It's worth mentioning that FTDI's response to this was to update their windows drivers [1] - which caused the fake devices to be bricked - and that affected a lot of companies who unknowingly had used the fake chips on their PCB designs. Eventually they reversed course but a lot of HW was essentially sent to the landfill.
Not quite, at least not necessarily. One feature of FTDI chips is an EEPROM that can be used to customize the enabled features, enumeration strings, and other things. That programming could probably be done in a separate jig, or in-circuit. So yes, 5 minutes of hardware work, but more potential rework at a higher level.
Not to mention the possibility of sealed cases/enclosures or potted PCBs.
Speaking as someone with a hot air rework station and no experience soldering SOICs, I can make a whole bunch of melted crap in 5 minutes all while burning my fingers.
5-minutes sounds insane to me, but I know it's accurate (the key being "experience").
Any tips for learning how to do this sort of thing with proficiency? How long does it take to become that proficient? What kind of coating/weirdness would present a problem? I'm asking for a bit OT reasons -- it's always been something I've wanted to learn/teach my kids.
For disassembly practice, I used to collect broken electronics, and desolder various components for fun. You learn the different heat requirements of eg 2 layer boards vs motherboards with many layers.
For assembly practice, you can buy "SOIC breakout boards", the cheapest chips you can find, and go to town. Either with a solder stencil and some paste, or a syringe of paste and a blunt needle (this gets old fast!)
Coatings tend to make lots of nasty fumes when heated. Some can also prevent solder from wetting the pads or legs. Depending on the coating, overheating/burning may change its electrical properties.
I have some experience soldering SOICs, but the difference between me and a pro is insane. I've seen someone remove and replace a half-dozen 0805 (2x1.2mm) SMD components with a fairly standard fine-tipped Metcal iron (not even a rework station) in under a minute.
Rework is extremely expensive, especially if you imported the devices and don't have manufacturing facilities of your own, plus the potential cost of retrieving units in the field. The soldering is the easy part. Labor and logistics are the hard part.
How to tell me that you understand zero shit about electronics and/or manufacturing without telling me that you understand zero shit about electronics and/or manufacturing
[1] https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2014/10/ftdis...