For Want of a Resistor
Oxide and Friends, Wednesday, September 16th, 2026
Oxide team solves a PCIe clock buffer supply chain crisis through detective work and microscopic rework.
When Oxide discovered their Microchip PCIe clock buffer alternative required termination resistors unlike the original part, a critical flaw emerged during manufacturing.
Engineers identified the issue through oscilloscope measurements, then faced a seemingly impossible task: hand-soldering thirty 0402-sized resistors (roughly pepper-grain sized) on each board.
Supply chain constraints, part availability crises, and a probe-effect measurement error nearly halted production, but skilled rework technicians and precise engineering problem-solving saved the manufacturing timeline.