[Lab Bench Online]
EiED Online>> Disposable Solutions With Low-Cost MCUs
William Wong
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ED Online ID #12335 |
April 19, 2006
Wong: What development tools did you employ? Neel: We used Texas Instrument’s low-cost development tools ($99) for initial feasibility code development, and later designed a custom HDI application development board. The IAR Systems C complier/assembler/linker/debugger was used to develop the firmware application.
Wong: What programming language is the application written in? Neel: Application was written in C language.
Wong: How large is the application? Neel: The application was under 16 Kbytes.
Wong: Was an operating system required, and, if so, what is it? Neel: No operating system was required.
Wong: What type of self-test hardware and software is employed in the SideKick? Neel: There are several self-tests employed to check the analog calibration, memory integrity, and battery level.
Wong: Did the design of the test strip affect the design of the hardware and software? Neel: We used an existing test strip design for this project to reduce time to market.
Wong: What challenges did you encounter in designing SideKick? Neel: [One of] the major challenges we faced was packaging all the meter components in a small enough space to fit on top of the test strip vial. The high performance custom chip also had to work on the first spin to meet our aggressive product timeline.
Wong: How did you come up with the number of test strips that would be included in the package? Neel: The number of test strips (50) was picked to give the customer the best value. We wanted this product to be the most affordable choice for diabetic testing. HDI’s company goal is to provide quality diabetes test products at an affordable price.
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