Obsolete parts
When a part goes end-of-life, the board doesn't have to.
An EOL notice, an NRND status change, or an allocation shortage on one part shouldn't stop a product that's already shipping. We find the replacement, redesign the board around it, and port the firmware if the new part needs it.
The problem
The part you built around is going away.
It shows up as an EOL notice, an NRND designation, or a distributor lead time that keeps slipping. Sometimes there's a last-time-buy window and sometimes there isn't. Either way, the board as drawn stops being buildable, and the clock starts before most teams notice.
What we do
Six steps from notice to shipping board.
- 01 Assess We read the EOL notice or NRND status against your BOM and quantities, and flag anything else on the board headed the same way.
- 02 Find and qualify an alternate A cross-referenced replacement, checked against the datasheet and the design — not just a matching package.
- 03 Respin the schematic and layout Footprint, stack-up, and routing updated around the new part, reviewed the same way a new design would be.
- 04 Port the firmware When the alternate needs a different microcontroller — STM32 to Nordic, Microchip to TI, and others — or a new SDK/RTOS, the firmware moves with it, register-level, not a guess.
- 05 Build and test Prototypes assembled and run through the same test process as a new board, before anything goes to production.
- 06 Hand off production files Updated schematic, layout, Gerbers, BOM, and a firmware release — ready for your existing assembly house or ours.
When a drop-in doesn't exist
Sometimes the fix is a new chip family.
Not every replacement is pin-compatible. When it isn't, we move to a new microcontroller family and, if needed, a new SDK or RTOS — while holding the connector and enclosure fixed so the rest of the product doesn't have to change.
What to send us
- Current schematic and BOM
- The EOL or NRND notice
- Quantities and timeline
- Firmware source, if any exists