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Re: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027

From Bill Sloman <bill.sloman@ieee.org>
Newsgroups sci.electronics.design
Subject Re: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027
Date 2026-02-07 15:44 +1100
Organization A noiseless patient Spider
Message-ID <10m6fvb$ooav$4@dont-email.me> (permalink)
References (8 earlier) <ufg9okd1aoaq4560cv2p0r2qu12nfa74kd@4ax.com> <10m43b8$3si94$8@dont-email.me> <g8lbokh5shoq22sc9djcmrnaa96ohpp8gf@4ax.com> <10m4rgh$68rj$4@dont-email.me> <vs6cok9qmkgoli0ssqjcu0hsfvftptpaq6@4ax.com>

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On 7/02/2026 4:06 am, john larkin wrote:
> On Sat, 7 Feb 2026 00:48:50 +1100, Bill Sloman <bill.sloman@ieee.org>
> wrote:
> 
>> On 6/02/2026 10:56 pm, john larkin wrote:
>>> On Fri, 6 Feb 2026 17:56:26 +1100, Bill Sloman <bill.sloman@ieee.org>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> On 6/02/2026 3:29 am, john larkin wrote:
>>>>> On Thu, 5 Feb 2026 16:01:29 +1100, Bill Sloman <bill.sloman@ieee.org>
>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> On 5/02/2026 3:33 am, john larkin wrote:
>>>>>>> On Wed, 4 Feb 2026 23:50:25 +1100, Bill Sloman <bill.sloman@ieee.org>
>>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> On 4/02/2026 10:37 pm, john larkin wrote:
>>>>>>>>> On Wed, 4 Feb 2026 16:39:39 +1100, Bill Sloman <bill.sloman@ieee.org>
>>>>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> On 4/02/2026 3:24 am, john larkin wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>> On Tue, 03 Feb 2026 08:03:02 -0800, Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@cruzio.com>
>>>>>>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> On Mon, 02 Feb 2026 20:47:06 -0800, john larkin <jl@glen--canyon.com>
>>>>>>>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>> On Mon, 02 Feb 2026 19:37:43 -0800, Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@cruzio.com>
>>>>>>>>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> On Mon, 02 Feb 2026 17:29:26 -0800, john larkin <jl@glen--canyon.com>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> On Mon, 02 Feb 2026 14:33:15 -0800, Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@cruzio.com>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> On Mon, 02 Feb 2026 10:05:09 -0800, john larkin <jl@glen--canyon.com>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> <snip>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> We can buy cheap surface-mount XOs with ps or even fs of RMS jitter.
>>>>>>>>> It's the DDS part that wrecks things. For 50 cents it looks like we
>>>>>>>>> can generate any frequency up to 40 MHz with ps jitter and 36-bit
>>>>>>>>> frequency resolution. It's cool to play with.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> You don't have to let the logic gates inside your FPGA wreck the jitter
>>>>>>>> - the noise on the power rails inside the FPGA can do that - but if you
>>>>>>>> use ECLinpS D-type clocked by your crystal oscillator to resynchronise
>>>>>>>> the output of the FPGA to the edges of of your crystal clock you can get
>>>>>>>> rid of a lot of that. You do have to be a bit careful to pick up FPGA
>>>>>>>> output at a time when it is guaranteed stable - I generated a four phase
>>>>>>>> version of the clock when I did it, and selected the phase with the best
>>>>>>>> phase margin at final test to create the cleaned up output, but that was
>>>>>>>> for a retrofitted clean-up.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Our XO is 25 MHz. We use a PLL inside the FPGA to multiply that to 250
>>>>>>> MHz, which clocks the DDS phase accumulator and some other logic.
>>>>>>> That's free.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> But nasty. Back in 1995 I could buy a 500HMHz crystal controlled
>>>>>> oscillator with a 1 psec jitter spec. It wasn't all that cheap.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> There are parts that rely on surface acoustic waves that run even
>>>>>> faster.They weren't off the shelf parts back then, so I wasn't interested.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/n12quxajp59egahv1b48i/DDS_1KHz.jpg?rlkey=8w0tlr3h1rxeif3byepzub947&raw=1
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> There's a tiny non-monoticity step at the zero crossing, caused by the
>>>>>>>>> resistance of the FPGA outputs. That can be tuned out.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Resistance alone will only generate a lag. Non-mononicity implies
>>>>>>>> ringing - the output resistance isn't high enough to damp the inductive
>>>>>>>> elements, but more resistance should tune that out.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> The resistance of the MSB pin output makes the step size wrong and
>>>>>>> makes the sine wave zero cross non-monotonic.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/exwm68xr6uwya4jyu2cbc/X116_DDS.jpg?rlkey=3b72xlxwi73uk22ni9cs80fix&raw=1
>>>>>>
>>>>>> That's a remarkably cheap and nasty ADC. Buffer the FPGA outputs with
>>>>>> proper switches and even you should be able to do a lot better.
>>>>>
>>>>> It's not a nasty ADC. It's a pretty good 6-bit DAC.
>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Changing the 250r resistor to 238 makes it look nice. In frequency
>>>>>>> domain, I guess the mismatch creates a spike at the MSB frequency
>>>>>>> that's hard to filter and makes jitter. I think.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Sometimes it pays to split the MSB over two switches so the
>>>>>> non-linearity of the switch resistance is less salient.
>>>>>
>>>>> That would work. We're paralleling two pins somewhere else. But just
>>>>> changing the MSB resisttor works too. I can't experiment with
>>>>> paralleling because the FPGA is a BGA.
>>>>>
>>>>> My guys picked some FPFA pins for the MSBs that don't have
>>>>> programmable drive strength, otherwise we could play with that.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> We'll synth an octave of frequency and not ever run at 1 KHz, but
>>>>>>> running slow lets us see the waveform steps.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> But not clearly enough to let you see how to improve them.
>>>>>
>>>>> I just found a small monoticity problem and fixed it.  Maybe I'll FFT
>>>>> the 1KHz sine wave and play with that too. Just for fun: the clock
>>>>> generator looks great already.
>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Scoping the bits gets amazing as we get anywhere near Nyquist. One
>>>>>>> could swear they are all random noise, but they sum into a beautiful
>>>>>>> sine. Building your own DDS is worth it for the amusement alone.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> ECLinPS is designed to drive transmission lines, so it shouldn't exhibit
>>>>>>>> that particular problem.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> One eclips gate costs about as much as our FPGA. And 15x as much as
>>>>>>> our CPU.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> The T20 is using about 30 mA of core current, about 40 milliwatts, to
>>>>>>> run a lot of stuff, including the 250 MHz DDS. Imagine the power and
>>>>>>> cost of a bunch of ECL flops. And how would you make the ECLs into the
>>>>>>> sine wave? Use an ECL-input DAC?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> You don't have to imagine the power and cost of a bunch of ECLinPs
>>>>>> D-type monostables. They have part numbers and data sheets.
>>>>>
>>>>> My apologies for suggesting that you might ever have any imagination.
>>>>
>>>> Your ideas about what imagination looks like and how it works are a bit
>>>> comical. Sensible people don't use their imaginations to find out
>>>> documented facts.
>>>>
>>>>>> https://www.onsemi.com/download/data-sheet/pdf/mc10ep451-d.pdf
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Digikey seems to stock the MC100EP451.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> https://www.digikey.com/en/products/filter/logic/flip-flops/706?s=N4IgTCBcDaILIGECMAGFBRACgFgKxJAF0BfIA
>>>>>>
>>>>>> The cheapest unit price is $US 10.39 and the typical current drain is
>>>>>> listed as 95mA.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> An ECL-input DAC would work, but you could use something quite as cheap
>>>>>> and nasty as your current improvised DAC, but hanging of the ECL outputs.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> What your revelations have made clear is that your problems with your
>>>>>> sinewave output aren't due to any kind of timing problem, but rather
>>>>>> your choice of a particularly cheap and nasty improvised DAC.
>>>>>
>>>>> I don't have problems. I have a great DDS clock source for under 50
>>>>> cents.
>>>> Sure you do. You want to describe a cheap and nasty version of a DDS
>>>> clock source as "great". The word would be "adequate" if you haven't
>>>> missed any other problems it may have.
>>>>
>>>>> It can be reprogrammed for frequency in nanoseconds, unlike
>>>>> commercial expensive DDS chips with klunky interfaces.
>>>>
>>>> Most of them are intended to be used with an analog filter on the output
>>>> and that filter will have a settling time longer than nanoseconds.
>>>
>>> I'm using a very simple 50 MHz lowpass filter. That settles in under
>>> 10 ns.
>>>
>>> An Analog Devices DDS typically has a very pokey SPI interface and
>>> costs around $15.
>>>
>>> Not many people make DDS chips these days. Maybe just ADI.
>>
>> It's easy to make them in FPGAs.
>>
>>> I ran an FFT on my sine wave at 10 KHz. The filter has no effect that
>>> low. I'm seeing a 2nd harmonic about 20 dB down. Not terrible.
>>
>> Considering how crappy your improvised DAC is, 20dB is surprisingly good.
>>
>> A better DAC should do quite a bit better.
> 
> It would be big and expensive. My "dac" costs about 5 cents.

It would more expensive. "Big" is pretty unspecific. There are some 
small relatively cheap fast DACs around - or there were when I last looked.

>> Second harmonic distortion is entirely the top half of your sine wave
>> being different from the bottom half. Tuning the most significant bit of
>> your DAC output could probably reduce it dramatically.
> 
> Given a 250 MHz clock, risetime/falltime asymmetry could explain some
> of the -20 spike. What I have so far is plenty good... well under 1 ns
> p-p jitter on my Rigol scope.

Granting that your FPGA gates have a finite and probably output voltage 
dependent output impedance, the the second harmonic distortion is almost 
certainly coming from that. The rise-time/fall-time asymmetry had much 
less effect than that last time I looked at it.

> I'll probably wait until it's on the final-product PCB to fine-tune
> it. I'll have a different lowpass filter and a comparator right there,
> not the fuzzy sine wave on a 50 ohm scope.
> 
> This DDS thing had endless opportunities for tweaking. My FPGA guy did
> a 12-bit (4096 entry) sine lookup table with 6 bits out. I suppose one
> could cancel the 2nd harmonic by distorting the lookup table a bit.

If the FPGA production process is stable, and produces identical gate 
output resistances from part to part.
> 
> This could be a student project for someone.

Only if you dislike them intensely.

> I thought that making a 50-cent DDS was a cool idea. You obviously
> don't.

It's not exactly original, or recent.

-- 
Bill Sloman, Sydney

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AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027 Don Y <blockedofcourse@foo.invalid> - 2026-02-02 04:38 -0700
  Re: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027 john larkin <jl@glen--canyon.com> - 2026-02-02 07:37 -0800
    Re: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027 Phil Hobbs <pcdhSpamMeSenseless@electrooptical.net> - 2026-02-02 11:37 -0500
      Re: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027 john larkin <jl@glen--canyon.com> - 2026-02-02 08:57 -0800
        Re: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027 john larkin <jl@glen--canyon.com> - 2026-02-03 15:15 -0800
          Re: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027 Bill Sloman <bill.sloman@ieee.org> - 2026-02-05 00:59 +1100
            Re: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027 john larkin <jl@glen--canyon.com> - 2026-02-04 08:52 -0800
              Re: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027 Bill Sloman <bill.sloman@ieee.org> - 2026-02-05 16:37 +1100
                Re: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027 john larkin <jl@glen--canyon.com> - 2026-02-05 08:13 -0800
                Re: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027 Bill Sloman <bill.sloman@ieee.org> - 2026-02-06 17:43 +1100
  Re: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027 john larkin <jl@glen--canyon.com> - 2026-02-02 10:05 -0800
    Re: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027 bitrex <user@example.net> - 2026-02-02 13:47 -0500
      Re: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027 Don Y <blockedofcourse@foo.invalid> - 2026-02-02 12:07 -0700
    Re: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027 Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@cruzio.com> - 2026-02-02 14:33 -0800
      Re: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027 john larkin <jl@glen--canyon.com> - 2026-02-02 17:29 -0800
        Re: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027 Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@cruzio.com> - 2026-02-02 19:37 -0800
          Re: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027 john larkin <jl@glen--canyon.com> - 2026-02-02 20:47 -0800
            Re: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027 Bill Sloman <bill.sloman@ieee.org> - 2026-02-03 16:08 +1100
            Re: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027 Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@cruzio.com> - 2026-02-03 08:03 -0800
              Re: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027 john larkin <jl@glen--canyon.com> - 2026-02-03 08:24 -0800
                Re: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027 Bill Sloman <bill.sloman@ieee.org> - 2026-02-04 16:39 +1100
                Re: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027 john larkin <jl@glen--canyon.com> - 2026-02-04 03:37 -0800
                Re: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027 Bill Sloman <bill.sloman@ieee.org> - 2026-02-04 23:50 +1100
                Re: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027 john larkin <jl@glen--canyon.com> - 2026-02-04 08:33 -0800
                Re: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027 Bill Sloman <bill.sloman@ieee.org> - 2026-02-05 16:01 +1100
                Re: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027 Gerhard Hoffmann <dk4xp@arcor.de> - 2026-02-05 12:38 +0100
                Re: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027 john larkin <jl@glen--canyon.com> - 2026-02-05 08:36 -0800
                Re: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027 Bill Sloman <bill.sloman@ieee.org> - 2026-02-06 17:47 +1100
                Re: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027 john larkin <jl@glen--canyon.com> - 2026-02-06 11:06 -0800
                Re: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027 Bill Sloman <bill.sloman@ieee.org> - 2026-02-07 15:32 +1100
                Re: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027 john larkin <jl@glen--canyon.com> - 2026-02-07 08:24 -0800
                Re: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027 Bill Sloman <bill.sloman@ieee.org> - 2026-02-08 15:26 +1100
                Re: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027 Gerhard Hoffmann <dk4xp@arcor.de> - 2026-02-07 11:37 +0100
                Re: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027 Bill Sloman <bill.sloman@ieee.org> - 2026-02-08 00:16 +1100
                Re: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027 Jeroen Belleman <jeroen@nospam.please> - 2026-02-07 15:45 +0100
                Re: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027 Bill Sloman <bill.sloman@ieee.org> - 2026-02-08 02:35 +1100
                Re: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027 liz@poppyrecords.invalid.invalid (Liz Tuddenham) - 2026-02-07 16:37 +0000
                Re: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027 Bill Sloman <bill.sloman@ieee.org> - 2026-02-08 15:13 +1100
                Re: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027 liz@poppyrecords.invalid.invalid (Liz Tuddenham) - 2026-02-08 12:38 +0000
                Re: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027 Bill Sloman <bill.sloman@ieee.org> - 2026-02-09 00:59 +1100
                Re: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027 john larkin <jl@glen--canyon.com> - 2026-02-07 08:54 -0800
                Re: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027 Bill Sloman <bill.sloman@ieee.org> - 2026-02-08 15:43 +1100
                Re: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027 Jeroen Belleman <jeroen@nospam.please> - 2026-02-07 19:13 +0100
                Re: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027 john larkin <jl@glen--canyon.com> - 2026-02-07 10:51 -0800
                Re: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027 wmartin <wwm@wwmartin.net> - 2026-02-07 15:06 -0800
                Re: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027 Bill Sloman <bill.sloman@ieee.org> - 2026-02-08 15:56 +1100
                Re: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027 Bill Sloman <bill.sloman@ieee.org> - 2026-02-08 15:53 +1100
                Re: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027 john larkin <jl@glen--canyon.com> - 2026-02-07 08:38 -0800
                Re: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027 Bill Sloman <bill.sloman@ieee.org> - 2026-02-08 15:58 +1100
                Re: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027 john larkin <jl@glen--canyon.com> - 2026-02-07 08:34 -0800
                Re: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027 Bill Sloman <bill.sloman@ieee.org> - 2026-02-08 16:00 +1100
                Re: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027 john larkin <jl@glen--canyon.com> - 2026-02-05 08:29 -0800
                Re: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027 Bill Sloman <bill.sloman@ieee.org> - 2026-02-06 17:56 +1100
                Re: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027 john larkin <jl@glen--canyon.com> - 2026-02-06 03:56 -0800
                Re: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027 Bill Sloman <bill.sloman@ieee.org> - 2026-02-07 00:48 +1100
                Re: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027 john larkin <jl@glen--canyon.com> - 2026-02-06 09:06 -0800
                Re: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027 Bill Sloman <bill.sloman@ieee.org> - 2026-02-07 15:44 +1100
                Re: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027 Phil Hobbs <pcdhSpamMeSenseless@electrooptical.net> - 2026-02-04 10:52 -0500
                Re: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027 john larkin <jl@glen--canyon.com> - 2026-02-04 08:47 -0800
  Re: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027 bitrex <user@example.net> - 2026-02-02 14:11 -0500
    Re: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027 Don Y <blockedofcourse@foo.invalid> - 2026-02-02 12:24 -0700
      Re: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027 Don Y <blockedofcourse@foo.invalid> - 2026-02-07 06:51 -0700
    Re: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027 "Edward Rawde" <invalid@invalid.invalid> - 2026-02-02 19:31 -0500
    Re: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Eliminates By 2027 john larkin <jl@glen--canyon.com> - 2026-02-02 19:33 -0800

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