with absolute chimps who cannot even quote for an 0805 1k resistor unless you have the exact P/N.

These shortages have always been around periodically. this last one got worse because of covid disruption, causing widespread panic and hoarding.

It is coming to the end now but nobody in the supply pipeline will admit that their business is rapidly dying and they aren't getting any new orders because everybody is stocked up to their ears. Unfortunately the stocks were bought at silly prices and nobody wants to take the hit on the write-down. Like this
https://www.mouser.co.uk/ProductDetail/FTDI/FT232BL-REEL?qs=D1%2FPMqvA100PI4e%2FlmnSkg%3D%3D
Dead stock, nobody buying (because FTDI fuc**d everybody over with demands for $1+/chip ransom payments), silly price, but nobody will admit it.

[SilverSolder]

I've been in electronic mfg since 1978 and little has changed in the way the industry behaves.

It has gradually got worse with the internet. It has brought us easy to find data sheets, forums where you can get help (just as well because nobody can read 2000 page RMs) but it killed all other support, so part mfgs have cut themselves off from non OEM volume users, and the distis which used to do this job have almost universally filled up with absolute chimps who cannot even quote for an 0805 1k resistor unless you have the exact P/N.

These shortages have always been around periodically. this last one got worse because of covid disruption, causing widespread panic and hoarding.

It is coming to the end now but nobody in the supply pipeline will admit that their business is rapidly dying and they aren't getting any new orders because everybody is stocked up to their ears. Unfortunately the stocks were bought at silly prices and nobody wants to take the hit on the write-down. Like this
https://www.mouser.co.uk/ProductDetail/FTDI/FT232BL-REEL?qs=D1%2FPMqvA100PI4e%2FlmnSkg%3D%3D
Dead stock, nobody buying (because FTDI fuc**d everybody over with demands for $1+/chip ransom payments), silly price, but nobody will admit it.

The problem with fuc***ng your customers over is that their memories of your abuses last longer than the pleasure of the short term profit...

[peter-h]

It's collapsing:

Analog Devices lead-time notification

Good afternoon

Please find below a message directly from ADI notifying customers that lead-times are improving through 2023.

Although this is positive news for all of us, it remains imperative that ADI have as much visibility through 2023 as possible to best meet your requirements.

To discuss your ongoing ADI, LT or Maxim requirements please do not hesitate to contact your dedicated sales contact or a member of our field applications team.

Never seen such an email before.

[Bud]

More specific lead time details from Digikey here:

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews/digikey-claimes-shorter-lead-time-(lol)/msg4675732/#msg4675732

[tszaboo]

More specific lead time details from Digikey here:

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews/digikey-claimes-shorter-lead-time-(lol)/msg4675732/#msg4675732

13 weeks -as I recall- is basically the time to go through the production line. So there is like constant free capacity?