Parker and Stephen discuss some MacroFab updates including news about their pod community and Slack, what’s wrong and right about high-end GPUs and the marvels of KrisFix and his YouTube repair channel, what’s up with consumer electronics and their lack of reverse polarity protection, and Parker muses about when it’s time to call it day for a 3D Printer. 

More on these topics:

Community:

• New community hub! Shifting away from the Slack channel?
• Are you in or near Houston, Texas any time soon? Please come out to Beers for Engineers! More info below! 

Dead on Arrival for high end GPUs - Nvidia

• RTX 4090 - The biggest problem with modern cards that the manufacturer refuses to repair
• KrisFix’s repair skills
• Popping the pad
• Too much Board Flex
• “RTX Technology Package” (air quotes) 
• Decoding NVIDIA
• 5000 Series Rumours?

Why do so many consumer electronics not have reverse polarity protection?

• Looking through Windows
• Can’t turn it up to 11
• Motherboards of Invention 
• Guitar Pedal Problems
• The hot leg
• The P Channel Set-up
• “Slap a diode on it”
• Italian Decisions 
• Why Raspberry Pie “Won”

Personal Project Updates:

• Should Parker replace his 3D printer?
• When to pull the plug on such a hard-working machine

Good links:

• Beers for Engineers events!
• RTX 4090 - The biggest problem of modern cards that the manufacturer refuses to repair
• MEP EP#262: Flex PCB Primers 
• MEP EP#313: Another Tool for Your Toolbox

Thank you for listening to the MacroFab Engineering Podcast!  We’d love to hear what you think of the show so please tweet at us @MacroFab and join our slack channel at Macrofab.com/slack or email us at [email protected].