EE Times Current · 7 Feb 2020 · 45m
Brian Santo discusses the global supply chain disruptions caused by the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, featuring interviews with Semi CEO Ajit Manocha and editor Barb Jorgensen on the economic impact and industry cancellations. The episode highlights a new wafer cleaning technology from ACM Research, where CEO David Wong explains how their hybrid tool reduces sulfuric acid waste by 80% compared to single-wafer processes. Additionally, the show features a live report from Shenzhen with Echo Zhao, detailing the local lockdown, remote work challenges, and the human side of the health emergency.
early-stage companies and companies scaling up
Other shows on the same ground, closest first.
Hosts Chris Gammell and Dave Jones discuss the current state of the semiconductor industry, including Michael Burry's bearish bet on the sector and the impact of Chinese export controls on gallium and germanium. They analyze the layoffs at RISC-V startup SiFive and the acquisition of Future Electronics by W&T Microelectronics, while also covering the technical details of WS2812 LED controllers and the regulatory fraud surrounding the nuclear diamond battery.
Dave Jones and Chris Gammell discuss the shift to remote work and portable labs due to the coronavirus pandemic, with Chris detailing his move from a heavy Pelican case to a compact setup using an Analog Discovery, ADALM2000, and Aining 8008 DMM. They analyze the impact of tariffs and supply chain disruptions on companies like Boosted Boards and Adafruit, while exploring the emerging Chinese component market via Seed's Open Parts List and the rapid recovery of Chinese PCB fabs. The conversation also covers the high cost of EVs in Australia, the cancellation of in-person conferences like KiCon and the Open Hardware Summit, and Chris's experience using JavaScript scripting to emulate hardware for a client demo.
Dave Jones and Chris Gammell discuss the Black Diamond Spot 325 headlamp, highlighting its user-centric design features like soft-lock and battery indicators, while noting the lack of a battery compartment seal. They analyze the supply chain disruptions caused by the coronavirus, specifically mentioning Intel's C2000 Atom processor silicon degradation defect and the resulting impact on manufacturers like Synology and Cisco. The hosts also review the Tibbo Plus One System-on-Module, praising its industrial-grade specifications and 10-year supply guarantee, and discuss JTAG boundary scan testing and KiCad plugin developments.
Chris Gammell of Contextual Electronics and Dave Jones of EEVblog discuss the new Art of Electronics X Chapters book, the supply chain disruptions caused by the coronavirus shutdown in China, and the discontinuation of Particle's mesh networking ecosystem. They highlight the Tontek TTP223 touch sensor as the Chip of the Week and critique the 'Last Tissue' Kickstarter for greenwashing. The hosts also announce a return to semi-regular banter and a search for a podcast editor.
Mike Konrad, founder of Aqueous Technologies, discusses 2022 industry trends, highlighting that supply chain disruptions extend far beyond semiconductors to include components like solenoids and motors. He explains how his company transitioned from just-in-time to just-in-case purchasing, requiring minor design modifications to integrate alternative parts while managing cash flow strain. Konrad also advocates for an educational marketing model over traditional trade show noise, predicting a hybrid future for industry events like IPC APEX Expo and Productronica.
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