Electronics Variations

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Electronics Variations
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This page has been flagged as containing duplicate material that alternative electronics also attempts to cover.
These pages should be merged such that both pages do not attempt to cover the duplicate topics.


This "Gen X" naming convention for electronics after Gen3 is stupid and should be discouraged.

It started of sensibly: Gen1  was PIC based.   (our first CPU type) [(generation 1 electronics)] The PIC electronics have been superseded since before the "Darwin" model. The PIC electronics are no longer recommended.

Gen2  was Arduino Based.   ( our second CPU type and architectural change) [(generation 2 electronics)]

Gen3  was dual CPU,  Sanguino+Arduino Based.   ( our third CPU type and architectural change)  the most common form of this is "Makerbot Gen 3 electronics".


Following this it just went stupid:

Gen4 was never made, just talked about, and was going to be based on Arduino Mega.  ( our fourth CPU type and architectural change)     Gen5 was never made, and just an idea, based on a Small Form-factor Linux computer, and was never made, and should never have had a title like this. Gen6 is the name for a single commercial variant of Sanguino electronics, which should rightly be called "mendel-parts.com integrated Gen 3 electronics" Gen7 is the name for a single commercial variant of Sanguino electronics, which should be rightly called "Traumflug integrated Gen3 electronics".

Then there are those that ( smartly) don't use the "Gen X" naming convention:

Techzone Remix      ( electrically equivalent to Makerbot Gen3, therefor it's a Gen 3) Pololu Electronics - ( based on a Mega CPU, so based on the theoretical Gen4=Mega description, it's a Gen4 design).  http://www.reprap.org/wiki/Pololu_Electronics Arduino Mega Pololu Shield   - based on Adrians Gen4, and uised a Mega, so it's a Gen4 too. http://www.reprap.org/wiki/Arduino_Mega_Pololu_Shield then there's a bunch of alternative pololu based designs  that nearly all use the Mega CPU as a basis, and they should all be called "Gen 4".

Finally, there is the ARM  STM32 ideas, which if we had a time machine could/should have been called Gen5 electronics ( but only if  they get  build, and documented, and duplicated), since the Gen5 title was actually never used, but now it'll probably end up being called "Gen 300" or somwthing equally meaningless.

Let's say I want to describe "all Sanguino-based electronics", it used to be that I said "Gen 3", now I have no idea.?