From: bill.sloman@ieee.org   
      
   On 5/12/2025 2:50 am, john larkin wrote:   
   > On Fri, 5 Dec 2025 00:36:47 +1100, Bill Sloman    
   > wrote:   
   >   
   >> On 4/12/2025 4:24 pm, john larkin wrote:   
   >>> On Tue, 2 Dec 2025 16:17:03 +1100, Bill Sloman    
   >>> wrote:   
   >>>   
   >>>> On 2/12/2025 5:56 am, john larkin wrote:   
   >>>>> On Tue, 2 Dec 2025 05:07:57 +1100, Bill Sloman    
   >>>>> wrote:   
   >>>>>   
   >>>>>> On 2/12/2025 3:02 am, john larkin wrote:   
   >>>>>>> On Mon, 1 Dec 2025 21:35:40 +1100, Bill Sloman    
   >>>>>>> wrote:   
   >>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>> On 1/12/2025 2:32 am, john larkin wrote:   
   >>>>>>>>> On Mon, 1 Dec 2025 00:28:19 +1100, Bill Sloman    
   >>>>>>>>> wrote:   
   >>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>> On 30/11/2025 4:56 pm, john larkin wrote:   
   >>>>>>>>>>> On Sat, 29 Nov 2025 11:17:12 -0800, Joerg    
   >>>>>>>>>>> wrote:   
   >>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>>> On 11/29/25 3:38 AM, Bill Sloman wrote:   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>> On 29/11/2025 8:56 am, Joerg wrote:   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>> On 11/28/25 1:32 PM, Joe Gwinn wrote:   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> On Fri, 28 Nov 2025 12:52:07 -0800, Joerg    
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> wrote:   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> On 11/28/25 12:45 PM, Joerg wrote:   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>> [...]   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> To the surprise of my clients it's the contrary. The most   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> client-shocking redesign was an auto-align circuit for ganged   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ADC-channels. High speed, high phase accuracy and all that.   
   They   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> had an   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> elaborate time domain method with a fat DSP, lots of code   
   and very   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>         I meant they used a frequency domain method.   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> expensive chips used as programmable delay chips. The NRE   
   alone had   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> been   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> humongous. It never reliably converged so the system hung a   
   lot. I   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> suggested to ditch all that and use time domain. This caused   
   an uproar   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> because I had rocked the boat a lot and usually consultants   
   aren't   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> supposed to do that. "I don't think this can possibly work",   
   "It won't   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> deliver the accuracy", "It won't converge either" and all   
   that.   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Yet the boss let me do it. In the end the whole thing   
   dropped from   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> three-digit dollars in HW to under 10 bucks. Instead of   
   expensive   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> discrete-step time delay chips I used inductors, caps and   
   varicap   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> diodes   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> for almost infinite granularity. The DSP became unemployed   
   because the   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> connected PC could easily handle the computations. It   
   converged in   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> less   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> than a second, always. The NRE was low because it took less   
   than two   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> weeks of my time and less than a day for the programmer, and   
   we didn't   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> need an expensive DSP programmer.   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Embarrassing.  Were any of the customers design team later   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> defenstrated?   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>> No, they were pretty good. It's the usual phenomenon where, in   
   an old   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>> German saying, you can't see the forest because of all the   
   trees.   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>> Brainstorming is designed to get around that to some extent, but   
   if you   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>> aren't used to thinking outside the box it's difficult to step   
   back far   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>> enough to get outside the box.   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>>> My experience with brainstorm sessions is not good. The results   
   are   
   >>>>>>>>>>>> often encouraging but then hardly anything of it gets documented   
   and   
   >>>>>>>>>>>> typically none of it is implemented. All I need is a large   
   whiteboard   
   >>>>>>>>>>>> or a large piece of paper. Plus coffee or mate (having a mate   
   right now).   
   >>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>> It's a desperation measure to break up some kind of intellectual   
   log-jam.   
   >>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>> It isn't going to work all that often. Documenting it is a chore,   
   but it   
   >>>>>>>>>> does need to be done   
   >>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>> Brainstorming is great, done right.   
   >>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>> We sign and date our whiteboard scribbles and photograph them and   
   >>>>>>>>>>> stash the pics in the project notes folder.   
   >>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>> Great for people who like visualisation.   
   >>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>> Or are literate.   
   >>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>> The illiterate can still look at pictures. Being able to write doesn't   
   >>>>>>>> guarantee that you can organise your ideas into a chunk of text that   
   >>>>>>>> other people will understand in the way that you want them to.   
   >>>>>>>> Whiteboard scribbles aren't structured text.   
   >>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>> A photo of an FPGA register map with notes is a serious document.   
   >>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>> Given a group of smart people, a good brainstorm session is a way to   
   >>>>>>> add (or multiply) their intelligence.   
   >>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>> But the personalities and the attitude have to be right. Some people   
   >>>>>>> can't brainstorm.   
   >>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>> You attitude that most people are dumber than you are would (no doubt   
   >>>>>>> has) poison a brainstorm session.   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>> It didn't. I don't make a habit of telling people that they are dumb. If   
   >>>>>> they tell me stuff that is demonstrably wrong I do try to get them to   
   >>>>>> recognise that they have to change their opinion, but it's a lot easier   
   >>>>>> to do that in a collaborative fashion in face-to-face encounters.   
   >>>>>> Some people do dig their heels in, but that doesn't happen in a well-run   
   >>>>>> brainstorming session.   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>>> We've had junior people, even   
   >>>>>>> interns, see something or say something that inspired cool ideas. The   
   >>>>>>> audience must be grateful for all ideas, to encourage ideas.   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>> That's a well-known feature of brain-storming sessions   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>>> "That violates conservation of energy, but there might be something   
   >>>>>>> there..."   
   >>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>> A brainstorm session is a way for a group of people to explore an   
   >>>>>>> infinite solution space by using parallel processing.   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>> No finite brain, nor any loosely linked collection of finite brains, is   
   >>>>>> going to explore an infinite solution space.   
   >>>>>   
   >>>>> Of course it can. It just can't find every possible solution.   
   >>>>   
   >>>> Only in the sense of wandering around like a lost sheep. Exploration is   
   >>>> goal-directed and an infinite solution space has an infinite number of   
   >>>> goals.   
   >>>   
      
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