> Yeah, scary how many people I run into saying that
> they'd seen me on the PICLIST. Who knew that this
> was a best seller list <G>?

For sure, but the reason is pretty obvious -- post a
question on this list, go make some coffee, and by the
time you get back there's 2 to 5 good responses
(frequently, anyway). I'm starting to think that some
of the big name posters on this list are actually
sophisticated androids that can simultaneously program
PIC ASM with one hand and write e-mail with the other.

> There is something to be said for designing on the
> fly. It gives you a chance to test key parts of a
> design to validate your ideas before you get too far

> along.  It also lets you use what you have.

Oh no question, that's a *good* way to go through
prototype stages. The simultaneous design and build
technique I try to avoid is when the end result is
clear but the details are hazy -- so instead of
putting in the effort to understand the problem at the
start, you rush into it and develop in an unplanned
incremental fashion, developing it how you _think_ it
should work. I did that for a graphics library when I
was 19 or so, and I kept finding that what I had
written before was only getting in the way of the new
things I had to add. I wound up spending half my time
re-writing code! After that I significantly changed my
approach to projects.


> If you have sufficient experience, you can get to
> the end result more quickly, such as when I used to
> stop at Active Electronics on my way to work,
> and designed circuits for a 'we need it right now'
> project to use what they had in stock. Now that
> Active stocks bugger all, I am forced to do a full
> design just so I can  order all the parts I'll need
> the first time around.

It is nice being able to drive somewhere in the city
and get things right away. So Active's gone the same
way in Edmonton as it has in Calgary -- thought maybe
it was just our store. The last time I went there I
asked for 14 pin dip sockets. "Don't have them, it'll
take 2 weeks to get them in."


> If I find a nice part for a project, I -may- be able
> to get a sample, but if I need 10, I'm S.O.L because

> everyone is only interested in 5k+ piece orders. MOQ

> (minimum order quantities) are killing basic
> research and development by hobbiests.

Do you run into that often? I've found a couple of
specialty parts like that but usually find what I need
even if it is a bit on the costly side (example: The
AD595 thermocouple cold junction ref/amplifier, four
of which wound up costing $80CDN shipped).


- Todd.

__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Hotjobs: Enter the "Signing Bonus" Sweepstakes
http://hotjobs.sweepstakes.yahoo.com/signingbonus

--
http://www.piclist.com hint: The PICList is archived three different
ways.  See http://www.piclist.com/#archives for details.