At 10:59 AM 4/5/2006 +0200, you wrote: >On 4/5/06, William Chops Westfield wrote: > > > > > > On Apr 4, 2006, at 7:27 PM, Marcel Duchamp wrote: > > > > >> so you're looking at someone dedicating time > > >> to programming parts. > > > > > > I'd be very surprised if humans were doing this. I'll bet a dime to a > > > doughnut that tubes of chips are stuck in a programmer and run > > > automatically. Or reels of chips... > > > > At microchip, that's a certainty. If you're talking the small > > businesses selling maybe thousands of units per year that the new > > programming service is aimed at, it's equally certain that they > > have NOT bought the very expensive automated-feed device programmer. > > > >They don't allready have one in their factory? > >Sean Microchip did (and still does) offer pre-programmed parts which are programmed prior to the packaging process (at die level). Naturally, the lead times and minimum quantities are higher for that sort of thing, and it's intended for consumer-electronics volumes (eg. buckets of 16C57s for CO detectors) and competes directly with mask-programmed parts. Programming the packaged devices is new service for Microchip and a parallel service to that offered by most distributors. If your production-lot sizes are in the thousands to tens of thousands up I don't see why it shouldn't be seriously considered. Security of the code is a factor, as is single-source responsibility. For a few hundred pieces at a time, it's cheaper to have someone do it in-house. You can also leave off the ISP incremental cost (even if it's just a few cents for pogo-pin pads and resistors) on mature products. There will always be a need for production programmers in-house for lower volume products, field-test pre-production and for products where the code isn't stable yet (and for applying updates on batches which were pre- programmed). Also, it may allow a few dimes to be shaved on the part cost by programming in different code sets for different applications on the same PCB, or programming in a test code before the final code, thus allowing an MCU with less memory to be specified. And, of course, with many products programming can be integrated with other test-jig procedures in-house or at a trusted assembly subcontractor. >Best regards, Spehro Pefhany --"it's the network..." "The Journey is the reward" speff@interlog.com Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com Embedded software/hardware/analog Info for designers: http://www.speff.com -- http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist