There is all this hype at the moment about 32bit CPUs replacing 8bit =20
cpus, as the cost of the CPU and memory goes down to 8bit levels, and =20
chip manufacturers target the market.

NXP in particular has the LPC1102, an ARM Cortex M0 with 16 pins, 32K =20
of flash, 8K of RAM, and the usual set of 8bit-like features, and a =20
more-or less 8bit price.

HOWEVER, this thing comes in a WLCSP Package (Wafer Level Chip Scale =20
Package), which is essentially a 4x4 Ball Grid Array with 0.5mm =20
spacing.  Not hobbyist friendly at all :-(

Now, while I myself am primarily a hobbyist when it comes to building =20
hardware, it has always been my perception that there are a large =20
number of "real companies" out there making "real products" that are =20
never-the-less not in an economic position to commit the sort of =20
resources needed to create a design based on such a part (4-layer =20
extra fine-pitch PCB and probably outsourced assembly), especially =20
during initial development.  And for that matter aren't really =20
creating boards in high enough volumes to justify that sort of =20
manufacturing for their final product, either.  In other words, a lot =20
of the remaining 8bit applications exist no so much because there =20
isn't a more powerful 32bit replacement, but because the 8bit cpus =20
remain much cheaper and easier to "develop and manufacture, for some =20
large classes of products, compared to the more modern wonder-chips.

In other words, the LPC1102 ought to be doomed to failure.

Am I completely off base here?  Has the sort of PCB technology needed, =20
and the automated manufacturing, become so available that the initial =20
"hand assembly" phases is completely gone?  (This is certainly true at =20
my real job, where I (nominally) write software for boards with many =20
layers and many chips that cost big $$$$$ and have very long design =20
cycles...  We've got rework techs and even an Xray machine for looking =20
at those BGA joints, but they're all for adjusting things AFTER the =20
boards come back fully manufactured.)  Are the "small businesses" =20
doing micro-based product design beyond the "we build the first few by =20
hand, perhaps painfully" or not?  Are there limits on manufacturing =20
technology used by/for that class of company, or is that a thing of =20
the past?

Thanks
Bill W

--=20
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