Chinese Counterfeit Electronics Parts, IC etc

[Phaser]

Hello everybody, in a digital era like this which all prefers to play with “presets” I don’t know if there are still any tech person of traditional way with “soldering gun” to give some advice, so this is for qualified electronics engineers or passionate hobbyist who involved with electronics parts on service dept may know about today’s counterfeit electronics parts problem/curse made in China which usually sold it on eBay or even on well known big suppliers around the web.

I wonder if anyone knows (except to buy from a trusted? Supplier, really remains any honest to trust?
(1) to give some usefully tips or directions on how recognize the counterfeit part from the original by photo of the part or any sign on it? (They now make smarter clones very difficult even by a qualified person to distinguish the fake from original part That’s the reason sold that usefully expensive instrument. Look here.
http://uk.farnell.com/abi/603082/tester-counterfeit-ic-detector/dp/1676713 )

(2) tips to check/test some already buy it suspicious IC’s for example,
AD SSM2019, AD 797, BB INA217, BB OPA2134, NA LM4562, etc
these are some “trendy” by DIY’s family of today IC’s which Chinese “love” to clone in a bad “cheep& fast way” with very nasty bad audio results and then sell it around the web.

Here some usefully YouTube posts about that “curse” in case where don’t know about.
Thanks a lot for your attention & reply’s.
XFon

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hxy5GL0n8Uk

http://www.youtube.com/user/AmericanPiracyTrade#p/a

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozsamibcc0A&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttjAew3UwjA

 

[Phaser]

Its unbelievable, 106 until now people read my questions and no one bother to reply something? Great!! This “silence” proof that everybody used to play with presets of they brand new processing “toys”, that is not “evolution” is “decadence”. Looks that forum is only for some processing box makers & their employee “guru’s” to promote his new toys.. I have wrong to post my question here. Salute & Greetings from a little country U called “Greece” By the way “HELLAS” is the real name.

 

[PTBoardOp94]

Do we even have problems with counterfeit parts in the USA? I've never once heard of someone having such a problem.

 

[TomT]

I have had more problems with those infamous Texas Instruments IC's from the 70's with their faulty silver plating. The leads would corrode, and fall off. Sometimes damaging the IC sockets as well.

Just rehabbed another victim--an early 80's BE FX-30 exciter. Wouldn't lock reliably, closer investigation found the 74LS190 IC's had corroded. After replacing both the IC's and the 4 IC sockets, the unit worked fine.

 

[jdiamantis]

There have been many instances of conterfeit power transistors in the past 10 years or so. Usually common part numbers. The dies are substandard in size and power handling.


jD

 

[dspxscott]

Do we even have problems with counterfeit parts in the USA? I've never once heard of someone having such a problem.

This is a massive problem for the electronics industry, even though not much is heard about it.

We have seen lots of fake parts in our time. Some work fine, some work poorly and some don't work at all but have the right markings.

It's more common to have this issue with obselete parts. When there is a need to get parts that are no longer available through the normal franchised supply channels manufacturers often have turn to component supply houses. Some of these are unknowingly selling and some knowningly selling clone parts, mostly originating from the far east, especially China.

Regards
Scott

 

[Phaser]

I know you are very busy person Mr. Scott, so thank you to add your comments and you have quite right about obsolete parts but the counterfeit business go further and clone current trendy IC’s.

I buy recently the following IC for my processing projects from eBay & from one well known big web electronics supplier which sell most current parts not obsolete,
AD SSM2019, SSM2017, SSM2142, AD 797, BB INA217, DRV 134, BB OPA2134, LM4562, OPA627, OPA2604, LM6172,
my experience says that all IC’s are counterfeit, non hard case, thin pins easily may bent, logo lettering etc on it is grey or brown and not bold instead of white and bold as on originals, origin country did not indicated, pin 1 did not indicated.
I wish to have the “counterfeit IC detector” to give you valid results. That is the easy “characteristic”, that does only know about, anybody else to give some usefully tips?
Regards XFon

 

[dspxscott]

my experience says that all IC’s are counterfeit, non hard case, thin pins easily may bent, logo lettering etc on it is grey or brown and not bold instead of white and bold as on originals, origin country did not indicated, pin 1 did not indicated.
I wish to have the “counterfeit IC detector” to give you valid results. That is the easy “characteristic”, that does only know about, anybody else to give some usefully tips?
Regards XFon

I agree that many "popular" ic's are being copied but don't assume that the quality of the packaging or print gives any indication. We've been complaining for years how some manufacutrers legitamte part numbers and idents are almost impossible to read. The quality of the packaging doesn't mean that part is not real. If in doubt, only buy from a franchised distributor.

Another problem was/is ROHS. This directive meant that millions of REAL components got dumped into the surplus and far eastern markets for next to nothing. The unscrupulous component dealers often repackaged the parts (wometimes with certicates ) to say they were Lead free and ROHS compliant.

 

[ScottJ]

Do we even have problems with counterfeit parts in the USA? I've never once heard of someone having such a problem.

I can't think of a US example, but our friend's in the Meditteranean, not the US. I won't mention any names here, but I know of at least one company, headquartered in Europe, which had a huge and very costly problem with a batch of counterfeit chips. The problem is quite real. Sorry I can't help, though, Phaser, with any reliable way to spot the fakes. The best advice I can give you is to be careful who you purchase from. Reliable distributors who have short, traceable supply chains are best.

Scott

 

[RFGuy]

I have to agree with Tom T about those TI chips. had a Harris automation system that was loaded with them. I used TarnX and Scotchbrite to clean them and soldered them in place. Had no problems after. Just replaced the output transistors in a Yamaha amp, powered it up, was testing into load, About 40wrms the transistors popped the plastic off the case! Looked at the old vs the new and the die was about 1/4 the size. I guess I will not be buying off of ebay anytime soon!! Back to good old trusty Digikey or MCM.

 

[satech]

This has been going on for many years now in the computing world. In the mid-'90s, the aftermarket PC components market was flooded with Chinese-made 486 and Pentium motherboards containing "fake cache". They laid down circuit traces going in circles and not connecting to the motherboard's actual cirucitry, and soldered in imitation cache SRAM chips that were just hollow plastic shells with pins attached. Then they hacked the BIOS so that it would report "External Write Back Cache On" even though no external cache was actually installed.

In more recent years, computer makers have been plagued by counterfeit capacitors, causing many hardware failures, even from trusted brand-name PC vendors like Dell. These counterfeit capacitors were the result of a company incorrectly stealing a chemical formula for producting the electrolyte used in them, so that the chemicals would break down in a manner of months and cause the capacitor to fail.

 

[Phaser]

“TomT
I have had more problems with those infamous Texas Instruments IC's from the 70's with their faulty silver plating”

I see similar problems on Optimod’s 8100 fitted with that “silver” TL072 supposed was “upgraded” version sounded very mud, (Little out of topic) Optimod’s with “silver” TL072 must replaced with newer generation of TL072 or with his upgrade TLE2072 to shine bright his glory
I know some may suggest the “current eater” OPA2134 but this to seat OK in old PCB’s of Optimod’s needs lot of work from a skilled tech and needs major abuse on housing hardware etc so finally makes a “Frankenstein” Optimod the differences in sound results between TLE2072 & OPA2134 are so little so there is no reason to “rape” this poor old “thrilling” unit I see people make unbelievable things in the name of upgrades.

“dspxscott
But don't assume that the quality of the packaging or print gives any indication
The quality of the packaging doesn't mean that part is not real. If in doubt, only buy from a franchised distributor”

Maybe the packaging doesn't mean that part is not real but sorry for me is an indication. Bear in mind that I am only a DIY passionate with audio processing not a profit specialist to “sell super duper wow” upgrades, so I buy only few quantities for stock or testing purposes, as you know many of those trusted? “Franchised distributors” did not sell low quantities 1-5 that’s why DIY like me choose eBay with all known risks.

I buy those IC, (obsolete SSM2017 - SSM2142) & current BB OPA2134 and OPA2604 before 2 years from the same reliable vendor where today I buy the same IC’s so I can make my comparisons in terms of sound and quality of construction.

“ScottJ
Sorry I can't help, though, Phaser, with any reliable way to spot the fakes. The best advice I can give you is to be careful who you purchase from. Reliable distributors who have short, traceable supply chains are best”

Thank you very much ScottJ, everybody know that eBay now is full of cheaters so I buy from them only 2 items of each IC at very low price (another indication that is a counterfeit) & then I buy the same IC at higher price from a well known trusted based in US supplier that’s I can make my comparisons & guess what? that from eBay and from the trusted? supplier was exactly the same in construction quality and sound results compare it with that I have in stock 2 years old which is the “original” because sounded far better and looks trusted, the lettering packaging etc is as used to see all that 30 years involved with electronics parts. I know, you know that the world will never be the same due the nowadays economic “war”. Salute to all. Thanks a lot for your replies.
XFon

 

[kenglish]

We're finding that some models of the "subsidized" DTV converter boxes are dropping like flies, due to the counterfeit power supply components.
In our facility, we're losing about one or two a day.

 

[Tom Wells]

We're finding that some models of the "subsidized" DTV converter boxes are dropping like flies, due to the counterfeit power supply components.
In our facility, we're losing about one or two a day.

Switching power supplies are hell on GOOD parts, let alone cruddy parts.

We had a switcher die this week at work, a SOLA 40 Amp 24 volt supply feeding many servo drives.
It's fed from 480v 3-phase and is the transformer ever tiny!
Anyway the 10, 20, and 30 amp units seem to be OK, but in the 40 amp, the crowbar protect circuit can't tell the difference between
"legal" draw inrush from the servo drives' draw vs out-of-control input overshoot and meltdown.