Comment by brucehoult
16 hours ago
I find it much easier to write a ten line program for an 8 pin CH32V003 (or ATTiny85 in past times) to do exactly the timing or SDC comparisons I want than to figure out the circuit and component values for a 555 or op-amp.
For that matter, a 16 pin CH32V003 can emulate a vast array of 7400 series devices as long as you don't need ns timing — no problem for µs. It's also cheaper.
Using a cpu running software to emulate a handful of gates is just the furthest thing from interesting. It's the inverse of elegant.
Until you go to lay out your circuit board. There's a reason microcontrollers are used for tasks like debouncing switches.
"There's a reason microcontrollers are used for tasks like debouncing switches."
Because people are too cheap (or fail that hard at basic analog electronic control) to get a proper single-pole single-throw switch with a pair of MOSFETs in a monostable mode, or use an S-R flip-flop latch to debounce, or even a very simple R-C filter circuit.
"Throw a microcontroller on it and call it a day" is the surest sign of someone not properly educated in electronic engineering.
I said uninteresting and inelegant. No one disputes that brute force is functional.