5 Jan
2012
5 Jan
'12
4:05 a.m.
On 4 Jan 2012 at 22:27, allison wrote:
My choice was a 2816(2k EEPROM) , 74374(D latch) and
555(osc). State
machine trumps CPU for dumb task. Took an hour to explain it, likely
more to teach him to program a EEprom.
Nowadays, I'm not so sure. An 8-pin MCU is dirt-cheap and can be
easily adjusted to change the algorithm. I think it was ED that had
an article not too long ago that asked if an MCU or a 555 was better
for new projects.
The question came down to the need for programming of the MCU, so the
555 still had an edge.
My last application that I would have normally solved with a couple
of one-shots was solved with an 8-pin PIC--I could design the thing
with a few more smarts and self-calibration.
So choices aren't always so clear-cut, particularly in today's cheap
silicon days. It's already coming down to which is cheaper--an FPGA
or an MCU.
Design choices, I suspect, will become even more difficult.
--Chuck