The Amp Hour · 30 Jul 2012 · 1h 04m · Episode 106
Hosts Dave Jones and Chris Gammell discuss the launch of Chris's new video series ChipReport.tv and the challenges of starting a content business. They critique DigiKey's new schematic sharing tool for lacking integration with PCB CAD software and analyze the industry implications of ARM potentially manufacturing its own chips alongside its licensing model. The conversation also covers the controversy surrounding the copyright enforcement of Heathkit documentation and the technical details of FinFET transistor architecture.
makers and hobbyists
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Hosts Elecia White and Christopher White discuss the show's new transcript availability, the technical details of using a Cricut Maker with SVG files, and the legal and technical risks of using the Arduino IDE for professional products. They also cover debugging strategies for intermittent bugs and share personal experiences with focus, motivation, and executive function challenges.
Ben Bajarin and Jay Goldberg discuss a Financial Times report that Arm is shifting its business model from traditional royalties to a percentage of the selling price (ASP) of end products, a move driven by SoftBank's desire to maximize Arm's IPO valuation. They analyze the potential unintended consequences, such as penalizing RISC-V startups and pushing architecture licensees like Apple and NVIDIA back toward custom core development. The hosts also explore the broader implications for IP licensing, comparing Arm's challenges to Qualcomm's historical litigation, and examine the evolving landscape of intellectual property protection in China.
Ramiro Montes de Oca, CEO and founder of aThing.io, explains his company's 'motionless electronics'—modular, penny-sized components that connect via phone-style connectors without soldering. He discusses the technical architecture of these modules, the emerging chiplet industry standard led by the Chiplet Alliance, and the business challenges of scaling hardware manufacturing during global supply chain disruptions. Montes de Oca also shares insights from exhibiting at CES and the importance of design-for-manufacturing for early-stage founders.
Stephen Craig and Parker Dillmann of Macrofab join Alicia and Christopher White to discuss the friction between hardware and software engineers. They debate the definition of embedded systems, the merits of PIC vs. ARM microcontrollers, and the critical importance of reading schematics and using standardized footprints to avoid costly design errors.
Philip Freidin, a veteran engineer and consultant with experience at AMD and Xilinx, discusses the evolution of the semiconductor industry, the challenges of reverse engineering FPGAs, and his current projects. He explains why reverse engineering an FPGA bitstream is often futile compared to functional analysis, detailing the complexity of VLIW architectures and encryption. Freidin also shares his experience creating the open-source OshChip and his new educational initiative, DSP-for-KIDS.
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