| Each of the numerous products which bore
the MIMIC® label looked and performed, to their purchasers,
like the custom-designed interfaces, instrumentation, control systems,
displays, data capture devices, avionics, mapping equipment, and the like,
that they were expected to be. But, at a time when electronics products
were specifically designed for their intended functions, and features were
typically hardwired, all the MIMICs shared the same underlying, programmable,
microprocessor based, mutable system of boards, varied only in their configuration
and firmware. |
By designing a complete system, first, and then
selecting from it a subset for each project, it was possible to supply
-- with considerably less than the usual difficulty, and with enhanced
speed to delivery -- an extremely varied range of devices. As new
requirements initiated the design of new components, the overall system
grew in complexity. This allowed for continuously expanding capabilities,
without expanding the design costs of subsequent products |
