----- Original Message -----From: Lasse MadsenSent: Wednesday, March 16, 2005 12:00 AMSubject: RE: [AVR-Chat] Oh, I am so tired of this..I share your frustration regarding the AVR tools
Ive worked for 5 years in an embedded development company using AVR processors and Kanda tools everyday from 9 to 17:00 sometimes you could sit a whole day doing nothing because your tools decided to strike on you. We where six on the office and everyone of us have had those problems at least once a month, think about the cost of having engineers sitting on their ass doing nothing because of bullshit tools
Today I run my own business doing practically the same as I did before and I still have those problems from time to time, Ive tried a lot of alternatives to the AVR such as PIC, Zilog, OKI, LPC ARMs and MSP430 but even though I have tried all these processors and wasted A LOT of time trying, I always fall back to AVR as my 5 year experience means that I can get the job done of the back always knowing that Im doing the right thing from the start Starting a new project requiring PCB artwork with a new processor can cost you a shit load of problems and money, Been there done that and paid the cheque ! For me trying out the LPC2106 for a new project became my worst nightmare as it turned out there where a lot of internal bugs in the processor such as the ADC/IO port that couldnt be used digitally when also used with Analog signals not to mention a useless internal reset circuit that would latch up the device and a lot of misunderstandings with the SPI port I cant even assemble my thoughts about all the problems Ive had with that one I ended up designing an AVR board in my holiday having the board made ASAP and mounted at the cost of a Boeing 747
What Im saying is AVR has arrived to stay, theres no evidence that they would stop production or any processors taking its throne as the king of 8bits also theres an AVR for almost every project Ive ever had, and Ive actually found a reliable solution to my problems which is having a separate VIA EPIA (a very small size computer) that is used ONLY as a programming device its placed inches from my regular pc and I can switch my screen from my regular pc to the EPIA with a monitor switch box at the push of a button having the EPIA already set up for programming from the network drive where I compile my project
IIs that the Mini-ITX or Nano-? I'm putting together a Mini-ITX EPIA system.
Leon
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Leon Heller,
G1HSM
http://www.geocities.com/leon_heller