.I.P. for D.I.Y.

From: Allison <ajp166_at_bellatlantic.net>
Date: Thu Apr 25 14:57:36 2002

From: Andy Holt <andyh_at_andyh-rayleigh.freeserve.co.uk>
>Nowadays
> You typically have to deal with distributors - little problem for the
>experienced, but an obstacle to newcomers

what about JDR, JAMECO, BG and a long list of suppliers that take
small orders and credit cards?

> The edge speed of modern logic is so high that WW is unlikely to work

WW works just fine. I've done it and actually WW if done right sometimes
exceeds PCB!

> In fact even PCBs now need designing using UHF techniques for the same
>reason

If your going that fast. Then again I did a UHF transverter using dead bug
(NO PCB) just recently and it works very well.

> SMT devices - and almost everything nowadays is only available as such -

Yes, all the really neat new stuff is. However PICs, Amtel cpus, and good
old
74xxxs stuff is widely abailable in dips.

>are best handled with an expensive soldering station (and BGA devices need
>even more expensive equiment).

BGA is the extreme and likely more than a trivial project use.

> Documentation - though nowadays typically easier to obtain - is often
>oversimplified.

Maybe, maybe not. For the stuff I do, and have done, it's pretty decent.
I've been doing it for over 30 years so I do know the world has changed.
Buying fast logic in 1970 to make a 50mhz freq counter was difficult, now
it's a gimme.

> Programming devices often needs (one or both of) expensive hardware or
>extremely expensive software.

If your programming GAL, FPGA, and the like, yes. Eproms no problem.
Then again I've met some that wanted a high end FPGA to do what I can
do in a handful of diodes and a few transistors or less.

>I stand by the "almost impossible" statement above.

You go in expecting defeat and you will be defeated. I just finished
building a PLL system with 100hz resolution at 42mhz in a 1.5inch
cube. No exotica, most parts bought from JDR catalog at reasonable
prices.

>The one main exception to this black picture is the single-chip flash
>micro - such as the PIC family or the 8051 derivatives. But working with
>these is more like computer programming than hardware design.

Maybe but with the right mindset these are increadable resources. They
allow one to use programmed micro where you needed a dozen chips
or more before.

Allison
Received on Thu Apr 25 2002 - 14:57:36 BST

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