Hi Cobalt,
>> If next year was 2001, the chip wouldn't care, so why does it care about 2000? <<
As you suspected, it is highly unlikely for anyone to have designed actual circuits on a silicon chip that keeps track of the year (excluding, perhaps, some Japanese watches). There are many pure hardware circuits that keep track of accurate time but such devices are used in places where high speed clock is needed and they use nanoseconds rather than years. In all of the embedded devices that use dates as data, including commercially available calendar chip sets, the logic to manipulate dates is in "firmware" that is stored somewhere within the device. In many chips, the ROM is an integral part of processor and this type of chips (usually called "microcontroller") are often used in embedded devices.
When your radio report talked about "embedded chip problem" they probably meant the firmware stored in the ROM portion. Don't be too worried about this Y2K issue, the problem exists only when the device happens to keep track of calendar year and if the code uses only 2 digits for the year value and if it does not allow for number over 99. If the traffic light system in your area has Y2K problem then the controlling devices must be using calendar based schedule to monitor light intervals. As long as the default condition is set to red light, the Y2K problem will result in no more than turning all lights effectively into stop signs; if default is green, well, you may want to stay home for the year.
Good luck
NI |
