Hardware Podcasts

A Requiem for SPARC with Tom Lyon

Oxide and Friends · 11 May 2021 · 1h 32m · Episode 2

What this episode covers

Tom Lyon, former Sun employee #8, joins Bryan Cantrill and Adam Leventhal to discuss the history of the SPARC architecture, covering its innovative but flawed design choices like register windows and delay slots. The conversation details the catastrophic eCache parity errors caused by manufacturing defects like radioactive boron, which led to widespread system failures and customer mistrust. They also reflect on the decline of SPARC through underperforming chips like Cheetah and Niagara, contrasting Sun's hardware struggles with the eventual dominance of x86 and AMD64.

Most relevant to

established companies

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Sun Microsystems, Fujitsu, IBM, HPE
Products
SPARCstation 2, SPARCstation 1, Solaris, illumos, OpenBoot
Chips
SPARC, UltraSPARC, Cheetah, Viking, Niagara, Turbosparc, Intel 432
Tools
DTrace

Related episodes from other shows

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • The Amp Hour · 1h 09m

    Really long needle nose pliers

    Dave Jones and Chris Gammell discuss the Voyager 1 probe's recent recovery from a memory chip failure, highlighting the sustaining engineering efforts required to maintain 46-year-old space hardware. They analyze the decline of US-based electronics trade shows, noting the cancellation of events like Embedded Systems Conference and the consolidation of others like Embedded World, driven by reduced corporate travel budgets. The conversation also covers the discontinuation of the Zilog Z80 processor, the practicality of niche hardware like the 'jumperless' breadboard, and the challenges of running complex software like Sigrok on low-power microcontrollers.

    Debugging & failure analysisRetail, wholesale & distribution
    7 chapters

  • The Spark Gap · 43m

    The Spark Gap - Episode 15

    Speakers Carl and Corey discuss the history and technical evolution of the Raspberry Pi, focusing on the original Model B's hardware flaws and the foundation's educational mission. They analyze specific engineering failures, including the lack of mounting holes, inefficient LDO power regulation, and flaky USB ports, which forced users to rely on powered hubs. The conversation contrasts the early 'minimum viable product' approach with later revisions like the B Plus and Compute Module, while debating the value of open-source hardware versus proprietary control in the single-board computer market.

    PCB design & layoutMicrocontrollers & dev platforms
    6 chapters

  • The Amp Hour · 1h 23m

    Project Management, Lasers & Robots - Staunch Specialty Sanctanimity

    Hosts Dave Jones and Chris Gammell discuss the challenges of engineering management, the importance of context in design, and the relentless pressure of content creation. They analyze a new Triad Semiconductor technology, the Via ASIC, which combines FPGA and FPAA capabilities for reconfigurable mixed-signal design. The conversation shifts to a critical hardware failure where Jones discovers the LT3080 voltage regulator has a silicon errata that causes it to blow up under specific conditions, highlighting the risks of relying on manufacturer application notes.

    Debugging & failure analysisChips, FPGAs & semiconductors
    6 chapters

  • Embedded.fm · 59m

    376: Left Half of My Brain Is Digital

    David Comer, a retired engineer with a career spanning from the Galileo mission to the semiconductor industry, discusses his journey from early electronics hobbyist to chip designer at Texas Instruments and Signetics. He reflects on the evolution of embedded systems, comparing legacy architectures like the 8051 and 4-bit microcontrollers to modern ARM and FPGA technologies, while emphasizing the importance of continuous learning and professional resilience. Comer shares anecdotes about working on the Galileo probe's memory control system, the impact of alpha particles on space electronics, and the shifting landscape of major tech companies like HP and Intel.

    Careers & educationMicrocontrollers & dev platforms
    10 chapters

  • The Amp Hour · 1h 04m

    Radiation Chips & Old Package Types - Technocratic Toilet Troubleshooting

    Hosts Dave Jones and Chris Gammell discuss troubleshooting techniques, the history of UV erasers for EEPROMs, and the challenges of debugging thermal issues. They also cover the 'Chip of the Week,' a nuclear event detection chip from Maxwell, and NXP's new DIP-packaged Cortex-M0 microcontroller. The conversation touches on engineering career statistics, the value of old package types for prototyping, and the importance of accepting failure in learning.

    Debugging & failure analysisMicrocontrollers & dev platforms
    7 chapters

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by Oxide and Friends. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.