Hardware Podcasts

Military Electronics and The Free Eagle (Freagle) Campaign

The Amp Hour · 7 Dec 2010 · 1h 09m · Episode 20

What this episode covers

Hosts Dave Jones and Chris Gammell discuss the first 'Workplaces of the Week' featuring Mike from Ascot TV and David from Delta Q Technologies, analyzing their test equipment like the Fluke 19 and Tektronix scopes. They engage in a debate on the practicality of home-made chips, discuss the ethics of working for military manufacturers, and cover industry news including Mentor Graphics' acquisition of open-source tools and RamBus's patent litigation.

Most relevant to

makers and hobbyists

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Tektronix, RamBus, Mentor Graphics
Products
Fluke 19, Bob Parker ESR meter, RS Design Spark, Eagle
Also
Jerry (Jeri Ellsworth)

Related episodes from other shows

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • The Spark Gap · 48m

    The Spark Gap - Episode 9

    Hosts Carl and Corey discuss the industry practice of manufacturers like Tektronix and Agilent disabling hardware features via software locks, arguing that unlocking them is not theft because the hardware already exists. They contrast Tektronix's aggressive legal stance with Rigel's acceptance of firmware hacks, which helped the company gain market share among hobbyists. The hosts recommend open-source alternatives like the Bus Pirate and Logic Sniffer, as well as commercial tools from Saleae and Total Phase, as cost-effective substitutes for expensive scope add-ons.

    Debugging & failure analysisPricing, margins & unit economics
    6 chapters

  • Unnamed Reverse Engineering Podcast · 1h 43m

    044 - Scots Army Knife

    Piotr Esden-Tempski of 1BitSquared discusses the company's role in manufacturing open-source hardware, specifically the Glasgow digital interface explorer, the iCEBreaker FPGA board, and the Black Magic Probe debugger. He explains the economic rationale for using an old Quad 4C pick-and-place machine for small-batch production and details how Glasgow uses an FPGA to dynamically generate hardware protocols via the nmigen HDL. The conversation also covers the geopolitical shift toward RISC-V in China, the challenges of debugging legacy industrial equipment, and the importance of documentation and community education in the open-source hardware ecosystem.

    Manufacturing partners & offshoringEmbedded firmware
    8 chapters

  • Unnamed Reverse Engineering Podcast · 40m

    014 - Ferrycast

    Joe Grand, founder of Grand Idea Studio and Dangerous Prototypes, discusses his history with the L0pht and his mission to empower hardware hackers through open-source tools. He details the JTAGulator, a device designed to automatically determine JTAG pinouts, and explains how it integrates with software like OpenOCD and UrJTAG. Grand also covers PCB reverse engineering services, comparing destructive delayering in China with non-destructive CT scanning, and highlights the growing industry demand for reverse engineers in automotive and aerospace sectors.

    Debugging & failure analysisPCB design & layout
    7 chapters

  • Embedded.fm · 1h 10m

    523: Bad Experience With Donuts

    Elecia White and Christopher White discuss the LeapFrog LeapPad and Odyssey Globe, recalling Elecia's work on their capacitive sensing and custom ASIC technology around 2001. They analyze the governance models of open source projects like Valetudo, ESPHome, and Zephyr as analogies for large company politics, and review Bunnie Huang's Dabao Evaluation Board for its verifiability features. The hosts also cover practical tools like Merlin Bird ID and Excel data bars, while debating the use of Ethernet in embedded systems and the state of Renesas MCUs.

    Embedded firmwareMicrocontrollers & dev platforms
    8 chapters

  • Embedded.fm · 58m

    122: Glue a Board to Your Resume

    Hosts Elecia White and Christopher White discuss the embedded job market, advising engineers to build hardware projects to demonstrate manufacturing knowledge. They explain bypass capacitors using a software buffer analogy, review development tools like Visual Studio and Visual Micro, and offer advice on contracting rates and contract terms. The episode also covers the VW emissions scandal, drone registration regulations, and the hosts' move to a new recording location.

    Careers & educationAnalog & power electronics
    7 chapters

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