[GTALUG] GTATLUG talk about Atmel AVR

[Kevin Cozens via talk]

Greetings, Peter Hiscocks.

I tried sending the following to your Ryerson email address but the message
bounced so I am trying to get it to you this time via the GTALUG mailing list.

I saw a video of your talk about Atmel AVR parts. Interesting talk. There
are a few points you didn't make about the AVR microcontrollers.

First, the instruction set is optimized for C. This is one of the reasons I
chose to use AVR parts instead of PIC. That and no bank switching of memory
with AVR.

Second, you can use the AVR part without the need for an external crystal in
many cases unless you are doing something requiring very precise timing. If
you don't need precise timing you can use the built-in oscillator but it can
also be calibrated to improve its timing accuracy.

The real "Hello, World" program for hardware (such as microprocessors,
microcontrollers, CPLDs, and FPGA's) is the blinking light.

The question from the audience "Is the Atmel only on the Arduino?" was
interesting. A lot of people associate the ATMEL AVR processors with Arduino
when Arduino is more about the form factor and pinouts on a PCB and the
software libraries, and programming method than about a given processor. You
could have an Arduino board that doesn't use an ATMEL part.
--
Cheers!

Kevin.

http://www.ve3syb.ca/ | "Nerds make the shiny things that
https://www.patreon.html/KevinCozens | distract the mouth-breathers, and
| that's why we're powerful"
Owner of Elecraft K2 #2172 |
#include <disclaimer/favourite> | --Chris Hardwick
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[David Mason via talk]

I regret to say that Peter died a week or so ago. He was always curious and willing to experiment with all sorts of things.

I miss him already, although I hadn’t seen him for several years.

../Dave

Post by Kevin Cozens via talk
Greetings, Peter Hiscocks.
I tried sending the following to your Ryerson email address but the message
bounced so I am trying to get it to you this time via the GTALUG mailing list.
I saw a video of your talk about Atmel AVR parts. Interesting talk. There
are a few points you didn't make about the AVR microcontrollers.
First, the instruction set is optimized for C. This is one of the reasons I
chose to use AVR parts instead of PIC. That and no bank switching of memory
with AVR.
Second, you can use the AVR part without the need for an external crystal in
many cases unless you are doing something requiring very precise timing. If
you don't need precise timing you can use the built-in oscillator but it can
also be calibrated to improve its timing accuracy.
The real "Hello, World" program for hardware (such as microprocessors,
microcontrollers, CPLDs, and FPGA's) is the blinking light.
The question from the audience "Is the Atmel only on the Arduino?" was
interesting. A lot of people associate the ATMEL AVR processors with Arduino
when Arduino is more about the form factor and pinouts on a PCB and the
software libraries, and programming method than about a given processor. You
could have an Arduino board that doesn't use an ATMEL part.
--
Cheers!
Kevin.
http://www.ve3syb.ca/ | "Nerds make the shiny things that
https://www.patreon.html/KevinCozens | distract the mouth-breathers, and
| that's why we're powerful"
Owner of Elecraft K2 #2172 |
#include <disclaimer/favourite> | --Chris Hardwick
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[Stewart C. Russell via talk]

Post by David Mason via talk
I regret to say that Peter died a week or so ago. He was always curious
and willing to experiment with all sorts of things.

I'm very sorry to hear that. Peter will be greatly missed.

-----------

Obituary: HISCOCKS, Peter - Passed away on August 1, 2018 at age 73.

We regret to report the passing of Peter, beloved husband, father,
brother, activist, and all-around excellent human being.

Over the years Peter has been a founding member of the Women in
Engineering Summer camp, involved with the Coalition for Gun Control,
and was a driving force for the reduction of light pollution in the city
of Toronto.

As a professor at Ryerson university, Peter left his mark on students in
electrical engineering and theater courses alike and accumulated a host
of entertaining stories he was happy to share at the drop of a hat.

Following his retirement, he directed some of his effort to his
business, Syscomp Electronic Design, providing low-cost digital
electrical instrumentation around the world.

In June, he celebrated 50 years of happy marriage to his wife Dorothy
while riding a train through the Rockies. Other notable trips include
professor-exchanges in Brazil and China, a trip to New York with his
daughter where they managed to see several planes and an aircraft
carrier but not the Statue of Liberty, and a lovely series of trips with
his wife to Bermuda, Eastern Europe, and Costa Rica that hopefully made
up for their horrible honeymoon.

Among other things, Peter was known for lending a hand, falling from
high places, finding clever solutions, the school of approximate
carpentry, owning too many oscilloscopes and telescopes, occasionally
setting things on fire or extinguishing them, a love of trapdoors,
antennas, and analog circuitry, and overall being a kind, generous,
loving teddy-bear of a man.

He will be deeply missed
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[D. Hugh Redelmeier via talk]

| From: Stewart C. Russell via talk <***@gtalug.org>

Thanks for forwarding the obit.

| On 2018-08-15 11:12 PM, David Mason via talk wrote:
| > I regret to say that Peter died a week or so ago.

Thanks for telling us.

I first met Peter when he started a group for programmers of the
Atari ST. That would have been 30 years ago.

I learned a lot from conversations with him. His interests were
diverse!
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[Kevin Cozens via talk]

Post by David Mason via talk
I regret to say that Peter died a week or so ago. He was always curious
and willing to experiment with all sorts of things.

Thank you for the sad news. I met Peter on several occasions while I was a
student in an electronics program at Ryerson.
--
Cheers!

Kevin.

http://www.ve3syb.ca/ | "Nerds make the shiny things that
https://www.patreon.com/KevinCozens | distract the mouth-breathers, and
| that's why we're powerful"
Owner of Elecraft K2 #2172 |
#include <disclaimer/favourite> | --Chris Hardwick
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