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Note 8 - Product Warranties
3 Months Ended
Dec. 29, 2012
Product Warranty Disclosure [Text Block]
8.  PRODUCT WARRANTIES

We offer warranties of various lengths to our customers, depending on the specific product sold.  The warranties require us to repair or replace non-performing products during the warranty period at no cost to the customer.  At the time revenue is recognized for products covered by warranties, we record a liability for estimated costs that may be incurred under our warranties.  The costs are estimated based on historical experience, any specific warranty problems that have been identified and recovery of secondary warranty cost from component suppliers.  The amounts shown below are presented net of any expected cost recovery from suppliers.  Although historical warranty costs have been within our expectations, there can be no assurance that future warranty costs will not exceed historical amounts.  We regularly evaluate the adequacy of the warranty liability and adjust the balance as necessary.

Changes in our product warranty liability for the three months ended December 29, 2012 and December 31, 2011 are as follows:

   
Three Months Ended
 
   
December 29,
2012
   
December 31,
2011
 
Accrued liability at beginning of period
  $ 378,643     $ 480,000  
Increase/Decrease in reserve
    (897 )     (41,336 )
Increase in reserve as a result of MCHP asset acquisition
    -       39,000  
Expenses
    (37,606 )     (18,664 )
Accrued liability at end of period
  $ 340,140     $ 459,000