Where'd Mornsun go?

[liteyear]

Mornsun, sometime in the last few weeks, has disappeared from DigiKey, Mouser and Element14. What happened?

All previously valid URLs seem to 404, like this one:

https://www.digikey.com.au/en/products/detail/mornsun-america-llc/B1212S-1WR3/13968708

Now the manufacturer is not even listed on the distributor's sites. Does not seem country specific, and the Mornsun product pages still look intact:

https://www.mornsun-power.com/index/sitesearch/partlink/keyword/B1212S-1WR3.html

Eerie...

[Someone]

Pretty weird, power module companies have been fairly fluid with ownership/names and I dont recall it being handled like that. Usually old/obsolete parts are kept in the databases with the pricing scrubbed.

Avnet?
https://my.avnet.com/abacus/manufacturers/m/mornsun/

[beanflying]

Strange. What I have used of their little ones have been really good value and worked well.

I have recently been buying some larger 10-20W DC-DC and AC-DC convertors from this seller and they have an actual website. Mainly used as Pi power supplies but I have hammered them on a DC load to test them as well.

There smaller 2W ones are I suspect Mornsun clones or badged but worth looking at too. https://www.aliexpress.com/store/345286/pages/all-items.html?productGroupId=40000000582067&spm=a2g0o.detail.0.0.2398rfcvrfcvwK&storeId=345286&sortType=bestmatch_sort&shop_sortType=bestmatch_sort

[nctnico]

AFAIK the Multicomp branded modules from Farnell / Element14 are Mornsun modules. It would be interesting to see if those are gone as well.

[S. Petrukhin]

Maybe sanctions?

[gamalot]

It is one of the sanctioned companies.

https://ru.usembassy.gov/imposing-new-measures-on-russia-for-its-full-scale-war-and-use-of-chemical-weapons-against-ukraine/

[mikeselectricstuff]

Weird - if they discontinued them for whatever reason, they would have stock that needed to shift.
Still listed at LCSC and Avnet

AFAIK the Multicomp branded modules from Farnell / Element14 are Mornsun modules. It would be interesting to see if those are gone as well.

Still there - exact same part no. as LCSC Mornsun listing
https://uk.farnell.com/multicomp-pro/mp-k7805-500r3/dc-dc-converter-5v-0-5a/dp/3584025?ost=K7805-500R3

[mikeselectricstuff]

It is one of the sanctioned companies.

Surely sanctions prohibit buying from that company - would it not still be OK to clear existing stock?

from
https://ru.usembassy.gov/imposing-new-measures-on-russia-for-its-full-scale-war-and-use-of-chemical-weapons-against-ukraine/

MORNSUN GUANGZHOU SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY CO LTD (MORNSUN) is a PRC-based supplier of Tier 1 and Tier 3.A items on the BIS Common High Priority List to Russia-based end users. Items MORNSUN has supplied include electronic integral monolithic circuits. One of the Russia-based companies that received components from MORNSUN was identified as a supplier to a Russia-based entity that specializes in the production and marketing of airborne equipment for military aircraft, such as airborne weapons control radars for Russian fighter aircraft.

[S. Petrukhin]

The sanctions obviously prohibit not selling only, but transferring money for what is sold.

Probably, the stocks were taken and successfully sold from us. Mornsun has very good sales in Russia, as far as I know.

[thm_w]

Surely sanctions prohibit buying from that company - would it not still be OK to clear existing stock?

It does sound like it, https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/12/26/2023-28662/taking-additional-steps-with-respect-to-the-russian-federations-harmful-activities

c) The prohibitions in subsection (a)(i) of this section apply with respect to:

(i) products subject to the prohibitions of subsection (a)(i)(A) of this section imported on or after the date of this order or the date specified in any determinations made pursuant to that subsection, unless otherwise specified or authorized; and

Probably up to Digikey how to handle it. Might be their legal or IT preference to just disable the supplier account, limiting risks.

[SiliconWizard]

Good news for Faringdon, though.

[mikeselectricstuff]

Kinda scary that a supplier can effectively vanish like that - would  be a bummer if you'd designed in something only available from a manufacturer who got sanctioned.

[floobydust]

May 1, 2024 round of US sanctions has Mornsun on the list for "... support{ing} Russia's military-industrial base".

It's a supply chain disruption. What pisses me off is companies are now scooping up stock of the other companies making the same products like CUI, RECOM etc. and there is no stock and their parts are now on allocation.

I have to wonder what the point is- as these modules are made in China anyway. If it's from Mornsun or RECOM, the dollars flow to China regardless.
So the sanction does what exactly?

[thm_w]

It's a supply chain disruption. What pisses me off is companies are now scooping up stock of the other companies making the same products like CUI, RECOM etc. and there is no stock and their parts are now on allocation.

Scalpers must be eager for action after a few disappointing years.

I have to wonder what the point is- as these modules are made in China anyway. If it's from Mornsun or RECOM, the dollars flow to China regardless.
So the sanction does what exactly?

"China" is not a singular corporation and the sanctions flow both ways with fairly clear intentions.
You are straying into political discussion which is not relevant here.

[floobydust]

It's a supply chain disruption. What pisses me off is companies are now scooping up stock of the other companies making the same products like CUI, RECOM etc. and there is no stock and their parts are now on allocation.

Scalpers must be eager for action after a few disappointing years.

I have to wonder what the point is- as these modules are made in China anyway. If it's from Mornsun or RECOM, the dollars flow to China regardless.
So the sanction does what exactly?

"China" is not a singular corporation and the sanctions flow both ways with fairly clear intentions.
You are straying into political discussion which is not relevant here.

Mornsun disappeared entirely due to politics, and you're saying it's not relevant? We have to understand what happens POOF when sanctions take out a component you are using, have designed in and can no longer source, oh and the alternate part's price has doubled. I'm not sure if there was any forewarning.
I find the irony is that these components are manufactured in China, entirely. Mornsun they are a Chinese company but several others - COO is China so at best the sanctions causes a back-channel to take up the slack. In other words I don't see the sanctions accomplishing anything other than Mornsun losing some sales.

[tggzzz]

Good news for Faringdon, though.

You mean this bloke?
"Work wanted for EE with bad refs?"
'My friend was just  working at a electronics co in UK, who are importing in loads of semiconductors from USA, "for use in UK", but they
are being secretly sent to Russia. So he left his job, but now they are saying to possible future employers
that he is a "dropout" and advising them not to take him on. Please can anyone offer him work?'
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/work-wanted/work-wanted-for-ee-with-bad-refs/msg5478364/#msg5478364

[thm_w]

Mornsun disappeared entirely due to politics, and you're saying it's not relevant?

The reason was provided and there is no need to discuss that part further, this is not a political forum, find somewhere else to discuss china/usa relations.

We have to understand what happens POOF when sanctions take out a component you are using, have designed in and can no longer source, oh and the alternate part's price has doubled. I'm not sure if there was any forewarning.

Yes, that is a thing that can happen recently, the intent per link is not to have any forewarning at all. Not much you can do other than use more generic parts with multiple sourcing options, or buy years of stock ahead of time and avoid the US market.

In this case, Canada does not have the same sanctions as USA, so Canadians can buy from LCSC. But, make sure you don't sell the product to USA:
https://www.tradecommissioner.gc.ca/guides/us-export_eu/141452.aspx?lang=eng#us43
https://www.lcsc.com/product-detail/Power-Modules_MORNSUN-Guangzhou-S-T-B0505S-1WR3_C131038.html

[tom66]

It is one of the sanctioned companies.

Surely sanctions prohibit buying from that company - would it not still be OK to clear existing stock?

from
https://ru.usembassy.gov/imposing-new-measures-on-russia-for-its-full-scale-war-and-use-of-chemical-weapons-against-ukraine/

MORNSUN GUANGZHOU SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY CO LTD (MORNSUN) is a PRC-based supplier of Tier 1 and Tier 3.A items on the BIS Common High Priority List to Russia-based end users. Items MORNSUN has supplied include electronic integral monolithic circuits. One of the Russia-based companies that received components from MORNSUN was identified as a supplier to a Russia-based entity that specializes in the production and marketing of airborne equipment for military aircraft, such as airborne weapons control radars for Russian fighter aircraft.

Might be that the stock is on consignment - Mornsun would get paid only once it is sold.  This is common for lower volume items in retail, and it removes the risk Digi-Key has of stocking a SKU that doesn't shift too much.  But it will mean that the stock hasn't been purchased yet, it's only in Digi-Key's inventory, and therefore can't be sold on as Mornsun would be due to be paid.

[RoGeorge]

would it not still be OK to clear existing stock?

Probably not.  It says somewhere at the end of the gov document linked:

SANCTIONS IMPLICATIONS

As a result of today’s sanctions-related actions, and in accordance with E.O. 14024, as amended, all property and interests in property of the sanctioned persons described above that are in the United States or in possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked and must be reported to the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). Additionally, all individuals or entities that have ownership, either directly or indirectly, 50 percent or more by one or more blocked persons are also blocked.

All transactions by U.S. persons or within (or transiting) the United States that involve any property or interests in property of designated or otherwise blocked persons are prohibited unless authorized by a general or specific license issued by OFAC or exempt. These prohibitions include the making of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services by, to, or for the benefit of any blocked person and the receipt of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services from any such person.

Quoted from https://ru.usembassy.gov/imposing-new-measures-on-russia-for-its-full-scale-war-and-use-of-chemical-weapons-against-ukraine/

My understanding is that all goods related with the enumerated entities were blocked.  That would include any already existing inventory/components in stock at 3rd party resellers.

[SiliconWizard]

Irrespective of the political situation, single-sourcing is always risky.
Power supplies are usually not that much of a problem to replace, even if it's always inconvenient. At least, compared to more specific devices. Imagine having picked a specific chinese MCU for some product, and the vendor suddenly gets banned. Fun stuff.

[boB]

I also remember hearing recently that Vicor power supplies were going into Russian missiles.  Those were not part of this though.

[nctnico]

Irrespective of the political situation, single-sourcing is always risky.
Power supplies are usually not that much of a problem to replace, even if it's always inconvenient. At least, compared to more specific devices. Imagine having picked a specific chinese MCU for some product, and the vendor suddenly gets banned. Fun stuff.

It makes me wonder though how this would work out for products you have assembled in Asia where they won't be affected by blacklisted companies to source components. You can't do a full supply chain trace on everything as many components themselves are assembled from various other components. This is not limited to power supply modules but consider RGB leds with an integrated controller for example.

[SiliconWizard]

Irrespective of the political situation, single-sourcing is always risky.
Power supplies are usually not that much of a problem to replace, even if it's always inconvenient. At least, compared to more specific devices. Imagine having picked a specific chinese MCU for some product, and the vendor suddenly gets banned. Fun stuff.

It makes me wonder though how this would work out for products you have assembled in Asia where they won't be affected by blacklisted companies to source components. You can't do a full supply chain trace on everything as many components themselves are assembled from various other components. This is not limited to power supply modules but consider RGB leds with an integrated controller for example.

If the assembly takes place in Asia and until the assembly house itself gets "banned", I think you'd be fine. At least I haven't seen authorities (yet) asking companies to declare the whole BOM of every product they sell, just in case. Imagine that. Although, I may be surprised by the creativity of bureaucracy. Question: if you import an assembled board, are you considered importing every single part it's made of? Ditto for an end product? (I might need some aspirin after I get answers.)

[mikeselectricstuff]

ISTR seeing a Mornsun PSU in a Bambu Lab A1 printer in a vid recently..

Hard to see how any restrictions on parts being used within other products would be practical - where do you stop - the PSU, the components inside the PSU...

Though if you did happen to be importing a product with a Mornsun PSU, maybe it would be prudent to slap your own internal part number stickers over the original manufacturer's labels...

[Someone]

Hard to see how any restrictions on parts being used within other products would be practical - where do you stop - the PSU, the components inside the PSU...

There are markets doing that with conflict minerals, so it does happen. RoHS/REACH would be pretty much the same thing.