Poul-Henning Kamp wrote: > In message <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, Chuck Harris writes: > >> If a kid wants to work in this arena, he will. You ought to see the mass of >> equipment my son access to (that he ignores completely). > > I don't think the question if there is a barrier as much as to what > the height of it is.
Well, I was a teen when TTL logic started to make its debut. I wanted to make a computer, so I had a barrier I had to scale first. I needed to know what TTL chips were available, and what they could do. Texas Instruments helped me with that by sending me a complimentary data book. Then I had to know how a computer worked. That was tougher, because the books I could find in the library only gave a brief hand wave to how a computer functioned. DEC sent me their fine series on the PDP8, and even still, it took the better part of a year before I figured out what must be going on, and designed my own micro programmed CPU. I couldn't build it though, because it would have cost me more than $1000 in parts, and I had no way, other than a front panel, to get data into or out of the CPU. And I had nothing other than a simple logic probe to test out my design... So tell me, with the advent of the internet, how are today's hurdles higher than what I had to conquer? I can find full information on how to assemble circuitry using surface mount technology. I can find full datasheets on virtually any chip that exists, or ever existed. I can find full programming information on every microprocessor out there, and I can get free software to program the chips, make the PCB's, and even simulate the result. And to top it all off, I can get a prototype run of boards made for less than $50! All of the information I needed to make my first CPU exists on the net as program files for PLA's that can be programmed using the parallel port on a PC... Oh yeah, and everyone has a PC... From my perspective, things are much easier for the electronics hobbyist today than they have ever been before. -Chuck _______________________________________________ time-nuts mailing list [email protected] https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts
