Our Methodology
Where TimControls' lifecycle statuses come from, how they are worded, and how often they are checked.
- The manufacturer is the only source.
- Every lifecycle status, date and successor we publish comes from the manufacturer's own material: a product page, a data sheet, a manual or a lifecycle notice. Reseller, marketplace and auction listings are never the source of a fact.
- Each status shows its source and the date checked.
- A status on a part or family page names where it came from and when we last checked it. In the downloadable lists, the date checked and the source are columns of their own.
- We report the maker's wording, not ours.
- We call a part discontinued or obsolete only when a manufacturer notice says so, and we name a successor only when the manufacturer names one. A successor is not described as a direct replacement unless the manufacturer says it is.
- Where the maker says nothing, so do we.
- If we find no lifecycle statement from the manufacturer, the page says 'To be confirmed'. It does not guess.
- Changes are recorded.
- When a recheck finds a status has changed, the page is updated and its 'Updated' date moves. The lifecycle lists keep a change log.