Ep 313: Capacitor Plague, Wireless Power, and Tiny Everything

Hackaday Podcast · 21 Mar 2025 · 55m · Episode 313

What this episode covers

Hosts Elliot Williams and Jenny List recap Hackaday Europe, detailing badge production logistics, customs delays, and the heroic work of Vojta Antonich in programming SAOs. They discuss a retrospective on the 2000s capacitor plague, attributing failures to thermal design rather than just chemical defects, and highlight a thermal microscope using germanium lenses. The episode also covers inefficient wireless power transfer experiments, PCB spring connectors from Decimo, and Mike Roller's world's smallest PCB blinky using an STM32L0 microcontroller.

Mentioned

Companies
Rubicon, Dell, Nicikon, Decimo, Texas Instruments
Products
RTLSDR, Maplin 4600, Pebble
Chips
STM32L0
Also
Hackaday Europe, Xane Hacker Space, Vojta Antonich, Brett Wallach, Todbot, Asianometry, Hyperspace Pirate, Tesla, Mike Roller, Chris Dobble, Look Mom No Computer

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • The Amp Hour · 1h 20m

    Photon Rich, Cash Poor

    Dave Jones and Chris Gammell discuss a Keysight U1272A multimeter that suffers from severe susceptibility to conducted and radiated EM fields, a flaw inherent to its design that bypassed standard compliance testing. They also examine the Allwinner R8 processor and the new Chip Pro module, noting how the latter's System-on-Module design with integrated DDR3 makes previously inaccessible consumer chips viable for small-batch production. Finally, they critique the Wi-Fi kettle's usability failures and Solar Roadways' non-functional public installation, attributing these to marketing-driven product decisions rather than engineering value.

  • 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.

  • The Amp Hour · 1h 14m

    Assembly Chat

    Hosts Dave Jones and Chris Gammell record an episode while Dave assembles a PCB, discussing the utility of the Interactive BOM plugin for KiCad and the board repair software by Paul Daniels. They identify design flaws in Dave's board, including incorrect capacitor voltage ratings and missing silkscreen designators, and share technical tips on reliability, such as using series capacitors to prevent short circuits. The conversation also covers battery selection for cold environments, the OWASP Top 10 for hardware security, and vintage test equipment.

  • The Amp Hour · 1h 03m

    PITA Package

    Chris Gammell of Contextual Electronics and Dave Jones of EEVblog discuss a variety of hardware topics, including Gammell's new cellular development platform using a QuickTel EG91 module and Jones's five-part tutorial series on programming the Padauk three-cent microcontroller. They also review low-cost components like the SSP 6206 voltage regulator and the NCP 115 in an XDFN package, while debating the practicality of such tiny parts versus standard options. The conversation shifts to workshop tools, comparing microscope setups and fume extraction systems, before concluding with a discussion on e-waste recycling practices demonstrated by YouTuber E-waste Ben.

  • The Amp Hour · 1h 11m

    Magical Fire Bags

    Hosts Chris Gammell and Dave Jones discuss the engineering failures behind the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 battery explosions, attributing them to insufficient physical tolerance for battery swelling in a rigid aluminum enclosure. They analyze the rise and fall of Pebble and MakerBot as cautionary tales of startup hype and the risks of relying on third-party IoT service layers. The episode also covers the enduring relevance of the 8051 microcontroller, the complexity of historical chip documentation, and Ben Krasnow's use of off-the-shelf eBay components for rapid prototyping.

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.