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To: Ali Chen who wrote (4213)	2/3/1998 2:25:00 PM
From: Bill Jackson	Respond to of 6843

I recall a board maker testing a chip set beta to see how it worked. I suspect Intel uses both internal and external beta testers for their chip sets. they want sales as wide as possible, unless they want a captive chip set only Intel uses. The board makers start to design based on specs before the chip set is in hand, and then make the board and get the samples and start to see if it works, usually a full schematic is provided as a starting point for the board makers and they go from there. It can take 1-2 days for a chip set to fly from the maker to the board maker, and the files are e-mailed so that by the time the chips arrive the prototype is ready. Ofetn the chipsets are hand carried to save time. "They can do test cycles and make a next protoype board in 1-2 days" - Not impossible, it is done. The design software knows where all the parts go and one board can be planted if needed, but they usually make a plant list for parts, and a few can be exceptioned for hand planting.(skipped) "Modern ... We are speaking of small delays and other sorts of analysis for a supposed good chip set. The hard work has been done by the chipmaker already. But you are right about real analysis being a human mediated task. The board maker will be adding small L and C with pc board methods to change timing and to eliminate grass and fur on signals(grass is baseline noise, fur is on the top) "A friend ... Amazingly few hours to get the first prototype board tested and faults identified and the next one started. 4-6 layer boards ib 24 hours or less from layout. We do that here with prototype houses. "Most chip set vendors provide a schematic start motherboard..," Intel will of course have some advantages, and they use them. However with custom boards for Dell etc, the advantage can be with the Taiwanese. But it is a battle the Taiwanese do well at. their workers slave away longer hours for less money than the spoiled US workers(not all are spoiled, but in general) Bill