Hardware Podcasts

Ep 308: The Worst 1 Ever, Google's Find My Opened, and SAR on a Drone

Hackaday Podcast · 14 Feb 2025 · 48m · Episode 308

What this episode covers

Elliot Williams and Jenny List review Henrik Forstén’s synthetic aperture radar (SAR) system mounted on a drone, which uses an FPGA and GPS data to create high-resolution 3D models of the ground. They discuss Sylvain Munaut’s software-defined radio (SDR) built from Tiny Tapeout ASIC components, marking a milestone for the open-source silicon platform. The hosts also cover the open-source port of Google's Find My network to ESP32 and other microcontrollers, enabling DIY tracking devices, and explore various hardware hacks including zipper repair, ultrasonic sound recording, and bleach printing on fabric.

Most relevant to

makers and hobbyists

Topics

Mentioned

Products
Google Find My, Air Guard, Doom
Chips
ESP32, RP2040, Zynq 720, Nordic nRF5, Silicon Labs EFR32, SPU0410LR5
Also
Henrik Forstén, Tiny Tapeout, Sylvain Munaut, James Webb Space Telescope

Related episodes from other shows

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • Unnamed Reverse Engineering Podcast · 1h 06m

    012 - Cheese vs. SDR

    Jared Boone, founder of Sharebrained Technology, discusses the HackRF software-defined radio and the Portapack, a portable handheld device he developed to make SDR accessible without a laptop. Alvaro, who runs a cheese project called Ostur, joins the conversation to discuss embedded development using STM32 and Nordic nRF52 platforms, while also sharing his passion for cheesemaking. The group explores the history of interactive TV, Blu-ray authoring, and the technical details of various radio technologies, including Iridium satellite interception and TPMS signal analysis.

    Wireless & RFEmbedded firmware
    10 chapters

  • The Amp Hour · 1h 37m

    Stories from Supercon 2019

    Jereon “Sprite_tm” Domburg, Sylvain “tnt” Munaut, and Matt Venn discuss open-source FPGA toolchains and hardware at Supercon 2019. Sprite_tm details his Supercon 2019 badge, which uses a Lattice ECP5 FPGA to host two Pico RV32 RISC-V cores and a PIC-16, enabling a reconfigurable system via USB mass storage and cartridges. Sylvain Munaut explains his work on the badge's DFU bootloader and Osmocom's use of ECP5 FPGAs for software-defined radio, including sniffing CPRI links. Matt Venn describes his role at Symbiotic EDA, focusing on formal verification tools for safety-critical systems like particle accelerators.

    Microcontrollers & dev platformsChips, FPGAs & semiconductors
    10 chapters

  • The Amp Hour · 1h 51m

    "Impedance Matching" With Charvat And Ossmann - Recurring RF Remontados

    Greg Charvat, an entrepreneur and radar expert known for the MIT coffee can radar, and Michael Ossmann of Great Scott Gadgets, creator of the HackRF software-defined radio (SDR), discuss the technical details of SDR, radar design, and RF security. They explore the architecture of the HackRF, specifically its decision to omit an FPGA to reduce cost and power, and discuss how to integrate it with low-cost FMCW radar modules for range-Doppler imaging. The conversation also covers Ossmann's work on RF retro-reflectors for the NSA Playset project, the challenges of interference in the 2.4 GHz band, and the regulatory landscape for devices like the GoTenna.

    Wireless & RFMicrocontrollers & dev platforms
    8 chapters

  • The Electromaker Show · 20m

    Red Pitaya gets even more Incredible, Lego Planetarium meets Arduino, Autotuned Kazoo, and More!

    The host reviews Red Pitaya's STEMlab 125-14 and MIKROE Click Add On Shield, describing the FPGA-based board as a versatile 'Swiss Army Knife' for engineers that can function as an oscilloscope, logic analyzer, or software-defined radio. Guy Dupont’s Autotuned Kazoo project is highlighted, featuring an ESP32-S3 and MEMS microphone to create a wireless MIDI controller and synthesizer using a sawtooth wave trick. Robin Mitchell’s Electromaker Educator segment demonstrates a voice-controlled Lego Planetarium upgrade using an Arduino Nano 33 IoT and stepper motors, while Wiznet’s announcement of the W55RP20 chip combining an Ethernet controller with an RP2040 is also noted.

    PCB design & layoutMicrocontrollers & dev platforms
    5 chapters

  • The Electromaker Show · 33m

    Arduino Cloud Google Home Integration, Tiny DIY FPV Drone, Pi's own VNC, and More!

    The host discusses Arduino's new Google Home integration with the Arduino Cloud, which allows variables in Arduino projects to be exposed as controllable devices in Google Home, extending to Raspberry Pi GPIO control. The episode also covers Raspberry Pi Connect, a simplified VNC solution for headless Pi management, and highlights two new RISC-V CH32V003 development boards: the TinyScarab and the CAPUF Dev Kit. Finally, the host reviews a DIY FPV drone built with lollipop sticks and Microchip's Maker Zone tank battle project.

    Connected products & IoTMicrocontrollers & dev platforms
    1 chapters

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.