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The importance of BLED2
(Beginning with a Low Effort Demonstration: a Blinking LED)
Recently, the main theme of conversation between me and some of my friends whenever we get together for a few drinks is always the same: “let’s make something together; a project, and perhaps a product”.
We all share a common past of expertise and knowledge; we have worked together in the R&D of a big Telecommunication company and we love technology. Although highly focused on SW development, we consider ourselves a mixed breed of engineers; we are closer to hw development than most “applications sw” engineer.
We share the knowledge on process development methods, and our expertise (over 5 years) allows us to have very good sight of the “effort estimations” on the tasks in hand.
However, when asked to give ideas to the 1st project, the most amazing new things come to mind, but all had something in common: a very high level of complexity.
Even when asked for “simpler” ideas, the best they could do was “wireless remote applications”, “TV image generator” or something like that… How I understand them. I have also fallen into the same mistake (yes I believe it is a mistake). Small little projects initially estimated in a few months, have extended to 6 months or more (Ok, I’m a bit lazy 
).
They failed in time and complexity: too much time and too much complexity.
Actually, they were just enough complex and timely as needed; but it was much more than I would expect.
With this blow to expectations, usually a 2nd set of problems related with de-motivation and failure to commitment arises, and imposes an even slower pace to the project in hands.
How many projects are locked in your “gadget closet”, or in a small drawer? Like “half-made Frankenstein” waiting for the lightning of life to strike them and bring them to life? Or worse! Those little projects that never came out of the paper? Just a dirty draft on a coffee-shop napkin?
But convincing a self-motivated 5 years experienced embedded systems SW developer to do just a Blinking LED project is not only difficult but also seen as a highly depreciative suggestion.
He gazes on us with eyes of stupefaction: “He doesn’t believe I can make a Blinking LED?”
Not at all. If one thing I have learned from most of these guys, is that they are up to anything. There is no big challenge for them, as long as they are motivated and well oriented they can do just about anything.
But when you start a new project, on your own, ie, out of the office, out of the controlled environment that your company provides, there are too many things going against you.
Are you familiar with the chipset you are going to use?
Are you familiar with the development environment?
How much support is there available for that chipset?
What debugging tools are you going to use?
BLED2 is more than a project: is an attitude.
1) Solve the infrastructure problems first, before going for the bigger fish.
2) Start small to collect success early.
3) Feedback on fast results (easy ones), let them feed your ego
4) Small won battles can boost you to new levels of motivation; whereas small lost battles will cost you deeply
5) My favorite: if you can’t make a blinking LED, you can’t do anything more complex than that
I wasn’t born with this attitude, I was taught. By experience, and by my “mentor”, friend and colleague: Nuno João, and I feel like I owe to all of my other friends and colleagues, the opportunity to share with them the same lessons
Let them understand what a simple project really is, and what it is for
Remember:
If you can’t make a Blinking LED, then you can’t make anything else
So why complicate!
Start now.
Rui
Release Your Inner Self