[TowerTalk] Decoding BCD with passive circuit (more)

[Mike Gilmer - N2MG]

On Mon, 24 December 2001, "alex" wrote:

> 
> I do not think that it was a misstatement. When you 
> deploy something in a CRITICAL environment
> you need to think at the System level. 

This is obvious.  Your statement:

"The sensitivity of an IC to it's environment, 
depends on SYSTEM design and not on the IC itself"

is incorrect. Both "system" and "IC" desing need to be 
taken into account.  Why use a "weak" IC when a more 
robust one is available?

> Integrated Circuits are very vulnerable, even 
> Hardrads, if their limitations are not incorporated 
> in the total System Design. In the Ham case  the
> Antenna Field  represents a Radiation Hazard for the 
> IC. Thus Hamming is out of the door and you need 
> start thinking as a "rocket engineer" :)

My point exactly.  Why force the needs of a rocket 
designer on a ham who simply wants a one-time only, 
inexpensive, reliable design?  There are practically 
no size or weight limitations... no acceleration, no 
vibration, no altitude, no corona, etc.

A mature designer knows when simple is better - even 
if not as much fun.

Mike N2MG

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