Hardware, Surveys and Giveaways - Radular Rental Ranting

The Amp Hour · 13 Mar 2013 · 1h 06m · Episode 136

What this episode covers

Hosts Dave Jones and Chris Gammell discuss the nuances of professional titles, the strategic use of Bill of Materials (BOMs) in open source hardware, and the economics of test equipment rentals. They analyze Intel's joint partnership with Altera for 14nm FPGA production and debate the ethics of unlocking paid hardware features, citing Rigol oscilloscopes as a case study. The episode concludes with announcements for the show's listener survey and a t-shirt giveaway.

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • 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.

  • Embedded.fm · 50m

    45: Yanking on a Cat's Tail Is the Only Way to Learn

    Dave Anders, who works for CircuitCo, the manufacturer of the BeagleBone Black and MinnowBoard, discusses the nuances of open source hardware, contrasting fully open designs with 'open source friendly' products like the Flyswatter 2. He explains how CircuitCo manages production scaling for the BeagleBone Black to meet OEM demand and details the transition of the MinnowBoard to a 100% open hardware model in partnership with Intel. Anders also covers the business models of open hardware, noting that while tools like the original Flyswatter were fully open, later iterations restrict fabrication files to prevent poor-quality clones while still allowing software development.

  • 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.

  • Embedded.fm · 1h 08m

    100: Unintentional Radiator

    Hosts Amelia Cook and Christopher White reunite with guests Star Simpson and Jen Costillo to reflect on the evolution of the hardware hobbyist landscape over the two years since their first appearance. Star Simpson, who works at Orion, discusses her wearable device project and her open-source FPGA toolchain initiative called Balboa, while also recounting the challenges of crowdfunding the Octopart reference card. The group analyzes the shifting attitudes toward privacy and security in the Internet of Things, the rise of accessible prototyping tools like 3D printing and Crowd Supply, and the changing ecosystem of development boards including the Odroid and Arduino.

  • Ep. 0 - Introducing the OHM Podcast!

    Stephen Hawes and Lucian Chapar of Opulo introduce the Open Hardware Manufacturing Podcast, discussing the challenges of running an open-source hardware company that manufactures the LumenPnP desktop pick-and-place machine in-house. They define open hardware as the publication of native design files and BOMs, highlighting the benefits of community collaboration and iterative design improvements. The hosts share their backgrounds in manufacturing and engineering, emphasizing the importance of transparency in documenting best practices for shipping, hiring, and quality control that are rarely recorded elsewhere.

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.