WTF!!?? Is This True!!?? Ford to Ship Incomplete Builds.

[Grayson]

I’m a Custom Home Builder in Dallas TX area and supply chain is only getting worse . The labor market is also very tight , hold on !

Not just in TX either. We are dying in NC and I only do speciality remodeling/commercial uplifting/complete home automation. Automation equipment has wait times of 4-6 months which for aging in place clients; is hard to convey.

 

[Grayson]

Yeah, they are just not available no matter the price. The only thing to do would be to halt domestic Chinese production to sell that supply of chips (most likely wafers) to the US so we can produce things domestic. They are not willing to slow their own domestic production down in order to boost ours, that is a fact.

We should pretty much just invade.

 

[Muchmore]

We should pretty much just invade.

Seriously!

 

[melvimbe]

Wait, where are we invading now? China?

 

[Abq_SP]

A few things I would like to respond to in this mess.

If Ford is literally sending chips for dealers to install. You are screwed because installing chips is more than plugging them in a socket I assume. I would imagine Ford and everyone else is using surface mount technology (SMT) than through hole. SMT allows for higher speeds and higher board part density. Also if they are though hole they would still be soldered in, not in a socket. Sockets are not reliable for environments. I would never design any board for release to the world with a socket (I am an electrical engineer that does high reliability/high consequence designs).

The big issue with installing chips besides what I mentioned is electrostatic discharge (ESD). These require special equipment such as ESD safe soldering irons, surface mount machines, wrist straps, ionization fans, clothes (cotton based), floors, etc. of these are at dealership shops. You cannot just slap a wrist ******** a technician and call it good. You have to be trained in ESD procedures. ESD facilities have to get certified on a regular basis to check for proper grounding, etc. Also, how do you test the module to make sure it works? You just don't drive the car around and see if the ass-cooler works, etc. The board/module gets run across a custom tester to make sure it works across voltage input levels, etc. i.e., acceptance testing.

Someone asked about tons of water for chip fabs (which cost billions and takes year to construct and certify the fab process). The water is used for cooling to keep at a very stable temperature and humidity in the cleanrooms. I believe it is around 30-40% so that takes water. Temp is around 68 F also. This serves two purposes 1) stable process environment for repeatability and 2) ESD control. ESD is worse in dry environments whereas some humidity helps any build up charge slowly dissipate (ESD is energy discharging fast - cleanroom have megaohm range bleed down control to avoid the fast risetimes of discharges). Water is also used for cleaning in some cases after it has been deionized/filtered.

I would never pick up a vehicle where the dealership tech/mechanic took the chip and "installed it." You are just asking for premature failure due to ESD damage (due ignition systems, static buildup, transients, etc.). The modules are fine. Those should have ESD protection at all the pins of the connectors (on the circuit boards) to protect the electronics inside via transient voltage suppressors (TVS), resistors/capacitor/inductor filter networks etc.

 

[Abq_SP]

What, I cannot say wrist...strap? Not like I mentioned a bedroom tool