
MacroFab Engineering Podcast #384
Derivative Learning or Mathematical Consequences
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June 23, 2023, Episode #384
The concerning news of a missing submarine near the Titanic wreck site this week sparks conversation about the implications of using a $30 Logitech gamepad for steering, the importance of regulatory bodies for deep sea exploration and why backups are essential for critical systems. We also explore the question; is an engineer a scientist? Lastly, we discuss a breakthrough in laser-based data transmission that could revolutionize internet connectivity.
- Submarine Safety: Unconventional Controls and Engineering Design
- Suitability of game controllers for critical systems
- Regulatory compliance and safety standards in engineering projects
- What can we learn from this story and why backups are essential
- Engineer vs. Scientist: Perception and Practice
- Proficiency at something vs. being an expert
- Education vs. professionally paid for your work
- “If you wear a white lab coat in your day job, you are a scientist”
- Inspired by u/amirouche_up’s question at r/askengineers
- Laser Internet: Overcoming Atmospheric Interference for Enhanced Connectivity
- If Stephen was in charge of this project, the first message he would send across would be “Gondor calls for aid”
- Advantages of lasers in data transmission compared to undersea fiber optic cables
- What if you could curb a laser?
- Summary/Takeaways:
- Lessons learned from the submarine incident and best practices for engineering safety
- Perspectives on the engineer-scientist debate
- Future prospects and applications of laser-based data transmission technology
About the Hosts

Parker Dillmann
Parker is an Electrical Engineer with backgrounds in Embedded System Design and Digital Signal Processing. He got his start in 2005 by hacking Nintendo consoles into portable gaming units. The following year he designed and produced an Atari 2600 video mod to allow the Atari to display a crisp, RF fuzz free picture on newer TVs. Over a thousand Atari video mods where produced by Parker from 2006 to 2011 and the mod is still made by other enthusiasts in the Atari community.
In 2006, Parker enrolled at The University of Texas at Austin as a Petroleum Engineer. After realizing electronics was his passion he switched majors in 2007 to Electrical and Computer Engineering. Following his previous background in making the Atari 2600 video mod, Parker decided to take more board layout classes and circuit design classes. Other areas of study include robotics, microcontroller theory and design, FPGA development with VHDL and Verilog, and image and signal processing with DSPs. In 2010, Parker won a Ti sponsored Launchpad programming and design contest that was held by the IEEE CS chapter at the University. Parker graduated with a BS in Electrical and Computer Engineering in the Spring of 2012.
In the Summer of 2012, Parker was hired on as an Electrical Engineer at Dynamic Perception to design and prototype new electronic products. Here, Parker learned about full product development cycles and honed his board layout skills. Seeing the difficulties in managing operations and FCC/CE compliance testing, Parker thought there had to be a better way for small electronic companies to get their product out in customer's hands.
Parker also runs the blog, longhornengineer.com, where he posts his personal projects, technical guides, and appnotes about board layout design and components.

Stephen Kraig
Stephen Kraig began his electronics career by building musical oriented circuits in 2003. Stephen is an avid guitar player and, in his down time, manufactures audio electronics including guitar amplifiers, pedals, and pro audio gear. Stephen graduated with a BS in Electrical Engineering from Texas A&M University.
Special thanks to whixr over at Tymkrs for the intro and outro!
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