Michael Clark wrote:
> I came across Little Bits (http://www.littlebits.cc/) somewhere in my
> webdrifting and I think these are an awesome idea.
I agree. That's one of the new generation of tinker-toy electronic
components I've been seeing/watching. They are building blocks for
larger systems, requiring little integration. As long as they keep
innovating the components and, more importantly, keep the cost down then
they could become a useful baseline for design.
> At work, we are moving from high priced specialty DSP's(That seem to get
> obsoleted with out a drop in replacement about a month after the design
> is finalized) to PIC's and AVR's. Mostly because they are cheaper. If
> the board breaks down, they just chuck it and get a new one.
My point exactly. Complex components "lock" you into certain approaches
and economic ranges, simpler modular components (which also happen to be
cheaper) give you more flexibility as a designer. And, in the
innovative product world, flexibility is king.
Moreover, once innovation has occurred and the product has shown value
(like the C6C), the cheaper components make it easier to go into
production. Too often, designers use the biggest sledge hammer they can
find because "it makes development easier", but then the product never
makes it out of R&D, because production requirements (size, cost,
performance, etc) cannot be met. Even in the pure software business,
too many "prototype" implementations fail to reach production status
because the designers didn't keep the production environment and tools
in mind when they started.
And don't think that personal, hobby components are any different.
After you've had fun inventing and perfecting the first version, does
anyone really want to deal with alligator clips, over-sized gear and the
occasional "reboot required" messages whenever it is used. No, even
when it's your own personal widget, you still want it to deploy without
any problems and you want to be able to afford to have a spare or two in
the box for insurance purposes.
Frank P.
--~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~
You are currently subscribed to the "R/C Tank Combat" group.
To post a message, send email to [email protected]
To unsubscribe, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Visit the group at http://groups.google.com/group/rctankcombat
-~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
