EXCALIBUR
To the “Seven Knights of the Round Table” of SVFIG
cassady3@tdl.com
jbnorth@pacbell.net
jamesdroberts@comcast.com
bob4th@@pacbell.net
patriley@mypcr.com
alanf2@earthlink.net
john.carpenter@stanford.edu
Hi, I am Rev. Harry Winter --- (alias Parzival) -- -the hardware systems
engineer responsible for the DSO design presented to you at this month meeting
by your Dr. Ting.--- I am now 70 years old and have had my first
brain-stroke, which killed the part of my brain that does the processing for
the primitive acceleration sensor in the inner ear. (Now, when I sneeze very
hard, I fall over backwards.) --- Fortunately, the brain-parts for modern
electronics, as well as creativity, are still running at full MIPS rating.
I have been designing small portable scopes, on and of now, for 50 years and got my first job offer as technician at Bell Labs, because the supervisor interviewing me was very impressed with my first partially assembled scope, which I showed to him.
Being a “technician” did not last very long (I am a bad technician anyway), because six month later the group was assigned a fairly large project involving the then new “transistors-and-such”. (It was called “Solid State”, compared to the vacuum in electron tubes.) They now needed a “Lead engineer” and I was considered to be the only one capable to do it, --- but how can a green technician lead a group of senior engineers? Management’s solution was to give me two simultaneous promotions to full engineering status and a fat raise. (I did not complain)
System design is my major talent and, during the next 25 years at Bell Labs, “fault tolerant systems” became my specialty. Many features developed for this field are also incorporated in the DSO design, features which Dr. Ting very likely did not explain to you. This concept of “Software Defined” mixed signal designs is somewhat explained on my web-site, http://www.msmisp.com/futuretest/. My hope is that this concept will not only make electronic instruments much more affordable, but also create a cost-breakthrough for medical diagnostic instruments. Such as CAT-scan, Ultra-sound, MRIs, etc; which are not affordable to most of the Worlds countries. The reason for this situation, as claimed by the by the industry, is the predominance of precision analog circuits, which is forcing them to ask for very high prices.--- This is one reason to let this project evolve into a “nonprofit organization”. Other reasons are the prediction made by several knowledgeable persons in the field of electronics and business.
Jack Gifford, CEO of Maxim Inc. and founder of several Analog IC companies, predicts that: “… an increasing number of “design” engineering jobs are moving overseas. If this trend of the past 10 years continues over the next five years, the U.S. will lose its position of technical leadership in the World. America’s high standard of living, brought about by technological innovation, will cede to Europe and Asia.
The lack of growth in our engineering schools, the result of tepid demand, is symptomatic of the problem.”
And Craig Barrett, past CEO of Intel”, speaking at the Gartner Symposium ITXPO, said: “--- the United States is losing its edge over other nations in education, technology and research and development. For example, well-educated engineers from China, India and Russia are competing with the United States for jobs. "What do you think the U.S. industry of the 21st century is going to be? ----Agriculture!" he said. "We're sending our workers into the marketplace with a disadvantage: their education."
Another dire prediction comes from Prof. Ben G. Streetman, dean of the College of Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin and member of the National Academy of Engineering. He writes:
“Every year, we’re educating about half the number of engineers that the country needs and importing the rest.
------ That’s a prescription for going out of business as a country.” ------
Apparently, our present Government in this here U.S. of A., is not concerned, because they actually believe the slogan that states: --- “For ever (engineering) job that goes over-seas, another one is created right here in the US!” --- I wish someone would describe these type of jobs, do we need a university degree in Asian languages now instead of engineering? The worst part of this Government attitude is that it becomes very difficult to get a 2 to 3 Million dollar grant for our project to “MOTIVATE” young engineering students, by giving them the “TOOLS” to do the designs they “love” to do. Unfortunately, the time span given by Jack Gifford is a five year period, which is longer than the time between elections, but a period less than four years is too short to graduate additional engineers. --- Do you know what a “Catch 22” is? --- A conundrum!
As one famous American once said: -- For evil to persist and [bad times to come].
--------------------------- “It only takes a few good men to do nothing! “ ----------------------”
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Let’s face it, the speechwriter for President Kennedy, who gave him his most famous line, which states:
“Ask not what the country can do for you, but what you can do for the country.”
WAS A COMEDIAN !
What a joke! And it certainly was not meant to apply to any member of Government. On top of the problem of getting any grants, we will also face a violent reaction from the T&M Industry, if these DSOs begin to lower their annual revenues. Established industry has always fought “Disruptive innovations”, be it in hardware or in software, (such as Forth). That is the reason I want to make sure that sales will go only to young persons who either are already enrolled in engineering schools or can give us a letter of confirmation from their high-school science teacher
What I need from you (the Knights of the Round Table) is a confirmation that you want to participate in this project for the ”love” you have for technology, and the fun it gives you. Not for the desire to become "filthy rich" in a short time and for owning part of the design, just because you did some work on it. Also, I cannot assign to you any decision-rights on what should be done with this product. --- If I would grant you that, any of the big T&M firms, who wants to kill our sales to students, because it begins to hurt their revenues, could do so. Tektronix has done that many times in the past 20 years. The way that this works is that the CEO of Tek or Fluke or Agilent or LeCroy gets on the phone and calls you and says, with a very deep and raspy voice:
------ I AM GOING TO MAKE YOU
AN OFFER YOU CAN'T REFUSE ! ------
And no member of our group can refuse it, because the offer will be many
millions of dollars for each of us to make us “set for life”.
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I will need your confirmation in writing per E-mail that you don’t expect any ownership and that you will keep schematics proprietary. After that I can send you these schematics for all three DSOs, --- 200 MHz, 1.2 GHz and the 6.5 GHz version and also the road map to even higher bandwidth. (They are all “up-scaled” versions of the simple 200-MHz design.)--- Before you (and I) can decide on which parts you would like to work on (and feel competent to do so) many things need to be explained by either me or Dr. Ting, --- whoever can do it. ---- Part of my and Dr. Tings design methodology for these “intensively embedded” analog mixed signal circuits is to program short test-loops in Forth on the controlling micro and modify the hardware accordingly to the results. That’s the way I did the winning entry for the Harris competition, --- in 6 weeks. For this you will need a development board with the ARM7 chip from Analog Devices with eForth already installed. --- (ADI is asking $300 for their dev. boards) --- Dr. Ting and I am are developing our own and getting them made now, identical to the final version inside the DSO, for a cost to you of --- you will never guess !)
And talking about paying money for your work; we cannot pay salaries until a grant is obtained for a few million dollars, or the first DSOs are being bought by students and profits are coming in. You will just have to keep a record of the hours you spend on this part-time job. Once we have a few Million in the bank, I have a trusted accounting firm which can handle the pay role job, the medical benefits and the other stuff.
I believe there can be jobs for all of us, Tektronix puts about 20 experienced engineers on a new DSO design of similar performance, 10 hardware, 10 software engineers, for two years. They then are also designing several different versions simultaneously. I believe we can do this project with much less afford, and working only part-time and with less experience.
Again, a “Non Profit organization” cannot be “owned” and there will be no stock options, but salaries can be substantial and bonuses can also be paid. Since the design methodology, which we will also be perfecting, can be used for many other instruments, including medical diagnostic, I can foresee a firm operating for a long time. (With vested pension founds provided, etc.)
Dr. Ting tells me that it has cost him more than $6000 to establish his Non-Profit status and I have discovered that the paperwork is a MOUNTAIN and will be a continuing cost item. Fortunately there is a much simpler way for us to work without incorporating and paying taxes, --- A CHURCH ! --- And I just happen to be an ordained Minister of a Church registered in the state of Ohio. http://www.msmisp.com/futuretest/Ministry.jpg This “Church” was established by a friend of mine, an electrical engineer with Western Electric, which was a subsidiary of AT&T and Bell Labs at the time. (I believe I am his only Minister) A Church, or an organization associated with a Church, is totally tax exempt and does not even have to submit an annual report. Donations to a Church are also tax exempt.
What does this particular Church want you to believe in? --- Please read my paper “Does the Fire Burn …” on http://www.msmisp.com/futuretest/Bursk2.htm . That’s it, --- our complete mission statement: ---”Follow your heart --- Do great engineering designs to benefit all Mankind, and make money --- but don’t forget to have lots of FUN!” --- With references to Parzival’s Holy Grail and Matthew 5: 13, Ye are the salt of the earth ….
(I hope the word “psychic” in the title of the Church does not offend you, it only means “Holy Spirit” for Christians, or “Chi” energy for the Chinese, and “Subtle” energies in other esoteric writings. If you want to know more, I have a different Web-site for that.)
Regards, --- Rev. Harry Winter.
(Please get use to this silly and pretentious title, it’ll keep the IRS off our backs.)
P.S. --- I just registered and preserved a Web-site for our Organization’
------------------ EE-Logos.org ------------ (not yet activated)