MacroFab Engineering Podcast

MEP EP#377: Countdown to HypeTopics: Electronics and radiation Radiation Handbook for Electronics Silicon does strange things in the presence of radiation Failures - Two Flavors - non permanent or permanent SEE (single event error) SEU (single event upset) SEL (single-event latch-up) SEGR (single-event gate rupture) SEB (Single event burnout) PN junctions Fets CMOS - Memory Types of radiation exposure TID (total ionizing dose) Rate specific ELDRS (Enhanced low dose rate sensitivity) Proton Neutron SpaceX starship Starship is the largest and most powerful launch vehicle ever flown and the first intended to be fully reusable Launch was great to watch Damage to launch pad Twice the thrust of the Saturn V What kind of topics and discussions do Senior or Principal Engineers Care about? How many times can you sit through an introduction on a topic? Ion Open Accelerator: Designing & Manufacturing A PCBA

MEP EP#376: Starting From The BeginningWhen did you start listening to the podcast? Have a favorite episode? Let Stephen and Parker know which is your favorite. Also, we are going to do another design contest! The Box Truck also gets an update from Parker.May the Fab be with you! MacroFab event page. Topics: Favorite Episodes from listeners? When did you start listening to the podcast? Stephen's Favorite episode? Brandon Sander of Inheritance Machining Idea Tank episodes Episode #77 Episode #223 Episode #296 Parker's Favorite episode? Centex Paranormal Episode JOSH - the podcast editor James Lewis on MLCC / Ceramic Capacitors Top downloaded is #153 Discrete Atomic Luffa Control Next Electrical Engineering Contest Projects that use FR4 in structural ways Listeners have any ideas? Box Truck Build Update Auxiliary Power Infrastructure Figuring out automotive wiring schematics What has been completed so far Under hood Factory Auxiliary Fuse Box Trailer Controller Banks iDash

MEP EP#375: From Zero to Hero in PythonTopics:Why is python requested in embedded software/firmware engineer jobs?The Complete Python Bootcamp From Zero to Hero in Python - UdemyRapid Harness SoftwareDesigning some pinball harnessesPowerful for a single taskHas a free version but limitedCNC stuffCritical speeds on ball screwsLengthDiameterEnd supportsSFU2010 got 700in/min which is almost a foot a second.Rotational speed of 1778 RPMPower supplies for stepper motorsShared axis power supply considerations.

MEP EP#374: Brandon Sander of Inheritance MachiningBrandon Sander: Classically trained in mechanical engineering, Brandon inherited his grandfather's personal machine shop in the winter of 2021. He created a Youtube channel to document restoring these machines, continuing his grandfather's legacy, and getting back to his metalworking roots. Topics: How inheritance machining came about Making drawings by hand Projects Useful items - knurling tools/ tap follower/ etc Tool upgrades - tool holders/better hold downs Restoration projects Which project did you like the best? The worst? The most difficult? Have there been any projects for YouTube that have been scrapped midway through? What you hope to do with the shop Most recent episode showed working on “organic” material - will there be more of this? What is left to do to call the shop "done" (I know this is probably not achievable!) Machine setup Filming “tools” What are your plans with the channel going forward? Do you have any advice for a young guy about to start work in a machine shop?

MEP EP#373: Full Stack Manufacturing - David and Joel of Teenage EngineeringJoel Westerberg is head of IT at teenage engineering. Joel started at teenage engineering in 2013 by working on the OD-11 loudspeaker project. Joel has been involved in building the teenage engineering factory system and various other projects. Joel does everything from backend services, embedded development, to pcb design.David Eriksson is the head of hardware and co-founder of teenage engineering. A DJ and synth enthusiast since age 12, David started teenage engineering in 2006. David is responsible for platform and electronics design, software architecture, and designing manufacturing systems.Topics:What is Teenage Engineering?How did the company start?Managing the scaling from your first product launch of the OP-1 to the wide selection of products you currently offerHow do you handle all these products?Shared components and Designs?. Button design - OP-1PCB design - OP-1The Pocket OperatorHow did you come up with the pocket operator idea?9 different operators with some special edition Capcom and rick and morty versionsAny more in the works?The LCD screensProduct design cyclesDesign for manufacturability rules?Biggest Achievements and Wins?What is Teenage Engineering the proudest of?Worst moment? Hardware is hard. What is a problem you had to overcome and beat?

MEP EP#372: The POD-GanizerNews:May the Fab Be With YouMay 4th, 20236:00 PM - 9:00 PM CDT10305 Round Up Ln Suite 400Houston, TXTopics:Bud Industries - Board-ganizer Enclosure KitCombine breadboards and evaluation boards into an enclosureFluke 87V multimeter Vs Centech 61593 (also got a rigol DS2072 oscilloscope)$520 vs $39.996000 count vs 2000 countFluke can do “High Res” mode and go to 20,000 countAutorange vs range selectBenefits of bothManual range might be better for keeping your ducks in a row.Main difference - the fluke is basically 4x or better on nearly all measurement accuracyThe all important beep testParker uses a ‘Velleman' DVM850BLDebugging things that don't workWagoneer was not happy recentlyEvents that lead up to the problemProblem solving techniquesResolutions?Power Distribution Module What is up with this project?Building an adjacent community for long term discussion of the podcast and projectsThe MacroFab Podcast Contest IS BACKDetails at a later podcast episode

MEP EP#371: Riley Hall - Can Fictiv make Beef Flags?Riley HallRiley is the Director of Product Marketing for Fictiv. He has over ten years of experience working in highly technical manufacturing engineering environments at companies including Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence, Hilti North America, and Markforged. Riley holds a B.A. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan as well as an MBA from the University of Colorado Boulder and lives with his wife Hannah in Denver, enjoying hiking, skiing, and the occasional Colorado brewery.TopicsFictivWhat is Fictiv?Mike Geyer from Fictiv was on the podcast back on episode 187We talked about Fictiv's State of Hardware Report for 2019State of Manufacturing ReportEnclosures for ElectronicsTypes of enclosuresManufacturing Processes3D printingInjection MoldingCNC MachiningMaterial SelectionDRC verse DFM

MEP EP#370: Making Money the Hard WayDenes SzaboDenes was born and raised in Colorado. His parents owned a machine shop where Denes worked from a young age till 50. Denes now runs the tooling department at the US Mint Denver.TopicsWhat is the process of getting US currency made?Making changes and updates?How does this differ from other currencies?What goes into creating the tooling?MaterialsFiles for creating the toolsHow are they approvedQuality controls on currency manufacturingProducing at scaleInventory and Logistics

MEP EP#369: The Yeti Job HuntNewsMay the Fab be with YouShow off the new factory!Star Wars theme of courseContest for best Star Wars CostumeFood and DrinkPossible Cantina Band?The State of Electrical Engineering JobsDenver IndustriesMedicalAviationSpaceCommunicationsManufacturingCommonalitiesDesign - HardwareDesign - FirmwareBoard stuffCad/Cam and mechanicalRegulationsMost stuffSecret clearanceRepairManufacturing practicesKnowledgeHigh speed electronicsRFCommunication protocols - Some board level stuff but lots of ethernetFollow up from last weekWhat happened last week?New Computer? Ordered a caseSliger CX4200i Building a new rack for this

MEP EP#368: The Thermal Hum of the UniverseNewsMay 4th, Bringing back the MacroFab meetup.Stephen Kraig looking for a job. Email stephen.l.kraig@gmail.comAnother thought on ground planesFinally tried an honest to god ground plane on an amp and the results are what you would expect.RealizationsComponent placement matters as much if not more than trace routingPool analogyUnderstanding current is keyTrade offsMakes ground easier while making signaling harderIt is possible to have too much groundVenting of Sealed (washable) Relays (that have vents provided)TE Connectivity application note about sealed relays Unless specifically advised otherwise by TE Engineering, all sealed relays (that have a venting means provided by the manufacturer) must be vented after PCB assembly and cleaning, but before use electrically, in order for published ratings to remain applicable.Dumb Aviation plugStephen bought GX16 aviation plugsNeed Gx20What does the number mean? The mounting hole size….

MEP EP#367: Vapor Wave ReflowNewsMay 4th, Bringing back the MacroFab meetup.Question From slack: Eric SmithHow do you find new machines for the factory lines?GoogleYoutubeVendorsResellersDo you guys get mailed catalogs?Auctions yes. New machines noDo you go to conferences?I have been but never to purchase a machine if you find something which could be potentially good, how do you evaluate it? Is there something like a trial period with the manufacturer?Research is key. Evaluation is difficult to do. Do you have an examples of machines you purchased but regret? Or examples of machines that helped a lot?Mimaki PrinterStencil printerDatron CNCDirect questionI'd also be curious if you prefer to keep homogenous lines or do you prefer to optimize some lines to a particular task, i.e. Less precise but more throughput. I can come up with good arguments either way. It sounds like you all keep things pretty dynamic and reconfigure fairly often.

MEP EP#366: Laser Cutting TolerancingMacroFab NewsMay 4th, Bringing back the MacroFab meetup.MacroFab moved into the new headquarters and we already produced our first products!Checker Battery BoxMaterials arrived Monday, will need to weld itDesigning for laser cutting / weldingNew Project Car - 2021 Chevy Express 4500RV / Camper / Tow Rig buildThe CNC is coming together!Finally got all of the extrusionsBeen taking my time and savoring it.Have to rearrange basement to get everything to fit4 rounds of buying hardwareWhat remainsGet the drive electronicsGet the ball screwsSFU2010 - 2000mm and 1950mm for the X and Y axis C7 gradeDual x drive - slave axisBuild the electronics cabinetNVEM ethernet stepper controller.Run all of the wire management8020 3d printed cable managementFirst attempt is good but needs some adjustmentProbably too tightAdd tabs that will allow you to turn it by hand when in the slotAdd some features that slowly allow it to engage with the slot instead of all at once

MEP EP#365: Let's Segway into the Next TopicMacroFab News May 4th, Bringing back the MacroFab meetup. MacroFab is moving headquarters! New Website! The podcast and all that content looks sexy now. Chat GPT NPC Instead of the standard tree format of communication - just use ai AI dungeon master? How easy would it be to break? Segway announcement on Good Morning America Checker Battery Box Relocation of the battery Tool Storage ⅛” 304 Stainless Steel Cat Feeder Unreminder Schematic completed Been “bench testing” for the past couple weeks Enclosure design roughed in

MEP EP#364: Product of many ImaginationsPrevious Episodes Misha last heard on MEP EP #142: Supply Chain Conspiracy Securities Chris last heard on MEP EP#212: The End of Electronics Manufacturing?! The State of Digital Manufacturing What is digital manufacturing? Is there a definition of digital manufacturing? Other players in this space. Some business models are winning, some models are stuck in neutral. New Round of Investment Why does a manufacturer need investment? The nature of investors Does anyone actually care about this? What does this all mean for new technologies and business models in manufacturing? Does anyone care? Or is it just normal sorting of what works from what doesn't? Reshoring Nature of People Many “Talks the talk but don't walk the walk” Who currently cares about this? Procurement? Engineering? Maybe just Parker? MacroFab History Original MacroFab concept Pivots Chris Church's “Rules for Start Up Names” What is next? New Head Quarters.

MEP EP#363: Breadboarding for SuccessBreadboarding your circuits Why even do it? Time savings Quick check of your ideas Leave breadboard assembled for future pcbs Breadboards do not break physics - all the same rules apply What you put into it you get out Cleanliness matters Plan out your circuits You will likely find that you do not need extra jumpers if you plan the circuit Measure and bend leads - 0.1” pitch Use good components Use the bus strips for power and ground You can get away with high voltage if you plan for isolation Keep connections short. If the components can be the connection that is ideal Feedback and shorts - keep them short Know the limitations - breadboard what you need Breadboards may not be a one stop shop - use them to prove what you need to

MEP EP#362: It is 2023, Why Does Footprint Design Still Suck?First R2R bill passes and it is… NY gov Kathy Hochul signed into law one of the first R2R bills Hochul agreed to sign the bill with some last minute changes Hochul wrote in a memo that the legislation, as it was originally drafted, "included technical issues that could put safety and security at risk, as well as heighten the risk of injury from physical repair projects." Changes Stripping requirement for OEMs to provide to the public any passwords, security codes or materials to override security features bundle "assemblies of parts" instead of just the specific component actually needed for a DIY repair if "the risk of improper installation heightens the risk of injury." Applies to devices built or sold in New York after july 1st the bill's revised language excludes enterprise electronics, such as those that schools, hospitals, universities and data centers rely on Designing new Footprints in the year 2023. Why does this still suck? As Electrical engineers that dabble in mechanical design New footprints are one of the leading causes of a prototype or first article run going wrong EDA Tools do absolute coordinates Mechanical Tools do “dimensioning”

MEP EP#361: Cold Welding This Podcast TogetherAdding Cold Welding Function to any Welder Cold spot weld function Most tig welders interface with a 5 pin foot controller 3 pins for potentiometer - analog signal telling how much amperage 2 pin switch for initiating the arc Made a circuit to spoof the footswitch 555 timer to set the duty cycle Monostable mode Capacitively coupled to allow for single button presses Range: 1ms to 100ms

MEP EP#360: Current Conscience ComparatorFramework, Noctua, and other brands add official 3D models to Printables Prusa Research's “Printables” website added a new section called “Brands” Manufacturers and OEMs can upload verified models for their products CNC Update All of the fasteners arrive this week along with the aluminum extrusions Build weekend Developed a 3d printable cable tie for 4040 t-slots 3d prints with planned bending sections Other than iteration and experience is there a way to design this? Elastic deformation in the area that we want - avoid plastic deformation on stress-strain curve Will be printing along with the spray system from episode 354 The Return of the Cat Feeder Unreminder MAX9019 Comparator Oscillator Low power design considerations Consider every current path for leakage current Super Capacitor Leakage Comparison DSF505Q6R0JBG 5F at 6VDC 40uA leakage HSL0814-3R8106-R 10F at 3.8VDC 2.0-3.0uA leakage Get the timer working LTC2956-1 0.8uA Use the enable output to switch between what segments are being driven on the TN LCD DG419 signal switcher

MEP EP#359: Datasheet LorePicking a part for your design What is your process for selecting a part for your design? What is your preferred method of learning about electronics? How would you make the process of selecting parts for your design easier? The Return of the Cat Feeder Unreminder Experimenting with the AEM10941 User Interface changes? Segmented LCD VI-422DPRCS Driver? Need 3VAC - 6VAC Made an oscillator with a 4049 hex inverter More power reduction? CD4047 oscillator, mxshift from slack says it will pull around 20uA Comparator in a oscillator configuration, metacollin says ~1uA

MEP EP#358: The Social Media NightmarePorsche's synthetic gasoline factory comes online today in Chile Way back on episode 265 (Feb 2021) we talked about this announcement from Porsche. Production 34,000 gallons (130,000 L) a year 14.5 million gallons (55 million L) a year by 2024 145 million gallons (550 million L) a year by 2026 Wind power to electrolysis water into hydrogen and oxygen The hydrogen is then combined with carbon captured from the air or industrial sources to synthesize methanol Then be converted into longer hydrocarbons to be used as fuel Recycling CO2 in the air Is this the future of current Internal Combustion Engines? Direct drop in for normal gasoline “Carbon Neutral” way to run your classic car Chip manufacturing equipment sales record in 2022 Record fab constructions have driven total semiconductor manufacturing equipment sales to cross the $100 billion mark for a second straight year Chips Act is $280 billion. China, Taiwan and Korea are projected to remain the top three destinations for equipment spending in 2022. Most of this money is going towards Wafer Manufacturing Equipment with a focus on wafers for logic / active components like microcontrollers Why The Computer Company Raspberry Pi's New Hire Caused A Social Media Firestorm Hired an ex–police officer, Toby Roberts, as its maker-in-residence. “I was a Technical Surveillance Officer for 15 years, so I built stuff to hide video, audio, and other covert gear”

MEP EP#357: Seventh Annual MacroFab Star Wars Christmas Special – We're the Rebel Codebreakers!Spoilers for recent Star Wars shows like Andor included for free! This Year's Guests Josh Rozier A business intelligence and data analytics professional for a large, east-coast insurance monolith. In his spare time, Roz spends his time building and tweaking guitar amplifiers and pedals. Co-owner of Empire Engineering with Stephen. Chris Kraft A tinkerer currently working as a software engineer in the financial services industry. Extensive background in 3d printing and building anything that seems interesting. Hyr0n A systems engineer. Hardware hacker of AND!XOR, a group that builds electronic badges for conferences and designs embedded system puzzles. Topics Latest in Star Wars Media What has been released since last year's Star Wars podcast episode 307? The Book of Boba Fett Obi-wan Kenobi Andor The High Republic Stephen's Topic A hammerhead corvette was able to move an entire star destroyer in Rogue 1. Is this even possible? Given the movie footage, are the acceleration and velocity values reasonable? Does the corvette have the thrust to do this? What does this mean for other battles? Hyr0n's, Roz's, and Chris' Topic Andor Widget Productivity analysis. The Andor Post Credit scene… we see what those racks (parabolic facet joints) are for. How many Superlaser Focus Lens facet joints are needed for Death Star? How long would it take Narkina 5 prisoners to produce that many? Parker Star Wars Episode: ai Using ChatGPT3 to write a better Star Wars Movie than Disney can Will have an opening crawl and 4 acts Each person will have a roll in the script

MEP EP#356: Don't Let AI Brew Your BeerPDA - Parkers Death Amp Going to do a restoration on it and a recover Need to get rid of the death parts Some scary stuff after looking at the schematic Chat GPT-3 AI computer model for conversations / text generation People have been putting assembly into and and asking for notes on what the code does The AI sounds very sure of itself when giving completely wrong answers Suggested as a replacement for general internet searching How do you know what data it is pulling from or if it is even correct? Could push us further down the slope on the reduction of critical thinking in our society Reduction of solid researching skills “What connector should I use for my power distribution module” CNC update: Anodized parts for the brackets are completed Extruded aluminum for the strand is on order Going to be a while till another update

MEP EP#355: The One They Talk About Football Fields For a Long TimeEnd of 2022 Engineering Questions? What trends in the past few years have changed PCBAs the most in the last few years? Weird SMT packages are starting to become more normal PCBs themselves are being used more as a structural part of the overall product What do you think will be the next “big” thing that will change the way EEs design PCBs? Rigid Flex changed the way compact consumer devices where designed Advancements in mosfet technologies and materials increased power densities PDM Listener Questions During the project do you plan on hosting it so it's accessible somewhere like GitHub? Why plan for peak currents on constant current rating on the pins? What are the plans for customer connections? StarWars Christmas Special will be December 13th Returning Cast! Roz, Chris Kraft, and HyR0n!

MEP EP#354: A Consumable For Your WalletLouis Rossmann's fresh start in Austin, Tx Moved his business from New York to Austin, Texas Learn how to open and fix things Classes will be free Mercedes Makes Better Performance a $1,200 Subscription in Its EVs Subscription to make your car vroom vroom faster Acceleration from 0-60 mph is said to improve by 0.8-1.0 seconds and the overall characteristics of the electric motors are supposed to change as well Microjet Spray System Started 3d modeling the idea Amazon link Venturi Mist system with separate air and alcohol controls Multiple ball joint nozzles that are individually adjustable StarWars Christmas Special December 13th?

MEP EP#353: The Name Will ArriveJeep Prop Fan Thingy Jeep Prop Fan thingy Spec Sheet Connectors The Quest for 25 Amps TE Connectivity 1-1418362-3 Pg 63 of this catalog Haltech released a new PDM 10 8A 4 25A 2 Push Pull Arduino Opta Arduino's First Micro PLC supporting standard languages including LD (Ladder Logic Diagram) and FBD (Function Block Diagram) STMicro STM32H747XI dual-core microcontroller Opta Lite, Opta RS485, Opta WiFi High-power relay switching (4 x 2.3 kW) Manim Episode 340 Necrobiotic Synthesizers Finally got it installed and playing Looking into circuit animation

MEP EP#352: CNC CraftingNovember 5, 2022 - Extra Life Recap Improvements to the script Thank you to everyone that hung out, supported, and donated! What is next for CNC Parametric cnc model in fusion Model by Ed Frazier https://grabcad.com/library/parametric-cnc-router-1 Changed to a 5x5 cutting surface All 8020 construction with good bit of milled aluminum Added a 40 series table ATP-5 aluminum by vista metals https://www.vistametals.com/assets/pdfs/products/atp-5-precision-tooling-plate.pdf Precision tooling plate Cast aluminum 5000 series Can be welded and about 5% lighter Excellent corrosion resistance RMS value of 15 to 20 Thickness tolerance of +/-0.005 Good flatness tolerance Building up Z axis after the pod Next steps: Finish drilling and tapping all the holes Buff all of the surfaces with scotch brite wheels Anodize

MEP EP#351: Signal Switching for Maximum OffnessPython Demo for Extra Life API Stream Date: November 5th, 2022 Python to OBS functioning! Websockets. What are they? HTTP is unidirectional where the client sends the request and the server sends the response Websocket data is continuously pushed/transmitted into the same connection OBS has a built in local server that you can establish a websocket with another application Python module obswebsocket Provides a wrapper for all the OBS websocket functions Can basically control anything in OBS it seems Documentation is a bit lacking and module is out of date Build animations and transitions in OBS and modify them with the python connection Building a donation progress tracker? Signal switching tips Maneuvering signals around your design Methods of switching on and off portions of your circuit Series Shunt Series-shunt Relays DG series of analog switches Virtually every configuration single, dual, quad SPSTs and SPDTs, 4:1 and 8:1 multiplexers Many have separate control and signal voltage inputs Estimating project time Follow up from slack Josh Pieper - Doomcheck Takes in a text file and uses probability distribution to estimate timing for projects

MEP EP#350: Estimating EffortPython Demo for Extra Life API Stream Date: November 5th, 2022 Functionality so far Check Extralife API for donations This is done with the requests module This endpoint seems to return old and new donations There isn't a “new donation” end point it seems Get the donation IDs and compare them to a local file Local file is made with the pickle module Pickle allows you to take any data structure in python and “package it” into a binary file for storage. If there is a new donation ID that isn't in the local file Queue up a random audio clip Record the donation ID to the local file Audio is placed through the playsound module Weird “bug” that short audio clips get cut off Add a little sleep after the call to get around it Auto parses the audio folder for the files Looks into audio file Gets all the file names Adding a new audio clip is as simple as dropping it into the folder Preventing truly random files Made a rotating buffer Used the collections module to implement a bi-directional “stack” Think like a bitwise shift but with an array of strings Multithreading! Threading module used to setup the API and Audio player queues API runs every 20 seconds Audio player runs every 30 seconds If a new donation, global mailbox variable increases one for each new donation. Audio player runs and looks at that global variable. Threading has a “lock” function to prevent race conditions on that global variable. What is next? Play graphics in Open Broadcast Software OBS has some python hooks that I am just starting to learn Chip Fab Jobs Need practically every engineering discipline Mechanical to design and maintain equipment Chemical for designing the masking / chemical bath processes Electrical for testing and validation Estimating project time PCB layout New project revision About 1600 parts Lots of duplicates Things that impact timing Components Parts with pours and complex ground Specific trace routs like differential or snake traces Layers Duplication Rest day Cleanup day

MEP EP#349: Connector CatalogsNovember 5, 2022 - Extra Life Haven't had a chance to work on this yet Going to stream working on it? Adventures in injection molding PINNACLE 5112C3 8% haze - this is pretty low. Any lower and it would be considered “clear” Low melt flow, excellent processability - Voids Two ways to create diffusion Haze Surface Texture Jeep Prop Fan Half bridges for each output Current sensing INA219 Inputs Found a product that will do the thermocouples on canbus Instead of that crazy LTC2986 chip Just expose an ADC 0-5V Connectors are the hardest part of this project so far Dictate the entire specifications RFAB2 Lab - an expansion of the RFAB1 Lab Sept. 29, TI announcedt began initial chip production at RFAB2, a new 300-mm analog wafer lab in Richardson, TX 300 analog fab digital isolator Ethernet transceiver brushless DC motor driver digital-to-analog converter 100M units/day within a few years

MEP EP#348: AVRDUDE All The Way DownNovember 5, 2022 - Extra Life Content for the stream API for Extralife Custom plugin that goes to a Duke Nukem Sound Board Trying to get it to play gifs Working with Open Broadcast Software now Live podcast Nov 22 in Houston Microchip woes? Microchip has got back to us about the firmware - no issues on their end Suggested using the command line interface Originally thought pullups on the reset line but they are not needed Tried them with no luck Jeep Prop Fan Recently talked about designing a PCM (Power Control Module) Essentially control all the none engine related functions in a car Need a new name since it's not for the Jeep nor uses the Parallax Propeller Raspberry pi pico Do we do Arduino style C or Micro Python? Micro Python will be cool to try out! PIO will be used for controlling reactionary lights Turn signals Headlights Solid State Relays are EXPENSIVE Mosfets for sure H-Bridge for bi-directional motors Combine with OCTOPROBER?

MEP EP#347: Out Of Bounds EngineeringNovember 5, 2022 - Extra Life I play games for children's hospitals Raised $5,169.42 last year Was the number one raiser for the Texas Children's Hospital What game for this year? What should I make for the stream? API for Extralife Duke Nukem Forever and Aliens Colonial Marines Custom Stream plugin for the games Live podcast Nov 22 in Houston Hacking FR4 for light transmission Using FR4 as a light diffuser Things to consider FR4 material Yellow Blue Green Gray Distance LED Angle LED brightness Light Bleed Pipes Dividers PCB Ruler Redux James Pleger from slack channel “Credit card” style Different stackups of material

MEP EP#346: Calibrating CNCs with PCB RulersNovember 5, 2022 - Extra Life I play games for children's hospitals Raised $5,169.42 last year Was the number one raiser for the Texas Children's Hospital What game for this year? CNC Calibration 90 Dust Collection 2/4/5/6 in pipe Thinking I will do an overhead PVC solution Have to design a skirt capable of interfacing with a 4 in hose Battleship Texas Going to try to get someone on to talk about the restoration PCB Ruler Redux What do people want to see on them? What makes it actually useful? Live podcast Nov 22 in Houston?

MEP EP#345: The Hot List of Tasty Chip FabsPool Shark Update! Wolfspeed fab for NC is latest on CHIPS Act list 668,000 domestic manufacturing jobs Global Unemployment. Do we have enough people for this? What technology are they aiming for? Here's the latest hot list of cool chip fabs coming to the US GlobalFoundries 180nm down to 12nm Intel Ohio New Mexico Arizona Micron Memory Chips Samsung High end computing Texas Instruments 45nm+ analog, embedded electronics Articles say it will complement other factories already in Texas TSMC 5nm Wolfspeed Worlds largest silicon carbide manufacturing facility Much higher power devices with higher voltage capabilities due to large band gap Failure Friday - Break something at the office this week? We want to hear about it! Billed the wrong phase of a project Dry air means static buildup, I don't think my 3v test circuit appreciated being a path to ground :'-( I ran over a 3D printer with a forklift Saw a customer supplied "napkin sketch" that stated 12'x12" (12 feet x 12 inches). "I read it as 12 inches x 12 inches, product was cut to that size." Customer was not happy Sparky sparky boom boom What to do to make your open source project more accessible - or more popular Use popular tool chains and environments for ease of access If the tool chain is not simple to install, offer a docker or really good instructions Document your process and have someone test your instructions! Cherish all feedback If someone has a problem, do not say "works for me" They may have found an edge case to fix!

MEP EP#344: Fierce Key InventoryDifferential probe design update Trying to reduce part count - Want to make it simple Decided to go with Caddoc 1776-C681 resistive dividers. Used this on the bias test system 1:100 divider with high voltage, good tolerance and good thermal performance Challenge is to get the dividers to fit 3d printed case Air Filter / Canister Turned out great so far will have to see how it holds up under the heat Pictures on the blog Digikey Newsletter Check Out Digi-Key's Stock of Toshiba's Power Management and Circuit Protection Products Email received at 8:25 AM Sold out by 9:14 AM Toshiba TPH9R00CQH

MEP EP#343: Bricking BadBricking Microcontroller - Watch those fuses Pic, AVR, STM Atmel ATXMEGA16A4U AVR studio and microchip studio AVRDUDE Air Filter / Canister Long Running Project between Chris Kraft and Parker Mods on the red Jeep necessitated moving the original air cleaner First design was all 3D printed around 2016 / 2017 This is right around when 3D printing large objects like this started to get fessable on a hobby printer PLA glass fiber Worked but the material couldn't handle the underhood temperatures Second design was welded together out of steel Material was due to tool and cost constraints Working to this day Used a filter that is not manufactured anymore Third design is a combination of everything Parker has learned about 3d printing Polycarbonate seems to hold up in under engine bay temperatures Endcaps printed in this material Heat set brass inserts for screws Aluminum mounting brackets for 3” hoses Carbon fiber for the main body

MEP EP#342: Hackery ExpertsHyR0n Mathematician Computer Scientist AND!XOR employee of the month Working on badges and things Hackery Previous Podcast Episodes Incognito Mode episode number 69 Arduino, The Gateway Drug To #BadgeLife episode number 109 Espress-ify? Designing Products Around the ESP-32 Platform episode number 144 Feel the Hum episode number 183 Better Encryption than Zoom, Firmware Stacks episode number 238 And a couple of the Starwars Specials DEFCON 30 AND!XOR Badge Its a watch, with some watch things, hacker apps (TV B Gone, BLE Interrogator), Games, & Challenge Give them away for free at DEF CON following sponsorship from companies and philanthropists. Off the shelf device with hacked firmware LilyGo T-Watch 2020 V3 But how did we get there? A story of supply chain woes Original Watch idea - supply chain issues and crazy costs / quantity buy requirements Look at consumer watches we could hack (PineTime, then LilyGo) It wasnt just software, a true micropython implementation was done for firmware Always interested in python We always lived in a C world Makes hacking it easier for end user Micropython vs Circuit Python The Hacking Challenge - BENDER Flashing Party - Things you should think about - i.e. Design for Drunk Hacker Production You're going to do the same thing thousands of times, what do we automate? Loop script for provisioning Push bare minimum over serial, then use wifi to complete Turning screen green once flash done and charge at 100% Other thoughts? Really different than what we do, was really fun People like bling more than function, but …

MEP EP#341: Project Snackey RecapProject Snackey at Defcon30 What we did CTF Codes What went wrong What went right People's reactions Improvements for next year Lock Picking Village Hardware improvements Physical Security

MEP EP#340: Necrobiotic SynthesizersProject Snackey See y'all at defcon 30! Stuff you want to learn about? Canbus FPGA design AWS web development Manim - python My Spider-sense is Tingling Spiders are just hydraulic animals

MEP EP#339: Educated CompromisesProject Snackey Announcement video lands before this podcast gets released. Project Diffprobe Looking at teardowns of other diff probes ADA4817 2pA input bias -3dB bandwidth of 1050MHz Very low input capacitance Combine to make an instrument amp Perhaps going with an integrated instrument amp INA12 Page 27 of the datasheet - Right-Leg Drive Hardware subscriptions? BWM to offer heated seat subscription 18/mo 180/year 300/3year 415/unlimited These subscriptions are for “luxury” items in the car, what is next? Subscription based displacement? Displacement as a Service - DaaS Thanks I hate it.

MEP EP#338: Feature Complete or Minimal Viable ProductsProject DiffProbe Landed on the topology Stephen wants High voltage dividers Compensation capacitors CMRR calibration (120dB rejection) Offset correction Buffers and Instrumentation Amplifiers Differential Stage 10x and 100x attenuation means offsets have to be bang on Opamps (3 of them) Buffers Low input bias current Low offset Bandwidth? Differential amp Low offset. Capable of driving 50 ohm load to the scope Gain setting resistors Vishay ACAS 0612 - Precision resistor network 4x0603 resistors to make a diff amplifier with a gain of 2 Relative tolerance of 0.05% Worst case relative temp-coefficient 15ppm Project Snackey Firmware is “feature complete” Display Commands How the vending motors actually work INA219 Current Sensor Interrupts Improved method for next revision? The one byte Serial Buffer problem NEOPIXEL (WS2812) vs APA102 (SK9822) Blocking functions DMA - Direct memory access Importance of full system integration testing Timer Lockouts for motors Is there a better way?

MEP EP#337: CSV File WoesProject Snackey Input Firmware is completed Output Firmware is skeltonized/frameworked Need to add a “Power Good” signal Auxiliary circuits need software resets on power cycling Due to how Arduino hardware/software works The Dangers of Basing your Project on Someone Else's ExtractModel Fortran No Github One CSV file change causes script to break Is it really broken? What to do? DIY Meat Smoker Ideas ~$1600 for the smoker body “round” part Currently 534lbs JWST sends its first official photos Incredible engineering feat Had to start with “what do we need to invent” to make this

MEP EP#336: Heirloom DocumentationUtracerV6 The right way to do instructions Full table of contents Broken out into sections. The ref designators match the section Build Test At the end is a full calibration section Section for logging your calibration values A whole section for building enclosures and wiring dos4ever.com Project Snackey PCBA completed! Smoke monster is still contained within the circuit Wrapping up the wiring inside the machine before moving onto code Installed a kiosk receipt printer where the coin return used to be and got it working Microswitches - The fidget spinner for electrical engineers? DIY Meat Smoker Ideas? Introducing the Low Poly Smoker! Nvidia could spend $10 billion to secure RTX 4000 components Hold there place in line at TSMC?

MEP EP#335: Your Toaster is ToastProject: Diff Probe Circuit Cellar design Hack a Day project Active Differential probe with 600V Common mode and 600V differential mode Measure virtually any two points. No need for ground reference. Perhaps a battery system with a boost converter? Excuse to finally use that 3d printer to make a case Basically all precision components UtracerV6 enclosure Decided to make an enclosure that better suits my use case Stripped down from last time. It does not need all the bells and whistles from last time. Fixed sockets FTDI and SMPS for 6.3V and 19.5V EOL: The Chip Shortage You Don't See Coming Instant obsolescence No phase-out period Foundries are booked three years out Suppliers are working on their most profitable lines and filling standing orders New fabs coming online won't be buying old wafer equipment New foundries will be making new parts Avoiding instant obsolescence What parts are more readily available and are continuity coming back into stock Look at the market segments using the components you need Put out orders for the components that you need regardless of lead times. Ask and Engineer on MIT website

MEP EP#334: Double as good!Project: SNACKEY PCBs and Components arrived All PTH components fit Assembly starts tomorrow Nichicon Obsolescence Removing 8 and partial 2 of there SMT Aluminum Electrolytic lines Nichicon has 43 lines of SMT Electrolytic capacitors alone Lines they are getting rid of have these qualities: Standard range High reflow temp Low impedance New series is UBH which seems to partially cover what they are removing High Temperature Range Vibration Resistance Low temperature ESR specification Jeep A/C Troubles? Jeep AC started acting weird Vacuum leak Replaced the controller module and introduced new problems! uTracerV6 New version arriving soon 1000V @1A Check out the previous version Stephen modified on episode 135

MEP EP#333: Cody's Corner - Q2 2022Cody Endlich 10 years experience in electronic component distribution and commodities trade Currently the head of strategic sourcing at Macrofab Last seen on episode 318 to discuss Strategic Component Sourcing and MacroFab joining the ERAI What we saw in Quarter 2 2022 Russia's invasion of Ukraine Ukraine and Neon gas Neon gas is used in semiconductor production for running the lasers required for the lithography Lockdown hits Shenzhen as Covid Infections Increase Components that come out of China directly effected Raw material shortages causing ripple effects in other countries manufacturing New Earthquakes hit Japan and Taiwan Magnitude 7.3 earthquake occurred off the coast of Fukushima, Japan on the evening of March 16 Renesas and Murata operate factories close to the epicenter Took 3 days to reestablish production A Logistical Headache biggest problem for MLCC suppliers at this stage is they cannot deliver materials to Shanghai and Kunshan Magic 8-Ball Cody thinks there will be a loosing of supply chain due to the impeding recession Parker see's the industry streamlining catalogs of components similar to 2018 Ceramic Capacitor shortage

MEP EP#332: This Podcast Intentionally Left BlankUSB-C will be mandatory for phones sold in the EU ‘by autumn 2024' The rule will apply to other electronic devices including tablets, digital cameras, headphones, handheld video game consoles, and e-readers Laptops will have to comply with the rule at a later date What about laptops and devices that fall out of the 100W? USB “Extended Power Range” or EPR for 240W of power More Voltage 48V from 20V as max, still 5A Are there any USB Type-C connectors rated for the 48V yet? Stretching Stainless Stencils? PART 2 Continuation of last weeks topic Ended up being that ⅓ of the panels had poor copper registration from the PCB manufacturer Project: SNACKEY PCBs ordered from OshPark Parts ordered from Mouser Drop in Mosfets to replace TIP 102 and TIP 107? IRL510 for N-channel IXTP76P10T for P-channel Time to Say Goodbye, Floppotron 2.0 The stack of floppy drives, harddrives, and scanners is finally being put to rest after 6 years Supposively Floppotron 3.0 is coming soon though! The Floppotron: Doom E1M1 - At Doom's Gate Prep your boards! Some things to consider when preparing your designs to send to your CM Part placement Edge is the wrong place to put parts for many many reasons Leave room for fiducials Provide a Stackup - we are regularly asked for that File naming - use a common naming system or provide info on which files are which Do no provide every layer your EDA tool exports, some are blank!

MEP EP#331: The PCB PlagueNeutrik EtherCON Ruggedized RJ45 Lockable RJ45 cable within an XLR style housing Also come in a sealed version that offers IP65 rating Interesting PCB failures “The Plague” Black Pad Very poor to no solderability Effect of Moon Phase on Tombstoning Many factors play a role in the overall outcome of PCB assembly, especially when very small components are involved. Broadly speaking, tombstoning is a problem with very small 2-pin components (0201 caps and such) and we've filtered out the following challenges: - proper paste application - component placement - designing for "good" thermal properties of the PCB with regard to tombstoning - moon phase Stretching Stainless Stencils? Oddity Today Interesting manufacturing defect surfacing Stencil “stretches” ever couple panels or so Anyone ever seen or experienced this before? Solutions? Next Steps? Project: SNACKEY Hacking a USI/Vendnet/FSI 3159 Theory of how a snack machine works Interesting Parts UCN5890A UCN5842A SC529136CFN2 M48T18-100PC1 What I am doing to hack it Motor control High/Low side transistors Might change this to mosfets to reduce voltage drop Arduino all the things Current sensing INA219 High side sensing

MEP EP#330: Rogue Gerbers - Jerry McDaniel of Customer Care at MacroFabJerry McDaniel Has been at Macrofab for over 5 years Currently the Director of Customer Success Previous life, he was the CTO/CFO of Litigation Records Services A records retrieval company in Texas managing litigation records for both Plaintiff and Defense attorneys Application support for Presensoft Inc. for almost 11 years Customer Success How do you figure out how customer's act? What is the advice you can give to engineers? What is the weirdest thing a customer has ever done?

MEP EP#329: Supply Chain Crunches Reddit Question from r/ECE What are some pros and cons of becoming an electrical engineer? I'm a senior in high school, and I am giving great consideration to majoring in electrical engineering. What are some pros and cons that I should know about? From r/ElectricalEngineering - If you get an electrical engineering degree, you can get a software job. The reverse is not necessarily true. Pinotaur Supply Chain Crunches Replacing a Relay with a Mosfet Looked into Solid State Relays but nothing seems to fit Design concerns? Mosfet drivers like the IRS25752 A primer on high-side FET load switches (Part 1 of 2) Integrated or discrete load switch: which one should you use? (Part 1 of 2) Constant Innovation in Quality Control Current Sensors Replace integrated solution with more discrete solution Little differential opamp Current shunt Sprinkle in some bypass capacitors

MEP EP#328: Berry Based Physics with Collin Anderson Collin Anderson Computer scientist turned electrical engineer Has worked on things as varied as: Quantum key distribution at Los Alamos National Laboratory A tool to help decipher glyphs of the classical Mayan civilization FPGA firmware at the Ice Cube Neutrino Observatory Currently an engineer and co-founder of Orthogonal Systems An engineering and software development firm specializing in: Custom test & measurement hardware Databases Data analysis What are Particles Really? Thinking of sub atomic objects as particles muddies the water Starting with an understanding of wave theory Knowing particles are waves, the weirdness is less weird Electron Standing Waves Current flow is more like a sound pressure wave Each electron is kinda doing its own thing

MEP EP#327: Mike Kahn of Elemental Machines Mike Kahn Been working in the high tech industry for over thirty years The bulk of this time he has been involved in the architecture and design of complex electronics and embedded systems across a wide variety of segments including general purpose computing, digital communications, digital video, medical devices and life sciences instrumentation Currently the Vice President of Device Engineering at Elemental Machines, a startup that has created a service that allows LabOps professionals to monitor their lab equipment through a combination of IoT devices and a suite of cloud applications How did you get started in the industry? Elemental Machines What is it How is it all integrated Cloud Vice President of Device Engineering What is your primary focus? IoT connectivity for data gathering What is being sensed Industries served How to get started? Services for outfitting labs Manufacturing and bringing products to market for Enterprise customers Consumer VS Enterprise Custom specifications How rigorous your documentation and process is ISO9000