Page 135 - Anatomy of a Robot

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120 CHAPTER THREE
Price
It’s possible to obtain processors for under a dollar, and it’s possible to pay thousands
of dollars for some. When shopping for processors, don’t forget that a quote means
nothing if delivery is not forthcoming. Some processor companies will not even talk to
customers who only want a few processors.

Software Tools

A good processor that is not well supported is useless. Here are some factors to
consider:
Support How well is the processor supported with software development tools?
Many special-purpose processors have custom-made tools that must be used.
Most general-purpose processors attract sufficient attention so that multiple soft-
ware tools are available.
Second source What will happen if the processor company goes out of busi-
ness? It is possible to specify processors for the robot that can be purchased from
multiple vendors. The processors may not be identical in all cases, but the con-
version will be simple. Don’t forget that it does no good to secure two distributors
for a processor if the processor is only made in one place!
Availability of SW engineers Don’t forget to consider the software engineers
when choosing a processor for the robot. If the SW engineer cannot handle the
chosen processor, consider replacing the processor. The other, easier option is to
replace the programmer!
Software price Don’t forget to consider the price of the software tools. Many
are available on the Internet, but others can be very expensive.
Development equipment Some software tools may require a very fast devel-
opment system, and it may not be a PC. If the development system requires Unix
or another operating system, a PC may not be the right choice for the hardware
platform.
Licenses needed Consider how many programmers must use the development
software tools. Some tools come with “seat” licenses, meaning the project will
need one license for each engineer using the development tools.

Development Time and Expense

Beyond the issue of software development tools, many other issues can affect the time
and expense of the development of the robot: