At 02:13 am 23/08/2001 +0100, Tony Duell wrote:
^^^^^
Don't you ever sleep? :)
>> Back in a past life, I worked on a program (written by a very clever chap
>> with more PhD's than I've had hot dinners) which ran on a HP computer (I
>
>Since it's unusual to have more than 1 Ph.D. I guess it means you like
>cold food :-)
This place is unusual... It used to be the sole R&D unit for the entire
Electricity industry, although since privatisation other places have
muscled in to some extent. As a company, they hold thousands of patents,
and to be an RO (research officer) you *have* to have a PhD; some people do
have more...
As someone without even a degree, I was something of an outsider, but then
it was the first job I ever had, and I think they paid me the princely sum
of ?10/week (travel expenses) for my troubles. It was mainly because I was
fresh out of University (failed), and my Dad pushed me into it. It was a
wise move though - I got my first proper paying job with a subcontractor
company who were working on-site, and I've never looked back.
>> >> >It may be painful to learn, but it's very satisfying when you
breathe life
>> >
>> >Actually, FWIW, this is the sort of learning that I consider fun...
>>
>> Me too. There's nothing quite like "hands-on" learning, much more
>> interesting than straight lectures or even student lab work.
>
>Yes. As I said a few days ago it's important to have some idea as to what
>you are doing (randomly changing things will help nobody), but you do
>need some real practical experience.
Agreed. One thing is, last time I was seriously interested in electronics,
I could barely afford a soldering iron, let alone the components, test
gear, etc.
>> >> Definitely. And with Z80s (in particular) being so cheap, as well as
DRAM
>> >> chips, building ones own becomes quite appealing too. I know a chap who
>> >> already does that sort of thing (although I think he uses older Intel
>> >> processors on the whole); but I like the idea of a 40-pin processor -
it's
>> >> nice and simple.
>> >>
>> >> I haven't a clue how the bus works though....
>> >
>> >Might I recomend the book 'The student manual for the Art of Electronics'
>> >(or some similar title), 2nd edition, by Hayes and Horowitz.
>>
>> You can: Amazon is my friend... It doesn't say which edition it is, but I
>> assume it's the newest one.
>
>The authors are different for the 2 editions (I think the first is
>Horowitz and Robinson, but I am not going to run upstairs to check ;-)
>(yes, I have both editions, and both editions of 'The Art of Electronics
>:-))).
The picture on Amazon shows 2 authors, the listing shows 1 different..... A
mystery which will probably not be resolved until next week...
>>
>> >The last few
>> >sections get you to build a 68008-based computer from scratch.
>>
>> A QL? :)
>
>No, rather simpler than that. A 68008 + 256 bytes of RAM (IIRC) and a
>hardware frontpanel (hex keyboard, which was supplied to students ready
>made, but there is a schematic in the book) + TTL chips to load the RAM
>independantly of the microprocessor.
I couldn't see any 68000-series chips in either Farnell or Maplin (mind
you, Maplin's IC section seems to have shrunk to a parody of its former
self); can you recommend a chip supplier with a decent catalogue?
>> > I can't
>> >remember what chip the first edition used (8085? Z80?). The related book
>> >'The Art of Electronics' is, of course, well worth reading as well...
>>
>> I shall order that too, I think. There's also an "Art of Electronics:
>> Standard Manual", does anyone have any knowledge of that one?
>
>NEver heard of it. I wonder if 'standard' is a misprint for 'student' :-(
I don't think so, but it's out of print anyway, so obviously not that
popular...
>> Thanks! Any more book recommendations BTW?
>
>Sure... Mick&Brick 'Bit Slice Microprocessor Design' is a classic if
>you're interested in microcoded CPU internals. It's not that easy to
>find, though (well, I don't buy things on the internet, so it might be
>easy to get there, I've never looked).
I find that public libraries can usually find stuff even Amazon can't;
maybe I should join one down here. I used to be a member at Chester, but
I'm fairly sure that's lapsed by now.
>You also should start collecting data books (or data sheets) on all the
>chips you might be interested in. You'll need them for the CPU, any
>peripheral chips you like, and so on. And of course a TTL databook is
>essential (don't rely on things like the Maplin Catalogue, there are
>plenty of chips not listed in there).
There has to be a Semiconductor Bible out there - any ideas?
Cheers!
Ade.
--
B-Racing: B where it's at :-)
http://www.b-racing.co.uk
Received on Thu Aug 23 2001 - 04:11:12 BST