[sdiy] SSM2164 protection

[Neil Johnson]

Hi Tom,

> Out of interest, Neil, seeing as you've been sending SSM2164-based  
> PCBs out all over the place, how many people have emailed you back  
> saying "You know that PCB you sold me! Well, I soldered it up,  
> plugged it in, and it smoked!"?
>
> (My guess is none).

Almost correct - but you forgot "so far".  And given that this issue  
is now widely known about (I'm sure this news will spread far and  
wide given the popularity of the '2164) it will be difficult to plead  
plausible deniability if (and when) someone does eventually smoke a  
2164.

> I'm not knocking the protection schemes that have been proposed  
> (indeed, I've been following closely as a SSM2164 user myself), but  
> I would like to suggest that the members of this list *might* be  
> prone to getting more involved in a problem than it genuinely  
> deserves. It's a continual hazard for enthusiasts. We tend to  
> forget that normal people don't care as much as we do!

But what are we talking about here?  Lets say two resistors, a zener  
and a transistor, total cost 40 pence.  To provide some insurance for  
a device costing £3-£5.  Plus all the aggro of customer support.  I'd  
call that money well spent.

It'll be interesting to see which of the commercial module  
manufacturers add this protection to their 2164-based modules.

Cheers,
Neil
--
http://www.njohnson.co.uk