andy@sdcarl.UUCP (Andrew Voelkel) (06/26/85)
I am placing this here because I don't know where else to go and I know
both you National and Motorola gurus read this.
I am a digital designer of board level devices, usually of the
digital but often of the analog or hybrid varieties. I currently work
at the Computer Audio Research Laboratory at UCSD. I will soon be doing
independent consulting. I have spent much time here aquiring data books
which are obviously essential to a designers work. They must be around
so that when one part doesn't work out one can use another etc. Knowing
the ins and outs of everyones part is the responsibility of every con-
sciensious designer. With this in mind, I am miffed by aspects of both
National and Motorola documentation.
As far as you National folks are concerned, why does it seem
that there is an ironclad policy of charging for data books? No one else
seems to have this policy. I really have never found a good direct number
(phone) to National to even know if this is definitely true, but every
source for your books I know of involves paying for them. This may seem
like a minor complaint but all I want to do is design something with
your parts in it that will have to be bought from you.
As far as Motorola is concerned my complaint is different.
If I make a trip down to my Motorola rep I can pick up books they have,
which is standard policy. I recently got a bunch of stuff from my
friend who just got hooked up with the consultant support program.
There were a number of books I'd never seen before, many I am very
glad to have. I've applied for the same program but so far no reply.
Anyway, I am wandering around the local retail outlet that happens
to stock a bunch of books and I stumble across a Motorola schottky
TTL book. I'd never seen this book before, and I've been to the rep
more than once! I had to have it because it specs the newer ALS parts
and TI is way behind on their new TTL data book, so I bought it so
I could get real data on new ALS parts. The guy behind the counter
said there are many publisher of Motorola books, and there are many
great and obscure books that no one knows about. Is there any truth
to this? How can one get a list of the books that do exist?
If I call AMD or MMI or a number of other sorts, they will
be forthcoming in getting me the information I will need for my work,
since I must leave the books I have spent much time gathering here.
Can any one out there help me avoid the cloak and dagger Motorola-
National data book game?
--
Andrew Voelkel
{ucbvax,ihnp4,akgua,hplabs,sdcsvax}!sdcarl!andykeithe@tekgvs.UUCP (Keith Ericson) (07/01/85)
In article <214@sdcarl.UUCP> andy@sdcarl.UUCP (Andrew Voelkel) writes: >I have spent much time here aquiring data books >which are obviously essential to a designers work. > As far as you National folks are concerned, why does it seem >that there is an ironclad policy of charging for data books? Well, I've never paid for *ANY* National data books. I just call up the local rep and say "Hi, this is me at Tektronix and I need..." Works every time. I've got an entire shelf of data books, and file folders and notebooks of the loose-leaf stuff. And i'm even on their mailing list(s) so I get stuff w/o even asking. > As far as Motorola is concerned my complaint is different. >If I make a trip down to my Motorola rep I can pick up books they have, >which is standard policy... >There were a number of books I'd never seen before, many I am very >glad to have. In this case we have a very local (i.e., within a mile and a half) Motorola FIELD OFFICE: they have an entire *ROOM* filled with data books, application notes, etc, etc, etc, etc... If you can get to a field office instead of a mfg'rs rep you might have better luck. Keith Ericson at TekLabs "Carve, don't hack!" - Chet Huxtible
jans@mako.UUCP (Jan Steinman) (07/02/85)
In article <1142@tekgvs.UUCP> keithe@tekgvs.UUCP (Keith Ericson) writes: >In article <214@sdcarl.UUCP> andy@sdcarl.UUCP (Andrew Voelkel) writes: >>As far as you National folks are concerned, why does it seem that there is >>an ironclad policy of charging for data books? > >Well, I've never paid for *ANY* National data books. I just call up the local >rep and say "Hi, this is me at Tektronix and I need..." Well, Keith, that's easy for you or I to say, being Tek employees, but the sad truth is that many reps don't want to talk to anyone who's company they don't recognize. My last job was with a medium-sized consulting firm (300 employees). If I identified myself as being with "Logical Technical Services" and asked for literature, they usually referred me to a local distributor who would be willing to sell me the books. If, however, I identified myself as a contractor to IBM, (which I was) I got all sorts of quick response! My advice to Andrew: use an acronym -- I got better response using "LTS", go out of your way to meet and remember reps at trade shows, etc, or even pretend you know them -- if they think they *should* know you, they are more conciliatory, exaggerate the number of units you may be using, etc. Some of these tactics are not quite honest, but in the best tradition of situation ethics, they often work. (Often the measure of one's nerve is the measure of one's success.) I would not resort to such tactics unless the company has demonstrated that they aren't interested in little fish, which is unfair and probably illegal. -- :::::: Jan Steinman Box 1000, MS 61-161 (w)503/685-2843 :::::: :::::: tektronix!tekecs!jans Wilsonville, OR 97070 (h)503/657-7703 ::::::