>  That is the real problem, how to express practical insight that is also 
> broad and far 
reaching.  
> I suppose that this question is a specific example of a much larger and 
> daunting 
problem ... how to convey experience?  Is it possible?
> Jim

I personally found when I started electronics development in the 80's
the application notes of Analog Devices and Burr Brown very useful.
It was a combination of design technology, good practices and
experience. It was giving much more info than the datasheets.

> >Indeed, component level techies are a dying breed; almost extinct already. 

Look at the bright side. Do you know the shoemaker who was
talking to his son about where to start a new business? They looked
around and found 2 possible places. One was in the city, everyone
wearing expensive shoes. And one far away in a different country,
where nobody was wearing shoes. "No" said the son, "not there,
nobody's wearing shoes". So the father said "Yes there, because
nobody is wearing shoes, what a business opportunity".

Your knowledge may be valuable. But only if there are customers.
Industrial, and specials, is still good.

> >I survive in a niche market as does Declan apparently.

I must admit: I only design electronics for our own purposes
nowadays. We changed slowly the last years from development
of electronics and software/firmware (I am specialised in Bitbus)
to buying and selling electronic parts. We started buy older surplus
parts from companies and at auctions. And this is slowly changing
too as we are now specialising in precize Hall sensors. And we are
even developing our own Hall sensors, fabless, precize, high
linearity (0.2%), high temperature range, high robustness,
handles high magnetic fields etc.

A problem is that much electronics already has been developed.
So there is less work. And somehow people seem to want to buy
things instead of developing them.

We also have to compete with countries where they work MUCH
cheaper (they work for a month for the same money we would
work for half a day). Believe me, I know as we have two offices
now, one in the Netherlands, and one in China. With my colleague
living over there taking care of quality (absolutely needed in China).

So forget about building standard things. Go industrial, specials,
difficult things, where you need to be clever and experienced.
There's still work there.

If people need help, I am willing to. But as with most of us, time
is limited. Setting up a wesite, writing papers costs a lot of time.

I do welcome new electronics sites!

Regards,

Pieter Hoeben

______________________________________________

  Hoeben Electronics     Phone:   +31 6 51590081
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  5094 EW Lage Mierde    Private: +31 13 5096200
  The Netherlands        E-mail:  [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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Author: Pieter Hoeben
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