What are prequalification chips?

[anguel]

Hi!

I wonder what prequalification chips actually mean. They start with PK instead of MK according to the datasheets but I do not find any explanation what this exactly means.

Thanks in advance,

Anguel

[Hui_Ma · Accepted solution]

Hi,

The PK is the prototype part number - not fully qualified to specification.

The MK is the production number of fully qualified part.

There without any feature difference between "PK" vs. "MK" chips.

Wish it helps.

[anguel]

Thank you for the information but I still do not know what it means when my Kwikstik board has a PK40 chip instead of a MK40 chip. What does this mean? May the chip perform out of specs or what?

[Hui_Ma]

It will take time to pass quality tests, the "PK" product always release early than "MK" product. Kwikstik board is using "PK" product to get the development tool release time same with the chip. For the "PK" product also pass the validation tests, which performance could not out of specs.

Wish it helps.

[anguel]

But Kwikstik is not a new product, so why is it still using a PK chip?

[Hui_Ma]

There is no feature and performance difference to use "PK" chip on KwikStik board. I think that's why KwikStik continue to use "PK" chip.

[anguel]

Thanks!