An Interview with Bob Davidson - Hoodied HP Hijinks

The Amp Hour · 8 May 2013 · 1h 23m · Episode 144

What this episode covers

Bob Davidson, founder of Ambient Sensors, discusses his career starting at HP's disk drive division in the 1980s, where he worked on magnetic recording technology and finite element analysis. He details a recent project developing a concussion detection sensor for football players using Analog Devices accelerometers and NXP microcontrollers, and reflects on the evolution of electronics tools from HP's tape-based PCB design to modern open-source hardware and Bluetooth Low Energy modules like those from Blue Giga.

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • Embedded.fm · 1h 11m

    302: Worst Book Ever

    Alicia White, an embedded systems engineer with ~25 years of experience, discusses her career trajectory from HP Bioscience to startups like Crossbow and LeapFrog, and her time at ShotSpotter. She details the technical challenges of building MEMS inertial navigation systems, designing educational toys with custom silicon, and developing audio processing for gunshot detection. White also reflects on writing her book 'Making Embedded Systems' and shares field stories from racing tracks and bomb ranges.

  • Hackaday Podcast · 57m

    Ep 376: Modern Retro Projects, Retro Modern Projects, and the Teen Years for 3D Printing

    Hosts Elliot Williams and Al Williams discuss a range of hardware hacks, including Sprite TM's vapor deck, a handheld 486 PC built from scratch, and Paul Cosila's mechanical TV using 1920s parts. They also cover Tony Gocher's custom motor controller for a tracked trike, Thirty Mambo's YouTube-playing Game Boy cartridge, and Bub's Builds' 2-micron linear displacement sensor. The episode concludes with reflections on the 'teen years' of 3D printing, citing Solidoodle, PrinterBot, and MakerBot, and an explanation of aircraft airspeed sensors.

  • Embedded.fm · 1h 03m

    85: Stalked by Hoopers and Engineers

    Scott Miller, founder of Argent Data Systems, discusses his transition from building ham radio kits to creating the Hyperion Hoop, a smart hula hoop featuring WS2812B LEDs, ColdFire V1 and HCS08 processors, and a Bosch BMX055 motion sensor. He explains the engineering challenges of sensor fusion, persistence of vision, and integrating DMX512 stage lighting control, while noting the shift from a technical, male-dominated ham radio customer base to a passionate, younger, female-skewed performance community. Miller details the product's mass storage interface for Photoshop pattern editing, the decision to use Bluetooth via Microchip RN41/42 modules, and the operational scaling from garage prototypes to managing 80-hour work weeks during peak demand.

  • Embedded.fm · 59m

    376: Left Half of My Brain Is Digital

    David Comer, a retired engineer with a career spanning from the Galileo mission to the semiconductor industry, discusses his journey from early electronics hobbyist to chip designer at Texas Instruments and Signetics. He reflects on the evolution of embedded systems, comparing legacy architectures like the 8051 and 4-bit microcontrollers to modern ARM and FPGA technologies, while emphasizing the importance of continuous learning and professional resilience. Comer shares anecdotes about working on the Galileo probe's memory control system, the impact of alpha particles on space electronics, and the shifting landscape of major tech companies like HP and Intel.

  • Embedded.fm · 1h 10m

    523: Bad Experience With Donuts

    Elecia White and Christopher White discuss the LeapFrog LeapPad and Odyssey Globe, recalling Elecia's work on their capacitive sensing and custom ASIC technology around 2001. They analyze the governance models of open source projects like Valetudo, ESPHome, and Zephyr as analogies for large company politics, and review Bunnie Huang's Dabao Evaluation Board for its verifiability features. The hosts also cover practical tools like Merlin Bird ID and Excel data bars, while debating the use of Ethernet in embedded systems and the state of Renesas MCUs.

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.