National webench fubar?

I have had same expeience. Not with the flash tool versus HTML, but that using the HTML tool I could not save or load a design. Moreover it would select components and they would not fit with the BOM. So, I don't trust it at all, make sure to go through the manual process instead and learn something along the way :-)

Regards

Klaus

So far _every_ design I've entered prompted the response "cannot be created". They all went into production :-)

Absolutamente. I've also never trusted tools like that. To me webbench looks more like a gimmick that mankind can live without. Vellum paper, pencil, eraser and a nice glass of cold beer is much better.

To get a rough overview for initial converter sizing this site is great:

Also, NASA has web-published Colonel McLyman's book:

Yes, filter calcs. Make sure you go RIGHT back to the beginning before you start a new design or it doesn't update values properly.

Graham

-- due to the hugely increased level of spam please make the obvious adjustment to my email address

Tools like National's Webbench are there to give clues to the clueless, which you aren't. Your review of that product is similar to what Lance Armstrong might say about a Schwinn with training wheels. Further, Webbench is no doubt written by zit-faced kids in India who are using National to pay the bills until they get real jobs, and they'll have been instructed to make National money, not toward making your design successful.

I bet you still use an a abacus, or is that too modern for you? :)

National made an arbitary decision to reduce Iripple in the designs. So an inductor with 100mA average has 35mA peak to peak ripple. Rating this conservatively seems daft for general usage, it just gives an excessively big inductor.

Nice link.

No, but I do use the slide rule a lot.

Do they assume that every supply must be CCM? Now that would be daft ...

This is one reason why I drive a stick-shift car. I do not want some computer to make driving decisions for me. And I have little faith in automotive electronics in the first place.

You must _really_ love driving the SF hills ?:-)

I've been involved with automotive electronics virtually all of my engineering life. Most of the automotive electronics is far superior in performance than you... particularly if Japanese-made ;-)

...Jim Thompson

... until one fine day, in the middle of nowhere, it's had it and fails.

Nah, I let others buy the fully electronicificated cars :-)

Like your designs ?:-)

Actually I've not had an automotive electronics failure since around

Spoken like a true Californicator ;-)

No GPS mapping in your vehicles? No satellite radio?

No air-conditioned _seats_ ?:-)

No ECU or electronic ignition... _very_ unlikely that you don't, Californica smog laws require it.

Poor baby.

...Jim Thompson

Dinosaur! I use an HP35.

I drive a 5-speed manual, but it's illogical in San Francisco. Figure a clutch every 30K miles or so.

John

Is it possible to meet modern pollution and milage requirements without help from a computer?

Ahem. I recently saw an ultrasound machine where I designed the front end and which rolled off the floor in 1989 being sold on a used medical gear site. Said "mint condition". Felt good. The Philips 360s we designed later are also still in use. The former head of the design team said the only time they come back for repair service is a blown power supply, a monitor that died (both OEM parts) or an obvious head-on collision with a brick wall.

Same here, because I don't buy cars with lots of electronics. What ain't there can't go bust. But I know lots of people who had automotive electronics die on them.

Nope and nope.

Nope.

Yes, because I hafta. But Japanese so it don't break ;-)

Nope, happy camper :-)

Well, I do have an HP11C which technically belongs to my wife. But RLC ratios are much quicker done with the slide rule when you must stick to catalog value tradeoffs in the 10% category.

At one company I came back to the my desk, finding a throng of people around it. One of them held my slide rule and looked at me. "Now you do know that we have electric light here, do you?"

That's why I didn't understand it when a engineer friend of mine who lives on Clayton Street bought a stick-shift PT Cruiser. Then again, he's used to riding Triumph motorcycles and Moto Guzzi and those never came automatic.

It probably would be but that's done with an electronic ECU. You probably can't buy a new car without one. OTOH my vintage Citroen (engine design from the WW-2 era) passed the German smog checks every single time, with flying colors, tons of margin. It also got 50mpg which nowadays is something most gas-powered cars only dream of, hybrid domain. Now they call 35mpg an "achievement". ROFL!

Nope. Hasn't been for _many_ years, particularly in Californica.

I guarantee you there is at _least_ an ECU, an associated ignition system control and electronic controls for the catalytic converter, for _any_ car in Californica built after ~1975.

I was designing ignition systems _and_ _carburetor-based_ smog controls for Californica cars as early as 1968. (Five of my patents are for automotive electronics.)

...Jim Thompson

It would be called a "gross polluter" in California now. It probably dumps 100x the hydrocarbons and CO of a modern 4-cylinder car... parts per thousand instead of parts per million.

John

This one probably would have because they never offered retrofit catalytic converters since production ended in the early 90's. But AFAIR my Audi station wagon does not have an ECU. After I had them retrofit a (passive, as in non-regulated) catalytic converter it became subject to the strict rules over there. Passed every single time. In fact it still does since our neighbor bought it and now drive it. Oh, and it gets

You don't know what you're missing... a cool butt on a long hot drive ;-)

...Jim Thompson

But the Citroen weighed how much? Acceleration non-existent. Incident with Mack truck... loser ;-)

...Jim Thompson