The Amp Hour

Merry Keyzermas!

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Merry Keyzermas! Welcome again, Jeff Keyzer!

  • Jeff is still selling his Geiger counter kits.
  • He has been working on Valve on the Steam Controller
  • Part of the process for high volume manufacturing is doing Monte Carlo analysis. 
  • If you haven't seen it yet, the video of the the Steam Controller is amazing!
  • Chris asked about using the Steam controller for layout but it doesn't seem like a good fit. Dave and Jeff use space navigators with Altium.
  • Jeff has a go-kit. He brings it everytime he goes to China
    • DMM
    • USB digital microscope - the dino-lite
    • Tweezers
    • Spudgers
    • Soldering supplies
    • Gloves sized for Jeff
    • Finger cots (magnum sized)
    • Dealing with part switching due to sourcing issues is an ongoing process.
      • Paper qual - if the datasheet looks good
      • Full qualification - test rigs and sample builds
      • Jeff uses OneNote (Chris uses Evernote) for documenting projects over the product lifecycle. A paper trail is very important.
      • iFixit teardown of the Steam controller.
      • Chris asked about the reliability of Chinese manufacturers. Dave has been reading a book called Poorly Made in China. Jeff says the most important thing is representing the interests of the company paying for the manufacturing (often with an employee on the ground).
      • Jeff has turned into the "Quality Tzar", making sure the boards are up to snuff. Using the USB microscope, he shares problems he finds with boards. A picture is worth a 1000 words.
      • The level of competence in china is so high because they have consumer electronics experience. Getting to the point of "steady state" manufacturing will help you maintain quality.
      • Rework adds uncertainty and sometimes it's not worth it. For a finished goods product that is $49.99 retail the decisions are different than for a $4K board. The value of time is a big factor.
      • Could this all be done stateside? It's very dependent on the support and the supply chain. In China, there's no issue that can't be solved within one day (with a mfg rep).
        • We always love when Jeff stops by! Don't forget to follow @mightyohm on twitter!

        Image courtesy of Jeff’s face and Chris’s family’s house

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        The Amp HourBy The Amp Hour (Chris Gammell and David L Jones)
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