[simpits-tech] Marv: driving DBQ gauges??

[Gene Buckle]

Well I have to apologize for my rather...zealous response.  I guess I'm
just an excitable geek. :)

We'll just bury this one here. *laughs*

g.


On Wed, 4 Sep 2002, Mark Doran wrote:

> Yikes!  Ask a simple question, get a lecture :)
>
> I have responses for your points; we spent some time in considered
> research before committing to an approach.  I'm not sure it's useful to
> debate you here though.  I'm almost sorry I responded at all when you
> asked why we chose EPIC -- I wasn't looking for a drubbing or to provoke
> a reaction.
>
> Please understand that I certainly didn't mean to imply anything other
> than phidgets don't make sense for *us* in *our* project context and
> "cost" model...everyone else must make their own conclusions based on
> their context.  I have no intent or motivation to promote EPIC over any
> other solution to anyone else.  If my comments gave offense, I'm sorry.
>
> Obviously your conclusions and our conclusions are at odds for our
> various reasons.  If you do want to hear more about our thinking, I
> believe I live locally to you (somewhat: OLM) so perhaps offline over a
> beverage or two would be the best way :).
>
> I'll offer one observation in general that I think is germane based on
> being a relatively silent observer here for the last couple of years:
>
> I think integration of components from multiple engineering disciplines
> is *the* most underestimated problem that the home cockpit builder
> faces.  Throwing time at it is an approach but throwing money as
> well/instead might in fact be necessary to succeed in the end.  Everyone
> has their own trade-off on that scale based on the
> cash/time-availability and "pressure to ever finish one of these things"
> ratios.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Mark.
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: simpits-tech-admin@simpits.org
> [mailto:simpits-tech-admin@simpits.org] On Behalf Of Gene Buckle
> Sent: Wednesday, September 04, 2002 12:40 PM
> To: simpits-tech@simpits.org
> Subject: Re: [simpits-tech] Marv: driving DBQ gauges??
>
> > EPIC ties together inputs/outputs and transducers of
> > various sorts together in ways that would only be
> > possible with phidgets by writing code for the phidgets
> > that replicates much of what EPIC EPL does already.
> >
> This doesn't make any sense to me.  EPL doesn't provide anything special
> that can't be done with the same ease in another environment.
>
> > Our analysis is that the extra
> > coding/testing/integration work involved in using
> > phidgets far outweighs any initial cost saving you
> > might realize in buying hardware.
> >
> I think the word I'm looking for here is "poppycock". :)
>
> Starting from a pure input standpoint, you're already $350 ahead with
> the
> 255 input Phidget. (They're $50).  With EPIC, you have to write programs
> for EPIC in EPL as well as for the PC.  With Phidgets, you only write on
> the PC.  An EPL/PC solution is _more_ expensive to deal with, especially
> when looking at the total cost to build a solution.
>
> I own both the ISA and USB EPIC boards as well as a host of their
> peripheral boards.  I also work with some of the Phidgets that are
> available.  There is _no_ way you're going to tell me (or anyone else
> that
> can think) that a total EPIC solution is cheaper than the same solution
> implemented in Phidgets.  (ok, technically it's possible, but it
> involves
> hiring a prima-donna programmer that's charging FAR more than he's
> worth)
>
>
>
>  > Tight integration is important because Falcon4 SP3, our
> > software of (no- ;) choice at present, has some serious
> > gaps in the way analogs, button inputs, lamp outputs
> > and shared memory data are managed.  These gaps require
> > some "papering" over with code bound to the
> > simulator...that's harder to do if your various I/O
> > systems are not controlled from the same code (or code
> > that at the least has other means to share "event"
> > handling).
>
> You'll maintain two code bases (EPL and host pc) with EPIC, and one
> codebase with Phidgets.  You're not losing any "integration" by using a
> Phidget.  If someone is telling this, they're blowing smoke up your
> butt.
>
> BTW, Falcon is a _very_ poor example.  It's shared memory area is a
> kludge
> at best.  If you _must_ use Falcon, download the source code (it's still
> floating around out there) and implement *correct* interfacing support.
>
> BTW, Both Battle of Britain and MiG Alley from Rowan Software have been
> released in source form so they'd both be great candidates for adding
> cockpit integration routines to support both Phidget and EPIC solutions.
>
>
>
>  > Hence my question of Marv (or anyone else
> ;)...has > anyone already thought about how to hook servos up to
> > an EPIC??
> >
> Grab a PhidgetServo.  Add the code to your existing host pc code.  Done.
> Hell, Robert Favre could add phidget support to his MFD program in
> seconds and for that matter so could you.  It already talk to Falcon4
> and
> is freely downloadable from the ftp site.
>
> g.
>
>
>
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