Histogrammic or Histomagraphical

The Amp Hour · 21 Feb 2022 · 1h 08m · Episode 578

What this episode covers

Dave Jones and Chris Gammell discuss the semiconductor industry, noting Texas Instruments' decision to build new fabs in the US to leverage government funding, and the regulatory blockage of the NVIDIA-Arm acquisition. They explore computer history, referencing Douglas Engelbart's 1968 'Mother of All Demos' and the book 'Dealers of Lightning' about Xerox PARC. The conversation shifts to sourcing components from the Chinese ecosystem, specifically discussing Arrow Semi (Juanjia) and the risks of using their parts versus established brands like Analog Devices. Finally, Jones details troubleshooting a Keithley 2400 Source Measure Unit that was resetting due to a flaky CMOS backup battery, while also discussing the phenomenon of tin whiskers in electronics.

Mentioned

Companies
Texas Instruments, NVIDIA, Arm, Great Scott Gadgets, Espressif, Arrow Semi, Fluke
Products
Luna, Keithley 2400
Chips
ESP32 S2
Also
Dealers of Lightning, Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution

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