I have an update for all customers on the Propeller shortage, as promised a few posts ago.
The wafers have shipped from Austria Microsystems (in Austria) today to our packaging supplier in Taiwan. This means we'll have packaged chips here in Rocklin around mid-October. We need a week for testing so my most accurate estimate at this time is the third week of October is when we will have both DIP and QFPs available. Current status:
Small numbers will trickle into inventory until we have the huge shipment arrive in October. It's possible we won't even run out of inventory and all of this excitement was for nothing. We'll see - I'm just trying to make sure to provide advance notice of problems before they occur.
At present, yes. Propeller 1 is fabricated in Austria by AMS.
And for those who don't follow mergers and acquisitions, AMS is also the company that bought TAOS, the optoelectronics spin-off from TI whose sensor chips are used in Parallax's TCS3200 color sensor, and the TSL1401 linescan imager -- and probably a few other Parallax offerings that I've lost track of.
DigiKey's stock on hand for the DIP: 2033 parts, for the QFP: 1022 and for the QFN more than 800.
Mouser's stock on hand for the DIP: 329 parts, for the QFP: 1516; they don't appear to stock the QFN.
Element14 is the only vendor running out - but they're prices are obnoxiously high, anyway.
Interesting. Has the Prop always been manufactured by AMS? I figured that with the Prop2 fab talk centered around ON-Semi, that it was them who also manufactured the Prop1.
DigiKey's stock on hand for the DIP: 2033 parts, for the QFP: 1022 and for the QFN more than 800.
Mouser's stock on hand for the DIP: 329 parts, for the QFP: 1516; they don't appear to stock the QFN.
Element14 is the only vendor running out - but they're prices are obnoxiously high, anyway.
There doesn't appear to be any shortage.
What's the scoop?
Ken did say there would be a huge shipment in October, (post #66, a month ago). It appears it happened.
Small numbers will trickle into inventory until we have the huge shipment arrive in October. It's possible we won't even run out of inventory and all of this excitement was for nothing. We'll see - I'm just trying to make sure to provide advance notice of problems before they occur.
Depending on what huge means. At 7.28mm on a side in 200mm wafers with 80% yield, there's about 380 good die per wafer. A 200mm boat is usually 25 wafers, so that's just shy of 10K good die per boat. Those are pretty conservative numbers - 80% yield is pretty poor for a mature design in 350nm.
The QFP stock-on-hand has been pretty static for the last two months at around 2K parts in disti. It certainly hasn't gone up as much as "a huge shipment" would suggest and I wouldn't think that a shipment of packaged parts arriving in mid-october wouldn't clear test heads and be shipped to disti yet, anyway. I'd expect the stock on hand would be bottoming out about now but there's really been no motion.
About the stock... I suspect Parallax might keep extra inventory for own products, and they might be "trickling" those out to keep customer stock available until the large shipment clears QC.
One might call it Propeller QE
There's always more than shown on-line because we receive chips in packaged form without test. We stock them in tested and untested formats, with the web only showing what's tested. The yield numbers you provided are an inaccurate guess with actual yield being above 97%.
No, there was no inaccurate guess. As I said, the 80% was a very conservative estimate chosen specifically to highlight the point that, based on the stock in disti, there has never been a shortage. As someone who bought a considerable amount of inventory based on this thread to cover prototype and production requirements, combined with the dearth of subsequent information, it all starts to seem as if the shortage was about cash flow, not inventory.
No, there was no inaccurate guess. As I said, the 80% was a very conservative estimate chosen specifically to highlight the point that, based on the stock in disti, there has never been a shortage. As someone who bought a considerable amount of inventory based on this thread to cover prototype and production requirements, combined with the dearth of subsequent information, it all starts to seem as if the shortage was about cash flow, not inventory.
We use an Materials Requisition Process, known by the acronym "MRP" in distribution. I imagine you're familiar with MRP and ERP systems from your post above. This system models our projected purchases based on typical demand, lead times for different processes to assemble and test the part, and ultimately suggests purchase order quantities based on incremental quantities, minimum orders, and about six other parameters we identify for each part. The Purchasing Manager reviews the output from the system and approves purchase orders.
Likely, the shortage we almost experienced probably started with DefCon22. In early June we allocated 16,000 chips towards that project. With a few other unexpected orders the demand exceeded what MRP was projecting.
Some companies put large customers on lead times and build to order. We generally stock the quantities they want to purchase.
If you are suggesting that low cash deferred or slowed the placement of more Propeller orders from Parallax to our suppliers that is not the case.
Unfortunately you cannot win Ken
Thanks for letting us know. Some ordered to cover their requirements and some of us worked out we had sufficient of our own stocks to last, leaving them for others who required them.
While in the end there was no shortages, I would much rather be warned than all of a sudden find out there was "X" months shortage.
Some of us are old enough to remember the great shortages of all types of semiconductors years ago - thinks like 2 years lead time were not uncommon to see. Some companies allocated small supplies to their good customers and the rest went without. And then there were the hoarders who bought up big and sold the stock at ransom prices. This happened in particular to DRAM.
We use an Materials Requisition Process, known by the acronym "MRP" in distribution. I imagine you're familiar with MRP and ERP systems from your post above. This system models our projected purchases based on typical demand, lead times for different processes to assemble and test the part, and ultimately suggests purchase order quantities based on incremental quantities, minimum orders, and about six other parameters we identify for each part. The Purchasing Manager reviews the output from the system and approves purchase orders.
Likely, the shortage we almost experienced probably started with DefCon22. In early June we allocated 16,000 chips towards that project. With a few other unexpected orders the demand exceeded what MRP was projecting.
Some companies put large customers on lead times and build to order. We generally stock the quantities they want to purchase.
If you are suggesting that low cash deferred or slowed the placement of more Propeller orders from Parallax to our suppliers that is not the case.
Ken Gracey
Yup, spent 2 years implementing SAP into our procurement, production, retail, wholelsale and web presence. MRP only goes so far and can never account for hugh surges in sales and the wild beast that is human spirit.
No real shortage until now, but stock is becoming low: ~1k P8X32A-Q44, ~5k unmarked Q44
I just ordered 1000. This time I was really lucky and got 10% discount :-)
No real shortage until now, but stock is becoming low: ~1k P8X32A-Q44, ~5k unmarked Q44
I just ordered 1000. This time I was really lucky and got 10% discount :-)
Any news when new stock arrives?
You didn't apply the extra 10% Coupon Code? Or did you do a phone order.?
"If you shop on Parallax.com use this coupon at checkout for 10% off your entire cart - FORUMS2014
Expires 2014-11-24 at 8am PST"
In brief, some unexpected large orders drained the immediately available stock, but Parallax have about 2 months supply in reserve and are moving that into the online store over the next week or so.
Some online distributors also hold stock. And in October, Parallax will be getting the next scheduled bulk shipment from the chip foundary to replenish warehouse supplies.
If you have any specific urgent requirements, please contact sales@parallax.com. They are ready and able to help !
Comments
This morning there are:
1801 TQFP props
1188 DIP40 props
in stock at Parallax.com
Thanks Ken!
So, now anyone who has an excess of QFP parts for some reason may need a good home for them.
I still have a few HeckaProp panels for anyone who wants to solder up to 60 propellers on one board.
+1 Thank you Ken!
Where is Humanoido when you need him?
The wafers have shipped from Austria Microsystems (in Austria) today to our packaging supplier in Taiwan. This means we'll have packaged chips here in Rocklin around mid-October. We need a week for testing so my most accurate estimate at this time is the third week of October is when we will have both DIP and QFPs available. Current status:
1,100 DIPs in stock https://www.parallax.com/product/p8x32a-d40
800 QFPs in stock https://www.parallax.com/product/p8x32a-q44
Small numbers will trickle into inventory until we have the huge shipment arrive in October. It's possible we won't even run out of inventory and all of this excitement was for nothing. We'll see - I'm just trying to make sure to provide advance notice of problems before they occur.
Ken Gracey
Are you telling us that Prop chips are made in Austria? It never occurred to me that they might have chip fabs in Austria.
At present, yes. Propeller 1 is fabricated in Austria by AMS.
Ken Gracey
-Phil
Interesting that the Fab is done in Austria.
DigiKey's stock on hand for the DIP: 2033 parts, for the QFP: 1022 and for the QFN more than 800.
Mouser's stock on hand for the DIP: 329 parts, for the QFP: 1516; they don't appear to stock the QFN.
Element14 is the only vendor running out - but they're prices are obnoxiously high, anyway.
There doesn't appear to be any shortage.
What's the scoop?
Ken did say there would be a huge shipment in October, (post #66, a month ago). It appears it happened.
The QFP stock-on-hand has been pretty static for the last two months at around 2K parts in disti. It certainly hasn't gone up as much as "a huge shipment" would suggest and I wouldn't think that a shipment of packaged parts arriving in mid-october wouldn't clear test heads and be shipped to disti yet, anyway. I'd expect the stock on hand would be bottoming out about now but there's really been no motion.
So the question remains - what's the scoop?
Makes me think of Pistachio and double choc chip.
About the stock... I suspect Parallax might keep extra inventory for own products, and they might be "trickling" those out to keep customer stock available until the large shipment clears QC.
One might call it Propeller QE
There's always more than shown on-line because we receive chips in packaged form without test. We stock them in tested and untested formats, with the web only showing what's tested. The yield numbers you provided are an inaccurate guess with actual yield being above 97%.
Ken Gracey
We use an Materials Requisition Process, known by the acronym "MRP" in distribution. I imagine you're familiar with MRP and ERP systems from your post above. This system models our projected purchases based on typical demand, lead times for different processes to assemble and test the part, and ultimately suggests purchase order quantities based on incremental quantities, minimum orders, and about six other parameters we identify for each part. The Purchasing Manager reviews the output from the system and approves purchase orders.
Likely, the shortage we almost experienced probably started with DefCon22. In early June we allocated 16,000 chips towards that project. With a few other unexpected orders the demand exceeded what MRP was projecting.
Some companies put large customers on lead times and build to order. We generally stock the quantities they want to purchase.
If you are suggesting that low cash deferred or slowed the placement of more Propeller orders from Parallax to our suppliers that is not the case.
Ken Gracey
Thanks for letting us know. Some ordered to cover their requirements and some of us worked out we had sufficient of our own stocks to last, leaving them for others who required them.
While in the end there was no shortages, I would much rather be warned than all of a sudden find out there was "X" months shortage.
Some of us are old enough to remember the great shortages of all types of semiconductors years ago - thinks like 2 years lead time were not uncommon to see. Some companies allocated small supplies to their good customers and the rest went without. And then there were the hoarders who bought up big and sold the stock at ransom prices. This happened in particular to DRAM.
Yup, spent 2 years implementing SAP into our procurement, production, retail, wholelsale and web presence. MRP only goes so far and can never account for hugh surges in sales and the wild beast that is human spirit.
I just ordered 1000. This time I was really lucky and got 10% discount :-)
Any news when new stock arrives?
You didn't apply the extra 10% Coupon Code? Or did you do a phone order.?
"If you shop on Parallax.com use this coupon at checkout for 10% off your entire cart - FORUMS2014
Expires 2014-11-24 at 8am PST"
Ken has detailed the situation here: http://forums.parallax.com/discussion/161692/propeller-1-p8x32a-d40-and-p8x32a-q444-supply-expectations
In brief, some unexpected large orders drained the immediately available stock, but Parallax have about 2 months supply in reserve and are moving that into the online store over the next week or so.
Some online distributors also hold stock. And in October, Parallax will be getting the next scheduled bulk shipment from the chip foundary to replenish warehouse supplies.
If you have any specific urgent requirements, please contact sales@parallax.com. They are ready and able to help !
Hope this helps!