hey bob

loved those articles on fuzzy logic. at an exhibition a developer made that famous quote, "even a human programmer couldn't do this". my question to him, 'who wrote the compiler?', all i got was a blank stare and then he just ignored me. when i asked a programmer friend what he thought of all this fuzzy logic programming, he just smirked and said "i've been programming with fuzzy logic for years".

dave

I am one of the little guys too. I appreciate samples from the good guys and will buy from them too. I recently completely changed a sensor circuit because coilcraft would not send me a sample. I changed from a current sensor to a vibration sensor. SignalQuest was happy to send samples.

When I was an engineering student, many semiconductor companies would send me parts to build my senior project. Later, when I became an apps engineer for a semiconductor company, I was more than willing to help students. For the students would hopefully become big customers. Even if they remember the service they got, they would tend to look for them first when selecting a part. Thanks to Siliconix and National Semiconductor and Texas Instruments for helping me when I was a student.

As an application engineer I often had inquiries from people who would never become customers. Occasionally we received business from friends of those non-customers because of the treatment and help I had given to the "non-customer". So, the good feeling I had from helping someone did actually result in some business. However, I always gave the help because I knew that if I were in their shoes I would have appreciated the same kind of help.

Bob, Over the years, I have generally been well-treated when asking for samples, and I always tell them up-front that it's just for a test project, or that the finished product will likely sell only a small number per year. Very rarely have I been asked to pay for samples.

I was struck by your comment: "I’m almost never as wise as after I crystallize my thoughts well enough to teach a customer." Yes! I learned long ago that explaining something to somebody else - even an imaginary somebody - is the best way to get a thing clear in my own mind.

Words aren't just words, they are the names of ideas. As you organize your words, you organize your concepts. I'm known as a screwball because I talk to myself a lot, but I'm also known for an ability to explain things clearly. The latter comes from the former; when I talk to myself, I'm rehearsing.

I'm amazed at the number of people I meet who have never been taught this simple trick.

Bob, the thing that I've noticed is that the big companies tend to do small incremental improvements. It's the small companies that really push beyond the state of the art. Sometimes, they're trying to do things that can't be done or things that can't be done yet. Sometimes, they're just trying to make a buck selling some hot gimmick, like fuzzy-logic. But every once in a while you come across someone that really has a great idea but doesn't quite know how to get there. They make it all worthwhile.

I'm not great a marketing, but my philosophy has always been that it's like planting seeds. Just because a seed lands on a great spot doesn't mean a great harvest. Conversely, a seed landing on a rocky spot isn't necessarily doomed to failure. I think most management/financial people would make lousy farmers.

Just thanks Bob. I won your book "How To Drive Into Accidents—And How Not To" at a National seminar some years back, sisters, nephews, friends kids, my wife and I have all benefited from it. It's well written, humorous at times and filled with good info. I highly recommend it to old and young alike. It's worth at least twice the price I paid ;)

Hi Bob, I'm not commenting on the issue of little guy or big guy other than to say I think you are right to help the creative process. It can have many far reaching positive results. What prompted me to write was your mention of a high impedance wheatstone bridge and the need for shielding. About 50 years ago I was working on some amplifiers for data acquisition and I needed to measure the leakage current in some tantalum capacitors. So I set up an arrangement of a voltage source, the capacitor and a HP microammeter. I was working with this tech "Marvin" and, whenever he got near the setup, the meter would peg. No one else had this effect so I dubbed my circuit the Marvin detector. I never did find out why he was the only one to have that effect. My guess is that he probably had different material in the soles of his shoes than the other people.

When I was in my late teens, back in the 60's, I bought a used Tektronix Oscilloscope. It needed a special high voltage capacitor that only Tektronix could supply. I called parts and asked them how much it cost. The lady was very helpful and told me the price, $5.95. I asked her if I could send her a check for the amount. She said, "Oh, we will just send it to you and you can pay us when you get it." I never forgot that. Years later, when I was managing an engineering department, I always ordered Tektronix equipment. The kindness of that lady probably made Tektronix hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years, although admittedly, not in the same quarter which is all the bean counters care about any more. So there you have it, looking out for the "little guy" can pay off, if someone is not in a hurry to make a quick return on investment.

Bob, I'm one of those "little guys". And while I will admit I have gotten a couple of parts over the years buy using the sample route I have also managed to order a few parts afterward also due to that a few times. I will admit I will never order a big order but even little ones help don't they?