Hardware Podcasts

Inside Component Testing: Fighting Fakes in the Electronics Industry

OnTrack · 7 Oct 2025 · 43m · Episode 314

What this episode covers

Elijah Miller, VP of Operations at The Lab Worldwide (TLW), explains the sophisticated methods counterfeiters use to infiltrate the electronics supply chain, including remarking, harvesting, and cloning. He details how even franchise distributors like Digi-Key and Mouser can inadvertently distribute fakes through RMA loops and discusses the critical role of third-party testing labs in authentication. Miller highlights advanced detection techniques such as C-SAM imaging and Raman spectroscopy to identify retopped Xilinx and Altera chips, noting that 3-7% of gray market components tested often prove to be counterfeit.

Most relevant to

companies scaling up

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
The Lab Worldwide, Digi-Key, Mouser
Chips
Xilinx, Altera
Tools
C-SAM, Raman spectroscopy
Also
AS6171, AS6081, ISO 17025

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