All valid options, especially the first one.
Test your multimeter current reading with 1M resistor across 3.3V.
I am not sure if I tested what you wanted me to test.
I used the LDO to feed 3.3V to a 1M resistor and measure the current in series with my multimeter; it was reading 3.34uA, which I think shows that the multimeter can measure such small currents. When taken out of the circuit, the multimeter measures the resistor at 0.988M, so that makes sense (3.3/0.988 = 3.38uA)
Yep, that was the purpose.
I think the āfakeā and ādamagedā options are the most likely. Current leaks can be the result of overheating during soldering, and if you hand solder SMD components the temperature is often above the temperature in the datasheet. And if you buy cheap fakes you never know what shortcuts were taken. Sometimes they can make the same quality cheaper or live with lower margins. Sometimes not.
Anyway, still following this thread with interest!
And sometimes genuine chips that donāt pass quality control end up in trashā¦ but some instances are so āeco-mindedā that you soon find them online.
Yep. That was part of the āsometimes notā