Adiuvo’s $50 Forgix Board Crams RP2354 Microcontroller and Trion T8 FPGA into a 28-pin Teensy Footprint

Inside NTT’s Photonics Breakthroughs: A Roadmap to Light-Based Computing

Let’s talk about Photonics! My guests are esteemed scientists Tim McKenna and Ryo Yanagimoto, from the Physics & Informatics Laboratories at NTT. Tim and I chat about balancing theoretical physics with real-world applications at NTT, his most exciting photonics projects, and the primary obstacles to replacing traditional electronics with photonic technologies. Ryo and I dig into the game-changing potential of NTT’s programmable photonic chips. … Read More → "Inside NTT’s Photonics Breakthroughs: A Roadmap to Light-Based Computing"

We’re One Step Closer to Drag-and-Drop Off-the-Shelf Chiplet-Based Design

Close your eyes and imagine the following scene. No. That won’t work, will it? Let’s try doing this a different way. Keep your eyes open and imagine they’re closed. Visualize a future timeline where you use a GUI to drag-and-drop chiplets onto an active silicon substrate, run simulations and profiling, fine-tune your design, pick a package type, assign package pins, press the “Go” … Read More → "We’re One Step Closer to Drag-and-Drop Off-the-Shelf Chiplet-Based Design"

The Dawn of Agentic AI Super-Agents

On the one hand, I think I’m taking the incredible advances we’re currently seeing in Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools in my stride, striving to maintain a dignified persona as the latest and greatest marvels unfold before my eyes. On the other hand, I sometimes find it hard to restrain myself from exclaiming, “Wow!” or “You must be joking!”

Read More → "The Dawn of Agentic AI Super-Agents"

Need a low-cost FPGA dev board? Check out Adiuvo Engineering’s $99 Explorer board with an AMD Artix UltraScale+ FPGA

If you’re looking for a real bargain in an FPGA development board, Adiuvo Engineering’s Adam Taylor has a deal for you. His company’s new $99 Explorer dev board sports an AMD Artix UltraScale+ AU7P FPGA, which is lower than the single-piece price for the FPGA alone. How does Adiuvo … Read More → "Need a low-cost FPGA dev board? Check out Adiuvo Engineering’s $99 Explorer board with an AMD Artix UltraScale+ FPGA"

Fish Fry Special Edition: 2026 International Women in Engineering Day

Welcome to our third annual International Women in Engineering Day Fish Fry podcast! My special guests are Laura Mirkarimi from Adeia, Angelica Davila from Penguin Solutions, and Madison Ecklund from Texas Instruments. In this special episode of Fish Fry, we discuss their journeys into the world of high tech, examine how the EE landscape has changed over the years and what they would like to see in the future … Read More → "Fish Fry Special Edition: 2026 International Women in Engineering Day"

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featured chalk talk

Shaping the Edge AI Standard for IoT Compute
Sponsored by Mouser Electronics and Synpatics
In this episode of Chalk Talk, Nebu Philips from Synaptics and Amelia Dalton explore Synaptics' vision for Edge AI, discuss the Astra Machina evaluation platform, examine the Torq Edge AI ecosystem, and look at how partnerships with companies like Google are helping build the next generation of intelligent IoT devices.
Jun 23, 2026
20,611 views
discussion
Posted on Jul 13 at 6:42am by Max Maxfield
I'm really impressed by the Efinix FPGA fabric and tools, and it's awesome to see their Trion T8 device coupled with the RP2354 on this $50 Teesny footprint -- I can't wait to see what people do with this little scamp.
Posted on Jul 13 at 5:05am by dotitab398
It’s impressive to see how quickly this certification program has expanded, with over 50 systems from big players like Dell and HPE now on the list. I remember when finding a pre-validated setup for AI was a total headache, so having these "mainstream" x86 servers ready to go is a ...
Posted on Jun 26 at 10:56am by Steven Leibson
Hi. I'd love to hear more about your dad! We can set up a time to do so. Please email me at steven at techfocusmedia . com.
Posted on Jun 26 at 10:20am by Max Maxfield
I have high hopes for us to spread throughout the solar system -- I just hope I'm around to see us establish our first bases on the moon and Mars.
Posted on Jun 25 at 11:06am by JK
While difficult to deal with (he said he thinks he has Asperger Syndrome, and I think so too!), the Launch Cost Per-Kilogram chart says it all (notice also that it’s a Log Scale!): After Apollo, NASA was pretty much just used as a defense contractor’s cash-cow, vacuously bleeding ...
Posted on Jun 23 at 8:56pm by wanlass
Read your story about my dad Frank Wanlass I'm his oldest son and would love to share more for his life's work
Posted on Jun 16 at 6:53am by Max Maxfield
In my case, "If it already does everything it needs to, continue to over-engineer it" :-)
Posted on Jun 12 at 10:32am by theboom
"No one complained about the noise. Well, they might have, but you couldn’t hear them" - This sounds like a perfect system. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Posted on Jun 9 at 1:19pm by Max Maxfield
I live to serve :-) People are emailing me with additional suggestions -- I'll gather a bunch together, then add them to this column and append the title with something like V1.1
Posted on Jun 5 at 1:38pm by Jesse Jenkins
Thank you, much appreciated!
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featured blogs
Jul 13, 2026
From sound sculpting matter to scientists sculpting life, the wonders of nature never cease to astonish....
A Practical Migration Path with PIC32CM Arm® Cortex®-based MCUs
Sponsored by Mouser Electronics and Microchip
In this episode of Chalk Talk, Marc McComb from Microchip and Amelia Dalton explore a practical migration strategy for moving from 8-bit to 32-bit architectures, the technical foundations of the PIC32CM environment, and discuss how Microchip’s tools and resources can bridge the gap between these two architectures to ensure the process feels like a manageable transition rather than a blank-sheet redesign.
Jul 6, 2026
7,345 views
Optimizing Your Design with Sona™ Wi-Fi 6/6E
Sponsored by Mouser Electronics and Ezurio
In this episode of Chalk Talk, Andy Ross from Ezurio and Amelia Dalton explore why a one-size-fits-all approach doesn't work for Wi-Fi 6, the specific benefits of the IF573 and IF513 series Wi-Fi 6E Modules, and how to choose the right radio for your next design.
Jun 17, 2026
28,916 views
Melexis Position Sensors for Robotics
Sponsored by Mouser Electronics and Melexis
In this episode of Chalk Talk, Atanas Dikov from Melexis and Amelia Dalton take a closer look at the key challenges in robotic motion control, what designers should consider when choosing the best sensing technology for their next robotics application, and the benefits that Melexis position sensors can bring to your next design.
Jun 16, 2026
29,940 views