DevTalk with Rich and Vin

Hosted by Rich Nass, Embedded Computing Design

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Oct 2026

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About the show

The DevTalk with Rich and Vin podcast features Rich Nass, EVP of Embedded Computing Design, and Vin D’Agostino, veteran embedded systems designer. Each episode tackles a different aspect of embedded system design, from the hardware to the software to the tools. It’ll also look at some higher level market issues, but only as it impacts the engineer/developer. Topics covered include artificial intelligence, embedded systems, machine learning, industrial automation and much more.

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33 recent

October 13, 202629 min

DevTalk with Rich and Vin: Design Your App Alone or with a Partner

When you are developing an application using a particular MCU, likely one of the popular models, maybe built around an Arm core, you have a few different paths you can take. You can go at it on your own, you can get an assist from the MCU vendor, or you can partner with a third party to get you past the rough patches. Each of these choices comes with different tradeoffs, including the costs, design times, and a few other factors. To help you understand how to make these choices for your application, Rich and Vin brought in one of those potential partners to discuss the various trade-offs. This episode of DevTalk with Rich and Vin features Ranganathan SK, the Associate Vice President of Product Engineering Services at MosChip Technologies .

September 30, 202638 min

DevTalk with Rich and Vin: Who Should Regulate AI Technology?

Nary does a conversation take place these days in my professional circles without some mention of AI. And for good reason. It’s not just the latest cool technology. It is, without question, a game changer. However, AI does come with a downside, and a potentially deep and dark downside if you believe some “experts.” In fact, that downside can be extremely destructive. Hence, who should be watching over the makers of this technology to ensure it is used in a safe and viable manner? That’s a question that is not easily answered, as you will hear on this episode of DevTalk with Rich and Vin, with special guest Dr. David Utzke, a former U.S. Treasury cybercrimes technologist.

August 31, 202615 min

DevTalk with Rich and Vin: Comparing Today’s Embedded Systems vs. 25 Years Ago

The community has been designing embedded systems for a very long time. If we look at one slice of time, say the last 25 years, how have embedded systems changed over the last 25 years? The short answer is: immensely. You could argue that there’s very little resemblance between today’s AI-based computing platforms and large, generally single-function embedded computers of yesteryear. Rich and Vin decided to dive deeper into the topic, and it became quite animated in the latest episode of DevTalk with Rich and Vin .

August 12, 202616 min

DevTalk with Rich and Vin: MCUs Vs. MPUs

Do you know the difference between a microcontroller and a microprocessor, aka an MCU and an MPU? Many people use the terms interchangeably, but that would be inaccurate. But more importantly, when do you use one versus the other in your design? That’s the topic Rich and Vin tackle in this episode of DevTalk with Rich and Vin , using the Renesas devices as examples.

July 14, 202631 min

DevTalk with Rich and Vin: AI and embedded world North America

embedded world North America is right around the corner (Sept. 22-24, Anaheim, CA). The topics at the conference are fairly diverse, but many have a common theme, namely, AI. Artificial intelligence is creeping into all aspects of our lives, including what and how we design our embedded products. To see specifically how this technology integrates with the embedded world program, Rich and Vin sat down with Jason Hallstrom, the Chairman of the Embedded World technical conference. Check out the latest episode of DevTalk with Rich and Vin .

July 7, 202611 min

DevTalk with Rich and Vin: MCU Architecture Loyalty

MCU vendors always knew that, regardless of what they might say, it was relatively easy to retain existing customers and quite difficult to get engineers to switch from a competitive architecture. The biggest reason for that is the tons of software that the customer already has in its arsenal, and the difficulty of rewriting that code for a different architecture. However, and this is a biggie, AI potentially removes that hurdle and might allow for a complete code rewrite in a pretty short amount of time. That’s a game-changer (maybe good, maybe bad) for the MCU vendors. Hear what Rich and Vin have to say about it on this episode of DevTalk with Rich and Vin.

May 5, 202625 min

DevTalk with Rich and Vin: Is It Really AI & Arm As a Silicon Provider

AI means different things to different people. For example, a marketer might have a different definition than an engineer when asked what AI is. In today’s complex world, both may be right. But when consumers need to understand what is AI about their devices, the waters can get muddied pretty quickly. On this episode of DevTalk with Rich and Vin, we share our definitions, which are open to debate. Once the AI issue is cleared up, Rich and Vin discuss a recent news item—Arm is becoming a silicon provider. While that could mean lots of things to Arm’s existing customers, we look at how it might affect the engineering community.

March 3, 202634 min

DevTalk with Rich and Vin: HMIs and LVGL

You need some sort of UI on your system. It may be quite elaborate, or it may be very simple. In either case, designing that UI should not be a barrier to entry for an embedded system. Enter LVGL , or Light and Versatile Graphics Library, an open-source embedded graphics library that aims to (and accomplishes) eliminating that barrier. To understand why this is even an issue and how designers can get past it, Rich and Vin spoke to Gabor Kiss-Vamosi, the Founder and CEO of LVGL, on this episode of DevTalk with Rich and Vin .

February 17, 202630 min

DevTalk with Rich and Vin: The Vital Connection Between Industry and Academia

Does the academic world do a good job at getting its students ready to work in the real world? Is it even possible to do that now, given the pace AI is forcing industry to move at, and knowing that academia doesn’t typically move that quickly? This is the tip of the iceberg from the discussion that Vin and I had on our latest DevTalk podcast with John Janowiak, the Executive Director of ECEDHA (the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department Heads Association). We look at who is doing a good job at addressing the issues and why, both domestically and globally.

January 20, 202626 min

DevTalk with Rich and Vin: AI in University

We know that AI is everywhere. An area of particular concern for the DevTalk crew is how AI fits into today’s higher education programs. With our special guest Kevin Lu, the Associate Dean for Engineering and Science for Undergraduate Studies at Stevens Institute of Technology, we look at two specific areas—how do you ensure that students aren’t “cheating” by making use of AI, and second, how do you ensure that the careers you are getting them ready for are the right careers, in this changing world of AI? It’s a fascinating topic, and one that will evolve regularly.