Raspberry Pi: Manufacturing Hiccup

http://www.raspberrypi.org/archives/781

by switz • 14 years ago

122 43 14 years ago

ktizo• 14 years ago

When have you ever before seen an apology from a computer supplier about delays in delivery, that actually went as far as including x-rays of the parts involved, just to illustrate to ordinary customers how exactly it all went wrong?

DanBC5• 14 years ago

This is an excellent post by the foundation. I'm pleased they're showing people the actual parts. (After the launch I have no doubt there are some people vigorously complaining about this too.)

It would be really nice if they now link to some good quality electronic engineering page to explain what "magnetics" are, and how they work, and why they're used in network connectors. Teaching people about computing is great. Teaching people about electronic engineering would also be great.

alexchamberlain2• 14 years ago

As one of the commentors said... Sh*t happens. Not their fault...

joezydeco2• 14 years ago

I don't see it the same way. The article says they spec'ed a certain part on the BOM and the manufacturing house dropped in a different part. I see this all the time from overseas board houses that think they can get away with subbing in a cheaper part and charging the same price.

If this was my vendor and something like this happened, believe me, this would not be "Shit Happens" and a shrug all around from my management.

elliottcarlson• 14 years ago

To be fair, the "shit happens" statement is from the POV of a customer - and that's quite correct. We don't have further insight in to what the Raspberry Pi foundation is doing or communicating to their manufacturer and I doubt it's a "ship happens" attitude there as well - but that's just a guess and that's all either of us really have.

alexchamberlain2• 14 years ago

As the other commentor fairly points out, I am dismayed at the manufacturer's behaviour, but the Foundation, no worries, I'll let it slide. :P

slug• 14 years ago

Exactly, let's hope they don't do the same to other parts.

antirez• 14 years ago

This stuff happens, it's not a problem. I just wish that the project was less in a hurry because it's a no profit organization so there are no time-to-market issues.

polshaw• 14 years ago

I'm not complaining, it's surely no easy task, but how can you claim they are unduly in a hurry? They were 3 months behind their original plan.

This was a mistake by their manufacturers, and could have happened no matter how long they took.

celticninja• 14 years ago

they were only 3 monthsd behind if you took November as their shipping date, that was pretty much the earliest it could have been for a Q4 release, whereas it could have been as late as end Dec.

obtu• 14 years ago

The design works for a certain state of the components market. As time passes some parts become harder to source, or pricier than others that provide better performance or functionality.

sdfjkl3• 14 years ago

Nice to know they care and don't just ship anyways (it would probably work anyways in many cases, but cause lots of frustration).

Since the author didn't mention it in the article, the "magnetics" are actually small transformers that filter noise, DC and make it harder to fry your board via the network port.

__alexs• 14 years ago

Tiny versions of these? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferrite_bead

sdfjkl3• 14 years ago

No, they're real transformers, electrically separating board from network. Here's a schematic (first picture from the top, the box labeled Integrated Ethernet Connector): http://www.conformity.com/artman/publish/printer_139.shtml

Alternatively these can be mounted as as separate component[1] on the board in conjunction with the "plain" type of connector that the Raspberry manufacturers used by accident.

[1] Looks like this: http://www.alliedcomponents.com/lan.php

jmedwards• 14 years ago

Raspberry Pi are acing customer relations by turning a little bit of bad news into something really interesting and engaging. Kudos

wr14722• 14 years ago

I'd be interested to know what kind of x-ray device they used to get those images? How much does one cost, and are they affordable (and safe) for a hobbyist to use?

sdfjkl3• 14 years ago

Something like this: http://www.nikonmetrology.com/en_EU/Products/X-ray-and-CT-In...

It weighs slightly over a (metric) ton, and despite being marketed as "low cost" model, it's not something the average hobbyist can afford. Or even needs :)

And yes, it's lead-lined, completely enclosed and safe to use as long as you don't put your hamster in it.

wr14722• 14 years ago

So nothing on the App store or Android market then?!

wcchandler• 14 years ago

I assume not. Pete does component work for Broadcom (I think) as his day job. This equipment was probably theirs, to which I'd wager >$100,000.

HeyLaughingBoy• 14 years ago

Some people have taken problem ICs to a friendly dentist and asked him to X-ray them...

ImprovedSilence2• 14 years ago

I find fascinating the "open source" view we get into manufacturing here. No "real" real company will throw out there the "oh, we mucked up, your products are coming a week late" and then go on to explain exactly what, and why.

It's nice to see the real side of how things are made, and to develop an understanding that usually nothing ever works out on the first go. It really enforces the lesson of "don't be afraid to fail, and don't get discouraged" As I know many people who have tried, do.

zdouglas• 14 years ago

I greatly appreciate their honesty, prompt timing, and engineering lesson. That's above the call of duty, even for the best distributors.

spot• 14 years ago

RasPi didn't muck up, the factory did, and presumably the rework is on the factory's dime (with a fat apology).

But your point basically stands.

cek• 14 years ago

I think the right attitude is "the factory is an extension of RasPi, thus RasPi mucked up".

methoddk• 14 years ago

The fact that they are so open with the process is what (for me, at least) keeps me happy with it and I'm fine with waiting.

Can't wait to do cool things with mine!

strags2• 14 years ago

Absolutely agree. It's too bad this happened, but they've turned it into something interesting, and by clearly explaining what's going on, one would hope that customers will be understanding.

It reminded me a bit of these guys:

http://blog.saleae.com/?p=143

Different problem, but same kind of "small-company" response.

ImprovedSilence2• 14 years ago

yeah, it's nice, isn't it. I've been aware of saleae for awhile, I really like the look of their products. I haven't had a practical reason to buy them yet, but someday I plan on getting their analyzer.

gaius• 14 years ago

This is totally like that time back in '83 when Acorn couldn't manufacture enough ULA's for the Electron in time for Christmas. Probably some of the same people involved too!

bdb• 14 years ago

Glad I'm not the only one who manages to order just one slightly incorrect part for every hardware project I work on.

DanBC5• 14 years ago

I feel sorry for the person doing the rework.

8 legs to desolder, on a 6 layer board, where the pads are going to be small (because of pin density) and where the component shape means you can't just cut the thing off and take the pins out individually. The click-through legs of the socket make it harder to apply heat to the pads and wobble the component out (which you shouldn't do anyway, but people do.)

And then the new connectors need to be soldered back on.

luser001• 14 years ago

Just curious since I had a hard time doing a simple soldering project.

Would it be difficult even if they had some equipment to precisely maintain temps and suck out the solder? Does such equipment even exist?

joezydeco2• 14 years ago

The legs on those ethernet connectors are .100" centered, like the old DIP pins. Those are incredibly easy to solder and unsolder.

If this thing was surface mount, or had a hidden heat-sink pad in the center of the die, that would be way tricker. Nothing an assembly shop couldn't handle, but kind of getting beyond typical DIY work.

ChuckMcM• 14 years ago

See http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3448677

This is a pretty standard 'hiccup' in manufacturing. Sadly its more common when your factory is 'remote'[1] than it is when your factory is local. If you read Bunnie's blog [2] about the Chumby he's got a number of fascinating stories about how things can go sideways.

Take notes you budding product designers that requires manufacturing actual widgets, its a whole lot uglier than you might think :-)

[1] yes that is code for 'outsourced to China.'

[2] http://www.bunniestudios.com/blog/?cat=6

TomAnthony• 14 years ago

Interesting post.

Could someone explain, for a non-hardware guy, why the magnetics are necessary?

If they are necessary, why do jacks without them exist?

DanBC5• 14 years ago

partly for impedance matching, partly for noise filtering.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impedance_matching)

You can use a component on the PCB, or a component built into the socket.

noonespecial• 14 years ago

I actually doubt its an accident. One of the problems you have to deal with when manufacturing in China is "substitutions". In China, the contract you sign is just a place to start negotiations and the prototype that they first present to you is considered a loose guide to how they will build the actual product.

As time wears on and numbers increase, you'll find all sorts of tweaks to save a penny or two showing up on your latest batches. They don't try to make your product non-functional, but they might make a mistake on a substitution going after that 1/10th of a penny.

Raspberry Pi: Manufacturing Hiccup

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