Questions

[EEVblog]

For the next and subsequent shows if you have any questions you want Chris and myself to answer, or topics or subjects to talk about, then please ask here.

It's not a tutorial show though, so no "explain how a transistor works" etc

Thanks
Dave.

[DJPhil]

I'll give it a shot. Feel free to ignore what doesn't make sense, I'm up late tonight.

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I've noticed that it seems like most of the hacker/maker culture consists of folks who had a background in software programming and make the shift into hardware. It seems much more rare for someone to start with an analog foundation and go into microcontrollers.

Q. Would you guys agree, or am I just seeing things?
Q. Does this carry over to professional design engineering, or, is this why it's sometimes frustrating to hear, "We'll fix it in software!"?

I ask as someone with a broad background in all sorts of hardware troubleshooting (cars, computers, etc.) but no programming experience since my Commodore 64. I'm doing my homework now to sort out what language (or more likely what flavor of C) to build a strong foundation with. I feel like I'll have an advantage in mixed signal projects if I can ever get my brain around programming!

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One of the common cousins of hobby electronics, at least in the US, is ham radio. I think it'd be neat to see a whole new generation really get into radio as a hobby again, but I think it could be a hard sell with internet messaging and so much more within ready reach.

Q. Do you guys think the tide of enthusiasm for electronics will someday wash back into long distance radio?

Edit: Adding little bits as I think of them.

[lhc]

Just some topics from the top of my head:

• Manufacturing in china - good and bad things about it, your personal experiences and its influence on the industry
  
• Crappy consumer products - it's getting harder and harder to buy anything decent now, not only consumer products, even many tools marketed as "professional" are abysmal in quality and some good brands rebrand crappy products and sell them as their own, you can just rant about it because it drives me mad every time i try to find something decent, I would be pleased to hear you rant

I will add some more if something comes on my mind.

[Zero999]

Why everything is made in China? Obviously cheap labour is a significant factor but it can't be the only reason, there are plenty of other countries with lower wages. There again, perhaps that's too broader question.

[Mechatrommer]

government incentive to investors maybe, lower taxes, easiness of regulation or registration or Bureaucracy etc, but surely its financial or economical reason.

[Simon]

I second that, both personally and as a professional Quality inspector (working for a not very proffessional company

Just some topics from the top of my head:

• Manufacturing in china - good and bad things about it, your personal experiences and its influence on the industry
  
• Crappy consumer products - it's getting harder and harder to buy anything decent now, not only consumer products, even many tools marketed as "professional" are abysmal in quality and some good brands rebrand crappy products and sell them as their own, you can just rant about it because it drives me mad every time i try to find something decent, I would be pleased to hear you rant

I will add some more if something comes on my mind.

[Simon]

It's cheaper and unlike the UK chinese workers can work without a 15 minute tea breat every 5 minutes

government incentive to investors maybe, lower taxes, easiness of regulation or registration or Bureaucracy etc, but surely its financial or economical reason.

[saturation]

How much longer with will through hole components still be made?
Will they disappear?

[saturation]

Just thoughts, when you look back 30 years, Japan, Taiwan, and many other Asian countries marked the rise in their economies by making electronic products.  The mini-dragons developed about the same time as China, the big dragon, but their scale didn't rise nor matched those of China.  These were Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.  

http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~db=all~content=a777076912

I think what is unique to China is their organizational effectiveness, if you've ever been to an all-Chinese run restaurant, and wondered how quickly they serve, cook, take orders etc., that's a sample on how they run businesses.

Why everything is made in China? Obviously cheap labour is a significant factor but it can't be the only reason, there are plenty of other countries with lower wages. There again, perhaps that's too broader question.

[DJPhil]

Thanks to Chris and Dave for covering my questions!

I'm really enjoying the show. It works perfectly for listening while I tinker, as I know I'm not missing anything on the screen while just listening.

How much longer with through hole components still be made?
Will they disappear?

   I never even thought of that! That'd be horrible!
I can see them tapering off the passives first, then the discrete semiconductors, then the ICs (with a few ICs going early). I'm going to have nightmares now.
I suppose they'll always need huge caps, power resistors, and rectifier diodes.

[saturation]

Not to answer my own question, but it is something one can reflect on for some time.

Although its possible I don't think so, primarily thanks to China.  They are taking over many 20th century electronic components from discrete transistors, semiconductors and passives.  One would expect the vacuum tube to disappear decades ago but it hasn't, and its still made in China and Russia.

But worse case,if they do disappear, innovative folks are making adapters to take SMT to fit through hole prototyping gear or making innovative prototype boards like Schmartboard.  I personally like Schmartboard's approach but there are other solutions to this problem!

Thanks to Chris and Dave for covering my questions!

I'm really enjoying the show. It works perfectly for listening while I tinker, as I know I'm not missing anything on the screen while just listening.

How much longer with through hole components still be made?
Will they disappear?

   I never even thought of that! That'd be horrible!
I can see them tapering off the passives first, then the discrete semiconductors, then the ICs (with a few ICs going early). I'm going to have nightmares now.
I suppose they'll always need huge caps, power resistors, and rectifier diodes.

[ChrisGammell]

Hell, if you guys keep answering all these questions, I guess me and Dave will just have to record ourselves singing or something.

YOU DON'T WANT THAT.

 

[saturation]

Nope, sorry!  But you could talk about your experience with availability of through hole vs SMT over the years, the costs, production issues, prototyping issues, etc., as you see fit!

Hell, if you guys keep answering all these questions, I guess me and Dave will just have to record ourselves singing or something.

YOU DON'T WANT THAT.

 

[Zero999]

I can't see through hole disappearing in the near future. Many old technologies are still popular, take discrete components for example which are still made by the billion. I like SMT but through hole is good because it means a single sided PCB can often be used, where for SMT it would need to be double sided.

I think that the Chinese economy could grow much faster, if the government scrapped some of their oppressive policies.

[TopherTheME]

How long do you guys think it will take until we have microchips implanted in our brains and can just download information instead of reading books. A few gigs of EEPROM in the cerebrum would be pretty sweet.

[Zyvek]

How about: Equipping the electronics lab/bench for the hobbyist? Maybe add price points (i.e. under $200, $500, $1000?)

[DJPhil]

How long do you guys think it will take until we have microchips implanted in our brains and can just download information instead of reading books. A few gigs of EEPROM in the cerebrum would be pretty sweet.

So long as no corporation has the ability to rootkit my head, I'm down for an upgrade.

I remember the man with the prosthetic finger drive, and I'm sure there are more examples of folks taking the initiative.

[Time]

Is there a story behind what led to the decision to create a podcast together?  You both have electronics blogs and just decided to collaborate randomly?

I know its not electronics related but I am just curious.

[EEVblog]

Is there a story behind what led to the decision to create a podcast together?  You both have electronics blogs and just decided to collaborate randomly?

I had been thinking about a radio show for a quite a while, in fact that's what I wanted to do before I came up with the video blog idea.

Then I saw a post by Chris on Reddit about someone asking if there were any electronics podcasts (apart from SolderSmoke I don't think there are), and Chris posted that he was keen to do one.
I knew just a solo show by myself wouldn't draw in a new audience, it would only be a replacement for my drivetime rants if anything, so starting thinking about a co-host show.
Because Chris seemed keen on doing his own podcast I drafted an email and sat on it for a few weeks because I didn't know if I wanted to commit myself to yet another regular thing. Turns out Chris went ahead and did his first show and I listened to it and thought he sounded ok and would make a good contrast with myself, so I suggested the show.
As fellow bloggers we had already been emailing about stuff before that anyway.

Wasn't much dicking around before we just said "screw it, let's just do it" and called via Sykpe and hit record. That was put up as the first show.

I won't mention Chris getting the timezones wrong 
I also won't mention getting 15 minutes into the first show and me realising I forgot to hit record! 

Dave.

[joegtp]

I'm a beginner hobbyist and a discussion on how to get started would be great. I know it depends on what you want to do, but a general discussion would be great. Possibly what are good reads to get started, without all the theory BS? What electronics magazines do you guys read? Conferences?

[FreeThinker]

How long do you guys think it will take until we have microchips implanted in our brains and can just download information instead of reading books. A few gigs of EEPROM in the cerebrum would be pretty sweet.

A few gigs of BOOKS ? Bet I know what would be downloaded most

[.o:0|O|0:o.]

A few gigs of BOOKS ? Bet I know what would be downloaded most

Electrical engineering and electronics, electrodynamics and ...

.o:0|O|0:o.

[dengorius]

How long do you guys think it will take until we have microchips implanted in our brains and can just download information instead of reading books. A few gigs of EEPROM in the cerebrum would be pretty sweet.

A few gigs of BOOKS ? Bet I know what would be downloaded most

That was a mistype, the "K" was meant to be a "B" 

[Tiderian]

Hey guys! Love the show. I have a suggestion for a topic...

Could you go over the most common/most useful components that are handy to have for a beginner's bench? I mean, obviously resistors and caps and such... that's not really what I'm about. I mean more along the lines of 741 op-amp, 555, 386 audio amp, or other parts that you see as a common basis for lots of projects. Also, which are the most useful and versatile transistor models to keep on hand?

I don't have a lot of money to stock my bench, so I'd like to buy the parts that can be reused often and have many uses.

Thanks!

[DJPhil]

Hey guys! Love the show. I have a suggestion for a topic...

Could you go over the most common/most useful components that are handy to have for a beginner's bench? I mean, obviously resistors and caps and such... that's not really what I'm about. I mean more along the lines of 741 op-amp, 555, 386 audio amp, or other parts that you see as a common basis for lots of projects. Also, which are the most useful and versatile transistor models to keep on hand?

I don't have a lot of money to stock my bench, so I'd like to buy the parts that can be reused often and have many uses.

Thanks!

Good idea. There's a few threads here on the forums that might help, just do a search for 'jellybean'.
Also, you may want to put your suggestion on the Amp Hour site to be sure the guys see it -> http://www.theamphour.com/suggestions/