The Amp Hour

Things are looking up

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 16:18:00 +0000

Dave and Chris catch up on appliance repair nightmares, SDRs, open source silicon, LCD panels, and hardware security threats. In longer term news, Chris announces his new role as Developer Relations Lead at Hubble Network,

Seeed in Shenzhen with Eric Pan

Wed, 07 Oct 2026 16:00:00 +0000

Eric Pan is the founder and CEO of Seeed Studio, an open-source hardware and manufacturing platform based in Shenzhen, China. He joins Chris to discuss Seeed’s journey from early open-source roots to modern robotics, navigating the hardware ecosystem in Shenzhen, bridging the gap between semiconductor companies and developers, and how physical AI and low-cost hardware platforms are transforming innovation.

The Onio Batteryless Vision with Kjetil Meisal

Thu, 24 Sep 2026 00:41:00 +0000

Kjetil Meisal, CEO and co-founder of Norwegian semiconductor startup ONiO, joins Chris to discuss the development of ONiO.zero, a revolutionary batteryless microcontroller powered entirely by ambient energy harvesting.

The Walmart Greeter of Electronics

Fri, 18 Sep 2026 19:01:00 +0000

Dave and Chris catch up on the shift toward practical hands-on engineering education at universities, open-source robotics, calculator forensics, mentoring young engineers, AI-assisted PCB layout tools, reverse-engineering scope RF sections, and why Chris wants to be “the Walmart greeter of electronics”

Perpetual Wearable Biosensing with Andy Kong

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 01:12:00 +0000

Andy Kong is creating Chargerless, a pre-seed wearable biometric device that runs on 1 minute of sunshine per day. He joins Chris to talk about low power design, unconventional power schemes, the weird signals of the human body, and more.

Hands-on Physical AI with Kevin Cloutier

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 20:57:00 +0000

Kevin Cloutier is the North American Lead for Physical AI at a global engineering consulting firm and a computer engineer who is passionate about taking complex computations to the edge. He joins Chris to discuss the transition from legacy, statically programmed factory robotics to modern, imitation-learning-based “Physical AI,” building and calibrating the affordable $200 3D-printed SO101 robot arm using the LeRobot open-source framework or Intel’s Physical AI Studio, and orchestrating complex robotic systems entirely on local edge hardware.

E&M Reality Emerges with Robert Fennis

Wed, 19 Aug 2026 14:48:00 +0000

Robert Fennis joins Chris to demystify the black magic of RF and talk about his open-source, Python-based 3D electromagnetic solver, EMerge. They discuss why simulation is like building a pyramid of knowledge, how silk screen can completely de-tune a patch antenna, and Robert’s quest to build the “IKEA of FEM solvers” so hardware developers everywhere can simulate their designs without relying on insanely expensive proprietary software.

The Focus Knob Works

Wed, 05 Aug 2026 00:18:00 +0000

Dave and Chris celebrate 16 years of the show (1st episode was August 10th, 2010) by launching a brand-new static website featuring searchable transcripts and a “pissed-old amber” SVG scope with a working focus knob–and links to merch!. They also discuss Dave’s new employee, 10 cent RISC-V debuggers, and why naming your startup after an un-Googleable Australian cryptid is a bad move

The Terahertz Frontier with Greg Charvat of Teradar

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 20:00:00 +0000

Dr Greg Charvat, CTO and co-founder of Teradar, joins Chris for a 5th appearance on The Amp Hour to talk about how terahertz frequency radar will revolutionize the automotive space and far outstrips the capabilities of LIDAR and Blobbology

T-shirts Are Back (2026)

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 12:28:00 +0000

The Amp Hour T-Shirt had been available for a long time at the Contextual Electronics store until it went defunct. As of today, there’s a new merchandise store for both Amp Hour and Contextual Electronics t-shirts over on Etsy. Shipping should be available to most countries worldwide, with free shipping to many locations. As always, shirt sales goes towards supporting the show.

Space Age Bluetooth with Alex Haro

Thu, 09 Jul 2026 20:30:15 +0000

Alex Haro, CEO of Hubble, joins Chris to talk about building a network of terrestrial and space (!) based Bluetooth infrastructure to track low power devices across the globe, without a data plan or a GPS module onboard.

Boat Anchor Warehouse

Thu, 02 Jul 2026 00:40:50 +0000

Dave and Chris discuss a massive “boat anchor” warehouse clearance, 0201 board assembly, Texas Instruments’ stealthy datasheet updates for classic op-amps, the latest in local AI models, and paper-based electronics art

Arduino's Invisible Touch with Massimo Banzi

Wed, 17 Jun 2026 12:30:17 +0000

Massimo Banzi is co-founder of Arduino, the worldwide project built upon easily accessible embedded hardware. He joins Chris to talk about the design, rise, struggles, and eventual exit of the company, and what he’s now doing with Supermoderno.

The Secret Life of Circuits with lcamtuf / Michał Zalewski

Thu, 04 Jun 2026 12:00:34 +0000

Michał Zalewski (lcamtuf) is a security researcher, author, electronics enthusiast, and calculator collector. He joins Chris to talk about his new book The Secret Life of Circuits and his interest in the field of electronics and explaining things to others.

All Heat, No Useful Work

Mon, 25 May 2026 23:58:16 +0000

Dave and Chris discuss the infrastructure and massive energy demands of AI data centers, injecting power through a programming header, Linux changes, and dogfooding your own projects.

BeagleBoard's Back with Jason Kridner

Thu, 07 May 2026 05:19:25 +0000

Jason Kridner returns to The Amp Hour after his first appearance 15 years ago to talk about the BeagleBadge and Zepto boards that showcase new capabilities in the Linux and Zephyr space. The BeagleBoard.org project is still focused on building open source, affordable, and accessible Linux and embedded hardware.

AI Tooling with Matt Liberty and Luke Beno

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:50:22 +0000

Past guests Matt Liberty (Joulescope) and Luke Beno (Werewolf.us) join Chris to talk through using AI tooling for small businesses in the hardware and firmware space. Both have built custom ERP systems, among many other tooling for their businesses, in a fast moving environment.

Chip Design for Fun (and Waffles) with Julia Desmazes

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:56:15 +0000

Julia Desmazes joins Chris to discuss designing chips for fun and getting an entire design done in 2 weeks to make a tapeout deadline. Julia built accerlators and has continued to dive deeper into on and off chip tooling for greater visibility into the silicon she gets back from the fab.

Hyper Growth and OpenClaw Interns

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 02:59:26 +0000

Dave and Chris discuss Golioth getting acquired by Canonical (makers of Ubuntu), trying out OpenClaw in the lab, changes to space plans, big new factories, Arm making chips, and more!

Inventing the Power MOSFET with Alex Lidow

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 03:17:54 +0000

Alex is founder and CEO of Efficient Power Conversion, a leading manufacturer of GaN MOSFET’s.

Alex is also the inventor of the original Power MOSFET and HEXFET at International Rectifier. Also, former CEO of International Rectifier (founded by his father!), https://epc-co.com We cover everything from inventing the power MOSFET on his first day on the job to silicon physics, AI data centres and humanoid robots. Enjoy.

Layout Review with Zachariah Peterson

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 12:00:47 +0000

Zachariah Peterson joins Chris to discuss doing PCB layout and creating content for engineers looking to learn more about how to build their own PCBs

Back on the road in '26

Wed, 04 Mar 2026 17:26:52 +0000

This week we talked about upcoming travel, solid state transformers, battery testing, new small circuit boards, and a bunch more.

Electronics Manufacturing History with David Ray

Thu, 26 Feb 2026 05:08:03 +0000

David Ray joins Dave to talk about the history of electronics manufacturing and how he has built a high mix manufacturing business while regularly educating the public about how electronics work.

Shiny New Pebble with Eric Migicovsky

Tue, 10 Feb 2026 03:04:59 +0000

Founder of Pebble and CEO of CoreDevices, Eric Migicovsky, joins Chris to talk about the history of the Pebble Watch and resurrecting the hardware to serve a very loyal ecosystem. Along the way, Eric has continued to create new gadgets like the Index 01 ring.

The Measurement Blues with Martin Rowe

Tue, 03 Feb 2026 01:16:24 +0000

Martin Rowe is a long time technical editor for publications like EE World, EDN, and Test and Measurement World. He stops by The Amp Hour to talk about the things he has seen and the people he has met in the electronics industry, and he’s still going strong!

Rubber Duck Incarnate

Mon, 26 Jan 2026 02:00:15 +0000

Dave and Chris discuss staying connected while traveling, building terminal interfaces for custom hardware, using coding tools, the Teensy and recent events surrounding the manufacture, Zephyr, Raspberry Pi PIOs, and more!

Robots Everywhere with Aaed Musa

Tue, 20 Jan 2026 04:27:59 +0000

Aaed is a YouTuber who builds a variety of robots and a mechanical engineering student at Purdue. He joins Chris to talk building robots and robotics components from the ground up, with a focus on lowering the cost and barrier to entry. They also discuss modern engineering education.

Medical Electronics Education with Mark Palmeri

Mon, 22 Dec 2025 19:37:53 +0000

Dr Mark Palmeri is a professor at Duke University in the Biomedical Engineering (BME) field. He joins Chris to talk about using open tools (KiCad, ngspice, Zephyr, Jupyter notebooks, Python) to build educational resources and how he shares those courses with the world outside of Duke. He also walks through the Tympanometer project, built with Duke BME Design Fellows.

Tugging on the Nerd Heartstring

Sat, 06 Dec 2025 20:09:30 +0000

Dave and Chris are back after a long vacation absence to talk about high end events, new scopes, fast board assembly, and nerds nostalgic for the sci fi future that never was.

Nobel Prize Winner Dr Barry Marshall

Mon, 10 Nov 2025 03:13:55 +0000

Dr Barry Marshall won the 2005 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discovery of the bacterium Helicobacter pylori and its role in gastritis and peptic ulcer disease.

All the Connectors with Davide Andrea

Mon, 03 Nov 2025 03:49:13 +0000

Davide Andrea is the author of The Electronic Connector Book and Principal of Elithion, a company that designs Battery Management System. He joins Chris to talk about the wide and wonderful world of connectors.

Welding with an HDMI Cable

Tue, 28 Oct 2025 01:13:48 +0000

This week Dave and Chris discuss test equipment, the Arduino acquisition, Zephyr, Altium pricing, private equity owning YouTube channels, audio circuits, and more!

Leading Edge Analog with Joren Vaes

Sat, 18 Oct 2025 19:20:26 +0000

Joren Vaes is a design engineer at SOFICS working on simulating and delivering analog IP blocks on leading edge nodes like the 2 nm node from TSMC. Listen to how they bend physics to their will to make the chips that power our modern electronics.

Psst...Hey buddy, wanna buy an Octopus?

Thu, 09 Oct 2025 02:28:41 +0000

This week Dave and Chris discuss DIN rail, IAC (featuring Space Lube), begging for Moonlanders, batteries, 10x-priced connectors, Gridfinity, concrete slabs, and more.

Applied Embedded Electronics with Jerry Twomey

Fri, 03 Oct 2025 01:19:08 +0000

Jerry Twomey, author of Applied Embedded Electronics, joins Chris to talk about how to build more reliable hardware when there are embedded components involved. And these days, there are almost always embedded components involved.

Building wafer.space with Tim Ansell

Thu, 25 Sep 2025 01:15:31 +0000

Tim ‘Mithro’ Ansell returns to The Amp Hour to discuss his new Singapore based wafer sharing service called wafer.space. Now that Efabless is no more, this venture will aim to make silicon even more accessible to the masses, driving down the costs on a per chip basis. For $7K, you get 1000 chips delivered on a 180 nm process from Global Foundries.

Test Point Accupuncture

Mon, 15 Sep 2025 02:34:27 +0000

Dave and Chris discuss solar, nuclear, making new injection molds from old ones (or not), and how to probe poorly placed test points with tiny needles.

Electric Propulsion with Todd Bailey

Fri, 22 Aug 2025 02:44:52 +0000

Todd Bailey has been busy in the 11 years since he was last on the show. He has designed submarine sonar and many different pieces of space electronics, the latest being a hall effect thruster that uses solid propellant for his now sold company Starlight Engines.

Beware of the Overachievers

Thu, 07 Aug 2025 19:24:59 +0000

Dave and Chris record after a long break between episodes together and discuss new electronics designs they’re working on, solar and battery installations, dealing with tariffs, and building at JLC.

CircuitHub, 12 Years Later with Andrew Seddon

Fri, 01 Aug 2025 01:03:06 +0000

Andrew Seddon, founder and CEO of CircuitHub, joins Chris to talk about how CircuitHub has changed over the past 12 years as a startup and how they are continuing to push the boundaries of high mix domestic electronics manufacturing.

Hardware Security with Matt Brown

Thu, 17 Jul 2025 14:30:52 +0000

Matt Brown is a hardware and IoT security researcher. He joins Chris to talk about best practices for securing hardware that talks to the internet and share stories of products that didn’t pass muster.

LEDs Everywhere with Tim from Mitxela

Tue, 08 Jul 2025 19:00:07 +0000

Tim from Mitxela stops by the show to discuss his extensive portfolio of projects involving, hardware (tiny LEDs), firmware (ridiculously low power processing), software (emulating gameboy), and mechanical (machining jewelry grade objects)

It Works With Option Number 5

Thu, 19 Jun 2025 00:56:41 +0000

This week Dave and Chris discuss solar optimization, short videos, useless products, cameras, energy monitors, Bluetooth, magnets, and more!

Making The Invisible, Visible with Sam Aldhaher

Wed, 04 Jun 2025 02:26:42 +0000

Sam Aldhaher is a power engineer and 3D graphic artist, his Blender visualizations have helped many people understand how RF flows in a variety of circuits. Sam joins Chris to talk about how to get started in Blender and the variety of tools available once you do.

Voltage, Vibes, and VOCs

Thu, 22 May 2025 01:01:32 +0000

In this episode, Dave and Chris cover environmental monitoring, trade shows, manufacturing, tariffs, new test equipment, and AI coding.

Small Scale Electronics Manufacturing with Colin O'Flynn

Tue, 13 May 2025 18:00:54 +0000

Colin O’Flynn returns to The Amp Hour for a 3rd time to talk about recent developments in security, FPGAs, small scale electronics manufacturing, and the world of academia.

Like a steam engine in your house

Tue, 15 Apr 2025 19:34:30 +0000

In this episode Dave and Chris discuss solar installs, wacky tariffs, peak power pricing, tiny electronics, oscilloscope triggering, and more.

System Designer Lets You Try Every Part with Michael Gielda

Mon, 24 Mar 2025 00:10:41 +0000

Michael Gielda returns to the show (for a third time) to talk about the work Antmicro is doing to extend hardware, firmware, and silicon design. Their new tool System Designer allows even more high level testing of full systems, in addition to their popular Renode tool.

Clap on, clap off, lights flicker

Wed, 12 Mar 2025 01:04:29 +0000

Dave and Chris discuss bluetooth boards, what happens when batteries leak, new cellular capabilities in iPhones, AC flicker, old oscilloscopes, and more!

A Jumperless Breadboard with Kevin Cappuccio

Wed, 26 Feb 2025 04:09:45 +0000

Kevin Cappuccio joins Chris to talk about the Jumperless Breadboard, an advanced platform for prototyping and interacting with circuits that you place onto the breadboard.

The Tandy Train

Wed, 12 Feb 2025 03:54:36 +0000

Dave and Chris discuss the Tandy 200, test equipment cashflow, the return of the Pebble watch, GPT trying its hand at CAD, solar output…and more

The RP2350 with the Raspberry Pi Team

Tue, 28 Jan 2025 14:00:56 +0000

The RP2350 from Raspberry Pi is a dual dual-core (Cortex-M33 and Hazard 3 RISC V) microcontroller with extensive peripherals. Some of the Raspberry Pi team (James Adams, Chris Boross, Liam Fraser, Luke Wren) join Chris to discuss how the chip evolved from the RP2040, including interesting security and lower power enhancements.

A Benchtop Pick and Place with Stephen Hawes

Tue, 21 Jan 2025 14:11:57 +0000

Stephen Hawes started Opulo, a company that builds the Lumen Benchtop Pick and Place. Opulo designs open source hardware and sane software for building your own PCBs in your lab.

Data Provenance in the Home, Server, and Fab

Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:50:37 +0000

This week Chris and Dave discuss the changes at Intel, being in control data in your home lab, bogus copyright claims for repair videos, and more!

Lee Felsenstein: The Computer Revolution & Counterculture

Tue, 10 Dec 2024 05:17:25 +0000

A full 3 hour discussion with the legendary Lee Felsenstein, designer of the Osborne 1, SOL computer, VDM-1, Pennywhistle modem, and the inventor of social media.

Troubleshooting is the skill

Wed, 20 Nov 2024 15:30:43 +0000

Chris and Dave discuss updated house wiring, making smart relays capable of switching power, how to design a linear supply, and using AI tools to help troubleshoot code (but NOT layout)

Your Mind Is The Tool

Wed, 06 Nov 2024 02:58:20 +0000

Chris and Dave discuss troubleshooting a dead short in a PCB, the slow march of time, retirements, whether 2 layers is sufficient on PCBs, and much more!

Compact High Speed Design with Lukas Henkel

Thu, 31 Oct 2024 00:45:03 +0000

Lukas Henkel, CEO of OV Tech, joins Chris to talk about high speed design while utilizing incredibly small form factors. They discuss open source SIPs, a CM4 replacement board, FEM modeling, and more!

Catching Rockets with Musk Sticks

Mon, 21 Oct 2024 12:00:40 +0000

Chris and Dave discuss identifying boards, amazing rocket catches, recent travel to trade shows, the impacts of the floods on the supply chain, EV charging, and more!

Satellite Design Engineering with Dan Esparon

Fri, 11 Oct 2024 03:40:42 +0000

Dan Esparon from Inovor Technologies in South Australia joins Dave to discuss all about the engineering of designing and launching satellites!

All About Antennas with Katerina Galitskaya

Tue, 01 Oct 2024 01:12:51 +0000

Katerina Galitskaya is a Senior Antenna Engineer who is currently designing base station antennas. She joins Chris to talk about simulating, visualizing, and thinking about the design of antennas. Listen for everyday design rules and stories of interesting antenna designs.

Watt Is The Deal

Mon, 23 Sep 2024 15:00:28 +0000

This week Dave and Chris talk about Meshtastic (a meshing layer on top of LoRa), new scope specs, cellular modems, power, and a new Embedded Conference in the US.

Moving House (And Lab)

Tue, 03 Sep 2024 00:59:58 +0000

Dave and Chris record together after a long hiatus because Chris spent the summer moving boxes between two houses and reorganizing his lab. Also hardware livestreams, open source hardware, new battery storage, layoffs, and more!

Changing Course with Shawn Hymel

Fri, 09 Aug 2024 01:00:24 +0000

Shawn Hymel is an engineer and content creator who recently left his developer relations job at Edge Impulse to work on developing courses full time

Turtles as a Service

Thu, 25 Jul 2024 14:10:13 +0000

Dave and Chris return to talk electronics trade shows, API tools, solar and batteries, automation, and more!

Lifelong Learning with Bitluni

Mon, 15 Jul 2024 14:46:38 +0000

Bitluni joins Chris on The Amp Hour to discuss FPGAs, ESP32 projects, custom silicon, building around memes, and continually challenging yourself to learn something new.

Silicon Revolution with Matt Venn

Sun, 30 Jun 2024 19:13:54 +0000

Matt Venn returns to The Amp Hour to talk about the successes (and learnings) from many additional runs of TinyTapeout, a shared project service sitting on top of a multi product wafer service. Matt also talks about a forthcoming analog ASIC design class on Zero to Asic, his online course.

NDA Sideshow

Thu, 20 Jun 2024 00:59:30 +0000

Dave and Chris talk about the letdown of signing an NDA and seeing “behind the curtain”. Also inverters, programming tools, pricing changes at Altium, and old school web stuff.

Engineering Careers with Circuit Break & James Lewis

Fri, 14 Jun 2024 13:00:32 +0000

Chris joins the Circuit Break podcast (Parker Dillman, Stephen Kraig) along with James Lewis to talk about engineering careers. This show will also be posted as episode 435 of the Circuit Break Podcast

Freelance PCB Design with Petr Dvorak

Fri, 07 Jun 2024 03:17:04 +0000

Petr Dvorak is a freelance PCB designer and a prolific sharer of knowledge on LInkedIn. He joins Chris to discuss electronic microscopes, traveling to Shenzhen, revision control, KiCad (of course), and much more!

50.0000 Ohms

Fri, 31 May 2024 03:31:38 +0000

Chris and Dave discuss controlled impedance board traces, classic hacker movies, Location APIs, CHIPS act beneficiaries, power problems in houses, and more!

Long Distance with CNLohr-a

Thu, 23 May 2024 16:00:52 +0000

CNLohr returns to The Amp Hour to talk about LoRa and implementing a solution using harmonics coming out of a standard microcontroller’s GPIO

Good Energy Citizen

Wed, 08 May 2024 20:53:29 +0000

This week Chris and Dave discuss EV charging, chip fabs, manufacturing, large airliners, power storage, and more!

Really long needle nose pliers

Thu, 25 Apr 2024 02:58:17 +0000

Dave and Chris talk trade shows, demos, light up hardware, bluetooth, obsolete processors, sustaining engineering, and more

Simulating doors falling off

Thu, 04 Apr 2024 03:25:55 +0000

This week Dave and Chris talk about upcoming demos, bluetooth, car troubles, new silicon, parts in the lab, and more!

Motors on PCBs with Carl Bugeja

Tue, 26 Mar 2024 01:20:45 +0000

Carl Bugeja joins Chris to talk about building PCB motors and actuators, starting a new business, documenting build processes on YouTube, manufacturing flexible circuits, and much more!

The non-Stinky Car

Wed, 20 Mar 2024 13:26:22 +0000

Dave and Chris discuss EVs, adapting power tool batteries for projects on the bench, robots, software updates, and more!

Blogging Electronics with Pallav Aggarwal

Mon, 11 Mar 2024 03:04:34 +0000

Pallav Aggarwal of CAPUF Embedded joins Chris to talk about blogging about learning electronics and helping others learn along the way! Pallav does teardowns, chip walkthroughs (like on the CH32V003), Linux projects, custom hardware, and more!

My Toothbrush Is Broadcasting

Tue, 05 Mar 2024 04:14:54 +0000

Chris and Dave discuss SPICE in CAD programs, new software releases, startup paperwork, crazy smarthome stuff, and toothbrushes that give away your data.

Altium...Acquired!

Tue, 20 Feb 2024 14:37:47 +0000

Dave and Chris talk through Renesas acquiring Altium and all its implications. Also Dave gives a history of Altium and they discuss how the industry might change (or not).

Uncle Al's Eating Garbage Again

Tue, 13 Feb 2024 03:54:06 +0000

This week Chris and Dave discuss relativistic time differences, building with RISC V components, RF modules, silly consumer hardware, underwater electronics, and more!

Automating the Home with Keith Burzinski

Mon, 05 Feb 2024 19:47:02 +0000

Keith Burzinski of Nabu Casa works on ESPhome and making it easier to attach custom hardware to the open source home assistant project. He joins Chris to talk about the realities of offline smart home setups and how you can get started building custom things.

Pneumatic Tubes, Straight To The Home

Mon, 22 Jan 2024 18:37:55 +0000

Dave returns after a few weeks on holiday to chat with Chris about robots, maker companies merging, hyped up tech at CES (and beyond), trains, power grids…and more!

The Twelfth Day of Keyzermas

Tue, 09 Jan 2024 03:00:08 +0000

Jeff Keyzer of Mightyohm.com joins Chris for a later-than-usual holiday episode, recording on what will be known as The Twelfth Day of Keyzermas

Pseudo Code...Pseudo Good

Tue, 19 Dec 2023 04:51:44 +0000

Dave and Chris discuss moon landings, oscilloscopes, design decisions for limited peripherals on microcontrollers, coding, smart home programs, and more!

Benjamin Cabé Nose Zephyr

Mon, 11 Dec 2023 18:00:14 +0000

Benjamin Cabé, developer advocate for the Zephyr Project, joins Chris to talk about the popular Ecosystem and Real Time Operating System (RTOS). Listen if you’d like to get started with an exciting firmware product that can really enhance your next project.

For a couple weeks there...

Tue, 28 Nov 2023 15:21:56 +0000

Chris and Dave return after a few guests shows and missed weeks when Chris was out with a new baby in the household. This week we talked about China, chip supply, RISC V, PCB tradeshows, LED factories, and more!

Learning Computing with Jeff Geerling

Tue, 21 Nov 2023 02:22:48 +0000

Jeff Geerling of the Jeff Geerling YouTube channel joins Chris to talk about how to explore the wide variety of computing devices, from an ESP32 monitor on your garage, all the way up to a multi-rack server.

Accessible ASICs with Andreas Olofsson

Mon, 13 Nov 2023 01:38:37 +0000

Andreas Olofsson is the CEO of ZeroASIC, a company that will build you a custom ASIC using chiplets. He returns to The Amp Hour to talk about what has changed in the chip(let) industry in the last 8 years and how they will lower the cost for quasi custom designs for the masses.

History of the Cathode Ray Tube with Kathy Joseph

Sun, 05 Nov 2023 22:54:45 +0000

Kathy Joseph from Kathy Loves Physics joins Dave on The Amp Hour to discuss history and physics and we end up discussing the intricate history of the development of the Cathode Ray Tube.

The RP1 and beyond with the Raspberry Pi Hardware team

Mon, 23 Oct 2023 01:08:44 +0000

James Adams and Liam Fraser of the Raspberry Pi hardware team once again join Chris to talk about the RP1 custom silicon on the Raspberry Pi 5

Dave hanging with Fran Blanche

Tue, 10 Oct 2023 05:50:33 +0000

Dave hangs out with Fran Blanche for her 4th appearance on the show. Space, Youtubing, tube testing, storage nightmares, and oopsies.

Fan Fanboys

Mon, 11 Sep 2023 13:37:05 +0000

Chris and Dave discuss selling low volume hardware, old stock of chips, Intel’s weird investments, creating oddball PCBs, scopes without fans, and more!

Moving Down The Stack with Scott Williams

Tue, 05 Sep 2023 01:25:26 +0000

Scott Williams returns to The Amp Hour after 6 months to discuss the technical aspects of consulting, including some of the tools he reaches for when building a new product

Garbage Ninjas

Mon, 28 Aug 2023 15:27:33 +0000

Dave and Chris discuss fitness trackers and smartwatches, boomboxes, buying off of eBay, design decisions, and contract manufacturing.

Calibration & Repair with Ian Johnston

Tue, 22 Aug 2023 01:42:49 +0000

Dave and Ian Scott Johnston discuss the PDVS2mini DC Voltage Calibrator Source, production, China, CERN, ebay reselling, test gear, pick and place machines, assembly, automated test systems, and Youtube repair videos.

Sad Violins for Superconductors

Sun, 13 Aug 2023 19:25:41 +0000

Chris and Dave recount modems, handsets, trains, 2n2222 transistors, RISC V, and a complete lack of knowledge of how superconductors work.

Power Transmission with Toby Robb

Mon, 31 Jul 2023 06:18:20 +0000

Fellow Aussie Toby Robb joins Dave to discuss everything related to mains power generation and transmission and his role as a linesman.

Software Defined Power Supplies with Werner Johansson

Tue, 25 Jul 2023 22:44:39 +0000

Werner Johansson of Qoitech has been working on controlling power supplies with software for a long time. He joins Chris to talk about building systems that can quickly respond to the world, including a heavy focus on battery characterization.

Daaaamn We're Duuuummmb

Mon, 17 Jul 2023 22:05:38 +0000

Chris and Dave discuss efficiencies of different types of power generation, building with new chips, new test equipment, building with chiplets and feeling very dumb. All that and more!

Building AR Headsets with Aedan Cullen

Sun, 09 Jul 2023 19:56:43 +0000

Aedan Cullen has built some amazingly compact electronics in order to create Augmented Reality (AR) headsets. He joins Chris to talk about hardware challenges and building the next (small) big thing.

CH32V003...fun! with CNLohr

Sun, 25 Jun 2023 21:04:00 +0000

CNLohr joins Chris to talk about doing more with small parts like the CH32V003. CN has been working on the publicly available CH32V003fun library, and recently implemented SW only USB!

Discovering Cursed Connectors

Mon, 19 Jun 2023 18:28:12 +0000

Dave and Chris discuss a teardown of a prosumer recording product, choices around cable connectors, 3G cellular networks, and the end of the EAGLE era

Low Power Connected Devices with Andrea Longobardi

Mon, 05 Jun 2023 01:06:39 +0000

Andrea Longobardi from AL2tech joins Chris to talk about consulting, projects in the gas monitoring space, finding early clients, moving outside chip companies, and low power connected device design.

The CAN bus can! with Dr Ken Tindell

Tue, 30 May 2023 23:16:08 +0000

Dr Ken Tindell joins Chris to explain the CAN bus, including the history and how CAN is used in modern day cars. Also car hacking, self-driving car questions, standards in the trucking industry, and what automotive computing will look like in the future.

Engineering Optimization

Mon, 22 May 2023 20:00:55 +0000

This week Chris and Dave talk about the regular tasks engineers have in front of them when building a new hardware project: battery, data, features, etc. That plus low cost hardware, hacking devices, figuring out new projects, and more

Steve Sanghi - Microchip CEO for 31 Years!

Mon, 15 May 2023 01:22:09 +0000

Dave talks with Steve Sanghi who was Microchip CEO for 31 years, now Executive Chair.

A Noisy Rude Bus

Mon, 08 May 2023 00:29:16 +0000

Chris and Dave discuss how CAN bus is in fact, a “noisy rude bus”. Also working with piezo speakers, strain gauges, manufacturing considerations, and getting your proto off the bench quickly.

Renewable Energy Policy with Ari Gerstman

Tue, 02 May 2023 12:04:53 +0000

Ari Gerstman from the Department of Energy SCEP Office joins Chris to talk through US Renewable Energy Policy. They discuss the impacts of growing electrication in the US and how spending is driving new industries.

At least my house isn't haunted

Mon, 24 Apr 2023 00:37:18 +0000

Chris regales Dave with the story of his spooky electrical problems at his house (subject of the puzzler in 628). Also choosing new micros, recently announced micros, and blown up space toys.

Two Dads Puzzlin Things Out

Mon, 17 Apr 2023 18:18:23 +0000

Dave Young joins Chris in-person to record about learning firmware, weird power issues, and encouraging engineering education.

Works on my machine

Mon, 10 Apr 2023 02:49:01 +0000

Chris and Dave discuss compiling code in an automated way, as well as recent Aussie tech events, EE retirement, open source equipment, and more!

Intelligent Routing with Sergiy Nesterenko

Mon, 03 Apr 2023 00:14:54 +0000

Sergiy Nesterenko of Quilter.ai joins Chris to talk about automating board layout using learning algoritms and parallel cloud compute. Check out how the boards come back with unconventional looks, but well tested electrical characteristics.

Gremlins in the machine

Mon, 27 Mar 2023 00:44:47 +0000

This week Chris and Dave get sucked into talking about AI…but question what happens when it’s broadly used. Who will understand the underlying systems? Who will be able to troubleshoot? Chris also brings up his learning plan for new tech.

Design & Manufacturing Consulting with Scott Williams from Xentronics

Sun, 19 Mar 2023 21:45:45 +0000

Scott Williams from Xentronics in Melbourne joins Dave to discuss setting up and running a design and manufacturing consulting business.

Artisanal Crystals

Mon, 13 Mar 2023 02:10:53 +0000

Dave and Chris discuss prototypes for trade shows, power supplies, current consumption, shipping logistics and much more.

Building Firmware and Hardware for Trade Shows with Mike Szczys

Mon, 06 Mar 2023 04:19:48 +0000

Mike Szczys returns for a second time to talk about creating firmware and hardware for trade shows like the upcoming Embedded World conference in Nuremberg Germany.

The Magic of Calipers

Mon, 27 Feb 2023 01:52:38 +0000

Dave and Chris discuss calipers, IoT devices, Git, eInk, new chip companies, and more!

Engineering Education with Dr Don Wilcher

Mon, 20 Feb 2023 21:24:31 +0000

Dr Don WIlcher is an engineer and an educator. He joins Chris to talk about working inside industrial facilities, designing electronics for autos, and inspiring the next generation of engineers through teaching.

Super Tecmo Bug

Mon, 13 Feb 2023 15:20:00 +0000

This week Dave and Chris record during the Superbowl, but ignore sports and talk about finding bugs, creating prototypes, flash based microcontollers, carbon offsets, car wiring harnesses…and more!

Refrigerators and Robots with Amitabh Shrivastava

Mon, 06 Feb 2023 02:48:13 +0000

Amitabh Shrivastava is a physicist turned engineer and a prolific maker. He joins Chris to talk about projects with portable refrigeration and soft robotics.

Conference Room Innovation

Mon, 30 Jan 2023 01:21:23 +0000

This week Dave and Chris discuss interesting PCB features, testing RISC V parts, better recording set-ups, layoffs in the tech industry, solar panels, and more!

Open Source Tapeout with Matthew Venn

Mon, 23 Jan 2023 02:18:18 +0000

Matthew Venn of the Zero To Asic course returns to The Amp Hour to talk about what has been happening in the world of Open Source Silicon, both the tools that make things go and the projects that people are creating.

Augmented Engineering

Mon, 16 Jan 2023 18:16:03 +0000

Dave and Chris discuss the impacts of AI on electronics design in the future. Also new chips, trade shows, and how to impress your boss.

Reunion Impedance Matching and 2023 Predictions

Mon, 09 Jan 2023 14:36:45 +0000

Past guests of the show (Alvaro, Ariel, Chris) return for an “impedance matching” episode where 4 people get together and discuss electronics. We also discuss things we expect or hope to see in electronics in 2023.

It's a Keyzermas Miracle!

Mon, 19 Dec 2022 02:18:32 +0000

Jeff Keyzer joins The Amp Hour for our annual check in to see what he’s up to and what’s new in the world of electronics, test equipment, and amateur radio. Merry Keyzermas!

Slapping Industries

Tue, 13 Dec 2022 15:59:22 +0000

This week on the show, Chris is supposed to slap Dave for talking about buying a Pick and Place last time. Also new parts, code visualization, Arduino’s new target, and low cost chip tooling.

Grad School Time Capsule with Joshua and Zach

Mon, 05 Dec 2022 15:05:18 +0000

This show is a before-and-after with Joshua Vasquez and Zach Fredin. A 2019 recording captured the beginning of their grad school journey and this 2022 recording details how grad school went and what they’re doing now.

Picking a Pick and Place Pickiness

Mon, 21 Nov 2022 02:22:10 +0000

This week Dave discusses wanting to buy a Pick and Place and Chris doesn’t try to talk him out of it. Also low cost RISC V components, Supercon happenings, more on heat pumps, books about the grid, and more!

Open Circuits with Eric Schlaepfer and Windell Oskay

Mon, 14 Nov 2022 02:36:45 +0000

Eric Schlaepfer and Windell Oskay, authors of “Open Circuits” (a beautiful book looking inside electronic components) join Chris to talk about the book and their other electronic projects.

Vapor Phase with Saber Kaygusuz

Tue, 08 Nov 2022 01:32:56 +0000

Saber Kaygusuz is the CEO of PCB Arts, makers of the EdgeKit and the Vapor Phase One. He joins Chris to talk about manufacturing and design of electronics systems for prosumers and software developers.

The Joulescope Upgrade with Matt Liberty

Mon, 31 Oct 2022 00:02:44 +0000

Matt Liberty returns to The Amp Hour to talk about the upgraded Joulescope (model JS220) and the trials and tribulations it’s been to build a new device during the chip shortage.

Professional Scooter Charger

Mon, 24 Oct 2022 00:22:54 +0000

This week Chris and Dave discuss charging batteries, outfitting a lab, heat pumps, conference badges, and more!

The Lightning Tamers with Kathy Joseph

Mon, 17 Oct 2022 08:04:30 +0000

Kathy Joseph from the Kathy Loves Physics Youtube channel joins Dave to talk about the history of electricity and her new book The Lightning Tamers.

Robo Fry Guy

Mon, 10 Oct 2022 00:45:37 +0000

This week Dave and Chris discuss robots taking low end jobs, power measurement around the house, mechanical work on cases, using AI, and more!

An Interview with Ray Ozzie (Blues Wireless)

Mon, 26 Sep 2022 13:13:27 +0000

Ray Ozzie is the founder and CEO of Blues Wireless, a cellular IoT company that makes it easier to send data to the cloud. Ray joins Chris to talk about his background in the software industry, including a role as Chief Software Architect of Microsoft.

Rigorous engineering stuff may be out the window

Sun, 11 Sep 2022 20:39:47 +0000

Dave and Chris talk through custom silicon, old Tek videos, prototyping boards, electric vehicles, and more.

Rebuilding Projects with Dave Young

Sun, 28 Aug 2022 23:31:10 +0000

Chris is joined by his old friend Dave Young of Young Circuits Designs (3rd appearance). They discuss consulting, the opportunity cost of learning, coaching students, managing consulting client needs, redesigning circuits, and more.

The Custodial Arts

Sun, 21 Aug 2022 23:44:58 +0000

This week Chris and Dave talk about standardized board form factors, cellular devices, logic chips for building clocks, troubleshooting magic, and more!

An Interview with Uri Shaked (Wokwi.com)

Mon, 15 Aug 2022 00:54:55 +0000

Uri Shaked of Wokwi.com joins Chris to talk about simulating microcontrollers and peripherals, and the challenges of making each layer of the process accurate and fast on the web.

Best way to find a leak

Mon, 08 Aug 2022 01:06:53 +0000

Dave and Chris discuss designing for high explosive environments, how to reverse engineer products, and the rise of RISC V in the semiconductor space.

An Interview with Mike Engelhardt (Re-broadcast)

Sun, 31 Jul 2022 21:40:18 +0000

This is a re-broadcast of the original episode #196, where we interviewed Mike Engelhardt, the creator of LTSpice. Mike is no longer at Linear Technology, and Linear Technology is no longer a company (now part of Analog Devices), but the simulator is still awesome!

Wow, Dave REALLY likes Top Gun

Mon, 25 Jul 2022 01:11:01 +0000

This week we discuss hardware engineers moving to software, the impacts of funding on the chip industry, long term crowdfunding campaign, and why Top Gun is awesome.

Capacitor Schoopage with Ron Demcko from AVX

Mon, 18 Jul 2022 01:06:45 +0000

AVX Fellow and 40 year capacitor industry legend Ron Demcko joins Dave to discuss film capacitor failures and capacitor technology. This episode is best viewed in video format on the Amp Hour Youtube channel, as Ron and Dave discuss slides and photos in this video discussion for an EEVblog video on why a film capacitor failed. But we are sure you'll still find the audio podcast version very enjoyable and educational.

Trade Show or Conference?

Mon, 11 Jul 2022 00:33:35 +0000

What’s the difference between a trade show and a conference? Chris returns from Embedded World (with COVID) and discusses with Dave, who is NOT going to start DaveCon. Also other news in the electronics space.

Schools out for (a couple weeks of) summer

Fri, 01 Jul 2022 19:35:11 +0000

We’re relaxing and taking the summer easy (extra easy for Dave, where it’s winter), so two weeks of no episodes. We should be back next week with a fresh one.

AI aren't sentient yet...right?

Mon, 20 Jun 2022 08:53:50 +0000

This week on the show, we discuss AI, new kit services, building prototypes, vintage computers, trains, and more!

Publicly Traded Hobby with Ben Jordan

Tue, 14 Jun 2022 00:18:11 +0000

Ben Jordan was a long time Altium employee and PCB and product specialist and still makes Altium tutorial videos on Youtube. He and Dave discuss their experiences in the EDA world.

Product Design with Simone Giertz

Tue, 07 Jun 2022 05:01:23 +0000

Simone Giertz returns to The Amp Hour 5.5 years later to discuss all of the things that she has built, things she wants to build in the future, and how she is moving those product designs into the marketplace.

Olive-a The World

Mon, 30 May 2022 19:41:17 +0000

Chris and Dave discuss big electric vehicles, finding unmarked parts, test equipment, olive oil, and more!

Finding Hardware Flaws with Laura Abbott

Mon, 23 May 2022 02:12:58 +0000

Laura Abbott of Oxide Computer joins Chris to talk about a vulnerability she found in the firmware update mechanism on the LPC55S69, as well as other topics relating to firmware and hardware security.

Mute Button Discipline

Mon, 16 May 2022 01:10:30 +0000

This week Dave and Chris hold it together while discussing simulations, energy fields, impossible parts, and strapping open source gear to your home.

Siloed Engineering with Leigh Brady

Mon, 09 May 2022 00:40:34 +0000

Engineer Leigh Brady joins Chris to compare and contrast working in different industries in different countries. Leigh has worked in the optics, medical, and defense spaces, including on nuclear weapons.

Biblical Broker Bucks

Mon, 02 May 2022 01:15:57 +0000

Chris and Dave discuss PCB art, failed hardware projects, USB chips, lack of chips, new (to us) wireless network protocols, and more!

Fran Blanche Version 3

Mon, 18 Apr 2022 05:23:48 +0000

Fran Blanche and Dave discuss publishing, newspapers, Frantone, manufacturing, the kit business, ebay, and pontificate what we would be doing if the Internet didn’t exist.

Return of the Trade Show Jedi

Mon, 11 Apr 2022 01:27:35 +0000

Dave and Chris talk about the return to trade shows and how things are the same. Also AgTech, open source boards, self driving cars, and engineering shortages.

Software for Rockets with Charles Aylward

Mon, 04 Apr 2022 01:47:13 +0000

Charles Aylward is a consultant and software/hardware designer who has worked on mission critical systems at Astra (a “new space” company). He joins Chris to talk about imparting rigor to engineering design, especially when the consequences of not doing so are dire.

The Smart Grid with Paul Zawada

Mon, 28 Mar 2022 14:35:48 +0000

Power expert Paul Zawada joins Chris and Dave to talk about the grid, the smart grid, the challenges of increasing percentage of renewable sources, and generally how power delivery works.

The Same Wavelength

Mon, 21 Mar 2022 01:26:54 +0000

Dave and Chris talk through brain computer interfaces, reverse engineering, Shenzhen’s numbers, the JWST, a new meetup, and more!

Real Time Operating Systems with Brian Amos

Mon, 14 Mar 2022 01:26:01 +0000

Brian Amos joins Chris to talk through his book about learning Real Time Operating Systems (RTOS) with a Hands-on methodology. Discussions around what an RTOS is, when to use one, and how FreeRTOS works.

Electrical Archeology

Mon, 07 Mar 2022 01:15:29 +0000

Chris and Dave take a look at the changing nature of employment for engineers in the pandemic era. Also searching for new MOSFETs, solar farms, smart grid, and blowing up capacitors!

ADC Chip Design with Anthony Wall

Mon, 28 Feb 2022 00:28:24 +0000

Anthony Wall–PhD design student at Tyndall in Cork, Ireland–joins Chris to talk about the ADC he is designing based on a “current-starved ring oscillator”. A deep dive into mixed signal chip design, the Irish chip industry, and having your silicon manufactured.

Histogrammic or Histomagraphical

Mon, 21 Feb 2022 01:22:02 +0000

This week Dave and Chris talk about computer history, chip building news, sourcing parts from the Chinese chip ecosystem, test equipment, and tin whiskers!

Product Lifecycle Management with Michael Corr

Mon, 14 Feb 2022 01:42:14 +0000

Michael Corr of Duro Labs joins Chris to talk about Product Lifecycle Management: what it is, when to start using it, and how our listeners can be certain the correct design files are being used to manufacture their next electronics project.

A literal trainwreck

Mon, 07 Feb 2022 03:49:40 +0000

Trains are a continual source of fascination for nerds young and old. This week, Chris and Dave discuss recent train experiences and also talk about new chip fabs, shuttering IoT networks, asset tracking for the masses, and really old software.

New Life Skills with Joe Grand

Mon, 31 Jan 2022 01:43:26 +0000

Joe Grand recently reverse engineered a Trezor cryptocurrency wallet to recover $2M. He returns to The Amp Hour after 10 years to talk with Chris about hardware hacking, past projects, and what Joe hopes to learn next.

Bubblegum Tap Shoes

Sun, 23 Jan 2022 21:54:37 +0000

Dave and Chris discuss diode selection, understanding linear regulators, switching CAD programs, organizing lab spaces, and more!

Mixed Signal Education with Philip Salmony

Tue, 18 Jan 2022 02:09:45 +0000

Philip Salmony of the Phil’s Lab YouTube channel joins Chris to talk about electronics education and Philip’s new course on designing a mixed signal PCB using KiCad v6.

Technology Instruction with Charlie Larrabee

Mon, 10 Jan 2022 02:15:24 +0000

Charlie Larrabee joins Chris to talk about electronics and technology education for kids age 6 to 14. They cover challenges in teaching (and learning) and how to encourage children to get more involved in electronics.

Rube Goldbergs in Spaaaace

Sun, 02 Jan 2022 22:17:38 +0000

Dave and Chris ring in the new year talking about connectors, high stress space missions, and new processors. Happy new year!

Keyzermas All The Way

Mon, 20 Dec 2021 01:38:40 +0000

Jeff Keyzer returns to The Amp Hour for our yearly holiday tradition of Keyzermas. We discuss test equipment, supply chain silliness, capacitor madness, museums, and more!

Electric Fields, Son.

Mon, 06 Dec 2021 16:35:13 +0000

This week Dave recaps the Veritasium video about electricity flowing through wires and Chris announces he has joined a startup working on connecting things to the internet.

YouTube to Consulting with Florin of Voltlog

Mon, 29 Nov 2021 02:07:13 +0000

Florin of the VoltLog youtube channel joins Chris to talk automotive electronics, consulting, test equipment, and more!

The Rodeo Drive of Electronics

Mon, 22 Nov 2021 00:45:17 +0000

Dave and Chris discuss shopping for new parts, logistics, measuring signals, and mechanical marvels.

Switching Converter Engineering with Carmen Parisi

Mon, 15 Nov 2021 01:41:45 +0000

Carmen Parisi, Staff Applications Engineer at Renesas, joins Chris to talk about how high current regulators work and what it’s like testing and supporting those chips for a wide variety of customers.

Here for a reason

Mon, 08 Nov 2021 02:48:30 +0000

Chris and Dave discuss modularity, programming, new development boards, and power design.

Pavlovian Cheapskates

Sun, 31 Oct 2021 19:57:11 +0000

This week Chris records with Parker and Stephen of the Macrofab Engineering Podcast to celebrate their 300th episode.

Grumpy Collaboration

Mon, 25 Oct 2021 00:32:43 +0000

Chris and Dave are grumpy about the hype around collaborative design tools and how silicon valley values tech companies in general.

Electroboom!

Mon, 18 Oct 2021 23:21:52 +0000

Mehdi Sadaghdar from the Electroboom Youtube channel joins Dave to talk about his hobby and professional background, and how he got started in YouTubing. Also moving to Canada, the Iranian hobby movement, Maker spaces, and more!

Assembly Chat

Mon, 11 Oct 2021 00:03:49 +0000

Will it work if Chris and Dave record while Chris assembles a board? Listen to find out!

High End Audio with Remco Stoutjesdijk

Mon, 04 Oct 2021 00:16:44 +0000

Remco Stoutjesdijk is an electronics designer for audio. He has been creating audio circuits for high end audio manufacturers for many years via his consultancy ItsOnlyAudio.com. He joins Chris to talk about everything from DSP to streaming, chip design to tubes.

Occam's Engineering Razor

Mon, 27 Sep 2021 00:09:46 +0000

This week, Dave and Chris discuss troubleshooting, both in the abstract and in the literal. Dave has been troubleshooting his solar panel, and Chris has been building up new 3D printing metholodologies. Also semiconductor manufacturing, workshops, project management, and more!

Toasted Marshmallow Connectors

Mon, 20 Sep 2021 00:10:25 +0000

This week Chris and Dave discuss reflow in the lab, the passing of Sir Clive Sinclair, the importance of cost-down innovations, test equipment craziness, and more!

Generic Nodes with Orkhan Amiraslanov

Mon, 13 Sep 2021 01:37:26 +0000

Orkhan Amiraslanov of The Things Industries joins Chris to talk about creating hardware for a LoRaWAN network, including working with different microcontrollers and building a sensor platform that will handle many users’ needs.

Firmware for Hardware Engineers with Phillip Johnston

Tue, 07 Sep 2021 02:36:14 +0000

Phillip Johnston of Embedded Artistry joins Chris to talk about building better firmware for hardware devices. This includes high level topics like setting up Continuous Integration pipelines and developing in-situ testing.

Timing is Everything

Tue, 31 Aug 2021 02:33:43 +0000

Dave and Chris celebrate their 555th show by doing a live Q&A recording

An Interview with Alan Wolke (Re-broadcast)

Tue, 24 Aug 2021 21:08:42 +0000

For the original show notes (and much more active comment section) check out the original page: https://theamphour.com/theamphour-117-undulating-utensil-utility/

To listen to all episodes in your podcast listener back to episode one, use the LibSyn feed (our hosting platform): https://theamphour.libsyn.com/

Interested in joining us on 8/26 (find your local time here) on the air? Submit requests to join and questions here: feedback@theamphour.com

PLEASE be a die shrink

Mon, 16 Aug 2021 00:30:56 +0000

Dave and Chris discuss the terror of getting a product change notification and hoping it’s not something drastic (like an end of life notice). Also test equipment, the M.2 standard, layout, new wifi chips, podcasts, and more!

Debunking with Shahriar

Tue, 10 Aug 2021 11:44:37 +0000

Shahriar Shahramian from The Signal Path joins Dave to talk debunking theories and how to teach critcal thinking

Shouting at chips with Colin O'Flynn

Mon, 02 Aug 2021 02:29:37 +0000

Colin O’Flynn joins Chris to talk about the state of the security industry, and to discuss his recent and upcoming product (Chip Shouter, Chip Whisperer Husky) and book releases (The Hardware Hacking Handbook).

Feed the Mouse

Mon, 26 Jul 2021 01:37:18 +0000

Dave and Chris discuss chip shortages, USB, job seeking tips, meetups, bluetooth waste, electronics fundamentals, moving labs, and more!

Finishing Prototypes with Zack Freedman

Mon, 19 Jul 2021 02:15:06 +0000

Zack Freedman is a prototyping engineer turned YouTuber who makes bombastic videos about 3D printed creations and getting projects across the finish line. He joins Chris to talk about his past hardware designs and what he will be building next.

Creative Engineering with Shrouk El-Attar

Mon, 12 Jul 2021 02:39:45 +0000

Shrouk El-Attar is an electronics designer, refugee, belly dancer, activist and podcaster. She joins Chris to talk about creating electronics for interesting problem solving, including FemTech products, robots and art.

The Last Line of Defense

Tue, 06 Jul 2021 02:18:59 +0000

This week Chris and Dave discuss how to keep electronics dry by properly designing an enclosure. Also solar, weather events, patent trolls, outfitting labs, and more!

Open Source Mindset with Michael Gielda

Tue, 29 Jun 2021 01:53:59 +0000

Michael Gielda of Antmicro returns to discuss open source methodology and the wide variety of projects they develop that feed back into the electronics ecosystem, including FPGA, AI, chip design and firmware projects.

Thousands Of Dependencies

Tue, 22 Jun 2021 01:15:41 +0000

This week Chris and Dave discuss the amazing amount of interdependencies in modern web software and how that differs from hardware processes. Also takeover bids for CAD tools, hardware continuous integration, old display drivers, production systems, machine learning, and more!

Fear of Banjos

Mon, 07 Jun 2021 12:20:54 +0000

This week Chris and Dave discuss data retention, manufacturing data generation, moving labs (and homes), and the joys of real estate.

Standardizing Manufacturing with Pete Staples

Wed, 02 Jun 2021 02:24:28 +0000

Pete Staples of Blue Clover Devices joins Chris to talk about manufacturing and how to automate and standardize device programming and testing. Blue Clover uses their experience manufacturing in China to develop a general purpose production test tool

Cassette decks have browsers?

Mon, 24 May 2021 02:51:43 +0000

Dave and Chris discuss part library strategies, repairing equipment, electric vehicles, corporate buyouts, IoT teardowns, and more!

Component Management with Jan Rychter

Mon, 17 May 2021 22:00:57 +0000

Jan Rychter, creator of PartsBox, talks with Chris about how to manage a personal library of components. This can help to save money, run a small manufacturing business, keep track of parts, reduce waste, and more!

Chip Shortage Denier

Mon, 10 May 2021 15:37:30 +0000

Chris returns from paternity leave to more mayhem in the semiconductor supply chain. Dave jokingly doesn’t believe that it’s happening when he can’t find parts out on a distributor website.

The Space Time Continuum with Fran Blanche

Wed, 05 May 2021 00:15:08 +0000

Dave talks with Fran Blanche about, well, everything including her theory on the space time continuum!

The King of Trash with Big Clive

Mon, 26 Apr 2021 05:08:10 +0000

Dave talks with the king of trashy youtube channels, Big Clive!

Missle Man with Bruce Simson

Mon, 12 Apr 2021 01:32:59 +0000

Bruce Simpson from the Xjet Youtube channel joins Dave to discuss RC aircraft and creating an international incident by developing a DIY cruise missle!

Firmware Deployment and Troubleshooting with Akbar Dhanaliwala

Tue, 06 Apr 2021 03:02:05 +0000

Akbar Dhanaliwala, Founder and CEO of Lager Data, joins Chris to talk about building out firmware testing infrastructure. His experiences deploying software to devices in the field or being manufactured in China inspired the Lager Gateway and platform.

NFT Schematics

Sun, 28 Mar 2021 21:54:27 +0000

This week Dave and Chris discuss the value of a schematic, how chip fabs recover from shutdowns, getting started projects, 3D printing with resin, operating systems and much more!

Efinix FPGAs with Sammy Cheung

Mon, 22 Mar 2021 02:22:24 +0000

Sammy Cheung, CEO of Efinix, joins Chris to talk about FPGAs. They discuss designing reconfigurable devices into products that do not traditionally have FPGAs, but will benefit from enhanced capabilities like Computer Vision.

Firmware Update Capabilities

Sun, 14 Mar 2021 22:52:42 +0000

This week Dave and Chris talk about putting firmware onto devices (or not), computer history, Silicon Valley, cabling and extraterrestrial flight.

Microwave measurement with Joel Dunsmore

Mon, 08 Mar 2021 00:21:12 +0000

Joel Dunsmore is a Keysight Fellow, an engineer who worked on the HP 8753, and the author of The Microwave Component Measurement handbook. He joins Chris to explain VNAs, the increasing need for multi-port systems, and how to work in an increasingly complex RF world.

Recalling Recalls

Mon, 01 Mar 2021 03:39:37 +0000

This week Chris and Dave discuss various product recalls and the terror that recalls instill into engineers. Also mars rovers, shuttered retail, high accuracy voltmeters, power outages, and more!

Footprints and Symbols with Natasha Baker

Mon, 22 Feb 2021 01:00:10 +0000

Natasha Baker, Founder and CEO of SnapEDA, joins Chris to talk about footprints, symbols and other engineering content that helps designers create useful, correct circuit boards. They discuss the chip industry and how the information around it is changing.

Living Through Chipageddon

Tue, 16 Feb 2021 02:12:21 +0000

This week Chris and Dave discuss chip shortages, electronics consulting, Raspberry Pi silicon, PCB renders, new coding languages and much more!

Embedded Hardware with the Raspberry Pi Team

Mon, 08 Feb 2021 01:04:28 +0000

James Adams, Liam Fraser and Luke Wren of Raspberry Pi Trading join Chris to talk about new hardware from Raspberry Pi, including the RP2040 chip, the Pico board, the CM4 module and more!

New Year, New Gear

Mon, 01 Feb 2021 02:26:20 +0000

This week Chris and Dave discuss a wide range of new equipment, including soldering irons, USB scopes, active loads, and retrofitted DMMs. Also discussion around new boards and chips from Raspberry Pi and Seeed.

Measuring Current with Matt Liberty

Mon, 25 Jan 2021 02:58:51 +0000

Matt Liberty, creator of the Joulescope, joins Chris to talk about measuring current in low power devices, including IoT devices that have high current RF pulses. Matt explains how to optimize low power designs and how he created the Joulescope.

Why IoT Is Difficult with Jonathan Beri

Mon, 18 Jan 2021 16:08:57 +0000

Jonathan Beri of Golioth joins Chris to talk about the difficulty of standing up an end-to-end IoT solution, including working with web providers, dealing with firmware updates, interfacing with different business organizations and more.

Open FPGA Toolchains and Machine Learning with Brian Faith of QuickLogic

Mon, 11 Jan 2021 02:21:15 +0000

Brian Faith, CEO of QuickLogic, joins Chris to talk about implementing the Symbiflow open source toolchain for QuickLogic FPGAs and how they are using that tool chain alongside the SensiML platform to create flexible, low power devices for machine learning applications.

LEDs and EVs with Mike Harrison

Mon, 04 Jan 2021 02:37:37 +0000

Mike Harrison of Mike’s Electric Stuff join Chris and Dave to talk about new development projects, working with old parts and tinkering under the hood of an EV.

A Keyzermas Story

Mon, 28 Dec 2020 04:00:43 +0000

Jeff Keyzer of Mightyohm.com joins Chris and Dave for our annual Keyzermas episode! Jeff updates us on what he’s been working on, answers some questions about RF and discusses the state of the electronics world, as he sees it.

High Current Power Supplies with Fredrik Kensander

Mon, 21 Dec 2020 00:25:50 +0000

Fredrik Kensander of KraftPowercon joins Chris to talk about creating very high current output power supplies used for things like plating copper onto circuit boards (and many other industrial applications). They discuss firmware, processors, power output stages, system architecture and more!

Outdoor Laser Projection & Object Mapping with Daryl Tewksbury

Mon, 14 Dec 2020 04:36:24 +0000

Daryl Tewksbury joins Dave to talk about his work on laser projects at Laservision and how he has continued building hardware and software.

Inductance and Stuff

Sun, 06 Dec 2020 23:43:30 +0000

This week Chris and Dave dive into RF…and promptly turn around and walk away from the topic. Also firmware, training repetitions, PCB stackups, satellites, Linux modules and much more!

Simulating Embedded Hardware with Michael Gielda

Mon, 30 Nov 2020 00:55:49 +0000

Michael Gielda of Antmicro joins Chris to talk about simulating embedded hardware, from the microcontroller core all the way out to multiple units communicating on a mesh network (and beyond). Their open source tool (Renode) enables better firmware testing and more reliable systems.

Satellites and EVs with Joris Aerts

Mon, 23 Nov 2020 03:42:46 +0000

Joris Aerts joins Chris to talk about building electronics for (cube) satellites, the electronics inside the Model S door handle and a new testing platform he is creating.

Depth and AI with Brandon Gilles and Brian Weinstein

Mon, 16 Nov 2020 02:31:10 +0000

Brandon Gilles and Brian Weinstein of Luxonis (makers of the DepthAI) join Chris to talk about how embedded computing will change in the next 5 years due to depth perception and AI image classification. The DepthAI board uses the Intel Movidius Myriad X chip, which enables many of these advances.

Thermions Aren't A Thing

Mon, 09 Nov 2020 03:30:17 +0000

This week Chris and Dave discuss thermal design, bluetooth bootloading, power lines, refactoring labs, and automated layout tools.

Embedded Linux with Jay Carlson

Mon, 02 Nov 2020 03:24:40 +0000

Jay Carlson joins Chris to talk about his recently released opus on building embedded Linux for microprocessors and the process of building 10 different boards to showcase the required steps.

Focus, Dammit

Sun, 25 Oct 2020 22:42:42 +0000

Dave and Chris discuss the benefits of focusing on a platform for finding work and whether that should tilt the discussion of generalist vs specialist. Also software explanations, downsizing, power stations, remote work, new dev boards and more!

Audio DSP with Shannon Parks

Mon, 19 Oct 2020 02:09:45 +0000

Shannon Parks of Parks Audio joins Chris to talk about processing phono (record player) audio input using DSP and selling a digital device into a consumer market that goes crazy over analog.

Design For Longevity

Mon, 12 Oct 2020 00:44:29 +0000

Dave and Chris talk about troubleshooting electronics from afar, solar charging, car charging, bus charging and the charge of educational institutions around the world.

Brewing Electronics with Eli Hughes

Mon, 05 Oct 2020 01:38:51 +0000

Eli Hughes of TZero joins Chris to talk about creating a business around a connected brewery monitoring system and the technologies that go inside of it. Also working with processors, switching from FreeRTOS to Zephyr and working as a “Pro Support” engineer.

Knob and Tube Wiring

Tue, 29 Sep 2020 01:00:45 +0000

Chris and Dave discuss EV charging, old wiring in houses, working with an RTOS, newly announced open source devices and more!

Cellular IoT with Jared Wolff

Sun, 20 Sep 2020 23:31:03 +0000

Jared Wolff joins Chris to talk about creating a cellular IoT board and all of the pitfalls along the way. He also describes recovering from tech burnout, using the Zephyr RTOS, taking a board to production, and much more!

Doomed To The Flatland

Mon, 14 Sep 2020 00:31:30 +0000

This week Chris returns from holiday to chat with Dave about board assembly, telepresence, audio gear, pick and place machines, optics tables, and much more!

Right To Repair with Louis Rossmann

Mon, 31 Aug 2020 06:20:10 +0000

Louis joins Dave once again to talk about updates to The Right To Repair, his take on NYC real estate, and how repairing Apple products has changed over the years.

Hipster Fodder

Tue, 25 Aug 2020 02:40:26 +0000

This week Chris and Dave record earlier than normal for a special occasion. Also they discuss battery charging, solderpaste application, firmware tutoring, SBIR grants, out of print textbooks, and much more!

Hardware Revision Control with Kyle Dumont

Mon, 17 Aug 2020 01:34:13 +0000

Kyle Dumont of Allspice.io joins Chris to talk about revision control for hardware projects. Allspice takes Altium projects and makes it easier to see changes and do design reviews for new designs. They also discuss the nature of revision control and what makes it difficult in hardware situations.

This Is Just A Tribute

Mon, 10 Aug 2020 00:59:53 +0000

This week Chris and Dave discuss a new podcast by Chris (The Contextual Electronics Podcast), gerber issues, DfM tools, ARM being up for sale again, book recommendations and the future of technology training materials.

Fabless Chip Design with Mohamed Kassem

Sun, 02 Aug 2020 21:08:40 +0000

Mohamed Kassem, CTO of eFabless, joins Chris to talk about using the OpenLANE tool flow to build custom silicon for the newly announced open source PDK from Google and Skywater. He also describes how and why someone might want their own ASIC and the dropping costs of creating one.

Lowest Common Denominator Design

Sun, 26 Jul 2020 22:44:09 +0000

This week Dave and Chris discuss detailed teardowns of EVs, choosing PCB fabrication based on minimum tolerances, PCB stackup, large chip companies merging, and the untimely passing of an engineering icon.

Discussing the Open Source PDK with Tim Ansell

Mon, 20 Jul 2020 01:39:51 +0000

Tim ‘Mithro’ Ansell of Google talks to Chris about the recently announced open source PDK released by Skywater (a silicon fab) and Google. Also discussions around the implications of open source silicon and how listeners can get their ASIC designs fabbed for free.

Two and a Half Orders of Magnitude

Sun, 12 Jul 2020 22:53:59 +0000

This 500th episode….contained many of the same things we were talking about in our first few episodes! We review part shortages, OSHW licensing, chip printers, RF simulation, past guests, capacitors, FETs, learning, and much more! Also, we have a giveaway this week.

Discussing Chiplets with Ming Zhang

Sun, 05 Jul 2020 22:09:43 +0000

Ming Zhang, co-founder and CEO of zGlue, joins Chris to talk about connecting chiplets together to create bespoke integrated circuits, which are much smaller and more power efficient than if placed in original packaging.

Quantum Computing with Andrea Morello

Sun, 28 Jun 2020 22:22:38 +0000

Andrea Morello, Scientia Professor of Quantum Engineering at the University of New South Wales (Australia), joins Dave to talk about the state of the art of quantum computing.

An Interview with Brock LaMeres

Mon, 22 Jun 2020 01:35:48 +0000

Brock LaMeres, a professor at Montana State University, joins Chris to talk about distance learning, embedded systems, designing redundant processors for space missions, engineering education, and lots more!

Drab Olive

Mon, 15 Jun 2020 02:26:26 +0000

This week Dave and Chris discuss determination, connectors, signal analyzers, insecure components, new designs, and the future of universities.

An Interview with Eric Klein

Mon, 08 Jun 2020 02:27:28 +0000

Eric Klein of Lemnos Labs–a hardware focused venture capital firm based in San Francisco–joins Chris to talk about the future of hardware investing and exciting new opportunities for hardware startups.

The Two Person Rule

Mon, 01 Jun 2020 02:39:43 +0000

This week on the show, Dave and Chris discuss troubleshooting and the sense of relief when you find the true problem. Also the importance of PCB stackups, working on high cost projects, working with small teams, vintage technology, and much more!

PITA Package

Sun, 17 May 2020 16:13:13 +0000

This week Dave and Chris discuss eWaste, small pitch soldering, microscopes, low cost components, programming micros, cellular modems and much more!

More Electronics Consultant Impedance Matching

Mon, 11 May 2020 00:11:57 +0000

A second episode devoted to electronics design consulting. It features consultants Alex Klimaj, Jeremiah Gillis, Kieran O’Leary and (host) Chris Gammell.

The Almighty Dollarydoo

Sun, 03 May 2020 23:17:35 +0000

This week Dave and Chris discuss funding hardware companies, connectors, how to teach electronics by talking about current, LED characteristics, modularity, arcade games and a lot more!

An Interview with Ben Heck(endorn)

Tue, 28 Apr 2020 01:00:23 +0000

Ben Heckendorn AKA Ben Heck joins Dave to talk about gaming, building pinball machines, speaking at Maker Faire and building things every week for many years for The Ben Heck Show YouTube channel.

An Interview with Jack Ganssle (2nd)

Mon, 20 Apr 2020 01:00:55 +0000

Jack Ganssle returns to The Amp Hour 8.5 years later to follow up on how microcontrollers and embedded programming has changed and to talk about some of his favorite tools for building great firmware.

Sowing Discord

Mon, 13 Apr 2020 15:32:24 +0000

This week Dave and Chris discuss (from lockdown), repairing devices, part storage at home, our new Discord for patrons, virtual meetups, capacitor requirements and much more!

An Interview with Kerry Scharfglass

Mon, 06 Apr 2020 01:06:30 +0000

This week Kerry Scharfglass (@borgel) joins Chris to talk about designing consumer electronics and how things change as you move towards smaller companies. Also #Badgelife, war games with hardware, KiCad, creating solar infrastructure and more!

Medical Kits, They're The Future

Mon, 30 Mar 2020 03:46:30 +0000

Dave and Chris discuss working within the confines of the home, how batteries change over time, changing to lead free reflow processes, the variety of power supply topologies and much more!

An Interview with John Day

Sun, 22 Mar 2020 22:35:17 +0000

John Day is a technical fellow and one of the top FAEs at Microchip. He has spent over 25 years working in various parts of the business and helping their customers design devices for the automotive, commercial, and industrial sectors (and many more!). John joins Chris to talk about microcontrollers and pinball.

Man Behind The Curtain

Mon, 16 Mar 2020 14:53:47 +0000

This week Dave and Chris talk about carrying your lab with you because of Coronavirus, conferences going online, parts lists out of Shenzhen, EVs in Australia and more!

An Interview with Adrian Tang

Mon, 09 Mar 2020 01:40:27 +0000

Adrian Tang, the lead CMOS designer at JPL, joins Chris to talk about designing extremely high frequency devices, for both space and terrestrial operations. These are used to detect water and other chemical compounds throughout the cosmos.

Shine A Light

Mon, 02 Mar 2020 04:06:47 +0000

This week Dave and Chris talk about product design, scanning JTAG boundary chains, highly integrated SOMs, chip errata and more!

An Interview with Paul Thompson

Mon, 24 Feb 2020 15:50:57 +0000

Paul Thompson, CEO of Pakton Technology, talks with Dave about building electric fence controllers, including how to generate high voltages, dealing with lightning and how to ensure safety using microcontrollers.

An Interview with Ben Krasnow, 8 years on

Mon, 17 Feb 2020 02:50:30 +0000

Ben Krasnow returns to The Amp Hour after 8 years, hundreds of hours of YouTube content, a couple of high profile jobs at Valve and GoogleX/Verily and many MANY hours spent in the lab. He chats with Chris about how he approaches learning and working on new projects.

Why isn't this working?

Fri, 14 Feb 2020 02:38:03 +0000

Chris (Gammell) talks with Elecia and Chris (White) from Embedded.fm. It’s a crossover show called Ampbedded! This episode covers learning methodology when doing self study and the surprising aspects of learning firmware.

Optimization Beast

Mon, 10 Feb 2020 17:34:59 +0000

This week Dave and Chris discuss the impact of engineers passing away, the time spent doing different electronics design tasks, new rocket types, a new KiCon being held at CERN and much more!

EcoWoke and Going Broke

Mon, 03 Feb 2020 03:13:08 +0000

Chris and Dave talk about the new Art of Electronics X Chapters book, the impacts of Corona Virus on the electronics world, changes in the IoT landscape and a triumphant return of Chip of the Week!

An Interview with Kendall Castor-Perry

Mon, 27 Jan 2020 03:09:36 +0000

Kendall Castor-Perry, the “Filter Wizard”, joins Chris to talk about the need for effective filters in different electronics products and tools that help to create them.

An Interview with Christina Cyr

Mon, 20 Jan 2020 02:25:57 +0000

Christina Cyr joins Chris to talk about creating a custom cellphone with an unusual form factor. She also recaps her time at CES, talks about sourcing components with large vendors, discusses market research and much more!

An Interview with Nash Reilly

Mon, 13 Jan 2020 04:14:21 +0000

Nash Reilly is a digital designer at Sonos who has worked on products like the Port, the Amp, and the Move. He joins Chris to talk about emissions testing, project management, audio sound quality and much more.

An Interview with Greg Davill

Mon, 06 Jan 2020 02:28:18 +0000

Greg Davill returns to The Amp Hour to talk with Chris about his wide range of projects, such as the Arctic Koala, Orange Crab and Icosahedron LED sculpture. He also talks about his soldering technique and tools, in addition to his recent travel to events like Chaos Congress in Germany.

An Interview with Chuck Peddle (Repeat, in memoriam)

Mon, 30 Dec 2019 03:22:44 +0000

We re-air our 2015 episode with Chuck Peddle as a tribute to him. Chuck passed away earlier this month. We’ll be back with more interviews in 2020!

Keyzermas Vacation

Mon, 23 Dec 2019 03:23:32 +0000

Jeff Keyzer of Mightyohm.com joins Chris and Dave to talk about learning 3D CAD, attending a wide range of conferences, long lead time components, and plans for learning in the new year.

An Interview with Matt Berggren

Mon, 16 Dec 2019 02:52:02 +0000

Matt Berggren is a Director at Autodesk in charge of Fusion 360. He joins Chris to talk about the changes coming to EAGLE and Fusion, his history with the ECAD industry and how he used to be a co-worker of both Chris and Dave!

Just Add Salt

Mon, 09 Dec 2019 05:25:12 +0000

Chris and Dave discuss electronics textbooks, computers taking over layout, writing firmware, and how to deal with test equipment addictions.

An Interview with Craig J Bishop

Mon, 02 Dec 2019 01:54:04 +0000

Craig Bishop joins Chris to talk about a custom gaming platform built on the Xilinx Zynq, how he uses autorouters to connect chips at packaging facilities, and using more software to build hardware.

The Tiny Lab Movement

Sun, 24 Nov 2019 22:09:07 +0000

Dave and Chris discuss downsized labs, flex PCBs, arsonist robots, PCB manufacturing, FPGA practicality and a lot more!

Stories from Supercon 2019

Mon, 18 Nov 2019 23:37:11 +0000

Chris talks with 3 different guests about FPGAs and open source toolchains at the Hackaday Superconference 2019. Guests include Jereon “Sprite_tm” Domburg, Sylvain “tnt” Munaut and Matt Venn.

An Interview with Ryan Cousins

Mon, 11 Nov 2019 00:32:11 +0000

Ryan Cousins is a founder and CEO of Krtkl. He talks with Chris about the Snickerdoodle, an FPGA + SOC platform, which allows users to easily design high complexity FPGA products using a pluggable board topology. Listen to the struggles with crowdfunding, building a software and hardware platform, and how FPGAs are being used by companies throughout the world.

An Interview with Ted Yapo

Mon, 04 Nov 2019 03:34:13 +0000

This week Ted Yapo joins Chris to talk about tritium lights, diode based logic, and optimizing network analyzers.

KonnectorPanik

Sun, 27 Oct 2019 17:10:35 +0000

Chris and Dave discuss designing and testing antennas, production moving out of China, designing flash into products, building flex PCB based cash, hinged PCB construction, and a lot more!

An Interview with Trammell Hudson

Mon, 21 Oct 2019 00:32:51 +0000

Trammell Hudson is a hardware and firmware security researcher who has a wide range of projects. He joins Chris to talk about robotics, firmware reverse engineering, driving vector displays, retro computers and a bunch more.

Boat Anchors

Sun, 13 Oct 2019 23:08:10 +0000

This week Dave and Chris discuss satellite communications, PCB milling, measuring RF, and uncertain datasheets. Please consider filling out our 2019 listener survey. We will do a drawing for DMMs, USB scopes and Amp Hour notebooks.

An Interview with Jonathan Georgino

Mon, 07 Oct 2019 02:46:54 +0000

Jonathan Georgino is creator of the Binho (pronounced BEAN-yo), a USB host adapter that simplifies the process of creating test stands for production. He talks to Chris about his history of hardware design and how it influenced his new product.

Rubber Ducking

Mon, 30 Sep 2019 00:17:43 +0000

This week Dave and Chris discuss low cost finds from China, learning embedded toolchains, the value of engineering notebooks, and how to get better at troubleshooting.

An Interview with Tom Lee

Mon, 23 Sep 2019 04:01:24 +0000

Tom Lee is a professor of electrical engineering at Stanford University and the head of the Stanford Microwave Integrated Circuits lab. He also is the author of Planar Microwave Engineering, a text about RFIC design. He joins Chris to chat about scopes, Maxwell’s equations, and a lot more.

An Interview with Ken Burns

Mon, 16 Sep 2019 01:45:36 +0000

Ken Burns of TinyCircuits talks to Chris about starting an electronics company that was really a manufacturing venture. Also working on electronics in the midwest, including a new sensor platform that just launched.

Dotty Ernest Annty Frost

Mon, 09 Sep 2019 01:53:55 +0000

This week Chris and Dave discuss hiring tutors for faster learning, where WiFi was invented, low cost PCB services and how the US / China Tariffs are affecting every day electronics.

#456.3 - Discussing Fomu with Tim Ansell and Sean Cross

Wed, 04 Sep 2019 03:43:08 +0000

In this final episode from CCCamp 2019, Chris discusses the Fomu with Tim Ansell, Sean Cross and Michael Ossmann.

#456.2 - Crossover Camp with Hackaday and Unnamed Reverse Engineering Podcasts

Sun, 01 Sep 2019 15:29:12 +0000

This week, Chris records a podcast live at CCCamp with Alvaro Prieto (Unnamed Reverse Engineering Podcast), Mike Szczys (Hackaday Podcast), and Elliot Williams (Hackaday Podcast). They talk about their experience at camp.

#456.1 - An Interview with Schneider and Rahix of the Card10 Badge Team (CCCamp 2019)

Wed, 28 Aug 2019 03:17:54 +0000

Chris and Alvaro (UNRE) talked with Schneider and Rahix of the Card10 badge team at CCCamp 2019

Bill and Dave's Excellent Equipment

Mon, 19 Aug 2019 11:34:20 +0000

This week Chris and Dave talk about various bits of test equipment, long lead time parts and the importance of user interface when interacting with critical devices.

An Interview with MG (Mike Grover)

Mon, 12 Aug 2019 04:07:44 +0000

MG (Mike Grover) is a security researcher who has done fantastic things with PCB milling machines. He now creates cable implants, making tiny boards that do devious things.

Vertically Integrated Design Engineering

Mon, 05 Aug 2019 05:15:40 +0000

Dave and Chris discuss designing a remote controlled blinky device, tips around doing RF layout, low cost components, the Apollo 50th celebration and much more.

An Interview with Kieran O'Leary

Mon, 29 Jul 2019 05:13:40 +0000

Kieran O’Leary joins Chris to talk about consulting, EMC testing, Signal Integrity issues, working as an application engineer and a lot more!

An Interview with Scott Miller (2nd)

Mon, 22 Jul 2019 02:39:30 +0000

Scott Miller of Dragon Innovation returns to The Amp Hour after 7 years. He and Chris talk about how manufacturing continues to evolve and how Dragon is creating a “product as a service” company inside of their larger distributor parent company.

Summer Break Post: A reading/listening list

Mon, 15 Jul 2019 16:31:50 +0000

Dave and Chris will be off for this week due to travel and enjoying the summer weather (at least in the northern hemisphere). Click through for links to some older guest episodes we recommend for listening.

Stories from Teardown 2019

Mon, 08 Jul 2019 03:30:31 +0000

Chris talks to Jesse Vincent, Adrian Studer, Zach Archer, Piotr Esden-Tempski and Jeff Keyzer during a social event at Teardown 2019.

Pulled From A Working Environment

Mon, 01 Jul 2019 02:47:46 +0000

Dave and Chris discuss FPGAs, toolchains, workshops, cross vendor support, new dev boards and how to find a deal on used test equipment.

An Interview with Jean Rintoul

Mon, 24 Jun 2019 00:38:26 +0000

Jean Rintoul is the founder of Mindseye Biomedical and creator of the Spectra, an impedance tomography device. Jeans joins Chris to talk about medical imaging and impedance measurement techniques.

Voltnuts for Flashlights

Mon, 17 Jun 2019 02:05:49 +0000

Chris talks with an ailing Dave about how to specify battery packs, why electronics engineers should stay out of mechanical design and improving design by thinking about manufacturing early in the design cycle.

An Interview with Pete Bevelacqua

Mon, 10 Jun 2019 04:44:27 +0000

Pete Bevelacqua joins Chris to talk about antenna design and testing at companies like Apple, Boeing and Nest. Pete reviews what is required to take a design from an initial sketch all the way through FCC testing and deployment to the field.

Ludicrously High Frequency Interference

Mon, 03 Jun 2019 02:30:12 +0000

Chris and Dave return to talk about part numbers in manufacturing, doing box builds for low run prototypes, how to pass FCC compliance and what happens when your frequencies go plaid.

An Interview with Ben Eater

Mon, 27 May 2019 23:21:30 +0000

Ben Eater joins Chris to talk about building an 8 bit computer on breadboards and how low level construction is a great project for learning more about the field of electronics.

An Interview with JP Norair

Sun, 19 May 2019 23:05:27 +0000

JP Norair joins Chris to talk about setting up networks using LoRa transceivers and his work on the DASH7 standard. Also making antennas, consulting for startups and how solar storage might be moving to your roof.

An Interview with Travis Goodspeed

Mon, 13 May 2019 04:44:28 +0000

Travis Goodspeed joins Chris to talk about his past projects (GoodFET, GoodWatch, M380 tools, P25 Jammer, Facedancer, more) and how each new project spawns communities large and small.

Motivational Speaker

Sun, 05 May 2019 22:13:40 +0000

Chris and Dave recap KiCon, talk about the future of KiCad, discuss standing up new brands and trademarks and remark on the state of robotics.

#440.3 - Interviews with Anool Mahidharia, AJ Keller, Uriel Guy, Ste Kulov, and Craig Bishop at KiCon 2019

Sat, 04 May 2019 18:46:59 +0000

Anool Mahidharia (Lumetronics), AJ Keller (Neurosity), Uriel Guy (Light Art), Ste Kulov (HD Retrovision), Craig Bishop (Craigjb.com) talk with Chris, Alvaro and Piotr at KiCon2019

#440.2 - Interviews with Greg Davill and Michael Ossmann

Wed, 01 May 2019 03:31:58 +0000

We sit down with Greg Davill and Michael Ossmann for two brief chats at KiCon 2019

#440.1 - An Interview with the core KiCad development team

Mon, 29 Apr 2019 03:44:20 +0000

This is the first of a couple episodes that will be posted from KiCon 2019. This interview was in two parts with some of the developers from the KiCad project. We talked with Wayne Stambaugh, Maciej “Orson” Suminski, Tomasz Wlostowski, Jon Evans, and Seth Hillbrand.

Grow A Superbrain

Mon, 22 Apr 2019 03:52:58 +0000

Chris and Dave discuss signal integrity, Kirchoff’s current law and building up a new base of knowledge.

An Interview with Bart Dring

Mon, 15 Apr 2019 00:05:38 +0000

Bart Dring joins Chris to talk about CNCs, motion control and building custom robots.

An Interview with Chrissy Meyer

Mon, 08 Apr 2019 04:43:21 +0000

This week Chrissy Meyer of Root Ventures joins Chris to talk about DfM at large companies like Apple and Square. Also how these and other skills have translated into working with hardware startups in the venture world.

Downward Sloping Trace

Sun, 31 Mar 2019 23:45:17 +0000

This week Dave and Chris discuss logic analyzers, layout practice, CPLDs and how heat can stack up inside a design.

An Interview with Andreas Spiess

Mon, 25 Mar 2019 02:01:24 +0000

Andreas Spiess, “the guy with the Swiss accent” on YouTube, joins Chris to talk about connected devices and the importance of rules.

Use The Protection Circuit

Mon, 18 Mar 2019 02:22:07 +0000

Dave and Chris discuss freezing LCDs, the cost of prototypes, swapping layer polarity in layout, designing with custom parts, and how to interface to unprotected battery cells.

An Interview with Sam Stranks

Sun, 10 Mar 2019 23:55:51 +0000

Sam Stranks is a researcher, professor, and entrepreneur focused on making Perovskites into a commercially viable solar cell. The efficiency has been climbing at a rapid pace over the past 10 years. He joins Chris to talk about how Perovskites could lead to more prevalent (and printed!) solar cells.

Check The Dummy Box

Mon, 04 Mar 2019 01:16:58 +0000

This week Dave and Chris discuss designing hardware without specifications, upcoming conferences, working with software services on distributed hardware and how to measure current over a large dynamic range.

An Interview with Adam McCombs

Mon, 25 Feb 2019 03:52:06 +0000

Adam McCombs joins Chris to talk about his love of scanning electron microscopes and all things in the world of minuscule measurements. Listen as he discusses repairing, moving and troubleshooting high complexity, high voltage machines.

Shahriar Discusses 5G

Mon, 18 Feb 2019 05:41:39 +0000

Shahriar from The Signal Path returns to talk with Dave about 5G and the practical implementation of new broadband technologies. This discussion ranged from phased signal arrays to the importance of processing new information via the internet.

An Interview with Charles Alexanian

Mon, 11 Feb 2019 00:05:53 +0000

Charles Alexanian joins Chris to talk about manufacturing in the agriculture space, repairing and sourcing components for the music industry and hobbies that take you far afield.

Setting Fire To The Tracks

Mon, 04 Feb 2019 01:59:54 +0000

Dave returns from his walkabout to talk with Chris while he’s shivering in Chicago (-23F the day of recording). They discuss dev boards, new chipsets, machine learning, checklists, high speed design, microcontroller features and much more!

An Interview with Maarten Engelen

Mon, 28 Jan 2019 01:18:40 +0000

Maarten Engelen is the CTO of Hiber, a low earth orbit satellite company that offers low data rate connectivity to remote applications. He joins Chris to talk about building and deploying satellites and modems for modern applications.

An Interview with Dean Pick

Mon, 21 Jan 2019 02:05:37 +0000

Dean Pick joins Chris to talk about founding 3 different companies working on automatic transmission motorcycles, shape memory alloy linear actuators and large scale installations of biomass power generation.

An Interview with Chris Osterwood

Mon, 14 Jan 2019 00:00:56 +0000

Chris Osterwood joins Chris to talk about the constraints of building ground robots, designing reliable machines and making components that robot companies can easily integrate into their next product.

An Interview with Julia Truchsess

Mon, 07 Jan 2019 03:06:23 +0000

Julia Truchsess, founder of Pragmatic Designs, joins Chris to talk about consulting, the audio industry, toy production and creating products that end up in popular music and millions of households.

Open FPGA Toolchains at 35c3

Wed, 02 Jan 2019 00:30:32 +0000

In this special episode recorded at Chaos Communication Congress (35c3), Piotr Esden-Tempski, Clifford Wolf and Dave Shah talk about the state of open FPGA toolchains and the recently announced nextpnr toolset.

Stick 'Em On Whales

Fri, 28 Dec 2018 00:01:55 +0000

This week Chris joins Elecia and Chris White of Embedded.fm to talk about the state of the electronics/embedded world and to recap favorite episodes of the year.

The Legend of Keyzermas

Sun, 23 Dec 2018 18:30:54 +0000

Jeff Keyzer (Mightyohm) joins Dave and Chris to celebrate the state of the electronics world and to chat about what’s on the horizon.

An Interview with Joe Long

Mon, 17 Dec 2018 04:27:21 +0000

Joe Long joins Chris to talk about subscription boxes of electronics (Hackerboxes.com), learning through project based education and working as an IP attorney writing high tech utility patents (Long Tech Law).

Feels over reals

Mon, 10 Dec 2018 04:10:18 +0000

This week Chris and Dave discuss letting magic smoke out of transformers, building with highly integrated SIPs, the ethics of scooters and how to craft a layout contest.

An Interview with Josh Datko

Mon, 03 Dec 2018 00:17:40 +0000

Josh Datko joined Chris to talk about embedded security, military contracting and to tell stories about his time on nuclear submarines and as a naval officer in the middle of Afghanistan.

Cash Is King

Mon, 26 Nov 2018 15:53:59 +0000

Dave and Chris talk about the ins and outs of running product and consulting businesses and dealing with cashflow. Also Chris announces that KiCon 2019 will be taking place in April 2019 in Chicago IL

An Interview with James Bruton

Mon, 19 Nov 2018 04:32:50 +0000

James Bruton, xrobot creator and YouTuber, joins Chris and Dave to talk about robots, video documentation and the challenges of carrying your 40 kg robotic dog up the stairs.

Ergs Per Second

Sun, 11 Nov 2018 23:53:19 +0000

Chris and Dave catch up about conference talks, designing PCBs into cases, thin PCB design and solar panels fading into the background.

An Interview with Scotty Allen (Strangeparts)

Tue, 06 Nov 2018 04:18:43 +0000

Scotty Allen travels the world documenting technology stories while learning new skills. He sits down with Chris in LA to talk about building iPhones, living in Shenzhen and The Engineers Journey.

A House of FR4

Sun, 28 Oct 2018 23:43:09 +0000

This week Dave and Chris discuss micros going in and out of style, building electronics for philanthropy, bogus water harvesting techniques, spy chips and much more!

3 Cent Micros And 1000s of LEDs

Sun, 21 Oct 2018 16:46:57 +0000

This week Mike Harrison of Mikes Electric Stuff joins Dave to talk about LEDs, low cost parts and tiny tiny components.

An Interview with Chris Denney

Mon, 15 Oct 2018 03:12:26 +0000

Chris Denney, CTO of Worthington Assembly, joins Chris to talk about contract manufacturing in the US, DfM and doing more efficient board assembly.

Secret Buzzer Handshake

Sun, 07 Oct 2018 18:59:33 +0000

This week Chris and Dave discuss PCB layout best practices, how batteries are made, landing probes onto asteroids, joining the IEEE and much more!

Electronics Consultant Impedance Matching

Mon, 01 Oct 2018 04:16:35 +0000

Piotr Esden-Tempski, Eric Thompson and Dave Young join Chris to talk about working as electronics consultants and what to look out for when joining the world of consulting.

Tronnort Software Rises Again!

Mon, 24 Sep 2018 04:37:34 +0000

Dave and Chris discuss part libraries, hacker movies, buying from China, how to read measurements and much more!

Gregory Charvat and Three New Companies

Mon, 17 Sep 2018 03:37:00 +0000

Dr Gregory Charvat returns to The Amp Hour for a fourth time to discuss the three startups he has been working on since his last appearance: an ultrasound company, a stealth mode startup and a company that just released a new cm accurate “indoor GPS” system for factory automation.

Nerds In A Corner

Mon, 10 Sep 2018 04:38:02 +0000

Dave and Chris chat about meetups, new PCB creation methods, flying machines, power supplies and more!

An Interview with Spencer Wright

Mon, 03 Sep 2018 17:16:26 +0000

Spencer Wright is the host of The Prepared podcast and runs the Prepared newsletter. He joins Chris to talk about the state of the manufacturing industry, 3D printing, sourcing parts and trends driving manufacturing in the future.

Proof Of Blink

Mon, 27 Aug 2018 04:15:18 +0000

Dave and Chris discuss moving into the consulting world, high end scopes, low cost CAD and why your next LED project probably won’t involve blockchain.

An Interview with Mike Szczys

Mon, 13 Aug 2018 05:19:22 +0000

Mike Szczys (“stish”) joins Chris to talk about DEF CON 26, building electronics badges for fun, other low level embedded projects and utilizing pick and place machines.

An Interview with Ben Einstein

Mon, 06 Aug 2018 07:47:00 +0000

Ben Einstein, founder of Bolt, talks to Chris about how hardware startups can get off the ground and how Bolt helps guide them with advice, design resources, and prototyping facilities.

An Interview with Brent and Bryce Salmi

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 13:46:51 +0000

Brent and Bryce Salmi are avionic electronics engineers who recently completed a 5 year tenure at SpaceX. They talk to Chris about designing for extreme reliability and creating open source digital radios.

Once Every Couple Months

Mon, 23 Jul 2018 03:45:49 +0000

Dave and Chris chat again for episode 400 after a couple of weeks and many shows apart! They discuss video games, CAD tools, tariffs, LCDs and PCBs!

An Interview with Steve Kreuzer

Mon, 16 Jul 2018 02:37:36 +0000

Steve Kreuzer is a mechanical engineer who consults on projects involving everything from Lithium Ion batteries to BGAs to human heart cells. He talks to Chris about their shared past and how he does consulting for Exponent.

An Interview with Felix Rusu

Mon, 09 Jul 2018 13:44:07 +0000

Felix Rusu of Low Power Lab joins Chris to talk about home automation projects built using subgigahertz radios and small batteries. Learn about how to build your own battery powered home projects!

#397.10 - An Interview with Jeremy Hong

Tue, 26 Jun 2018 06:03:41 +0000

Jeremy Hong does reverse engineering during the day and has an RF addiction all the time. He sits down with Chris for a final interview from ToorCamp.

#397.9 - An Interview with Dominic Spill

Mon, 25 Jun 2018 21:33:17 +0000

Dominic Spill is a software engineer at Great Scott Gadgets who helped architect the Ubertooth One, The Yardstick One and the HackRF One. He talks about the full software stack with Chris at ToorCamp.

#397.8 - An Interview with Chris Gerlinsky

Mon, 25 Jun 2018 05:12:37 +0000

Chris Gerlinsky is an embedded engineer and hacker who reverse engineers protocols for the automotive sector. He sits down with Chris (Gammell) at ToorCamp to talk through decapping chips to extract information.

#397.7 - Impedance Matching with Jeff Keyzer and Michael Ossmann

Mon, 25 Jun 2018 04:31:21 +0000

Jeff and Mike sit down with Chris on a beach at ToorCamp to talk about learning electronics, feeding dessert to an entire camp and hobbies outside of electronics.

#397.6 - An Interview with Matt Knight

Sun, 24 Jun 2018 07:48:25 +0000

Matt Knight talks to Chris while at ToorCamp about using SDRs to research RF protocols and creating new tools to test security.

#397.5 - An Interview with Loial from Krontech

Sat, 23 Jun 2018 08:17:47 +0000

Loial Otter from Krontech talks with Chris around the challenges of signal processing inside high speed cameras and making VFD based watches.

#397.4 - An Interview with ShadyTel

Sat, 23 Jun 2018 07:44:16 +0000

Chris chats with 4 members of Shadytel about running phone lines all over a campsite to tents and boats and also the plans for a new modular system for future Shadytel installations.

#397.3 - An Interview with Jared Boone of Sharebrained

Fri, 22 Jun 2018 08:15:28 +0000

Jared Boone of Sharebrained Technologies talks to Chris at ToorCamp, along with past guest Piotr Esden Tempski. They discuss the PortaPack and the various modes that are possible.

#397.2 - An Interview with Gareth from Greenpeace

Fri, 22 Jun 2018 07:31:51 +0000

Gareth from Greenpeace joins Chris at ToorCamp to talk about tracking illegal fishing and dealing with high volume spammers.

#397.1 - An Interview with Monica Houston and Alessandra Nölting

Thu, 21 Jun 2018 06:02:42 +0000

Monica and Alessandra talk with Chris while aboard the Infinite Sloop, a sailboat on its way towards ToorCamp. This is the first of a series of mini episodes recorded from camp.

The Synergy Bus

Mon, 11 Jun 2018 05:15:14 +0000

Chris and Dave discuss i2c troubleshooting, assistive technology, coding guidelines, and putting the application specificity into “ASIC”

An Interview with Luke Valenty

Mon, 04 Jun 2018 02:12:32 +0000

Luke Valenty of TinyFPGA.com joins Chris to talk about creating FPGA devices and using open source toolchains to control them.

Jeri Ellsworth and the demise of CastAR

Tue, 29 May 2018 05:54:54 +0000

Jeri Ellsworth returns after a 4+ year hiatus on The Amp Hour to talk about the rise and fall of CastAR and how the company’s assets are fueling Jeri’s next enterprise.

I've bitten myself

Mon, 21 May 2018 04:25:28 +0000

This week Dave and Chris dive into PCB layout and how to spec soldermask relief. Also the scourge of footprints, driving LCD panels, fanning out BGAs and much more!

An Interview with Matt Duff

Mon, 14 May 2018 03:15:14 +0000

Matt Duff of Analog Device joins Chris to talk about analog design, explaining amplifiers via YouTube and creating webtools so that engineers can design filters (mostly) without human interaction.

Only A Transmitter

Mon, 07 May 2018 03:21:14 +0000

This week Chris and Dave discussed using out of spec software defined radios, how to lower the cost on production devices, the rising cost of prototyping and the threat of money laundering.

An Interview with Sam Zeloof

Mon, 30 Apr 2018 05:04:26 +0000

Sam Zeloof is making chips in his garage for fun with a homespun semiconductor fab. He tells Chris about what inspired him to learn and build and how the process works

Sipping Coulombs

Mon, 23 Apr 2018 04:15:56 +0000

Dave and Chris discuss debunking theories, designing low power systems and creating art for conferences.

An Interview with Earl Sharpe and Collin Kidder

Mon, 16 Apr 2018 05:04:53 +0000

Earl Sharpe and Collin Kidder of Macchina join Chris to talk about automotive electronics, car hacking, how an ECU works and why you might want to consider tinkering under the hood of your car.

Microfichery

Mon, 09 Apr 2018 05:26:55 +0000

This week on the show Chris and Dave discuss self driving cars, finding the right LED, finding projects in the lab and saving silicon valley history.

An Interview with John Davis

Mon, 26 Mar 2018 03:01:16 +0000

This week John Davis joins Chris to talk about the crossover into sales and designing electronics for the industrial market. John also describes the wide range of industrial customers he works with every day.

A++++++ Will Buy Again

Mon, 19 Mar 2018 04:34:05 +0000

Dave and Chris brainstorm ways to deal with the long lead times in the marketplace right now. Also noise measurements, soldering irons, large semiconductor firm buyouts and a new Raspberry Pi.

An Interview with Scott Shawcroft

Mon, 12 Mar 2018 04:07:18 +0000

Chris talks with Scott Shawcroft who works at Adafruit on CircuitPython. He helped to port MicroPython to the SAMD21 chipset and discusses the details of getting a language working on a new platform, including how to use debuggers.

The Toggle Boggle

Mon, 05 Mar 2018 04:40:42 +0000

This week Dave and Chris recount their stories of testing and of learning firmware. Also new t-shirts, big companies continue their buying spree and video tours of manufacturing facilities

An Interview with Derek Kozel

Mon, 26 Feb 2018 04:44:43 +0000

Derek Kozel of Ettus Research and the GNU Radio foundation joins Chris to talk about software defined radio, doing more in the amateur space with digital modes and peeking into the spectrum.

Just Terrestrial and Space Things

Mon, 19 Feb 2018 01:00:31 +0000

Dave and Chris discuss a wide range of connected devices on the show this week. Dave also talks through more of the 121 GW issues and Chris recaps his travel to various conferences.

An Interview with John Saunders

Sun, 11 Feb 2018 22:41:13 +0000

John Saunders of Saunders Machine Works and the NYCCNC YouTube channel joins Chris and Dave to talk about machining, 3D design and the process behind creating a mechanical thing.

An Interview with Jason Kridner and Robert Nelson

Sun, 04 Feb 2018 21:56:26 +0000

Jason Kridner and Robert Nelson join Chris to talk about building custom linux packages for the BeagleBone, Beagle xM.

Debugger vs Printeffer

Mon, 29 Jan 2018 03:24:17 +0000

Dave returns from vacation and chats about the issues he’s been having with his test gear. Also we discuss travel, debugging code, early programmable chips, manufacturing and control theory.

An Interview with Richard Ginus

Mon, 22 Jan 2018 04:48:32 +0000

Richard Ginus of TWTG joins Chris to explain how LoRaWAN (and LoRa generally) works and why it’s important to low power sensor networks.

An Interview with Tim "Mithro" Ansell

Mon, 15 Jan 2018 03:50:15 +0000

Tim “Mithro” Ansell joins Chris to talk about a range of hardware project which include a tiny USB key, a powerful HDMI capture/buffer and upcoming FPGA training

An Interview with Claire (née 'Clifford') Wolf

Mon, 08 Jan 2018 05:56:06 +0000

The architect and creator of the first open source toolchain for FPGAs, Claire Wolf talks to Chris about logic synthesis, reverse engineering bit streams, formal verification and why the RISC V processor matters.

Pedantic or Andrantic

Wed, 03 Jan 2018 04:07:30 +0000

Chris (Gammell) joins Chris (White) and Elecia (White) of Embedded.fm for a holiday crossover episode. We talk about new toys, books, learning code and much more!

Year End, 2017

Mon, 18 Dec 2017 06:21:52 +0000

Dave and Chris discuss some of the stuff that’s happened over the past week and year and talk about what’s up in 2018.

An Interview With Joe Bamberg

Mon, 11 Dec 2017 05:15:42 +0000

Joe Bamberg joins Chris to talk about monitoring power usage via power monitoring chips (while at ADI) and larger signal processing techniques (now at Sense).

Alternate Info Sources

Mon, 04 Dec 2017 04:02:38 +0000

Chris and Dave discuss where to get info these days. The info they had this week included the impending kickstarter, CAD software, battery technologies, FreeRTOS, competitions and more!

An Interview with Jason Huggins

Mon, 27 Nov 2017 04:46:41 +0000

Chris talks to Jason Huggins about robotics, art, holistic product design, taking on small amounts of funding and the benefits of running companies that facilitate testing.

The EEVblog Sparkgap Generator

Mon, 20 Nov 2017 03:50:34 +0000

Dave and Chris recap the weekend hacker conference, discuss product considerations and market fit, peek inside diodes, try new protocols and avoid the invasion of IoT white goods.

Not Reely An Issue

Mon, 13 Nov 2017 19:00:47 +0000

Dave and Chris discuss sourcing issues, conferences, cracked capacitors, cheap microcontrollers, high power LEDs, startups and more!

Loopback

Mon, 06 Nov 2017 02:07:00 +0000

After a year’s worth of shows (if you listen to one episode per day), we decided to do a replay of episode 1 of The Amp Hour

Wait, why is Jeff glowing?

Mon, 30 Oct 2017 05:29:59 +0000

Jeff Keyzer (@mightyohm) joins Chris to tell him about his return to self employment after 5 years at Valve and his field trip to early (and large!) nuclear reactors.

The Endless Y2K

Mon, 23 Oct 2017 01:52:43 +0000

Chris and Dave discuss small scale production, conference badges, CAD programs, WiFi vulnerability, self terminating devices and much more!

An interview with Alvaro and Jen from the URE Podcast

Sun, 15 Oct 2017 22:31:30 +0000

Alvaro and Jen from the new Unnamed Reverse Engineering podcast stop by to talk about designing Consumer Electronics and their quest to learn reverse engineering to use at work and at home.

Secret Squirrel

Mon, 02 Oct 2017 04:53:48 +0000

Dave and Chris chat about small scale computing, things learned about hardware, DOS programs, working weekends, developing for non-consumer markets and much more!

An Interview with Ken Shirriff

Mon, 25 Sep 2017 20:30:03 +0000

Ken Shirriff joins Chris and Dave to talk about vintage computer rebuilds, peering at 1970s silicon on die and using reverse engineering to figure things out.

A Total 360

Mon, 18 Sep 2017 06:04:47 +0000

Dave and Chris celebrate their 360th episode by streaming video and taking audience questions live during taping. Watch on YouTube for some small extras.

An Interview with Jeroen Domburg (Sprite_tm)

Mon, 11 Sep 2017 23:26:35 +0000

Jeroen Domburg (Sprite_tm) joins Chris and Dave to talk about how the ESP8266 and ESP32 are shaking up the world of connected projects and products online.

Mergers and People Acquisitions

Tue, 05 Sep 2017 03:53:51 +0000

Chris announces he is changing jobs, Dave talks about threatened legal action from a shell company and we discuss a range of new mergers in the electronics industry.

An Interview with Rick Altherr

Tue, 29 Aug 2017 00:44:38 +0000

Rick Altherr is a firmware and software designer who works on server technologies; his work on the Open Compute project has produced open source designs for hyper-scale server installations.

An Interview with Piotr Esden-Tempski

Mon, 21 Aug 2017 05:48:36 +0000

Piotr Esden-Tempski from 1 bit squared joins Chris to talk autopilots, debugging code, prototyping hardware, JTAG chains and much more!

The Internet of Septage (with Akiba)

Mon, 14 Aug 2017 04:52:11 +0000

Akiba from Freaklabs returns to give an update on industrial internet projects, talk about reorganizing product lines, discuss building test stands and commiserate on creating a business that suits your lifestyle.

A Meeting Of The Davids

Sun, 06 Aug 2017 19:12:32 +0000

This week David and Dave chat about the upcoming EEVblog multimeter and news from the world of electronics

IoT Degree

Tue, 25 Jul 2017 02:56:05 +0000

Chris and Dave discuss whether an IoT specific degree program makes sense. Also sad robots, crazy businesses, desoldering parts, low cost test equipment…and more!

Conning with Michael Ossmann

Tue, 18 Jul 2017 06:56:58 +0000

Michael Ossmann returns to talk about the HackRF, security conferences, working with the spectrum, how GPS works, giving software interfaces to the world and lots more.

The Automation Amish

Mon, 10 Jul 2017 17:01:19 +0000

Though Dave has sworn off all things automation, it doesn’t stop us from talking about developments in the electronics world, new and old! New silicon nodes, new kits, new chips, old topologies, old dies, old kits and more!

An Interview with Zach Dunham

Mon, 03 Jul 2017 17:42:32 +0000

Zach Dunham invited Chris to the Kickstarter headquarters to talk US based manufacturing, crowdfunding projects, new KS initiatives and more!

An(other) Interview with Jon Oxer

Mon, 26 Jun 2017 01:41:54 +0000

Jon Oxer returns to discuss DIY home automation, running a kit business, shaving your head for creating videos and what’s coming next for him after selling his last company.

An Interview with Art Kay

Sun, 18 Jun 2017 23:53:14 +0000

Art Kay is an analog precision expert and application manager at TI. He joins us to talk about his career in the industry and a new training program for learning about precision electronics.

Re-scoping the problem

Tue, 13 Jun 2017 21:25:17 +0000

We return this week to discuss the range of new scopes in the market and to give away a few of them as well! Also new tech nodes (5 nm!), new podcasts and new low cost equipment.

An Interview with Joe FitzPatrick

Mon, 05 Jun 2017 01:21:40 +0000

Joe FitzPatrick joins Chris to talk about hardware security. They cover topics such as USB-C, hardware implants, ethics in hacking, the NSAplayset and much more!

Milling About

Wed, 31 May 2017 02:58:47 +0000

Dave and Chris delve into the world of mechanical elements, milling circuit boards, certified designs and a bunch of other things they actually don’t know about.

Back Into The Swing Of Things

Sun, 14 May 2017 21:44:20 +0000

After a month without talking to recover from hanging out, we’re back with a new show! We cover events, AI, new sites, chip industry investments, recapping trips and more!

Shahriar and Dave Chat

Mon, 08 May 2017 04:37:22 +0000

Shahriar is the host of The Signal Path YouTube channel and former guest on episode 228. He and Dave chat live in Sydney about RF design and a whole lot more!

Our 2017 Scope Contest

Mon, 08 May 2017 04:28:22 +0000

Dave and Chris are giving away 2 scopes. Share your favorite episode with co-workers and friends to be entered to win.

Road trip to the deep space network

Mon, 17 Apr 2017 01:17:21 +0000

Dave and Chris take a road trip to Canberra to see the 70m tracking dish for the Deep Space Network. We also recap the meetups throughout Sydney and NZ and the great projects we’ve seen and discuss education.

The Amp Hour Meetup in Melbourne, April 18th

Sun, 16 Apr 2017 23:58:08 +0000

The Amp Hour (Chris) is doing a meetup in Melbourne. Click the title for more details. Don’t forget to bring your projects!

Our first in-person show

Mon, 10 Apr 2017 00:23:00 +0000

Chris and Dave finally record The Amp Hour from the same room while Chris is visiting Sydney. Discussions about manufacturing, FPGAs, meetups, sci-fi and more!

The Amp Hour Meetup in Sydney, April 11th!

Fri, 07 Apr 2017 04:28:54 +0000

Dave and Chris will be doing what amounts to the first official Amp Hour meetup ever, as they will both be there! Bring your projects and hang out in downtown Sydney!

The Amp Hour SPACE SPECIAL! With Fran Blanche

Tue, 04 Apr 2017 22:08:08 +0000

Dave and Fran spend two hours nerding out about everything space related! (Click title or image to see YouTube video)

All the way with DLJ

Mon, 27 Mar 2017 04:00:32 +0000

Chris and Dave’s (likely) last recording before meeting in person! Discussions about meetup plans, Bell Labs, op amp stability, hacking tractors and much more!

The Amp Hour Meetup in Wellington, 4/1

Sat, 25 Mar 2017 03:37:06 +0000

The Amp Hour (Chris) is doing a meetup in Wellington NZ. Click the title for more details. Don’t forget to bring your projects.

The Amp Hour Meetup in Auckland, 3/30

Sat, 25 Mar 2017 03:29:13 +0000

The Amp Hour (Chris) is doing a meetup in Auckland NZ. Click the title for more details. Don’t forget to bring your projects.

An Interview with Jason Cerundolo

Mon, 20 Mar 2017 05:07:32 +0000

Jason Cerundolo designs CastAR hardware all day and goes home to develop firmware and hardware via Reclaimer Labs at night. This week we discuss all manner of USB C hardware, connected thermocouples, porting code and much more!

Look at nature and meet nerds

Mon, 13 Mar 2017 01:40:06 +0000

Dave and Chris discuss that they will finally be meeting in less than a month! Also IoT, embedded platforms, Claude Shannon’s hobbies, surveys, hacks and more!

An Interview with Jørgen Jakobsen

Mon, 06 Mar 2017 02:11:17 +0000

Jørgen Jakobsen joins Chris to discuss Analog IC design, designing for hearing aids, how to build super tiny Class D amplifiers and using readily available tools to test everything.

Fake it till you make it

Fri, 24 Feb 2017 05:11:18 +0000

This week we discuss designing Nixie Tube boards and industrial platforms using RS485. Also failed 3D printers, lab organization, building badges and much more!

An Interview with Bunnie Huang (2nd)

Fri, 17 Feb 2017 04:50:07 +0000

Bunnie Huang returns to talk about biology hacking, writing new books, creating secure hardware and finding the next hardware challenge.

When the TV watches you

Fri, 10 Feb 2017 17:47:18 +0000

This week we discuss the creepiness of smart devices listening in the home, new science projects, biology projects, new company names and Alexa buying you an LCR meter.

An Interview with Gerry Roston

Sat, 04 Feb 2017 00:16:35 +0000

Gerry Roston is a longtime roboticist and entrepreneur. He talks about his time working at JPL, building prototype robots, starting IoT companies and much more.

Science, Not Silence

Sat, 28 Jan 2017 01:34:46 +0000

Chris and Dave return to talk about the importance of science education and freedom of information. Also subscription software, logistics improvements, making stuff and more!

An Interview with Zach Barth of Zachtronics

Fri, 20 Jan 2017 05:38:29 +0000

Zach Barth of Zachtronics stops by to talk about making video games for engineers. Their latest title (Shenzhen I/O) is about an electronics designer trying to make their way in Shenzhen.

An Interview with Simone Giertz

Fri, 13 Jan 2017 06:02:30 +0000

Simone Giertz joins Chris to talk about creating robots, beginner’s mind, creating video content, her experiences at CES and more!

An Interview with Zach Fredin

Fri, 06 Jan 2017 16:43:13 +0000

Zach Fredin of NeuroTinker talks to Chris about SBIR grants, educational programming, electronics manufacturing, crazy soldering and making things from neuron simulators!

Work on it for 10 years...

Fri, 30 Dec 2016 02:56:09 +0000

Elecia and Chris White from Embedded.fm join Chris to talk about the upcoming year, improving skills, new books, calculus and a bit of electronics.

The Ghost of Keyzermas Past

Fri, 23 Dec 2016 15:52:52 +0000

Jeff Keyzer returns for a special Christmas episode! We talk about travel, prototyping, Bell Labs, high volume manufacturing, radio astronomy and much more!

An Interview with Avidan Ross

Fri, 16 Dec 2016 21:51:50 +0000

Avidan Ross from Root.vc joins us to talk about venture funding, building hardware and tinkering with 1000 degree pizza ovens.

Magical Fire Bags

Fri, 09 Dec 2016 18:44:22 +0000

This week we discuss batteries, prototyping, electric trucks, simple CPUs, 3D printing, shutting down internet service layers and much more!

An Interview with David Kronstein (Tesla500)

Fri, 02 Dec 2016 19:30:36 +0000

David Kronstein (tesla500) joins us to discuss the design of his high speed camera, the Chronos 1.4. Lots of technical detail about camera sensors, FPGAs and how to put the whole thing together.

Mapping Out Nerdery

Fri, 25 Nov 2016 02:57:42 +0000

This week Dave and Chris discuss how to find out about new nerdy locations, open source chip crowdfunding, documentation, acquisitions, tax write-offs and more!

An Interview with Tony DiCola

Fri, 18 Nov 2016 19:30:12 +0000

Tony DiCola from Adafruit joins Chris and Dave to talk about how to use MicroPython on a variety of microcontrollers! Learn how to use a high level, interpreted language to control low level hardware!

World Trade Futurity (WTF)

Fri, 11 Nov 2016 04:59:22 +0000

Chris and Dave discuss the upcoming trade realities in 2017 and how that might affect the electronics industry. Also EMI, SuperCon, acquisitions, Muntzing, datasheets, Mars and more!

Monster Scale Production

Fri, 28 Oct 2016 19:43:19 +0000

Chris and Dave discuss Pro Bono engineering work, manufacturing big things in high volume, buying stuff from Shenzhen, attacking IoT devices, crazy VC fundraising and quickly copying kickstarters

An Interview with Brent of OSHstencils

Fri, 21 Oct 2016 04:47:08 +0000

Brent from OSHStencils.com joins Chris to talk about laser cutting stencils for prototype designs.

Photon Rich, Cash Poor

Fri, 14 Oct 2016 17:34:26 +0000

Chris and Dave return to chat with one another (at the same time!) about solar power, EMC testing, new chips, pick and place machines, licensing issues for products and much more!

Impedance Matching with Michael Ossmann and Dmitry Nedospasov

Fri, 07 Oct 2016 01:41:41 +0000

Mike Ossmann and Dmitry Nedospasov return to talk security, trainings and hardware hacking for profit.

A Decoupled Episode

Fri, 30 Sep 2016 18:31:33 +0000

Dave and Chris give their opinions like usual…just not while talking to one another. A “call and response” format gives a new perspective on how we discuss news.

An Interview with Robert Feranec

Fri, 23 Sep 2016 07:42:54 +0000

Robert Feranec of Fedevel Academy stops by to talk about board layout, electronics design, open source hardware, freelancing and much more!

Mashuppery (with MEP)

Fri, 16 Sep 2016 18:42:04 +0000

Chris is joined by Parker and Stephen from the Macrofab Engineering Podcast (MEP) for a mashup episode! Discussing machining, CAD, power supplies, discovering new components…and more!

An Interview with Josh Lifton

Fri, 09 Sep 2016 17:11:21 +0000

Josh Lifton of Crowd Supply talks about what it takes to make sure every project is delivered to backers. Also: distributed sensors at light shows and how to become an open source stenographer.

My Kind of Town

Fri, 02 Sep 2016 06:32:12 +0000

Chris announces his move to Chicago. We also talk about restarting a bench, on demand services, chip mergers, new books, watches, hackerspaces and much more!

Aussie Bound!

Fri, 19 Aug 2016 00:51:54 +0000

Chris will finally shake Dave’s hand…in April 2017! We also discuss advice for Freshman EEs, how to hunt down new gear, building VNAs, tool storage, new offices and more!

An Interview with Louis Rossmann

Fri, 12 Aug 2016 04:48:34 +0000

Louis Rossmann talks to Dave about repair, legislation about repair, the best tools for the repair job and philosophy around business and life.

Mergers and Acquiescence

Fri, 05 Aug 2016 18:13:27 +0000

Chris and Dave talk about the tumultuous consolidation of the chip industry. Also books, innovation, solar, knees and more!

An Interview with Stefan Dzisiewski-Smith

Fri, 29 Jul 2016 05:10:53 +0000

Stefan stops by to talk with Chris about High Voltage power supplies, conductive paint sensors, field testing solar chargers and working on HUGE art installations.

An Interview with Samy Kamkar

Fri, 22 Jul 2016 07:43:54 +0000

Samy Kamkar talks to Chris about all manner of hacking: hardware, software, drones, MITM, RF and even MySpace.

Call In Show #5

Fri, 15 Jul 2016 03:49:46 +0000

Only one actually caller, but lots of great audience questions in this “call in” episode! We discussed power supplies, formal EE education, IC die photos, old calculators, math and more!

Call in show, Weds July 13th

Mon, 11 Jul 2016 19:40:21 +0000

Catalyzing Change Agents

Fri, 08 Jul 2016 04:31:44 +0000

Chris and Dave discuss the changes to the CAD landscape, how life changes can bring unexpected benefits and the proper way to approach contacting someone about a job.

An Interview With Dave Young

Fri, 01 Jul 2016 04:55:02 +0000

Chris is joined by one of his oldest friends and former co-workers, Dave Young. He runs a consulting business helping startup design products and an engineering educational program for high school students.

Alexa joins the fray

Fri, 24 Jun 2016 08:41:19 +0000

Chris and Dave discuss special tools, mergers and VR…all before getting interrupted by user questions and resolutions.

An Interview with Dmitry Nedospasov

Fri, 17 Jun 2016 15:13:46 +0000

Dmitry Nedospasov is a full time hardware hacker and security researcher. He tells us about how to get into the silicon and learn all about what’s going on under the hood of devices.

An Interview with Clint Cole of Digilent

Fri, 10 Jun 2016 12:52:16 +0000

Clint Cole, founder and president of Digilent, joins us to talk education, electronics, manufacturing, mobile test equipment, open source (or not) and how future engineers will learn.

The Nerd Calendar

Fri, 03 Jun 2016 05:49:32 +0000

Fill out your monthly nerd calendar! On this episode we discuss antennas, jellybean components, datasheets, RF, DC Power Analysis, Rovers and getting fun things in the mail!

Three Hundred Down, Three Hundred To Go

Fri, 27 May 2016 06:43:38 +0000

Chris and Dave celebrate their 300th episode by waffling on like usual. Robots, art projects, layout, future predictions (and how they’re wrong), crowdfunding scams and more. Bingo!

The Amp Hour (well, Chris) visits Denver!

Thu, 26 May 2016 00:36:29 +0000

Chris will be holding a meetup in Denver on Sunday (5/29) at 4 pm at Black Sky Brewery.

An Interview with Jonathan Hirschman of PCB:NG

Fri, 20 May 2016 07:26:31 +0000

Jonathan Hirschman talks to Chris and Dave about bringing PCB assembly into the 21st century. Software, PnPs, trading standardization for convenience and more!

Don't Turn It On, Don't Take It Apart

Fri, 13 May 2016 04:28:04 +0000

Chris and Dave discuss why engineers join startups, how to decide how open source a product should be, the role of modules and ego in design, sourcing decisions and more!

An Interview with Jake Baker

Fri, 06 May 2016 04:57:25 +0000

Jake Baker is a chip designer and educator at UNLV. He tells us all about DRAM, Flash, ReRAM, low level design and lots more silicon goodness!

Gotta Update My Dog

Fri, 29 Apr 2016 03:24:51 +0000

Chris and Dave reunite to talk about travel (past and future), industry layoffs, connected hardware, future hardware companies and finding aliens.

An Interview with Omer Kilic

Fri, 22 Apr 2016 03:32:17 +0000

Omer Kilic talks about designing redesigning power sockets to be reliable and manufacturable. Also, broader discussions about what’s wrong with IoT and where it’s all going.

Live from Serbia with Mike Harrison

Thu, 14 Apr 2016 19:45:33 +0000

Mike Harrison joins Chris while in Serbia for various conferences to talk about reverse engineering analogue mobile phones, art installations, trade shows and more!

Call In Show #4

Fri, 01 Apr 2016 06:04:55 +0000

Chris and Dave blank on generators, hear about surface wave transmission, give advice on business, hear from past guests and prescribe new product development tips.

Sign up to call in (#4)!

Tue, 29 Mar 2016 02:59:49 +0000

New for this show: You must send in your Skype account name. We will be sending you a link to a chat room for the show. Callers can then figure out who will be calling in first, second, third, etc. Plus you get to chat with the other callers in the chat room. Meet new people!

Call in show #4 will record on Wednesday March 30th, around 8 pm EST (Look up your local time here). Here are the three ways you can ask a question (in order of preference):

An Interview with Timothy Lamb

Fri, 25 Mar 2016 09:37:56 +0000

Timothy (Tim) Lamb tells us all about the ups and downs of working on the tech behind the special effects of the movies we have all seen.

Artificially Intelligent Party Platform

Fri, 18 Mar 2016 05:53:47 +0000

Chris and Dave discuss physical interfaces, Design For Manufacturing, former Austin chip companies, engineering based political parties, robots, transistors and lots more!

An Interview with Mark Morin of Nufern

Fri, 11 Mar 2016 06:29:28 +0000

Mark Morin of Nufern joins us to speak about lasers, optics, obsolete components, books and available jobs.

Documentation Is A Waste Of Time

Fri, 04 Mar 2016 04:05:41 +0000

Dave and Chris talk about documentation, new platforms, high speed cameras, superheroes, energy generation, travel and lots more!

Call In Show #3

Fri, 26 Feb 2016 05:29:39 +0000

This call in show included questions about education, changing careers, learning high speed design, creating PCB buttons, grounding issues and more!

More Ways To Call-In!

Tue, 23 Feb 2016 17:26:09 +0000

For the upcoming call-in show to be recorded Feb 24, we are adding even more ways to ask questions on air.

Pull The Trigger

Fri, 19 Feb 2016 06:46:57 +0000

Dave and Chris talk about cash flow, scopes, online dev tools, early microcontrollers, bodge wires, revision control, 3d modeling and more!

An Interview with Saar Drimer

Fri, 12 Feb 2016 06:32:32 +0000

Saar Drimer of Boldport stops by to talk about the EDA industry, artistic circuit boards, Chip and Pin security, a new kit subscription service and more!

Something's Serially Wrong Here

Fri, 05 Feb 2016 05:50:21 +0000

Chris and Dave discuss the effects of really bad PR. Also commerce, Chinese New Year, new education systems, assembling boards and much more!

An Interview with Great Scott

Fri, 29 Jan 2016 04:33:40 +0000

Scott of the popular Great Scott! YouTube channel joins Chris to talk about German education, manufacturing, learning electronics and more!

An Interview with Jonathan Ellis

Sat, 23 Jan 2016 02:05:48 +0000

Jon Ellis (@profgears), researcher and professor at the University of Rochester, talks about the rigors of being on the tenure track, doing high precision distance measurement and helping define NIST standards

3D Product Logistics

Fri, 15 Jan 2016 06:37:40 +0000

Dave returns from vacation to a world with one less David Jones. Also 3D prototypes, super low cost dev boards, FIRST robotics and life goals.

Crossovers and Call-ins

Fri, 08 Jan 2016 06:45:00 +0000

Chris and Elecia White of Embedded.fm join Chris on The Amp Hour to take calls from guests. Topics include pro makers, early micros, new programming languages and needed debug tools.

The Embedded call-in show is January 6th

Tue, 05 Jan 2016 02:01:57 +0000

We will be having a call in show with Elecia and Chris White of Embedded.fm this Wednesday January 6th at 5 pm PST / 8 PM EST. Click here to look up your localized time.

We will be doing the show differently this time. We will be calling people directly on Skype and editing the show together after the fact. You need to send the following information to feedback@theamphour.com:

Your name
Your location
Your Skype name
What you would like to talk about.

We will email all callers before the show starts. You should plan to be available for roughly a 2 hour window as we will be calling people in order.

If you have any questions, please ask in the comments below. Please do not leave your personal information in the comments section; everyone interested in being part of this should email feedback@theamphour.com

New Year Education

Fri, 01 Jan 2016 01:05:25 +0000

Akiba and Chris ring in the new year talking about electronics education reforms, depression in technology, starting a hardware business and prototyping sensor networks.

Merry Keyzermas!

Fri, 25 Dec 2015 00:04:42 +0000

Jeff Keyzer once again visits the show to talk about high volume manufacturing in China and creating a consumer product.

Our Second Callin Show(ish)

Fri, 18 Dec 2015 01:36:04 +0000

After some technical glitches, we did a not-so-live show with our callers and then continued talking about recent events.

Get ready for call in show #2!

Tue, 15 Dec 2015 14:41:46 +0000

We will be having our second call-in show after a successful first round. The call will start at 8 pm EST on December 16th. Check out this link to see when the call will be in your local time.

How does it work?

Call either 929-AMP-HOUR (local) or 855-967-8699 (toll-free). If you're outside the US, you should be able to call a toll free number for free using Skype.
We can have up to 5 people on hold. When you call in, you'll talk to our call screener, who will ask you your name, location and what you're calling about.
You will get to listen to the show live while you are waiting for your turn to talk.
When we patch you in, you will hear a short message and a beep announcing that you are now "on the air".

Here are some guidelines on good topics:

A problem you are having with a circuit that you can explain on the air (any question from beginner to expert).
Difficulties in finding or choosing the right solution to a problem that needs to be solved with electronics (ie. can't find the right connector, no dev board is narrow enough, etc)
A philosophical question about making electronics.
A debate you have been having with a friend or co-worker about electronics.
Workplace issues, assuming they are still relevant to electronics.

Our producer/call screener will summarize your issue and we'll pick the ones that best fit the tone of the show as we pick new callers.

What if you can’t make it? Well, we’re now on our second attempt at a call in show, so it’s a decent bet that we’ll try this again. However, you can also call the numbers above and leave us a voicemail! (please also leave us your name and where you’re calling from). If you decide to do that, realize it will just be Dave and I discussing the issue, but it’s still a good way to get your voice on air and ask us a burning question.

Interconnectorama

Fri, 11 Dec 2015 07:07:11 +0000

Chris and Dave discuss the woes of designing in cabling and how to avoid the situation altogether. Also CAD programs, ordering out of magazines, “new” silicon valley, even more mergers…and more!

Eating An Elephant

Fri, 04 Dec 2015 04:50:18 +0000

Michael of Programming Electronics Academy and Dan of Rheingold Heavy join Chris to talk about getting started in electronics. It’s mind over matter and consistently working towards a goal, people!

Turkey Time!

Fri, 27 Nov 2015 21:10:16 +0000

We took (another) week off because of the Thanksgiving Holidays in the US. We’ll be back with call-in shows and guest episodes in December!

No One Even Missed Us?

Fri, 20 Nov 2015 04:42:39 +0000

Chris and Dave talk about the Superconference, creating a good environment post-conference and understanding where people went wrong.

Our First Call In Show

Fri, 06 Nov 2015 05:01:38 +0000

Dave and Chris attempt their first call in show with listeners asking questions about electronics “live” on the air. Topics include i2c, ethics, high voltage and through hole parts.

The Amp Hour Call In Show! (Experiment)

Wed, 04 Nov 2015 06:14:30 +0000

Chris and Dave will be trying a call-in show in order to directly interact and problem solve with members of The Amp Hour audience. Consider calling in!

Part Choice Triathlon

Fri, 30 Oct 2015 03:49:50 +0000

This week we discuss the difficulties involved in running workspaces, how to get through choosing switching converters, online controversies and more!

An Interview With Luke Beno of Analog.io

Fri, 23 Oct 2015 02:15:11 +0000

Luke Beno of Analog.io clears up some misconceptions from the last show about the layers of IoT. He also talks about analog.io, a charting and data collection site for mapping out sensor data from a variety of sources.

Amazon Moves In, Dave Says Run

Fri, 16 Oct 2015 04:41:44 +0000

Amazon getting into the IoT space prompts Dave to call the game for everyone else. Also chip mergers, die shrinks, end of life parts, conferences and more!

An Interview With Dafydd Roche

Fri, 09 Oct 2015 06:43:16 +0000

Dafydd Roche of TI and ExpatAudio talks about how to develop audio chips, learning pick and place to understand customer woes and the deeply held beliefs of audiophiles/phools.

Be Tidy

Fri, 02 Oct 2015 03:51:46 +0000

This week Dave and Chris talk about workspaces and the rapidly shrinking open desktop. Also phones, chip company mergers, open source licenses, online EE education, movies and more!

An Interview with Luke Iseman of yCombinator

Thu, 24 Sep 2015 21:40:03 +0000

Luke Iseman, the head of hardware at yCombinator, talks about the challenges of getting a hardware product out the door, especially one people want.

Standing With Ahmed

Fri, 18 Sep 2015 02:55:13 +0000

Chris and Dave talk about fear surrounding unknown projects (as in Ahmed’s case), the funding behind new hardware projects (as in the case of the Bolt diagram) and attending technology conferences (both old and new).

An Interview with Ronald Sousa of Hash Define Electronics

Thu, 10 Sep 2015 05:49:08 +0000

Ron from Hash Define Electronics joins Chris to discuss gas metering, flow sensors, embedded applications, intrinsically safe standards, electronics in the UK and more!

A Security Update with Michael Ossmann

Fri, 04 Sep 2015 06:05:31 +0000

Michael Ossmann returns to The Amp Hour to discuss a summer of security conferences and the newest things in the hardware hacking world.

The Cost Of Doing Business

Fri, 28 Aug 2015 00:27:37 +0000

This week we discuss the implications of work culture at engineering companies. Also FPGAs, bootstrapping companies, acquisitions, the falloff of product quality and more!

An Interview with Fran Blanche

Fri, 21 Aug 2015 04:38:28 +0000

Fran Blanche joins Dave and Chris to talk about audio engineering, the future of AI, vintage technology, space electronics, NOT replacing analog chips and much more!

Jobs For Weirdos

Fri, 14 Aug 2015 04:56:38 +0000

This week is all about how to stand out, either for a job interview or by finding a part that no one else has yet heard about. Also conference bagdges, security, nerd movies, USB3.0 and more!

Recycle All Your Microcontrollers

Fri, 07 Aug 2015 04:54:19 +0000

This week we discuss the implications of designing lots of electronics, how to sell your projects, automated installation of platforms, explaining electronics without math and utilizing microcontrollers everywhere.

An interview with Ariel Briner of Cartesian Co

Thu, 30 Jul 2015 05:27:42 +0000

Ariel of Cartesian Co talks about creating super quick turn PCBs using a 2 part silver ink, using old inkjet printer cartridges. Print on more than fiberglass too!

No More Naming

Thu, 23 Jul 2015 23:09:05 +0000

Chris and Dave discuss low end components upsetting markets, Kickstarter funding, production environments, Cuk converters and more!

An Interview with Bertrand Irrisou and Gerald Friedland of Audeme

Thu, 16 Jul 2015 03:17:32 +0000

Bertrand and Gerald of Audeme tell us about speech recognition without the aid of cloud processing and without the requirement of audio training. A private, language model based platform for controlling projects.

An Interview with Fabienne Serrière of KnitYak

Fri, 10 Jul 2015 02:37:17 +0000

Fabienne (@fbz) of KnitYak tells us about hardware hacking, creating hardware conferences and making custom, high quality, mathematically defined textiles.

Is This A Show?

Thu, 02 Jul 2015 23:54:40 +0000

Chris and Elecia White of the Embedded Podcast join Chris and Dave to discuss flipping a bit on show count and new things happening in the industry.

Take The Amp Hour 2015 Listener Survey

Tue, 30 Jun 2015 23:30:19 +0000

Help us out by taking our survey! We use this information to attempt to make a better show for you!

Take the survey now!

Inspirations and Aspirations - Recanting Rocket Rationale

Fri, 26 Jun 2015 02:26:39 +0000

Our 255th show! Chris recently returned from tours of space companies. Dave is working with manufacturing to get his new device made.

An Interview with Andreas Olofsson - Adapteva's Ampliative Abacus

Thu, 18 Jun 2015 05:22:19 +0000

Andreas Olofsson joins us to talk about massively parallel computing using a $99 development platform. We talk FPGAs, processor offloading, kickstarter, getting started, shuttle runs in fabs and more!

Consolidate All The Things - Zonked Zelotic Zaitech

Fri, 12 Jun 2015 02:49:12 +0000

Chris and Dave discuss the mergers and acquisitions of the electronics industry and how it affects users. Also batteries, wifi power, SpaceX and low cost electronics.

T-shirt is back for a limited time

Sun, 07 Jun 2015 15:49:08 +0000

Classic Black T-shirt with The Amp Hour logo, available on Teespring again until June 15th! http://teespring.com/theamphour-black.

An Interview with Eric Bogatin - Tilded Thumb Tenets

Thu, 04 Jun 2015 04:23:19 +0000

Signal integrity expert Eric Bogatin stops by the show to talk about rules of thumb for making electronics, especially with regard to high speed, wide bandwidth signals.

Shifting Away From DIY - Pedetentious PnP Progress

Thu, 28 May 2015 03:04:46 +0000

Chris recaps a visit to Maker Faire and the variety of robots seen, both pro and DIY. Dave talks about automation with new CAD software and the value of getting started in electronics.

An Interview with Vic Aprea - Federated Firmware Functionalism

Fri, 22 May 2015 05:27:58 +0000

Vic Aprea of WickedDevice.com talks about weather balloons, federated firmware programming, building distributed air quality sensors and doing it all from manufacturing up through high level web software.

Wearables Might Have Limited Fashion Options - Lachrymogenic Lane Language

Thu, 14 May 2015 06:50:50 +0000

This week Dave and Chris talk about failing hardware startups, building hardware overnight, the future of wearables, distributed computing, solar efficiencies and (even more!) consolidation in the industry.

An interview with Greg and Tim of Backyard Brains - Boethetic Bug Brainwaves

Fri, 08 May 2015 03:51:13 +0000

Greg Gage and Tim Marzullo of Backyard Brains talk about using low cost electronics to read the electrical signals of the body and using them to control other things.

An Interview with Voja Antonic - Gerontogenous Galaksija Genesis

Thu, 30 Apr 2015 17:22:25 +0000

Voja Antonic, the inventor of the the Galaksija 8-bit computer, talks about working on electronics in Yugoslavia (now Serbia) in the 80s and his continuing passion for creating electronics.

Robots are coming - Ominous Operational Overhaul

Wed, 22 Apr 2015 23:45:38 +0000

Chris and Dave discuss the rise of robots and automation, new quadcopter technology, the Star Wars trailer and the associated robot and the intellectual property of tractors.

An interview with Akiba from Freaklabs - Dimissory Diagraphical Debt

Thu, 16 Apr 2015 04:53:38 +0000

Akiba from FreakLabs discusses wireless networks, dealing with standards, equipping labs with manufacturing equipment and creating a community haven for technology in the Japanese countryside.

The Art Of Staying Interested In Electronics - Exponible Electronics Ennui

Thu, 09 Apr 2015 15:42:20 +0000

Feeling down about the electronics industry is a symptom of not having a direct product goal. Dave is making one, Chris is trying to find his. Startups keep proposing silly ones.

An interview with Macrofab - Macro Manufacturing Mechanization

Thu, 02 Apr 2015 02:51:20 +0000

Chris Church and Parker Dillmann of Macrofab talk to us about the future of software enabled contract manufacturing. They focus on low quantity and quick turn production of your next project!

Can't We All Just Get Arduino? - Tardiloquent Trademark Tirade

Thu, 26 Mar 2015 05:24:44 +0000

More discussion about test equipment on the road, how to create 3D models and some talk about what happens when an open source hardware project goes awry.

An Interview With Chuck Peddle - Charismatic Chipmaking Coryphaeus

Fri, 20 Mar 2015 04:03:41 +0000

Chuck Peddle tells us all about his days inventing the 6502, launching the personal PC revolution, working with other giant names in early technology. Also, a bit about his new work!

Compare and Contrast Tech Entitlement - Worldly Working Wonks

Thu, 12 Mar 2015 03:58:35 +0000

A discussion of the wide gap between the design decisions of a company like Apple and low cost innovations that are needed to move all of humanity forward. Also mergers, foundry models, USB Type C, logistics, work proximity and more!

An Interview with Colin O'Flynn - Aspirated Adamantine Attacks

Thu, 05 Mar 2015 03:53:16 +0000

Colin O’Flynn joins to talk about embedded device security, using high speed ADCs to do sidechannel attacks and how to script the ChipWhisperer to crack AES256 encryption.

Old Books, New Tricks - Iterant Inscription Irrationality

Fri, 27 Feb 2015 02:21:10 +0000

Chris and Dave discuss the text book industry, silicon valley history, past guests, hard drives, new kickstarters, throwing designs over the wall and considerations when bringing up a $100K board.

Off By One Error

Thu, 26 Feb 2015 05:58:18 +0000

Off By One Error

Due to Chris being sick this week, we'll be releasing the show a day later than normal. The Amp Hour release may just line up with your weekend projects, start thinking about them now!

An Interview with Joe and Mark Garrison - Subtly Spelling SayLeeAy

Thu, 19 Feb 2015 05:04:01 +0000

Joe and Mark Garrison talk about test equipment, manufacturing missteps, counterfeit devices, designing for FPGAs and making friendly hardware and software.

Questioning Everyday Prototyping - Verrucose Vehicle Vitilitigation

Thu, 12 Feb 2015 04:30:39 +0000

Chris and Dave discuss replacing an auto with an electric vehicle, the usefulness of prototyping services and tools, new startup activity and more!

An Interview with Matt Richardson - Raspberry Risorgimento Regent

Thu, 05 Feb 2015 04:16:37 +0000

Matt Richardson talks about creating new projects from technology blocks, being the first US employee of the Raspberry Pi foundation and where the popular platform is going.

We'll Believe It When We See It - Hiring Hypercatalectic Helpelp

Thu, 29 Jan 2015 07:40:42 +0000

Chris and Dave discuss trade shows, DARPA, hiring, making predictions, building open source hardware with open source components and more.

Glass and Gongkai GSM - Unzymotic Ursidae Upbuilding

Thu, 22 Jan 2015 04:19:26 +0000

Discussions of the role of cellphones in electronics designs and how they can be utilized to keep costs low or make ridiculous ideas come to life. Also space talk, sniffing bluetooth, the role of mantras, milling machines and dying behemoths.

"Impedance Matching" with Davidson and Vandenbout - Presbytes Pushing Portfolios

Thu, 15 Jan 2015 05:19:36 +0000

Dave and Bob join up with The Amp Hour one more time. Discussions include IoT, what to study, how to stand out as a student, cynicism in engineering and much more!

Supply Chain Woes And Wares - Nonplussed Neotechnic Nithing

Thu, 08 Jan 2015 04:08:18 +0000

Dave and Chris talk about the difficulties of the supply chain, disinterest in rockets, how changing education could change hiring practices, what we don’t care about at CES and lots more!

Prepping For Hoverboards - Gallionic GitHub Gabble

Wed, 31 Dec 2014 22:31:22 +0000

Dave and Chris discuss the coming year, the promise of hoverboards, iterative design, CAD software, revision control and the importance of presentation when trying to get hired.

MightyHohm For The Holidays - Kaiser Keyzer's Kits

Thu, 25 Dec 2014 04:05:29 +0000

Jeff Keyzer (Mightyohm) joins The Amp Hour once again to update us on his past 2 years of work and his holiday plans.

An Interview with Shahriar from The Signal Path - Quisquous Quivering Quadripole

Thu, 18 Dec 2014 04:53:45 +0000

Shahriar from The Signal Path joins us to talk about millimeter wave ASIC design, Bell Labs, video blogging, test gear, the learning process and human nature.

Space Bound, Again - Xtreme Xtraplanetary Xenonosocomiophobia

Thu, 11 Dec 2014 05:49:20 +0000

Dave and Chris discuss the difficulties of test equipment and future plans to get humans back to space (and Mars)

An Interview with Colin Karpfinger - Blendling Bean Brio

Thu, 04 Dec 2014 05:56:11 +0000

Colin Karpfinger, founder of Punch Through Design (the makers of the Light Blue Bean) joins Dave and Chris to talk designing bluetooth products, productizing consulting work and how to balance everything.

Worktrips and Workspaces - Junket Jactation Jiltedness

Thu, 27 Nov 2014 03:39:48 +0000

Chris returns from his European adventure to talk about the realities of huge tradeshows. Dave discusses plans to buy a new storage and work space.

Extenuating Circumstances This Week

Wed, 19 Nov 2014 16:32:30 +0000

https://twitter.com/eevblog/status/534685173606916096

But as a consolation, Dave will have some interesting things to discuss next week!

https://twitter.com/eevblog/status/535020818959319041

In the meantime, check out some of our other favorite podcasts:

Meracious Mike Manuduction

Wed, 12 Nov 2014 02:57:31 +0000

In this technical action packed show while Chris is away at the Electronica show in Germany, Dave & Mike Harrison from Mikes Electric Stuff discuss project design, manufacturing, quick turn PCB and project design, DIY stencils with the Silhouette Cameo vinyl cutter, $300 pick and place machine viability, parts procurement, large LED system design, LED diffusing and gamma correction techniques, and trade action stories.

And are Mouser breaching customer confidentiality?

Space Difficulties and Lost Heroes - Wanzing Workshop Whemmle

Thu, 06 Nov 2014 03:29:31 +0000

This week we discuss the loss of some great people, tearing down thermal cameras, building hype, building Halloween costumes, building tools and building products.

Show being moved to Wednesday evening release

Wed, 05 Nov 2014 02:29:24 +0000

Due to some scheduling changes in our lives, we’re going to be moving the release of The Amp Hour to Wednesday evening. Since we know some of you depend on episodes to get you through your commute or time at the gym, here’s a smattering of popular past episodes to listen to/relisten to:

Or any of the many other episodes listed on our Archive page. See you all tomorrow!

An Interview With Bil Herd - Zany Z80 Zygology

Wed, 29 Oct 2014 04:16:50 +0000

Bil Herd joins to talk about designing the C128, building with fresh silicon, fixing clocks on the fly and the crazy days of the 8 bit computer.

Warming Up To IoT - Tendentious Thermal Tools

Wed, 22 Oct 2014 00:36:30 +0000

Sometimes when you are making small devices you need to consider building a reflow oven. Sometimes those small devices will end up being creepy gadgets that track human behavior.

New Black T-shirt Campaign Started

Tue, 21 Oct 2014 14:20:00 +0000

It’s been a while since we have done a teespring campaign for our standard black t-shirt. We thought we would start another campaign with a 7 day window and also offer women’s size shirts (we haven’t done so in black in the past) and also long sleeve and sweatshirts (it’s cold in Cleveland).

Get yours here: http://teespring.com/theamphour-black

An Interview with Shaun Meehan - Doctiloquent Dove Deployer

Wed, 15 Oct 2014 01:59:46 +0000

Shaun Meehan joins Chris to talk about sugar rockets, pet robots, living in Antarctica for 2 years, huge lasers, tiny components and launching electronics into space.

Get Smart About Automation - Caducous Cyborg Concerns

Wed, 08 Oct 2014 03:24:59 +0000

Is the isolated environment of an airplane a valid test for whether or not an online CAD tools makes sense? Is the rise in automation a reason for concern, for EEs and everyone else?

An Interview with Eric VanWyk - Meiotic Mountenance Mooshimeter

Wed, 01 Oct 2014 03:05:09 +0000

Eric VanWyk, cofounder of the Mooshimeter and adjunct professor at Olin College of Engineering stops by to talk (sociopathic) compliance testing, manufacturing, crowdfunding, LEGO and more!

3D Printed Shark Jumps - Edifying Edison's Energy

Wed, 24 Sep 2014 04:06:38 +0000

Chris returns from Maker Faire and tells about some of the fun projects and development boards being shown. Dave proves he’s still got it 650 videos later.

Last Minute Decisions - Obdurate Onepercenter Obstacles

Wed, 17 Sep 2014 01:43:20 +0000

Dave ponders moving his stuff to another space and moving his loyalty to a new Altium tool. Chris discusses his new component search engine project and talking with CMs. Both discuss breakdancing.

Wrong Hardware, Wrong Software - Fugacious Fan Funding

Mon, 08 Sep 2014 08:00:29 +0000

Dave returns from working while on vacation and Chris gets a new kit in the mail. Also purchase speculations, product recalls, noisy cables, chip teardowns and hardware vs software comparisons.

"Impedance Matching" With Charvat And Ossmann - Recurring RF Remontados

Wed, 03 Sep 2014 03:52:24 +0000

Greg Charvat and Michael Ossmann join Chris to talk about SDR, the HackRF, Coffee Can kits, RADAR, writing books, MURS, filter boards, LabView, FMCW modules, TV shows, project based learning and more!

Travel Recaps and Altium Announcements - Artisinal Aussie Assemblage

Wed, 27 Aug 2014 02:45:11 +0000

Dave talks about the freemium version of PCB software coming from Altium and recount his adventure at Maker Faire Sydney. Also KiCad, connected devices, VC money, talks and more!

An Interview with Trey German - Launchpad Laden Lodesman

Wed, 20 Aug 2014 01:00:28 +0000

Trey German talks about working with the C2000 at Texas Instruments and the various applications of the processor. He also discusses his past work, hobbies and upcoming quadcopter project.

Design Reviews Are Important - Habitual Hype Hebetude

Wed, 13 Aug 2014 06:54:16 +0000

Chris and Dave discuss a current kickstarter project that laments engineers, hacking Teslas, early failures and more.

Risky Components and Hardware Innovation - Slipshod Shack Shutdown

Wed, 06 Aug 2014 05:05:06 +0000

The biggest job of an engineer is to reduce risk in a product or project. This week we discuss risky companies, new topologies, unorthodox printers and how hardware is changing.

Headless Units and Baseless Batteries - KiCad Kickoff Kopophobia

Wed, 30 Jul 2014 02:32:57 +0000

Chris releases videos to the public domain for KiCad. Dave calculates the ridiculousness behind another round of crowdfunding campaigns.

An Interview With Nadya Peek - Gallant Gcode Gerontology

Wed, 23 Jul 2014 03:43:01 +0000

Nadya Peek tells all about modular, reconfigurable machines that can be configured into a wide variety of CNC tools. We discuss the mechanical, electrical and software components of the systems as well as the thought behind it.

B Plus Boards and D Minus Cities - Uneath Urban Ubication

Wed, 16 Jul 2014 15:37:12 +0000

Chris returns from Detroit. Dave hunts through old magazines for “new” tech. Discussions about the role of easy money in the hardware space ensue.

An Interview with Martin Lorton - Variegated Video Vagility

Tue, 08 Jul 2014 23:45:21 +0000

Martin Lorton stops by Chris’s basement to talk to Chris and Dave about test equipment, solar, video blogging and the importance of community when trying to make it on your own.

Solar Factories and HVDC Lines - Pollent Power Pushing

Wed, 02 Jul 2014 03:10:27 +0000

We discuss the role of solar power in the grid and the rise of HVDC transmission. Also Chris reveals his former workplace, we talk 1970s CAD and Dave revisits solar roadways.

An Interview with Noah Feehan - Biloquistic Blinking Blush

Wed, 25 Jun 2014 05:50:48 +0000

Noah Feehan of the NYTimes R&D Lab talks about his experience researching new ways to receive information from our technology and how that will change us all.

Tesla, Checklists and Bullies - Emerging External Eupsychics

Wed, 18 Jun 2014 00:36:52 +0000

Dave and Chris pontificate on the needs of online electronics education, how awesome Tesla is and how not to get consumers on your side (by prosecuting open source projects)

An Interview With Brandon Harris - Impish Internet Iamatology

Wed, 11 Jun 2014 03:43:21 +0000

Brandon Harris stops by The Amp Hour to talk connected devices, battery life, SD card form factors and how to connect to the internet before gravity gets you down.

Cheap Respins And A Time Machine - Multiscience Mercenary Marketplace

Wed, 04 Jun 2014 05:12:50 +0000

This week we talk about the variety of work marketplaces springing up for electronics designers. Also SpaceX, satellites, bad footprints, troubleshooting and more!

SolidCon and Traveling Tech - Joined Junk Jocularity

Wed, 28 May 2014 02:07:28 +0000

SolidCon provided interesting information about the state of hardware and the Internet of Things. We also discussed the Portalab’s maiden journey, amateur NASA missions, switching solder and more!

The 2014 Maker Faire Show - Traveling Technology Trangam

Wed, 21 May 2014 06:25:46 +0000

Chris discusses Maker Faire 2014 and Dave continues to update his lab to allow for live HD streaming. Also fancy scopes, robots, travelling equipment and more!

Mike Ossmann Returns! - Planetic Portalab Packaging

Wed, 14 May 2014 04:02:54 +0000

Mike Ossmann returns to discuss the Daisho project, starting open source project, upcoming conventions, USB 3.0, FPGAs, GitHub and more!

The Amp Hour Now Has An...App?

Wed, 14 May 2014 00:22:22 +0000

Yup, that’s right. And it was Dave’s idea!

We have been using LibSyn for a while now and really really love the service they give us. They are our CDN, which means the shows are downloadable reliably and with relatively high speed almost immediately after they get posted. They also offer a service that hosts an app on Android without any cost to us…so we thought we’d try it!

The app does have cost associated with it ($1.99), some of which goes back to LibSyn and some of which comes to us (we’re not expecting much). The best use case that we’ve found so far is that it is easy access to our entire catalog of downloads. In the past, people have lamented that we only hold 25 shows on the RSS feed…this has them all. So if you’re looking for an easy way to listen to all 197 episodes and quickly be notified of other episodes, consider downloading the app. In the future we can push custom content to only those who have the app installed, but this isn’t something we’re planning on doing immediately.

Spacing Out On Space - Dave's Dongle Designing

Wed, 07 May 2014 04:47:12 +0000

Dave and Chris discuss sending contest winners to space, dealing with buying components for large builds, changes to CAD tools, portable labs and more!

An Interview with Mike Engelhardt - SPICE Simulator Synteresis

Wed, 30 Apr 2014 03:33:30 +0000

LTspice guru Mike Engelhardt has spent his career building the fastest SPICE engine in the world. Anyone can download it for free. He tells us all about how it works.

Guns and Mobile Labs - Nuanced Nomadic Non-essentials

Wed, 23 Apr 2014 03:27:57 +0000

What would it take to design a mobile workbench? What would it take to get it through airport security without issue? Also SPICE, work spaces, robots, travel, BGAs and more!

An Interview With Todd Bailey - Embedded Embrasure Engineering

Wed, 16 Apr 2014 03:17:47 +0000

Todd Bailey is an embedded and analog engineer who has worked in a wide range of industries spanning military, industrial, artistic and commercial (toys!). Our conversation turns somewhat introspective.

A Bit Of Two Way Communication

Sat, 12 Apr 2014 02:02:07 +0000

A fun new (old) feature so we can hopefully keep in touch better and serve the listening audience with what they want!

We're Sorry! But Apple Ain't! - Remorseless RAM Racketeering

Wed, 09 Apr 2014 01:11:23 +0000

The supply chain is a difficult terrain to navigate…unless you’re so big you get to draw your own map and buy up the mountains. We’ll stick to crowdfunding open source projects and hoping for the best.

Chairs, Sparks and Devices - Optional Olent Obreption

Tue, 01 Apr 2014 05:56:03 +0000

Chris finally got a chair and wowsa does it make a difference!

Let's Hear It For The Buoys - Vanishing Vessel Vexation

Wed, 26 Mar 2014 04:22:12 +0000

This week we discuss the MH370 mystery/tragedy and the technology being used to search for the plane, Sparkfun’s DMM problem, imposter syndrome, ageism, investment and more!

An Interview with Marcus Schappi - Kit Ketch Kenophobia

Wed, 19 Mar 2014 04:13:18 +0000

Marcus Schappi of Little Bird and formerly of Ninja Blocks stops by to talk about his newest kickstarter, the MicroView. An “Arduino At Heart” device with a build in OLED screen for quick feedback for your devices.

Capacitors, Simulation and Closures - Deonerated Design Dealmaking

Wed, 12 Mar 2014 00:24:31 +0000

This week we discuss companies that are folding, both chip and retail. Also simulation, starting new open source businesses, logistics and capacitors!

An Interview with Elecia White - Wirewove Worshipping Wookieist?

Wed, 05 Mar 2014 05:36:05 +0000

Elecia White of Logical Elegance and the Making Embedded Systems podcast stops by to talk bare metal programming, C++, designing gadgets, better interrupts and more!

Someone is watching...we think - Horme Hostility Hypochondriac

Wed, 26 Feb 2014 08:24:49 +0000

Dave and Chris discuss development platform, designing around existing code, scopes, USA issues and more!

An Interview with Hank Zumbahlen - Zoppa Zumbahlen Zateticism

Wed, 19 Feb 2014 04:36:08 +0000

Analog veteran Hank Zumbahlen joins Chris and Michael Ossmann to talk about ground planes, ADCs, Accelerometers, Isolators, 7 pole filters and more!

Chris Becomes Self Employed - Quixotic Quitting Quaere

Wed, 12 Feb 2014 05:25:29 +0000

Chris decides to work on Contextual Electronics and consulting full time. Dave continues creating test jigs for his successful kickstarter.

An Interview with Scott Driscoll - Impacable Interdisciplinary Inventor

Wed, 05 Feb 2014 03:11:19 +0000

Scott Driscoll of Curious Inventor talks about teaching himself soldering and then teaching more than a million people on YouTube. Also augmented reality, robots, synthesizers, electronic distribution and more!

Manufacturing By Wire And Skipping Testing - Calefacient Cuculine Cash

Wed, 29 Jan 2014 04:01:20 +0000

Dave and Chris marvel over the amount paid for hardware companies, discuss reducing test costs and ponder the implications of one click manufacturing

An Interview with Dave Vandenbout - Xceptional XESS Xenagogue

Wed, 22 Jan 2014 05:20:04 +0000

Dave Vandenbout of XESS stops by to talk FPGAs with Chris and Dave. Learn about how you can get started and some of the resources that will get you there.

An Interview with Dave Taylor - Multi-talented Meter Maker

Wed, 15 Jan 2014 04:59:23 +0000

Dave Taylor, the designer of the Fluke 8060 multimeter, stops by to talk about his vast experience in the design of test and measurement gear.

Greg Charvat Returns With A Book! - Laboratory Literature Laureate

Wed, 08 Jan 2014 04:22:19 +0000

Dr Greg Charvat returns to The Amp Hour to fill in for Dave and to talk about his upcoming book about small and short range radar system. He expounds on the field of RADAR, RF, Ham with Chris listening quietly.

A 2013 Recap - Year-end Yarn Yakking

Tue, 31 Dec 2013 04:20:39 +0000

We sneak in one last surprise episode for 2013 and get a chance to talk about manufacturing, new websites, lab notebooks, part numbers, patents, headless units, specsmanship and more!

A New Look For 2014

Mon, 30 Dec 2013 05:05:39 +0000

One thing we’ve always known is that our site hasn’t looked particularly good. You may recall the old days of what looked like a desk with tools scattered about. And then the most recent green monster, with our old globe logo.

One of the great things about having support from you–our listener–and occasionally a sponsor here and there has been the monetary benefits that come with it…namely being able to hire people who know what they’re doing. Rachel Rivera from RadCastle did our awesome logo (now available for purchase in 4 different colors at The Amp Hour Printfection Store). The folks over at reddit host our makeshift forum/link gathering (after a couple disastrous tries otherwise). Dave and his penguin geeksquad also host The Amp Hour section on the EEVblog forum. And now some Wordpress person has designed this theme that will make it look like we know what we’re doing with websites (we really really don’t).

Discussing Innovation and the Future with Mike Ossmann - Fiesty Festivus Futurology

Tue, 24 Dec 2013 04:45:40 +0000

Dave, Chris and Mike Ossmann get together for a holiday episode to air their collective Festivus grievances about the state of electronics. And to chat.

Funding New/Manufacturing Old Projects - Radical Robotic Requisition

Wed, 18 Dec 2013 03:00:48 +0000

Dave and Chris talk about launching funding for their respective new projects, space travel, robotics purchases, PCB design, semiconductor manufacturing and more.

An Interview With Andrew Witte - Telistic Timepiece Technomania

Wed, 11 Dec 2013 04:06:20 +0000

Andrew Witte, the CTO of Pebble Technology, stops by The Amp Hour to talk about low power embedded design, huge Kickstarter campaigns and manufacturing in China.

Motors And Upgrading Sinclairs - Adapting Apraxiated Automobiles

Wed, 04 Dec 2013 04:44:20 +0000

We discuss the interesting problems with motors and how Dave might be able to upgrade his Sinclair C5. Also drones, patents, testing, precision resistors and TV!

An Interview with Jeri Ellsworth - Intense Illusion Introduction

Wed, 27 Nov 2013 07:08:37 +0000

Jeri Ellsworth stops by The Amp Hour to talk about the recently funded CastAR project on Kickstarter and what it will take to get it to production.

CAD courses and cross platform creation - Printing Propaedeutic Patterns

Wed, 20 Nov 2013 04:37:04 +0000

Dave and Chris discuss utilizing cross platform tools to develop PCBs and whether high level software tools should cross over into the hardware space.

An Interview with Forrest Mims - Snell Solisequious Scientist

Wed, 13 Nov 2013 03:46:02 +0000

Forrest Mims joins Chris and Dave to talk about his prolific authoring career, his lifelong interest in electronics and atmospheric science and what he is working on these days.

What defines an engineer? - Job Judging Jeremiad

Wed, 06 Nov 2013 05:41:36 +0000

What defines an engineer? Who is allowed to call themselves one? Also, how people debug and lots of new podcasts!

An Interview with Vincent Himpe - Escaped Electron Elocution

Wed, 30 Oct 2013 05:29:46 +0000

Vincent Himpe joins Chris and Dave for a 3+ hour conversation about his journey from early hobbyist to staff engineer at a multinational semiconductor company.

Specialized and/or Open Source Test Gear and Dev Boards - Vacation Videography Vorboten

Wed, 23 Oct 2013 02:12:50 +0000

Chris and Dave talk about all manner of test instrument, both specialized and open source. Also interest in moving big heavy machines, friends starting Kickstarters and innovation continuing into mid-life and beyond!

An Interview with Adam Wolf - Brick & Board Biuners

Wed, 16 Oct 2013 03:45:07 +0000

Adam Wolf of Wayne and Layne joins Chris to talk about Lego, Arduino, Open Hardware, Linux, KiCad and developing for developing areas!

Prior Art, Wafer Fabs and Guns - Whimsical Wafer Waffling

Wed, 09 Oct 2013 04:08:00 +0000

Chris and Dave discuss the fabbing of wafers, guns at radio shows, new Arduino platforms, rapid prototyping classes, ethical patent questions, comment sections, shutdowns and more!

White T-shirts Now Available!

Fri, 04 Oct 2013 02:01:19 +0000

Didn’t get your fill the first time around with the black t-shirts? Want to get a second one? Or maybe you missed the first campaign and can’t stand to go another day without wearing The Amp Hour paraphenalia.

Fear not! We have started another teespring campaign. If we get to 100 shirts, the campaign kicks off and you’ll be shipped a shirt! If not, no worse for wear (heh). The campaign will run until Thursday, October 17th. Get yours today!

An Interview with Henry Ott - Forced FCC Filtering

Wed, 02 Oct 2013 04:09:58 +0000

Henry Ott discusses his near 60 year career in the field of EMC and watching electronics progress as a field of study. His experiences help to illustrate the wide range of application of EMC theory and practice and how it can help your designs.

Agilent's New Name, Molex's New Owner and PCB artwork - Nonsensical Naming Neolatry

Wed, 25 Sep 2013 04:39:23 +0000

We discuss the silliness behind spinning out and rebranding a company, let alone one that’s already had that happen once. Also Molex was bought, BoldPort makes beautiful PCBs, TI makes the LDC1000, the Peachy has some interesting low cost hacks and more!

Interview with the Upverter Founders - Ramiform Reciprocity Raconteurs

Wed, 18 Sep 2013 02:39:34 +0000

The Founders of Upverter (Zak, Steve and MIke) join Chris and Dave to talk about online CAD, design collaboration, startups with a hardware focus and more!

Discussing The Open Hardware Summit With MightyOhm - Ostrobogulous Openness Occasion

Wed, 11 Sep 2013 00:59:45 +0000

Jeff Keyzer returns to the show to talk about the Open Hardware Summit, CAD programs and the future of hardware.

The Amp Hour Meetup at OHSummit!

Wed, 04 Sep 2013 18:13:22 +0000

We’re confirmed! (finally) Here’s the plan!

Thursday, September 5th, 2013 Think you’ll be there? Let us know in the comments!

5:00 pm

Tour Bolt Accelerator!

See one of the newest hardware accelerators! Please be on time so we can tour together. 110 Chauncy Street, Boston, MA http://goo.gl/maps/quW7S

7:30 pm

The Amp Hour meetup at Meadhall!

Space reserved, cash bar Please actually bring cash, they're insisting we put it on the same tab and will need to split manually (5 ways max). Meadhall, 4 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA http://goo.gl/maps/iv8Vb

Travel between:

To easily get from Bolt to Meadhall, hop on the Red Line at Downtown Crossing and go two stops towards Cambridge to the Kendall/MIT stop.

Interview with Michael Ossmann - Gifted Grimgribber Grokker

Wed, 04 Sep 2013 03:52:20 +0000

What have you done in the past 4 years? Michael Ossmann has had 2 successful Kickstarters, funding over $600k in total. He develops open source hardware tools that allow security researchers to probe the RF spectrum.

Troubleshooting, PCBs and LEDs - Quaintized Quich Quelling

Wed, 28 Aug 2013 03:32:50 +0000

Dave and Chris dive into the insanity that troubleshooting can sometimes cause. Also LEDs, hiring help, PCBs, RF backscatter, meetups, quadcopters and more!

Interview with Eric Ries - Transorted Testing Tachydidaxy

Wed, 21 Aug 2013 02:55:56 +0000

Eric Ries joins Chris and Dave to talk about a new method of R&D, discovering what customers want and quickly determining if a product (even hardware) has legs in the marketplace.

Hyperloop, Upverter and Soldering - Unbelievable USB Ustulater

Wed, 14 Aug 2013 02:14:22 +0000

Batteries and power sources matter when making heat, especially for soldering! Also, development platforms, hyperloops, design sharing, open interfaces & more!

Get your questions in for Eric Ries, author of "The Lean Startup"

Fri, 09 Aug 2013 00:27:27 +0000

We will be having Eric Ries, author of “The Lean Startup” on the show to discuss new methodologies to start companies and run R&D departments.

An Interview with the SparkFun Team - Efficacious Engineering Ensemble

Wed, 07 Aug 2013 03:49:28 +0000

The SparkFun Engineering Team joins Chris & Dave to talk open hardware, company culture, teardowns, counterfeit parts, competitions, working with mfg and more!

This Week: Sparkfun Engineering Melee!

Sun, 04 Aug 2013 19:58:06 +0000

We will be trying an interesting experiment here on The Amp Hour this week. We’ll be attempting to interview the entire Sparkfun Engineering team on the show. Mike Hord (@uptownmaker) has been nice enough to help us get set up with the whole crew there. You may also recognize Pete Doktor from the popular “According to Pete” videos published weekly (see below).

Do you have questions you’ve always wanted to ask them? Ask over on our subreddit! And strap in, this could be a long ride! Hell, even just introducing everyone might take 20 minutes!

Tesla, FPGAs and DigiKey - Zesty Zippy Zynq

Wed, 31 Jul 2013 03:17:43 +0000

This week we started by talking about electric transport…but ended up devolving into discussions of FPGA SOCs, language translation, bakelite, sheet metal and more!

An Interview with Jeff Rowberg - Mini Module Master

Wed, 24 Jul 2013 04:03:03 +0000

Jeff Rowberg of BlueGiga and the KeyGlove Project join Chris and Dave to talk firmware, Bluetooth, wearable computing, reverse engineering and more!

Arduino, IndiGoGo and Hack-a-Day - Doodad Dealer Dancing

Wed, 17 Jul 2013 01:59:44 +0000

Sometimes when dealing with vendors you need to take the lead. This week Chris and Dave discuss IndieGoGo, online CAD, catalogs, databooks, non-profits and more!

The Amp Hour Minus The Amp Hour

Sun, 14 Jul 2013 15:09:41 +0000

After a long night of editing audio, Chris went a little insane and started wondering what it would sound like if it was just he and Dave laughing on The Amp Hour. Instead, urged on by Steve Hoefer (@Grathio), Chris instead took individual tracks from each person and compressed out the dead space. This was the (insane) result from Episode #114, including our good friend, Jeff Keyzer.

The title was inspired by Garfield Minus Garfield, the comic where they remove the cat and leave the depressed and somewhat existential Jon Arbuckle.

An Interview with Ryan O'Hara - Keyed, Kerfed Kapton

Wed, 10 Jul 2013 04:47:10 +0000

Ryan O’Hara joins Chris and Dave to discuss kapton stencils, pick and place machines, creating flying insect robots and more!

Firmware, Netburner and Semiconductors - Chris's Capitalism Colloquy

Wed, 03 Jul 2013 03:12:46 +0000

Chris and Dave discuss the role of investment capital in electronics businesses. Also firmware revisions, beginning designing chips and the systemization of silicon.

Ongoing T-Shirt Contest

Sun, 30 Jun 2013 16:45:36 +0000

Want to win a t-shirt from The Amp Hour?

Submit a story to the /r/TheAmpHour subreddit and if we talk about the link you submit or the topic you’d like us to discuss on the show, we’ll put you into a drawing. We’ll pick one person who submitted a story per show. Your best chance at winning? Submit a link or a topic we want to talk about the entire show! (it’s happened before) Since we don’t want to mess with anyone’s privacy, we’ll notify you of winning by announcing it at the end of the show.

Google Glass, Lean Startup and VotC - Initializing Instructed Interviews

Wed, 26 Jun 2013 01:00:54 +0000

Chris and Dave discuss the pitfalls of trying to figure out exactly what customers want vs what they say. Also, a new program to try and gather the history of the electronics industry!

Winners From The Learning Survey Notified!

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 17:30:49 +0000

Thank you to everyone who participated in the learning survey for The Amp Hour. We have notified the people who have won and have sent them codes for their very own “The Amp Hour” t-shirt. We’ll have more t-shirt designs in the works soon and will have more contests in the future. If you know of a good contest for listeners, please let us know in the comments below!

Solar, FPGAs and Maxim Integrated - Solar Shopper Sickness

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:18:42 +0000

Dave soldiers on despite being sick in order to tell us about this new solar power system. Also online tools charging, chip companies charging and new ways to design FPGAs.

The Amp Hour 2013 Listener Survey Results

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 23:17:19 +0000

Thanks to everyone who participated in The Amp Hour 2013 Survey! We'll have more surveys in the future for The Amp Hour t-shirts and other goodies. Check out the results below!

Sorry about that last question! :-)

An Interview with Laen - Purple PCB Philosophy

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 05:16:32 +0000

Welcome, Laen of OSHpark.com!

Now that...is artwork!

OSHPark is out of Portland, OR. The original business grew out of DorkbotPDX and started in December of 2009.
The tech scene is still big in "The Silicon Forest", which grew out of Tektronix. Others include Intel, Maxim Integrated, Xerox and more.
The early orders went to Advanced Circuits and was only about 1 panel/month. All orders were packaged by Laen and depaneled after they came back.
Currently, OSHPark has 4 fabs but might expand more in the near future (maybe Europe?).
Even the faster Chinese board houses with a 3 day turn and 2 day shipping matched going domestic. And the quality was generally higher at the US houses.
The purple soldermask is characteristic of OSHpark and Laen needs to order for some of the fabs.
Though it's very expensive, it's possible to do multicolored soldermask. Dave's friend did a 7 color (double sided!) Apple logo.
Laen recently purchased the BatchPCB service from Sparkfun
The OSHpark.com website frontend was designed by James Harton of resistor.io.
Former guest Ian Daniher got his start in electronics from interacting with Laen and the Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories (Windell and Lenore). Being sent the TGIMBOEJ sealed his fate.
The Great Internet Migratory Box Of Electronic Junk (TGIMBOEJ) doesn't seem to be moving anymore. Perhaps we should start seeding next boxes?
Even the IPC is now metric...but not convention! Trace/Width limits for PCBs is still stated in mil/thous.
The OSHpark service/fabs can do 5mil line, 5 mil space, 10 mil drill, 4 mil annual ring on the 4 layer boards (referred to as 5/5). The 2 layer board is 6/6.
The pads are all plated as ENIG.
The math for how these boards are put together is really interesting. Laen created an animated GIF showing how the boards are refactored to optimize placement on a panel.
People use the service for all kinds of projects. Each panel has at least one tube project. Many more are being used for front panels.
The mix of CAD software varies over time, but KiCAD seems to be the top spot, followed closely by EAGLE, Altium and then a wide variety of others.
There are more these days from online tools, including Circuits.io, which is partnered with OSHpark.
A future feature will be OSHW sharing...if you have other boards on the same panel your board is on that are OSHW, you'll be able to see them and maybe even order them.
OSHPark Competition is from:
- Seeed Studios
- ITead
- Sunstone
- Advanced Circuits.
There is a list comparing many of the different services and how to optimize for cost/size. Quality is top priority at OSHpark though.
When Laen is trying out a new fab house, he sends them this crazy board (preview below, link to the huge image), dubbed the "bastard coupon" by Chris.

A standard PCB panel is 18" x 24".
Dave has done videos before about piecing together panels and getting them fabbed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXE_dh38HjU

OSHPark is hiring! Send Laen an email at Laen@oshpark.com if you're interested in helping.

Thanks to Laen for being on the show and providing all the awesome info and images! We highly recommend people go check out the service and upload a board today!

If you’re interested in the “sponsor” this week, check out ContextualElectronics.com

Contextual Electronics, ClubJameco and Solderpaste - Lifelong Learning Likelihood

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 04:08:23 +0000

New learning opportunities are popping up everywhere! Chris is starting a new course and Dave continues his popular whiteboard series. Also SERDES, T&M and more!

An interview with Jeri Ellsworth - Absorptive Augmented Actuality

Wed, 29 May 2013 03:22:34 +0000

Jeri Ellsworth returns to The Amp Hour to talk about her time at Valve, the unfortunate end to her employment there and the phoenix of a project rising from the ashes! The castAR from Technical Illusions!

The Amp Hour Learning Survey

Tue, 28 May 2013 19:57:32 +0000

The form looks a little long, but the questions are easy! We’d love to know more about how you’ve learned in the past or how you are learning now.

Also, to sweeten the deal, we’ll draw a winner from the respondents for a brand new “The Amp Hour: Keep Current” T-shirt. If you’re interested in the drawing, be sure to enter your email (won’t be used for anything else).

Thanks for your time!

Hamvention, Arduino and Intel - Burdensome Background Battology

Wed, 22 May 2013 04:05:46 +0000

Chris and Dave recap Hamvention, op amp designs, Maker Faire announcements, college tuition issues and Intel’s contest winners.

PCB Mills, SDR and Oscilloscopes - Flaunting Furbelow Fanciness

Wed, 15 May 2013 03:06:58 +0000

Not only are t-shirts arriving, so are conferences and new applications hosted in the cloud! Plus oscilloscopes, workbenches, PCB mills…and even a Delorean.

The Amp Hour Meetup At Hamvention!

Sat, 11 May 2013 04:14:42 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mwimZ6xt6c

We will be having a meetup at the Hamvention in Dayton, OH! It will be at a local pub/restaurant after the Saturday activities (and hopefully before any banquets or other planned events). If you can make it, it would be great to meet people!

And just think, if you come meet Chris, you can say you met him before Dave! Date: Saturday, May 18th Time: 6:30 pm Location: City Pub, Dayton OH http://www.yelp.com/biz/city-pub-dayton

An Interview with Bob Davidson - Hoodied HP Hijinks

Wed, 08 May 2013 02:47:30 +0000

Bob Davidson stops in to talk with Chris and Dave about building early hard drives, the computer industry, sensors, ham radio and a whole lot more!

PCBs, Tektronix & Ham Radio - Habitual Handicraft Hangups

Wed, 01 May 2013 03:56:16 +0000

Do you find yourself pigeonholed into a certain aspect of electronics? Have you ever moved? That, plus old magazine ads, low cost manufacturing questions & more!

Kickstarter, IndieGoGo & Ignite - Jasperated Jimswinger Jobbery

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 02:24:52 +0000

Paying for help can make sense, especially for artistic and design work (like our new t-shirt!). Also: cheap hardware, new hardware and shonky hardware.

Be one of the first to own the Black "Keep Current" T-shirt

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 05:18:40 +0000

We’re trying out a relatively new service in town called Tee Spring, with a familiar idea behind it: We’ll be “crowd funding” the first round of t-shirts for listeners of The Amp Hour! Basically it’s just us setting a threshold we must cross in terms of commitments to t-shirts.

If 100 or more people purchase before the end of the campaign, it's on! You'll get your t-shirt in time for Hamvention or Bay Area Maker Faire! (if you're in the US)
If we don't make it, we'll give other ways for people to buy shirts on an "on demand" basis. The low volume shirts will be roughly $10 more than the shirts offered here (dependent on shipping)
The campaign is set to end April 29th and you won't be charged until we meet our goal.
If this campaign is successful, we'll try similar ones in the future with other colors and graphics/ideas.

If you have any questions, leave a comment below or shoot us an email at theamphour@gmail.com.

Click the picture above or follow this link to Tee Spring to participate in the campaign!

First Round of T-shirts!

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 17:33:27 +0000

We’ve been dragging this out for far too long, but wanted to finally share the t-shirt design we like best. We hope to have a few designs released before the big shows coming up in May (Maker Faire, Hamvention, HIW) and encourage everyone to try to wear a shirt there (easier to find each other!).

We will have other designs available in the near future as well, but check out what one of our designers cooked up for us:

FPGAs, Robots & Thermocouples - Wampum's Wavering Worth

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 03:00:37 +0000

If you make design decisions based on finances, it might be time to start buying connectors. Also, listener questions about FPGAs and Op Amps,iterations, prototypes, robots, thermocouples and much more!

Project Management, Lasers & Robots - Staunch Specialty Sanctanimity

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 03:18:13 +0000

Is it better to run the project and be blamed or to keep your head down and focus on the details? That plus current sources, lasers, robots, manufacturing and more.

Google Glass & Adafruit - Obtaining Ostentatious Oculiforms

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 04:06:24 +0000

Winning Google Glass is an interesting proposition, since you still need to buy them. Cloud based tools and registration walls also provide dicey propositions.

An Interview with Ryan Brown - Effortless Equipment Extensibility

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 01:45:42 +0000

Ryan Brown of National Instruments joins Chris to talk about FPGAs, LabView software, the Austin hardware scene, hardware startups, home projects and lots more!

Mars, System Design & NAND - Mercurial Mars Mission

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 07:00:16 +0000

Whether or not to volunteer to die on Mars is one thing; what electronics to bring with you is an entirely different (more important?) decision.

Hardware, Surveys and Giveaways - Radular Rental Ranting

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 04:27:42 +0000

Hardware can get you places, whether you’re headed to Austin for SXSW or just sitting on a plane like a sack of potatoes. Join Dave and Chris as they talk about hardware and announce a new t-shirt giveaway!

Please fill out the 2013 Listener Survey!

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 04:07:31 +0000

That time has come once again to gather feedback about our audience and how annoying you find us. Please fill out the survey below. If you’d like to be entered to win a t-shirt from The Amp Hour, please be sure to fill out that part of the survey as well. We really appreciate your feedback!

Moving to Tuesday/Wednesday Release Dates

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 04:37:09 +0000

Hi Everyone,

In an effort to have better edited audio and better checked show notes, we’re going to be moving the day we release the audio to the public back by one day. Previously it was Monday/Tuesday (depending on your location) and now it will be Tuesday/Wednesday. Just think of it as “daylight savings time” for The Amp Hour. Looking forward to releasing the next show!

~The Amp Hour guys

Malware Issues

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 18:58:38 +0000

Hey Folks,

We’ve been having some reports of malware on TheAmpHour.com for the past few days. We have been trying to clean it up as it pops up, but it seems there is a much more pervasive issue which we’re having some experts look into. In the mean time, if this post morphs into a download link or if the site looks squirrely, please run away as fast as you can. I hope we’ll have it resolved by tomorrow (that’s when you should run back!). Thanks for understanding!

An Interview with Mike Harrison - X-ray Examining Xenogogue

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 03:06:00 +0000

Mike Harrison of Mike’s Electric Stuff joins Chris and Dave to talk about his work in the field of large LED installation and tearing stuff apart.

Get your questions in for Mike Harrison of Mike's Electric Stuff!

Sat, 02 Mar 2013 15:39:40 +0000

You’ve seen his videos (right??), what do you want him to ask him about?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55z_0BYb5is

You can also ask your questions on our subreddit page for this show.

Intel, EPA & Brown Field - Google's Ground Gurgitation

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 03:46:33 +0000

Sometimes in electronics you need to get your hands dirty. And sometimes that dirt is toxic. Chris and Dave discuss past safety situations and how companies deal with it. And lots more!

An Interview with Ron Quan - Tenacious Transistor Teacher

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 04:01:03 +0000

Ron Quan, author of a new book on building transistor radios, joins Chris and Dave to talk about the video industry, his audio and analog experience and of course…the new book!

Melbourne, Hackerspace & Calibration - Vacuuous Vortex Verification

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 04:37:27 +0000

Dave returns from sticking his hand in the beam of a particle accelerator without super powers. Chris complains about context in education.

An Interview with Andrew Seddon - Necessary Networked Novelty

Tue, 05 Feb 2013 04:32:28 +0000

Andrew Seddon joins Chris to talk about CircuitHub, the UK electronics scene, embedded electronics and venture capital funding.

Boeing, PCBs & Startups - Awful Airplane Aeration

Tue, 29 Jan 2013 03:43:21 +0000

Chris and Dave discuss recent battery issues at Boeing, finding your startup match, places to practice math and where to find footprints for your pretty PCB

An Interview with Brett Fox and Dr Jeroen Fonderie - Device Doubling Decretum

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 05:57:30 +0000

Brett Fox and Dr Jeroen Fonderie of Touchstone Semiconductor stop by The Amp Hour to talk shop, low power semiconductors, running a fabless analog startup and much more!

Get Your Questions In For The CEO and VP of Engineering of Touchstone Semiconductor!

Fri, 18 Jan 2013 02:10:45 +0000

This coming week, we’ll have our first chief executive on The Amp Hour. Fear not! Brett Fox, CEO of Touchstone Semiconductor, is a former engineer and still remains close to the technology. Dr Joeren Fonderie is the VP of Engineering and deals with the everyday activities of dreaming up new analog designs! Wow!

We’ll try and touch on the history of the company and of our two guests. Do you have other questions for them? Let us know in the comments below or on our subreddit!

Layout, CAD & Raspberry Pi - Kedogenous Kinetic Knowledge

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 05:50:00 +0000

Layout problems and all the time associated with developing a good design dominates the discussion this week. Also how long learning to do something well can take.

FPGA, Xess, 32 Bit - Quirky Qualitative Questions

Tue, 08 Jan 2013 04:44:57 +0000

Ringing power supplies, subzero temperatures and learning recommendations. After a break over the holidays, Dave and Chris answer some user submitted questions.

Guest Suggestions

Tue, 08 Jan 2013 02:43:50 +0000

Know someone with a great electronics story — a designer, founder, author, or the engineer behind hardware you admire? We’re always looking for guests.

Send your suggestion to feedback@theamphour.com. Please include as much detail as you can: who they are, what they work on, and a link or two — and let us know if you can make an introduction.

Listener Question Show!

Tue, 01 Jan 2013 21:18:33 +0000

Hey Everyone! Happy New Year!

As mentioned in the last episode of 2012, we will be answering listener questions for our first show of the year! We’re always up for answering questions, of course, and hopefully you feel free to write in at any time, but we thought it would be fun to try and have a rash of questions all at once. So if you have project problems, have questions about the industry or have any other inquiries that you think would fit into our normal weekly banter, please send it in! Here a few ways you can send in your questions:

eReaders, datasheets & board assembly - Yearly Yeasty Yapping

Tue, 18 Dec 2012 04:23:14 +0000

Chris and Dave take on the final show for 2012 by discussing chip company problems, eReaders, datasheets, board assembly and the decision to manufacture close by.

An Interview with Ian Lesnet - Bus Buccaneer Builder

Tue, 11 Dec 2012 05:26:56 +0000

Ian from Dangerous Prototypes stops in to chat with Chris and Dave about open hardware, manufacturing in China, distributed R&D and building a large community of electronics enthusiasts.

SpaceX, Enclosures & Startups - Urging Unemployment Ullagone

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 04:49:10 +0000

Chris and Dave dive into a topic not yet covered in The Amp Hour: resumes. Also dying on Mars, insourcing,start up salaries, enclosures and more.

An Interview with Jon Oxer - Innoxious Implant Innovator

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 06:12:59 +0000

Jon Oxer joins Chris and Dave to talk about home automation, the electronic kit business, the RFID chip he implanted in his arm and a whole lot more!

Processors, CEOs & Soldering irons - Plentiful Perfunctory Programs

Tue, 20 Nov 2012 04:28:10 +0000

Chris and Dave lament the ending of certain eras (processors, CEOs, soldering irons) and the rise of new trends (browser based tools, lack of space focus). We kind of lament stuff a lot, don’t we?

Day Change

Mon, 19 Nov 2012 03:01:57 +0000

Much like daylight savings time changes which can throw schedules into mayhem, Dave and Chris’s schedules also can change. And in fact, they have! So for the foreseeable future, we’ll be posting episodes between Mondays and Tuesdays, a day later than usual. Sorry if that leaves a hole in your Monday morning commute. Hopefully your Tuesday will get all the better. As always, you can contact us if you have any concerns. You can add suggestions for things we should talk about to our subreddit. And if you’re interested in supporting the show, you can donate here.

An Interview with Zach Hoeken Smith - Creative China Commorant

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 05:21:12 +0000

Zach stops in from his home base in Shenzhen, where he is working with the HAXLR8R program, recruiting the next generation of hardware startups. Interested?

Prototyping, Machining & Accelerators- Mugwumps Mulling Milling

Mon, 05 Nov 2012 05:00:20 +0000

Chris and Dave talk storms, redundancies, power, 7400 series logic, prototyping, elections, millimeter waves, machining, startups, accelerators and more!

An Interview with Dr. Kent Lundberg - Luculent Linear Legacy

Mon, 29 Oct 2012 04:36:42 +0000

Dr Kent Lundberg joins Chris and Dave to talk analog, scopes, teaching, control systems, consulting, synthesizers, book collecting and lots more!

Kickstarter, Open Source RC & Modelsource - Facinorous Financial Foulness

Mon, 22 Oct 2012 03:42:32 +0000

This week Chris and Dave get talking about the intersection of money and electronics and all the craziness that can ensue.

Interview with Alan Wolke - Undulating Utensil Utility

Mon, 15 Oct 2012 04:28:31 +0000

Alan Wolke (W2AEW, @AlanAtTek) joins Chris and Dave to discuss work as an FAE, prior lives working for telecom startups and being a full time ham operator and all the fun that accompanies a rich hobby like amateur radio.

Distribution, Wozniak & Robots - Early Eight-bit Endgame

Mon, 08 Oct 2012 04:10:51 +0000

Chris and Dave cover distribution, 8 bit micros, the Woz in Oz, robots and more!

An Interview with Dr Greg Charvat - Watcher of Wraithlike Walls

Mon, 01 Oct 2012 14:20:26 +0000

Dr Greg Charvat joins Chris and Dave to talk radar, ham radio, tube amplifiers, home experiments, hardware startups and lots more!

Get In Your Questions For Dr. Greg Charvat

Wed, 26 Sep 2012 02:00:52 +0000

Head over to the subreddit to see all the amazing work he has done and to ask your questions for Greg! We can't wait for him to be on the show!

Kickstarter, Manufacturing, Open Hardware - Judging Jurisdictional Junctures

Mon, 24 Sep 2012 03:54:12 +0000

Jeff stops by to chat wit h Chris and Dave about open hardware, Kickstarter rule changes and manufacturing electronics.

An Interview with Scott Miller - Sudden SinoAmerican Synthesis

Mon, 17 Sep 2012 03:40:49 +0000

Scott Miller of Dragon Innovation joins Chris and Dave to talk about high volume manufacturing in China and how to navigate the common pitfalls.

East meets West

Thu, 13 Sep 2012 00:37:54 +0000

This coming week we’ll be interviewing Scott Miller, founder of Dragon Innovation.

“Well I’ve never heard of that company!”, you say. Well, that might be the case, but you’ve almost surely heard of their clients. Dragon Innovation is a company dedicated to getting products designed and made, both in the US and China, often for smaller companies that need assistance in scaling their manufacturing.

Who are these companies you might have heard of? Let’s see:

An Interview with Bob Simpson - Ardent Automotive Artisan

Mon, 10 Sep 2012 03:44:15 +0000

Bob Simpson joins Chris and Dave to discuss his business of designing and building electric vehicles. We talk about batteries, charging, power requirements, heat and more!

DIP projects, OSHW & Trade Booths - Demonstrative DIP Dacrygelosis

Tue, 04 Sep 2012 03:02:36 +0000

Dave and Chris wing it after the planned guest needed to cancel last minute. Talk about Shenzhen wages, DIP projects, OSHW logos and trade booths.

A Day Late And A Few Questions Short

Sat, 01 Sep 2012 23:08:11 +0000

Due to the US holiday coming up on Monday, we’ll be one day delayed from our normal recording and posting time. The show will be available late Monday night/early Tuesday morning.

This week, we’ll have an entrepreneur who has started a business converting performance vehicles into electric performance vehicles. Bob Simpson and his company EV Drive has been releasing new products consistently over the past 2 years and will continue to invent and release new technologies. Bob built up many of the modules in his initial e-CarE46 (the conversion of a BMW 325i), including the recently tested Range Extender. If you have questions about electric vehicles, the future of the technology at EV Drive or anything else for Bob, ask your question over at our new subreddit!

Armstrong, Camenzind & Museums - Outstanding Oneirophoros Obituaries

Mon, 27 Aug 2012 02:41:34 +0000

We mourn the loss of two greats, Neil Armstrong and Hans Camenzind. We also discuss museums, working with dev boards, high end computing and low court battles.

An Interview with Larry Sears - Hexagram Hardware Holism

Mon, 20 Aug 2012 04:17:40 +0000

Larry Sears joins Chris and Dave to talk about his journey from starting design and build company to selling it and sponsoring future innovators

Mars, Makerbot & Power Outages - Reprobate Replicator Replication

Mon, 13 Aug 2012 02:56:39 +0000

Dave and Chris discuss the finer points of open projects and dream up starting one of their own. Also landings on foreign worlds and power outages in foreign lands.

We're Back...And Sorry

Sun, 12 Aug 2012 01:59:33 +0000

This past week on Thursday, our server had an unwelcome guest. He decided it would be fun to send out emails about C1al1s and such from our server. As such, we had it shut down while we took care of it. Due to circumstances beyond our control (until we really started yelling) it was quite unfortunate how long it took to get our server back under our control. To our webhost’s benefit, they did a full restore of a recent backup, which allowed us to circumvent needing to hunt down and destroy the scripts that were affecting us.

An interview with Tony Long - Millimeter Microwave Magician

Mon, 06 Aug 2012 06:13:36 +0000

Tony Long joins Chris to talk GHz radios, HAM as a hobby, building radios, testing them and machining metal pipes for the frequencies.

Requesting Feedback on TheAmpHour.com

Thu, 02 Aug 2012 03:56:55 +0000

We’ve seen a significant drop off in the commenting and usage of TheAmpHour.com. Not so much so that we’re worried about the site being broken, as much we are worried about offering a sub-par experience. So, if you have any feedback on any or all of the points below, please leave them in the comments.

How does TheAmpHour.com load for you? Fast? Slow? Not at all? Have you seen it improving or worsening over time (specifically the past few weeks)?
Do you use the Discuss Server? Do you regularly use the EEVblog forums?
What do you think about the layout of the pages? Do you find the lab-bench look impedes or enhances your reading of the site?
Is there anything else you'd like to see on the site that would make it more enjoyable for you?
Are there any components of the show that you find lacking or could be improved?

That’s a lot of open ended questions. Please be civil, but honest, in your responses. We don’t expect to be able to change everything you don’t like, but we’ll look into all of them. Thanks in advance for your help!

Tektronix, ChipReport.tv, & the Signal Path - Temperative Tegmen Temperature

Mon, 30 Jul 2012 03:49:10 +0000

Chris has a new project, Dave is getting to business on his power supply and much more from two guys that could be Olympic complainers.

An Interview with Chris Anderson - Deambulatory Daedal Drones

Mon, 23 Jul 2012 13:22:27 +0000

Chris Anderson joins Dave and Chris to talk DIY Drones, Makers, Manufacturing, Electronics, Community, Publishing and lots more.

Chris Anderson on The Amp Hour this week!

Thu, 19 Jul 2012 18:38:15 +0000

This coming week, we’re pleased to welcome Chris Anderson!

Chris is the editor of Wired and has been for 11 years. He is also a co-Founder of DIY drones, a 20,000+ strong community of UAV enthusiasts and also runs the commercial arm, 3D robotics! He has also written books about the growth of the internet including The Long Tail and Free: The Future of a Radical Price. Later this year he will be releasing a book about the Maker Movement called, “Makers: The New Industrial Revolution”.

Ceramic capacitors & High end scopes - Kempt Kickstarter Kakorrhaphiophobia

Mon, 16 Jul 2012 04:57:24 +0000

Dave and Chris discuss Kickstarter projects, ceramic capacitors, high end scopes, BOM tools, memristors and lots more!

Discuss Server Working Again

Tue, 10 Jul 2012 00:48:32 +0000

Sorry about the mixup. A few updates on other parts of the server caused the redirection to break on the Discuss Server. If you ever notice that in the future, please feel free to email me at chris {at} theamphour {dot} com.

Don’t forget, any question that didn’t get answered during the show and which gets to 10 points on the page of questions for Philip Freidin (our guest this week), will get a detailed answer. He’s really just trying to be nice to me to encourage people to use the server. If you really have a question, feel free to ping him at his twitter account, @PhilipFreidin.

An Interview with Philip Freidin - Xenodochial Xilinx Ex-Employee

Mon, 09 Jul 2012 04:23:21 +0000

Philip Freidin of Fliptronics joins Dave and Chris to talk about his work at AMD, Xilinx and the state of the industry.

Get Your Questions In For An FPGA Chip Design Veteran

Fri, 06 Jul 2012 12:21:12 +0000

Philip Freidin was an architect of RISC (AM29000) and Bit-Slice (AM2900/29300) while at AMD. Later, while at Xilinx, he architected FPGAs such as the XC4000, Virtex, Virtex2, Virtex4 and the Spartan. He also has various patents, including for synchronous dual port RAM on an FPGA and for a programming standard that was the precursor to JTAG. Now he is a design consultant (and has been for the past 17 years) working on a variety of products. Much like some of our other guests, he’s also a hobbyist and has a garage full of metal working equipment for machining and building whatever he can dream up.

Gouging Green Gardyloo

Mon, 02 Jul 2012 05:04:17 +0000

Dave and Chris start by talking about energy and end up talking about silicon eventually.

An Interview with Matt Ettus - Quality Quadrature Quidam

Mon, 25 Jun 2012 04:24:50 +0000

Matt Ettus of Ettus Research (and NI) stops by The Amp Hour to talk software defined radio and the future of the airwaves.

Guest Questions and News Items

Tue, 19 Jun 2012 12:49:49 +0000

As you all hopefully have heard by now, we launched the “Discuss” section of The Amp Hour this past weekend. Though it may be an unfamiliar format, we’re really hoping that listeners will take the time to stop by that part of our site. We think it could be a great way for everyone to get to know one another and build up the The Amp Hour community. However, if that alone isn’t enough motivation for you, there will be two other functions of the Discuss section:

Bonkers Birthday Badinage

Mon, 18 Jun 2012 04:58:21 +0000

Dave and Chris discuss birthdays, discussion forums, fab building, chip building, cheap devices, expensive chips, job seeking and much more! Happy 100th episode!

Server Switchover (Done!)

Fri, 15 Jun 2012 02:49:08 +0000

Thanks to all of our wonderful donors, we’ve been able to upgrade some of our web server equipment and begin offering more services in the near future. As such, we just switched over from our old server to the new one.

Congrats! You’ve arrived at our new server! Let us know how it’s working in the comments!

An Interview with Steve Leibson - Impavid Ideopraxist Insider

Mon, 11 Jun 2012 05:00:30 +0000

Steve Leibson joins Chris and Dave for a chat about the EDA industry, Steve’s work with HP and various tech companies and the future of chips.

Proemial Passive Poiesis

Mon, 04 Jun 2012 04:25:44 +0000

Dave and Chris discuss active component makers now making passive components! Also kit making, FPGA kits, 4 bits and a bit of news in the Test and Measurement industry.

An Interview with Eben Upton - Morbus Moilsome MakerFaire

Mon, 28 May 2012 04:00:45 +0000

[display_podcast]

Welcome, Eben Upton of the Raspberry Pi Project!

Chris just got back from Maker Faire!
Is there a stigma against "Makers" by engineers by profession? There's an article at Engineer Blogs about this subject.
There was an article from the Drive for Innovation stating the engineer's dislike for Makers as well.
No one recognized Chris because of his Twitter picture.
Chris built a 555 boost converter for his bring-along project that then powered some HB LEDs.
Jeff (MightyOhm) was there presenting his open source hardware Geiger counter and showing it off at his booth http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_3SVE0CQqw
The commerce side of Maker Faire was really comfortable, it was different than conferences, where you should use fake emails and probably don't want to buy from anyone.
We'll be shooting for a guest every other week from now on, feel free to call us on it if you don't hear one.
The crew from Dangerous Prototypes did a fun video on "How To" for Maker Faire. Look for Chris and Bunnie at 1:20 and then Chris later around the 5 minute mark. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39xX4xi0Uh8

Thanks to Eben for talking to Chris during Maker Faire! And thanks to Element14 for helping set up the interview. It was tons of fun.

Senseless Saccadic Shemozzle

Mon, 21 May 2012 03:51:04 +0000

A bit of a mixed bag episode. Chris is off to Maker Faire, and Dave likes to carry a man bag.

An Interview with Øyvind Janbu - Feracious Fabless Facilitator

Mon, 14 May 2012 02:45:34 +0000

Øyvind Janbu, CTO of Energy Micro, joins to talk about fabless semiconductor manufacturing of low power and low cost microcontrollers.

Gnomic Gazumping Gobemouche

Mon, 07 May 2012 04:21:42 +0000

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We'll be interviewing Øyvind Janbu, the CTO and co-founder of Energy Micro next week! We'll have a separate post for asking him questions.
Chris will be speaking at the Bay Area Maker Faire. If you're going to be there, find a comfy chair and prepare for a snoozefest ;-)
Second reminder for applying to the Lemnos Labs hardware incubator program, which will be closing soon.
Our friend Alan Wolke did a really fun tour of his shop...through the screen of his oscilloscope! Lots of fun!
Dave has finally figured out his MakerBot...with some help from his friends and by reading the (friggin) manual. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omtmtJelm9M
Chris brings up a fun direct ink resist print using a vintage Epson printer. Great quality!
Sometimes process adjustments are necessary to get more life out of a process node. Chris mentioned an Engineer Blogs post about Photolithography, but that actually doesn't talk about the interference. There is a slide set from the University of Waterloo that does a good job explaining this process.
Intel continues to win by being the bleeding edge process company. Will be interesting to see if they get into the foundry business.
Dave mentioned the recently announced scandal involving Silverbrook in Australia, who have failed to produce output for many many years.
Apparently it's possible to print super caps with a Laser Scribe DVD burner: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oEFwyoWKXo
DigiKey instituted a visual catalog...online! Finally! Have they been listening to the show??
LEDs that are going to be lighting up homes and workplaces almost were not possible. A researcher in the field explains the small margin on the bandgap required.
Dave mentions Gazumping, which Chris had never heard of.
Relays are a simple and yet crucial part of electronics. Chris was looking for cheap and small ones and was shown these from Omron. However, they didn't fit the bill. Instead, we found out about new research into relay-like devices....on silicon! Wow!

Don't forget to subscribe to us! We suggested Miro (Dave's favorite for the desktop) and BeyondPod (Chris's favorite for his Android phone). There are lots of great options out there, we just want to make sure you hear about new shows when they are posted! Thanks for subscribing!

An Interview with Tom LeMense - Cacaesthestic Chronometric Carriwitchet

Tue, 01 May 2012 01:57:14 +0000

Tom LeMense joins Chris and Dave to talk about his experiences in designing circuits for autos. He’s worked at many different places throughout SE Michigan.

Slight Delay

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 04:23:31 +0000

We’ve been on a pretty decent schedule recently about posting by Sunday night/early Monday morning. However, this evening we had some technical difficulties in the audio; as a result, we are going to take some more time to fix up the audio and the show will be up by Monday evening. We had Tom LeMense on the show, a veteran of the US car industry. He has a lot of great insight and we are looking forward to sharing the episode with you. Thanks for your patience.

Vellicate Videogame Vocation

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 03:34:57 +0000

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Another round with the MightyOhm! Welcome back Jeff!

Jeff has a new job! He'll be joining Valve as a hardware designer in June!
There is a handbook for working at Valve that was previously released online.
Additionally, another employee wrote about the culture of working at Valve.
Jeff highlights the importance of networking. Chris has written about this before, specifically for engineers.
In getting a new job, it's becoming increasingly important to show a portfolio of sorts. Jeff does this by documenting his projects on his MightyOhm website.
Jeff's kit business will continue but may need to be outsourced to a third party.
Kickstarter is getting bigger, as are the projects. The Pebble watch is now at $6 million dollars (and counting) and has 26 days left.
Ian of Dangerous Prototypes visit the SEG market in Shenzhen and show off the true power of a large electronics ecosystem/supply chain. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBtRJc-z05k
New type of patent agreement out of the engineering group at Twitter. States that patents will only be used defensively and continue to be used in the same manner wherever those patents go.
Speaking of legal issues, a seemingly bogus lawsuit is being claimed against (many) companies that sell vacuum tubes with mercury in them...that they have mercury in them! Shocker! See more from this Hack-a-Day post and accompanying law filing.

It was great having Jeff back on the show and we can’t wait to see what he develops while at Valve. We wish him the best of luck!

Idiographical Interconnect Intorsion

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 03:36:57 +0000

Dave and Chris talk connectors, OSHW, Raspberry Pi, Old magazines, more connectors, patents and a lot more!

Chaffered Chocolate Coemption

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 03:18:21 +0000

Dave and Chris prepare for cheap chocolate Monday by discussing Jim Williams, old transistor manuals, hardware conferences, component storage, sharing SPICE and more!

Dissimulated Demigration Dontopedalogy

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 03:49:14 +0000

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April fool's joke went a little too well. We are not joining Tested.com but we appreciate all the congratulations we received (we'll pretend it was for our superior acting skills...)
There are other (much better) April Fool's Jokes out there, especially from back in the day. Paul Rako goes over a bunch of fun ones from the heyday of National and LT. And Bob Pease's site has the classic fake datasheet from Signetics, the Write-Only-Memory.
Were you fooled by our foolery? Dave also had a separate trick involving laser probes from Extech http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1q2rnKExMiY
Not fooling about this one: Photonic Induction is back! Well, at least his videos!
Dave is about to cross his 3-year anniversary of the EEVblog!
Our pal Dino just completed his one year quest at Hackaweek! He finished it out with a great oscilloscope-like laser project.
Another scope, Claudio of the Amateur Engineer is making a homebrew oscilloscope!
Did you know: The unit of the reciprocal of inductance is the "yrneh"? That's "henry" spelled backwards.
Wall street isn't just hiring code monkeys. They also build some pretty impressive hardware. Even if you're not a fan of the work the computer will eventually be doing, the architecture is impressive: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NqX1ETADn0
We finally bring up the Raspberry Pi again on our show. But from the skeptical point of view. Will they be able to push out the boards at the price point they stated? ($35) Olimex on "The Back Shed" forums lays out a good case against it (via reddit).
If you're interested in building your own boards and are looking for an arduino-like project, check out the VinciDuino. It's a way to practice your SMD soldering and wind up with an 8-bit based Arduino (based off the forthcoming "Leonardo" platform).
Are you a fan of OSHW, like we are? If not, you'd likely have stopped listening by now to us ;-) Check out the OSHW community survey over at adafruit.
Great video of Brian Fuller's Drive for Innovation at their stop...where they tore the car apart! Over 100 micros and 288 batteries. Lots and lots of Freescale processors.
Do you primarily use microcontrollers in your projects? Or microprocessors?
In the push to get more consumer-like experiences, Freescale continues to move away from their Coldfire line and towards ARM based products. This new one has a second core dedicated to "iPhone-like" features (which require more memory).
Regulation in the US means you have to PAY to see the standards! Pretty crazy, right? How is that enforceable? Turns out...it isn't!
Giveaway! Sponsored by Freetronics. Win an EtherMega board. Just email us with "contest" in the title to theamphour@gmail.com. Let us know your favorite chip, hopefully one we've never heard of before. Added bonus, we might use it as Chip of the Week in the future! We'll mention you if we do!
Chip of the Week
- ST Micro released (?) a new EEPROM that can be programmed by RF (more specifically NFC). Would be great for packages/project boxes you cannot open and need to upgrade the firmware.
This Day In Nerd History
- The first mobile phone made a call in 1973, by Martin Cooper of Motorola. The phone was 10 inches in height, 3 inches deep and an inch-and-a-half wide and weighed 30-oz. Cooper has said "The battery lifetime was 20 minutes, but that wasn't really a big problem because you couldn't hold that phone up for that long."

That's all for this week. We promise not to pull any more legs until next April 1! Thanks for playing along!

The Amp Hour #88.5 -- Telematic Tested Tacenda

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 05:14:55 +0000

Dave and Chris have some news about the show!

Yonderly Yodeling Yobbos

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 03:02:16 +0000

Chris and Dave discuss reed switches,electric vehicles, CAD programs, design considerations, transformers, power monitoring and of course, yodeling.

An Interview with Ian Daniher - Nascent Nonolith Numquid

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 02:38:29 +0000

Ian Daniher of Nonolith Labs joins to talk about his up and coming measurement device called the CEE

The Amp Hour 2012 Survey Results

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 03:16:32 +0000

The Amp Hour Theme Song

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 02:02:14 +0000

We’ve had a few requests for the files behind The Amp Hour Theme Music. This was generously donated by one of our listeners, Paul Stevenson. You can find the file here on our LibSyn server. All we ask is that you don’t misuse the music or put it to something without Paul’s permission (i.e. Please don’t go creating The Bizarro Amp Hour Show or something like that).

Paul also wrote a version with words, also available on our LibSyn server. It’s titled, Chloroform The Amps. Here’s a version on YouTube if you don’t want to download and/or see the lyrics:

Emolumental Evaluation Emporetics

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 03:04:59 +0000

Chris and Dave talk about sales and dealing with distributors/salesmen. Dave talks about doing layout with tape and Chris brings up printed electronics (again)

Reputable Radio Reification

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 04:42:29 +0000

[display_podcast]

We're showcasing other podcasts this week and asking more about you, our listener! Please take the survey on our episode page!

New (or previously unannounced) Podcasts:
- Engineer Vs Designer, a podcast about 3D printing, CAD and the conflict between engineers and designers. They have a competition in process to win a MakerBot Replicator.
- IEEE Spectrum Podcast -- Host Steven Cherry talks to industry veterans in 10-15 minute clips about all manner of industry topics.
- Story Collider -- A mashup of science and comedy, this podcast has a different person talking each show about funny stories involving science.
- We'll add a section on the website for other podcasts we like
HAXLR8R is rolling! And we helped inform one of the participants! Tom from Boulder ElectroRide was accepted and is now writing about his experience on a new blog. Star Simpson, another member of the HAXLR8R program, is keeping a journal of her travels as well. Both are super interesting!
So glad that there are hardware startups...and people are starting to notice!
Lattice has a new logo...and it could mess up your ability to spot one of their parts until you learn the new logo. If you need to spot old logos, check out this site.
Dave's video about the anti static bag myth was passed down the chain by Element14 and they should be using the correct bags now.
BoredAtWork writes on the EEVBlog Forum about the silliness of pricing when it's just a software upgrade, but Chris and Dave understand the reality behind it. You need margin in order to work on next generation stuff!
Chris Anderson wrote a series on "Maker Businesses" and makes a similar point. You need to charge 2.4x your costs in order to maintain business! (i.e. $10 in parts means you have to charge $24).
Business Week writes about the true cost of low cost products: managers beholden to shareholders chasing the rock bottom prices will not have time and resources to focus on a good product.
Chris uses Dropbox to maintain CAD files across computers/platforms.
New web-based SPICE program available for the NerdKits guys. It's called Circuit Lab and has some great features!
This Week In Nerd History
- In 1977, the first Freon-cooled Cray-1 supercomputer, costing $19,000,000, was shipped to Los Alamos Laboratories, NM. It was 133 MegaFlops. The A4 processor in an iPhone is 34 MegaFlops!
Chip of the Week
- Dave likes the LT3600, a 15V, 1.5A Synchronous, Rail-to-Rail, Single Resistor, Step-Down Regulator (whew!)

Thanks to kafkan for the radio tower picture

Please fill out the survey!

An Interview with Bunnie Huang - Bunnie's Bibelot Bonification

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 04:34:57 +0000

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Welcome, Bunnie Huang!

Bunnie is the hardware designer behind the Chumby family of products.
He also wrote a book about his experience of Hacking the Xbox. He got a little help from some friends at the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
He also recently released the NeTV, which was met with some DMCA resistance due to the method in which he injects pixels.
You can get chumby/NeTV hacker kits over at adafruit.
He gets to go to some of the electronics markets, such as the SEG market in Shenzhen.
Ian from Dangerous Prototypes went to the Japanese version of this market recently:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DHX2FruBog
While in the SEG market, you can even buy an iPhone schematic!
Bunnie discussed Moore's law (and the breakdown thereof) at the OSHW conference and we discussed on episode 61 of The Amp Hour (with Jeff!), around 20 minutes in.
We asked why he decided to use Marvell chips, as opposed to a more open chip company like Freescale (in relative terms).

Thanks again to Bunnie for taking the time to talk about his work and his philosophy on design. We hope you all enjoyed listening as much as we enjoyed talking to him! Please leave any unanswered questions in the comments and we'll try to follow up by next week!

Note: We changed the encoded volume of the podcast so we don’t blow anyone’s eardrums out when they jump from their favorite NPR podcast (Car Talk, duh) to ours or whatever else you’re listening to. Sorry if this has been an issue in the past. Thanks to Joi Ito for the image of Bunnie

Aggravating Agersia Agiotage

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 02:10:18 +0000

Lots of talk about CAD, Education, Startups and China today!

Classic Amp Hour Move -- Not Looking At The Calendar

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 15:57:53 +0000

Hi Everyone,

Last week we asked for your questions for Bunnie Huang. Good news! You get another week!

It turns out I (Chris here) didn’t look at the calendar nor my email with Bunnie about him being on the show on the 27th, not the 20th. So you get one more week to think up questions. Talk about a highly anticipated show, eh?

Anyway, thanks to everyone who has written in so far. And sorry about the confusion! Dave and I will be recording the show as usual this week, so keep an eye out for episode 83 soon!

Get Your Questions In For Bunnie Huang!

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 01:24:21 +0000

Prolific hacker and maker Bunnie Huang, founder of Chumby, will be on the show next week. Our timezones don’t line up well, so there may be a possibility of glitches and/or rescheduling, but we want our listeners to be able to ask him questions!

So what do you want us to ask Bunnie about? Already on the docket is his latest fight surrounding his new neTV device and doing so without violating the DMCA. We also want his perspective about working directly with suppliers in Singapore (his hometown) and mainland China. And his perspective on the Open Source Hardware scene, which he is a large part of, will of course be a topic of discussion.

Vecordious Vacation Variorum

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 02:44:57 +0000

Chris is back from Hawaii, and we are joined once again by Jeff Keyzer of Mightyohm.com.

Jersey Jeff Jactitation

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 02:36:32 +0000

Whilst Chris is on his belated honeymoon, regular cohort Jeff Keyzer from Mightohm.com takes over.

Otiose Ontocyclic Opiniasters

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 03:28:58 +0000

Dave and Chris talk Arduino power supplies, MP3 projects, manufacturing on-shore and gray beards in Silicon Valley.

Ludibrious Luxating Layout

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 04:11:51 +0000

Chris and Dave discuss the chinese new year, buying parts and boards locally, Jim Williams, kickstarter projects, board cutters, the OSE project and much more!

Alteritous Andy's Absquatulation

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 04:53:44 +0000

Dave and Chris run through their latest projects, favorite chips and say goodbye to a YouTube guy that blew lots of stuff up.

An Interview with Dr. Howard Johnson - Winsome Waveform Wizardry

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 05:16:26 +0000

Dr. Howard Johnson, high speed signal integrity consultant, author and teacher stops by The Amp Hour to talk Black Magic and signals!

Get your questions in for Dr. Howard Johnson!

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 04:35:56 +0000

Dr. Howard Johnson, master of the black magic of high speed digital signals, will be our guest on next week’s show! We have a few questions cooked up for him, but want to know what our audience members want to know about! Try and stump him with your questions or pose a problem you’ve experienced with crosstalk, high speed propagation, losses or any other kind of issue you think he might be able to help you with! Leave your questions in the comments and tune in next week to hear him answer them on the show.

Fremescent Floccose Fortification

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 03:53:13 +0000

Chris and Dave discuss the Open Source Ecology project, educational refactoring (again), Luddites, engineering certification, new music and lots more!

An Interview with Ben Krasnow - Sprauncy Saccadic Spintherism

Tue, 27 Dec 2011 04:05:17 +0000

Ben Krasnow joins Chris and Dave to talk about his garage experimentation, education reform, tinkering, cooking and lots more!

Younker Youtube Yarling

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 03:48:04 +0000

Dave and Chris talk about music, Youtube, benches, power supplies, R&D spending and the lack thereof.

Horrisonous Holiday Habromania

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 04:55:08 +0000

Chris, Dave and Jeff talk holiday wish lists, ham radio call signs, toys, gear, kits and lots more!

Kismetic Keithley Katowse

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 03:22:47 +0000

Chris details his leaving of Keithley Instruments for new ventures and Dave probes about the Test and Measurement industry.

An Interview with John Edmond - Luciferous LED Lucubrator

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 04:55:25 +0000

John Edmond, one of the co-founders of Cree and the current Director of Advanced Optoelectronics Technology stops by to talk LEDs with Chris and Dave.

Reminder: Get your LED based questions in for John Edmond of Cree

Sat, 26 Nov 2011 17:35:57 +0000

While we don’t usually post much that isn’t a new episdoe, we also usually don’t get such high profile guests on our show. This coming Monday we’ll have the Director Advanced Optoelectronics at Cree, John Edmond, on the show! We also decided its better to tell people who will be on our show beforehand instead of trying to surprise people, as we did with Joe Grand and Jack Ganssle. If you have any questions about the LED industry, Silicon Carbide and other crazy materials or anything else that the technical founder of an LED company might be able to answer, please leave it in the comments. Thanks!

Idiorhythmic IPC Inconcinnity

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 03:45:26 +0000

Chris and Dave talk about the pitfalls of consulting, the joys of thanksgiving, the wonders of ham radio and the oddness (to Dave) of moving snow off a driveway.

Control loops & Flying probers - Quassating Quadcopter Quantophrenia

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 06:37:55 +0000

This week Chris and Dave talk about a quadcopters, control loops, flying probers, engineering salaries and much more!

Radiation Chips & Old Package Types - Technocratic Toilet Troubleshooting

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 04:15:26 +0000

Dave and Chris discuss troubleshooting, decorating offices, radiation chips and old package types.

BeagleBoard successors, CAD & Robots - Haussmannized Halloween Hypostrophe

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 04:08:21 +0000

Dave and Chris talk about nerdy Halloweens, BeagleBoard successors, CAD programs, OSHW, Robots, India and lots more!

Magnets, China & IEEE - Xenomorphic Xerox Xebec

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 04:35:28 +0000

Chris, Dave and Jeff talk about amateur radio, the IEEE’s marginal benefit and magnets in China and what happens when they stop selling them!

Silego, ADCs & Seismic Detection - Dave's Dingo Dystocia

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 03:42:53 +0000

Dave and Chris discuss dingo projects, dying pioneers, audio ADCs, seismic measurements, tiny parts and lots more!

OSHW, Makerbot & Memristo - Maundering Memristor Mathematicaster

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 04:09:00 +0000

Chris and Dave debate the merits of OSHW funding, the possibility of an actual memristor device “on the shelf” and when to rework products based on cost.

Shop bots, 450 mm fabs & redFrog - Pick and Place Palillogy

Tue, 04 Oct 2011 04:38:18 +0000

Chris and Dave talk about Dave’s new lab space, Pick and Place machines, shop bots, 450 mm fabs, tech campuses and lots more!

Op amps, Microchips & Mergers - Narquois Nerd Nescience - Narquois Nerd Nescience

Tue, 27 Sep 2011 03:31:39 +0000

Dave and Chris discuss op amps, the TI/National merger, new microcontrollers, printable electronics, switchers, battery charging and much more!

Moore's Law, GaN and SiC devices - Gallimaufry GaN Gabble

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 03:24:30 +0000

Dave, Chris and Jeff talk all about the Open Source Hardware convention, GaN and SiC devices, Moore’s Law and lots more!

An Interview with Joe Grand - Pancyclopaedic Prototyping Polymath

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 03:19:56 +0000

Electrical Engineer and Inventor Joe Grand joins Chris and Dave to talk about hacking electronics, engineering on TV and inventing and manufacturing electronics.

An Interview with Jeff Keyzer and Jason Kridner - Bonafide BeagleBoard Bionomics

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 03:42:35 +0000

Chris, Dave, Jeff Keyzer and Jason Kridner talk all manner of embedded computing and electronics. Updates on the BeagleBoard project and the chaos communications camp.

Multicopter, DIY drones & Tektronix - Zappy Zendik Zoilism

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 02:00:44 +0000

Chris and Dave talk about crashing copters, dumbfounding dowsers, brilliant bingo and kickstarter kludges.

An Interview with Alan Yates - Recondite Radiation Raconteur

Tue, 23 Aug 2011 04:34:56 +0000

Guest Alan Yates (VK2ZAY) talks about his ham, pyrotechnic, radiation, software and maker hobbies.

Open Orbific Oratiuncle

Tue, 16 Aug 2011 03:20:46 +0000

Another week of bouncing from topic to topic. This week included robots, entrepreneurs, OSHW, FPAAs, Ecology and LEDs!

Shonky Stiver Stultiloquence

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 01:45:58 +0000

We start a new segment about ridiculous electronics products being sold to the public. They also discuss DIY going mainstream and the money associated with it.

An Interview with Jack Ganssle - Embedded Elchee Epexegesis

Tue, 02 Aug 2011 02:42:53 +0000

Jack Ganssle joins Chris and Dave to talk about the electronics industry, embedded electronics, micros, FPGAs and lots more!

Biarchy Birthday Bavardage

Tue, 26 Jul 2011 01:56:12 +0000

Chris and Dave celebrate their 1 year anniversary! Then they talk about hackerspaces in schools, chips inside chips and crazy soldering translations.

An Interview with Jeri Ellsworth - Carnassial Chip Chemicals

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 02:14:26 +0000

Jeri Ellsworth returns to talk home made chips, software defined radios, companies giving the warm fuzzies and how not to spill HF acid.

Vafrous Video Vaniloquence

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 04:00:32 +0000

Dave and Chris give Google+ a shot and record the video! Once the video gets rolling they discuss NASA, China, chips, OSHW, hams and more!

Callow Cough Coverups

Tue, 05 Jul 2011 02:18:19 +0000

Dave and Chris discuss project boxes, designing a cough switch, new technologies from TI, the Maker Movement and much more!

Analog Devices, Design Spark - Unusual Usenet Usurpation

Tue, 28 Jun 2011 02:49:22 +0000

Dave and Chris discuss the runaround of finding a new analog to digital converter and how USENET groups can be helpful.

Bob Pease, Jim Williams - Posthumous Pease Porridge

Tue, 21 Jun 2011 01:56:45 +0000

Dave and Chris remember Bob Pease and Jim Williams and discuss many other smaller, less important tidbits

Apple HQ and Vintage Arcade Games - The Mothership Manifesto

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 02:30:23 +0000

No Chris this week. Dave & Jeff talk about Apple’s new Mothership HQ, vintage computers and arcade games on FPGA’s, the death of 8 bit micros, head hunter fees, and more electric car stuff.

Autorouter, Datasheets & Obscure Chips - Cloddish Collegiate Conversations

Tue, 07 Jun 2011 02:47:15 +0000

Chris and Dave talk about cultural differences at universities, finding obscure chips, tablets, datasheets and lots more.

Texas Instruments, OPA & Chevy Volt - Nerdy Neuroelectronic Neurosis

Tue, 31 May 2011 01:27:29 +0000

Dave talks about his role as a new nerd father and we discuss medical, automotive and even static applications of circuits.

BASIC, Chip companies & Robots - Pernicious Projects, Puppies in Peril

Tue, 24 May 2011 01:41:37 +0000

Dave and Chris talk about the perception of chip companies, robots and corporate silliness

An Interview with Jeff Keyzer and Jeremy Blum - Audacious Arduino Arguments

Tue, 17 May 2011 02:26:35 +0000

Dave, Chris, Jeff Keyzer and Jeremy Blum discuss the latest in electronics news, including Google’s decision to use the Arduino.

Contests, Ham Radio & TWIT.tv - Ham, Spam, Thank You Ma'am

Tue, 10 May 2011 01:36:16 +0000

We talked about schools, contests, more contests, ham radio, 3D transistors and our first Chip of the Week

An Interview with Jeff Keyzer - Exhilarating ESC Escapades

Wed, 04 May 2011 06:52:19 +0000

Chris & Jeff are recording from a hotel room at the ESC conference, with Dave sadly back home in Australia.

Ack! Reset!

Thu, 28 Apr 2011 23:55:27 +0000

While I don’t think this will affect listeners as much as it will affect us, the stats on all of our shows reset recently. Specifically on Tuesday. And more specifically, by me. By accident. I felt like an idiot, but there’s not much I can do now.

As I said, it shouldn’t really matter much to listeners, I just thought I would share that there was a reset and that everything else on the site is healthy. As always, if you see issues or know how to improve things on the site, leave a note on the Suggestions Page. Thanks!

Adafruit, Chip heist, Hackerspaces - The Kit Conniption

Tue, 26 Apr 2011 02:29:52 +0000

This week focused mainly around building a kit business, namely keeping costs down, keeping revenues in check and how to license your project.

Dan Pink, Dual Core, level translators - Mumble Mumbo Jumbo

Tue, 19 Apr 2011 01:25:22 +0000

Chris and Dave experience some audio trouble but eventually get talking about level translators, nerdcore rap, design contests and being paid for creativity.

An Interview with Jeff Keyzer - Comical Keyzer Comes a-Callin'

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 02:09:35 +0000

Jeff Keyzer of MightyOhm.com joins Dave and Chris to talk about a new soldering comic book and electric vehicles.

EEVblog, National Semiconductor, Texas Instruments - The Chinese Clairvoyancy

Wed, 06 Apr 2011 03:05:21 +0000

Dave discusses recently being let go from Altium, we discuss the TI buyout of National Semi and we cover the April fools jokes that got us best.

Big Business Buffoonery

Tue, 29 Mar 2011 04:56:50 +0000

No guests this week, but lots of rants and items! Suggest future guests you’d like to hear either in the comments section or on the Suggestions Page.

An Interview with Jeri Ellsworth - The Ternary Tussle

Tue, 22 Mar 2011 01:08:00 +0000

Dave, Chris and our first guest Jeri discuss printable electronics, women in engineering, bus controversies, Kickstarter projects and white collar crime.

AD620, DesignSpark, Instrumentation Amplifier - The Rant Rhetorical

Tue, 15 Mar 2011 01:38:11 +0000

Chris and Dave discuss instrumentation amplifiers, new workbenches, stupid company name changes and falling demand for brains.

A Widlar Poster For The Ages

Wed, 09 Mar 2011 13:22:38 +0000

Listener and WotW alum Jaime (@jpwack) wanted a poster to put up on his friend’s bench. The friend was…how to say it…analog-averse? Here’s the Widlar shot from Paul Rako’s blog with a famous Widlar quote. Jaime also added some good info for context once people walk by and are curious as to why they’re seeing someone flip the bird.

Click on the image for the full resolution poster.

Bob Widlar, Electronic Design, FIRST Robotics - Monday, Meta Monday

Tue, 08 Mar 2011 03:04:13 +0000

Dave and Chris discuss format changes to the show, engineering education and robotics competitions.

Cores, Digikey, Electronic Design - The Commercial Competitor Commencement

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 02:49:59 +0000

Dave and Chris talk about the new DigiKey/DesignNews radio show and give some (hopefully) constructive feedback.

Freescale, Hackerspaces, Printable Electronics - Publish Popular Parts Please!

Wed, 23 Feb 2011 03:25:35 +0000

Dave and Chris want chip manufacturers to let us know which are the most popular chip in order to design to parts that won’t become obsolete as quickly.

Agilent, Analog, Cold Fusion - Funding Fusion Is Not Futile

Wed, 16 Feb 2011 03:08:18 +0000

Dave and Chris talk about funding issues in the US and the importance of science research in future product development.

DJ and Jazzy Jeff

Wed, 09 Feb 2011 02:43:14 +0000

Dave and Mightyohm Jeff Keyzer join forces to talk about conferences, packaging and IPC footprints

Bowie and The Brown Note

Wed, 02 Feb 2011 00:19:31 +0000

The 555 contest continues onward! Everyone is getting excited! Dave’s classic 1976 vintage Signetics 555 timer chip (which he destroyed! RIP).

555 Contest, Computer Museum, Octopart - The Green Pen Hornswoggle

Tue, 25 Jan 2011 02:53:25 +0000

Dave and Chris talk about the upcoming 555 design contest and stories from listeners.

The Ben & Jeri Show

Tue, 18 Jan 2011 02:37:58 +0000

Chris and Dave ended up talking about Element 14, Ben Heck and Jeri Ellsworth enough that they decided to name show 26 after them.

NASA, WOTW & Modular Design - The NASA Nostalgia

Tue, 11 Jan 2011 03:43:39 +0000

This week we didn’t get much beyond WOTW but managed to have a good discussion about modular design and the mistakes of NASA.

Solar Cells, SparkFun, TSMC - The Detroit Debunking

Wed, 05 Jan 2011 05:07:00 +0000

[display_podcast]

Shoutouts
- Sparkfun has a new "grab bag" program for all their pick and place cast off parts. Could be some good pickins!
Rants
- Why does the IEEE still charge membership fees to unemployed engineers? And why does the cutoff for waiving the fee occur at 13k(and below)? Is that a realistic point at which people start being able to pay dues?
Discussion Points
- - California gives 100W incandescent bulbs the boot!
    - The mentioned EETimes article explaining the switcher circuit innards of a CFL
  - Why do LCR meters (like the kind Dave reviewed) output 6 digits of "resolution" through USB when only 3 are displayed on the device screen?
  - Electronic junk is back in the public eye. There is some research starting on the topic, but in the mean time 3rd world countries are still burning circuit boards to get the precious metals from them.
  - New site about electronic waste and recycling by the people that brought you "The Story of Stuff"
http://www.youtube.com/v/sW_7i6T_H78
- - And what contributes to electronics junk more than putting electronics in everything? While this can be a boon to new products, is it oversupply of cheap chips or actual consumer demand of the new functionality?
  - TSMC is planning a solar cell manufacturing plant in Mississippi. Good for the local economy (1k jobs, $500M invested). Are we nearing an inflection point where lower income areas in American labor (plus deals from local gov'ts) can compete?
  - New list out about trends in 2011 from JWT. Topping the Amp Hour's pick's from that list are: 3D printing (#1), Microbusinesses (#51), NFC (#56), Self-powered devices (#76) and Tap to pay (#88).
  - Also on the list was Detroit and the transformation it's going through currently, as documented in Requiem for Detroit.
http://www.youtube.com/v/yIgC5whSP8E
- Not all predictions go well...Ray Kurzweil responds to the scorching review in the latest issue of the IEEE Spectrum.
- And since we like IEEE Spectrum so much, we wanted to go over their list from a few months back about the top 25 chips of all time. Really great reading.
WOTW
- Ack! Sorry! We didn't get to it this week! Thanks to the submissions, we'll promise to do those first thing next week.

The Innovation Speculation

Wed, 29 Dec 2010 04:58:00 +0000

We discuss IBMs 5 in 5 innovation predictions, the holidays and a few more workbenches (including a video submission!)

The Hard Work Hypothesis

Wed, 22 Dec 2010 04:27:15 +0000

This week we discussed if there is a competitive advantage to being the squeaky wheel. And if you should bother while working for someone else.

More Freeagle, More Benches and More Engineers on Twitter

Wed, 15 Dec 2010 04:10:32 +0000

[display_podcast]

Seasonal
- What is on your electronics list for the holidays? Dave and Chris both need new chairs for their labs
WOTW
- Henrik from Oslo, Norway
  - Bench setup and explanation.
- Sylvain from Belgium
  - Bench setup for RF projects.
- David from Portland
  - Portable bench setup. Taking your electronics on the road is impressive!
- Mike from the UK (mikeselectricstuff)
  - MASSIVE panorama of his amazing lab. Breathtaking how well he uses the space and how much he crams in there!
- Shoutouts
  - IEEE has a podcast. Not the easiest thing to find but there are a lot of different topics and interviews!
Discussion Points
- Are squishy circuits the beginning of the circuit printing we've been talking about? Too soon in the technology to tell.
- Listener Harry tells us about The Woz being on "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me"
- The Freagle Campaign is still going. While we appreciate the Cad Soft team getting on Twitter, we still think the revenue generated from EAGLE BOM pushes will offset costs. And if not, RS Design Spark is free!
- EAGLE also just added a script for getting a PCB quote, apparently. No word who the vendor is but Dave thinks this will extend far beyond PCBs into entire supply chains.
- Fluke could use a little work on their Tweeting. Not all engineers care about American football!
- It seems the foundries may be buying into opening up their standards to the EDA vendors. Could this mean more open source tools (like Electric) or will it just open it among the big players?
- Dave and Chris get asked to fix peoples' stuff because we're engineers, but Chris much more often gets asked to be IT. Google has a new site to help with that.
- What's the payoff from getting a PhD? Is it even worth it for all the effort required?
- Inventables, an awesome site with small quantity, weird new materials for use in hobby projects.

Dave's Lab:

A video tour of Dave’s EEVblog lab:

Soon Back To Our Regularly Scheduled Program...

Tue, 14 Dec 2010 04:22:23 +0000

Dave and I missed our usual Monday/Tuesday recording so I thought I’d do a little “snow and tell” (ha!) to give an idea of the stuff I have to wade through on Monday afternoons in order to record for you, our lovely lovely listeners! Hey, I chose to live in Cleveland, so this is what I deserve, right? Well at least I get to experience what’s in the 2nd and 3rd picture, those are pretty fun. Enjoy!

Military Electronics and The Free Eagle (Freagle) Campaign

Tue, 07 Dec 2010 05:16:59 +0000

Our first WOTWs and lots of followups!

CAD programs, Systems Design and Renewable Energy

Tue, 30 Nov 2010 04:25:18 +0000

Chris and Dave talk about all manner of electronics this week, ranging from low end CAD packages to designing whole systems by yourself to renewable energy.

Transistor Types and Where To Get Electronic Gear

Tue, 23 Nov 2010 04:15:26 +0000

The continuing trend of hackerspaces. Fabs that only make discontinued chips. Workplace of the Week!

EE Movies, Part Rants and SPICE.

Tue, 16 Nov 2010 04:22:24 +0000

What do you say? .001uF or 1nF? Not getting into another 555 timer debate, but still it’s interesting.

How To Say "555 Timer"

Fri, 12 Nov 2010 03:15:52 +0000

Here's the big summary:

And by region:

North America:

South America:

Africa:

Europe:

Australia/NZ/Pacific:

Asia:

Thanks to everyone who participated. It was fun to see how people around the world call their chips. And wow! You guys are from all over! It's really awesome and makes the world feel like a smaller, better place. Thanks again!

How Do You Say 555 Timer?

Tue, 09 Nov 2010 22:11:03 +0000

LED Designs, Last Minute Designs and Board Designs

Tue, 09 Nov 2010 04:30:25 +0000

After an admittedly non-technical episode last week, we had an abundance of tech topics this week. So why keep writing when we can get to the links and you can get to listening!

Analog Components, First Person Flying and Idea Ownership

Tue, 02 Nov 2010 04:38:32 +0000

Not as many links this week but the usual hour’s worth of talking. We even managed to work in a comment or two about open hareware development (even though we promised not to previously).

China, Entrepreneurs and Blue Collar Reality

Wed, 27 Oct 2010 03:34:47 +0000

Dave made it home safe and sound! This week we jumped right past the videos Dave plans on posting and into talking about current events.

Chips And Fabs And Garages

Fri, 22 Oct 2010 04:14:45 +0000

Holy YouTube clips, Batman! We have tons of clips this week. Chris and our special guest Jeff Keyzer were talking about lots of stuff and it turns out many of them were video based

Dave Is Back And Blogging!

Fri, 15 Oct 2010 01:08:00 +0000

Dave is back! And blogging from a hotel room, just like Chris did in episode 9 of the Amp Hour. He has lots of great videos he made at Renesas Dev Con and some good stories and experiences.

Ardui...no Dave This Week?

Thu, 07 Oct 2010 06:19:15 +0000

Dave is rightly saving his voice for his upcoming trip to the US! We were very lucky to have Jeff Keyzer of Mighty Ohm join me in Dave’s stead this week.

Foiled Again!

Mon, 04 Oct 2010 21:23:18 +0000

Here at the Amp Hour we do electronics. We don’t do timezones very well. We’re starting to think that we should make some kind of global clock that always knows the time…or we could just check online. Either way, Dave and I didn’t realize the Australian daylight savings time change didn’t take effect in the US (well, I didn’t even know if Australia observed daylight savings time). As such, I was getting ready to start the show as Dave was heading out the door to work!

Open Hardware and Self Publishing

Tue, 28 Sep 2010 04:02:22 +0000

This week’s discussion revolved around open hardware. The summit definitely provided some interesting conversation points.

From Boston In Boxers?

Tue, 21 Sep 2010 04:03:20 +0000

Chris dials in (wearing pants) from ESC Boston and the Open Hardware Summit on a $10 internet connection. Highway robbery!

Survey Results!

Fri, 17 Sep 2010 21:30:09 +0000

Thanks again to everyone who filled out the survey. We got some fun responses (as I mentioned in Episode 8) and we’ll continue going through them for ideas and suggestions. Don’t think we don’t still watch our official Suggestions Page though, because we do. Feel free to continue posting ideas there.

One resounding theme that came through on the comments was that people really didn’t like us talking politics. That message is loud and clear. I can’t promise we’ll never mention policy ever again…because it truly does affect us and how the electronics industry runs. However, I (Chris here) can personally promise that I won’t try and overtly push my political views on anyone. If I start to, just give me a shout or vote with your feet (ears?). If we see people stop listening, we’re obviously doing something wrong. I highly encourage you to stick around though, we have tons more to spout off about electronics!

Layouts and Design-Outs

Tue, 14 Sep 2010 02:53:40 +0000

We took our audience’s advice and veered back towards tech talk! We also tried giving some more background on topics that might not be known to everybody.

Optional Survey

Sat, 11 Sep 2010 21:27:28 +0000

Please only fill it out once!

Love Robots and Pantyhose Screens

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 05:31:31 +0000

Curious about the title of the episode? Have a listen!

Guess Much?

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 00:34:39 +0000

So Dave and I check traffic sometimes. Lately, we’ve been seeing natural spikes in traffic around Monday or so. You guessed right, we usually record on Monday evenings and try to post that evening. But why not be REALLY sure when we have a new episode available and subscribe to our RSS feed? Just sayin’, it’s waaaaaay easier.

On a related note, if you don’t happen to take my sage advice, try to check back Tuesday, instead of Monday. With the (US) holiday, we won’t get to it until a little later in the week. And of course, if you have any suggestions, be sure to post them on our dedicated page.

Open Hardware and The Creative Economy

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 04:03:44 +0000

See a nerd with a tripod at the Electronex Electronics show coming soon to Sydney, Australia? It’s Dave!

Basement Studio

Sat, 28 Aug 2010 16:46:32 +0000

Since I was talking about it in a few previous episodes and was down there “cleaning” today (it’ll never be clean), I thought I’d take a picture of where I’m recording from in Cleveland. The mics are really all you need for a podcast, as evidenced by these pictures.

Girl Power

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 02:55:05 +0000

We went over a lot of things, but none more than a recent campaign to try and get more young women interested in engineering

Cultural Differences

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 04:19:26 +0000

Dave and Chris have been trying to get some thoughts together a bit prior to the show (though the show itself is still quite “off the cuff”). This week compares and contrasts yanks and aussies.

HP, IEEE, and Human Interface

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 05:05:02 +0000

We have a new website! During the show we spanned topics from HP to IEEE to human interface design.

Advertising

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 13:14:31 +0000

The Amp Hour has been the weekly conversation for electronics engineers since 2010, hosted by Chris Gammell and Dave Jones (of EEVblog). Every week we reach well over 10,000 downloads an episode, and across the back catalog that adds up to millions of downloads and counting.

More important than the numbers is who is listening: working electrical and electronics engineers, technologists, and serious hobbyists — the people specifying and designing real hardware at companies large and small, all across North America, Europe, and Australia.

New Theme!

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 04:11:21 +0000

So what is a website–yes, even an audio based website–without a distinctive theme? Well, it was this website before this weekend. But alas! Chris has spent some time digging into CSS and PHP and all that other boring stuff to try and make your realize once you land on this page, “HOLY CRAP, I HAVE ARRIVED!”

What we do need is feedback on what we have here though. I know the (log based, of course) graph paper background might be a little different than what you’re used to on the internet but try it out for a bit. This theme was meant to look like an engineer or hobbyist’s desk, complete with coffee stains and soldering iron burn marks. That’s soldering, with an “L”, as I was informed in our last podcast/radioshow/whatever it is.

Critical Mass

Sat, 07 Aug 2010 16:18:09 +0000

We discussed MAKE and their Maker Faire, as well as some news about mineral deposits around the world.

What's In A Name?

Sat, 07 Aug 2010 16:10:52 +0000

Our first show ever! We cover our backgrounds and start getting to know each other. Also…we need a name for the show.

About

Fri, 06 Aug 2010 15:03:38 +0000

The Amp Hour went on air in 2010, when Chris Gammell and Dave Jones decided the electronics world needed a show that sounded like two engineers actually talking, not a polished broadcast. The format was simple and has barely changed since: grab a coffee or a chocolate, hit record, and follow the conversation wherever it goes: an hour-long(ish) weekly show recorded “live” without editing or a mute button.

Hundreds of episodes later, it’s become a fixture in the engineering community: equal parts news, war stories, career talk, and long-form interviews with the designers, founders, and authors who shaped the field. Guests have ranged from working PCB designers to Nobel laureates.

Our New Home!

Fri, 06 Aug 2010 14:03:38 +0000

This is the new home of the Dave Jones and Chris Gammell Radio Show!

Many thanks to Mike from Mike’s Electric Stuff for helping us name the show. There were many other wonderful suggestions at the EEVBlog forums that allowed us to figure out our new name.