This page is a general comment page dealing with my product design experiences.  I decided to create this page after a particularly disgusting experience with a manufacturer who claims to be a world leader in their particular area.  At the same time, I feel excellent service should be rewarded with my returned support  and thanks.

COMMENDATIONS TO:

1.  Cypress Semiconductor

The inside sales team and the RF  lead engineer provided me with excellent service and were extremely effective in making it possible for me to retrieve my wireless project from extreme disaster to merely disaster ( I still failed to make the delivery date but not through any fault on their part).  I asked for wireless modules and within 2 hours those modules were in my hands.  The wireless lead engineer has spoken with me at least twice in as many days regarding questions during the development of this product.

2.  Unigen

I was referred to Unigen by Cypress Semiconductor.  The Director of Business Development met with me personally and provided me with the wireless modules I needed.  Please note.  I got 6 wireless modules as part of their development kit.  This kit came in a small cardboard box.  It was free!  Many thanks.

CONDEMNATIONS TO:

1.  CAMBRIDGE SILICON RADIO (CSR)        06/10/05

    All Bluetooth designers and engineers - BE WARNED!!!

Do not use this company's devices in your product designs if you desire any form of peaceful sleep.  The Casira Development Kit provided by CSR costs over $3000 U.S. It comes with a very aesthetically pleasing storage case - burnished aluminum with nice cut foam inserts.  I am certain I paid at least $500 for the case alone.  The development boards are housed in nice injection molded cases which also cost a bunch.  Now then, useful documentation for this kit is non-existent and it took them over 3 months to deliver it.  They have no prototype quantities of any device in the U.S. - everything has to ship from the U.K. via on-line ordering that allows no possibility of expediting delivery.

The BlueLab Integrated Development Envirionment (IDE) used for developing code for the Cambridge Silicon Radio (CSR) devices is totally without documentation - including how to configure the compiler for the device you are programming. 

In my attempts to find customer service and technical support, I had to call the U.K any number of times (2:00 A.M. my time).  I have received 2 phone calls from the "Western Regional Sales Director".  The first involved a statement that 300,000 to 500,000 units per year was an "insignificant number" and did not warrant any special effort from Cambridge Silicon Radio in the way of technical support or customer service.  the second phone call was in response to my reply to an email from technical support that provided incorrect information and was over a week in time from my original technical support request.  My response simply stated the information provided was wrong and that it was late.  The Western Regional Sales Director stated that I was being abusive  - at which point I was and slammed down the phone.

If you do decide to use the Cambridge Silicon Radio product - beware of any reference design schematics (if you can find them and if they are readable).  The SPI port, used to program the device from the computer parallel port,  shown in those reference designs does not show any level translation - but on the Casira (I traced it out too late for my design) - it's there.

Again all engineers and designers - be warned about Cambridge Silicon Radio.