# 029 - Old Timey Name Droppin'

- Show: [Unnamed Reverse Engineering Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/unnamed-reverse-engineering-podcast)
- Published: 2019-10-17
- Length: 1h 41m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/unnamed-reverse-engineering-podcast/2019-10-17-029-old-timey-name-droppin
- Listen: https://unnamedre.com/episode/29

## Summary

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.

## Chapters

- [0:30](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/unnamed-reverse-engineering-podcast/2019-10-17-029-old-timey-name-droppin#t=30) Introduction and Silicon Valley History
- [4:11](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/unnamed-reverse-engineering-podcast/2019-10-17-029-old-timey-name-droppin#t=251) AMD 2900 and Semiconductor Industry Shifts
- [17:21](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/unnamed-reverse-engineering-podcast/2019-10-17-029-old-timey-name-droppin#t=1041) FPGA Design and Xilinx vs. Altera
- [38:30](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/unnamed-reverse-engineering-podcast/2019-10-17-029-old-timey-name-droppin#t=2310) The Impossibility of FPGA Reverse Engineering
- [56:46](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/unnamed-reverse-engineering-podcast/2019-10-17-029-old-timey-name-droppin#t=3406) OshChip and Marketing Lessons
- [1:07:02](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/unnamed-reverse-engineering-podcast/2019-10-17-029-old-timey-name-droppin#t=4022) Test Equipment and Debugging Philosophy
- [1:21:18](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/unnamed-reverse-engineering-podcast/2019-10-17-029-old-timey-name-droppin#t=4878) HP Tape Drive Restoration Project
- [1:30:40](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/unnamed-reverse-engineering-podcast/2019-10-17-029-old-timey-name-droppin#t=5440) DSP-for-KIDS Educational Platform

## Topics

- [Chips, FPGAs & semiconductors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/chips-and-fpgas)
- [Debugging & failure analysis](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/debugging-and-failure-analysis)
- [Maker community & events](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/maker-community)
- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)
- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)

## Most relevant to

large enterprises, makers and hobbyists

## Mentioned

- AMD (company)
- Xilinx (company)
- Altera (company)
- OshChip (product)
- nRF51822 (chip)
- Tektronix (tool)
- DSP-for-KIDS (product)
- Fliptronics (company)
- Hackaday (company)
- Nordic Semiconductor (company)
- Honeywell (company)
- Microchip (company)
- HP 85 (product)
- AMD 29000 (chip)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [An Interview with Philip Freidin - Xenodochial Xilinx Ex-Employee](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2012-07-09-an-interview-with-philip-freidin-xenodochial-xilinx-ex-employee) (The Amp Hour)
- [An Interview with Dmitry Nedospasov](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2016-06-17-an-interview-with-dmitry-nedospasov) (The Amp Hour)
- [Otiose Ontocyclic Opiniasters](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2012-01-30-otiose-ontocyclic-opiniasters) (The Amp Hour)
- [An Interview with Dave Vandenbout - Xceptional XESS Xenagogue](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2014-01-22-an-interview-with-dave-vandenbout-xceptional-xess-xenagogue) (The Amp Hour)
- [105: Some Paths Are More Suicidal](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2015-06-17-105-some-paths-are-more-suicidal) (Embedded.fm)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/unnamed-reverse-engineering-podcast/2019-10-17-029-old-timey-name-droppin. 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 Unnamed Reverse Engineering Podcast.