Maybe so but it still looks like a publicity article to me.. ;-)
----- Original Message -----
From: "Crusty Russ" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, February 06, 2001 9:24 PM
Subject: Re: [SCUBA-SE] Cochran in the News ?


> If you care to look, there's a lot new with the Gemini series
> http://www.mcochran.com/gemtech.html  I guess you didn't look at the
> computer I loaned Bjorn or read the manual.
>
> Best regards,
> Russ
>
>
> Chuck wrote:
> >
> > Sounds like Cockroach news release to me.  I didnt see anything new or
> > different.  Just more of the same timed for DEMA probably.  Far as I
know,
> > there is nothing new.  Just more of the same old stuff.
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Lee Bell" <[log in to unmask]>
> > To: <[log in to unmask]>
> > Sent: Tuesday, February 06, 2001 2:01 PM
> > Subject: [SCUBA-SE] Cochran in the News ?
> >
> > > Chuck, Russ, Joe, Did any of you see this article?  I blatantly lifted
it
> > > from another list.
> > >
> > > Lee
> > >
> > > --------------------------------------
> > >
> > > The Dallas Morning News          2/4/01         by Cheryl Hall
> > >
> > > The man who gave the world the first computer-on-a-chip is taking his
> > > inventiveness to new depths.
> > >
> > > Michael Cochran, who co-invented the microcomputer at Texas
Instruments
> > Inc.
> > > in the 1970s and then used this so-called miracle chip to build TI's
first
> > > handheld scientific calculator, is now strapping powerful undersea
> > computers
> > > around the wrists of U.S. Navy SEALs.
> > >
> > > Last week, off Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, members of the Navy's elite
special
> > > forces unit made the first official computerized decompression dives
in
> > U.S.
> > > military history using dive computers made by Cochran Undersea
Technology,
> > a
> > > small company tucked in the industrial core of Richardson's tech
corridor.
> > >
> > > The SEALs donned an "aggressive" version of a Cochran wrist-worn dive
> > > computer already being sold to scuba shops that allows recreational
divers
> > > to go deeper, stay under longer and come up without getting the bends.
> > >
> > > Divers need to know how long they can stay down at specific depths and
how
> > > to safely surface without forming nitrogen bubbles in their blood,
which
> > can
> > > be painful or even cause paralysis. In very rare cases, the bends can
be
> > > fatal.
> > >
> > > Once back on the surface, divers can download critical dive data into
a PC
> > > to track their progress.
> > >
> > > But dive computers are no easy design feat.
> > >
> > > "The ocean is a fairly hostile environment. Computers very much don't
like
> > > water," Mr. Cochran says in typical understatement.
> > >
> > > The units have to run on a small battery and withstand enormous
deep-sea
> > > pressures, radical temperature changes and rough use - all in a
package
> > > small enough to wear like a watch but large enough to be easily viewed
> > under
> > > water.
> > >
> > > "These contradictory requirements are a real challenge, which is what
I
> > like
> > > about this field," says the 59-year-old founder of Cochran Consulting
> > Inc.,
> > > who, despite 70 domestic patents and several significant inventions,
has
> > > worked in relative obscurity for most of his 39-year electronics
career.
> > >
> > > "Wow," was his one-word response to news last week that his dive
computer
> > > had passed several years of extensive testing by the Navy Experimental
> > > Diving Unit in Panama City, Fla., and is now officially approved for
SEAL
> > > use.
> > >
> > > One last hurdle
> > >
> > > Capt. Frank Butler, biomedical research director for the Navy Special
> > > Warfare Community, says the new dive computers will enable the
military to
> > > make quantum advances in vital decompression research.
> > >
> > > "If you get bent and I don't during a dive, we'll be able to use the
> > > computer to check out exactly why," says the former SEAL platoon
> > commander,
> > > who was in Hawaii to coordinate the inaugural dives. "Calculating
> > > decompression using tables and without a computer has been very
difficult.
> > > This is a huge step for SEAL divers and SEAL submerged operations."
> > >
> > > Barring unforeseen problems during the next six months of actual ocean
> > use,
> > > the units would then receive the mighty stamp of approval from the
Navy
> > and
> > > that would open up sales throughout the U.S. armed forces, as well as
to
> > > NATO forces.
> > >
> > > "If all this comes to pass, this single product most likely will
double
> > the
> > > size of the company in revenue and obviously dramatically increase our
> > > profitability," says Mr. Cochran. "That global military market could
be
> > very
> > > significant for us as opposed to the highly competitive and somewhat
> > limited
> > > recreational market that we've been in."
> > >
> > > The company Mr. Cochran formed in 1986 is an unlikely hybrid: One half
> > > builds undersea software and equipment, and the other half does
> > intellectual
> > > property consulting. Combined revenue could be as much as $15 million
if
> > the
> > > Navy business kicks in.
> > >
> > > In one wing, 15 electrical, mechanical and software engineers
disassemble
> > > products, study detailed technical drawings and research the
intricacies
> > of
> > > specific patents involved in infringement suits and licensing
agreements.
> > >
> > > On any given day, the high-minded group might be "unbuilding," or
> > > reverse-engineering, talking toys, television sets, microwaves, PCs
and,
> > of
> > > course, semiconductors for key clients such as TI, Motorola, Tandy and
> > > numerous Asian semiconductor manufacturers.
> > >
> > > The vast majority of infringement cases are settled out of court. But
if
> > one
> > > actually goes to trial, Mr. Cochran and his staff testify as expert
> > > witnesses.
> > >
> > > The rest of the 20,000-square-foot building houses Cochran Undersea
> > > Technology, where a staff of 40-plus dreams up, develops and assembles
new
> > > gizmos for the diving world.
> > >
> > > The intellectual property half generates the profits sucked up by
> > expensive
> > > research and development needs of the dive half. But that may be about
to
> > > change as the undersea products take off.
> > >
> > > Mr. Cochran, who was smitten by the scuba bug while vacationing in the
> > > Bahamas 17 years ago, is pleased that his passion is about to become
more
> > > profitable, but that's not how he gauges success.
> > >
> > > "Money is always good, but that's not what motivates me," he says.
"It's
> > the
> > > opportunity to meet the challenge that gives me satisfaction."
> > >
> > > Patent No. 4,074,351
> > >
> > > Three patents hang in honor along the main hallway at TI's Forest Lane
> > > facility: one for Jack Kilby's integrated circuit, another to the team
> > that
> > > developed the first handheld calculator and the third, Patent No.
> > 4,074,351,
> > > issued to Michael Cochran and Gary Boone, for inventing the
microcomputer.
> > >
> > > On Feb. 18, 1978, The New York Times spotlighted Mr. Cochran for his
role
> > in
> > > finding the elusive answer to putting more than 20,000 elements of a
> > > computer onto a single silicon chip. In the accompanying photo, he
holds
> > the
> > > Times-dubbed "miracle chip" and TI's first commercial product, a
handheld
> > > scientific calculator that Mr. Cochran developed on his off-hours.
> > >
> > > Rather than getting a big head about his 15 minutes of fame, Mr.
Cochran
> > was
> > > slightly annoyed by the publicity because he had to wear a three-piece
> > suit
> > > for the photo.
> > >
> > > Michael James Cochran grew up in Daytona Beach, Fla., where he was
bored
> > to
> > > death by high school, refused to do his homework and still graduated
in
> > the
> > > top 10 percent of his class of 1959. What did get his mental juices
> > flowing
> > > was a job his senior year repairing TVs and radios for a neighborhood
> > store.
> > >
> > > So he went to technical school at the local junior college. He took
his
> > > graduation finals a semester early so he could take a job with a
missile
> > > project for RCA. For three years, he lived aboard ships tracking
missiles
> > > launched from Cape Canaveral, followed by a stint working on
monitoring
> > > equipment for the Gemini test flights.
> > >
> > > "It was 'bleeding-edge' technology - very challenging, no politics or
BS -
> > > just damn the torpedoes and do it," he recalls fondly.
> > >
> > > In 1969, while working for a start-up in California, Mr. Cochran built
a
> > > prototype of the world's first scientific desktop calculator, which
could
> > do
> > > complicated algorithmic and metric functions and was about the size of
an
> > > IBM Selectric typewriter.
> > >
> > > That invention won Industrial Research magazine's designation as one
of
> > the
> > > 100 most innovative products in 1970, the same year that steel-belted
> > radial
> > > tires were honored.
> > >
> > > During this project, he'd worked with engineers at TI who were
struggling
> > to
> > > build a microcomputer - a computer on a single silicon chip. "TI
called
> > out
> > > of the blue and said, 'We want you to come help us get the ox out of
the
> > > ditch,'" Mr. Cochran recalls. He joined TI in Houston and threw
himself
> > into
> > > the microcomputer project.
> > >
> > > On the morning of July Fourth 1971, he looked into the microscope and
> > > discovered that one of his test chips actually worked.
> > >
> > > "It was really kinda funny, because it was a holiday and a Sunday, and
> > there
> > > was nobody to tell. So I called Joey," he says, nodding to his wife,
who
> > now
> > > ramrods the day-to-day business affairs of their company.
> > >
> > > Silver-certificate dollar bills
> > >
> > > For that basic U.S. patent of the microcomputer - and for each of the
> > other
> > > 38 patents earned at TI during his 13-year tenure there - Mr. Cochran
> > earned
> > > a silver-certificate dollar bill.
> > >
> > > "If you get a patent like that today, it's big bucks. But it wasn't
back
> > > then," he says. "When I had nearly 40 silver certificates, I said,
'Screw
> > > it,' and we went out and had a Mexican supper at El Fenix with them."
> > >
> > > There is an inexplicable seven-year gap between the invention of the
> > > microcomputer and the awarding of its patent to Mr. Cochran and his
boss,
> > > suggesting that TI might not have realized what it really had. Mr.
Cochran
> > > says only that it was a complicated procedure that got hung up at
several
> > > junctures.
> > >
> > > There were other hang-ups that led to his departure from the company
he
> > > still lovingly considers part family.
> > >
> > > In the early '80s, Mr. Cochran tried to steer TI into the cellular
phone
> > > business, but his project was canceled. Then he made a breakthrough
toward
> > > creating a high-speed processor.
> > >
> > > "But the world didn't need a faster processor - or so my boss said.
The
> > > world needed artificial intelligence," Mr. Cochran says sarcastically.
"It
> > > was frustrating, and I didn't see that changing. When I left TI, I was
the
> > > company's Number 1 patent holder."
> > >
> > > He quit but didn't stay away long. In 1988, Mr. Cochran, who'd gone
into
> > > consulting, ran into the head of TI's patent department, who needed
help
> > > with infringement issues involving several of Mr. Cochran's patents.
> > >
> > > Mr. Cochran also had developed a bulky, underwater diver tracking
system
> > > used by NASA to train astronauts in a massive swimming pool that
simulated
> > a
> > > weightless environment. He figured if he could compress the system
into
> > > something more portable, he could sell it to recreational divers.
> > >
> > > In 1989, he married his patent consulting with the underwater work,
hired
> > > two employees and moved the company out of the couple's spare bedroom
and
> > > into 600 square feet of industrial space.
> > >
> > > For the next four years, his patent consulting paid the bills while he
> > > worked on his miniaturized undersea computer.
> > >
> > > Learning process
> > >
> > > Finally, in 1993, Joey and Michael Cochran headed to the scuba
industry's
> > > annual trade show with the first-ever wireless, wrist-worn dive
computer.
> > > Their instant smash hit became an instant monumental problem because
their
> > > manufacturer abruptly backed out of the deal.
> > >
> > > They had no experience in manufacturing, but Joey and Michael decided
to
> > > make the intricate computers themselves.
> > >
> > > "It was a definite learning process," Joey says, laughing. "We hired a
> > > million people and made thousands of mistakes."
> > >
> > > The labor content was too high, the quality was poor, and the company
> > > experienced severe cash-flow problems. In the midst of this turmoil,
> > Michael
> > > suddenly needed a kidney transplant.
> > >
> > > Other than that, it was a walk in the park.
> > >
> > > "But you can't stop when you have a tiger by the tail," says Joey,
casting
> > a
> > > knowing glance at her husband of 36 years. "Michael did his dialysis
in
> > the
> > > office and worked full time until the day before his transplant."
> > >
> > > They never turned to outside money and steadfastly avoided "vulture
> > > capitalists." Today, they own the building and everything in it.
> > >
> > > The company has cut its workforce in half yet it produces three times
as
> > > much as it did in the early days with a return rate of less than 1
> > percent.
> > > Most returned units come back because the diver has opened the case to
see
> > > how it works, he says. "We call these curiosity failures."
> > >
> > > Rusty Berry, CEO of Scuba Schools of America, one of the largest dive
> > > retailers in Southern California, sells about 70 of Cochran's units a
> > year -
> > > largely the higher-end $1,250 model.
> > >
> > > "When it's a matter of life support, money is not much of an issue,"
he
> > > says. "Cochran is the very best diving computer in the industry."
> > >
> > > Cochran Undersea was booked up at last month's dive industry trade
show in
> > > New Orleans with dealers from around the United States and Canada
wanting
> > to
> > > carry its line of wrist-worn and console-mounted computers, which
retail
> > for
> > > between $250 and $1,500, and other equipment and software.
> > >
> > > In the future, the name might expand beyond the sea. The company is in
the
> > > early stages of developing a small computer system that will help
> > > firefighters monitor their air supplies and has a motion sensor that
emits
> > a
> > > locator alarm if the firefighter becomes immobilized.
> > >
> > > "The opportunity is huge," says Mr. Cochran, "bigger than the undersea
> > stuff
> > > and easier in some respects, because it doesn't have to withstand the
> > > pressure of being 100 meters under water."
> > >
>