| I am certain the first question in everybody's mind is: | | | | industry; or you could start building light-organs if you |
| "Why should I learn this tiresome hardware design in | | | | are a true music lover. The analog light-organs were a |
| my spare time? I like to listen music, to play games, | | | | mandatory accessory in the 60s and 70s; without |
| and to eat pizza. I just want to relax!" | | | | one, you simply couldn't understand music, because |
| There is absolutely noting wrong with listening good | | | | you missed the related visual analog |
| music and eating pizza in your spare time, but... Living | | | | equivalent--please, take this last one just as a |
| our life is, unfortunately, harder and more demanding | | | | personal opinion. (The right way to relate colored light |
| with each passing day. If you have a good job | | | | to music is: blue for low frequencies produced by the |
| today, you also have 75% chances to lose it, | | | | bass-guitar or drum, then green for solo-guitars and |
| tomorrow. This is the new trend in our social life: jobs | | | | normal organ notes, red for voice, and finally yellow |
| are not secure anymore. Even worse; if you do | | | | for the highest and most delicate frequencies which |
| manage to "keep" a job for sometime, you could | | | | few people manage to hear.) |
| discover, after ten years of dedication and | | | | I have seen an automotive coolant sensor controller |
| hard-work, you didn't manage to set aside your | | | | selling very well for 35 $, and it contained only 2 |
| 100000 $ "safe cash buffer". Realistically, our life | | | | transistors and few resistors; a temperature |
| today means a permanent search for the next job, a | | | | transducer was efficiently sold for 20 $ and it |
| never-ending and terrifying resume work, and also an | | | | contained only resistors! A friend of mine has sold for |
| acute lack of sufficient money for anything. | | | | half a million dollars the license of a tiny, intelligent |
| Our society is polarized into employers and | | | | controller for boilers. Please note, he was a beginner |
| employees; between the two, being an employee it | | | | designer, and the application itself was nothing past |
| is far tougher! Some time ago a manager was | | | | beginning hardware design level. Of course, my friend |
| required to know how to work with many, | | | | was very lucky to find the right people who needed |
| psychically different employees; today, it is the | | | | that particular application, and who were willing to pay |
| employee who must know how to "deal" with the | | | | handsomely for it. This is in fact the difficult problem: |
| managers. More often people retire and they have to | | | | finding the right and the needed commercial product, |
| sell their homes, because they cannot afford | | | | and this is why I said you should allocate ten good |
| continuously increasing costs of living--no, Sir; not | | | | years to research the market, or to find the |
| anymore. Well, think ahead tiger. | | | | opportunity. Sure, you could discover even ten |
| Now, which is the right way to become an employer? | | | | commercial products in ten years--the more they are, |
| If you want--mind this, please: only if you want | | | | the better it is! |
| to--you could start working on becoming an employer | | | | So, the need to become an employer and of |
| today, and hardware design is one (important) way | | | | improving your skills are sufficiently strong |
| that leads to building your own commercial product | | | | motivations to start learning hardware design. You |
| and your future business. Besides, it will also increase | | | | could still be unclear about why hardware design in |
| your chances of employment, so... there are only | | | | particular; why not firmware, or even software |
| benefits ahead for you. Please note, our entire social | | | | design? This is true, and you could do it anyway you |
| activity it is strongly--if not totally--dependent on | | | | want; however, starting with hardware design it is |
| hardware, firmware, and software technologies. | | | | particularly beneficial. First of all, hardware is the |
| The first thing you should know about hardware | | | | beginning of the hardware-firmware-software chain, |
| design is, it doesn't work by itself--well, not much. | | | | and it is best to start everything from the very |
| Hardware it is driven by firmware and/or software | | | | beginning, one step at a time. Secondly, hardware |
| most of the times. This complicates things a little, but | | | | design helps building your commercial product as an |
| not too much--don't worry about this. Now, let's | | | | independent unit, or as a perfectly contained |
| detail the action plan, a bit. The first thing you need | | | | application. Next, the range of beneficial hardware |
| to do is, start with a reasonable life-plan. For | | | | applications it is way larger, and the competition is a |
| example, you could decide in ten years from now | | | | bit less brutal, when compared to firmware and |
| you are going to start your "J J Hardtronics | | | | software. On the other hand, hardware design is |
| Technologies Ltd." business. Ten years is a good | | | | going to lead you, naturally, to firmware and |
| time-buffer, in which you will learn everything you | | | | software design. My belief is, starting with hardware |
| need to know about hardware, firmware, and | | | | design it is the best method of learning, because you |
| software design. However, please be aware the | | | | take everything from ground up. |
| most important thing, during these ten years, is to | | | | All right, I am certain you are motivated enough by |
| discover your future commercial product! | | | | now. Your next question is: "How do I do this?" You |
| There are millions of good commercial products | | | | see, this is in fact the easy part! Incidentally, you |
| waiting to be discovered, and do not look at the | | | | could start by visiting my home site, Corollary |
| high-end technological monsters like cell-phones; this | | | | Theorems. Have no fears, my friend; you are going |
| market is so fiercely driven by competition that the | | | | to discover that hardware, firmware and software |
| best thing is to stay away from it. This doesn't mean | | | | design are very easy to learn, and they are even fun! |
| you cannot design a good product for the cell-phones | | | | Little relaxation in your spare time it is very good and |
| industry if you want to. A quick example is a | | | | quite necessary. Although you do not hear much |
| cell-phone utility software program, or a game. | | | | about this, lately, when I was a bit younger we were |
| Truth is, the most beneficial applications are the | | | | encouraged to experiment with "active relaxation". |
| industrial ones. There are thousands of industrial | | | | This means, by reading an instructive, useful book, |
| sensors that may be embedded into nice applications; | | | | you could get the same level of relaxation as when |
| a quick example is the acceleration sensor, or the | | | | listening music, or playing PC games. However, the |
| one that measures the O2 concentration in water. | | | | lecture of a good book is going to enrich your level |
| You could design commercial motor-drivers, | | | | of knowledge, and you will gain valuable skills, instead |
| particularly for brushless DC or steppers motors. | | | | of just "killing time". This is the theory behind the |
| Other promising applications are: designing an | | | | active relaxation concept. Nice, aye? |
| instructive toy; you could break into the display-signs | | | | |