I have translated the following text from Russian.  I would appreciate
knowing if I have used any incorrect terminology, and also knowing what
this is all about.  (No hurry, I have sent in the translation but would
still like to learn something).


Development of a specialized processor for image processing
based on the K1804 sectioned  system, including development of
microcode.
(What is a sectioned system?)

Integration of software into a finished system for a
television with digital signal processing, with improved user
qualities.
(How does digital signal processing differ from what is used now?)

Software implementation of a bus for data exchange between 12C
microcircuits.
(How does one implement a bus, or does one use another word?)

Development of software for Teletext 1.5 and 2.X functions and
the use of Teletext to create an on-screen menu (OSD).
(What is an OSD?)

Creation of a database of parameters for controlling a set of
ITT Digit 3000 microcircuits.  

Development and implementation of software for automatic
detection of components installed in a television chassis and
and configuration of the related control code.
(Rusty at Kiwanis was telling us about this - the new TVs have a computer
built into them that tells you what is in the TV and how to fix it).

Software implementation of reception of infrared remote
control signals according to RC-4 and RC-5 protocols.
(What are these protocols?)

Writing software for self-diagnosing a television chassis
and indicating errors using a light or audio signal.

Writing control software for work with various television
tuners.

Implementation of functions for adjusting a television
receiver using digital signal processing during servicing.

When writing software, he used primarily Aztech 6502 assembler
language and Aztech 6502 C compiler language.  The code was
debugged using EMU 3000 and TPU 2040 intracircuit emulators
and TAMINO debugging software.
(Is this commonly used software?)

15 responses total.

Re #0:  Some of these terms are familiar, some I can guess at, some
are probably language-specfic colloquialisms which don't resemble
the English equivalents enough to suggest a meaning.

"sectioned system":  no idea.  Maybe it means "modular", except that
the Russian word for "module" is "module" IIRC.  It might also mean
something like a Harvard architecture processor, where code and data
are in separate memory spaces.  There are too many possibilities.
A 6502 is not "sectioned" in this sense, many DSP chips are.

>(How does digital signal processing differ from what is used now?)

Digital signal processing is radically different from historical
television practice, which is to use analog components.  DSP can
remove ghosting, stabilize sync, and do all kinds of magic.

>Software implementation of a bus for data exchange between 12C
>microcircuits.
>(How does one implement a bus, or does one use another word?)

Is that "12C", or "I2C"?  I2C is a convention for relatively low-speed
data transmission between chips; it is cost-effective because it only
requires 2 wires and can inter-connect many devices on them.

A bus is just a system for routing data.  16 wires in parallel with
some control signals thrown in is a common scheme for a bus between
a CPU and its memory and other devices.

An OSD in this context is almost certainly an on-screen display.

In this context, RC-4 and RC-5 are probably infrared remote-control
signalling formats.  The same acronyms mean other things in e.g. cryptography.

>When writing software, he used primarily Aztech 6502 assembler
>language and Aztech 6502 C compiler language.  The code was
>debugged using EMU 3000 and TPU 2040 intracircuit emulators
>and TAMINO debugging software.
>(Is this commonly used software?)

Aztec (no "h") made some pretty good assemblers when I was doing stuff a
while back.  Wouldn't surprise me if they were still in use in Russia.
I can't tell you anything about the emulators and debugger.  An emulator
is a device that plugs in in place of the CPU, and both executes the
same program and produces the same electrical signals.  It also has
high-speed recording and trapping circuits which allow the software
engineer to analyze the behavior of the program as it interacts with
the rest of the system in real time and excruciating detail.  Sometimes
that's the only thing that will get the job done.

Thanks for the info.  Russian typewriters make no distinction between 1 and
I (they don't have a 1) so I could not tell the difference and guessed wrong.
The Russian was spelled 'Aztech' (in the Roman alphabet) - must be they are
used to 'tech'.  One of our Kiwanis volunteers has been learning to fix TVs
with computer chips in them, that will self-diagnose - I think he said these
were the high definition TVs.  Are all HDTVs digital?  Any idea when there
will be a switch from broadcasting both analog and digital (I presume that
is being done now) to just digital?  Originally it was supposed to be 20006
(at which point Kiwanis would be flooded with analog-only TVs).

What other devices besides TVs and cars now contain 'computers'?

It might be easier to ask what devices *don't* contain computers, nowadays. 
Microcontrollers have gotten inexpensive enough that they're often used
where logic circuits would have been used in the past.  Cable boxes, TVs,
VCRs, microwave ovens, stereo equipment, thermostats, washing machines,
dryers...any number of devices.  If it doesn't have a computer in it yet, it
will probably have one eventually.  Microcontrollers have also
revolutionized things like elevators, traffic light controllers, and
railroad crossing signals, in many cases taking over tasks that were once
performed by banks of relays.

My spoon?  Nope.  My fork?  Nope.  My Leatherman? Nope.  My glasses? Nope.
My pants? Nope.  My boots? Nope.  This oil can on my desk? Nope.  My desk?
Nope.  My backpacking tent? Nope.  My sleeping bag? Nope.  My table lamp?
Nope.  This stapler? Nope.  I'm glad that there are still a lot of things
in my life that don't have computers in them.  I don't have a fondness for
batteries and wall-warts all over, to say nothing of the complex technology
involved, the likely bug in any software burnt into its feeble ROM or
dealing with one button that has fifteen functions.

My printer (a 24-pin) probably has some microcontrollers in it.  It is so far
from intuitive how to program it that I no longer even try but just use the
default font.  Too many buttons to push in just the right sequence.  I presume
this solution is now much cheaper than the older methods, which had more
moving parts.  Jim has a smooth-top stove that no longer works at all,
probably because of a dead diode.  My stove does not have diodes.  Are there
cases where the newer circuitry is more reliable than the older mechanical
switches?  I would think the digital answering machines would last longer,
since there are no belts to wear out.  And they can also do things the older
machines could not, such as erase, or listen to, only one message out of six.

I agree about the nuisance of batteries and wall-warts (we need a new
type of power unit based on a quantum singularity), but I find that
it is microcontrollers that are among the most reliable components of my home,
compared to plumbing, windows and door, roofs, lawns, furniture, and
paint. 

I can think of some things that have become more reliable because of
microcontrollers.  Car engines, for example.  They used to need a tuneup
every 6,000 miles or so to keep running well.  They require a lot less
attention, now, because the computer can adjust for a certain amount of wear
and tear.  Also, most cars nowadays have no mechanical speedometer cable,
since the speedometer is directly controlled by the car's computer.  That
means no noisy or broken speedometer cables, and no low-speed bobble.

A lot of home appliances that seem less reliable nowadays are less reliable
not because of microcontrollers, but because of shoddy manufacturing.  A
good example are all the TVs RCA has put out in the last ten years with bad
solder joints.  Companies have figured out that most customers will pay
extra for added features, but won't pay extra for quality.  The
microcontrollers themselves are generally exceedingly reliable, being
low-power devices based on proven designs.

Our TV repairman, any time he gets a TV which loses its picture after it heats
up, goes straight to the solder joints.  In each brand it is different ones
that tend to go bad, and it is pretty predictable. (By 'our' I mean Kiwanis').
We met him because a large TV was donated that was not working but seemed
worth fixing so we called around to various shops to see if someone wanted
it for parts.  He said to drop it off, and next day said he could drop it off,
fixed, for free.  (At which point we 'hired' him as a volunteer). Bad solder
joint.  Jim and John had spent hours testing all the components.

Perhaps most customers don't expect to keep their purchases past the warranty
period?  What are typical warranty periods on electronic  goods?

        If the warranty period is 30 day, it might last a year.  If the
warranty period is 90 days, it might last three years.

Re #2:  If the "2" in "I2C" was a superscript, or if it was ever
written "IIC", then it's the 2-wire perpheral bus I was talking
about.  If it is mentioned in the context of connecting the control
unit to the frequency synthesizer (channel selector), volume and
tone controls, and picture controls, then it's almost certain it's
I(squared)C.

There are several different HDTV "standards" worldwide.  The one for
the USA uses a digital format for the over-the-air signal, so any TV
which can handle it is going to handle things as numbers after the
conversion from the intermediate frequency and probably all the way
to selecting the brightness of pixels on the display.

If it's electronic and has any kind of button-driven multi-function
capability, it's almost certainly got some kind of digital smarts.
Many of the really simple chips are dedicated-purpose (ASICs, or
Application-Specific ICs) but even some car-alarm key fobs are
driven by a programmed microcontroller.  Your printer could not
exist without one.

Re #6:  I think if we subjected microcontrollers to the weather
directly, or flushed crap down them, that we'd find they're not
as reliable as some people's experience with more-sheltered
applications might indicate.  It's the sensors and actuators
where the rubber meets the road, and they have the dirty jobs.

Re #7:  The inherent reliability is something I'd question; a bad
connection to a sensor can kill the engine in a modern car.  What
they don't do is degrade gracefully, so your pollution control gear
will still be working as long as the ignition fires and the oxygen
sensor reports good data.  That's a big plus for the EPA.

Especially for cars, microcontrollers are essential to meeting
pollution and efficiency specs.  There's no way that you could
compensate spark timing for RPM, manifold pressure, intake
temperature, fuel octane and exhaust-gas recirculation without
digital controls; a mechanical distributor only manages the first
two.  You'd never be able to run the fuel mixture in the
rich-lean-rich-lean sequence which gives the best emissions
reduction without them either.  There are even more little tweaks
here and there, like retarding the spark briefly to reduce power
output while the transmission is shifting which lets the clutches
lock up faster and with less wear and tear.  The nitty-gritty stuff
of running an engine gets extremely detailed and arcane!  You'd find
them almost impossible to handle with mechanical or analog controls.

The point about sloppiness is a good one, and it applies to cars (one of
my particular areas of expertise) also.  One of the great features of
the sensors is that they can offer feedback about how upstream components
are working, which allows the computer to adjust them.  This in turn
allows far-out-of-spec components to function just fine... or lets the
manufacturer use cheaper, less-consistent components and smooth out the
variations in software.

Manufacturers have no incentive to avoid failures after the warranty
period, unless they want repeat sales.  Case in point:  I have an Aiwa
bookshelf stereo with a 3 CD changer and dual cassette.  The CD changer
now refuses to play most of my CDs, but they play fine in my little
Magnavox portable and my JVC boom box.  I am going to take the thing
apart sometime to see if it just needs cleaning, but if it's more than
that I'm going to junk it... and never buy another Aiwa again.

Actually, my impression is that car systems degrade a lot more gracefully
than they used to.  I had, for a time, a 1975 fuel-injected VW.  it had no
microcontroller, just an analog computer.  It didn't degrade gracefully at
all.  If one sensor quit, it usually died entirely.  Modern engine computers
have a lot of "limp-home" modes to let them keep running if something goes
wrong.  The extreme example is the Cadillac Northstar engine, which can be
run for a considerable distance without any coolant, without suffering any
damage.  It does this trick by firing on four cylinders until those four get
too hot, then firing on the other four while the first set pumps air.  It
switches back and forth like that to keep the internal temperatures down.

The first CD players (more than 10 years old) did not play poor quality CDs
well, no matter how expensively they were built.  More gadgets have since been
incorporated to deal with scratches.  So don't blame AIWA in particular.
Instead of junking the AIWA, could we have it to try to fix?  Today we went
through most of 20 broken tape decks and got about half working (the others
mostly need belts that we don't have in our collection) - cleaning rollers
or reindexing or turning off PAUSE or replacing belts fixed them all.  One
had an electronic problem and got recycled - the chip would cost much more
than a belt if available.  Mechanical problems are usually fairly simple to
diagnose and cheap to fix.   Several of the tape decks had something called
AUtomatic Music Search System, which never seemed to work. (You hit FF while
it is playing and it is supposed to go the next track).  This is controlled
electronically.

Re #12:  This unit is less than 3 years old, and I'm going to try to
fix it myself.  (It played the occasional CD perfectly, but refused
to play most.)  Without CD function it is essentially an AM/FM/cassette.
If the CD is dead I am going to look at making some other use of its
speakers, which would make the receiver unit rather useless.  If I have
no use for the speakers, Kiwanis can have the whole kit and kaboodle
including original packing.  The remote works fine.

The public library has one good book on CD repair.  If you have not ever
cleaned the lens, it may overheat and burn out the optics.  I don't know if
optics that are going bad would play good CDs but not bad ones, but bad optics
make it start to skip, and then simply not recognize that there is a CD.
Our VCR repairman at Kiwanis might be willing to give you some idea of whether
it is fixable if you describe the exact symptom.  He usually pokes around in
them and says 'bad optics' so we recycle them.
        Units that have CD and tape combined are often built cheaply, to a
price.

That's why I prefer component systems.

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