Ep 244: Fake Chips, Drinking Radium, and Spotting Slippery Neutrinos

Hackaday Podcast · 17 Nov 2023 · 45m · Episode 244

What this episode covers

Hackaday Editor-in-Chief Elliot Williams and Kristina Panos review the week's hacks, starting with JC Parkin’s digital pen that uses sensor fusion of an IMU and webcam for precise tracking. They discuss Dan Maloney’s analysis of counterfeit LM2596 buck converters, which function but suffer from high ripple and heat, and Adam Blumenberg’s history of Radithor, a radioactive health fad. The hosts also cover the Chamberlain garage door monopoly, Home Assistant’s open-source RatGDO workaround, and Lewin Day’s article on detecting neutrinos using large water tanks and photomultiplier tubes.

Mentioned

Companies
Chamberlain, Fermi Lab
Products
Radithor, RatGDO, DUNE
Chips
LM2596, ESP8266
Also
JC Parkin, Home Assistant, Becky Stern, Michael Ben, Adam Herrick, Sebastian, Lewin Day, Tom, JawnCon, Supercon

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