154: Physics Is a Big Pain

Embedded.fm · 2 Jun 2016 · 1h 22m

What this episode covers

Jeff Keyzer, an electrical engineer at Valve and founder of the open-source electronics kit company MightyOhm, discusses the challenges of designing and manufacturing consumer hardware like the Steam Controller. He shares insights on the importance of clear specifications for vendors, the difficulties of managing complex electromechanical assemblies, and the critical role of embedded software in facilitating manufacturing test and programming. Keyzer also provides detailed technical advice on soldering techniques, flux selection, and the physics of RF antenna design.

Mentioned

Companies
Valve, MightyOhm, Glowforge, Osh Park, Adafruit
Products
Steam Controller, Geiger Counter kit, Soldering Is Easy, Half-Life, Portal, Steam, Vive
Chips
Atmel AVR, Atmega 328
Tools
Hakko FX-888
Materials
Kester 186, MG Chemicals 835

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