How do you design these days?
in [Design]
|
From: Spehro Pefhany on 1 Jan 2010 16:43 On Fri, 01 Jan 2010 14:25:44 -0600, the renowned krw <krw(a)att.bizzzzzzzzzzz> wrote: > >>http://speff.com/cream.jpg > >Great shot (I trust it's not recent). No, there's a good 0.25" of snow on the ground at the moment. Even poor old Buffalo isn't buried for once (popped down last week to see the Penguins game- bargain prices, relatively speaking). > I love Goldens. The light ones >aren't common at all. Seems the breed has been taken over by the red >ones. She's a gem- almost 9 y.o. now. Very good personality with kids. You have to be careful to get a reputable breeder- Goldens have a tendency to severe hip problems that can hit later in life. No puppy mills. Kitten mills, OTOH: http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v108/earlbrown/buickstuff/enginebuild/?action=view¤t=IM002539.jpg Best regards, Spehro Pefhany -- "it's the network..." "The Journey is the reward" speff(a)interlog.com Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com Embedded software/hardware/analog Info for designers: http://www.speff.com
From: Joerg on 1 Jan 2010 16:44 Jim Thompson wrote: > On Fri, 01 Jan 2010 13:27:12 -0800, Joerg <invalid(a)invalid.invalid> > wrote: > >> Jim Thompson wrote: >>> On Fri, 01 Jan 2010 16:17:30 -0500, Phil Hobbs >>> <pcdhSpamMeSenseless(a)electrooptical.net> wrote: >>> >>>> On 1/1/2010 3:56 PM, Joerg wrote: >>>>> krw wrote: >>>>>> Why are pin numbers an issue? You never probe from the backside of a >>>>>> board? The spatial transform is pretty ingrained in me and I spent a >>>>>> decade doing processor design (no PCB stuff). >>>>> Until one fine day you have one of those Supertex high voltage chips. >>>>> Some weirdness happens on the prototype boards, must be a software >>>>> issue. It's always software. Has to be. Hmm, let's see how that looks on >>>>> the old breadboard. Grab probe, lemmee see, serial data out was, uhm, >>>>> umpteenth pin from upper left ... POP ... *PHOOMP* >>>>> >>>> How dull your life would be without fireworks, though. ;) >>>> >>>> Cheers >>>> >>>> Phil Hobbs >>> Indeed! I haven't had a "fireworks" event since ~1980. >>> >> That's because you are designing chips with your computation machine. >> Having your hands inside a unit with a monstrous transformer that let's >> off an evil TUNGGGG when turned on is a different ballgame :-) > > (1) I don't go sticking my fingers where I can't see ;-) > Sometimes, man's got to do what man's got to do ... > (2) I designed discretes until around 1995, no flames. > Yeah, but probably no high voltage or power stuff. > (3) And no reports of flaming failures of systems with my chips, since > 1980... and the 1980 event wasn't even a final chip, it was a > breadboard... but it WAS a doozy ;-) > Nothing like a nice big spark once in a while :-) -- Regards, Joerg http://www.analogconsultants.com/ "gmail" domain blocked because of excessive spam. Use another domain or send PM.
From: ehsjr on 1 Jan 2010 17:40 John Larkin wrote: > On Thu, 31 Dec 2009 11:49:37 -0800, Joerg <invalid(a)invalid.invalid> > wrote: > > >>John Larkin wrote: >> >>>On Wed, 30 Dec 2009 20:02:02 -0800, D from BC >>><myrealaddress(a)comic.com> wrote: >>> >>> >>>>On Wed, 30 Dec 2009 20:01:39 -0600, "RogerN" <regor(a)midwest.net> >>>>wrote: >>>> >>>> >>>>>When I was in school components fit on solderless breadboards and we made >>>>>circuits using breadboards, power supplies, meters and oscilloscopes. Many >>>>>of today's components don't appear to be breadboard friendly, so how is it >>>>>done today? >>>>> >>>>>Is circuit design software and simulation good enough to go straight to a PC >>>>>board? Or do you use surface mount to breadboard adapters? Do you still >>>>>use a soldering Iron to solder or paste solder and an oven? >>>>> >>>>>I'm wanting to tinker with some circuits but some chips I'm interested in >>>>>only comes in MSOP or other packages that look intimidating to attempt to >>>>>solder. >>>>> >>>>>Thanks! >>>>> >>>>>RogerN >>>>> >>>> >>>>My motto: >>>>If it works on a breadboard, it's not worth producing. >>>> >>>>On my current project, I have to feed the simulator pcb parasitics and >>>>component parasistics to get accurate simulations. >>>>I've had to bench test to get some parasitics. Once parasitics are >>>>included, scope results and simulation results get close. >>>> >>>>If all looks good on sim, I make a pcb, etch it and bench test it. >>> >>>One problem is that device models often aren't available for fast >>>parts, or all you get are S-params when you need large-signal >>>time-domain stuff. So sometimes you can learn a lot by hacking some >>>FR4 and testing parts. >>> >>>I never breadboard entire products, or even complex circuits... just >>>enough to characterize parts or simple subcircuits. >>> >>>This is an EL07 driving a PHEMT... >>> >>>ftp://jjlarkin.lmi.net/BB_fast.JPG >>> >>>which made decent 5-volt, 1 GHz square waves. >>> >> >>How do you get those nice clean cuts into the copper? > > > Just x-acto. The magic trick is to then rub it hard with a Scotchbrite > pad. That removes the burrs. > > John > You've got a steadier hand than I'll ever have. I have to do it with a Dremel mounted in a drill press adapter, and slide the board against guides clamped to the bed. Even then ... :-( Ed
From: Fred Bartoli on 1 Jan 2010 17:51 Joerg a �crit : > Jim Thompson wrote: >> On Fri, 01 Jan 2010 13:27:12 -0800, Joerg <invalid(a)invalid.invalid> >> wrote: >> >>> Jim Thompson wrote: >>>> On Fri, 01 Jan 2010 16:17:30 -0500, Phil Hobbs >>>> <pcdhSpamMeSenseless(a)electrooptical.net> wrote: >>>> >>>>> On 1/1/2010 3:56 PM, Joerg wrote: >>>>>> krw wrote: >>>>>>> Why are pin numbers an issue? You never probe from the backside of a >>>>>>> board? The spatial transform is pretty ingrained in me and I spent a >>>>>>> decade doing processor design (no PCB stuff). >>>>>> Until one fine day you have one of those Supertex high voltage chips. >>>>>> Some weirdness happens on the prototype boards, must be a software >>>>>> issue. It's always software. Has to be. Hmm, let's see how that >>>>>> looks on >>>>>> the old breadboard. Grab probe, lemmee see, serial data out was, uhm, >>>>>> umpteenth pin from upper left ... POP ... *PHOOMP* >>>>>> >>>>> How dull your life would be without fireworks, though. ;) >>>>> >>>>> Cheers >>>>> >>>>> Phil Hobbs >>>> Indeed! I haven't had a "fireworks" event since ~1980. >>>> >>> That's because you are designing chips with your computation machine. >>> Having your hands inside a unit with a monstrous transformer that >>> let's off an evil TUNGGGG when turned on is a different ballgame :-) >> >> (1) I don't go sticking my fingers where I can't see ;-) >> > > Sometimes, man's got to do what man's got to do ... > > >> (2) I designed discretes until around 1995, no flames. >> > > Yeah, but probably no high voltage or power stuff. > > >> (3) And no reports of flaming failures of systems with my chips, since >> 1980... and the 1980 event wasn't even a final chip, it was a >> breadboard... but it WAS a doozy ;-) >> > > Nothing like a nice big spark once in a while :-) > I just finished working on a 10MW IGBT bridge 12x 3.3kV/1500A IGBT modules. We expected to have one set destroyed so that the customer stopped touting his idiotic non solution, but those damned IGBT are, ahem, rugged. Fortunately we finally saw the light (:-) and all is working as expected without even the slightest firework. It's fun to see 1" dia cables jump due to 15kA pulses though, but the first time your psychological security distance is, well, somewhat laaaarge :-) -- Thanks, Fred.
From: Jim Thompson on 1 Jan 2010 18:06
On Fri, 01 Jan 2010 13:44:42 -0800, Joerg <invalid(a)invalid.invalid> wrote: >Jim Thompson wrote: >> On Fri, 01 Jan 2010 13:27:12 -0800, Joerg <invalid(a)invalid.invalid> >> wrote: >> >>> Jim Thompson wrote: >>>> On Fri, 01 Jan 2010 16:17:30 -0500, Phil Hobbs >>>> <pcdhSpamMeSenseless(a)electrooptical.net> wrote: >>>> >>>>> On 1/1/2010 3:56 PM, Joerg wrote: >>>>>> krw wrote: >>>>>>> Why are pin numbers an issue? You never probe from the backside of a >>>>>>> board? The spatial transform is pretty ingrained in me and I spent a >>>>>>> decade doing processor design (no PCB stuff). >>>>>> Until one fine day you have one of those Supertex high voltage chips. >>>>>> Some weirdness happens on the prototype boards, must be a software >>>>>> issue. It's always software. Has to be. Hmm, let's see how that looks on >>>>>> the old breadboard. Grab probe, lemmee see, serial data out was, uhm, >>>>>> umpteenth pin from upper left ... POP ... *PHOOMP* >>>>>> >>>>> How dull your life would be without fireworks, though. ;) >>>>> >>>>> Cheers >>>>> >>>>> Phil Hobbs >>>> Indeed! I haven't had a "fireworks" event since ~1980. >>>> >>> That's because you are designing chips with your computation machine. >>> Having your hands inside a unit with a monstrous transformer that let's >>> off an evil TUNGGGG when turned on is a different ballgame :-) >> >> (1) I don't go sticking my fingers where I can't see ;-) >> > >Sometimes, man's got to do what man's got to do ... Unless I know what I expect to feel ;-) > > >> (2) I designed discretes until around 1995, no flames. >> > >Yeah, but probably no high voltage or power stuff. 1977-1987 Almost ALL direct off-line switching power supplies. > > >> (3) And no reports of flaming failures of systems with my chips, since >> 1980... and the 1980 event wasn't even a final chip, it was a >> breadboard... but it WAS a doozy ;-) >> > >Nothing like a nice big spark once in a while :-) GenRad sales department, to this day, claim I rigged the Kaboom (and traveling flame front :-) to keep them from hanging around my lab. ...Jim Thompson -- | James E.Thompson, CTO | mens | | Analog Innovations, Inc. | et | | Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems | manus | | Phoenix, Arizona 85048 Skype: Contacts Only | | | Voice:(480)460-2350 Fax: Available upon request | Brass Rat | | E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com | 1962 | "You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift. You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down. You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred. You cannot build character and courage by taking away people's initiative and independence. You cannot help people permanently by doing for them, what they could and should do for themselves." -Abraham Lincoln |