1. Why Does TRi Decide to Place Some Products Under End-Of-Life (EOL) Management?

 

At TRi, we fully understand how important it is for OEM customers to have an uninterrupted supply of the parts that have been incorporated into equipment designs (and thus into equipment BOMs). The decision to put a product into EOL management is therefore not one we make lightly. For example, the legacy T44H-npn PLC, which was first designed when the company began operation in 1993, continues to be made available to OEM customers who have been using it. It is only under exceptional cases, such as the following that we regretfully place the affected products under EOL management:

 

1) Introduction of a near drop-in replacement model to an existing model. E.g. Micro PLC - Low Cost Programmable Logic Controller | TRiand FMD1616-10.
2) When one or more key product component(s) can no longer be acquired readily from our suppliers.
3) When the demand for a product is too low to make economic sense to continue scheduling regular production

 

Note that entering EOL management does not mean that a product has reached End-of-Sale. It is TRi policy to continue supplying EOL products subject to certain restrictions.  (click here for EOL Policy).   TRi also offers free consultation to help any OEM customer transition to new replacement models with minimum fuss. In cases where we do not offer a drop-in replacement model (such as the T64H-Relay), we would recommend a PLC from another series that offers the capabilities of the out-going model and more, without unnecessary re-programming effort.  

 

2. What Is the TRi End-Of-Life (EOL) Policy?

 

1. When a product enters EOL Management, OEMs (customers with purchase totaling at least 10 units in the last 2 years) will be notified via email at least 6 months or more ahead of termination of general product availability. 

2. At the end of the general availability period, EOL products are not available for sale except through our "Qualified Replacement Purchase and Scrap Management Program"

If a field failure is experienced, we would first recommend having the unit repaired through our Canadian service department (standard service and repair rates apply).

If a replacement unit is needed more urgently, one can be purchased through our Qualified Replacement Purchase and Scrap Management Program (**Pending stock availability and compliance of conditions described further below). This entails the following:

Qualified Replacement Purchase and Scrap Management Program Description

  1. A new or refurbished unit will be provided at the respective EOL pricing.
  2. The failed unit must be shipped back to our service facility in Canada.
  3. There is no additional charge for shipping and a shipping label will be included with the order. You only need to prepare the faulty unit for shipping (in a suitable box), apply the shipping label, and provide it to FedEx via pick up or drop off.
  4. The faulty unit will be utilized by Triangle Research for scrap management. It will not be returned to you.
  5. As the replacement unit will be shipped before the faulty unit is returned, the customer is expected to ship back the faulty unit within 30 days of receiving the replacement unit.

In order to be eligible for our Qualified Replacement Purchase and Scrap Management Program, the following conditions must be met:

Qualified Replacement Purchase and Scrap Management Program Conditions

  1. Stock is available in our distribution chain (this is currently extremely limited).
  2. The field unit needing to be replaced does not appear repairable or turn-around time is critical.
  3. The order quantity is limited to '1' unit.
  4. If replacement units have been previously issued, all faulty units must have been submitted for scrap management.

 

3. Technical Support : TRi will continue to provide technical support for all its EOL products, but there will be no further design changes to the hardware or the CPU firmware. Repair of any EOL products will continue to be accepted via RMA, but repair lead time will depend on the availability of any single-sourced components.

 

3. Which Products Have Been Placed Into EOL?

 

Product Model Possible Replacement Official EOL Date Availability
T100MD888+ FMD88-10 2011-12-31 extremely limited
T100MD1616+ FMD1616-10 2011-12-31 extremely limited
T100MD2424+ Fx2424 2011-12-31 extremely limited
T22H-npn Micro PLC - Low Cost Programmable Logic Controller | TRior FMD1616-10 2011-12-31 extremely limited
T44H-pnp - 2011-12-31 extremely limited
T44H-npn FMD1616-10 or Fx2424 2011-12-31 extremely limited
T28H-Relay Micro PLC - Low Cost Programmable Logic Controller | TRi+ 1 x EXP1616R or Fx1616-BA 2013-11-01 extremely limited
T40H-Relay Micro PLC - Low Cost Programmable Logic Controller | TRi+ 1 x EXP1616R or Fx1616-BA + EXP1616R 2013-11-01 extremely limited
T64H-Relay Micro PLC - Low Cost Programmable Logic Controller | TRi+ 2 x EXP1616R 2013-11-01 extremely limited
DIN-KIT-1 DIN-KIT-1B 2011-12-31 none - End of Sale
DIN-KIT-2 DIN-KIT-2B 2011-12-31 none - End of Sale
DIN-KIT-3 DIN-KIT-3B 2011-12-31 none - End of Sale
MX-RTC For Nano-10 and FMD PLCs --> FRAM-RTC-0 or FRAM-RTC-256
-not required if using Fx (SmartTILE) PLCs		 2011-12-31 extremely limited
M2018P For Nano-10 and FMD PLCs --> FRAM-RTC-0 or FRAM-RTC-256
-not required if using Fx (SmartTILE) PLCs		 2011-12-31 extremely limited
X-Server -not required if using Nano-10, FMD, or Fx (SmartTILE) PLCs 2011-12-31 extremely limited

 

 

4. Which Other Products are Destined for EOL and When?

 

None Planned