Chip Shortage Hobby Stories

Strider · Post by **Strider** » Thu May 05, 2022 6:07 am

So, we all know about the shortages, and they affect everyone a bit differently. Delaying projects, sending prices through the roof, etc.

I thought it would be interesting to see how it's impacted the hobbies of others, if at all. What are some prices on items you use that have gotten out of control, or maybe put projects on hold, or maybe you just can't get what you need or want.

For me, the largest impact was putting my Arduino/ATMega & Tiny projects on hold, as well as my Raspberry Pi plans. We all know Pi's are either impossible to find or being sold by scalpers at crazy prices, but I got a real shock today looking at getting a few more Arduino Nano units.

I bought my last set about a year ago, and it cost me $14 for a set of 3.

Then I went to look today, same item, same "official" seller (ELEGOO), and holy cripes! $49.99 before I went to work today. I look when I get home...$54.99!!! ?

https://www.amazon.com/ELEGOO-Arduino-ATmega328P-Without-Compatible/dp/B0713XK923

Thankfully there are a few other lesser known brands still available for somewhere in the mid $20 range...if you really really want them, but still, that's madness.

Sadly, I much prefer to just get the ATMega328 itself, but they are impossible to find from licensed distributors and only available via 3rd party sellers at fantastically inflated prices as well.

So what about you? Any similar stories?

Scott Robison · Post by **Scott Robison** » Fri May 06, 2022 12:07 am

On 5/5/2022 at 12:07 AM, Strider said:

what about you? Any similar stories?

I had the goal to work on pi2iec around Christmas. I haven't been able to yet due to other obligations, but I wanted to have as much RPi sitting around to test things. I don't remember the exact prices, and I got quite a bit, but I had to buy almost everything in bundles with extra stuff I didn't really need as the RPis weren't being sold separately.

John Chow Seymour · Post by **John Chow Seymour** » Fri May 06, 2022 2:50 am

Atmel EEPROMs, wow. They're usually like, $11 or $12.

And even at the crazy prices below, they're still going fast; look how few are left.

The pic is from Digi-Key but it's about the same over at Mouser.

Time to take my chances on some sketchy ones from China via eBay. Usually I don't, but I mean, look at the alternatives.

Strider · Post by **Strider** » Sat May 07, 2022 4:38 am

It's absolute madness....

No Pi's, no controllers, those EEPROM prices are outrageous!

Makes it hard to get excited for new projects when you know it's either going to take forever to complete, or cost well over original estimates.

I do find it funny I can go on eBay and buy a used ZBOX for about $50 and have so much more computing power than a Pi, but a Pi can't be found, and I could use a couple more 4B units.

Though I am considering buying one those ZBOX PCs, so cheap and convenient, can add up to 8GB of RAM and I have some DDR3L lying around. Would make a great little Linux box.

Edmond D · Post by **Edmond D** » Sun May 08, 2022 6:04 pm

It will be interesting to see how (and how long) it takes for things to get normal, if ever. I'm sure most of us lived through the epoxy shortage in 1993 just fine - https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1993-08-06-9308060189-story.html

I've just got my first Ardiuno; I hope to treat it well as I go forward, as its a great rapid prototyping/hobby system. My heart is with older microcontrollers such as the 68HC11, but putting together a system is more work especially for one-off play projects.

As for the commercial world, I'm not so sure what will happen. Automobiles ran without chips for about a century, but now an electric vehicle probably has more silicon than my desktop system. With gas prices changing and societal changes I think driving will be come a luxury for the rich like it was when the car first appeared. Supply chains are something the average person doesn't think about or know much about, but when they deviate significantly the public hears about it, usually in a simplistic version.

Strider · Post by **Strider** » Sun May 08, 2022 7:58 pm

Yeah, these shortages, extending well beyond technology, are a result of multiple "things" coming to a head. I also think many people just don't realize how interconnected everything really is.

I have several ATMega projects on hold, where I made working prototypes, but that's as far I got before I couldn't get reasonably priced chips anymore to make more units. So it's just an irritating inconvenience.

In the meantime, I have been exploring the used market for some types of hardware for various reasons, and spending more time playing with the Atomic Pi than I probably would have otherwise, I would use it in other projects if it wasn't so large and cumbersome compared to a Raspberry Pi.

EMwhite · Post by **EMwhite** » Mon May 23, 2022 1:23 am

Pricing will never be the same. Hate to be Debbie downer but I just had this conversation (argument) w/my wife that Gasoline prices will never get below $4 (for super) again. Opportunism, market adjustment, greed.

W/regard to ICs and any crap (or good thing) made in China... The way allies and adversaries are lining up, I can't see trade relations improving anytime soon. Once Intel opens their Columbus Ohio plant (in 5 years) we should have some relief. Until then (for those of us in the states), it's back to erector sets and fuzzy pumper barber shop for creative outlets. : )

Scott Robison · Post by **Scott Robison** » Mon May 23, 2022 3:56 am

On 5/22/2022 at 7:23 PM, EMwhite said:

Pricing will never be the same. Hate to be Debbie downer but I just had this conversation (argument) w/my wife that Gasoline prices will never get below $4 (for super) again. Opportunism, market adjustment, greed.

You could be right about gas, but I heard the same arguments made when the price of gas shot up to then record highs in June 2008 just to have them drop significantly by Christmas. I think prices will go down again, though it will be inflation adjusted.

Strider · Post by **Strider** » Mon May 23, 2022 4:32 am

Yeah, MSRP will rise on some goods I'm sure, so I don't expect everything to drop back to pre-craziness prices, but for what I'm interested in, it should still drop significantly compared to the height of the craziness.

Gas I am not so sure on, only time will tell, but even that should still drop below $3 for what I use, regular. At least I hope. lol

During all of this, I have spent more time on eBay than I have in years.

It also makes me thankful I have a good paying job in a profession that's in no danger of disappearing.

Doigt · Post by **Doigt** » Wed Sep 07, 2022 5:03 pm

I had a rpi project but I also put it on hold and I even almost forgot about it because it's been on hold for so long. However, the reason I put it on hold at the time was not for the price but the availability; I couldn't find any store that sold anything rpi and I'm not the kind of person to buy online unless I really trust the vendor. I don't know if I ever will go back since I've started other projects already; don't have the time to play with the rpi anymore ? and the current price of everything going upwards is not encouraging for any project that requires to buy physical components so I think I'll stay with purely software projects until then.

I've heard some say the situation is supposed to start resolving itself sometime in 2023... I guess we'll see if it's true and to what extent then.