Hackaday Podcast · 9 May 2025 · 42m · Episode 320
Hosts Elliot Williams and Kristina Panos review a week of hardware hacks, including a deep dive into the failed history of Wireless USB standards, a DIY penicillin cultivation experiment, and a new 'Rapid Liquid Print' 3D printing technology for silicone. They also discuss a retrofitted iMac G3, PCB business cards, and research into PCB renewal via KiCad plugins. The episode concludes with an exploration of optical contact bonding and Schlieren photography for flow visualization.
makers and hobbyists
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Chris Gammell returns from Maker Faire to discuss the proliferation of 3D printers, the Intel Edison development board, and low-cost pick-and-place machines. Dave Jones addresses viewer complaints about his YouTube content, analyzes the technical specs of the Intel Edison, and reviews the new Altium cloud-based design tool. The hosts also touch on the challenges of open-source test equipment and the future of hardware kits.
Chris Gammell of Contextual Electronics discusses his upcoming 'Bench Buddy' power supply project and his experience creating a KiCad video course, while Dave Jones of EEVblog critiques the state of hardware CAD tools, particularly the lack of Mac support and the stability of KiCad. The hosts analyze the trend of running high-level languages like Python and JavaScript on microcontrollers, debating whether this serves as a useful gateway for software developers or adds unnecessary complexity. They also evaluate the feasibility of conductive ink 3D printing for PCBs, the role of GitHub profiles in engineering hiring, and the efficiency of wireless power transfer chips like the LTC4120.
David Picciuto, Jimmy Diresta, and Bob Clagett discuss their current projects and New Year's resolutions. David Picciuto details his experience in Greg Pennington's Windsor chair class and his experiment using an X-Tool P2 laser to create a veneered end table. Bob Clagett explains his process for upgrading shop lighting using 3D-printed brackets, while Jimmy Diresta shares his plans to organize his shop with an A1 3D printer and his strategy to reduce digital consumption.
Greg Davill, an engineer at an Australian aero surveying company, discusses his hobbyist work with KiCad, detailing how he uses Fusion 360 and Python scripts to create realistic renders of PCBs by converting SVG layers. Michael Ossmann, founder of Great Scott Gadgets, announces the shipping of the GreatFET One, a high-performance USB hacking tool, and discusses the company's transition from garage to scaling, highlighting collaboration challenges and testing failures with the HackRF.
Hosts Daniel and Farbode discuss a Harvard University research project led by Vinoth Manaharan that uses a 3D-printed plastic cartridge and water surface tension to manipulate micro- and nanoscale particles, democratizing access to micromanufacturing previously reliant on expensive laser tweezers. They also review a webinar featuring Lumafield, a startup making affordable desktop CT scanners, which utilized the Duro PLM platform to accelerate its product development cycle. The episode highlights how accessible tools like 3D printing and cloud-native software are enabling new capabilities in high-frequency antenna design and hardware verification.
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