510: The Secret Chip

Embedded.fm · 19 Sept 2025 · 1h 04m · Episode 510

What this episode covers

Christina Cyr, CEO of dTOOR, discusses her journey building The Cyrcle Phone, an Android device with a round display, and her company's status as a social purpose corporation. She details the technical challenges of sourcing components like ADH connectors, the high costs of industry awards, and the emerging economics of lithium-ion battery recycling. Cyr also shares insights on navigating the hardware startup landscape, including the difficulty of fundraising and strategies for re-entering the workforce after a career break.

Mentioned

Companies
dTOOR, JST, SparkFun, Crowd Supply, Wellfound
Products
The Cyrcle Phone, Fairphone
Also
ADH connector, PH connector, Crunchbase, PitchBook

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • The Amp Hour · 1h 13m

    An Interview with Christina Cyr

    Christina Cyr, CEO of Detour and creator of the Circle Phone, discusses the development of a circular, dual-display smartphone and her recent experience exhibiting at CES. She details the challenges of sourcing components from large vendors like Qualcomm, navigating complex tariff codes for batteries and LCDs, and the financial realities of hardware startups, including high NRE costs and the difficulty of getting support for low-volume production. Cyr also shares lessons learned from her first Kickstarter campaign, particularly regarding market validation and the pitfalls of gendered marketing assumptions.

  • The Builder Circle · 18m

    For Hardware Startups by Hardware People: Building The Builder Circle with Host, Sera Evcimen

    Sera Evcimen, a mechanical engineer and startup mentor, explains the mission of The Builder Circle podcast to support hardware founders through case studies and practical advice. She details her background working on diverse products like satellites and robotics, which led to her hypothesis on common hardware failure modes. Evcimen outlines upcoming affordable resources, including 'The Building Blocks' strategy packages, designed to democratize high-quality hardware decision-making for startups with limited budgets.

  • The Amp Hour · 1h 04m

    Year End, 2017

    Dave Jones of AEV discusses the logistical and financial challenges of fulfilling his successful Kickstarter for the AEV Multimeter, including component supply issues and complex international shipping. Chris Gammell of Contextual Electronics critiques the Raspberry Pi Foundation's push for commercial use of their boards and discusses the rising cost of prototyping services. The hosts also reflect on industry trends, including the failure of Patreon's fee hike, the stagnation of 3D printing in manufacturing, and the lack of scalable open-source hardware companies.

  • The Amp Hour · 58m

    Shiny New Pebble with Eric Migicovsky

    Eric Migicovsky, founder of the original Pebble and CEO of CoreDevices, discusses the relaunch of Pebble and the development of the Index 01 smart ring. He contrasts the early days of Pebble—where he made costly mistakes like designing custom Bluetooth hardware instead of using modules—with the modern ease of finding factories and using off-the-shelf components like the Sifly chip for the new watch. Migicovsky explains the design philosophy behind the Index 01, which prioritizes a two-year battery life and 100% reliability over health tracking, using a Dialog Semiconductor chip to achieve its 'external brain RAM' function.

  • Predictable Designs Podcast · 40m

    Hard Earned Lessons Learned with Wayne Frick of ChirpSounds – Part 2

    Wayne Frick of ChirpSounds details the operational and technical hurdles of bringing his long-range Bluetooth bird call device to market, specifically focusing on supply chain complexities and component selection. He explains the challenges of sourcing a certified, weatherproof 18650 battery and selecting a UV-stable plastic that allowed for cost-effective painting rather than custom compounding. Frick also discusses the critical importance of building an audience and maintaining cash flow through strategic production scaling and manufacturer financing rather than relying on crowdfunding.

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by Embedded.fm. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.