Microchip Project - Simple display with simple logging I need to hire someone :) - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Clint
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 17, 2014, 02:27:24 pm
content: Not sure if I am allowed to post this or if its in the right place, but due to ill health I have some projects I have won that I need to find an engineer / student to do for me.Summary of Project.I have a company with a machine that would like a cheap way to diagnose issues, I have won a small contract to produce 100 units, however I am not able to do any work right now so I thought I would see if any students on here would like to earn some cash.I will need PIC based Hardware and Software Design plus a PCB design to put out to a PCB online makers, I will work closely with you.Pic Based, MicroC Preferred, 20 x 2 display, will require a PCB made to fit the rear of the screen. 2 prototypes 1 for you one for me to test.4 Displayed Parameters all with same supply 0-5 volt inputs1 input requires a setup min and max setup based on a mechanical lever – then software interoperated readings.1 input requires a min and max reading entered via a menuI Speed pickup Mag BasedI solenoid input duty cycle required2 voltage measurements, 9-19v and the 5v sensor supply.1 Runtime measurement – man min and fault logged on each input, so some light logging required.I will supply all conversions for the inputsI would prefer someone in the UK, but not a major problem if not.Please PM me if interested.....

author: miceuz
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 17, 2014, 03:39:09 pm
content: Sorry to say that, your requirements is just a pile of incomprehensible gibberish. No one in her right mind would touch it with a ten meter stick.

author: Clint
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 17, 2014, 06:38:37 pm
content: Quote from: miceuz on January 17, 2014, 03:39:09 pmLife is easy if you want it to be- some people will look at this and make no sense others ( 3 today ) have asked some great questions and could understand what I wanted, the first reply was the one I have chosen to move forward; I did not need someone in their right mind, a madman with PIC skills would have been fine.Thanks everyone for the PM's I have initiated the project with someone who can read gibberish and make phone calls so he could understand more.

author: Circuitous
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 17, 2014, 07:03:05 pm
content: Quote from: miceuz on January 17, 2014, 03:39:09 pmUnkind and quite incorrect. It sounds like a decent real world project for a student.These are better requirements than I usually get for software applications.Up front, I would have needed to ask a few questions in general and a few on each of the inputs and outputs, but the description provided the overall scope of the project. It doesn't sound like a big deal.I hope that at the end of the effort a follow up will be posted describing how things worked out, and what the OP would do differently on the next project.

author: miceuz
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 18, 2014, 11:19:29 am
content: Quote from: Circuitous on January 17, 2014, 07:03:05 pmI come from the software world too and I agree - this is the stuff you usually get from the _client_ at the very beginning. But in this case it's not client, but a guy who could be called "project manager", whos job is to be a mediator between you and the client in an efficient way.From the text two posts above I can judge that the person is either clueless or does not care enough to be accurate in his writing or simply can not english. That's why I smell trouble - there could be huge problems under almost every so called "requirement" point causing the project complexity to explode and there are going to be huge problems in communication up to a point you don't know why do you need this manager in the middle anymore.Doing the problem domain analysis and preparing requirements is a job that you'd end up doing for free and in great pain. That's how it always ends in projects like these. Maybe I'm too pessimistic but after running IT business for 12 years I've learned it's better to be pessimistic upfront and have a nice surprise when everything goes better than expected than other way around.Yes, it could be a good project for a student to learn how does it feel when the project is going south and you just want to finish it and never remember it. Nothing to put on a resume afterwards.Ok, maybe I'm too harsh, then let's be fair to the OP and go thru requirements point by point. I encourage the OP to prove me wrong and post explanations to questions below. You get this for free because I've had a good morning.Quote from: Clint on January 17, 2014, 02:27:24 pmParameters have supply? Are those just analog values between 0 and 5 volts? What is the meaning of this sentence?Quote from: Clint on January 17, 2014, 02:27:24 pmwha?I even don't know where to start asking. Ok, there is a lever that has min and max positions. Are those min and max positions fixed and known beforehand? And you don't need them configurable? How is the lever position read? Is there already a sensor or do I have to choose and design it?Quote from: Clint on January 17, 2014, 02:27:24 pmAha, so we have a menu. So at least we have two modes of operation - setup and run. And we have some means to navigate and control the device. What are the preferable control inputs? How much do we need? How is the menu navigated? What else is in the menu?Quote from: Clint on January 17, 2014, 02:27:24 pmYou speed pickup Mag Based?Ok, what is a mag based pickup? Do they have a hall sensor for a motor to measure speed or do I have to design it? Huge underwater rock here.Quote from: Clint on January 17, 2014, 02:27:24 pmNow you solenoid? Man you deepDo you need to measure a duty cycle of a signal that is fed to a solenoid? Do you need to measure minimum duty cycle needed for solenoid to close?Quote from: Clint on January 17, 2014, 02:27:24 pmI have to make two voltage measurements of sensor power supply? Probably not. Ok, I have to measure two voltages, that is clear, can you explain the sensor part?Quote from: Clint on January 17, 2014, 02:27:24 pmAha, so we have logging. Where does the logging happen to? How is it read afterwards? Usb? SD card? Display on a screen? The usage of the word "light" here tells me you are trying to slip something huge and even more underspecified as a trivial "light" task.If anyone has decided to go on with this, please let us know how it goes.

author: David_AVD
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 18, 2014, 11:34:50 am
content: I would have thought that if you're not interested or don't like the OP's request, you'd just not bother replying and move onto something thatdoesinterest you.If youareinterested, by all means contact him and ask for more details. It's unlikely that anyone would spell out every last detail of the project in the first post.

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 18, 2014, 11:37:16 am
content: Quote from: miceuz on January 18, 2014, 11:19:29 amDid you ever consider Clint may not be able (NDA) or want to post a full spec on a public forum? The big clue here is that he didn't ask for a price. He just looked for someone who can do a project with a certain level of difficulty and for that the description is more than adequate.

author: Clint
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 20, 2014, 02:17:47 pm
content: miceuz - thanks for the effort you have put in to my post, much appreciatedJust to reiterate I have now chosen someone for this project and the requirement is now closed.

author: miceuz
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 21, 2014, 12:04:16 am
content: Quote from: Clint on January 20, 2014, 02:17:47 pmsorry for being harsh and impolite. you have scrached my old woundI wish you best of luck with the project.

author: Clint
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 21, 2014, 08:15:54 pm
content: Quote from: miceuz on January 21, 2014, 12:04:16 amThanks, no offence taken I live on the light side of life; I will report back when completed.

author: G0HZU
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 21, 2014, 10:05:11 pm
content: Hi ClintMight I suggest that you make it a mandatory requirement that all code produced for you by your contractor is well documented and annotated so that anyone else can pick it up if they ever part company with you?.What you don't want is a situation where someone writes great code for you but you only get to see the hex code or (worse) an encrypted file for an encrypted bootloader.Hope this suggestion doesn't offend anyone as I have no idea who is now working on this for Clint