The Spark Gap - Episode 46

The Spark Gap · 9 Mar 2016 · 1h 10m

What this episode covers

Hosts Carl and Corey discuss the Stackpole JW60-Z-T0300, a 0-ohm through-hole resistor that is literally just a piece of wire, highlighting its absurd marketing and high inventory. They then examine the Atmel SAM-V71 microcontroller, noting its Cortex-M7 core and integrated CAN-FD and USB peripherals, while warning about early silicon lacking ISO CAN-FD compliance. The remainder of the episode is a deep dive into the CAN bus protocol, covering its differential signaling, hardware-level arbitration, bit stuffing, and error handling, before introducing CAN-FD as a solution for higher throughput.

Mentioned

Companies
Stackpole, Atmel, Microchip, FTDI
Products
JW60-Z-T0300, SAM-V71, Vinculum 2, STM32F0
Also
Digi-Key

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • Embedded.fm · 58m

    177: Boba Fett Fell Down

    Hosts Elecia White and Christopher White answer listener emails, discussing career advice for self-taught engineers and physics graduates entering the embedded industry, and technical comparisons between ARM Cortex-M and Cortex-A processors. They also address hardware design questions regarding the use of RJ45 connectors for non-Ethernet signals and discuss the potential of Adobe's Project Voco for audio editing. The episode concludes with show announcements, including a SparkFun contest, a planned meetup in Santa Cruz, and recommendations for educational hardware like the SparkFun Tinker Kit, Sphero, and Jewelbots.

  • The Amp Hour · 1h 08m

    The CAN bus can! with Dr Ken Tindell

    Dr. Ken Tindell, CTO of Canis Automotive Labs, explains the CAN bus protocol, its history with Bosch, and its modern application in automotive security. He details how thieves use disguised JBL Bluetooth speakers containing PIC microcontrollers to inject commands and steal vehicles by bypassing safety mechanisms. The discussion covers the technical differences between CAN, LIN, and emerging standards like CAN FD and CAN XL, as well as the challenges of securing these networks against spoofing. Tindell also addresses the complexity of automotive software, gateway implementations, and the realistic timeline for autonomous driving capabilities.

  • Embedded.fm · 1h 18m

    362: Permutations of Underscores

    Elecia White and Christopher White discuss Christopher's experience using Python and the `ctypes` library to interface with hardware via a CAN bus, highlighting the challenges of parsing split-bit fields. They analyze the Raspberry Pi Pico's programmable I/O features and debate the trade-offs between Arduino, Mbed, and bare-metal ecosystems regarding developer lock-in. The conversation concludes with advice on managing remote work, distinguishing between self-care and self-soothing, and strategies for knowing when to stop coding to avoid technical debt.

  • The Amp Hour · 1h 05m

    Mute Button Discipline

    Dave Jones and Chris Camel discuss the quirks of online circuit simulators like Falstad and LTSpice, specifically the confusing use of 'beta' for MOSFETs. They analyze Derek Muller's (Veritasium) follow-up video on energy flow in transmission lines, debating Poynting's theorem versus the lumped element model. The conversation shifts to embedded systems debugging with SEGGER tools, the ongoing microcontroller supply chain crisis, and the challenges of adopting open-source solar microinverters.

  • The Amp Hour · 1h 03m

    Ardui...no Dave This Week?

    Jeff Keyzer of MightyOhm joins the show to discuss the newly released Arduino Uno, highlighting its shift from a proprietary FTDI USB-to-serial chip to an open-source AVR-based solution using the LUFA stack. He details specific manufacturing quality issues, such as tombstoned resistors, and notes that the Arduino team is responding by investing in automated visual inspection systems. Keyzer also previews an upcoming book co-authored with Mitch Altman, which aims to teach AVR programming through hands-on projects for beginners.

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by The Spark Gap. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.