# Solar Cells, SparkFun, TSMC - The Detroit Debunking

- Show: [The Amp Hour](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour)
- Published: 2011-01-05
- Length: 1h 02m
- Episode: 24
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2011-01-05-solar-cells-sparkfun-tsmc-the-detroit-debunking
- Listen: https://theamphour.com/the-amp-hour-24-the-detroit-debunking/

## Summary

Chris Gammell and Dave Jones discuss SparkFun's new 'pick and place grab bag' program, which sells rejected components from automated assembly lines for $10, noting the trade-off between cost and the time required to sort and test them. They analyze TSMC's announcement of a $500M solar cell manufacturing plant in Mississippi, debating whether low US labor costs and local incentives create a viable inflection point for reshoring manufacturing compared to China. The hosts also critique IEEE's membership fee structure for unemployed engineers, the reliability issues of Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs), and the growing problem of electronic waste recycling overseas.

## Chapters

- [0:27](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2011-01-05-solar-cells-sparkfun-tsmc-the-detroit-debunking#t=27) Introduction: LCR Meter Resolution and Rounding
- [6:25](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2011-01-05-solar-cells-sparkfun-tsmc-the-detroit-debunking#t=385) SparkFun's Pick and Place Grab Bag Program
- [10:34](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2011-01-05-solar-cells-sparkfun-tsmc-the-detroit-debunking#t=634) IEEE Membership Fees for Unemployed Engineers
- [13:46](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2011-01-05-solar-cells-sparkfun-tsmc-the-detroit-debunking#t=826) California's Incandescent Bulb Ban and CFL Reliability
- [21:50](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2011-01-05-solar-cells-sparkfun-tsmc-the-detroit-debunking#t=1310) Electronic Waste, Story of Stuff, and Recycling
- [30:30](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2011-01-05-solar-cells-sparkfun-tsmc-the-detroit-debunking#t=1830) TSMC Solar Plant in Mississippi and Reshoring
- [45:21](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2011-01-05-solar-cells-sparkfun-tsmc-the-detroit-debunking#t=2721) JWT 2011 Trends: 3D Printing, NFC, and Detroit
- [51:04](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2011-01-05-solar-cells-sparkfun-tsmc-the-detroit-debunking#t=3064) IEEE Top 25 Chips of All Time

## Topics

- [Sourcing & supply chain](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sourcing-and-supply-chain)
- [Sustainability & circular products](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sustainability-and-circularity)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)
- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)
- [Chips, FPGAs & semiconductors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/chips-and-fpgas)
- [Batteries & low-power design](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/batteries-and-low-power)

## Most relevant to

makers and hobbyists

## Mentioned

- SparkFun (company)
- TSMC (company)
- IEEE (company)
- Story of Stuff (other)
- CFL (product)
- NE555 (chip)
- TMS0281 (chip)
- 6502 (chip)
- TMS320 (chip)
- PIC16C84 (chip)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Scaling America's domestic solar supply chain](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2026-03-19-scaling-americas-domestic-solar-supply-chain) (Catalyst)
- [Episode 29: The Myth of Semiconductor Industry Deglobization](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-circuit/2023-08-15-episode-29-the-myth-of-semiconductor-industry-deglobization) (The Circuit)
- [140: Physics Is the Same Everywhere](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2016-02-25-140-physics-is-the-same-everywhere) (Embedded.fm)
- [Exploring Manufacturing and Reshoring Trends with Unimicron's Gerard van Dierendonck](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ems-c-level/2024-01-17-exploring-manufacturing-and-reshoring-trends-with-unimicrons-gerard-van-dierendo) (EMS@C-LEVEL)
- [Why Reshoring Electronics to the US is Harder Than You Think](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack/2025-01-29-why-reshoring-electronics-to-the-us-is-harder-than-you-think) (OnTrack)

## 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/2011-01-05-solar-cells-sparkfun-tsmc-the-detroit-debunking. 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.