Taken By The Horns @UoPlymouth
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A Retrospective of being an (Electronic) Design Engineer over the last 52 years of technology change. With observations about the transferrable lessons for todays aspiring engineers.
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Taken By The Horns @UoPlymouth
- 1. 1 of 23 © Ian Phillips 2016 https://ianp24.blogspot.com Taken by the Horns ... A Retrospective Perspective of 52y as an Electronic Design Engineer 16dec16: CRNS Seminar, Uo.Plymouth, Uk. Prof. Ian Phillips Principal Staff Eng’r. ARM Ltd (Retired Dec16) Visiting Prof. at ... Contribution to Industry Award 2008 1v5
- 2. 2 of 23 § An MoD Test Establishment for smaller-weapons & bombs § Instrumentation Department: Responsible (with my supervisor) for … § Measuring what needed to be measured (Speed, Acceleration, Pressure, etc) § Keeping Professional Electronics working (Range Safety Radar to Field Intercoms) § Developing special kit for special needs (eg: Measure the spin of a 6” shell) … Technical Excellence, using Valves (Tubes) and Analogue signal processing 1964: P&EE Pendine: Electronic Apprentice … HRO Triple-Heterodyne Communications Receiver (15 tubes) Visual Valve Tester
- 3. 3 of 23 § We had two versions of this Cintel 6-Decade Counter-Timer in the lab § One with 6-Dual-Triode Valves: The other with 11-Discrete Transistors (Per Decade) § The discrete transistors just ‘swapped’ the valve in the circuit § Semi-Digital Technology (4 FF/Decade Board) § Analogue Output (Centre-zero meters with R/2R ‘D>A’) … The first Counter/Timers based on ICs (Racal) appeared around 1969 1965/6: On the cusp of Change… Four Flip-Flops per Decade-Board Six Decade-Boards Inside One Six-Decade Counter/Timer (1Mhz)
- 4. 4 of 23 Moore’s Law: c1965 § “Moore's Law” was coined by Carver Mead in 1970, from Gordon Moore's article in Electronics Magazine 19 April 1965 "Cramming more components onto integrated circuits“. “The complexity for minimum component costs has increased at a rate of roughly a factor of two per year ... Certainly over the short term this rate can be expected to continue, if not to increase. Over the longer term, the rate of increase is a bit more uncertain, although there is no reason to believe it will not remain nearly constant for at least 10 years. That means by 1975, the number of components per integrated circuit for minimum cost will be 65,000. I believe that such a large circuit can be built on a single wafer” In 1965 he was designing ICs with ~80 transistors! And basing his observations on 30-40 transistor ICs!
- 6. 6 of 23 1974: Joined Pye TMC My Commercial Start-Point ... § Fresh from Uni. with 1st in Electrical and Electronic Eng. (+Beard!) § Familiar Content: Mathematics, Communications, Physics, Optics, Electrical, Discrete Electronics, Radio, Digital Logic and Computers, Fortran ... § Electronics at the time ... § Consumer Electronics … § TV was still valve (tube) technology, but the 5/7 Tr. radio was common § The first four-function electronic calculators were available using simple IC’s § All Real-time Signals and their Processing was Analogue § Commercial Electronics … § Single Design-Computer, shared by ‘Batch’ use. I/O was Teletype and paper-tape § TTL (74xx) used in Mainframe Computers. Fortran the language of choice § Networking was primitive and local. § The Car and Telephone were still very much electro-mechanical … § Cameras were mechanical and chemical; Diaries, Organizers, Magazines were paper. § Lights were incandescent; Displays were CRT (No LCDs or LEDs). ... Had I learned enough to exploit for the next 42yrs? … Of course not!
- 8. 8 of 23 Transport - c1974 Vauxhall Viva HB SL90 Vauxhall Viva HB Produced 1966-70 (10yr life)
- 9. 9 of 23 Domestic Phone - c1974 British Telecom Yeoman Telephone c1964-84 (20yr lifetime)
- 10. 10 of 23 1976: My First Chip Design § My Project to make a dial-replacement module … needed a Push Button Dialer Chip § 4-Phase Dynamic Logic (Invented by Bob Booher in 1966) § P-MOS Metal Gate. ~12mil (300um) Transistors. Fairchild/GI FAB. 32khz clock. § Design Tools: Pencil, A2 Paper and Logic Template … ~150 gates on 350mil sq die (9mm); and each gate includes a register 1-Gate 3-Gate 2-Gate (4-Gate) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four-phase_logic#
- 14. 14 of 23 2012: NVIDIA’s Tegra 3 Processor Unit (Around 1B transistors) NB: The Tegra 3 is similar to the Apple A4 ... Further x 100 by Increased Connective-Complexity …
- 15. 15 of 23 Chips ~20 million times more Complex in the last 25yrs! § Required use of Totally New Capabilities … § High Level Description Languages § Synthesis § Verification Languages and Methods § Model Based Design § Reuse and IP Modules § Data Management … All of which were Sciences when they were introduced a year or two earlier § And now we are in the Era of the System Product… § Functionality is multi-chip and multi-Si-technology (Multi-Geometry, Multi-Voltage, Multi-Family) § All Technologies in-the-box have to work together to deliver Functionality § Includes the Manufacturing Process (Inc. Cost and Reliability) § Includes the Test Strategy (Inc. Manufacturing and Maintenance (Self-Test)) § Includes Architectural and Knowledge-Based IP ‘Reuse’ for Productivity and Quality § Includes Human Factors (Form and Function) … Success of a Design was never measured by the success of a Single Component § Built-in Self-Test Methods § Embedded Real-Time Software § RT Computer Architectures (CPU, GPU, MPU, etc) § Domain-specific Knowledge § Embedded Operating Systems § …
- 16. 16 of 23 Design its about Delivering a Commercial Opportunity ... § Designers create (Technology Based) Stuff to be a Valuable and Viable Product ... § Functional - It has GOT to work § Economical - Its cost has got to be less than its value § Reproducible – It has to Yield, be Distributable and Reliable (enough) § Innovative – It has to be Competitive against alternative implementations § They Deliver a Promise for the future ... § Certainty § Timescales § Development and Manufacturing Costs § Quality (Dependability and Reliability) § And they base it on the use of Appropriate Available Technology ... § Not the fanciest, newest or optimistically promised (Have to judge between claim and reality) § It is about working with others (teams) internally and externally to deliver § It is about thinking around and about the problem, and being ingenious in the solution (Ingineer!) ... The Designers Role is to Create a Marketable Product Differentiation!
- 17. 17 of 23 § General Purpose, Stored Program, Computing Mechanism § Technology: Electronics (valves), Digital (base 2) § Available today ... Enhanced by Micro-Electronics (Mainframe <=> Laptop) Computing Drove Electronic Technology in 1947 … Uo.Manchester, BABY Computer (Reconstruction 2000)
- 18. 18 of 23 § HPCs and Mainframes … Certainly stretches the envelope § Workstations (High Performance Desk-Top) … Are its children … Does it still Drive it today? It certainly has the highest in-box performance needs!
- 19. 19 of 23 … But Consumer is the ‘Electronic’ Front-Line! Purchased by Consumers for Function not Technology
- 20. 20 of 23 ... ‘Old’ Markets remain; but they inherit their Technologies from the Lead Markets! Business Opp’ty Has Always Driven Technology Evolution But End-Customer has evolved from Professional to Consumer 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030 Millionsof Units 1st Era Select work-tasks 2nd Era Broad-based computing for specific tasks 3rd Era Computing as part of our lives
- 22. 22 of 23 10nm 100nm 1um 10um 100um ApproximateProcessGeometry ITRS’99 Transistors/Chip(M) Transistor/PM(K) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moore’s_law And Designer Productivity was always the Challenge ... Global TeamsLocal TeamsSmall TeamSingle Designer
- 23. 23 of 23 10nm 100nm 1um 10um 100um ApproximateProcessGeometry ITRS’99 Transistors/Chip(M) Transistor/PM(K) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moore’s_law ... Without >90% Reuse, today’s Electronic Systems would be Un-Producible ! And Designer Productivity was always the Challenge ... Global TeamsLocal TeamsSmall TeamSingle Designer Expertise ReuseHW&SW ReuseSome ReuseClean Sheet
- 24. 24 of 23 § Need: A Mechanism for enhancing human memory (Camera) § Technology: ... § Excellent Lenses (3D to 2D transposition!) § Fine Mechanical Mechanisms § Electro-Mechanical Exposure Metering § Metal (and some) Plastic Forming § Manual Assembly § 2D Photo-Chemical Memory (35mm Film) 1998 - Canon EOS Rebel GII (18yrs ago) 35mm Film Camera System-Level Mechanical Computation
- 25. 25 of 23 § Need: A Mechanism for enhancing human memory (Camera) § Technology: ... § Digital Logic (CPU+I.O.) § Software § Memory (NV and RAM) § Excellent Lenses (3D>2D) and Displays § Analogue Electronics (Network & GPS) § Sensors and Transducers (CCD & MEM) § Precision Mechanics § Micro-Motors § Batteries and Energy Storage § LEDs and Discharge Tubes § Precision forming of Plastics and Metal § Electronic Packaging § Robotic Assembly ... Manufacturing Technology External to the Product! ... An Electronic System Product is about the viable, timely, economical integration of multiple technologies. Already moved-on from Hardware and Software Co-Design! 2016 - Canon EOS 5D (Today) Incorporating DIGIC5+ (ARM) System-Level Computation ARM-based Computer
- 27. 27 of 23 Drive: The Functional-Opportunity Presented by Today’s Si … … Beating your competition by rapidly utilizing that potential in your product! § Methods Use & Reuse of Large Regular Hardware Blocks … Memory and Processor Engines utilise the majority of the transistors generically § Methods for High-Productivity System Design … Abstraction, Hierarchy and Software; use of larger teams; reuse § Methods for Use of Other People’s Expertise – Worldwide … Componentisation and Reuse (Virtual and Physical) § System Mentality – Its only when the System Works that we get paid! Systems are the Functional Alloy of many Technologies! Si is not the centre of that universe; so it's not the complexity limiter either … Moore’s Law today is about Doubling of Functional Density, not active devices! … I predict Functional Density (in the box!) will continue to double every 18mth
- 28. 28 of 23 § 52 years of rapid Change in Products and their Implementation Technologies; which I was always expected to Comprehend and optimally Deploy (It is tough but exciting being a Design Engineer!) § Re-calibrated Formal Education for me … § Its primary role was to get me ‘into a Room’ with others, where I could contribute something towards creating order out of 'electronic' chaos ... enough to be invited back. § That I would understood enough of what-went-on in the room, to come out with more knowledge than I went in! ... The primary way I would learn through my life! § After a few years ...Still being in 'the room' is what matters, not how you first got there! § Re-calibrated the Design-Engineers Responsibilities for me … § It is necessary for me to know about the Technologies closest to ’my speciality domain’ § But it is also necessary to understand the wider context of their deployment. Any technology will only be a (small) part of end-product. A successful product is when they all work together. ... Continuous Change, Challenge and Learning throughout my working life … There is no wonder I always felt that my knowledge was lacking! 2016: My Finishing-Line ...
- 29. 29 of 23 Societal - Organized Ad Hoc From Knowledge to Skill § Stage1: We start knowing nothing (Primary Education) § Those around us (appear to) know everything, so we learn from Everybody. § We are the sum of our Experience; which isn’t much ... We are not financially valuable to society. § Stage2: We learn from Teachers; and progressively know as much as most people (Secondary Education) § Whilst realizing there are others who know more, and less. § We are the sum of our Education; and on a par with most others. ... We are no more financially valuable to society than the next person § Stage3: We learn from Experts; and soon know more than most people in some areas (Tertiary Education) § Though in other areas we will know less than our peers § We are the sum of our Education; so could be replaced by another with similar Qualifications ... If our skills are needed; we are more financially valuable to society than the average other person. § Stage4: We learn from Peers and from our own Experience (Professional Education) § We are greater than our Formal Education; we cannot be replaced by another with the same Education profile. Formal Qualifications no longer define the role. § Professional Skill emerges as we develop the ability to identify and deploy subsets of what we know, in conjunction with what others know. Whilst our domain-specific knowledge grows, aspects of our Formal Knowledge may stagnate or decline. ... We are valued more highly (subject to demand), because we know what/how-to-do; though are frequently not best at doing specific things. ... Maintenance of Your Stage4-Value is (should be) an important part of Your Career Plans.
- 30. 30 of 23 Being a Design Engineer today … The next 50yrs will be no-less difficult than the last … Change will continue thick and fast; and you will be expected to keep up with it. So … § Don’t be afraid to admit it, when You Don’t Know … You will always be part of a Team trying to make (Technical) Order out of Chaos! § Go to meetings to Contribute what You Know, to overcome the Team’s Challenge … Strive to Acquire New Knowledge for Yourself at every one Get yourself invited to the next § Remember that Successful End-Products pay for Everything in the/their life-cycle … Nobody, Scientist or Engineer, lives in a protected bubble! (Don’t forget this) § Learn to See/Recognise the change happening around you … It takes practice, but look around and see what has changed for you every year … Embrace the uncertainty of Challenge and Change … … It is your job to Deliver the Extraordinary!
- 31. 31 of 23 © Ian Phillips 2016 https://ianp24.blogspot.com Thankyou for Listening And Good Luck with the next 50yrs J