# KonnectorPanik

- Show: [The Amp Hour](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour)
- Published: 2019-10-27
- Length: 1h 07m
- Episode: 464
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2019-10-27-konnectorpanik
- Listen: https://theamphour.com/464-konnectorpanik/

## Summary

Hosts Chris Gammell and Dave Jones discuss Gammell's struggles designing a monopole antenna, the necessity of ground planes, and using Smith charts for impedance matching. They analyze Apple's strategic move to diversify manufacturing out of China due to tariffs and political risk, while also examining career data from Carnegie Mellon University's ECE program. The episode features a deep dive into Kong.cash, a physical cryptocurrency note using flex PCBs and secure chips, and critiques Tesla's 'black screen of death' caused by flash memory wear-out from excessive logging.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2019-10-27-konnectorpanik#t=0) Introduction and Antenna Design Struggles
- [10:04](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2019-10-27-konnectorpanik#t=604) Apple Manufacturing Shift and Supply Chain Politics
- [19:25](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2019-10-27-konnectorpanik#t=1165) ECE Career Data and Software Dominance
- [27:27](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2019-10-27-konnectorpanik#t=1647) Kong.cash: Physical Cryptocurrency on Flex PCB
- [33:21](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2019-10-27-konnectorpanik#t=2001) Teardown of a Modular Millivolt Meter
- [44:41](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2019-10-27-konnectorpanik#t=2681) Onshape Acquisition by PTC and CAD Tools
- [49:48](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2019-10-27-konnectorpanik#t=2988) Tesla Flash Memory Failure and Design Critique
- [1:04:11](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2019-10-27-konnectorpanik#t=3851) Chip Printer Skepticism and New FPGA Boards

## Topics

- [Wireless & RF](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/wireless-and-rf)
- [Policy, trade & tariffs](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/policy-trade-and-tariffs)
- [Debugging & failure analysis](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/debugging-and-failure-analysis)
- [Materials & manufacturing processes](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/materials-and-processes)
- [EDA & CAD tools](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/eda-and-cad-tools)
- [Chips, FPGAs & semiconductors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/chips-and-fpgas)

## Most relevant to

large enterprises, makers and hobbyists

## Mentioned

- Kong.cash (product)
- Apple (company)
- Tesla (company)
- Onshape (tool)
- PTC (company)
- Creo (tool)
- Pro-E (tool)
- Fusion (tool)
- FreeCAD (tool)
- OpenSCAD (tool)
- Carnegie Mellon University (company)
- Case Western (company)
- Samsung (company)
- NVIDIA (company)
- ATEC608 (chip)
- Microchip (company)
- Wandel and Goltermann (company)
- Wave Tech (company)
- Gowin (company)
- GD32 (chip)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Returning from Mars (Matt Damon Redux) | Apple & the Sun King | Chip Packaging](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2019-10-11-returning-from-mars-matt-damon-redux-apple-the-sun-king-chip-packaging) (EE Times Current)
- [iFixit’s Shahram Mokhtari on the hidden design of modern electronics, CES-week manufacturing headlines, and a Reconstruction of Juicero, the $700 connected juicer that defined over-engineering.](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/go-no-go/2026-01-06-ifixits-shahram-mokhtari-on-the-hidden-design-of-modern-electronics-ces-week-man) (Go/No-Go)
- [Ep 313: Capacitor Plague, Wireless Power, and Tiny Everything](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2025-03-21-ep-313-capacitor-plague-wireless-power-and-tiny-everything-b56cece1) (Hackaday Podcast)
- [25: Thunderdome for Antennas](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2013-10-30-25-thunderdome-for-antennas) (Embedded.fm)
- [Ep 313: Capacitor Plague, Wireless Power, and Tiny Everything](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2025-03-21-ep-313-capacitor-plague-wireless-power-and-tiny-everything-cb8186ab) (Hackaday Podcast)

## 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/2019-10-27-konnectorpanik. 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.