FPGA, Xess, 32 Bit - Quirky Qualitative Questions

The Amp Hour · 8 Jan 2013 · 1h 18m · Episode 127

What this episode covers

Hosts Dave Jones and Chris Gammell answer user-submitted questions covering solar energy economics, the viability of open-source hardware companies like MakerBot, and the challenges of designing for subzero temperatures. They discuss the technical causes of power supply buzzing, including transformer laminates and capacitor microphonics, and debate the career value of learning FPGAs versus 32-bit ARM microcontrollers. The conversation concludes with advice for hobbyists and students on learning practical electronics, emphasizing hands-on projects and resources like the DSO Nano and Art of Electronics.

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • Embedded.fm · 1h 42m

    181: Work on It for Ten Years

    Chris Gammell of Contextual Electronics joins the hosts of Embedded.fm and The Amp Hour for a crossover holiday episode discussing expertise, prototyping tools, and industry trends. The conversation covers the limitations of MicroPython on custom hardware, the value of analog circuit design, and the importance of writing to clarify technical thinking. They also share personal updates on learning calculus, using VR for exercise, and the future of solar energy and automation.

  • The Spark Gap · 1h 04m

    The Spark Gap - Episode 44

    Hosts Carl and Corey discuss a grab bag of embedded electronics topics, starting with their new remote recording setup using Shure and MXL microphones. They review the TI ADS1263 32-bit ADC and the Lattice iCE40 FPGA ecosystem, highlighting the open-source Project Ice Storm toolchain. The hosts then critique the Raspberry Pi Zero's limited I/O and the safety issues surrounding lithium-ion batteries in 'hoverboards', before Corey airs a grievance about poor PCB differential pair routing practices.

  • Embedded.fm · 58m

    177: Boba Fett Fell Down

    Hosts Elecia White and Christopher White answer listener emails, discussing career advice for self-taught engineers and physics graduates entering the embedded industry, and technical comparisons between ARM Cortex-M and Cortex-A processors. They also address hardware design questions regarding the use of RJ45 connectors for non-Ethernet signals and discuss the potential of Adobe's Project Voco for audio editing. The episode concludes with show announcements, including a SparkFun contest, a planned meetup in Santa Cruz, and recommendations for educational hardware like the SparkFun Tinker Kit, Sphero, and Jewelbots.

  • Embedded.fm · 1h 30m

    129: Atoms Not Bits

    Matt Berggren, Senior Director of Product at Supply Frame and former Director of Product at Altium, discusses his vision for transforming electronics design through high-level abstraction and modular components. He details his Spartan 6 FPGA shield project, which allows Arduino-based cloud configuration of hardware, and explains the Wishbone bus standard as an open-source alternative to ARM's AHB/APB. Berggren also shares insights from his experience running grassroots electronics workshops, emphasizing the importance of substantive content over marketing to build trust in the maker community.

  • Hackaday Podcast · 1h 01m

    Ep046: Bring Us Your Nonsense, Hack NES Clones, Grasping FPGAs, Music Hacks, & Fish Tank of Random

    Hackaday editors Mike Szczys and Elliot Williams review a week of hacks, including Tristan Shone's industrial-chic audio controllers, a fish tank-based random number generator, and the reverse engineering of mini arcade cabinets using NES-on-a-chip clones. They also discuss David Williams' Supercon talk on making FPGAs accessible to hobbyists and debunk a Peugeot marketing stunt involving piezoelectric energy harvesting from city noise.

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.