# 124: Please Don't Light Yourself on Fire (Repeat)

- Show: [Embedded.fm](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm)
- Published: 2017-11-29
- Length: 1h 15m
- Episode: 124
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2017-11-29-124-please-dont-light-yourself-on-fire-repeat
- Listen: https://makingembeddedsystems.libsyn.com/124-please-dont-light-yourself-on-fire-repeat

## Summary

Windell Oskay, co-founder of Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories, discusses his annotated edition of the 1963 book 'Build It Yourself Science Laboratory' and the company's hardware projects like the EggBot Pro and the Dis-integrated 555 timer kit. He details the challenges of updating the book for modern safety and ethics, including correcting a flawed 'Simple Oscilloscope' experiment and adding modern sourcing notes. The conversation also covers the technical specifics of spherical CNC plotting, the history of electronic knitting machines, and the evolution of accessible scientific instrumentation.

## Chapters

- [0:07](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2017-11-29-124-please-dont-light-yourself-on-fire-repeat#t=7) Introduction and Guest Background
- [2:01](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2017-11-29-124-please-dont-light-yourself-on-fire-repeat#t=121) Evil Mad Scientist Products: EggBot and Dis-integrated 555
- [4:50](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2017-11-29-124-please-dont-light-yourself-on-fire-repeat#t=290) Technical Deep Dive: Spherical Coordinates and the EggBot
- [9:13](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2017-11-29-124-please-dont-light-yourself-on-fire-repeat#t=553) Physics PhDs and the Necessity of Building Instruments
- [12:40](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2017-11-29-124-please-dont-light-yourself-on-fire-repeat#t=760) The History and Structure of 'Build It Yourself Science Laboratory'
- [20:34](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2017-11-29-124-please-dont-light-yourself-on-fire-repeat#t=1234) Updating the Book: Safety, Ethics, and Modern Sourcing
- [38:24](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2017-11-29-124-please-dont-light-yourself-on-fire-repeat#t=2304) Specific Experiments: Carbon Arc Furnace and Volcano
- [50:25](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2017-11-29-124-please-dont-light-yourself-on-fire-repeat#t=3025) Editing Process and Correcting Errors in the Original Text
- [1:03:41](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2017-11-29-124-please-dont-light-yourself-on-fire-repeat#t=3821) Halloween Projects and Electronic Knitting Machine Hacks

## Topics

- [Prototyping & iteration](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/prototyping)
- [Materials & manufacturing processes](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/materials-and-processes)
- [Microcontrollers & dev platforms](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/microcontrollers-and-platforms)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)
- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories (company)
- EggBot Pro (product)
- Dis-integrated 555 timer kit (product)
- Adafruit (company)
- Spark Fun (company)
- Make (company)
- Arduino (chip)
- AYAB (product)
- Build It Yourself Science Laboratory (product)
- The Annotated Build-It-Yourself Science Laboratory (product)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Open Circuits with Eric Schlaepfer and Windell Oskay](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2022-11-14-open-circuits-with-eric-schlaepfer-and-windell-oskay) (The Amp Hour)
- [Ep 319: Experimental Archaeology, Demoscene Oscilloscope Music, and Electronic Memories](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2025-05-02-ep-319-experimental-archaeology-demoscene-oscilloscope-music-and-electronic-memo) (Hackaday Podcast)
- [#397.7 - Impedance Matching with Jeff Keyzer and Michael Ossmann](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2018-06-25-397-7-impedance-matching-with-jeff-keyzer-and-michael-ossmann) (The Amp Hour)
- [Old Books, New Tricks - Iterant Inscription Irrationality](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2015-02-27-old-books-new-tricks-iterant-inscription-irrationality) (The Amp Hour)
- [Ep 205: Hackaday Berlin, So Many Sundials, and Ovens Pinging Google](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2023-02-10-ep-205-hackaday-berlin-so-many-sundials-and-ovens-pinging-google) (Hackaday Podcast)

## Citing this page

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