Hardware Podcasts

Ep 312: Heart Attacks, the Speed of Light, and Self-balancing

Hackaday Podcast · 14 Mar 2025 · 1h 08m · Episode 312

What this episode covers

Hosts Elliot Williams and Al Williams discuss a critical flaw in the ESP32 Bluetooth stack, Renault's open-source battery fire suppression system, and the self-balancing robot projects by Mir MK and others. They analyze satellite imagery data from Satologic, the history of the Xbox Kinect, and a physics video explaining relativity via 'Float Head Physics'. The episode also covers IGBT datasheet misinterpretations, a 1957 movie prop computer, and the FDA approval of the Pixel Watch 3's loss of pulse detection algorithm.

Most relevant to

makers and hobbyists

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Renault, Satologic, Google, Sesame
Products
Xbox Kinect, Pixel Watch 3
Chips
ESP32, Arduino
Also
Mir MK, Float Head Physics

Related episodes from other shows

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • The Amp Hour · 1h 14m

    Pneumatic Tubes, Straight To The Home

    Dave Jones and Chris Gammell discuss recent tech hype, including debunking viral claims about the 'Water Cube' dehumidifier and beta-voltaic 'nuclear diamond' batteries. They cover the merger of Evil Mad Scientist and Bantam Tools, a side-channel security vulnerability affecting ESP32 microcontrollers, and the acquisition of a used TVM pick-and-place machine. The conversation also touches on power grid issues, CAD software choices like Fusion 360 and Onshape, and the failure of solar roadways.

    Debugging & failure analysisMicrocontrollers & dev platforms
    8 chapters

  • Embedded.fm · 57m

    117: In as Much as Which

    Hosts Elecia White and Christopher White discuss listener emails covering Bluetooth 4.2 security, the definition of masked ROM, and the use of the volatile keyword in C. They review Elecia's work on precision mice feeders and bike lights, and detail their disassembly of BB-8 robots for competitive analysis of their BLE and inertial sensors. The episode concludes with commentary on Amazon's work culture and drone regulations.

    Wireless & RFEmbedded firmware
    8 chapters

  • The Spark Gap · 1h 19m

    The Spark Gap - Episode 32

    Hosts Carl and Corey revisit topics from their first 31 episodes, discussing the NXP acquisition of Freescale, MakerBot's layoffs, and Tesla's certified pre-owned program and Powerwall. They also analyze the John Deere firmware ownership controversy, the performance trade-offs of No-OS and Lua on microcontrollers, and the evolution of the Raspberry Pi. The episode highlights specific components like NXP current-sensing MOSFETs and the PCA8550 I2C dip switch, while addressing software bugs in Boeing 787 generator control units and the importance of checking simple parts like LDOs.

    Microcontrollers & dev platformsBatteries & low-power design
    11 chapters

  • Embedded.fm · 44m

    233: Always the Wrong Way

    Hosts Elecia White and Chris Svec discuss listener emails, covering topics from the SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch to the Chordbot sequencer controller from Isla Instruments. White shares her experience writing 'Making Embedded Systems' and addresses a reader's request for resources on interrupts and timers, while also reviewing educational YouTube content and the free STM32 TrueStudio IDE. The conversation concludes with reflections on corporate product cancellations at LeapFrog and Cisco, and the technical optimization of early Pokémon games.

    Embedded firmwareMicrocontrollers & dev platforms
    7 chapters

  • Embedded.fm · 1h 06m

    498: To Consume Stickers

    Hosts Elecia White and Christopher White discuss personal projects, including Christopher building a high-frequency GPS logger for a radio-controlled airplane using an ESP32 and Arduino, and Elecia’s journaling habit. They also cover listener questions on breaking into embedded software, the necessity of personal projects for engineers, and strategies for preventing burnout. The episode concludes with a technical discussion on designing event-driven serial communication stacks for bare-metal and RTOS environments.

    Microcontrollers & dev platformsEmbedded firmware
    6 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.