Vehicle Semiconductor Chips 101

[RyanP]

True but it was the chips that forced the module to be incomplete.

Plus, ford is basically calling it a chip hold.

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[ocbucks1]

Plus, ford is basically calling it a chip hold.

I see what you mean. I guess that’s still the root cause but only a portion of what needs to be installed.

 

[RyanP]

I see what you mean. I guess that’s still the root cause but only a portion of what needs to be installed.

I agree with your post. I was merely pointing out that I don’t think how it’s being referred to will change, in part due to how ford has labeled it in their system. Regardless, I just wish they would communicate with us. Hard to think that’s asking too much.

 

[mdk77]

There are a lot of gear heads here that can rattle of how engines and drivetrains work and how to make many modifications on our Broncos. But they might struggle to describe what a semiconductor does and why is there a shortage. I had a reply to a post that said "I know just leave them out". Not

First full disclosure I like this stuff and I do have an engineering degree but I am not am expert but thought I would provide a basic overview since this is such a big topic now.

• What does semiconductor mean? Metal is a conductor of electricity and glass is a insolater (does not conduct). A semiconductor can be either. Weather electricity will flow through the semiconductor or not is changed by energy. In electronics, the energy is electromagnetic fields produced by transistors. The transistors and software, for example will dictate off or on , up or down, locked or not locked and a lot more detailed decisions about when to open the circuit.
• How many semiconductors are there is a car? Overall the world uses one trillion semiconductor chips a year! You probably know they are in every electronic device. The auto industry uses about 10% of the total. In one car there can be 3,000 chips.
• How are they manufactured? This is where it gets very complicated. A chip takes 2 months to make and goes through 3000 manufacturing steps. They are made on a silicon wafer. The silicon wafer is the "semiconductor" material. This goes through a dozen or more machines before complete. It takes massive amounts of pure water to purify equipment. One factory reported they used 60,000 tons of water a year. Because of the requirements and complexity, there are only a handful of factories in the world. The order lead time prior pandemic was 10 weeks and is now roughly 18 weeks.
• Why is there a shortage? There were multiple factors that came together to cause the current shortage.
  • -First at the pandemic auto maker reduced orders expecting a reduction in car buying. At the same time there was a huge increase in buying of other stay at home electronics. For a somewhat brief period, the chip manufacturers focused on providing chips to other industries and auto orders were now behind
  • -Then the strained relations and trading with China, where the biggest chip manufactory was located ,reduced supply. But this was not really a direct hit to auto.
  • -A majority auto chips were made in Japan and in one factory. This factory had a severe fire. This is what hurt Ford the most.in getting behind on orders. This plant is now back but not full capacity.
  • -Another major factory in Twain was shut down due to a drought there and they did not have enough water.
• What did Ford do? Contrary to popular opinion here Ford did make some moves. They made an exclusive partnership directly with a foundry, global foundries, This vertical integration is not common in auto. Overall they are in slightly better or the same position as most auto makers. (Tesla did do some creative software engineering to make better use to available chips.)

Want more Semiconductor Video.

I hope that helps. We know the track record with the Bronco and delays. But this one is truly farther reaching than Ford and the bronco. We have less of a gripe in my opinion.

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This is great, thank you. Someone also told me in another thread that it's not so much the chips our Broncos need but components and modules which have chips in them. So there is some sort of downstream module supplier to Ford who needs chips to provide those modules. Not sure if that is entirely accurate.

 

[ocbucks1]

This is great, thank you. Someone also told me in another thread that it's not so much the chips our Broncos need but components and modules which have chips in them. So there is some sort of downstream module supplier to Ford who needs chips to provide those modules. Not sure if that is entirely accurate.

Yes I think it is accurate but the chips are the root cause and the modules have many chips. So people are getting twisted on “chips” install but it’s the same process.

 

[1975U15]

Interesting. But is it true we actually discovered transistor technology from space beings in the Roswell UFO crash??

 

[22OBX]

Definitely chips are the cause, but chips are not installed at MAP, the modules are. That is all we were saying.

 

[BroncoT]

I deselected chips from my build and blamo, Bronco being built tomorrow.

 

[BoostedNerd]

I work in the Semiconductor industry and one of the biggest issues we are having is a shortage of silicon wafers. These are what the materials are put on for the chips. Plus getting some materials to make the chips are getting harder to get or have a longer lead time until we can get them.

 

[Exomodo]

This is likely the "trailer-hitching" where a train slows and the slop in the couplings bang in sequence as the rear of the train matches speed. Ford deferred or canceled orders when plants were idled last year when the unmentionable ailment of unknown origin now hosting an international event In a vague continent began disappearing mammals. When Ford spun up another contract for parts, they weren't available, so they compromised and took what they could get. This is that gap.

 

[Exomodo]

Interesting. But is it true we actually discovered transistor technology from space beings in the Roswell UFO crash??

Everyone knows "The Roswell Event" was a CIA double cover for the failed first invasion of beings from planet 10 who traveled to Earth through interdimensional (eighth, specifically) transit...

 

[Bmadda]

Maybe we should all go back to riding horses?

 

[ocbucks1]

I work in the Semiconductor industry and one of the biggest issues we are having is a shortage of silicon wafers. These are what the materials are put on for the chips. Plus getting some materials to make the chips are getting harder to get or have a longer lead time until we can get them.

Yes but how the chips orders are managed to the install in module control in autos is more complicated.

 

[Broncodave]

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattl...rivers-cant-tune-their-radios-away-from-kuow/


"They drove a 2014 to 2017 model Mazda, and they had tuned into KUOW, 94.9 on the FM dial, the NPR station.

That’s all it took.

Somehow the signal the station sent to the modern HD Radio that’s part of the Mazda infotainment center had, as Welding puts it, “fried” a major component."

“They told me that there’s nothing they can do about it, that I needed a new CMU unit, that it cost $1,500 and that they didn’t have the part.”

 

[PowPow]

@ocbucks1 good write-up on semiconductors but to help clear up the biggest misconception, Ford is not waiting to simply receive the semiconductors/chips and pop them into your vehicle.

The semiconductors/chips are the devices that go inside of the finished electronic units. A couple of past posts to explain and some follow-up below.

As @JohnnyX pointed out, these semiconductors/chips are not simply installed when received.

To further explain, the semiconductors/chips, once received, are soldered to the green Printed Circuit Board Assembly (PCBA), which used to be called Circuit Card Assembly (CCA). This is a highly technical process requiring millions of dollars of specialized fabrication machines. Once the finished PCAB is completed it is installed inside of the various electronic modules or units that create the actual finished assembly that gets installed into your vehicle. These steps may happen across several different companies.

Here is a finished Printed Circuit Board Assembly (PCBA) ready to be installed into an electronic assembly. The larger black devices (14 total) are the actual semiconductors/chips that get soldered to the green Printed Wiring Board (PWB).

thank you!

it always drove me nuts when I would read people say something like 'pop the chips in'. Or "all these cars are waiting on chips". no, those cars are waiting on components that can't be built without the chips!

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