Rick Altherr @kc8apf@mastodon.cloud

Reminder: I offer free mentoring and mock interviews. Embed sys, C++, perf analysis, at-scale monitoring, and more. Grab a spot on my calendar at http://calendly.com/kc8apf.

Love designing dense PCBs filled with high-speed buses? Apply at Oxide! No, really, we need another EE. Boards are being designed by software engineers.

Which file formats and options does _this_ assembly want me to submit my design in? Gerber, Excellon in inches, Excel BOM, XY w/ bottom left origin and positive axes, readme.txt to explain what each file is. 😭🤯💩

Is sprinkling bypass caps near layer changes an effective way to avoid doing more SI analysis? Asking for a friend. (not really asking)

Do I run the 2xRG6+2xCat5 I already have throughout the house or do I buy a bunch of Cat6?

RISC-V emulator for 8051. Such a beautiful hack. https://GitHub.com/cyrozap/rv51

Refusing to communicate with your coparent is a terrible parenting strategy.

Firmly into negative spoons territory tonight.

Situation: cozy

Not going to finish with this tree today

I'm at that point in my career where people buying computers from their formative years are buying machines I worked on.

Played Tony Hawk Pro Skater all evening like a proper adult

Really need to figure out a better chute for Big Chippin'. Filled the truck bed but dumped 6" of chips on the ground, roof, hood, ...

Perfect new arrival for a rainy October day

Checked alignment on microscope today. It's so far off that the normal adjustments can't compensate. Guess it's as good a time as any to open it up and do a thorough cleaning.

How to assess a secure MCU:
1. Beg for a datasheet
2. Sign NDA
3. Buy an eval board
4. Load program to dump ROM
5. RE ROM
6. Find undocumented registers and devices
7. Disbelief
8. Pick another device, repeat

Security through hiding rows in Excel 😬

Bought a preheater. Reworking TQFP-100 with an exposed pad is a breeze now.

Totally normal walk to the mailbox.