Since @suicidaleggroll didn't read the original discussion, he is uninformed that there is no reliable way for ANYONE (including legitimate distributors and board assemblers) to definitively identify genuine chips vs counterfeit. Many legitimate, official, authorized supply lines have discovered counterfeit chips, sometimes only revealed when the end-user tried to use the product.



FTDI was widely criticized for not simply refusing to talk to counterfeit chips, but for deliberately BRICKING the chips without the customers knowledge or consent. And after that tsunami of ill-will, they are apparently back at their game of fouling their own nest. After the first debacle, one could argue that perhaps FTDI didn't DELIBERATELY set out to brick chips (although the the evidence was compelling). NOW, they are apparently back at the game of not simply refusing to talk to counterfeit chips, but DELIBERATELY sending their own counterfeit data in BOTH directions. In my book that just adds insult to injury and reinforces the notion that the first round was deliberate and not accidental.



Nobody is out there looking to save a few pennies buying counterfeit FTDI chips. The supply chain is apprently still contaminated with counterfeit chips and FTDI is doing nothing about it but continuing to cripple their own brand name. No wonder people are simply abandoning FTDI completely. Why would anybody continue to specify FTDI when they have no reasonable assurance that they will get genuine product that will make their customers happy.



Quote from: Richard Crowley

Why would anybody continue to specify FTDI when they have no reasonable assurance that they will get genuine product that will make their customers happy.

I know about the widespread problem. You're still blaming FTDI, but they are not the ones at fault. Their actions only serve to expose the problem. Do you honestly expect a device manufacturer to do NOTHING about a widespread counterfeit contamination of legitimate supply chains??? I mean seriously, what did you expect them to do? Sit on their haunches as they're run out of business by counterfeiters? What would you have done in their place?Yes their decision (if it was so) to brick counterfeit devices was sudden and harsh, but IMO it was necessary. It was the only way to expose the prolific contamination of the supply chain. Everyone was forced to re-examine their supply, and fix it, cutting the counterfeiters out of the loop. Harsh, but necessary. The only reason the fallout was so bad was because that was the first time they had done anything to combat the problem. In my opinion they should continue this practice indefinitely, it's the only way to keep the counterfeiters out of the supply chain.You claim there's no way for legitimate distributes to identify genuine chips. There is, now. You claim FTDI is doing nothing to combat the contaminated supply chain, what do you think this move is?!?! What do you think their alternative is?Their reasonable assurance is the reputation and usage of the build house. If the build house uses fake chips, which cause the end-product to completely fail, that's a pretty big indicator that there's a problem. Manufacturers will stop using that build house unless the build house can prove they were not a fault, by tracing the contamination up the supply chain, and so on, until the ones who are at fault are exposed and pushed out of the loop.Again, harsh, but necessary.