[Tom Nardi] and I have been speaking at the podcast about 2022, and the way it went from the hacker’s standpoint. As the worldwide chip scarcity entered its 2d complete yr, we each idea again at the ways in which all of us needed to adapt and paintings round the truth that we simply couldn’t get the elements we have been conversant in choosing up very easily.
What had prior to now been a vast provide of knockoff Arduino clones and STM32 Blue Tablet forums swiftly simply dried up. On occasion you simply couldn’t get the DAC chip you sought after, or a minimum of now not with out many weeks’ lead time, or even then, it’d value you. Raspberry Pi single-board computer systems was laborious to seek out. PCB designs needed to trade and new SDKs had to be discovered. I do know I needed to grasp two times for unfamiliar microcontroller platforms this yr.
We hacked across the issues. It could be absurd to mention that the chip scarcity wasn’t a ache within the posterior, however after all all of us controlled to hold on and stay growing. We created extra versatile footprints, discovered to design round what lets get, and undoubtedly needed to do extra making plans. We pulled elements for tasks out of the junk field or shelf inventory. Or, as Tom famous, we did what everybody within the elements of the arena who aren’t as lucky to get unfastened expedited delivery does – we made do.
Making do regularly supposed finding out new environments, wondering outdated behavior, and double-checking pinouts. However for those who’re like me, now not all of that point was once wasted. On occasion it’s excellent to get shaken out of comfortable workflows, even supposing by way of power. So whilst we want you parts-in-stock and simple availability for 2023, don’t fail to remember the teachings discovered from 2022. Keep scrappy, Hackaday!