The Amp Hour · 12 Feb 2025 · 1h 10m · Episode 688
Dave Jones of EEVblog and Chris Gammell of Contextual Electronics discuss the cash flow challenges of running a hardware business, specifically Jones's experience buying multimeters in bulk while the Australian dollar is weak. They explore the use of AI tools for generating OpenSCAD CAD files and solving circuit diagrams, noting the current limitations in precision. The conversation also covers the revival of the Pebble watch through the RePebble project and Google's open-sourcing of Pebble OS, alongside practical PCB manufacturing updates from JLCPCB regarding via capping and UV silk screen options.
Where this conversation describes AI being used to build or deliver a product. Part of the AI in practice tracker.
DesignGrok
The speaker used Grok to generate OpenSCAD code from the same text input as OpenAI, producing different code structures (using for loops instead of unions) to compare AI outputs.
“interestingly Grok gave me, Grok also works, but its code looks different to OpenAI. They, like using the same text input, it actually generated different code. It was using for loops, whereas OpenAI uses unions or something.”
Dave Jones · Hear it at 30:37
Engineering & simulationOpenAI
The speaker used OpenAI to solve a complex RLC circuit problem from a whiteboard photo, where the AI identified components, interpreted handwriting, and calculated the current flow without manual prompting.
“I recently did a tutorial video on time domain versus frequency domain … I thought, wouldn't it be interesting if I could photograph the schematic on my whiteboard and then tell OpenAI to solve it and bam, it got it. It got it. I was thoroughly impressed. It actually converted … It understood my handwriting for one.”
Dave Jones · Hear it at 30:37
early-stage companies
Other shows on the same ground, closest first.
Matthias Wagner, Founder and CEO of Flux, explains how his company uses agentic AI to democratize PCB design, allowing non-engineers to create hardware via natural language prompts. He discusses the historical bottlenecks of hardware design, the necessity of iterative back-and-forth for complex devices like smartphones, and the economic advantages of designing custom boards for products like vending machines. Wagner also outlines future integration challenges, including firmware generation and enclosure design, and predicts that lowering the cost of iteration will unlock significant innovation in robotics and IoT.
David Ray of Cyber City Circuits explains his company's transition from a kitchen-table hobby to a small-scale manufacturing hub for electronics and escape room props. He details a specific reverse engineering workflow for PCBs involving high-resolution photo scanning, GIMP, and Inkscape to recreate designs in KiCad, illustrated by his TI-83 calculator project. The conversation also covers the challenges of legacy component obsolescence, the utility of online communities like electronics Twitter, and the technical aspects of building interactive escape room hardware.
Elliot Williams and Mike Szczys review weekly hacks, including a delay pedal by Electro Smash using the PT 2399 chip and a project by Tegwin Jolly Roger Twom Fat using AI to identify garden slugs. They discuss extending Raspberry Pi SD card life via log-to-RAM scripts and explore the complexities of metal 3D printing and flip chip technology. The episode features an interview with Scotty Allen of Strange Parts, who walks through the Shenzhen electronics markets, explaining how specialized small businesses network to manufacture products.
James Lane Neal, founder of Osh Park, explains how he transformed a local DorkbotPDX community effort into a scalable PCB manufacturing business by panelizing orders from diverse users to reduce costs. He details the technical challenges of his panelization algorithm, specifically the shift from simple space-filling to managing copper coverage balance to prevent etching defects, and discusses the importance of open-source tools like KiCad. Neal also reflects on the operational hurdles of hiring, bootstrapping, and providing fanatical customer service to compete with large manufacturers.
Bob Coggeshall, co-author of sudo and founder of Small Batch Assembly, explains how he transitioned from a career in software to running a boutique electronics assembly service for makers. He details the technical challenges of automating low-volume PCB assembly, including building a custom pricing engine in Python and integrating with the Octopart Common Parts Library to streamline customer workflows. Coggeshall also discusses his personal projects, such as driving Nixie tubes with high-voltage circuits and using microcontrollers like the ATmega328 and Atmel SAM D20.
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