Voltnuts for Flashlights
Dave Jones and Chris Gammell discuss the dangers of shorting batteries, using a melted toy switch to illustrate how low ESR components can fail catastically, and analyze an Apple LCD connector failure caused by moisture ingress and insufficient creepage distance. They debate whether electronics engineers can effectively handle mechanical design, citing Tesla's manufacturing inefficiencies and the value of specialized industrial designers. The conversation concludes with the closure of Make magazine, analyzing its failure as a result of venture capital pressure on a low-margin business model, and touches on industry consolidation involving Infineon, Cypress, and RISC-V.