# LED Designs, Last Minute Designs and Board Designs

- Show: [The Amp Hour](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour)
- Published: 2010-11-09
- Length: 1h 02m
- Episode: 16
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2010-11-09-led-designs-last-minute-designs-and-board-designs
- Listen: https://theamphour.com/the-amp-hour-16-led-designs-last-minute-designs-and-board-designs/

## Summary

Hosts Dave Jones and Chris Gammell discuss the technical challenges of designing RGB LED matrix modules, including multiplexing, current limits, and component selection. They critique the bloated size of modern EDA and FPGA software packages and share anecdotes about 'crisis engineering' deadlines for trade shows. The conversation also covers the legalities of hardware modding, the distinction between scientists and engineers, and the importance of giving engineers corporate credit cards to improve productivity.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2010-11-09-led-designs-last-minute-designs-and-board-designs#t=0) Introduction and Shout-outs
- [2:30](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2010-11-09-led-designs-last-minute-designs-and-board-designs#t=150) The 555 Timer and Google Interview Questions
- [10:34](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2010-11-09-led-designs-last-minute-designs-and-board-designs#t=634) Designing RGB LED Matrix Drivers
- [18:36](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2010-11-09-led-designs-last-minute-designs-and-board-designs#t=1116) Critique of Bloated EDA and FPGA Software
- [21:54](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2010-11-09-led-designs-last-minute-designs-and-board-designs#t=1314) Amanda Wozniak's 'Hardware Will Cut You' Talk
- [26:05](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2010-11-09-led-designs-last-minute-designs-and-board-designs#t=1565) Hardware Modding Lawsuits and Adafruit Contest
- [31:20](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2010-11-09-led-designs-last-minute-designs-and-board-designs#t=1880) Scientists vs. Engineers and Crisis Engineering
- [44:35](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2010-11-09-led-designs-last-minute-designs-and-board-designs#t=2675) PCB Sourcing, Free Samples, and Management
- [54:02](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2010-11-09-led-designs-last-minute-designs-and-board-designs#t=3242) PCB Layout Best Practices and Conclusion

## Topics

- [PCB design & layout](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pcb-design)
- [Analog & power electronics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/analog-and-power-electronics)
- [EDA & CAD tools](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/eda-and-cad-tools)
- [Sourcing & supply chain](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sourcing-and-supply-chain)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)
- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)

## Most relevant to

makers and hobbyists

## Mentioned

- EEV blog (other)
- Chris Gammell's Analog Life (other)
- 555 timer (chip)
- Zetek (company)
- TI (company)
- LT (company)
- Google (company)
- SparkFun (company)
- Agilent (company)
- Maxim (company)
- 74HC595 (chip)
- Farnell (company)
- DigiKey (company)
- Adafruit (company)
- Make (company)
- Microsoft (company)
- Sony (company)
- PCB.lane.org (company)
- Sunstone (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Ep 377: Parallel Pixels, Wiggly Consoles, and Seven Segments](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2026-07-10-ep-377-parallel-pixels-wiggly-consoles-and-seven-segments) (Hackaday Podcast)
- [Integrating Hardware and Software Teams](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2022-07-12-integrating-hardware-and-software-teams) (Oxide and Friends)
- [171: Perfectly Good Being Square and Green](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2016-10-12-171-perfectly-good-being-square-and-green) (Embedded.fm)
- [317: What Do You Mean by Disintegrated? (Repeat)](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2022-10-06-317-what-do-you-mean-by-disintegrated-repeat) (Embedded.fm)
- [Ep 264: Cheap Minimills, 65-in-1 Electronics, and Time on Moon](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2024-03-29-ep-264-cheap-minimills-65-in-1-electronics-and-time-on-moon) (Hackaday Podcast)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2010-11-09-led-designs-last-minute-designs-and-board-designs. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to The Amp Hour.