Ep 290: iPhone's Electric Glue, Winamp's Source Code, and Sonya's Beautiful Instructions

Hackaday Podcast · 27 Sept 2024 · 1h 12m · Episode 290

What this episode covers

Hackaday editors Elliot Williams and Tom Nardi discuss the release of an electrically activated adhesive by Tesa used in the new iPhone, which allows for non-thermal disassembly. They also cover the source code release of Winamp under a restrictive license, a hack by Beamster to add Apple Find My support to power tool batteries using the OpenHaystack library, and a 14-year-old's autonomous stratospheric glider project called Stratosaur. The episode concludes with a deep dive into Sonya Vasquez's documentation practices for the Jubilee 3D printer and Arya Voronova's bodge-job fix for a noisy switching regulator.

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • Go/No-Go · 1h 19m

    iFixit’s Shahram Mokhtari on the hidden design of modern electronics, CES-week manufacturing headlines, and a Reconstruction of Juicero, the $700 connected juicer that defined over-engineering.

    Shahram Mokhtari, lead teardown technician at iFixit, explains how their team uses CT scans and coordinated teardowns to analyze modern electronics, highlighting the shift from destructive glue to electrically released adhesives in iPhones. He contrasts Apple’s meticulous, over-engineered design philosophy with Samsung’s risk-taking approach and discusses the sustainability trade-offs of premium materials like aluminum and glass. The episode also covers recent manufacturing headlines, including the heavy cooling requirements of AI data centers, satellite collision risks, and the surprising resilience of fashion catalogs, before concluding with a reconstruction of Juicero’s failure due to over-engineering and lack of product-market fit.

  • Unnamed Reverse Engineering Podcast · 1h 34m

    075 - Teleporting All Over The Timeline

    Nathan Emerick, creator of the open-source project DeskThing, explains how he reverse-engineered Spotify's discontinued CarThing hardware to keep it functional after Spotify bricked the device. He details the technical journey from discovering the Amlogic chip and ADB access to building a web-based flashing tool and a desktop app that turns the CarThing into a versatile desktop controller. Emerick also discusses the challenges of dealing with Spotify's MFi Bluetooth restrictions, the sudden viral growth of the project, and his current struggles in the software engineering job market.

  • The Amp Hour · 1h 13m

    Last Minute Decisions - Obdurate Onepercenter Obstacles

    Dave Jones and Chris Gammell discuss Altium's new Maker PCB package, criticizing its mandatory cloud storage as a potential dealbreaker for engineers who need offline access. Gammell introduces his new component search engine project, parts.io, designed to help engineers find and compare op-amps and other components more effectively. The hosts also analyze a teardown of a Tesla battery pack, discussing the use of 18650 cells, fusing strategies, and current shunts, while noting that former guest Vincent Himpey has joined Tesla as head PCB designer.

  • Unnamed Reverse Engineering Podcast · 1h 28m

    058 - Technically Met the Specs

    Eric Schlaepfer and Windell Oskay discuss their book 'Open Circuits,' detailing the process of cutting components in half with sandpaper and grinding wheels to reveal internal structures, while Jacob Creedon, Spencer Moss, Ken, and Will McGuiness share their perspectives on reverse engineering tools like IDA Pro and Ghidra, and the legal and social implications of technology. The group debates the future of AI, the validity of NFTs, and the importance of right-to-repair legislation, with Spencer Moss from Google and Ken from Somerset Recon highlighting the increasing complexity of hardware security. Mike Ryan from Ice 9 Consulting joins to discuss Bluetooth security, the obsolescence of passwords, and the dual-use nature of technology in the context of government regulation.

  • The Amp Hour · 1h 17m

    Spacing Out On Space - Dave's Dongle Designing

    Dave Jones and Chris Gammell discuss the Hackaday Prize, which offers a trip to space, emphasizing that open-source documentation and novel ideas are more important than polished hardware. They explore the concept of a portable lab, debating the use of makeup cases, Android-based scopes like the Aussie Prime, and handheld scopes from Handtech. The conversation also covers Altium's strategic failure in China and subsequent move to San Diego, changes to Eagle's licensing model, and the consolidation of the audio chip market through Serious Logic's acquisition of Wolfson.

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