CPLD on Aliexpress - why they erase Altera logo from pictures? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: c64
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 10, 2020, 01:21:00 am
content: I was looking for Altera MAX CPLD on Aliexpress and lot of sellers erase Altera logo from pictures (not from the chips). Few pictures attached, but you can search yourself for example EPM3064ATC44 (https://www.aliexpress.com/wholesale?SearchText=EPM3064ATC44)I don't remember seeing anything like this before

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 10, 2020, 01:28:12 am
content: They hide manufacturer name from just about any parts.

author: MadTux
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 10, 2020, 01:51:28 am
content: Perhaps to get away with fake parts, IDK?I'd be careful with parts from china, ebay is already bad but Aliexpress is probably much worse.The XC9572XLs I got a while ago were fine though, but I got screwed a couple of times with fake TMS2532s, GAL16V8s and some power MOSFETs.Anything of value or much below average price is likely fake.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 10, 2020, 04:30:16 am
content: Fake parts are a problem, however I have not heard of any fake FPGAs or CPLDs yet.

author: greenpossum
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 10, 2020, 04:40:22 am
content: They Altera'd them.

author: edavid
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 10, 2020, 05:13:17 am
content: It's so Altera can't take down their ads with DMCA claims.

author: magic
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 10, 2020, 07:02:00 am
content: I assume it's so that you can't claim false advertising when they deliver clone chips

author: janoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 10, 2020, 10:44:44 am
content: Quote from: edavid on October 10, 2020, 05:13:17 amI do wonder how would American DMCA apply to aChinesewebsite hosted in China?Also, showing logos of a product you are selling is not a DMCA violation even in the USA and you can't get content taken down only based on that without exposing yourself to a possible lawsuit (DMCA deals with copyright, not trademarks!).It is most likely because the parts are dodgy and the logo would either give it away or open them to a dispute because they would be showing photos of one thing and dispatching something else (very common on AliExpress). Or because of some local Chinese regulation.

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 10, 2020, 01:10:56 pm
content: Quote from: magic on October 10, 2020, 07:02:00 amIn does not affect if you will receive genuine chips or not though. You can receive genuine stuff or fake/salvaged/remarked trash regardless if logo is or isn't present on the pictures..

author: magic
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 10, 2020, 02:51:57 pm
content: Well, I once reported counterfeit ICs and posted some evidence that they fail to meet the specs. AliExpress support changed the claim to "not as described" because the seller retorted that I was never promised to receive Analog Devices parts, but they accepted my claim that the ICs are sub-par. That there was an AD logo on the actual delivered item nobody cared, and I didn't bother to push it further.So there are times when it worksI suspect that counterfeit claims are treated more seriously than quality issues at some point in the chain.

author: Yansi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 10, 2020, 03:01:21 pm
content: Quote from: james_s on October 10, 2020, 04:30:16 amI got a bunch of useless EPM3064 CPLDs. They worked, but just every other io pin.

author: janoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 10, 2020, 05:12:05 pm
content: Quote from: wraper on October 10, 2020, 01:10:56 pmYou are missing the point - if they send you a fake and the pictures showed a genuine part, you can open a dispute and AliExpress will most likely refund you because you got sent something else than what was advertised. If they aren't showing a photo of a genuine part, then you have no recourse - you had to know that you are buying a cat in the bag.It is an enormous red flag if some seller does this.

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 10, 2020, 05:44:06 pm
content: Quote from: edavid on October 10, 2020, 05:25:12 pmBecause you suddenly decided it's only Altera and did not look any further?

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 10, 2020, 05:48:58 pm
content: First search attempthttps://www.aliexpress.com/item/33016047016.html?spm=a2g0o.cart.0.0.29c23c00fASneE&mp=1Where is TI logo?

author: edavid
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 10, 2020, 05:57:25 pm
content: Quote from: wraper on October 10, 2020, 05:44:06 pmWell, I accepted OP's statement.And just to confuse things, here's a seller who left the Altera logo on:https://www.aliexpress.com/item/2035774602.html

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 10, 2020, 06:01:17 pm
content: Quote from: Yansi on October 10, 2020, 03:01:21 pmIt sounds like those were defective, not counterfeit. Likely rejects or parts that were damaged by being installed backwards in production or something.The missing logos may just be done to all parts to protect them in cases when they send a different brand of part. It's easier to do that to all parts than it is to figure out which parts are single source.

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 10, 2020, 06:01:56 pm
content: Quote from: edavid on October 10, 2020, 05:57:25 pmHe only said not remembering seeing it before.

author: edavid
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 10, 2020, 06:09:38 pm
content: We really need an "I am a dodgy AliExpress seller, AMA" thread - can blueskull arrange this?

author: amyk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 10, 2020, 11:43:08 pm
content: I'm not sure how much it applies to Altera, but some companies like Apple are notoriously against resellers/third-party sales.

author: c64
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 11, 2020, 12:21:37 am
content: Quote from: wraper on October 10, 2020, 06:01:56 pmIndeed, I checked now and other parts have it as well. But not so much, these CPLD have logo erased from about 50% of sellers

author: c64
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 11, 2020, 12:24:01 am
content: Quote from: Yansi on October 10, 2020, 03:01:21 pmDid they look new or desoldered? Or maybe they were the ones which can be installed in PLCC socket?

author: c64
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 11, 2020, 12:26:30 am
content: Quote from: wraper on October 10, 2020, 05:48:58 pmEverybody make LM324, these could be just because seller doesn't know which brand he will have in stock next ... who knows

author: c64
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 11, 2020, 12:56:10 am
content: Quote from: edavid on October 10, 2020, 05:57:25 pmTo confuse even moreThis one erased from main picture, but not from the one in descriptionhttps://www.aliexpress.com/item/1221026376.htmlThis one has "Altera" in description, but still erased the photohttps://www.aliexpress.com/item/32848647080.html

author: EEEnthusiast
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 11, 2020, 02:24:43 am
content: Clone manufacturers make these products and sell them in the market. Most of the times, they get the same die as the original manufacturer, but the quality of testing would be very poor. (If they do any post production test at all). Clone makers would not stamp the original company logo. These may be OK to but compared to fake or defective ICs being sold online as described below.In other cases, there are people who buy the parts which are rejected by Altera (or other companies) in production. These parts may have some IO failure, high current consumption or some functional errors. They just sell them to un-suspecting buyers. They erase the original company's logo in order to avoid any troubles. These parts will screw the buyer, as they will most likely not function as expected.

author: magic
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 11, 2020, 05:22:49 am
content: Quote from: c64 on October 11, 2020, 12:26:30 amIn the particular case of LM324 and similar, the seller knows or ought to know that he will be selling Chinese clones of this IC and that they will have the TI logo or something misleadingly similar printed on them.See herehttps://www.eevblog.com/forum/projects/whats-inside-the-cheapest-and-fakest-jellybean-opamps/

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 11, 2020, 08:57:06 am
content: How about this?https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000110536554.html?spm=a2g0o.cart.0.0.64bc3c00fuak9y&mp=1AFAIK there are no clones of F407

author: Yansi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 11, 2020, 01:36:43 pm
content: You think?https://www.gigadevice.com/microcontroller/gd32f407vet6/