Behind the scenes...?

guy · Joined: 21 Oct 2005 Posts: 297

Guys, esp. those who have an answer to every question - I'm curious to know how you do your magic? Where do you work that you have access to so many chips? How do you get such quick setups for testing (HW and simulation) ? How do you manage to find the time to support so many people? I suppose HW folks with your experience always have their hands full with dev. work PLUS supporting dozens of running products.

I really appreciate what you do for our community.
Thank you.

asmboy · Joined: 20 Nov 2007 Posts: 2128 Location: albany ny

"access to so many chips" Microchip direct

"quick setups" various ZIF / latching socketted devel boards

"simulation" in my case only real hardware-real code

"find the time" i never sleep

guy · Joined: 21 Oct 2005 Posts: 297

you mean you never need any sleep() ?
Laughing

Ttelmah · Joined: 11 Mar 2010 Posts: 19520

Only if designing a low power product....

guy · Joined: 21 Oct 2005 Posts: 297

Are you all freelancers?

temtronic · Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2015 5:07 am

I got into PICs as Motorola shafted me on the then 'new' 68HC11 almost 30 years ago.I was upgrading my remote energy control system from a board full of 4000 series CMOS to 'one chip'.I wasn't on Moto's 'list',saw a free seminar for the PICs in Toronto,went and never looked back! Used the 16C84 for the project and in a couple months learned PIC assembler and cut code. It took a LOT of long dayze and continuous pots of coffee. You need to know the Internet wasn't really up and running back then and Temtronic was a company of 3(sales,paperwork and tech(me)). You needed a UV light to erase the PICs back then.The 16F877 came out and wow 40 pins, lots of I/O and tons of memory too! decided then to base products on 2 PICs, small or big.Though it might cost more ,using the 'big' PIC,meant faster design and room to 'grow'.
Got the CCS PCM compiler around version 2.5xx for a 'remote well depth logger'. Man, it sure made coding a LOT faster though I never had any C training,between the new 'F84',reading the spiral wrapped manual and looking at all the examples I've managed to make project work.
These days I'm 'retired',do the odd 'mind challenge' with PICs,though the eyes don't see the chips easily.It amazes me the quantity of premade 'modules' at really cheap prices these days,no sense in wire wrapping anymore! I test using a white breadboard,cause if it works there it WILL work on a PCB. Don't use simulators...REAL world is the BEST place to test.The 'school of hard knocks' has showed me things simulators can't,like lazy cross talk on phone lines corrupting communications....

Jay