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Pyrotom
Posts: 84
I recently read this article - http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/07/07/hot.car.parenting/index.html?iref=obnetwork - and thought that this problem could be fixed with a Prop based solution. Some sort of pressure sensor in the baby seat to tell that it is occupied, and send a wireless signal. This would be picked up by a sensor that sounds an alarm if the baby is in the seat and the driver is NOT in their seat. Please somebody - patent this idea, get the CPSC to require the system, get rich, and then send me a check to thank me for making you rich......
Comments
It could be done much cheaper by a single MSP430 chip. There is a newish one with an on-chip radio transceiver and temperature sensor, I've got a couple of samples on order.
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Leon Heller
Amateur radio callsign: G1HSM
Post Edited (Leon) : 7/8/2010 9:20:07 PM GMT
Too bad for me.
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Nyamekye,
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Links to other interesting threads:
· Home of the MultiBladeProps: TriBlade,·RamBlade,·SixBlade, website
· Single Board Computer:·3 Propeller ICs·and a·TriBladeProp board (ZiCog Z80 Emulator)
· Prop Tools under Development or Completed (Index)
· Emulators: CPUs Z80 etc; Micros Altair etc;· Terminals·VT100 etc; (Index) ZiCog (Z80) , MoCog (6809)·
· Prop OS: SphinxOS·, PropDos , PropCmd··· Search the Propeller forums·(uses advanced Google search)
My cruising website is: ·www.bluemagic.biz·· MultiBlade Props: www.cluso.bluemagic.biz
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Leon Heller
Amateur radio callsign: G1HSM
Post Edited (Leon) : 7/9/2010 5:32:16 AM GMT
Then the obvious choice is a set of shackles and a 6 foot chain.
The Russians used to use something like that for protecting operators of machines like power presses. An operator's arms were chained to the machine, and when the ram came down his or her arms were dragged out of the way. When I worked for Rank Xerox, a long time ago, there were several amputations in the press shop at the Mitcheldean plant due to inadequate guarding of machines.
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Leon Heller
Amateur radio callsign: G1HSM
Post Edited (Leon) : 7/9/2010 5:54:56 AM GMT
The right to complain officially about what's written here in such a way is on parallax side because they are the hosts.
( BTW, with your complains you put the focus of the thread to the subject that you complain about. )
It's the task of an engeneer to find a good solution - if not the best - for a technical problem. And you should know that the propeller is not the best solution for all kind of problems! And I believe parallax knows that as well and is self-confidently enough to allow such posts if it's not for pure advertising purposes. And my feeling is that Leon does not focus on a single brand of controllers, but has a good knowledge of many different microcontrollers and really picks one of the best for a given problem.
The business case in the original post is: make it a mass product. Mass products have to be as cheap as possible AND a propeller would be bored to death by this task. Of course you could have a nice receiver box which hosts a propeller with a nice LCD and a speaker ... a connection to the OBD2 ;o)
I personally am happy to find hints like that.
Post Edited (MagIO2) : 7/9/2010 6:21:19 AM GMT
Leon, I'm not so sure about that. These leash things are getting more popular every day.
Figure out a way to install a cell phone inside the adult end of the leash plus a cigarette holder and cosmetics kit and you're good to go, anywhere on the road.
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Leon Heller
Amateur radio callsign: G1HSM
What an adorable little red headed boy
I actually like the idea of that harness and leash
for toddlers. Whenever I am out in public with a small
child I am scared they will get away from me and get
into the path of a car...that harness thing would be great.
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Leon Heller
Amateur radio callsign: G1HSM
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Why did I think a new, more challenging, job was a good idea ??
I don't care to read every time someone suggests an application for the prop, Leon suggesting another solution if it is not called for. It is not that I don't think other chips will do the job, but there is a line and he has crossed it. There will always be other chips that can do a job the propeller can do and there will always be jobs that other chips do that the propeller can do. That's life. I just don't want it rammed down my throat in every thread.
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Links to other interesting threads:
· Home of the MultiBladeProps: TriBlade,·RamBlade,·SixBlade, website
· Single Board Computer:·3 Propeller ICs·and a·TriBladeProp board (ZiCog Z80 Emulator)
· Prop Tools under Development or Completed (Index)
· Emulators: CPUs Z80 etc; Micros Altair etc;· Terminals·VT100 etc; (Index) ZiCog (Z80) , MoCog (6809)·
· Prop OS: SphinxOS·, PropDos , PropCmd··· Search the Propeller forums·(uses advanced Google search)
My cruising website is: ·www.bluemagic.biz·· MultiBlade Props: www.cluso.bluemagic.biz
www.mothercare.com/b/42770041?ie=UTF8&title=car%20seats&pf_rd_r=0W59C7ZVBB3RS59AZG56&pf_rd_m=A2LBKNDJ2KZUGQ&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_i=42764041&pf_rd_p=468460953&pf_rd_s=global-top-7&extid=ps_ggl_Generics_HighVis_Exact_Tier1_ST_Exact_Child+Car+Seat_childcarseat
I can't see parents being willing to pay a lot of money for such a gadget. At the right price it could even be built into such seats.
If the Propeller is ever to get acceptance outside the hobbyist community, you are going to have to get used to people making these sorts of comparisons. It's a hard world out there. This will apply even more to the Propeller II.
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Leon Heller
Amateur radio callsign: G1HSM
Post Edited (Leon) : 7/9/2010 3:20:04 PM GMT
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Leon Heller
Amateur radio callsign: G1HSM
Post Edited (Leon) : 7/9/2010 3:51:46 PM GMT
Those are combined to form a solution or product, or both!
When a product or solution is realized, there is a value perception about it. That value perception impacts what people will pay for the product, and what they pay over the costs to build that product or solution is the margin.
You are quite right, Apple has done it. I would argue that Intel is in a different scenario, being able to leverage the strong synergies that come from common instructions and such. Apple flat out just built very high value products and sold them.
Some of the various strategies include, "propeller inside", though I don't think that one makes a lot of sense right now. Frankly, that might be an option later, should Parallax decide to tell their story in a more public way. There is some very high value perception associated with that, and is one of the things Apple computer plays off of huge.
Others:
Bundling of features and services.
Quality of manufacture.
Origin of manufacture. (made domestically matters to a growing number of people, who are clearly aware of the "cost only" implications on their own financial lives)
Robustness.
Appeal to class or creed. (some people will pay more because they can and it's a status thing)
There are many others.
My point was from a pure feature function standpoint, the lowest cost combination of components makes rational sense. No question. From a product design and marketing standpoint, that's not always true, and if a niche is being served, it's deffo not always true.
The challenge here is not just an engineering one, that's all. And frankly, given where the Propeller is at, highlighting that is totally warranted, which is why I did it.
I see this kind of thing going on all the time. Honestly, if one wants to manufacture and sell a product made domestically, which I think is a perfectly fine idea given the economy, cracking the nut on "it's cheaper over there" is not only a good idea, but mandatory.
What will occur in that scenario is a lower overall volume, but a much higher margin, and where higher margin purchases are made, those that make them tend to be particularly receptive to up-sells and or additional value added services, accessories, etc...
That is absolutely a solid way to compete, and frankly, that kind of competition can stand strong in the face of massive competition and share and benefit all involved. It's seen all the time.
So, it comes down to what the source of the product wants. Do they want to conquer the world, or do they want to build a viable, profitable business that does people some good with high value products, services and such, or both?
That scope transcends the pure engineering factors, and guides them as those with the funding get to call the shots on how that product or service is to compete in the marketplace, and with what desired results.
BTW: You asking, "where is the added value?" is why you are an engineer! Not a bad thing, trust me on that. I don't mean it that way. However, the skill in answering that question in the minds of the prospects is just as important as the skill needed to realize that product or service is. Just so you know, I work with both regularly and have many years seeing all sides of that process work to realize a profit, and you've some default assumptions in your post here that have not yet been established, which is why I said what I did.
Edit: For an absolutely stellar example of this in action, look at those high end audio cables and gear. Most of it is complete bunk, if one looks at the engineering merits of it, and often the science of it. No question on this right?
Well, if the world operates on a strictly rational lowest cost / value basis, how come those kinds of things continue to sell, delivering very high margins? The answer is the subject of my post here.
Another Edit: My answer is a generic one, not intended to promote the Propeller as the best or even viable solution here. Honestly, that would take some research --some of which you've done Leon. Really, where I'm at on this is the general idea that cheaper / specific purpose devices are always the better answer. That seriously depends on those doing the product development, and how or where they choose to compete is just as significant of a consideration as how they position that product, impacts the feature * benefit / cost equation.
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Post Edited (potatohead) : 7/9/2010 4:31:35 PM GMT
Hasn't Parallax mentioned a strategy to get the Propeller more widely accepted by the industry? I think I saw something about a more professional web site etc.
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Leon Heller
Amateur radio callsign: G1HSM
Post Edited (Leon) : 7/9/2010 4:38:17 PM GMT
And consider the designer who gets told, "this is the chip." Happens every day. That's another approach to grow the Propeller use base, by making the business case to those that fund product development. If I were Parallax, I would be headed down this road big. It will only take a few to very significantly improve where the Propeller stands in the marketplace. That's a lot of work, but the rewards on that are very high as well.
..and yes I am. Generally speaking you are correct in that users don't care what's in the box. But they often do care about the story behind how that box came to be, or that it's green or domestically manufactured, or that it looks great, or is associated with some status, etc... My point being for a lot of product niches, there are opportunities to compete successfully, despite a higher overall component cost, and it's those cases that are well aligned with the Propeller as it stands right now today.
This particular idea isn't all that well aligned, but your comment just sparked the need to express some of the other elements of the process, often not presented in this context, that's all.
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Propeller Wiki: Share the coolness!
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Leon Heller
Amateur radio callsign: G1HSM
-Phil
Even if the original post would have asked for something ... in forums you have to live with the fact that other people think in completely different directions. And I think that this is very good because you get a different view - that's called a creative process.
I bet if someone would post an algorhithm having a small bug but that's also ineffective you would give advice for a better solution even if the originaly question only was about how to fix the bug, won't you?
Posts like your initial one are of much less value! Only bashing, no arguing. Don't missunderstand me, generally you got my full respect for what you do for this community, but for me it looks like you're having your personal vendetta against Leon. If you don't like what he writes you should better skip or use the "Ignore posts" icon. I appreciate his suggestions.
It is a very impressive little toy; they actually sell them for $999 to the hoi polloi, and give them away to some people who can make good use of them. They chose the companies very carefully, and I think they followed the freebie up with a visit from the marketing director. I think he told me about the scheme.
Someone who won one of the units in a draw has put it on Ebay.
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Leon Heller
Amateur radio callsign: G1HSM
Typically, department heads operate within a set of known parameters. Similar technology, falling within those parameters, can be easily considered, and because it's similar, carries a modest risk.
Where the technology is highly differentiated, it's often seen as excessive in terms of ramp up, tooling, training, and other costs. In other words, to capture the return, an investment must be made. Who authorizes those?
That's a matter of corporate culture. It's been my experience that department heads can authorize incremental investments, and can carry some risk without any real worries. Anything beyond that is going to require executive level buy in. If the technology to be adopted is favorably aligned with the core business needs that exeuctive is dealing with, there is a good chance they will act on that, if presented with a compelling return on the required investment.
With their buy in, department heads are then free, and sometimes compelled to apply the technology in specific ways to capture the return promised and presented to the executive. Without that executive, the risk level is high, leaving your average department head to either break even, be seen as a hero, or take a loss.
In times like this, most are going to be extremely risk adverse, meaning they select from the known solutions far more than anything else. I've been a part of these for large 6 figure investments, and have seen the returns. A week spent on a research and a presentation that convinces that CEO can be very rewarding.
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Leon Heller
Amateur radio callsign: G1HSM
Post Edited (Leon) : 7/9/2010 9:32:01 PM GMT
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Not so sure I'd be promoting the TV output as part of my advertising campaign (Well only NTSC) the Processor should do all the heavy lifiting and not the end users Television or monitor. VGA is VGA the world over and is totally perfect on the Propeller. Hope Prop II will have configuarions to allow full spec PAL (selectable standard depending on worldwide location) This would open up the Broadcast TV market to Parallax. I really do dread to imagine what 1080 standard they have elected to run with.
Regards
Mike.