Plant of Asahi Kasei Microsystems on fire.

[pavuol]

https://www.prosoundnetwork.com/business/akm-factory-fire-shakes-up-pro-audio-industry

"massive three-day fire"

"“Every AKM part we use—ADCs, DACs, ASRCs and Receivers—is made exclusively in the Nobeoka plant,” said Millennia’s La Grou. “Of course, all AKM audio parts immediately disappeared from front-line distributors [such as] Digikey, Mouser, etc. And now the after-market brokers are selling AKM parts at horrific mark-ups. We saw one $5 AKM part being offered at $110 each.”

 

[RayDunzl]

Thailand, 2011

I think they produced parts for their little HDRadio tuner there, as that product availability dried up and didn't resume.

Prices for used ones are about double the original MSRP.

 

[Atanasi]

AKM DACs are burnt-in at the factory.

 

[Jaimo]

View attachment 90382

Thailand, 2011

I think they produced parts for their little HDRadio tuner there, as that product availability dried up and didn't resume.

View attachment 90383

Prices for used ones are about double the original MSRP.

I have one of these in storage. Pretty good reception but we don’t have many HD radio stations in Canada.

Didn’t think this was a collectible.

 

[kn0ppers]

This is really sad stuff. I already put in quite a few hours in designing my own evaluation board for AK4499 and now they are not available anywhere. At least I have a few AK4490s as a backup plan.

Hopefully they can temporarily outsource production of some of their digital ICs, because those are probably even more common in audio gear than their DACs and ADCs. Doesn't matter if your DAC/ADC is from TI, ESS or Cirrus when your implementation is also based on AKMs sample rate converters or similar devices. Should be much easier to outsource those than actual DACs and ADCs.

 

[boXem]

At the time all AKM chips disappear from shelves, ESS is finally distributed by one of the big bois (Mouser). Coincidences are strange sometime. Before complotists start singing, looks like this happened end September.

 

[kn0ppers]

But still no full datasheets or even application notes without signing NDA I think. I was going to send ESS an email about that. Maybe they see this only for repair purposes, but if they made the conscious decision to enable people to more easily work with their devices, they might as well publish their full datasheets... I mean there has to be some reason they allow distribution over mouser now.

 

[boXem]

For the moment, only the databriefs are available for download at Mouser .
I just attempted to download the AK4493 datasheet on AKM website, fail... Looks like a race to bottom.

 

[devopsprodude]

This probably explains why Schiit Modius is on backorder.

 

[Rottmannash]

Asahi Kasei Corporation manufactures, processes, and sells chemical products in Japan and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Material, Homes, and Health Care.

It offers elastic polyurethane filament, cupro fiber, nonwoven fabric, and nylon 66 filament products. The company also provides petrochemical products, such as styrene, acrylonitrile, polyethylene, and polystyrene; performance polymer products, including synthetic rubber and engineering plastics; and performance material and consumable products, such as coating materials, microcrystalline cellulose, explosives, explosion-bonded metal clad, hollow-fiber filtration membranes, ion-exchange membranes, electronic materials, food wrapping film, and plastic films, sheets, and foams, as well as lithium-ion battery and lead-acid battery separators, and electronic devices.

In addition, the company constructs unit homes and apartment buildings; operates real estate and remodeling businesses; and offers financial and other services.

Further, it provides autoclaved aerated concrete panels, insulation panels, foundation systems, and structural components; pharmaceuticals and diagnostic reagents; artificial kidneys, therapeutic apheresis devices, and virus removal filters; and defibrillators and temperature management systems.

Additionally, it offers plant and environmental engineering, research and analysis, and employment agency/staffing services.

Asahi Kasei Corporation was founded in 1922 and is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.

---

They make all kinds of smoke!

Wow-quite diversified. What is "autoclaved aerated concrete panels"? When does concrete need to sterile?

 

[Chrispy]

Another chip plant fire https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Te...s-bigger-damage-from-fire-at-its-chip-factory

 

[chelgrian]

Another chip plant fire https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Te...s-bigger-damage-from-fire-at-its-chip-factory

Also sadly that was who AKM were using to outsource at least their digital production to. The mixed signal stuff that is to say DACs and ADCs isn't scheduled to resume volume production until spring 2022.

The problem is mixed signal is something of a black art and very wedded to the exact semiconductor process used to make the chip. AKM have said in the past they don't know what a design is going to sound like until they actually make and test it.

 

[chelgrian]

Also Samsung was offline for a month in Texas simply due to the unplanned power interruption due to the local politicians failure to grasp the consequences of not winterising their electricity generation.

 

[pkane]

Another chip plant fire https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Te...s-bigger-damage-from-fire-at-its-chip-factory

Sounds more and more like a sinister plot for world domination by vacuum tubes

 

[devopsprodude]

Sounds more and more like a sinister plot for world domination by vacuum tubes

Or ESS

 

[Berwhale]

Wow-quite diversified. What is "autoclaved aerated concrete panels"? When does concrete need to sterile?

The heat and pressure of the autoclave is used to trigger a chemical reaction that gives the concrete it's strength. You can read about it in the Manufacturing section here: Autoclaved aerated concrete - Wikipedia

 

[gvl]

This probably explains why Schiit Modius is on backorder.

May not be true but there was some info that Schiit was overstocked with AKM chips due to accidental double order prior to the AKM factory mishap.

 

[chelgrian]

May not be true but there was some info that Schiit was overstocked with AKM chips due to accidental double order prior to the AKM factory mishap.

Well if they did they can make a killing selling them on the secondary market...

 

[gvl]

Well if they did they can make a killing selling them on the secondary market...

Who knows, may be they run the numbers and figured it was more lucrative then selling Modis