# Fake it till you make it

- Show: [The Amp Hour](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour)
- Published: 2017-02-24
- Length: 1h 05m
- Episode: 337
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2017-02-24-fake-it-till-you-make-it
- Listen: https://theamphour.com/337-fake-it-till-you-make-it/

## Summary

Hosts Chris Gammell and Dave Jones discuss the practicalities of ordering custom PCBs from services like Oshpark and PCBWay, highlighting the cost and lead time trade-offs for small batches. They explore industrial communication protocols, specifically RS485 over Cat5 cabling, and the use of Dallas 1-Wire ID chips for board identification in modular systems. The conversation shifts to career advice for engineering students, emphasizing the importance of building and documenting personal projects, before analyzing failed crowdfunding campaigns like the Tico 3D printer and the Chip Easy component organizer.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2017-02-24-fake-it-till-you-make-it#t=0) Introduction and PCB Sourcing
- [2:10](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2017-02-24-fake-it-till-you-make-it#t=130) PCB Fab Comparison and Pricing
- [16:54](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2017-02-24-fake-it-till-you-make-it#t=1014) RS485 Cabling and Protocol Design
- [24:19](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2017-02-24-fake-it-till-you-make-it#t=1459) Dallas 1-Wire ID Chips for Board ID
- [30:34](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2017-02-24-fake-it-till-you-make-it#t=1834) Career Advice for Engineering Students
- [39:12](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2017-02-24-fake-it-till-you-make-it#t=2352) Analysis of Failed Crowdfunding Campaigns
- [59:56](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2017-02-24-fake-it-till-you-make-it#t=3596) Hardware Design Games and Contest

## Topics

- [Sourcing & supply chain](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sourcing-and-supply-chain)
- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)
- [Crowdfunding & preorders](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/crowdfunding)
- [PCB design & layout](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pcb-design)
- [Chips, FPGAs & semiconductors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/chips-and-fpgas)
- [EDA & CAD tools](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/eda-and-cad-tools)

## Most relevant to

makers and hobbyists, large enterprises

## Mentioned

- Oshpark (company)
- PCBWay (company)
- PCB Fab (tool)
- Dallas (company)
- DS2401 (chip)
- Altium (company)
- Tico (product)
- Chip Easy (product)
- KiCad (tool)
- MicroHard (product)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [44: Light Up Strikes Back](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2014-03-26-44-light-up-strikes-back) (Embedded.fm)
- [033 - All Over the Place](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/unnamed-reverse-engineering-podcast/2020-04-27-033-all-over-the-place) (Unnamed Reverse Engineering Podcast)
- [069 - Canned Cheese and Onion Rings](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/unnamed-reverse-engineering-podcast/2024-04-17-069-canned-cheese-and-onion-rings) (Unnamed Reverse Engineering Podcast)
- [123: Banished from Running Linux](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2015-10-28-123-banished-from-running-linux) (Embedded.fm)
- [464: Please Make This Monster Look Scary](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2023-11-16-464-please-make-this-monster-look-scary) (Embedded.fm)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2017-02-24-fake-it-till-you-make-it. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to The Amp Hour.