New year - New PCB

Well it was bound to happen some time; the dataflash chip that I use (Adesto AT45DB011D-SSH) has now gone obsolete. This isn't the end of the, or so I thought...

My solution was simply to fit it with the 4 Mbit version, but unfortunately the console reads the chip ID as part of its "security" checks, and if it does not receive the ID for a 1 Mbit chip it ceases communications.

I have been able to source the chip in an alternative UDFN-8 package, so a little work was required to tweak the PCB to accept the new part. This also means that I now have to program the security register with the chip fitted, again no big deal.

The new PCB

Vs the old PCB

This does mean that in the long term I will have to get my head around a way forward. I could simply buy as many chips as I need for the next year, or I could come up with a smarter alternative. Who knows what this year will bring...