The Power of Proto Boards!

Oxide and Friends · 17 Jan 2023 · 1h 41m · Episode 2

What this episode covers

Bryan Cantrill, Adam Leventhal, and the Oxide Computer Company engineering team review a gallery of custom prototype boards built to accelerate the development of their rack-scale servers. The group discusses the evolution from the highly integrated 'Gemini' board to modular 'Gimletlet' development platforms, highlighting how tools like KiCad and an in-house OpenPnP pick-and-place machine enabled rapid iteration. They detail specific hardware solutions for critical path issues, including the 'Dimlet' for SPD proxy testing, 'Kludge.2' for M.2 programming, and 'Donglet' for VPD programming during the semiconductor shortage.

Mentioned

Companies
Oxide Computer Company, Opulo, CircuitHub
Products
Gimletlet, Gemini, DIMMlet, Kludge.2, Donglet, Hubris
Chips
STM32G0, iCE40, VSC7448
Tools
OpenPnP, KiCad, OrCAD

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