Magical Fire Bags
Hosts Chris Gammell and Dave Jones discuss the engineering failures behind the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 battery explosions, attributing them to insufficient physical tolerance for battery swelling in a rigid aluminum enclosure. They analyze the rise and fall of Pebble and MakerBot as cautionary tales of startup hype and the risks of relying on third-party IoT service layers. The episode also covers the enduring relevance of the 8051 microcontroller, the complexity of historical chip documentation, and Ben Krasnow's use of off-the-shelf eBay components for rapid prototyping.