Does 'Drop in replacement' strike fear into your Soul? It should...

I have been using IrDA (Infrared Optical transceivers) for several years for setting parameters and doing software updates in my designs. Takes far less space and power that WiFi or Bluetooth.

There was once many people making IrDA transceivers, back when they were used in Cell Phones before the era of Bluetooth, now there are only a couple of manufactures left. Once I had three sources for a footprint compatible part with the HP3003 that I originally started with. Over the years the only remaining footprint compatible part was the Vishay TFDU4300.

Sadly the day came when even the 4300 was discontinued, however I was assured that I was not going to have to do a new board spin, "you can drop our new TFDU4301 right in". While true that it was footprint compatible, it was not software compatible. The 4300 would not receive its own output and would drive its Rx line high during transmit. The 4301 echos the transmitted data, meaning all of the bootloaders had to be updated to turn off the receiver when transmitting. Annoying, but at least that was documented.

What was not documented is shown in the scope captures below. The first one shows the discontinued 4300 and the second shows the new 'drop in compatible replacement'. Does it look compatible to you?

Sadly this problem was discovered while I was far away trying to get my wife help with Intracranial Hypotension, more commonly known as a Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) Leaks, to stop her excruciating headache resulted from cerebrospinal fluid leakage. I made the mistake of putting my job first and we came home to Pittsburgh, when we should have stayed at Duke in North Carolina. This is one of the small events that accumulated to result in my wife's suicide.

Now does 'drop in replacement' strike fear into your Soul too?

Won 3rd place Dare-to-Dream Medtech Design Challenge

I won third place in Medical Device + Diagnostic Industry magazine's Dare-to-Dream Medtech Design Challenge.

MD+DI is a magazine written exclusively for original equipment manufacturers of medical devices and in vitro diagnostic products.

A month ago, the editors of MD+DI created a medtech design contest, where we challenged you to design your dream device under the assumption that real-world challenges were non-existent.

3 Dream Devices Take Top Honors in Medtech Design Contest
In August, the editors of MD+DI asked you, the medtech community, to put on your creative hats and dream up a device that would tackle health-care problems both big and small.

You responded, submitting an array of innovative medical device concepts that addressed a broad spectrum of issues. The editors of MD+DI reviewed and debated the merits of each submission, and narrowed the field to 10 finalists. ...

Rounding out the winners' circle in third place is the Intracranial Cerebrospinal Fluid Pressure Regulator. The entry, submitted by Bob Paddock, was inspired by a personal experience; his wife committed suicide after an excruciating headache that resulted from cerebrospinal fluid leakage.

"The inspiration for this dream device obviously came from a very personal place," said Jamie Hartford, managing editor of MD+DI. "The Intracranial Cerebrospinal Fluid Pressure Regulator is a novel improvement over the standard of care for intracranial hypotension caused by cerebrospinal fluid leaks, a condition that can cause devastating headaches. I like that it uses wireless power transfer, which is really the next step for implantable devices."

Thank you for voting on my design. Hopefully it will get the attention of some medical manufacture...

See 1st and 2nd place winners here: http://www.mddionline.com/article/3-winners-announced-dare-dream-medtech-design-challenge

Dare to Dream Medical Device Contest: How do we make this device happen?

On August 7th, my wife of twenty years committed suicide.

For twenty-four year she battled with Chronic Pain, that she ultimately lost to suicide, when she could take the pain from Intracranial Hypotension, caused by leaking Cerebral Spinal Fluid (CSF Leak), no longer.

I refuse to let Karen's death be in vane, see about donating her spine: http://blog.softwaresafety.net/2013/08/my-wifes-suicide.html.

Now I need your help. I know some of you work in the medical device field. Now do we make this device happen (I know it is a slow process), see below?

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[Bob you] have been selected as a finalist for the Dare-To-Dream Medtech Design Challenge. Please see the announcement and who else made the list at:

http://www.mddionline.com/article/10-finalists-announced-dare-dream-medtech-design-challenge-slideshow.

10 Finalists Announced For Dare-to-Dream Medtech Design Challenge (slideshow).

Editors have already scored the submissions. Now it's up to readers.

##** Get your friends, co-workers and family to vote on your entry. **##

The scores will be added to reader votes and a grand prize winner and two runners up will be announced Oct. 1.

This one is mine: Intracranial Cerebrospinal Fluid Pressure Regulator.

Vote on which of the ten designs you'd like to see become reality here:

http://www.mddionline.com/article/10-finalists-announced-dare-dream-medtech-design-challenge-voting.

If you are having trouble voting in the device contest from a phone use this link and vote for #5, "Intracranial Cerebrospinal Fluid Pressure Regulator":

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=2L7no9rcr7qpPai4L4ASqw%3D%3D&h=iAQHT72JN

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When I saw this contest announced I thought it was a good way to get the issue of Intracranial Hypotension in front of the group of people, Nerds like me, that design medical devices, so that someday this group will have a solution to IH.

Wining the contest will get IH in front of even more people. However wining is that not important to me, I'll be donating the proceeds to IH research. What I want accomplish is getting IH in front of the people that can do something about it. I know some of you work in the medical device field. Now do we make this device happen (I know it is a slow process)?

See animation of pump here:

http://www.newscaletech.com/applications/fluidics.php

http://www.newscaletech.com/doc_downloads/Positive_Displacement_Microfluidic_Pump.pdf

http://www.ams.com/eng/Products/Piezo-Motor-Drivers

Karen's complete medical history is here http://www.kpaddock.com.

Updates on her facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/karen.s.paddock

Thank you for your help.

My wife's Suicide

I have worked with many of you over the years. You know that I'd occasionally be absent for that planed meeting and recently was out of town for a few months to get my wife treatment for a Cerebral Spinal Fluid Leak (CSF or CFSL); Intracranial Hypotension.

Her problems started with a car accident 23+ years ago and it was only last fall that she learned, through her own studies, that the cause of her debilitating headaches were from CSFL.

Your brain is supposed to be floating around in your skull as a protective shock absorber. A leak of this fluid cause the brain to start hitting things and yanking on things that were never meant to be yanked.

Ultimately she could bare the pain no longer and this Wednesday, Aug./7th/2013, she took her own life to stop the pain.

There are no words to describe the emptiness I fell right now. If you have a wife/spouse/significant other make sure you appreciate all the things they do for you, and let them know it. Also make sure you know how to do the important ones too. At the moment I have no idea how to pay the gas bill on the on line account she setup. Would you know the passwords if you had to take over this duty? Fortunately I do in this case as she was good at keeping some of them written down, but alas not all of them.

Her funeral is tomorrow, August 12 2013.

The research into CFS Leaks is only about ten years old and Karen had this problem for nearly 24 years. We only know two people that are known to have had it longer at 26 and 32 years.

I refuse to let Karen's death be in vane. To that end I am paying for a private autopsy to be done Monday morning Aug. 12th, even tho the cause of death is known. The reason for the autopsy is to have her spine removed. It will be sent to Duke Medical School to be studied in the hopes something may be learned to prevent an other suffer of this painful condition from taking the same route Karen did to end her pain.

Karen touched so many lives that the outpouring of sympathy and support has been amazing that I can not keep up with the number of people she helped. I will be updating Karen's web site with more details and resources to help others, and most of all educate doctors about CSFL.

It was always hard to get Karen to leave the house on time for any event. She may indeed be late getting to her own funeral...