What is the best way to determine the end-of-life time-line for ICs other than contacting the manufacturer directly? Is there a central registry or service where I can subscribe and get EOL notifications for the parts used in my designs? How does everybody else handle EOL problems?
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\$\begingroup\$ We normally handle it by screaming loudly. All you can do is rely on the individual manufacturer telling you, or you watching the products you use closely. \$\endgroup\$– MajenkoOct 13, 2014 at 17:20
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7\$\begingroup\$ When I buy a component from Digikey they will send me emails in the future that that a product has been discontinued as well as a last time to buy date and any possible alternative (even if I only every bought 1). I suspect other distributors might do something similar. Certainly it never hurts to contact a distributor and/or manufacturer. \$\endgroup\$– helloworld922Oct 13, 2014 at 17:24
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4\$\begingroup\$ +1 for buy from Digikey. If you are a small time operation like me, then digikey is the only supplier I know who sends out EOL notices. (We also buy from mouser, newark, allied...) Yet another reason I like to buy from DK. \$\endgroup\$– George HeroldOct 13, 2014 at 17:30
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2\$\begingroup\$ Mouser does the same. (And I'll never ever buy from Digikey again because of their stupid handling of export restrictions.) \$\endgroup\$– Wouter van OoijenOct 13, 2014 at 17:44
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\$\begingroup\$ Sorry for dis-ing mouser if they also provide this service. I don't have an account with mouser, and the guy doing the ordering may not have set up an account. (@WoutervanOoijen, sorry for your bad DK experience. (Can't beat their search engine.)) \$\endgroup\$– George HeroldOct 13, 2014 at 23:00
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3 Answers
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There are few professional services which integrate notifications from manufacturers and can manage your BOM:
- IHS: PCMS, BOM Manager, PCNAlert, etc.
- SiliconExpert
Probably others I'm not aware of.
Most of big companies in aerospace and defense business subscribe to one of these services but they have dedicated component management departments.
Also only few components really need attention for EOL notifications, for instance memories (DDR). EOL notifications are submitted almost 1 year in advance so you can check the PCN on a monthly or weekly basis of few manufacturers for your critical components.
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Some distributors send me the end of life notifications and change notifications for components that I have purchased from them. DigiKey and Mouser do this. Buying components from them have automatically subscribed me to the change notices. But... I haven't heard any statements about coverage. Does this work for every component and supplier in the distributor's inventory? Does the distributor pull the notifications, or the supplier pushes them? What are the odds that there will be a slip and the notification will not be sent to me?
Let's assume that we are talking about a non-regulated product (non-medical, non-military, non-automotive). The majority of the line items in the BoM are run-off-the-mill components, such as passives, standard small signal transistors, etc. Finding a second source or a replacement for them is usually not a big problem. So, an obsolescence of such components can be dealt with reactively, rather than proactively. The important single-source components (such as controllers of all sorts, power semiconductors, power inductors) are a different matter.
p.s. The front panel connectors are some of the most painful obsolescences to deal with. The nature of the front panel connector is usually both: electrical, and mechanical, and aesthetic.
answered Oct 13, 2014 at 17:50
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\$\begingroup\$ YES,mosuer and digikey always send the in-time report to me ,but it is more useful for manufacturer. I need a pratical alternative part number，that will help me digging into creations.WIN SOURCE do it for me,so now i do not need to consider about the obsolescence. \$\endgroup\$ Jan 24, 2018 at 9:00
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There are few players in the market ( not as expensive as IHS / Silicon Expert ). One of them we use is www.eolmanager.com. They comes at very cheap price compared to the big guys, but reliable in terms of the service they provide.
May be you can try them or something similar to these guys.
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1\$\begingroup\$ Are you affiliated with EOL manager? \$\endgroup\$– Voltage Spike ♦Mar 3, 2017 at 17:43
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\$\begingroup\$ We are using them for our products. Let me know if you need in getting the contacts.. \$\endgroup\$ Mar 4, 2017 at 7:13
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\$\begingroup\$ I work for EOL Manager, one of the many players in market providing PCN alert services. Please visit us or google " end of life management " to reach others .. \$\endgroup\$ Mar 24, 2017 at 19:16