# Radiation Chips & Old Package Types - Technocratic Toilet Troubleshooting

- Show: [The Amp Hour](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour)
- Published: 2011-11-08
- Length: 1h 04m
- Episode: 68
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2011-11-08-radiation-chips-old-package-types-technocratic-toilet-troubleshooting
- Listen: https://theamphour.com/the-amp-hour-68-technocratic-toilet-troubleshooting/

## Summary

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.

## Chapters

- [0:28](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2011-11-08-radiation-chips-old-package-types-technocratic-toilet-troubleshooting#t=28) Introduction and OMART Comics
- [4:15](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2011-11-08-radiation-chips-old-package-types-technocratic-toilet-troubleshooting#t=255) EEPROM UV Erasers and Troubleshooting Stories
- [8:57](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2011-11-08-radiation-chips-old-package-types-technocratic-toilet-troubleshooting#t=537) Thermal Troubleshooting and Analysis Paralysis
- [37:18](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2011-11-08-radiation-chips-old-package-types-technocratic-toilet-troubleshooting#t=2238) Engineering Career Stats and Salary Survey
- [46:01](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2011-11-08-radiation-chips-old-package-types-technocratic-toilet-troubleshooting#t=2761) Chip of the Week: Nuclear Event Detector
- [50:58](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2011-11-08-radiation-chips-old-package-types-technocratic-toilet-troubleshooting#t=3058) NXP Cortex-M0 in DIP Package
- [56:34](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2011-11-08-radiation-chips-old-package-types-technocratic-toilet-troubleshooting#t=3394) PCB Art and Closing Stories

## Topics

- [Debugging & failure analysis](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/debugging-and-failure-analysis)
- [Microcontrollers & dev platforms](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/microcontrollers-and-platforms)
- [Chips, FPGAs & semiconductors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/chips-and-fpgas)
- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)
- [Prototyping & iteration](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/prototyping)

## Most relevant to

makers and hobbyists

## Mentioned

- OMART (other)
- Maxwell (company)
- NXP (company)
- Cortex-M0 (chip)
- Freescale (company)
- DigiKey (other)
- Electronic Design (other)
- UBM (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Ep 313: Capacitor Plague, Wireless Power, and Tiny Everything](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2025-03-21-ep-313-capacitor-plague-wireless-power-and-tiny-everything-b56cece1) (Hackaday Podcast)
- [Ep 313: Capacitor Plague, Wireless Power, and Tiny Everything](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2025-03-21-ep-313-capacitor-plague-wireless-power-and-tiny-everything) (Hackaday Podcast)
- [Ep052: Shorting Components, Printing Typewriter Balls, Taking Time Lapse, and Makerspace Movie Prop](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2020-01-31-ep052-shorting-components-printing-typewriter-balls-taking-time-lapse-and-makers) (Hackaday Podcast)
- [Ep 375: Rebuilding Tech on Our Terms and the Hero Nerd](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2026-06-26-ep-375-rebuilding-tech-on-our-terms-and-the-hero-nerd) (Hackaday Podcast)
- [The Spark Gap - Episode 32](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-spark-gap/2015-05-06-the-spark-gap-episode-32) (The Spark Gap)

## 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/2011-11-08-radiation-chips-old-package-types-technocratic-toilet-troubleshooting. 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.