Teensy 3.2 shortage

greg

Well-known member
Hi, I read all the recent threads about shortages for the newer Teensy's. Sorry if i missed the T3.2 update. Is there any info on when Teensy 3.2 may be back in stock?

[edit] NVM - saw the update on https://www.pjrc.com/store/teensy32.html will cross finders and switch to T4.0, and hope the lack of 5v tolerance will not be a problem.
 
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My guess is not anytime soon. The lead times for the MK20DX256VLH7 chip are extremely long right now. I have the chip on order since April 2021 that are yet to be filled.
 
I simply do not know when PJRC will be able to make more Teensy 3.2.

People at NXP who previously (before the war in Ukraine and Covid19 shutdowns in China) told me the chip shortage would start to improve by Q2 and get much better in Q4 are no longer giving any estimates. Difficult to know if that means the global semiconductor shortage is getting even worse, or maybe they have lawyers telling them not to say anything that could be interpreted as a promise, or maybe they're just tired of so many people asking. The plain and sad truth is we simply do not know when we'll get more chips so we can make Teensy 3.2, 3.5, 3.6.
 
CAN is on different pins, and Teensy 4.0 has 3 CAN bus ports compared to only 1 CAN on Teensy 3.2.

Many of the peripheral pins are in the same locations between 3.2 & 4.0, but CAN is not.
 
Is the T4.0 pin for pin compatible with the T3.2 ?

Are the CAN pins interchangable for example ?

In terms of pin assignment and such, I have made the following spreadsheet that attempts to document the pin changes between the various ARM Teensies. I also wrote a higher level summary in the unofficial Teensy twiki in 2020:

 
How many T3.2s do you need? I have a bunch from an old project I could throw up on eBay or something.
 
We started the migration from 3.2 to 4.0 (not without problems), despite the problems, today decided to place an order for 4.0s - and Amazon shows 4.0s are out of stock ... Are 4.0s also going the way of 3.2 ? I see they are in stock on PJRC site, but the last count shows about a week ago, and they were still available on Amazon yesterday, so not sure if they really are in stock at PJRC.
 
Are 4.0s also going the way of 3.2 ?

IMXRT chips for Teensy 4.0, 4.1 have been much better than the Kinetis parts on Teensy 3.2, 3.5, 3.6. NXP hasn't delivered the older Kinetis parts about September 2021. We had a pretty good number stockpiled, so Teensy 3.5 & 3.6 ran out by December 2021, and Teensy 3.2 ran out by early February 2022.

So far for 2022, IMXRT chips have arrived at approximately the rate scheduled. But because Teensy 3.2, 3.5, 3.6 are gone, many people switched to Teensy 4.0, 4.1 which means the amount we ordered (about a year ago) isn't enough. Teensy 4.0 and 4.1 have been running out, then coming back briefly, and running out again. We're trying to get more IMXRT chips, but all signs are looking like we'll continue with this trend for the next 2-3 months where we can't quite make enough to fully meet the new demand because we're receiving the number of chips anticipated over a year ago when Teensy 3.2, 3.5, 3.6 were still available.

Right now, we have a batch of Teensy 4.0 completing production. It's a process that happens over 3-4 weeks, not all at once. The first part of this latest batch arrived last week. Almost all of them shipped to distributors. Those Amazon sellers who recently ran out had stock from the prior batch which finished about a month ago. Over the next few weeks, the distributors will probably place orders which consume this entire batch, which will cause PJRC to be out of stock again... even as we're still getting more out of production each week and shipping them to fulfill those distributor orders. So even though the website gives the appearance none are left, the reality is distributor backorders have claimed them all, and they're gradually completing production and getting shipped to those companies. Then we wait for more IMXRT chips, and the cycle repeats where we are getting more around the time stock distributors bought from the last batch is running out. Ideally we'd get the chips earlier so there wouldn't be any gaps, but even though the IMXRT chips are arriving steadily, it's the rate we forecast over a year ago before we knew how bad the chip shortage would become.

Indeed the shortage is terrible for the Kinetis chips on Teensy 3.2, 3.5, 3.6. Earlier this year we were told the chips would have "gradual improvement in Q2" and most would ship in Q3 & Q4. But now NXP is telling us the Kinetis chips won't be available until well into 2023, with a small quantity of the Teensy 3.2 chip in Feb-Mar time frame and the rest in the summer (or 2023).

What the future holds for IMXRT, beyond the next few months, I just don't know. We have a lot of chips on order from NXP. Whether they'll continue delivering as they have so far this year, or those too will dry up without warning as the Kinetis parts did, I honestly don't know. Lately it's become difficult to get any info or answers about when chips will really arrive.

Best I can tell you is the situation you're seeing today, where Teensy 4.0 is sometimes in stock, sometimes unavailable, is due to chips arriving according to a sales forecast Robin & I made over a year ago, before we know the supply of Kinetis parts would dry up. Normally we try to keep a small "buffer" of extra chips, but lately we don't have any extra. They do into production as soon we get them. The IMXRT chips are arriving from NXP (or have been lately - future is impossible to predict), just not at a fast enough rate to fully meed the new level of demand. So for at least the next few months, you're likely to keep seeing this in stock, then out of stock, then back again briefly pattern keep repeating. It's the best we can do right now.
 
Thanks for an exhaustive answer, Paul. I can imagine how disappointing this may be for you. I love 3.2, but it is good to know that at least 4.0s are in better shape.
You guys are doing all you can, but I guess if there could be a bit more support for folks like us trying to quickly work around 3.2 -> 4.x transition issues, that would really help.

Thanks again, and hope this gets sorted out eventually.
 
Out of curiousity, what is the outlook for the long term of the LC microprocessors? At the moment, it seems to be in good supply. I like using them when I'm doing small neopixel cosplay products because it has the single pin that has a fast level shifter built-in. I find some of the neopixels that I have are pickier about voltage and adhering to the best practices (particularly the Adafruit Dot Strands that are great for costumes and such).

Frankly though for the 3.2/3.5/3.6, I suspect by the time NXP can supply you, the market will have shrunk since people will have moved on the Teensy 4.x's.
 
Frankly though for the 3.2/3.5/3.6, I suspect by the time NXP can supply you, the market will have shrunk since people will have moved on the Teensy 4.x's.

I suspect the market for 3.X will still be strong for both new designs and existing/legacy products. The 3.2/3.5 are particularly well suited to certain applications (analog heavy, 5V tolerance, etc) that can make migrating to the 4.X platform extremely difficult. My application, for example, makes important use of the 3.2's 5V pin tolerance, on-chip PGA, dual ADC's running simultaneously at high speed with 10-12 bit resolution, programmable VREF's, 3.2 specific pull up/down resistance, requires careful isolation of the analog and digital I/O signals and
other components such as the analog front end are design around the 3.2's particular pin capacitance/impedances. I'm sure many others have similar designs where 4.X migration is also not ideal.

For those users where moving to the 4.X might be feasible, PJRC should possibly consider a pinned forum post or dedicated web page detailing specific difference between the 3 and 4 series, specifically areas where the 4.X isn't an out-of-the-box 1-to-1 replacement or improvement over the 3 series, and offer potential solutions and workarounds to make transitioning to the 4.X a workable option.

Just thinking out loud - maybe someone should consider offering a well thought out 3.X to 4.X adapter board that includes both pin remapping and additional components to make the 4.X essentially a drop-in replacement for the 3.2/3.6 (5v tolerance, analog performance, PGA, etc). People like myself with an existing use case for the 3.X would happily pay a premium for such a product in order to continue legacy production during the shortage IF it truly offered plug-and-play compatibility and addressed the key performance differences between the 3 and 4 series.
 
Out of curiousity, what is the outlook for the long term of the LC microprocessors?

We have enough Teensy LC in stock to last about 1 more month. More chips for LC are expected soon, enough to last until about October-November. Of course we have more on order, but when they'll arrive is unknown. My best guess is they'll get delayed until 2023.


The 3.2/3.5 are particularly well suited to certain applications (analog heavy, 5V tolerance, etc) ... My application, for example, makes important use of the 3.2's 5V pin tolerance, on-chip PGA, dual ADC's running simultaneously at high speed with 10-12 bit resolution, programmable VREF's, 3.2 specific pull up/down resistance, requires careful isolation of the analog and digital I/O signals ....

Yes, indeed the older chips have a lot of nice analog features and 5V tolerance.


For those users where moving to the 4.X might be feasible, PJRC should possibly consider a pinned forum post or dedicated web page detailing specific difference between the 3 and 4 series, specifically areas where the 4.X isn't an out-of-the-box 1-to-1 replacement or improvement over the 3 series, and offer potential solutions and workarounds to make transitioning to the 4.X a workable option.

Wanna start a thread and write about it? Rather than sticky, I can add a link from the Teensy 3.2 page, so people wanting 3.2 can find it.


maybe someone should consider offering a well thought out 3.X to 4.X adapter board that includes both pin remapping and additional components to make the 4.X essentially a drop-in replacement for the 3.2/3.6 (5v tolerance, analog performance, PGA, etc).

Difficult to imagine how and adaptor board could give drop-in replacement functionality, especially for analog features.
 
I
For those users where moving to the 4.X might be feasible, PJRC should possibly consider a pinned forum post or dedicated web page detailing specific difference between the 3 and 4 series, specifically areas where the 4.X isn't an out-of-the-box 1-to-1 replacement or improvement over the 3 series, and offer potential solutions and workarounds to make transitioning to the 4.X a workable option.

FWIW, I have the following google spreadsheet that I've done over time to keep track of various microprocessor things. The first sheet is an attempt to track the pin differences between Teensy 3.1/3.2, 3.5, 3.6, 4.0, and 4.1 microprocessors (3.0 is there, but it is normally hidden). The second sheet is a higher level overview. The third sheet is an attempt to track the pinout of varioius Teensy shields. I also wrote a page for the unofficial Teensy wiki that tried to identify the differences:


Some of the other frequent posters like KurtE may have there own versions.
 
We have enough Teensy LC in stock to last about 1 more month. More chips for LC are expected soon, enough to last until about October-November. Of course we have more on order, but when they'll arrive is unknown. My best guess is they'll get delayed until 2023.

Maybe it is time to add a few to my stock pile. I bought the last two at my local Microcenter.

Or perhaps dust off my SMT soldering skills and solder the SN74LV1T126DCKR's that I bought from digikey. Though I note that particular chip is back ordered through 8/2023.
 
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