68000-vs-68332 (long) was Re: [EFI68k] new release and group survey

[Bohdan L Bodnar]

> - 68332 is (approx.) $55 68hc000 is (approx.) $17
> - several weeks worth of "free-time" to redeveloped
>   the board. :(
> 
>>Not to mention the lack of product from Motorola. I only have
>>one 68332, and so far, any orders that I have placed for more
>>68332's have resulted in Motorola saying they can't deliver.
>>
>>So far, *any* Motorola distributor I have contacted say they
>>cannot deliver anything for at least six months. I can sure get
>>a Toshiba 68HC000 to do the same job in a big hurry.
>>
>>How many 'Northern Telecoms' does Motorola need to loose before
>>they realize that screwing around the customer is bad business?
>>'Oh yea, we forgot about that one... :-)' They obviously don't
>>hear the small-lot purchasers complaining. Maybe they'll have to
>>loose Delco Electronics and Chrysler, too, before they notice.
>>
>>-Dale

Perhaps you should inquire as to why Motorola can't deliver.  Are there
manufacturing problems?  Did some big buyer put in a huge order?  Are there
shortages of some crucial component such as ultra-pure silicon dies?  Several
years ago I did some statistical modeling which involved the MC68040's
performance.  Most of that data was passed to Motorola under a non-disclosure
agreement (take a look at the MC68060's round-robin cache replacement
algorithm -- that's my design).  At that time, the tech reps gave me some
interesting information regarding obtaining parts (ATT was having similar
problems as yours)...

The biggest purchaser of the MC68xxx family was Apple Computers.  I suppose
that this is still the situation.  We, at Bell Labs, received early samples of
Motorola's chips not because we used a lot of them, but because we ran them at
conditions that no other OEM in the world did.  Motorola therefore obtained
information that they would never otherwise obtain.  To cite a personal
example:  Motorola engineers knew exactly how their caches would perform under
*real* real-time load across a large spectrum of cache architectures, where
performance trade-offs could be made, etc.  However, when it came to mass
purchases, guess who got priority?  Yes, it's the company with the fruit.  I
truly doubt that Motorola will lose any automotive manufacturer -- there's
simply too much $$$ involved whereas individuals like you and I are mere nits.

Here's something you might try:  call your local Motorola tech support office
and see if you can convince them to send you a freebie.  This worked for me in
the early 1980s when I was working on my MSEE (I needed a DMA controller chip
-- all the vendors I contacted claimed something like three months lead time
whereas I needed one ASAP).  I contacted the local office, explained the
situation, and within two weeks had spec sheets + one free $80 chip.

In any capitalistic society, money talks.

Regards,

Bohdan Bodnar