At 06:26 AM 5/13/97 -0500, you wrote:
>I am interested in using PICs for automotive gadgets.  Are there any
>sites that anyone knows about that might be helpful.  In particular, what
>if any, special precautions must be followed to ensure reliable operation
>in the vehicle environment.  I suspect some kind of power conditioning
>and spike suppression etc. would be needed.  Thanks in advance.
>
You're right about about power conditioning. I am a design engineer for an
automotive OEM, and the auto companys have stringent requirements that
electronic products must withstand. You have to consider the following
(electrical) items:

        Normal Operating voltage range of 9 to 16 v
        Reverse voltage withstanding capability
        24 V supply withstanding capability. This is due to 24V "hot shot"
battery boost
        Load dump/transient withstanding: Varies, but figure you got to
withstand 100 volt pulse
        which is on the order of 50 microsec in duration.

Don't forget the enviromental conditions, esp. if you are under the hood.
M Walter