I don't think hobby decoders are the only folks affected.

I figure if Ford, GM, Chrysler, etc are having difficulty at the volumes they purchase, smaller vendors are going to feel even more of a squeeze.

My tuppence.

Your example actually was the

Your example actually was the first instance I heard in the news of chip shortages holding back production of trucks a few months ago.  But I was curious if it was cutting into our end of the hobby,

I talked with another manufacturer of model trains and they said so far the chip shortage hasn't directly impacted them and they have a nice supply for now.  However the ESU apparently reported it will be a while before they can ship more Lokprogammer.  Since I will be needing one of those as I am accumulating more and more of Loksound and Lokpilot decoders, I went ahead and ordered one.

Want to be ready for when the chips arrive?

It takes time to wire up a locomotive.  Do it the easy way and then pop in a decoder when they arrive.

ESU 21P decoders are

ESU 21P decoders are unfortunately also backordered now with no target date.  

ESU 21P decoders are

Some vendors have EUS 21 pin decoders in stock.  I just ordered Lokpilot decoders. 

Hello Nick,

If I find a need for one of your adaptor boards, I will contact you.  At this point, as I am mainly working on the layout, I have not been opening engines to see what is needed to get them DCC equipped.  I do have some such as KATO, Stewarts and 15 - 20 year old Atlas engines which I assume are 8 or 9 PIN DCC ready but don't know what will be needed.  Some will simply need replacement board type decoders I believe.

Last weekend

Was our local NMRA meet.  JT from scale sound systems was there and he mentioned shortages for decoders also.  

The issue is a shortage of

The issue is a shortage of fab capacity for the current demand level , if decoders are manufactured in a fab that can produce a higher value device for a large customer , They will satisfy them first . The last estimate i heard was 6 months to 1 year to catch up on automotive devices . Once they get them satisfied , they'll probably move to the lesser value stuff but even then , it takes up to 6 months for it to make it through the supply chain. 

FAB time 28 Days (Hot Lot

FAB time 28 Days (Hot Lot Status, Everything is perfect, tools open etc.) from bare silicon to chip out the door.   But if I recall it was around 6 weeks of production time and 8 to 10 weeks is not unheard off.   Speed might of changed some, but not by much process time per wafer adds up and normally does not change,  it is the wait for an open tool and logistics of getting a lot from one location to the next that add time.

And this is just the production side,  Not including the engineering, logistics, priorities of other customers, deadlines,  when order is placed etc. etc.

i had no problem receiving a

i had no problem receiving a number of boards, and other parts ready to go. but am having trouble receiving my caps.

for keep alive, voltage reducers, so the led lights in my passenger cars do not flicker or burn out.

lack of money is keeping me from buying a number of decoders. available? back order? just not there? just no cash to even find out.

but i have been waiting for a air compressor and tank assembly for two months, (for my truck). no chips in this.

Nick question on V5B Decoder Buddy

From Nixtrainz.com

Took me a bit of searching, but I found:

V5 vs V5B Discussion

Thanks Jeff!

That’s exactly right!  

Here’s a repeat picture of the “new model” V5B.  The “W” pad is connected to AUX 7.  The W pad is for the white control wire of the three wire ESU Power Pack along with the U+ and Ground (GND).  The U+ and Ground (GND) are used for two wire stay alives.  A11 and A12 both have associated resistors for LEDs like the pads on the small connector board  The U+ is the usual common positive for use with LEDs.  The pads were placed on the motherboard to help with separation of the frame and the shell if a couple lighting functions were associated with the frame.  Ground lights or truck lights might be a good example.

Thanks for noticing Joe!  Thanks for answering Jeff!

Great Photos

Thanks for the large, clear photos of the DecoderBuddy. Saved them so I don't have to squint so much next install.

Decoder Buddy Summary?

Could someone give me a brief summary of what the decoder buddy does, how applicable are they for older loco installations, pricing etc?

I'm a real novice with this decoder installation stuff, but I do plan on have a full NCE controlled layout, and likely need to work on 60% plus of my loco inventory.

We can do it by private email if you wish    railandsail@gmail.com

Basically...

The DecoderBuddy is intended to replace the boards that come in (or in some cases don't come in) assorted manufacturer's locomotives, and to provide a simple way to upgrade to a modern 21-pin decoder (with or without sound) and facilitate wiring in LED lighting.

The boards it replaces look like (but are not limited to) these:

The Athearn Quick Plug Board (wired for 9pin JST and 8-pin NMRA decoders)

The Atlas Dual Mode decoder (a decent, non-sound decoder from the early 2000s)

the actual inspiration for the DecoderBuddy - the QSI sound decoder. QSI is still out there, they just don't seem to be doing much - and motor control has improved immensely since they came out in the 2000s.

Instead you get a single board with well marked solder pads and a detachable daughterboard for all the connections that are attached to the shell (makes maintenance easier). There are also pads for the speakers on both ends (so you can wire in multiple speakers) and for stay-alive capacitor solutions. (see the photos above)

And every major manufacturer out there makes a 21-pin NEM compatible board.

SoundTraxx - https://soundtraxx.com/products/tsunami2-digital-sound-decoders/tsu-21PNEM8/
/>                       https://soundtraxx.com/products/econami-digital-sound-decoders/eco-21pnem/
/>                       https://soundtraxx.com/products/dcc-mobile-decoders/mc1h104p21/(non-sound)

ESU LokSound - http://www.esu.eu/en/products/loksound/loksound-5-loksound-5-dcc/
/>                            http://www.esu.eu/en/products/lokpilot/lokpilot-5-dcc/(non-sound)

NCE - https://www.ncedcc.com/online-store/D16MTC-21-Pin-decoder-fits-most-new-Athearn-Locos-p78626867

Digitrax - https://www.digitrax.com/products/mobile-decoders/dh166mt/

TCS WowDiesel - https://tcsdcc.com/1527(sound)
                             https://tcsdcc.com/1674(non-sound)

(note - the above list is not comprehensive by any means)

For tighter spaces there is also the DecoderBuddy Mini - no detachable daughterboard or built-in resistors, but a lot shorter package. All those "U+" pads are the common (blue wire) circuit, and this is a distinct improvement over just having one on many other motherboards or decoders.