Counterfeit ATmega328s

ATmega Slugs

Sparkfun just got lumbered with counterfeit ATmega328s:

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Makes for interesting reading. Check out the comments also.

Cheers Don...

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Don McKenzie

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Don McKenzie
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just followed through a little more:

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name of the rip off company is: Shenzhen Henglian Electronics Co.

Cheers Don...

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Don McKenzie

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Don McKenzie

ATmega328s:

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"Sparkfun sells counterfeit ICs" isn't a headline I would like to see if I was running a company... :)

Surprisingly, some people actually seem to be buying them...

Reply to
Bob

Yes, of course: buy it for $0.50 and sell it for $5.00 on eBay :-) But the comments clarifies it: Sparkfun was very naive in thinking it could be used for soldering training and removed it very fast from their shop.

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Frank Buss, fb@frank-buss.de
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Reply to
Frank Buss

Yeah probably no good for solder training either, probably won't tin properly etc

Reply to
Ray

It is a big problem in the industry and the longer the lead times get, the more the counterfeiters benefit

Reply to
Bill Naylor

"Bill Naylor" wrote

It is a HUGE problem.

Hitachi (Renesas) suffer from it too.

It is usually visually obvious by looking at the package. The people doing this are pretty stupid.

Reply to
Peter

Interesting...

Thanks Don.

Reply to
Win7

ATmega328s:

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I think that if you can't find the culprit, it is meaningless to file complaints.

Probably a good idea to pay through an escrow. Check that the companyy has existed for a significant amount of time before you start to trade with them.

You probably want to have a photo of the package. Buying a component today, which is manufactured in 2007, has it's own problems.

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Best Regards
Ulf Samuelsson
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Reply to
Ulf Samuelsson

If you complain to the U.S. Trade Representative about counterfeiting, to the Embassy of China, and the China Semiconductor Industry Association, you might be able to find them. China does require all businesses to be registered with the Government, and there will be a paper trail somewhere.

In particular, the China Semiconductor Industry Association might well be interested. They're trying to make their industry more respectable. The last thing they want is companies boycotting China sources.

Also recognize that Chinese law tends to be rather tough. It's hard to get the attention of the authorities in China, but once you do, pain will be applied to somebody.

John Nagle

Reply to
John Nagle

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