Hello
We got a PCBA manufactured in a subcontractor in China, we have been working with them for a long time, and didn't have any issue so far. However last month we received a new batch of boards. I was doing continuity checking on signals and then I spotted a short between I2C SDA line to GND.
I started desoldering the ICs connected to SDA line one by one. Then realized that the short is gone when I desolder LTC3219. I made a continuity test between pins 9 and 15 and viola! The short was in the chip, not even between pins and/or to the thermal pad.
I examined the chip marking under microscope, and spotted that the font of the marking of that faulty chip was different than the working ones.
Left hand side: Not working
Right hand side one: Working good.
I was wondering if the chip that was originally populated was a genuine one.
Especially the font of number "8" is significantly different between chips.
Would it be possible for you to confirm if the the one on the left is a fake or a genuine one?
Thanks in advance
