Is Atmega 16 getting obsolete?

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systemteqavr
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Posted by systemteqavr: Tue. Feb 19, 2013 - 10:59 AM
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The Mega 16 is in use in one of our products. The package used is DIP. The supply voltage to the IC is 5 volts and it uses 8MHz external crystal. The production manager of my company has informed that this IC is now obsolete. I did a quick search on Farnell and Digikey and found that they are available. I have found nothing on the internet that points in this direction. The issue is sensitive and I thought I should seek some expert advice and hence this post.

Digikey has some confusing information. In the link below they have mentioned that the oscillator is internal, however the same IC variant we have used in our product with external crystal. I am not sure how much we should suspect about the information on this site.
http://www.digikey.co.uk/product-detail/en/ATMEGA16L-8PU/ATMEGA16L-8PU-ND/739758

Also farnell had one in the list that was very expensive. The link is as under: -
http://uk.farnell.com/atmel/atmega16-16pu/ic-8-bit-16k-flash-mcu-tube10/dp/1523819

I think the price is more likely for 10 IC ( I can not think any other meaning of "˜Tube 10' written in the heading)

Tags:

AVR Microcontrollers, megaAVR and tinyAVR, ATmega16
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david.prentice
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Posted by david.prentice: Tue. Feb 19, 2013 - 11:15 AM
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The ATmega16 is replaced by the ATmega16A.

I would put money on the ATmega16A still being available in 10 years time. (unless Atmel goes bankrupt)

Anyway, you will have other pin-compatible alternatives like the ATmega164P

So don't worry. You are far more likely to use a SMD chip in the future than the mega16A DIP-40 chip go out of production.

David.

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clawson
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Posted by clawson: Tue. Feb 19, 2013 - 01:07 PM
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Quote:

I would put money on the ATmega16A still being available in 10 years time.

I might take some of that bet. I could easily envisage an Atmega16B in fact. I believe when Atmel used to make the ATmega16 themselves it may have been on something like a 0.35um process (0.18 perhaps?). They then closed their fabs and out-sourced production but the lines they now contract time on are using something like 0.12um - maybe smaller? It was the change in the electrical characteristics going to the smaller process that prompted the "A" suffix to say "a bit different". Logically it's the same chip with the same peripherals and the same signature but electronically it's a bit different with different figures for power usage and noise immunity and so on. Now the big question and what your 10 year bet relies on is: will the same fab process be in use to make mega16's in 10 years time? My money (because of Moore's Law) is that it won't be an identical chip but may be fabbed on an even smalelr geometry if the fabs in use upgrade their processes or Atmel contracts to some even newer manufacturer. So I'm guessing at an ATmega16B myself.

See you in ten years time for the exchange of the obligatory beer or whatever it is we're betting ;-)

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GeococcyxC
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Posted by GeococcyxC: Tue. Feb 19, 2013 - 01:34 PM
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Does the specific Mega16 you are using show up here? If it does, then yes, it is "officially" going obsolete. If it does not, then you need more information, either from Atmel or your purchasing or production person. There should be somebody at Atmel (usually at the sales office in your country) whose job it is to answer questions like this.

Usually, when somebody tells you that an IC is obsolete, there are several cases to consider...

The manufacturer really has stopped making it. (You're in trouble.)

The manufacturer is still making it, but has announced a "lifetime buy". This is where they want to stop making it, but if you order before a certain date, they will keep making it until all those orders are filled. (You're OK if you can get enough money to buy enough to support your production. If you can't, you're in trouble.)

The manufacturer has changed part number 1234-000000001 to part number 1234-000000002 because they are now printing the label on top with purple ink instead of white. (Once you get some kind of statement from the manufacturer that this is the only change, you can then test and approve the new part.)

The manufacturer has stopped making it in DIP, but surface-mount is still available. (Once you make an adapter or a new circuit board, you can test and approve the new part.)

The manufacturer has changed the part number because they have changed the part from real (Pb) to fake (Pb-free) solder. This was more common a few years ago. (Once you spend stupid amounts of money reworking your manufacturing shop, you can then test and approve the new part.)

The vendor ran out of 1234-000000001, but they have a big box of 1234-000000002 that they want to sell you. (Switch to a vendor that has what you want.)

The purchasing manager sees that 1234-000000001 are $10 each and 1234-000000002 are $9.95 each, and thinks that he will get an award from the boss for saving the company $0.05. (Go smack the purchasing manager. :) )

The Coke Microprocessor Company has offered a better bribe to your purchasing manager than the Pepsi Microprocessor Company, so he is saying that Coke is obsolete and that you should switch to Pepsi. (Don't laugh... it happens...)

I hope this helps!

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david.prentice
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Posted by david.prentice: Tue. Feb 19, 2013 - 04:37 PM
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To put it in simple terms:

1. mega16A is a direct substitute for mega16
2. mega16A is better and cheaper than mega16
3. mega164 is a pin-compatible but not code-compatible with the mega16/16A

When a new and better device is produced, it is normally priced cheaper than the old chip.

When purchasing department says that you should use the obsolete chip, the price generally goes sky-high.

Yes, there are some very minor differences between 16L/16V/16/16A. You should obviously check the data sheets and migration documents. And test the new device in your product.

David.

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ka7ehk
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Posted by ka7ehk: Tue. Feb 19, 2013 - 04:51 PM
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From the horse's mouth:

AVR522: Migrating from ATmega16 to ATmega16A

http://www.atmel.com/Images/doc8...

Jim

Jim Wagner Oregon Research Electronics, Consulting Div. Tangent, OR, USA http://www.orelectronics.net

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Restart00
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Posted by Restart00: Tue. Feb 19, 2013 - 06:44 PM
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clawson wrote:
Quote:

I would put money on the ATmega16A still being available in 10 years time.

I might take some of that bet. I could easily envisage an Atmega16B in fact.
See you in ten years time for the exchange of the obligatory beer or whatever it is we're betting ;-)

You can put me down for a couple of pints too :)

It's a huge pain in the neck. By the time you've got the tool chain all sorted out for the "latest" process, the foundry is telling you its about to be obsoleted, and they want to know how many parts you would like for your last time buy.

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Torby
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Posted by Torby: Tue. Feb 19, 2013 - 09:53 PM
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Well, of course it is. EVERYTHING is, at varying rates.

Remember the panic a couple years ago when the "A" parts started appearing and the non "A" parts were disappearing? People were shouting "NO ATMEL PROCESSORS ARE AVAILABLE."

The largest known prime number: 282589933-1

Without adult supervision.

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