Tweet
All is True
Everything you say is true.
Though even 20 years ago there were better parts
that could have been used, and performance can and
could have been improved by the use of them.
Quality capacitors in the signal path is a simple example
but even better analog switches and op amps were all
there. Cost, multiple sources {and if you do this for real
you will find this very important}, end up driving the
selection. The fact that there are probably more
microprocessors that have come and gone, mainly for the
reasons you guys state, lower power, more gates, etc.,
but having to incure the Non-Recurring Engineering costs
that keep re-accurring because of parts changes, the
documentation of all the changes, etc. can mean you better
be moving alot of detectors in those two years or there
will be very little profit.
Yea I know, I don't like it either, I want to use the latest
and greatest as well, who doesn't? but get in a
electronic manufacturing plant and you will find all sorts
of fun things happen. Like some companies forbid the use
of a old cheap can get forever 555 timer. Why?
Because there are so many variations of the part and it is
not the same part, you guys know about this, and what
happens is that sooner or later your parts buyer gets told
by some ignorant parts salesman that this part is the same
as that part because his parts sells computer says so.
And he buys it, or it is cheaper than the last ones he
bought so he thinks he is doing something smart, even
though he was warned over and over to only buy say
LM555 marked National. Or the cmos version which he
was told is a better substitute and is now ready to
argue with the engineers because now he KNOWS.
Even though stuff is not working, and orders are late,
and you don't have one part, so nothing is getting shipped.
Now the 555 is only one tiny example of things going
this way. And I am not telling you guys not to use it
because I know everybody uses it, and it is everywhere
except in HP equipment and the like because they forbid it.
I made the mistake of telling a Tektronix engineer one day
that that mess of transistors could be replaced by a chip.
He told me, "Yea, but I can always get transistors".
Now don't jump on me saying I am telling you to make
everything out of individual transistors, because I am not,
and I don't want to spoil the fun here, but doing this stuff
for real, and that IS what you guys are suggesting, may
require more thought than which micro is better.
Which one can you get? This doesn't even mean that the
companies aren't making the part, but if the new wizz bang
part is popular and others are ordering it, like in large
quantity, all of a sudden you can't get any for a year.
Carl you should know about this where you work.
Now think about what is happening to those companies
while they can't get that part any more. Yea they are
once again redesigning the product, and not to make it
perform better, often it will be worse, but to get it back in
production.
yea i know, no fun, shouldn't spoil the dream.
Everything you say is true.
Though even 20 years ago there were better parts
that could have been used, and performance can and
could have been improved by the use of them.
Quality capacitors in the signal path is a simple example
but even better analog switches and op amps were all
there. Cost, multiple sources {and if you do this for real
you will find this very important}, end up driving the
selection. The fact that there are probably more
microprocessors that have come and gone, mainly for the
reasons you guys state, lower power, more gates, etc.,
but having to incure the Non-Recurring Engineering costs
that keep re-accurring because of parts changes, the
documentation of all the changes, etc. can mean you better
be moving alot of detectors in those two years or there
will be very little profit.
Yea I know, I don't like it either, I want to use the latest
and greatest as well, who doesn't? but get in a
electronic manufacturing plant and you will find all sorts
of fun things happen. Like some companies forbid the use
of a old cheap can get forever 555 timer. Why?
Because there are so many variations of the part and it is
not the same part, you guys know about this, and what
happens is that sooner or later your parts buyer gets told
by some ignorant parts salesman that this part is the same
as that part because his parts sells computer says so.
And he buys it, or it is cheaper than the last ones he
bought so he thinks he is doing something smart, even
though he was warned over and over to only buy say
LM555 marked National. Or the cmos version which he
was told is a better substitute and is now ready to
argue with the engineers because now he KNOWS.
Even though stuff is not working, and orders are late,
and you don't have one part, so nothing is getting shipped.
Now the 555 is only one tiny example of things going
this way. And I am not telling you guys not to use it
because I know everybody uses it, and it is everywhere
except in HP equipment and the like because they forbid it.
I made the mistake of telling a Tektronix engineer one day
that that mess of transistors could be replaced by a chip.
He told me, "Yea, but I can always get transistors".
Now don't jump on me saying I am telling you to make
everything out of individual transistors, because I am not,
and I don't want to spoil the fun here, but doing this stuff
for real, and that IS what you guys are suggesting, may
require more thought than which micro is better.
Which one can you get? This doesn't even mean that the
companies aren't making the part, but if the new wizz bang
part is popular and others are ordering it, like in large
quantity, all of a sudden you can't get any for a year.
Carl you should know about this where you work.
Now think about what is happening to those companies
while they can't get that part any more. Yea they are
once again redesigning the product, and not to make it
perform better, often it will be worse, but to get it back in
production.
yea i know, no fun, shouldn't spoil the dream.
Comment