Hardware Podcasts

Firmware Update Capabilities

The Amp Hour · 14 Mar 2021 · 1h 14m · Episode 534

What this episode covers

Dave Jones and Chris Gammell discuss the trade-offs between analog and firmware-based designs, the recent bankruptcy of MIPS and its pivot to RISC-V, and the enduring legacy of Australian electronics retailer Jaycar following the death of its founder Gary Johnston. They also cover the Right to Repair movement led by Lewis Rossmann, the technical challenges of low-power sensor design, and the engineering economics behind Fluke's long-lived multimeter models.

Most relevant to

large enterprises and companies scaling up

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Jaycar, MIPS, Microchip, Fluke, Altronics, Radio Shack, MITS, Microsoft
Products
Pico32, Fluke 87, Altair
Tools
Zephyr, VMware
Also
Gary Johnston, RISC-V, Lewis Rossmann, Bill Gates, Paul Allen, Ed Roberts

Related episodes from other shows

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • 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.

    Embedded firmwareMicrocontrollers & dev platforms
    8 chapters

  • The Spark Gap · 1h 19m

    The Spark Gap - Episode 32

    Hosts Carl and Corey revisit topics from their first 31 episodes, discussing the NXP acquisition of Freescale, MakerBot's layoffs, and Tesla's certified pre-owned program and Powerwall. They also analyze the John Deere firmware ownership controversy, the performance trade-offs of No-OS and Lua on microcontrollers, and the evolution of the Raspberry Pi. The episode highlights specific components like NXP current-sensing MOSFETs and the PCA8550 I2C dip switch, while addressing software bugs in Boeing 787 generator control units and the importance of checking simple parts like LDOs.

    Microcontrollers & dev platformsBatteries & low-power design
    11 chapters

  • Unnamed Reverse Engineering Podcast · 1h 41m

    029 - Old Timey Name Droppin'

    Philip Freidin, a veteran engineer and consultant with experience at AMD and Xilinx, discusses the evolution of the semiconductor industry, the challenges of reverse engineering FPGAs, and his current projects. He explains why reverse engineering an FPGA bitstream is often futile compared to functional analysis, detailing the complexity of VLIW architectures and encryption. Freidin also shares his experience creating the open-source OshChip and his new educational initiative, DSP-for-KIDS.

    Chips, FPGAs & semiconductorsDebugging & failure analysis
    8 chapters

  • Embedded.fm · 59m

    203: Save My Board

    Charlie Ladd, a principal electrical engineer with experience in medical, FAA, and consumer products, discusses bridging the gap between hardware and firmware. He details his work on an oil quality sensor for VSI Oil and emphasizes the importance of designing for failure, using redundancy, and providing clear documentation like 'PickIO' spreadsheets and 'Theory of Ops' to help firmware engineers debug boards safely. Ladd also shares insights on the evolution of the industry, the value of mentorship, and how to stay current with new components through trade magazines and development boards.

    Embedded firmwarePCB design & layout
    9 chapters

  • Embedded.fm · 1h 42m

    181: Work on It for Ten Years

    Chris Gammell of Contextual Electronics joins the hosts of Embedded.fm and The Amp Hour for a crossover holiday episode discussing expertise, prototyping tools, and industry trends. The conversation covers the limitations of MicroPython on custom hardware, the value of analog circuit design, and the importance of writing to clarify technical thinking. They also share personal updates on learning calculus, using VR for exercise, and the future of solar energy and automation.

    Careers & educationPrototyping & iteration
    9 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.