# Man Behind The Curtain

- Show: [The Amp Hour](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour)
- Published: 2020-03-16
- Length: 1h 10m
- Episode: 484
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2020-03-16-man-behind-the-curtain
- Listen: https://theamphour.com/484-man-behind-the-curtain/

## Summary

Dave Jones and Chris Gammell discuss the shift to remote work and portable labs due to the coronavirus pandemic, with Chris detailing his move from a heavy Pelican case to a compact setup using an Analog Discovery, ADALM2000, and Aining 8008 DMM. They analyze the impact of tariffs and supply chain disruptions on companies like Boosted Boards and Adafruit, while exploring the emerging Chinese component market via Seed's Open Parts List and the rapid recovery of Chinese PCB fabs. The conversation also covers the high cost of EVs in Australia, the cancellation of in-person conferences like KiCon and the Open Hardware Summit, and Chris's experience using JavaScript scripting to emulate hardware for a client demo.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2020-03-16-man-behind-the-curtain#t=0) Introduction: Portable Lab Evolution
- [3:37](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2020-03-16-man-behind-the-curtain#t=217) Chris Gammell's Compact Travel Setup
- [6:23](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2020-03-16-man-behind-the-curtain#t=383) Coronavirus Impact on Students and Work
- [15:28](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2020-03-16-man-behind-the-curtain#t=928) Australian EV Market and Tax Incentives
- [32:29](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2020-03-16-man-behind-the-curtain#t=1949) Supply Chain Disruptions and Chinese Fabs
- [38:31](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2020-03-16-man-behind-the-curtain#t=2311) Seed's Open Parts List and Sourcing
- [47:14](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2020-03-16-man-behind-the-curtain#t=2834) Virtual Conferences and Open Hardware
- [54:37](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2020-03-16-man-behind-the-curtain#t=3277) Hardware Emulation and Client Demos

## Topics

- [PCB design & layout](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pcb-design)
- [Sourcing & supply chain](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sourcing-and-supply-chain)
- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)
- [Prototyping & iteration](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/prototyping)
- [Policy, trade & tariffs](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/policy-trade-and-tariffs)
- [Microcontrollers & dev platforms](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/microcontrollers-and-platforms)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Screaming Circuits (company)
- Pelican (other)
- Analog Discovery (product)
- Aining 8008 (product)
- TS-80 (product)
- ADALM2000 (product)
- KiCad (tool)
- Boosted Boards (company)
- Adafruit (company)
- JLC (company)
- PCBWay (company)
- Seed (company)
- Octopart (company)
- LCSC (company)
- CERN (company)
- Zencaster (tool)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [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)
- [PCB East 2025: Exhibitors, AI Trends & Networking Opportunities](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack/2025-05-09-pcb-east-2025-exhibitors-ai-trends-networking-opportunities) (OnTrack)
- [Ep. 15 | The Emergence of the Virtual Supply Chain in a COVID-19 World](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2020-12-17-ep-15-the-emergence-of-the-virtual-supply-chain-in-a-covid-19-world) (Moore's Lobby)
- [58: Nothing Can Stop Us Now](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/thoroughly-considered/2020-04-01-58-nothing-can-stop-us-now) (Thoroughly Considered)
- [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)

## 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/2020-03-16-man-behind-the-curtain. 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.