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One of My High Technology Contributions to Microchip Design

J

John Larkin

Jan 1, 1970
0
Doesn't it bug you, the avenues open to making a living these days?

When you think of all the things that really need doing; and then even
serious work gets diverted.

Yup. The "killer ap" for technology is now distributing music, so the
world's youth can keep themselves numbed 24 hours a day. Long-haul
bandwidth, once so valuable, now transports terabytes/second of porn.
And the primary use for compute power on Earth is to play mega-violent
video games. I'd guess that one good AGP card has more compute power
than existed on the entire planet in 1965.

John
 
J

Jim Thompson

Jan 1, 1970
0
On Sat, 17 Jul 2004 08:10:23 GMT, Kevin Aylward wrote:
[snip]
I think I have a pretty good guess. In my view, its just about certian
that the client bought the thing lock, stock and barrel. It would make
little sense for them to do otherwise. There are plenty of independent
consultancies/companies that will do this, i.e. pretty much all of them.
The golden rule, he who has the gold, makes the rules.

Kevin Aylward
[email protected]
http://www.anasoft.co.uk
SuperSpice, a very affordable Mixed-Mode
Windows Simulator with Schematic Capture,
Waveform Display, FFT's and Filter Design.

I would've guessed that too, Kevin. It was a multipart question,
though. Settle for partial credit? :)

It was a fixed fee contract, and Kevin is right, the clients owns all
;-)

...Jim Thompson
 
J

Jim Thompson

Jan 1, 1970
0
Doesn't it bug you, the avenues open to making a living these days?

When you think of all the things that really need doing; and then even
serious work gets diverted. For example ...

A biomedical laser (portable in-office cataract surgery) ends up
being used as a high tech paint-ball on a tank.

A blood analyser ends up being used mainly for sports drugs or other
'personnel' employee security clearance work.

It doesn't matter how high tech it is, if the chimpanzee you give it
to only uses it to make noises by banging it against rocks or the bars
to it's cage.

RL

The big money has always been in consumer products.

...Jim Thompson
 
A

Activ8

Jan 1, 1970
0
Right -- I forgot. One of my raining on the OT parades.

Oh well.

Just in case Jim doesn't elaborate, IIRC the website is chipcenter,
which has a number of forums, one of which discusses consulting, so
you might poke around there.

You can find other sites, but of course they're not all related to
electronics. I even found a bunch of consulting articles from some
gal who IIRC went into management consulting. First time I ever
visited a site devoed to women, not that that's relevant.
 
T

Tim Shoppa

Jan 1, 1970
0
Tim Wescott said:
I suppose this is going to be even more volume than those cheezy $5.00
calculators

At Target last week, 8-digit-LCD-4-bangers were selling for $0.49. They'd
been reduced from $0.99.

Tim.
 
J

Joerg

Jan 1, 1970
0
Hi John,
Ah, Yesss... the unmistakable odor of molten polysilicon charring, in
the long term, cubic yards of epoxy B...
No, I started "consuming" them around the time when I read about a
Brazilian who had successfully eaten more than half of his VW Beetle...

Regards, Joerg
 
T

Tim Wescott

Jan 1, 1970
0
Tim said:
At Target last week, 8-digit-LCD-4-bangers were selling for $0.49. They'd
been reduced from $0.99.

Tim.

I wish I could figure out a way to put a PIC or an AVR into one of those
and make a real calculator out of it -- the keyboard's all there as long
as you remember that '=' means 'enter'.
 
A

Andrew VK3BFA

Jan 1, 1970
0
Jim Thompson said:
One of My High Technology Contributions to Microchip Design...

http://www.glade.com/wisp.asp

...Jim Thompson

Wow, what a lovely piece of engineering - always suspected you were a
smart bastard! The big question - how can the rest of us hack it into
something useful that wasnt remotely envisioned(SP) in the design
brief and subsequent product?
73 de VK3BFA Andrew
 
T

Tim Wescott

Jan 1, 1970
0
Andrew said:
Wow, what a lovely piece of engineering - always suspected you were a
smart bastard! The big question - how can the rest of us hack it into
something useful that wasnt remotely envisioned(SP) in the design
brief and subsequent product?
73 de VK3BFA Andrew

For that matter, how long before they come back to you for an
internet-enabled air freshener with it's own web page, broadcasting the
state of the scent reservoir over 802.11 (for $0.10 a pop, of course).
 
T

Tim Shoppa

Jan 1, 1970
0
Tim Wescott said:
I wish I could figure out a way to put a PIC or an AVR into one of those
and make a real calculator out of it -- the keyboard's all there as long
as you remember that '=' means 'enter'.

The hardest part is probably the LCD driver. The $0.49 calculator I
mentioned has about 40 wires running to the LCD which I figure means
that it's half-multiplexed (4 digits at a time). A PIC16C923 could probably
be made to fit, although it'd be tight. You'd need more than a single
1.5V cell to run it, I'm pretty sure.

Tim.
 
S

Spehro Pefhany

Jan 1, 1970
0
The hardest part is probably the LCD driver. The $0.49 calculator I
mentioned has about 40 wires running to the LCD which I figure means
that it's half-multiplexed (4 digits at a time). A PIC16C923 could probably
be made to fit, although it'd be tight. You'd need more than a single
1.5V cell to run it, I'm pretty sure.

Tim.

I'd use a MSP430 flash micro with LCD controller and boost the single
cell to 3V with an external converter or use two cells. Battery life
probably won't be as good, even so.

eg. http://focus.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/msp430f436.pdf

Only $9.40 each in stock at Digikey in 100 LQFP. ;-)

Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany
 
J

Jim Thompson

Jan 1, 1970
0
Wow, what a lovely piece of engineering - always suspected you were a
smart bastard!

Actually that device is one of my most trivial designs.

What is unusual is that a design of mine got publicity in such a way
that I can even acknowledge I did it.

Most of my work is quite more complex, yet immersed in things I can
say nothing about.
The big question - how can the rest of us hack it into
something useful that wasnt remotely envisioned(SP) in the design
brief and subsequent product?
73 de VK3BFA Andrew

I didn't do the board design so I have no idea of how it ended up
being laid out. A friend of mine at Fitch sent me the URL or I
wouldn't even yet be aware that the product had been released.

(Consumer products of this sort are usually released to just a single
test market until they are sure that the product will sell in large
quantities.)

Buy lots of them ;-)

...Jim Thompson
 
L

legg

Jan 1, 1970
0
The big money has always been in consumer products.

Electronics is, admittedly, a rather round-about way of doing anything
of signifigance.

I keep forgeting

RL
 
J

John Larkin

Jan 1, 1970
0
Electronics is, admittedly, a rather round-about way of doing anything
of signifigance.

But there's hardly anything of significance these days that doesn't
involve electronics. You can hardly imagine a scientific experiment
any more that doesn't use electronics and computers to manage the
experiment and gather the data.

John
 
L

legg

Jan 1, 1970
0
But there's hardly anything of significance these days that doesn't
involve electronics. You can hardly imagine a scientific experiment
any more that doesn't use electronics and computers to manage the
experiment and gather the data.

Yeah, and electronic design is only a skill set - a tool. Without some
other kind of qualifications, you're not likely to end up being the
boffin determining how it's to be used.

At least I didn't wake up this morning with the urge to preach
hell-fire, damnation and paranoia. Tomorrow, who knows. There, but for
news2020, go us all.

RL
 
A

Andrew VK3BFA

Jan 1, 1970
0
Jim Thompson said:
Actually that device is one of my most trivial designs.

What is unusual is that a design of mine got publicity in such a way
that I can even acknowledge I did it.

Most of my work is quite more complex, yet immersed in things I can
say nothing about.
Thats the fascinating part - to be able to think laterally enough to
do something like this, and come up with a design cheap enough to mass
produce for the domestic consumer market. The weird thing is, you will
probably be remembered for this consumer toy rather than the more
interesting and useful esoteric stuff - BTW, had no idea you designed
the 1488/1489 - thank you for a useful chipset.
73 de VK3BFA Andrew
 
A

Activ8

Jan 1, 1970
0
Actually that device is one of my most trivial designs.

What is unusual is that a design of mine got publicity in such a way
that I can even acknowledge I did it.

Most of my work is quite more complex, yet immersed in things I can
say nothing about.


I didn't do the board design so I have no idea of how it ended up
being laid out. A friend of mine at Fitch sent me the URL or I
wouldn't even yet be aware that the product had been released.

(Consumer products of this sort are usually released to just a single
test market until they are sure that the product will sell in large
quantities.)

Buy lots of them ;-)

...Jim Thompson

I suspect that the little gadget will sell. I know vendors at the
state fair that rake in big bucks on total crap merchandise. Anyone
that uses those plug-ins might upgrade. I'm assuming the timed
release of the scent as opposed to constant exposure to heat and air
would be economic. 6 mo service life and only one cell, you said?
That's good IMO. See? Even I could sell those things and that's only
2 selling points :)

I know people that will buy damned near any gadget they see.

Don't take me to a tool store, electronic store, etc. I'm like a kid
in a candy store.
 
F

fogh

Jan 1, 1970
0
Kevin said:
Yeah, sure....




Not surprising. Such a claim is completely vacuous.




Who just want to appease the antivivisectionists, sure we can tell when
the cow doesn't feel pain. Like, shit they can.




Cold comfort indeed for the cows. No chance in hell that this system
does as claimed.
Since there is no definition of consciousness, nor anyway to determine
if something has consciousness, it is simply impossible to construct a
"pain detector". There simply is no way of numerically knowing when a
foetus has enough neurons to constitute a feeling of pain within the
current understanding of the brain. One can only "reasonable" say that,
say prior to 3 months from conception, there are essentially no relevant
neural connections, so no pain. However, where a "reasonable" line may
be drawn after his point, is completely arbitrary guesswork.

Related stuff at http://www.anasoft.co.uk/replicators/index.html
Kevin,

you are biased and you currently assume (i.e. you are biased by an currently source) that this research had stg to do with electronics or systems. This was a Phd study for the title of doctor in medicine.
I used the word "detector" loosely. I was talking about a clinical procedure to look for non-obvious and non-expressed signs of pain, rather than actual sensor equipment (as in thermocouple, Hall probe ...).
When you know a way to look for a set metabolic manifestations that have been empirically related to pain, you can do that with conventional equipment and you do not need to undertand how the brain or neural nets function.
It would be rather annoying if a physician refused to serve your prescription of penicillin under the pretext that he doesn t understand fully an down to molecular/quantum level the interactions between host and germs.

If you (please) restrict the discussion to those premature foetuses that are 7 month and older. Do you or don t you find that this research had better been used to rationalise the prescription of pain drugs in hospitals rather than efficiency of slaughterhouses ?
 
J

Jim Thompson

Jan 1, 1970
0
I suspect that the little gadget will sell. I know vendors at the
state fair that rake in big bucks on total crap merchandise. Anyone
that uses those plug-ins might upgrade. I'm assuming the timed
release of the scent as opposed to constant exposure to heat and air
would be economic. 6 mo service life and only one cell, you said?
That's good IMO. See? Even I could sell those things and that's only
2 selling points :)

I know people that will buy damned near any gadget they see.

Don't take me to a tool store, electronic store, etc. I'm like a kid
in a candy store.

The advantage is that it actually **atomizes**, which allows much
better dispersal than the heated varieties, which tend to have "hot
spots" of odor :-(

...Jim Thompson
 
K

Kevin Aylward

Jan 1, 1970
0
fogh said:
it >>>to only uses it to make noises by banging it against rocks or
the >>>bars to it's cage.
when > the cow doesn't feel pain. Like, shit they can.
determine > if something has consciousness, it is simply impossible
to construct a > "pain detector". There simply is no way of
numerically knowing when a > foetus has enough neurons to constitute
a feeling of pain within the > current understanding of the brain.
One can only "reasonable" say that, > say prior to 3 months from
conception, there are essentially no relevant > neural connections,
so no pain. However, where a "reasonable" line may > be drawn after
his point, is completely arbitrary guesswork. >
Kevin,

you are biased and you currently assume (i.e. you are biased by an
currently source) that this research had stg to do with electronics
or systems.


We are all biased in general, but as far as scientific based, not a
chance. My opinions are based on simple and verifiable axioms.

This was a Phd study for the title of doctor in
medicine. I used the word "detector" loosely. I was talking about a
clinical procedure to look for non-obvious and non-expressed signs of
pain,
Oh...

rather than actual sensor equipment (as in thermocouple, Hall
probe ...). When you know a way to look for a set metabolic
manifestations that have been empirically related to pain,

This is not possible in principle. Tell me how a cat tells us that it is
feeling pain.
you can do
that with conventional equipment and you do not need to undertand how
the brain or neural nets function.

How the neural nets function is completely irrelevant. What maters is
*proving* that certain signals are directly related to a conscious
emotion.
It would be rather annoying if a
physician refused to serve your prescription of penicillin under the
pretext that he doesn t understand fully an down to molecular/quantum
level the interactions between host and germs.

You simply don't understand the issues involved. As I explained, it is
impossible to form a definition of pain, irrespective of what may or may
not physically causes it. There us no way to distinguish a well
programmed non conscious computer from a conscious individual. That is,
a machine can be made that to all intents and purposes duplicates the
output from a conscious individual, e.g. one feeling pain. Since this
duplicate machine can say, "I feel pain", there is no way of knowing if
in fact it does. Therefore the whole concept of a pain detector is
completely bogus. It is not possible, in principle. e.g.
http://www.anasoft.co.uk/replicators/thehardproblem.html
If you (please) restrict the discussion to those premature foetuses
that are 7 month and older. Do you or don t you find that this
research had better been used to rationalise the prescription of pain
drugs in hospitals rather than efficiency of slaughterhouses ?

Irrelevant as there is no way to prove that such a machine can in
reality detect the pain of foetuses. What to you propose the featus do,
"oh, I say, that hurts". Get real dude.

Kevin Aylward
[email protected]
http://www.anasoft.co.uk
SuperSpice, a very affordable Mixed-Mode
Windows Simulator with Schematic Capture,
Waveform Display, FFT's and Filter Design.
 
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