Embedded Systems- Some companies get things right

Embedded Systems

I recently made the mistake of following this "cheap is best" advice too blindly in designing Embedded Systems. I was tempted to replace a $10,000+ software tool-chain Embedded Systems (which wasn't fancy, except for the price) with some new alternative development tools that cost a few hundred dollars. The new tools promised to do the same job at a fraction of the price. At that price, we could afford to have a copy for each developer, instead of having a single tool tied to one PC. 

I placed the order, the software arrived, and I duly put it through its paces. Several days later, I still couldn't persuade it to build a simple real-life project in Embedded Systems. The tool-chain was bug-ridden. The vendor fixed the bugs promptly but we found more--and so it continued. The low, up-front cost of a few hundred dollars was eclipsed by the cost of downtime we spent trying to get it to work. I gave up and returned to the mega-buck tools.

What happened? Though the tools were cheap, I overlooked (or chose to ignore) that the tools had very few existing users, just like some of the expensive counterparts. I was back to being a beta tester on someone else's project. I should have asked the vendor to supply references, i.e., some real users who could speak about their experiences with the tools in Embedded Systems.

Don't be afraid to ask for references (and follow up on them) if you find yourself in a similar situation.

Companies that get it right

Microchip is a case in point; it offers good tools at reasonable prices.

However, most semiconductor companies don't get it. I dislike paying a premium for their tools just for the privilege of being able to design their hardware into end products. I also object to paying even more for dongles and sub-standard, glossy-looking text editors, when all I need are reliable command-line tools at a reasonable price.

Open source wins
The logical solution is to use freeware or open source tools when possible. These tools are free, you get the source code, and the tools usually have many users.

Picking the right Embedded Systems tools can be a difficult process, so take your time. The wrong choice can hit your project hard where it hurts: in bugs and missed deadlines.