Fork vs 3USD
Write this post prompted the comment of one engineer, who asked a reasonable question "why would I buy a Fork for 59 dollars, if you can buy a microcontroller for 3?".
Most likely, the person did not understand what a Fork is and why It is needed. So, we analyze why you should choose a Fork, and not 20 microcontrollers.
Let's go through the entire process of creating a test stand from the beginning to the end. We give ourselves a head start, and think that we live in an ideal world where everything is done the first time, and also remove the preparation of TK(we are in an ideal world).
It all starts with coming up with a scheme of the stand - how we will test this or that feature. At the minimum time cost, it will take us a week. Of course, the time may be reduced if you sleep and see your test stand, but it is always better to get the opinion of another person, so that the ready-made stand really does what you need.
The scheme was invented, drawn/created, and now we need to separate the board. This takes from 2 to 5 days. And even though we agreed that we consider everything to be the standards of an ideal world, there may still be joints in the wiring that, in a good way, we need to check. And fix it. And this is still time, plus or minus 7-10 days.
In total, we have already gathered for 3 weeks in an ideal world, and this is not only we have not tested anything, but we have not even completed our stand.
The board is made, the microcontroller is purchased (we take into account the time for delivery of parts, or for a personal shopping trip - 4-5 days). We begin the establishment of the board, i.e., with a soldering iron and an oscilloscope, we check all the nodes of the scheme. This will take 1-2 days. Then the most interesting thing begins - somehow you need to "communicate" with the stand and get measurements from it in an adequate form. To do this, you write code that takes another week.
Thus, if you calculate the total time spent, you get a month with a tail of only preparatory work. And as you know, time is money, and in production, the person who does all this receives a salary(from $$$ to $$$$ - enter the figure yourself).
Let's go through the entire process of creating a test stand from the beginning to the end. We give ourselves a head start, and think that we live in an ideal world where everything is done the first time, and also remove the preparation of TK(we are in an ideal world).
It all starts with coming up with a scheme of the stand - how we will test this or that feature. At the minimum time cost, it will take us a week. Of course, the time may be reduced if you sleep and see your test stand, but it is always better to get the opinion of another person, so that the ready-made stand really does what you need.
The scheme was invented, drawn/created, and now we need to separate the board. This takes from 2 to 5 days. And even though we agreed that we consider everything to be the standards of an ideal world, there may still be joints in the wiring that, in a good way, we need to check. And fix it. And this is still time, plus or minus 7-10 days.
In total, we have already gathered for 3 weeks in an ideal world, and this is not only we have not tested anything, but we have not even completed our stand.
The board is made, the microcontroller is purchased (we take into account the time for delivery of parts, or for a personal shopping trip - 4-5 days). We begin the establishment of the board, i.e., with a soldering iron and an oscilloscope, we check all the nodes of the scheme. This will take 1-2 days. Then the most interesting thing begins - somehow you need to "communicate" with the stand and get measurements from it in an adequate form. To do this, you write code that takes another week.
Thus, if you calculate the total time spent, you get a month with a tail of only preparatory work. And as you know, time is money, and in production, the person who does all this receives a salary(from $$$ to $$$$ - enter the figure yourself).
Now let's see how the Fork can help us in this situation.
Let's Start with the tail, with the Python. PyTest is a framework that helps thousands of engineers create tests. And it is possible that when you start writing code, you will find similar solutions created by someone before you. If your stand has to measure something very special, then it will not be difficult to write a script on Python(by the way, using Pytest develops a culture of production of these tests). And it turns out not a crutch on a crutch, but a neat functional code.
Yes, when analyzing the way to create a stand, we did not stop at the important point - how we will give commands to the board and get results on the PC. Our Fork has Ethernet and WiFi ports, which automatically allows you to control the stand from anywhere in the world. You do not need to worry about reliable communication becoude the Fork API is based on TCP/IP sockets.
The tasks that a Fork can perform are limited only by imagination. At the same time, you do not need to think about how to protect your test stand(which has spent a lot of time and a lot of money) from power surges. We have already taken care of this by protecting the I/O ports from overvoltage and short-circuiting to earth.
Another important detail of working with the Fork is that you don't need a pairing board, or you can make it very simple. All the necessary functionality is already embedded in the device.
What can we do? Come up with a scheme, write (pick up) code on Python, connect all in one chain and... test the device. In terms of time, it will take a maximum of 1.5 weeks, and the price(we pay the engineer) will cost (we calculate by the formula: $$$ or $$$$÷10 days) dollars. Feel the difference? And after all this, how does a one-time $59 Fork cost look?
Yes, our Fork is not a silver bullet, but it allows you to save time/money and spend it on more pleasant things, and inventing test stands using the Fork develops imagination. But about this in another time.
Let's Start with the tail, with the Python. PyTest is a framework that helps thousands of engineers create tests. And it is possible that when you start writing code, you will find similar solutions created by someone before you. If your stand has to measure something very special, then it will not be difficult to write a script on Python(by the way, using Pytest develops a culture of production of these tests). And it turns out not a crutch on a crutch, but a neat functional code.
Yes, when analyzing the way to create a stand, we did not stop at the important point - how we will give commands to the board and get results on the PC. Our Fork has Ethernet and WiFi ports, which automatically allows you to control the stand from anywhere in the world. You do not need to worry about reliable communication becoude the Fork API is based on TCP/IP sockets.
The tasks that a Fork can perform are limited only by imagination. At the same time, you do not need to think about how to protect your test stand(which has spent a lot of time and a lot of money) from power surges. We have already taken care of this by protecting the I/O ports from overvoltage and short-circuiting to earth.
Another important detail of working with the Fork is that you don't need a pairing board, or you can make it very simple. All the necessary functionality is already embedded in the device.
What can we do? Come up with a scheme, write (pick up) code on Python, connect all in one chain and... test the device. In terms of time, it will take a maximum of 1.5 weeks, and the price(we pay the engineer) will cost (we calculate by the formula: $$$ or $$$$÷10 days) dollars. Feel the difference? And after all this, how does a one-time $59 Fork cost look?
Yes, our Fork is not a silver bullet, but it allows you to save time/money and spend it on more pleasant things, and inventing test stands using the Fork develops imagination. But about this in another time.
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For the purposes of EU data protection law, we, Artes Electronics, are the data controller of your personal information. If you have any questions or concerns, you can contact us at info@arteselectronics.com. In addition, you can send us an mail at: office 17, 50A Tambovskaya str., Saint Petersburg, 192007, Russia
This privacy policy does not apply to the actions of third parties that we do not own or control. You can refer to Artes Electronics privacy policy to learn more about its privacy practices.
__________
Information we collect
In order to complete your order or contact you to discuss a partnership, you must provide us with certain information, such as your name, email address, phone number(in some cases, postal address, payment information, and details of the product you are ordering). You can also provide us with additional personal information (for example, for an individual order) if you contact us directly.
__________
Why we need your information and how we use it
We rely on a number of legal grounds to collect, use, and share your information, including:
as necessary to provide our services, such as when we use your information to fulfill your order, resolve disputes, or provide customer support;
when you have given your affirmative consent, which you can revoke at any time, for example by subscribing to our mailing list.
__________
Information sharing and disclosure
Information about our customers is important to our business, so we do not share this information with third parties. Otherwise, it is possible only after receiving your personal consent.
__________
Data storage
We only store your personal information for as long as it is necessary to provide our services and as described in this privacy policy. However, we may also be required to store this information in accordance with our legal and regulatory obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements. Maximum period of storage of your data: 5 years.
__________
Transfer of personal information outside the EU
We may store and process your information through third-party hosting services in the United States and other jurisdictions. As a result, we may transfer your personal information to a jurisdiction with different data protection and government oversight laws than your jurisdiction. If we are deemed to be transferring information about you outside the EU, we rely on Privacy Shield as the legal basis for the transfer.
__________
Your right
If you live in certain territories, including the EU, you have a number of rights with respect to your personal information. While some of these rights apply in General, some rights only apply in certain limited cases. We describe these rights below:
Access. You may have the right to access and obtain a copy of the personal information we hold about you by contacting us using the contact information below.
Edit, restrict, delete. You also have the right to change, restrict or delete your personal information. No exceptional circumstances (for example, when we are required to store data for legal reasons) We will generally delete your personal information upon request.
An object. You may object to the processing of some of your data based on our legitimate interests and the receipt of marketing messages from us after you have provided your explicit consent to receive them(providing mail is such consent). In such cases, we will delete your personal information if we do not have a valid and legitimate reason to continue using this information or if it is necessary for legal reasons.
__________
How to contact us
For the purposes of EU data protection law, we, Artes Electronics, are the data controller of your personal information. If you have any questions or concerns, you can contact us at info@arteselectronics.com. In addition, you can send us an mail at: office 17, 50A Tambovskaya str., Saint Petersburg, 192007, Russia