# Key Technical Discussions from #hplusroadmap Channel

• A comprehensive operational amplifier (op-amp) topology cheatsheet was shared (http://chemelec.com/Projects/Op-Amp/Op-Amp.png), providing reference designs for various analog circuit configurations useful for electronics projects.

• Silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) from SenSL were discussed as commercially available technology for particle detection, with applications in projects like "The Desktop Muon Detector."

• Progress was shared on a BRL-CAD ray-tracer project for creating model slices, with plans to integrate it into a Python-BRLCAD-tcl library for applications including g-code generation and focused ion beam (FIB) output.

• Detailed work on microfluidic pump designs was presented, including a peristaltic pump using pneumatic "fingers" to control fluid flow, with discussion of fabrication techniques like spin coating photoresist, laser etching, and PDMS casting.

• Researchers debated parallelization methods for convolutional neural networks, comparing the effectiveness of averaging gradients versus weights for distributed training, referencing papers on CNN parallelization techniques.

• Advanced imaging and analysis techniques were examined, including electron microprobe analysis, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) for material characterization.

• A participant shared progress on translating a metalens design based on Harvard Capasso lab research on "Metalenses at visible wavelengths," with plans to fabricate using focused ion beam techniques.