# Ep110: One Unicode to Rule Them, Hacking Focus Stacking, Virtual Typing, and Zombie Weather Channel

- Show: [Hackaday Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast)
- Published: 2021-03-19
- Length: 51m
- Episode: 110
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2021-03-19-ep110-one-unicode-to-rule-them-hacking-focus-stacking-virtual-typing-and-zombie
- Listen: https://hackaday.libsyn.com/ep110-one-unicode-to-rule-them-hacking-focus-stacking-virtual-typing-and-zombie-weather-channel

## Summary

Hackaday editors Mike Szczys and Elliot Williams discuss a week of hardware hacks, including a Coast Guard icebreaker sourcing obsolete diodes on eBay and CryCut's controversial shift to a subscription model for its cutting machines. They highlight Charlie X's reverse engineering of an Eakins microscope camera to enable automated focus stacking for PCB inspection, and Tech Night's two-year effort to reverse-engineer a defunct Weather Channel broadcast box using PAL and FPGA chips. The episode concludes with a deep dive into the history and technical implementation of Unicode/UTF-8, alongside brief mentions of fault injection using flyswatters and virtual typing research.

## Chapters

- [0:02](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2021-03-19-ep110-one-unicode-to-rule-them-hacking-focus-stacking-virtual-typing-and-zombie#t=2) Introduction: Mike Szczys and Elliot Williams
- [0:32](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2021-03-19-ep110-one-unicode-to-rule-them-hacking-focus-stacking-virtual-typing-and-zombie#t=32) Coast Guard Icebreaker Diode Shortage and CryCut Subscription Model
- [6:01](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2021-03-19-ep110-one-unicode-to-rule-them-hacking-focus-stacking-virtual-typing-and-zombie#t=361) Charlie X's Automated Focus Stacking Hack on Eakins Camera
- [10:34](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2021-03-19-ep110-one-unicode-to-rule-them-hacking-focus-stacking-virtual-typing-and-zombie#t=634) Tech Night's Reverse Engineering of Weather Channel Broadcast Box
- [15:56](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2021-03-19-ep110-one-unicode-to-rule-them-hacking-focus-stacking-virtual-typing-and-zombie#t=956) Discrete Logic Word Clock and Portable Telescope Hacks
- [22:23](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2021-03-19-ep110-one-unicode-to-rule-them-hacking-focus-stacking-virtual-typing-and-zombie#t=1343) Fault Injection with Electric Flyswatter and Virtual Typing Research
- [32:24](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2021-03-19-ep110-one-unicode-to-rule-them-hacking-focus-stacking-virtual-typing-and-zombie#t=1944) Quick Hacks: Rocket Nozzles, AI Drones, and E-Ink Laptops
- [37:12](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2021-03-19-ep110-one-unicode-to-rule-them-hacking-focus-stacking-virtual-typing-and-zombie#t=2232) Urban Heat Islands and Unicode/UTF-8 History
- [49:40](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2021-03-19-ep110-one-unicode-to-rule-them-hacking-focus-stacking-virtual-typing-and-zombie#t=2980) Conclusion and Sponsor Read

## Topics

- [PCB design & layout](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pcb-design)
- [Chips, FPGAs & semiconductors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/chips-and-fpgas)
- [Debugging & failure analysis](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/debugging-and-failure-analysis)
- [Microcontrollers & dev platforms](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/microcontrollers-and-platforms)
- [Sensors & measurement in products](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sensors)
- [Policy, trade & tariffs](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/policy-trade-and-tariffs)
- [Energy & climate tech](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/energy-and-climate-tech)
- [Embedded firmware](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/embedded-firmware)

## Most relevant to

makers and hobbyists

## Mentioned

- Polar Star (other)
- CryCut (company)
- Eakins (product)
- Weather Channel (company)
- Tech Night (other)
- Arduino (other)
- KiCad (tool)
- Raspberry Pi (other)
- LIS 2DH (chip)
- 7400 series (chip)
- 68010 (chip)
- AVR (chip)
- UTF-8 (other)
- ASCII (other)
- Unicode (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [050 - Four Years In](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/unnamed-reverse-engineering-podcast/2021-08-22-050-four-years-in) (Unnamed Reverse Engineering Podcast)
- [The Spark Gap - Episode 24](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-spark-gap/2015-01-07-the-spark-gap-episode-24) (The Spark Gap)
- [017 - Supercon 2018 Part 2](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/unnamed-reverse-engineering-podcast/2018-11-11-017-supercon-2018-part-2) (Unnamed Reverse Engineering Podcast)
- [031 - The Title Isn't DibbleDabble](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/unnamed-reverse-engineering-podcast/2019-12-27-031-the-title-isnt-dibbledabble) (Unnamed Reverse Engineering Podcast)
- [024 - Cars, Servers, and FPGAs!](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/unnamed-reverse-engineering-podcast/2019-07-15-024-cars-servers-and-fpgas) (Unnamed Reverse Engineering Podcast)

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