February 16, 1998

Innovation of the Year?

I wanted EDN to know that its Grand Winner for 1994 Innovation of the Year was a farce. The Microchip MTA11200A and B had numerous problems that made the design completely useless. Factory and local support was also pitiful.

I developed a design with the MTA11200B that never performed reliably. A lot of effort was invested to correct the problems. In the end, problems were proved to be bugs in the MTA-11200 program.

A component from a big name like Microchip that wins an award from EDN must function correctly, right? The worst part about this situation is that Microchip never apologized or even admitted that this component was junk. It simply advertised and sold a lie, and when everybody had problems, Microchip put it on a last-time buy.

EDN should recognize its failure in giving an award to a design that had serious problems.

Bryan Deguire, Electrical Engineer
Thermo Environmental Instruments Inc, Franklin, MA

Microchip's response:

While we regret Mr Deguire's comments, Microchip Technology stands firmly behind its MTA11200 TrueGauge product, including working silicon, evaluation kit, related technical documentation, and local and factory support.

The TrueGauge feature set--an off-the-shelf battery-management IC option--was defined at a time when electronics in battery packs was considered new and even novel. A large number of TrueGauge customers requested a hardware engine device, allowing users to develop their own customized code solutions. Microchip later implemented this and other enhancements in the PIC14000 mixed-signal controller.

As TrueGauge customers began using the PIC14000 and other options, it was no longer commercially viable to produce the TrueGauge device. Microchip and our design partner SPAN have provided a number of options to customers to ensure continued support of TrueGauge. We believe that TrueGauge met EDN's rigorous standards for the prestigious "Innovation of the Year" award.

Mitch Little, Vice President, Standard Microcontroller and ASSP Division
Microchip Technology Inc, Chandler, AZ

Analog angle

I think Ron Mancini's articles are great. I have been in EE for some time, and I keep trying to get transmission lines under my belt. I have learned some of the best practices through books, but I still feel weak. Mancini's article "Taming nonlinear transmission lines" (EDN, Nov 20, 1997, pg 199) was short but clear.

I once worked on a high-speed (back then) 50-MHz clock distribution. We left pads on the ends of traces to try out termination resistors. Because the resistors were surface-mount, we used long Q-tips and Craft glue to glue the resistors to the end and then put them down on the pad to see if we reduced the ring. I guess now folks have CAD to help, but there are some good rules to follow in a simple description--much like Mancini's last article.

Jim O'Keefe
via the Internet

Corrections and updates

In "Digital pot punches through supply, resistance limits" (EDN, Nov 6, 1997, pg 24), one value for Analog Devices' AD7376 is incorrect. The device offers 1-Megaohm values, not 100-Megaohm. EDN apologizes for the error.

A Texas Instruments product listed in the "Hot 100 Products of 1997'' (EDN, Dec 4, 1997, pg 68) has a new part number. The TPS5942 is now the TIL5942.

Sound off

Send your letters to Signals and Noise Editor, EDN, 275 Washington St, Newton, MA 02158. Or you can e-mail us at kase@cahners.com. Our fax is 1-617-558-4470. EDN reserves the right to edit letters for clarity and length.

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