Just add jelly

I like toast. I also like peanut butter. But you know what I really like? The two of them together. Not only does the combination taste great, but making it is easy: all I need is a knife, a toaster, and a plate. Heck, sometimes, I even skip the plate!

Why am I mentioning this? Well, when designing an embedded system, you often need to source third-party hardware or software components. And when doing so, you should always make sure they follow the toast-and-peanut-butter rule: work together out of the box, with little or no fuss. That way, you can focus on adding your own special jelly and transform your peanut-butter toast into a one-of-a-kind PB&J that customers can't get enough of. (Man, I should never write when I'm hungry!)

Evan-Amos, Wikimedia Commons

Seriously, there is no better way to jump-start an embedded project than to choose components that already work in concert. Which is the idea behind today's announcement between Cadence and QNX Software Systems. In a nutshell, they have announced that QNX Acoustics for Active Noise Control (ANC) has been ported to the Cadence Tensilica HiFi Audio/Voice DSP core.

If you're unfamiliar with QNX Acoustics for ANC, it's a software solution for reducing unwanted engine "boom" inside passenger vehicles. Compact and efficient, it can run on a processor or DSP core in the vehicle's infotainment system or audio amplifier, eliminating the dedicated hardware of conventional ANC solutions.

According to Peter McCarthy of QNX, “modern fuel-saving techniques, such as deactivating cylinders when engine load is light, can cause irritating boom noise that distracts the driver. QNX Acoustics for ANC generates targeted anti-noise over the car’s audio system to cancel out this boom for a more enjoyable ride. By combining QNX Acoustics for ANC with the widely deployed Cadence Tensilica HiFi Audio/Voice DSP core, system designers can reduce engine noise while also eliminating the costs associated with designing and prototyping a custom hardware controller module.”

For more information, read the press release and check out previous posts on QNX Acoustics for ANC.

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EV Business Case - Shopping for an EV - 1st Chapter

Introduction

Ever wondered on how different would be shopping for an electric car instead of a regular ICE one?

I thought it would be interesting to do a bit of mystery shopping and compare it with the buying experience of a regular car.

The first thing to do was selecting the models, i've chosen plug-ins that were commonly sold here in Portugal (Nissan Leaf, BMW i3, Renault Zoe, Smart Fortwo ED), along with the Opel Ampera, just because it's one of those cars i would actually see myself buying it.

Scheduling a Test Drive

Speaking of Ampera, after checking the manufacturer websites to schedule a test drive, i had the first surprise of this enterprise in the opel.pt website: There was just ONE dealer selling the Ampera in Portugal, it was in Oporto, 275 kms away.

So, unless you live nearby, you have to REALLY want a 0 kms Ampera to buy it in Portugal. No wonder  this year only two were registered...So the Ampera is out of the case study.

The other four test drive scheduling also had their peculiarities:

- The nearest Nissan dealership didn't had a Leaf available for test drive, so it had to be scheduled on one in downtown Lisbon;

- BMW asked a whole bunch of information regarding the customer (In this case, me), including job profiling;

- Renault back-office assistant advised me to visit the dealership and test-drive other models besides the Zoe, like the Captur or Clio;

- The Smart assistant informed me that at that moment they hadn't any Fortwo ED available for test drive and asked me to wait a few more weeks in order to perform the test drive. (I waited three weeks).

So, after this first step, Opel is out, Smart is losing points, Renault is losing focus, BMW a bit intimidating and Nissan is ok. 

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