Alt-BEAM Archive
Message #01213
To: Alexander H Farley afarley@sas.upenn.edu
From: "Paul B. Webster VK2BZC" pwebster@clinipath.com.au
Date: Wed, 03 Mar 1999 13:05:10 +1000
Subject: [alt-beam] Re: beam Computer
Alexander H Farley wrote:
> Isn't a FPGA (Field Programable Gate Array) processor similar to what
> you are talking about.
Could be.
> I think that it might be analog as well.
Nope.
> Also, has any one ever used one of these?
Not yet, bought the kit though.
> They sound interesting and seem to have a wide range of applications.
Wherever you want ultra-fast operation. For slow operations (and
everything discussed on this list is a *million times* slower than a
FPGA), use a microcontroller such as PIC or Atmel instead. One
hundredth of the power, one fifth the cost, dead easy to learn.
> They seem perfect for a robot that could learn.
They are programmable (using a computer), not learnable. They contain
a very few bits of effective RAM which is volatile. The PIC16F84 and
AVR OTOH, contain EEPROM which can store "learnt" behaviour when powered
down.
> That is if the cost was not too high; from the description that I read
> they do not sound cheap.
You are soooo right! They're cheaper than a board full of logic ICs,
they are fast; they have their uses. Robots (in this league at least)
aren't one.
--
Cheers,
Paul B.
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