Circuit Break - A MacroFab Podcast

By MacroFab, Inc.

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 p... more

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FAQs about Circuit Break - A MacroFab Podcast:

How many episodes does Circuit Break - A MacroFab Podcast have?

The podcast currently has 448 episodes available.

Circuit Break - A MacroFab Podcast episodes:

November 24, 2021 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...
...more
1h
November 17, 2021MEP 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
...more
1h 5min
November 10, 2021MEP 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
...more
1h 18min
November 03, 2021MEP 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?
...more
57min
October 27, 2021MEP 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”?
...more
1h 9min
October 20, 2021MEP 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
...more
58min
October 13, 2021MEP 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
...more
1h 5min
October 06, 2021MEP 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
...more
1h 11min
September 29, 2021MEP 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
...more
1h 25min
September 22, 2021MEP 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
...more
57min

FAQs about Circuit Break - A MacroFab Podcast:

How many episodes does Circuit Break - A MacroFab Podcast have?

The podcast currently has 448 episodes available.

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