>> krw wrote:
>>
>> > >> >
>> >> snipped-for-privacy@sushi.com wrote:
>> >>
>> >>[...]
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>>>>Oh yeah, the lack of soldering skills. That would require the student
>> >>>>>to have actually built something. These younguns just know how to
>> >>>>>program. You've seen the posts where a pic uP is the solutions to any
>> >>>>>task, not a state machine comprised of memory elements and
>> >>>>>combinational logic.
>> >>>>
>> >>>>For the vast majority of applications, a uC is the right solution,
>> >>>>certainly over the discrete implementation you suggest.
>> >>>>
>> >>
>> >>I certainly would not say "vast". Many times I have pondered the use of
>> >>a uC in a design only to come to the conclusion that 50c is still too
>> >>expensive. It's amazing how cheap "poor-man's logic" can be.
>> >
>> >
>> > You must have very small problems. I've never had one of those. ;-)
>> > The project I'm working on now is in a pair of XC2V-6000s (my part)
>> > and a couple of huge (don't know the model) Virtex-4s. I think I'm
>> > only going to fill 5% of it (and fewer I/Os), but...
>> >
>>
>> Well, if the sky is the limit in terms of cost ...
>
>Most of my jobs have been that way[*]. Thinking back, I can't
>remember one where the parts cost was in the top three engineering
>problems (schedule was usually #1). The engineering costs always
>swamped the production costs (or were pretty much fixed, as in the
>case of the processors). Thinking harder, I take that back, there
>was one project where cost was a huge driver (a series of encrypting
>LAN adapters), but that project was canceled due to lack of interest.
>
>[*]One engineer in the group spec'ed a LF156 up to $50ea., thirty
>years ago. I'm not quite that bad. I was using stock LF356s for
>similar work at the time.
>
>> > Seriously, I think you're only looking at a small niche. I do believe
>> > uCs are the right solution for the vast majority. ...even the
>> > birthday card I got has one in it. :-/
>> >
>>
>> Ok, Chinese 4-bit micros exempted. Those can be had under 10c. But the
>> programmers should master Mandarin.
>
>Manderin in 4-bits? ;-)
>
The 4-bit ones should cost 50 cents, right?
Best regards, Spehro Pefhany