Circuit Break - A MacroFab Podcast

Design Contest Wrap Up - Thanks so much to our sponsor, Mouser Electronics for sponsoring the contest. Our Judges will be wrapping up there choices by the next podcast. Thanks to our judges: Joe Grand Whitney Merrill Charlyn Gonda Sophi Kravitz Announcements for the winners the Judges pick will be on the Blog and normal Social Media places Winner of the MacroFab Engineering Podcast Favorite is.... jeffreybernath with the Mouse Controlled Mouse Controller! Thank you to everyone that entered! There is still a chance to win a prize based on who the judges pick. To see all the entries check out Hackaday.io Parker Finishing the Design Contest Trophy Raspberry Pi with the Touch 7” screen Guizero as the application framework WiFi connectivity handling with RaspiWiFi Hiding the cursor with unclutter Getting Mars Weather Data Keeping the Pi from turning off the display and sleeping Stephen Fermentation Controller (still needs a name) Processor: STM32F091RCT 8 UARTS for 6 one wire, one WIFI, one USB Got a nucleo board for development AMW007 dev board for development Takachi FC8-50-25GS enclosure 500mm x 250mm x 75.4mm 19.68” x 9.84” x 2.96mm This size is driven by all the stuff on the bottom panel Buy Display ERM320240SBS-2 LCD Graphic display Already working* Interesting power issue to solve Visit our Public Slack Channel and join the conversation in between episodes!

4 Sep 201955min

Removing the Waterworld from Product DevelopmentThe MacroFab Engineering Podcast Design Contest sponsored by Mouser Electronics ends this Friday August 31st! Enter your Useless Machines now! We have cash prizes up to $1000 for the winners. More information can be found here! Mike Geyer Leads Marketing & Business Development for Fictiv True passion lies in transforming the manufacturing industry Having worked at Caterpillar, Autodesk, and Kaiser Aluminum, he has seen first hand the waste and inefficiencies that permeate the market From large Fortune 500 manufacturers to emerging technology startups, Mike has worked to solve a wide array of business challenges across the industry Experience with hardware entrepreneurs, manufacturing venture capital firms, large format additive manufacturing, closed-loop sensor networks, and fabrication of generative automotive chassis provide him a unique perspective on the rapidly changing landscape of manufacturing. At Fictiv he is currently focused on the disintermediation of traditional manufacturing supply chains and bringing distributed manufacturing to life for manufacturers of all sizes around the world State of Hardware Report Trade and Tariffs What has the impact of the recent Tariffs been on companies? What are some ways engineers can reduce the impact of the Tariffs? Counterfeit materials The Production Gap What is the production gap? Problems scaling up? Manufacturers? Staying on Budget Time Delays Quality How are companies overcoming these problems? People and Careers What does it mean to run lean? Do you think that the tariffs will have an emergent effect on lean operations? In the sense that to accommodate the increased cost of overseas business or switching to domestic fab, will business focus on other departments internally to squeeze out the fluff and fat of a product? Job Titles/Descriptions Happiness or Satisfaction with work? Visit our Public Slack Channel and join the conversation in between episodes!

28 Aug 201953min

So You Want To Eat Electrons?The MacroFab Engineering Podcast Design Contest sponsored by Mouser Electronics date has been extended! The contest is to design Useless Machines! We have cash prizes up to $1000 for the winners. The deadline is August 31st and it is closing fast! More information can be found on here! Parker Been taking a break from Electronics post Defcon Doom SAO Dash Installed aftermarket A/C into the Wagon Stephen Fermentation controller for brewing Processor STM32F - maybe 0 family because UART AMW007 Serial Wifi Module Takachi Fc series Aluminum Control Box 6 DS18B20 probe inputs via an XLR style connector Mindprint DTC The first one is fixed! Woohoo! R.F.O. How not to Light Pipe -HAD Fail of the week Making PCB light pipes and unique lighting effects This can be done well The right LEDs Brightness Reminds Parker of SAO style backlit PCBs The “terrible” 3 cent MCU – a short survey of sub $0.10 microcontrollers Are cheap MCU's terrible or do they actually fill a roll? So you want to pick a ___ Community Driven Project? What say everyone? Chirp Partnership Brings Data-over-Sound to Arduino Similar to dial tones and audio coupled modems Nano 33 Sense board A DSP-optimised Arm Cortex-M4 processor Uses board’s mic as receiver New Life Found That Lives Off Electricity microbe consume electrons Parker needs to take more Biology classes clearly Elon Musk says he wants to 'nuke Mars' and that he plans to make 'Nuke Mars!' T-shirts Is it ethical to nuke a planet? Al Williams and the non-FPGA articles! That is it. Visit our Public Slack Channel and join the conversation in between episodes!

21 Aug 20191h 16min

MEP EP#185: What You Are Designed To Do – A Joe Grand Manufacturing AdventureThe MacroFab Engineering Podcast Design Contest sponsored by Mouser Electronics deadline has been extended! We have cash prizes up to $1000 for the winners. The deadline is August 31st and it is closing fast! More information can be found on here! Joe Grand Also known as Kingpin Computer engineer, hardware hacker, product designer, teacher, advisor, runner, daddy, honorary doctor, TV host, member of legendary hacker group L0pht Heavy Industries Proprietor of Grand Idea Studio. Has been creating, exploring, and manipulating electronic systems since the 1980s Previous podcast appearance was on MEP EP#73: Joe Grand: The Origin Story On-shore Verse Off-shore Manufacturing Pros and cons? Dealing with the difficulties Time difference Language barrier Cultural differences Impact of tariffs Supply Chain Security Delivering instructions for unique and custom designs Production: What is it like to spin up 30K units? Defcon Badge Design and Manufacturing Challenges Hardware and Software timeline What made you go with the Kinetis KL27 Microcontroller? Near field magnetic induction (NFMI) What made you go with NFMI verse NFC or RFID type technologies? How does NFMI work? “How the hell were you able to buy NXH2261UK’s? I’ve been watching this part ever since it came out & I still don’t have a data sheet!” -Tom Paden from Hackaday comment section How do you design for abuse knowing ~30k people are going to bang the living hell out of that hardware Additional Questions Based on the talk you gave this year and releasing some information early. Will Defcon change its policy of keeping digital badges super secret? If hardware folks had some lead time we could actually get some crazy stuff done at the con. Design reason behind no SAO connector on the badge? What do you want to see out of defcon 28? Who's a better engineer? Matt Damon from the Martian or Matt Damon from interstellar? Visit our Public Slack Channel and join the conversation in between episodes!

14 Aug 20191h 32min

The MacroFab Engineering Podcast Design Contest sponsored by Mouser Electronics currently going on! The topic is Useless Machines! We have cash prizes up to $1000 for the winners. The deadline is August 10th and it is closing fast! More information can be found on here! Parker Trophy Software? WiFi connectivity - Comitup Python GUI - guizero PinoTaur LED boards using the APA-102C-NEW-260 Make them low cost and easy to assemble Build up 2 more REV1 for testing purposes Next project Sponsored by Mouser IoT Compressor revitalization Started on MEP EP#68 Uses a Particle Photon PX3AN2BS250PAAAX HoneyWell Pressure Transducer 6225AXXSZS-DC3 Need a new enclosure that is industrial and ruggedized Stephen Linear power supply design Roz transformer and the appropriate taps How do you estimate the dc output voltage given a transformer spec? Vdc = 2*Vmax/pi Power supplies for valve amplifiers Page 38 Very cool chart for determining DC output voltage from rectifiers with series resistance http://www.hammondmfg.com/pdf/5c007.pdf Drilling and tapping the trophy Just got the parts day of recording R.F.O. Glasgow tongue has a taste for whisky Glasgow University researchers have made a bionic tongue which can tell the difference between Glenfiddich, Laphroaig, Glen Marnoch and between different vintages of each brand sampled at the ages 12, 15 and 18. So, you want to build a CubeSat? Al Williams covered this topic! Lots of CubeSat data here What kind of CubeSat would you design? How to Master PCB Repairs and Why You Should Hardest thing about repairing circuit boards is knowing what the part was before it let the smoke out! Visit our Public Slack Channel and join the conversation in between episodes!

7 Aug 20191h 7min

MEP EP#183: Feel the HumZapp Was on previous podcast episodes: Incognito Mode which was episode number 69 Arduino, The Gateway Drug To #BadgeLife which was episode number 109 Badges? AND!XOR Badge is going to be free to people at the conference thanks to sponsors and philanthropists Design elements - dithered silk, exposed copper, light pipes Major hardware elements IQS333, BMD340, FT2232 FT2232 Hardware Hacking Swiss Army Knife Release Trailer Really cool Hackaday article covering the Badge and SAOs CrabFoam DOOM SAO is out in the wild We managed to implement all the features! Github is public. Open Sourced! PinoTaur is flipping a pinball machine Only one Hardware bug Blitz MacroAmp is complete Bad datasheets - Dont trust footprints Design Contest Enclosure for Trophy Overly beefy Made from a piece of 10” x 36” x 0.25” R.F.O. Honey, I Shrunk the Raspberry Pi! ArduCam shrunk the Raspberry Pi to a small System-on-Module board with castellated edges Broadcom SoC is not publically available so how did they do it? USB Type-C Raspberry Pi 4 issues! Recognized as an Audio device Sony Crowdfunded personal A/C? Reon Pocket wearable A/C and Heater Uses a peltier cooler Micro-Sized Flex For Commercial Quality Bodging Could be a good fix for the Raspberry Pi Foundation ;) Visit our Public Slack Channel and join the conversation in between episodes!

31 Jul 20191h 19min

MEP EP#182: The Wireless Research CenterGerard Hayes Has nearly three decades of experience in government and commercial electromagnetic research and design Prior to establishing the Wireless Research Center in 2010, Dr. Hayes worked for Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications and Lockheed Martin At Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications (USA) Inc., Dr.Hayes provided global technical leadership in the Technology and Research organization with contributions to handset antenna design, technology, and radiated performance optimization At Lockheed Martin (formerly Lockheed Missiles and Space Co.), Dr. Hayes supported research and development efforts for space-based, phased array application Experience encompasses electromagnetic theory, bioelectromagnetics, antenna design, RF circuit analysis, and material engineering Participated in the development of international standards for OTA, HAC, and SAR evaluation which includes IEEE, IEC, CTIA, and C63 standards Shruthi Soora Senior staff engineering consultant at the Wireless Research Center Has over 15 years of experience in RF and antenna engineering in the commercial, defense and medical device markets and has developed products from early concept to production Has held technical positions at RFMD, HTC, Sony Ericsson and Harris. The Wireless Research Center What is it? 501 C (3) Accreditations A2LA (American Association for Laboratory Accreditation) CTIA (Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association) Verizon Authorized Independent Test Lab for OTA radiated performance OTA Testing FCC Pre-certification Lots of engineers looking for this LTE (Long-Term Evolution) WCDMA (Wide-Band Code-Division Multiple Access) Total Radiated Power Total Isotropic Sensitivity Engineering Services Antenna and RF design Simulation and Analysis Field Testing and Propagation Modeling Engineering and Development First time tips and tricks for engineers developing their first product. What do they need to test for? Estimated costs What to bring What is the result? What do you get? Visit our Public Slack Channel and join the conversation in between episodes!

24 Jul 201951min

MEP EP#181: Greg Paulsen: Pizza is the Way to an Engineer's HeartGreg Paulsen The leader of the Application Engineering team at Xometry Xometry is an online instant quoting platform for custom manufacturing projects, which utilize a professional network of thousands of manufacturers Greg’s team handles special case projects that require attention to material selection, design-for-manufacturing, and technical engineering resources Plays a vital role in vetting new technologies and materials to add to Xometry's manufacturing portfolio Background is in product development using rapid prototyping, focusing on the various applications of industrial 3D printing and advanced manufacturing Digital Manufacturing Uploading and interpreting customer’s files Can uploading to the cloud replace drawings? Drawings contain so much information that is necessary Is it too easy to just dump in a 3d model and not worry about the rest? Experienced vs Newbie customers - What kind of resources exist for both? Assemblies Tolerances and Stackup Breaking tradition How is “digital manufacturing” replacing the more traditional customer/manufacturer relationships? Approvals and certifications? Inspections and reports? If a customer wishes to do a walk through or receive specific factory information is that available? The Network of Partners How to handle capability? Quality? Lead times? Visit our Public Slack Channel and join the conversation in between episodes!

17 Jul 20191h 11min