So I am a Test Engineer for a Company that manufactures Data Acquisition equipment. I developed a design around the Mbed for In house Production testing of a new product. I need hundreds of modules. I found all the big distributors like Arrow, Digi-Key, Newark, etc. had 0 stock and 6 week lead times. I also heard that the LPC1768 cpu in the module was was being replaced by the LPC1769 cpu.

- Will our existing binaries compile and run with the new cpu?

- Why such long lead times and no stock?

- Will I be able to get the modules in the future, will there be ongoing demand and support for them in say the next 5 years?

- Has anybody else ordered in quantity?

Also does anybody have experience with the modules in temperature extremes; -55 to 85C? I have run my module in a temp chamber here with no problem. Thanks for your comments..

I meant to add that the Platform I'm interested in the "NXP OM11043,598 Development Board, for LPC1768".

Google searched quickly and found http://www2.mouser.com/ProductDetail/NXP/OM11043598/?qs=%2fha2pyFadug28asDi4MDaQSi8ef49zRd8czaSxZSaH0d3LSFbKy3LQ%3d%3d

Also http://www.pololu.com/product/2150/ and http://mbed.org/handbook/Order

Hi Tim,

thanks for the post. Just to answer your points directly :

No, this is not true. They are pin and binary compatible, with the LPC1769 being a speed enhancement (120MHz), but we have no plan to use this part

They would, but we're not switching.

We had a supply chain issue in our distrubutor network, which meant that the route that 60% of all mbeds take to market was broken, and by the time we fixed it, a lot of the downstream resellers were out of stock. When the issue was resolved, a large order was placed to restart the supply chain, which cleared all of our stock that services the other 40% of the network. This large order has now shipped,and will be filtering onto the shelves of all your favourite resellers presently.

I cant see that we;d stop making them unless literally nobody wanted them. We fully understand the need for availability long into the future.

We've not done full environmental testing, as it was only ever intended for bench top experiments, but its good to know that the testing you have done has been successful.

Hope this helps, Cheers, Chris

Hi,

I had the same situation with Tim. Annually, I will need hundreds of modules. In such cases, are there any ordering option to buy directly from you. And, I will not need usb cable, box etc. It would be really nice to buy it cheaper without extras.

Regards, Bora

Why not use the LPCxpresso? Its $30. Then just cut the board and use it. Has the new processor on it.

I will need drag-n-drop programming and local file system functionality in the system. So, I cant cut the board. I think that the best approach is to design my custom PCB. But, to drag-n-drop programming functionality I will need mBED chip. If I am not wrong it is not possible to order mBED chip.

For drag and drop programming you can also use the HDK (https://mbed.org/handbook/mbed-HDK). But for LocalFileSystem you do indeed require the original mbed. There are alternatives which provide roughly the same functionality, but of course LocalFileSystem is reliable and probably proven for you to work for your requirements. Then you indeed will need the complete mbed board.

Yes it is clear that I will need complete mbed board, thanks for answers. But, actually my question is related about ordering issues. I am wondering, in high volumes(hundreds of) is possible to buy mbed board directly from main manufacturer. And, I will not need usb cable, box etc. So, maybe mbed team think sell the mbed board like a component without extras(box, usb cable ...). And it could be suitable for small volume manufacturing.

Bora, you can contact Chris Styles (chris.styles@arm.com) privately for bulk purchase details with a discount.

I contacted the NXP sales rep, Brent Hales ( Brent Hales <hales@thomlukesales.com>) and it seems like big distributors (Digi-Key, Future, etc.)will stock the modules on an "allocation" basis, so even though they may have low or no stock they can still get you quantities that you need if you plan ahead for a few weeks lead time.

I looked into the whole design from scratch approach, but the interface chip in the module for drag and drop programming is not identified and I just want the ease of use to buy it, load it, use it. My board will have sip connectors into which the Mbed module can be plugged.

Tim