Hardware Podcasts

87: Make My Own Steel Foundry

Embedded.fm · 4 Feb 2015 · 1h 01m

What this episode covers

Chip Gracey, co-founder of Parallax, discusses the design and philosophy behind the Propeller microcontroller, a chip featuring eight independent cores (cogs) for deterministic real-time control. He explains the decision to open-source the Propeller One Verilog code to foster community learning and innovation, while detailing the complex, years-long process of designing the Propeller Two using SPICE simulation and custom layout. Gracey contrasts this first-principles approach with modern ARM-based systems, advocating for simplicity, transparency, and the ability to understand hardware at the transistor level.

Most relevant to

established companies

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Parallax, ARM, On Semi, Past Labs
Products
Propeller, Basic Stamp, Apple II, Arduino
Tools
SPICE, Verilog

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