Circuit Break - A MacroFab Podcast

The podcast got mentioned in an article! 12 Great Podcasts for Engineers from the Mind Tribe blog. Mind Tribe is a design driven engineering firm based in San Francisco. The list spawns from a survey from the engineering team at Mind Tribe. Thanks Mind Tribe for mentioning our podcast!ParkerRPI3 Compute ModuleAdded PCM5122Added LAN9514Still figuring out the schematic partEthernet and USB hub built inEFM8 Universal BeeeeeeeeeeeCom port native! VCP driverSecret ProjectIt may DOOM everythingST7735Common SPI TFT Screen Module1.44” 128x128 pixelsWagon Update: YouTube videosStephen“Feature creeped” my way into designing a 20 band graphic eq and a fancy solid state effects loop20 band eq with +/- 12ish (simulation shows 13.8) db of gain per bandEach band has a Q of 2.87 so they end up being ½ octaveUsing the 1kHz standardDesigned with “constant Q” in mindR.F.O.STM releases STM32 Cube MX V5.0Redone UI and cleaner lookBetter searching optionsLooks like a more streamlined approach to configuring your uC. Sort of a “left to right” pathCNC Router options?Need a 2’ x 4’ CNC machineCNC Router PartsCRP4824 router kitVacuum TableGet a Guest for DIY CNCCheeseburger CompassGPS and Raspberry Pi combined to let you know where the nearest Cheeseburger fast food place is.Tags: 1kHz Standard, 20 Band EQ, Cheeseburger Compass, CNC Router, Compute Module, Constant Q, CRP4824, Cube MX, DOOM EVERYTHING, EFM8, electronics podcast, LAN9514, MacroFab, macrofab engineering podcast, MEP, Mind Tribe, PCM5122, Raspberry Pi, RPI CM, ST7735, STM32, Universal Bee, VCP Driver

28 Nov 201851min

Charlyn GondaCoder by day, maker by nightA chronic problem solver and is currently in the middle of her year-long project, 12 Months of MakesHas too much fun building circuits, creating things with 3D printing, crafting hats and coding IoT devices!TopicsCharlyn what is your background? Day Job ect?Why did you become a Software Developer?How did you go from a Software Developer to building Hardware for the first time?Any particular reason you wanted to start building hardware?How do you approach hardware design? Is it in anyway the same as software development or radically different?What is the 12 Months of MakesProjects you have completed so far?BongocatSharknicornAlmost at the end of the 12 Months of Makes. How successful was the experiment?Words of wisdom to other software developers that are thinking about hardware creation?Tags: 12 Months of Makes, Bongo Cat, Charlyn Gonda, Eats, electronics podcast, IoT, MacroFab, macrofab engineering podcast, MEP, Particle, Sharknicorn, Uber

21 Nov 201849min

John WaidnerElectronics Engineer with a background in Logic design, analog circuit, system integration and testingCurrently John is a mentor for the TechHOUNDS and volunteers for the Boy Scouts of AmericaDerek Fronek High school student from Carmel High SchoolPart of the Carmel High School robotics team the TechHOUNDSTechHOUNDSWhat are the TechHOUNDS and how did you start?Leadership? Who leads the group?DivisionsRobot OpsProgramming/ElectricalConstructionInformation TechnologyPublic RelationsHow do you handle the overlap between divisions?Derek - What division are you most involved with?John - How involved are you in the process?What is FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology)Who can be a part of FIRST?How to get involvedFunding?Competing in FRC (First Robotics Competition)What are the competitions?How does your team prepare for them?Who gets to go?Who gets to drive the bot?The TechHOUNDS youtube channel has lots of videos of the robot and competitions the group has been in2018 Robot RevealTechHOUNDS Team 868 FlickrWhat is next for the TechHOUNDS?Tags: Derek Fronek, electronics podcast, FIRST, First Robotics Competition, For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, FRC, John Waidner, MacroFab, macrofab engineering podcast, MEP, Robotics, TechHOUNDS

14 Nov 201853min

Stephen's Vox in a BoxPreamp DesignVox AC30 preamp - 3 gain stages with a cathode follower and a phase inverterPhase inverter - create differential signals for the power amp inputDrop signal using voltage dividers and mosfet buffers320V phase inverter to 18V buffer driveBuilt point to point on an aluminum plate for easy modification and testingPower Amp DesignTPA3116 Class D amplifierLM311 comparator mute circuit for start up mute ~5 to 10 SecondsRuns at 400KHz - Left open pads for boosting this up to 1.2MHzIs there an advantage at running at higher frequencies?Power Supply DesignTPS40210 Switching controller into a diode/cap ladder voltage multiplier7 stages of multiplication leads to ~50V per stageVariable Switching from 35KHz to 1000KHzPMP8621 AppnoteTesting the Vox in a BoxBeen going nonstop for weeks nowHave taken it up to nearly 60 Watts without problemsLayout of the PCBMultiple ground system with master startEach sub circuit has its own ground return8 Master star ground returns4 layersIssues with the current designHigh Voltage SMPS does not like high capacitive loadGround for signal input is very important - Nearly all noise is dominated by this single pointAlligator clips for signal patching are not low noise…Cold Heater impedanceCurrent Schematic for the Vox in a BoxFusion 360New amp designLearning by building a virtual ampVox in a boxGoing to model the whole design to ensure proper fitR.F.O.Improve your circuit toolbox – Simple designs that will save your next productChris Gammel gave a talk at the recent SuperCon about circuits you should add to your mental filing cabinetSpeaking of the Super Con all the videos for the talks are live on Youtube so go give those a listen to!Tags: Chris Gammel, electronics podcast, Fusion 360, Hackaday, LM311, MacroFab, macrofab engineering podcast, MEP, PMP8621, Preamp, SuperCon, TPA3116, TPS40210, Vox AC30, Vox in a Box

6 Nov 201857min

GuestsZappChief Bling Officer (CBO) at AND!XORDuring his limited free time he writes vulnerable C code, dabbles in Kicad, and trolls Arduino bot accounts on TwitterNever been seen at the same time and place as Batman...But then again, neither has StephenHyr0nA button pusher, easily replaced by a thousand monkeys with a thousand laptops, but manages to crank out firmware and hacker puzzlesIf you’re reading this statement, he already has root access to your computerWe have had Zapp and Hyr0n on the podcast before. Check out MEP EP#69: Incognito Mode and MEP EP#109 Arduino, The Gateway Drug To #BadgeLife.TopicsHyr0n’s ThereminArduino bot accounts?Quick Recap on DEF CON 26 and the Bender AND!XOR BadgeEngineering Process behind badge design idea -> thingCome up with all the ideas and Venn Diagram the hardware needed to enable those ideasEspressif ESP32Pushing it to the limit Spec sheet thots "oh shit, nice, lots of ram"Developer after math "oh shit, xtensa sdk blows, it needs all that RAM"Pros and ConsHardware and software interactions are interesting and poorly documentedErratas?SD Card failures?Hackaday Badge and Hackaday Super ConferenceZapp and Hyr0n are giving a talk about lulzcode and hardware puzzlesLulzcode docsTags: AND!XOR, Arduino Bot Accounts, Bender, DEF CON 26, electronics podcast, ESP-32, ESP32, Espressif, Hackaday, HyR0n, Lulzcode, MacroFab, macrofab engineering podcast, MEP, Super Con, Theremin, WROVER, Zapp

31 Okt 201850min

Gene Frantz - Chief Technology Officer for Octavo SystemsOne of the founders and the visionary behind Octavo SystemsProfessor in the Practice at Rice University in the Electrical and Computer Engineering DepartmentWas the Principal Technology Fellow at Texas Instruments where he built a career finding new opportunities and building new businesses to leverage TI’s DSP technologyHolds 48 patents and has written over 100 papers/articles and presents at conferences around the globeHas a BSEE from the University of Central Florida, a MSEE from Southern Methodist University, and a MBA from Texas Tech UniversityErik Welsh - Applications and Systems Manager for Octavo SystemsHas over 16 years of industry experience designing hardware and software systems, including 11 years at Texas InstrumentsSupported hundreds of developers bringing embedded systems quickly to marketSimplifying complex systems is a passion and mentors engineers developing embedded Linux systemsDeveloped platforms for cutting-edge wireless research to provide open-access to startupsBegan his career as a SoC (System-On-Chip) designer eventually leading SoC Security Architecture developmentCurrently holds multiple patents in the area of System-in-Package technologyHas a Bachelor of Science and Masters in Electrical Engineering from Rice UniversityOctavo SystemsFor more background on Octavo Systems check out MEP EP#17: System-in-Package (SiP) Platforms with Greg SheridanHow do System-In-Package devices make designers and engineers lives easier?Certification for FCC and CE? Some modules are pre FCC certified with an ID. Is there a benefit using a System-in-Package to reduce product development risk here?OSD335x C-SIPThe Future of SIPTags: electronics podcast, Erik Welsh, Gene Frantz, MacroFab, macrofab engineering podcast, MEP, Octavo Systems, OSD335X C-SIP, System on Chip, System-in-Package

24 Okt 201847min

Misha GovshteynCEO of MacroFabFounder of Alert LogicChristopher ChurchFounder & CPO of MacroFabFounder of Dynamic PerceptionCo-Founder/Chief Architect at Alert LogicChris was on a previous MEP episode about the recent Chinese tariffsSupply chain hardware and software securityThis topic spurs from recent allegations from bloomberg about the possibility of a hardware supply chain infiltration in Super Micro Computer Inc, which may cause security concerns for servers owned by Amazon, Apple, and FacebookUnderlying premise of the alleged hardware hackWhat is the general structure of intelligence agencies that makes something like this probable or possible?Existing public cases that are similarIs this hack even technically feasible?What impact should this have on our supply chain decisions?Tags: Amazon, Apple, Bloomberg, china, Christopher Church, Conspiracy, electronics podcast, Facebook, MacroFab, macrofab engineering podcast, MEP, Misha Govshteyn, NSA, Security, Supply Chain

18 Okt 20181h 8min

James LewisOur guest this week may or may not be an Engineer or may or may not have Hair!James Lewis’ passion for teaching non-engineers has led to him to create the Bald Engineer Blog and the AddOhms video tutorial seriesWith 15 years of experience in electronics, marketing, sales, and teaching James boils seemingly difficult concepts down to the core, so that anyone can learn what they need to finish that next great projectWorked at Agilent as an FAE for oscilloscopes (for about 10 years), then as an FAE and marketing at KEMET for about 7 yearsNow working as oscilloscope product manager at Rohde and SchwarzMLCC - Multi - Layer Ceramic CapacitorsWhere did all the MLCCs go? Looking back, it was obvious we were headed towards a shortage but companies didn’t see it comingWhat are they?Common uses?4 ways Ceramics lose capacitance TemperatureToleranceDC BiasAging effectWhat to consider when choosing an alternative dielectric/technology for capacitorsQuestions from the Slack ChannelInsights into selecting bootstrap caps for high-frequency, high-voltage H-bridgesWhat footprint should we be designing with, going forward? Presumably different sizes for decoupling vs bulk on the power inputs for getting different ESRs?Is MLCC cracking due to pcb flex something that still gets seen in 0402 and below?General rules of thumb on choosing appropriate packages based upon desired voltage rating and capacitance?What *is* the fundamental physical mechanism behind this voltage-dependent capacitance drop? KEMET Ask an FAE on Ceramic DC BiasWhy does the Y5V dielectric exist?NotesSL0 ceramic capacitor dielectricsSMT Soldering Guide for CapacitorsTags: AddOhms, Agilent, Bald Engineer, DC Bias, electronics podcast, FAE, Flexing, Hair care tips and tricks, James Lewis, Kemet, MacroFab, macrofab engineering podcast, MEP, MLCC, Multi-Later Ceramic Capacitors, Murata, Rohde and Schwarz, Y5V

10 Okt 20181h 15min