The Amp Hour Electronics Podcast

#716 – Electronics Manufacturing History with David Ray

February 26
1h 2m

Episode Description

Thanks to our sponsor for this episode, SeaSats! Check out their open positions making autonomous ocean vehicles.

Welcome David Ray of Cyber City Circuits

• The “Retro Electro” Series: David explains his passion for writing historical articles for Digi Key, focusing on “giants” like Orstead whose contributions to electricity are often overlooked.
• Career Background: David details his path from Marine Corps radio repair to cash register and Motorola radio repair.
• Starting the Business: In late 2019, David cashed in his retirement to buy pick-and-place machines and start his own factory.
• Teaching the First Lady: David recounts the story of teaching First Lady Jill Biden how to solder during a summer camp.
• Growth via Twitter: For the first few years, 95% of his revenue came from relationships built on Twitter (X).
• The Kit Business: David discusses his “Soldering Kit of the Month” program, noting that while fun, the kit business is exhausting and low-margin.
• Equipment & Machines: A discussion on why he uses Charm High machines and his strong advice to buy new equipment rather than used industrial machines, which are often sold because they are “used up”.
• Stencils & Paste: David advocates for framed stencils and GC10 solder paste, which is shelf-stable and prevents cold solder joints.
• Soldering Physics: Insights into the thermodynamics of soldering, especially the difficulty of working with 2 oz copper boards.
• John Fluke History: David previews his research on John Fluke, explaining that Fluke meters became yellow because the Navy had trouble finding gray ones on the ground.
• Upcoming Articles: David mentions future work on the history of Op-amps and strain gauges.
• Business Services: Overview of Cyber City Circuits’ services, including reverse engineering, obsolescence engineering, and free DFM (Design for Manufacturing) consulting.
• Success Philosophy: David shares his “Monopoly mindset,” viewing business setbacks as “chance cards,” and stresses that persistence is the only way to avoid failure.

Links from David

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