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Circuit Break - A MacroFab Podcast
Circuit Break - A MacroFab Podcast episodes
- MEP EP#304: Cow Field
MEP EP#304: Cow Field
This week Stephen and Parker where supposed to discuss bench equipment for development and testing but got distracted by talking about homebrewing beer and Maxwell's equations...
1 hr - MEP EP#303: Tip Resurrection Cream
MEP EP#303: Tip Resurrection Cream
Bench Soldering Supplies/Consumables
- Solder
- What kind of Solder Alloy?
- Preferred Brands
- Get a datasheet!
- Flux core
- Diameter of the solder
- Flux
- Ensure compatibility of the fluxes you are using
- Flux cleaner
- Tip cleaner/tinner
- Brass sponge thing
- “Tip Resurrection Cream”
- Solder wick
- Solder pot
- Stephen forgot about this in last week's episode of solder equipment
1 hr 5 min - MEP EP#302: A 1 Dollar Chips Matter
MEP EP#302: A 1 Dollar Chips Matter
Announcements
Thanks for everyone that donated and stopped by the live stream! We where able to raise over $5000 for the Texas Children Hospital Network!
Molex 217175-0001
- Tasty Type-C connector
- No data pins?
- Only power and the CC pins for doing the Power Delivery handshake
- Datasheet
Non FCC switcher?
- ICL7660CBAZA-T Super Voltage Converters
- Power Rail Flipper/Inverter
- Charge pump voltage “flipper” uses only two capacitors
- At an input voltage of 5V and an unloaded oscillator pin the switching frequency is 10khz
- Reducing to less than 9khz only takes one capacitor
- Price
- Singles: $1.82
- Bulk: $1
SMT Bench Equipment for Soldering
- X-tronic 440 died now I need to replace!
- Soldering Iron
- Thermaltronics TMT-2000S-SM
- Tips
- S75LR018A
- S75DS045
- Hot Air
- Quick 957DW+
- Microscope
- AmScope SM series
- Get a 0.5x Barlow lens
- Tweezer set
- Non magnetic stainless steel is what you want
- ESD?
- Aven is a good brand
- Snips/flush cutters
- Hakko CHP-170 are king
1 hr 18 min - MEP EP#301: Crispy Currents
MEP EP#301: Crispy Currents
Announcements
If you are currently enrolled in college we would love to chat with you. We have some ideas for future podcast content that you could perhaps help us with. Also, we would love to get to know our listeners more. If you have not already, please send a hello email to [email protected]. Thanks to everyone who has reached out already.
On Nov 6th, Parker is doing a 24 hour video game stream for the Extra Life Charity which benefits the Texas Children Hospital network. Last year our listeners helped him raise $2600 and he is hoping to double that this year! You can donate through the Extra Life page here. Or just come hang out his personal twitch channel and chat. Will be playing from 8AM on Nov 6th till 8AM on Nov 7th.
Melted fuse Holder Revisit
- Fuse holder on the electric fan power line melted… on the battery side *insert shock emoji*
- EngineerBob from Slack/twitch chat bought the same kind of fuse holders and took one apart
- Suspected it was not a bad crimp but the blade receptacle inside is flawed for higher currents
- Connector is just flimsy brass and does not have the retainment force to handle high current
- Some google fu searching and EngineerBob and I found a solution!
- Delphi makes a fuse holder setup based on the Metri-Pack system
- Delphi 12033731 black fuse cover
- Metri-Pack 630 series connector
- 20-18 AWG 12066681
- 16-14 AWG 12033769
- 12-10 AWG 12085030
- Metri-Pack 630 series pull-to-seat female terminals
- 20-18 AWG 12020516-L
- 16-14 AWG 12066614-L
- 12-10 AWG 12033997-L
Getting Signals Around the Board
- DG series analog switches
- Multi Channel (1 to 8) switches that handle high voltage (44v)
- Easily controlled with TTL signals. Can be interfaced directly to a uC
- Bi directional
- Remove the need for mechanical solutions and greatly simplify routing
- Resistance ON is something to look out for
The Engineering Mind?
- Should we expect others to have it?
- Problems in the workplace - how are they fixed?
- What do you do when faced with a problem?
- Hire engineers?
- Get it done attitude?
57 min - MEP EP#300: Tradition is Peer Pressure From the Dead
MEP EP#300: Tradition is Peer Pressure From the Dead
Announcements
If you are currently enrolled in college we would love to chat with you. We have some ideas for future podcast content that you could perhaps help us with. Also, we would love to get to know our listeners more. If you have not already, please send a hello email to [email protected]. Thanks to everyone who has reached out already.
On Nov 6th, Parker is doing a 24 hour video game stream for the Extra Life Charity which benefits the Texas Children Hospital network. Last year our listeners helped him raise $2600 and he is hoping to double that this year! You can donate through the Extra Life page here. Or just come hang out his personal twitch channel and chat. Will be playing from 8AM on Nov 6th till 8AM on Nov 7th.
Chris Gammell
- Was last on the podcast
- MEP EP#33: The Macro Hour Mashup
- MEP EP#90: Development Board Guilt
- Is DIY Dead?
- Maker Faire seems to be dead
- DIY projects and YouTube channels seem to be doing better then ever
- Are electronic DIY companies doing well?
- $1 Microcontroller by Jay
- Are Engineers “Pavlovian Cheapskates”?
1 hr 9 min - MEP EP#299: Operation Scope Creep
MEP EP#299: Operation Scope Creep
8 Layer Design
- Stephen is working on a 12 pcb design
- 11 pcbs done 1 left
- 6 nets left to go out of 963
- How to attack an 8 layer design?
- Part placement
- Stackup prep
Multi Gauge Progress / Prop_Fan
- Screen and navigation
- CFA635-TFK-KL
- Temperature
- LTC2983
- Thermistors
- 5V analog active sensors
- Level shifter
- TXB0104DR
- Shift between the 3.3V MCU and the 5V LTC2986
- Power filtering
- Comprehensive Power Supply System Designs for Harsh Automotive Environments
- LT8672
- LT8614
- Air Quality
- HPMA115C0-003
- PM2.5 Particle Sensor
- Sensirion SGP40
- VOC Sensor
- Sensirion SHTC3
- Temp and Humidity
- Last thing to finish on the design is to choose how to protect the inputs on the LTC2983
- Demo boards only use in series 100 ohm resistors
Adventures in Plastic Injection Molding
- Stephen got the mold state side
- Second round of payment due
- Remember Duty/tax
- Did the first round of prototyping - looking to validate the mold with more precise control
- Material story
- Polyethylene
- Polypropylene
- Heat/Temperature/Pressure
58 min - MEP EP#298: Has Open Source Hardware Run Its Course?
MEP EP#298: Has Open Source Hardware Run Its Course?
- Benjamin Heckendorn
- An electronics hacking entertainment guru
- Former host of Element 14’s “ The Ben Heck Show”
- 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
- Previous Podcasts with Ben and Chris
- MEP EP#23: Interview with Ben Heck of The Ben Heck Show
- MEP EP#75: Does the Simulation Match the Reality?
- MEP EP #153: Discrete Atomic Luffa Control
- MEP EP #167: BenHeck and the PinoTaur
- Has Open Source Hardware Run It's Course?
- A google search of “open hardware” or “open source hardware” yields one of two results
- A definition of OSHW
- A lot of requests for is there an open source XYZ?
- 10 commercially successful open source hardware projects in 2013
- Top Open-Source Hardware Websites and Community in 2019
- E3D’s no-nonsense approach to intellectual property
1 hr 5 min - MEP EP#297: Modern College Education with Derek Fronek
MEP EP#297: Modern College Education with Derek Fronek
Before we begin this episode I have a quick announcement. If you are currently enrolled in college we would love to chat with you. We have some ideas for future podcast content that you could perhaps help us with. Also, we would love to get to know our listeners more. Please send a hello email to [email protected].
Derek Fronek
- Third year EE Co-op student at Purdue University
- Last on the podcast episode #146 where he spoke about his time with TechHOUNDS
Modern EE Education
- Stephen - Graduated from Texas A&M with a EE degree in 2009
128 hours required- Parker - Graduated from University of Texas with a ECE degree in 2011
- Derek - Will graduate in 2024
- Derek's Current class load
- Freshman
- High school credits that transfer help a lot
- First year Engineering
- Purdue's way of saying “you need to do basic math and science first”
- General Chemistry
- EPICS (project based design class)
- Calc 1-2
- Physics Mechanics/E&M
- CS-159 Intro to C
- Covid Happens and we go remote right after spring break
- Summer
- Online summer classes can be nice but its a 16 weeks class in 8 weeks
- ECE 20001 Fundamentals 1 (Basic Circuit Theory/ Mosfets)
- ECE 20007 Fundementals 1 Lab
- Analog Discovery 2 is the main test and measurement tool now
- Calc 3
- Sophomore
- First Co-op term at Rheem
- Visiting campus when you have no class responsibilities is fun
- First real “Covid Classes” Purdue managed to stay “in person” for the whole time
- Classes were still mostly online but students could be on campus and some labs were still in person
- Exams were mostly online as well
- ANTH 21000 Technology and Culture
- More interesting than i thought it would be, gave some perspective on how design choices have social and societal implications
- ECE 20002 Fundementals 2 (Amplifiers, Op Amps, AC Circuit Analysis)
- ECE 20008 Fundementals 2 Lab
- ECE 264 Advanced C
- MA 266 Diff eq
- Junior
- Back to in person classes this fall
- ECE 20875 Python for Data Science
- ECE 270 Digital System Design
- Auto lab system is really cool
- HIST 351
- MA 265 Linear Algebra
1 hr 11 min - MEP EP#296: IdeaFab - Does This Podcast Change The World?
MEP EP#296: IdeaFab - Does This Podcast Change The World?
The IdeaTank Podcast
Scott Hansen and Eric Benzenhoefer are idea men who, not humbly, seek to change the world through sharing their million dollar ideas, and humbly, seek to make a podcast talking about their ideas.
Previous Episodes With the IdeaTank Podcast
- MEP EP#77: The IdeaFab Podcast
- MEP EP#223: The Inverted Success Funnel – IdeaFab
The Ideas
- Eric Benzenhoefer
- 5 Stars to a better tomorrow…
- Going to perfect feedback!
- Scott Hansen
- I am going to send you, yes you, to space
- Stephen Kraig
- The college of Above Average Joes
- Parker Dillmann
- The Otter-Matic 2000
- Friendcoin
1 hr 25 min - MEP EP#295: Design For Everything
MEP EP#295: Design For Everything
The DFs
- DFA - Design for Assembly
- DFC - Design for Conservation
- DFD - Design for Documentation
- DFM - Design for Manufacturing
- DFP - Design for Production
- DFR - Design for Repair / Recycle
- DFT - Design for Test
- DFS - Design for Safety
How to DFX
- Identify what you are Designing For
- Perhaps list them based on priority
- Make a list of all of the items
- Make a timeline for which DF applies when in the product life
- Create a list of key design criteria
- This will vary based on where the product is in the design cycle
- Schedule specific focused time to have a team review the DF
- Have the main designer present, but it is best to have other perform the DF checks
- Have a sign off and circle back process
- If it passes then have the team sign off and move to the next stage
- If it fails, have a process of fixing and asses if another full DF meeting is needed
- Perhaps just a small DF meeting to address one thing
- At then end of the product design cycle you will have a folder of completed design checks that help validate the release of the product
DFA vs DFM vs DFP
Techniques for making revisions easier
- Put circuits that you know need adjustment where you can reach them with a soldering iron or a probe
- 0 ohm resistors
- Make for very easy configuration changes
- DNI/DNP - lots of people don't know this is a thing
- Multiple footprints
- Parallel components
- Room for soldering!
- Test points - different from component terminations
- Keep lists of things to remove for production
57 min
About Circuit Break - A MacroFab Podcast
From the publisher's feed
Dive into the electrifying world of electrical engineering with Circuit Break, a MacroFab podcast hosted by Parker Dillmann and Stephen Kraig. This dynamic duo, armed with practical experience and a palpable passion for tech, explores the latest innovations, industry news, and practical challenges in the field. From DIY project hurdles to deep dives with industry experts, Parker and Stephen's real-world insights provide an engaging learning experience that bridges theory and practice for engineers at any stage of their career.
Whether you're a student eager to grasp what the job market seeks, or an engineer keen to stay ahead in the fast-paced tech world, Circuit Break is your go-to. The hosts, alongside a vibrant community of engineers, makers, and leaders, dissect product evolutions, demystify the journey of tech from lab to market, and reverse engineer the processes behind groundbreaking advancements. Their candid discussions not only enlighten but also inspire listeners to explore the limitless possibilities within electrical engineering.
Presented by MacroFab, a leader in electronics manufacturing services, Circuit Break connects listeners directly to the forefront of PCB design, assembly, and innovation. MacroFab's platform exemplifies the seamless integration of design and manufacturing, catering to a broad audience from hobbyists to professionals.
About the hosts: Parker, an expert in Embedded System Design and DSP, and Stephen, an aficionado of audio electronics and brewing tech, bring a wealth of knowledge and a unique perspective to the show. Their backgrounds in engineering and hands-on projects make each episode a blend of expertise, enthusiasm, and practical advice.
Join the conversation and community at our online engineering forum, where we delve deeper into each episode's content, gather your feedback, and explore the topics you're curious about. Subscribe to Circuit Break on your favorite podcast platform and become part of our journey through the fascinating world of electrical engineering.
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