Pat, I might be on the dark side: I do like proprietary hardware,
for example, ASIC always run faster than off the shelf programmable
chip (provide you have a good design team for ASIC), low power,
efficient foot print, package to tailor specific environment... if
you have volume to justify the design time and cost, I would take an
ASIC in a heart beat. as for guard the secret to prevent reverse
engineering, i think it is definitely needed in current environment:
copycat just ripe off all the good engineering work easily. In
addition, there are fakes around - deal with in the past with a
control chip that provides user timing/feedback control of voltage/
current adjusted output. The "fake" actually went into the field to
collect the chip and mount on the unit sell them at a knock out price
(of course the reliability and calibration is completely off... but
there are cheapy chaps actually return some of faulty fake units for
R and O to the company ...), not until we figure out hard pot the IC
on to the unit in such a way it was almost impossible to take it off
without damage the unit.... The sales went up right after the
implementation of the anti-reverse engineering... from my 1st hand
experience, i would say the anti-reverse engineering is necessary, it
should be part of design review/marketing scheme to ensure your tech
leadership is not compromised. my 1.78 cents.. (By the way, as for
high price of replacement parts, I agree with you... extended
warrantee or service contract is much better if you have a critical
equipments fall into R and O requirement - like aircraft).
jk
On Oct 15, 2014, at 7:53 PM, Patrick Goodyear wrote:
> As a technician I detest companies that provide proprietary
> hardware, the reason I don't own Apple products. Hp did this with
> their early test equipment, but the would annually publish a cheat
> sheet with their part numbers and a cross reference for products 5
> years old.
> If a company is so dang tight-a--ed that they need to guard the
> secret, let them custom order the part with their part number or
> whatever on it, Westinghouse did this in the '70's with a lot of
> the equipment they ordered custom from Burr-Brown, so they made
> sure you ordered their replacement part at their $$$$$$ price, case
> in point OP amp modules designated A1 labeled JT-21.
>
> Usually unless the part is unique as long as one has knowledge of
> how it works it is easy to substitute a suitable replacement.
>
> Just my opinion.
>
> Pat Goodyear semi-retired control tech
>
>
> On Wed, Oct 15, 2014 at 12:03 PM, Craig Sullivan wrote:
>
>> I have a customer requirement to "apply an electronics grade epoxy
>> over
>> component x that will obscure part the part marking." They are
>> trying to
>> prevent reverse engineering of their product. There are of course a
>> multitude of epoxies, but dispensing onto small ICs, etc., can be a
>> challenge.
>>
>> I know about micro abrasion processes and such but I'm curious how
>> others
>> would handle this requirement?
>>
>>
>> Craig Sullivan
>>
>> Manufacturing Engineer / IT Administrator
>>
>> Phone: +1.607.266.0480 x115
>>
>> Fax: +1.607.266.0482
>>
>> Email: <mailto:[log in to unmask]> [log in to unmask]
>>
>> Web: <http://www.mplinc.com/> www.mplinc.com
>>
>>
>> MPL, Inc.
>>
>> 41 Dutch Mill Road | Ithaca | NY | 14850
>>
>> P Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail.
>>
>>
>> _____
>> Confidentiality Notice:
>> This e-mail contains privileged and confidential information which
>> is the
>> property of MPL Incorporated, intended only for the use of the
>> intended
>> recipient(s). Unauthorized use or disclosure of this information is
>> prohibited. If you are not an intended recipient, please
>> immediately notify
>> MPL Incorporated and destroy any copies of this email. Receipt of
>> this
>> e-mail shall not be deemed a waiver by MPL Incorporated of any
>> privilege or
>> the confidential nature of the information.
>>
>> Export Control:
>> This message is intended only for the addressee and may contain
>> information
>> that is company confidential or privileged. Any technical data in
>> this
>> message may be exported only in accordance with the U.S.
>> International
>> Traffic in Arms Regulations (22 CFR Parts 120-130) or the Export
>> Administration Regulations (15 CFR Parts 730-774). Unauthorized
>> use is
>> strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. If you are not the intended
>> recipient, or the person responsible for delivering to the intended
>> recipient, you should not read, copy, disclose or otherwise use this
>> message. If you have received this email in error, please delete
>> it, and
>> advise the sender immediately.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> _____________________________________________________________________
>> _
>> This email has been scanned by the Symantec Email Security.cloud
>> service.
>> For more information please contact helpdesk at x2960 or
>> [log in to unmask]
>> _____________________________________________________________________
>> _
>
> ______________________________________________________________________
> This email has been scanned by the Symantec Email Security.cloud
> service.
> For more information please contact helpdesk at x2960 or
> [log in to unmask]
> ______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
This email has been scanned by the Symantec Email Security.cloud service.
For more information please contact helpdesk at x2960 or [log in to unmask]
______________________________________________________________________
|