[TowerTalk] Ameritron RCS-4 question

[Jim Lux]

On 9/27/11 7:45 PM, Al Kozakiewicz wrote:
> I have a lifetime supply of 70's vintage TTL.  Until I discovered the PIC, I probably would have done what you suggest with a BCD decoder chip.
>
> I personally think the Arduino is an oddball device, though it is open source and already assembled.  The PIC has a very large user base and the basic IDE and assembler are free.  Supported high level languages like C and VB are not free. For simple combinatorial logic and sequencing, I found the assembler sufficiently easy to learn.
>
> At any rate, unlike the Arduino, a PIC based decoder can be made for less than $10 in parts and the parts count would be about the same as the hard wired BCD circuit.  You'll need a couple extra parts if you're going to use the digial inputs that are shared with the programming pins on some devices. Adding support for both Icom and Kenwood in addition to the Yaesu BCD would involve only software changes.
>
> IMO, and I have no special knowledge of QSTs editorial policy, a PIC based programmable device would have more publishing appeal based on the opportunity to teach new technology than the hard wired circuit.
>
> Since I got beyond the hump in the learning curve, I'll never go back to hard wired logic even for simple circuits.
>
> To give you an idea of the range and power, the ARI-500 auto band switcher for the Ameritron AL-500 and ALS-600 amplifiers and the MFJ-259B analyzer are both PIC based designs. The essence of the ARI-500 is functionally identical to what you are trying to accomplish.

The other way would be a simple CPLD/PAL.  But a PIC is a more general 
solution (especially since it could take the "voltage as band" output 
from some rigs)