Hackaday Podcast · 5 Nov 2021 · 52m · Episode 143
Hackaday editors Mike Szczys and Elliot Williams discuss a week of hardware hacks, including a bio-inspired robot hand using fluidic actuators and an autonomous water-jet boat. They analyze Carl Malamud's General Index, a database of research paper n-grams designed to bypass paywalls, and review the Watchy open-source smartwatch ecosystem. The episode concludes with a deep dive into EMC design patterns for buck/boost converters and a discussion on the global magnesium shortage affecting aluminum production.
makers and hobbyists
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Hosts Dave Jones and Chris Gamble discuss the open-source RC controller from Gizmo For You, highlighting its complex injection-molded cases and 8-layer PCB. They review Ken Lumbard's 'Reading Jim Williams' project, which curates and analyzes the application notes of legendary analog engineer Jim Williams. The hosts also cover rumors of a DARPA humanoid robot grand challenge and share experiences using CircuitLab for SPICE simulation.
Hosts Chris Gammell of Contextual Electronics and Dave Jones of EEVblog discuss the 300th episode, covering topics from advanced prosthetics by MIT's Dr. Hugh Herr to the operational Monster 6502 computer built by Eric Schlepfer. They analyze the Indiegogo and Arrow partnership for crowdfunding vetting, citing the Peachy Printer scandal as a cautionary tale, and debate the technical and legal hurdles of self-driving cars and automation. The conversation also touches on the utility of mono scooters, the value of supporting open-source hardware communities over proprietary brands, and the historical significance of vintage electrical engineering texts.
The host reviews several maker projects and products, including a hack of e-ink price tags from Maker's Fun Duck and a low-cost flex sensor alternative using an LDR created by a student at Gord Payne's High School. He announces the November Electromaker of the Month winners, highlighting Liminus Reductor's modular robot dog, a plant-identifying wrist device by 'donuts or else', and a hexabit-based distance meter. The episode also covers new hardware releases such as the Inkplate 2 e-paper kit, a Raspberry Pi prototyping breakout kit on Kickstarter, Elephant Robotics' Arduino-based Ultra Arm P340, and the Raspberry Pi Camera Module v3.
Hosts Daniel and Forbode recap their favorite episodes from the first year of The Next Byte Podcast, discussing technologies ranging from Boom Supersonic's XB1 prototype and IoT-based emission inspections to Marsquakes, 3D-printed cars by Zinger, and biomimetic robots. They also highlight advanced prosthetics developed by LifeNabled and Antropology, reflecting on their growth as creators and their goal to make complex engineering accessible to a global audience.
The host reviews several maker projects including Pegor’s Pi-powered Jägermeister pouring machine, Naveen’s Thingy53 snoring detector, and Zach Freedman’s Mirage Mark3 modular keyboard. He also covers crowdfunding campaigns like the Edge Pro 1 and Juicy Crumb’s iMac drop-in, before analyzing Amazon’s new Fire TV Cube and Halo Sleep Tracker from a hardware repurposing perspective.
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