Electronic component obsolescence: what to do when a chip is no longer made?

As soon as the manufacturer's end-of-life notice arrives, assess your options: a last-time buy to cover the remaining production, a compatible replacement part, or a new board revision. The choice depends on the product's remaining lifetime. In the last two cases, the firmware must be adapted and the product tested again.

How do you know a component is going away?

Manufacturers publish change notices (PCN, Product Change Notification) and end-of-life notices (EOL). An end-of-life notice usually sets a last order date (LTB, Last Time Buy). Subscribe to these notices for the critical parts of your bill of materials, and watch their status with your distributors.

Should you make a last-time buy?

It is the fastest solution when the product itself is nearing the end of its life: you buy enough to cover the remaining production and after-sales service. It ties up stock and requires proper storage conditions. It does not suit a product that must still be sold for a long time.

Can the component be replaced without redesigning the board?

Sometimes. A pin-compatible part, from the same family or another manufacturer, avoids a new board. Its electrical characteristics and behaviour must still be checked: a "compatible" part is not always identical. The firmware often has to be adapted, for example for a new microcontroller revision or a sensor with different registers.

When is a new board revision needed?

When no direct replacement exists, or when several components age at the same time. It is also a chance to choose more recent parts and fix the board's known defects. The firmware is then ported to the new hardware.

What should be done on the firmware side?

• Isolate hardware access in an abstraction layer: the rest of the code does not change when a component changes.
• Keep a reproducible build of the version in the field, to compare before and after.
• Replay the tests on both the old and the new board.

Must compliance tests be redone?

It depends on the change. Replacing a radio module or part of the board may call into question the assessment made under the RED directive (2014/53/EU). To find out which tests to redo in your case, contact your test laboratory or a regulatory adviser.

How we can help

Picodev looks for replacement parts, assesses the impact on the board and the firmware, then adapts and tests the software. For a new board, we work with SGAME as part of the IoTou® offer.

Related service: Maintenance and takeover