Hardware Podcasts

B Plus Boards and D Minus Cities - Uneath Urban Ubication

The Amp Hour · 16 Jul 2014 · 56m · Episode 207

What this episode covers

Hosts Dave Jones and Chris Gammell discuss Chris's recent trip to Detroit, highlighting the city's economic struggles and the emerging tech community, including visits to Backyard Brains and Pinocchio. They critique the ease of raising venture capital and the resulting flood of incompetent crowdfunding campaigns, citing a failed USB password dongle project as an example of wasted funds. The conversation also covers the release of the Raspberry Pi B Plus, the commercial viability of open-source hardware platforms like BeagleBone, and Dave's research into the history of 7400 series logic chips in vintage electronics magazines.

Most relevant to

makers and hobbyists and early-stage companies

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Backyard Brains, Element14, Texas Instruments
Products
Raspberry Pi B Plus, BeagleBone, Pinocchio, Spark, Electric Imp
Chips
CC3000, 7400 series
Also
Hackcelerator, Silicon Chip

Related episodes from other shows

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • The Spark Gap · 43m

    The Spark Gap - Episode 15

    Speakers Carl and Corey discuss the history and technical evolution of the Raspberry Pi, focusing on the original Model B's hardware flaws and the foundation's educational mission. They analyze specific engineering failures, including the lack of mounting holes, inefficient LDO power regulation, and flaky USB ports, which forced users to rely on powered hubs. The conversation contrasts the early 'minimum viable product' approach with later revisions like the B Plus and Compute Module, while debating the value of open-source hardware versus proprietary control in the single-board computer market.

    PCB design & layoutMicrocontrollers & dev platforms
    6 chapters

  • 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.

    Crowdfunding & preordersChips, FPGAs & semiconductors
    10 chapters

  • The Spark Gap · 54m

    The Spark Gap - Episode 43

    Hosts Carl and Corey discuss the LTM2884 isolated USB transceiver and the MSGEQ7 audio spectrum analyzer chip, highlighting their specific technical applications. They then explore the 'burden of knowledge' experienced by electronics experts, using a poorly built $60 headphone amplifier as an example of deceptive product quality. The conversation shifts to a critique of crowdfunding scams, specifically analyzing the technical impossibility of the 'Leaf Hyperdrive' RAM expansion device and discussing the broader issues of trust and delivery in Kickstarter and Indiegogo campaigns.

    Microcontrollers & dev platformsCrowdfunding & preorders
    6 chapters

  • Embedded.fm · 1h 16m

    470: Upping the Chaos Level

    Helen Leigh, Head of Community at Crowd Supply, discusses organizing the Teardown 2024 conference in Portland and her role in vetting indie hardware projects for the platform. She details the logistical challenges of hosting the event in a semi-abandoned mall, the criteria for accepting campaigns (requiring functional prototypes and open documentation), and common pitfalls for creators, such as underpricing and ignoring tariffs. The conversation also covers her personal journey of learning KiCad 7 and the RP2040 microcontroller for a sequencer project, while highlighting the importance of real-life community building over social media.

    Crowdfunding & preordersValidation & product-market fit
    7 chapters

  • Embedded.fm · 1h 11m

    60: Fun Things You Can Make out of Beagles

    Jason Kridner of the BeagleBoard.org Foundation and Texas Instruments discusses the history and ecosystem of the BeagleBone Black, contrasting it with the Raspberry Pi and explaining the challenges of supply chain management for low-margin open hardware. He details the board's origins as a Linux developer platform, its role in advancing mainline Linux support through device tree adoption, and the importance of Google Summer of Code projects like BotSpeak for real-time programming. Kridner also highlights the board's suitability for robotics and industrial applications, while addressing the frustration of distributors running out of stock due to OEM demand.

    Microcontrollers & dev platformsEmbedded firmware
    8 chapters

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.