Hardware Podcasts

Ep 340: The Best Programming Language, Space Surgery, and Hacking Two 3D Printers into One

Hackaday Podcast · 3 Oct 2025 · 1h 12m · Episode 340

What this episode covers

Hosts Elliot Williams and Al Williams discuss the IEEE Spectrum's 2025 programming language rankings, noting Python's dominance and the potential for AI to obscure language popularity metrics. They review several hardware hacks, including a surplus industrial robot arm repurposed as a bartender, a minimalist analog drum machine built with shift registers, and a high-power avalanche laser driver. The episode also covers porting a Fortran F-16 flight simulator to Unity 3D, the challenges of switching Linux distributions, and the medical logistics of performing surgery in microgravity.

Most relevant to

makers and hobbyists

Topics

Mentioned

Products
Ender 3, Voron
Tools
Unity 3D, SEGGER J-Link, Distrobox
Also
IEEE Spectrum, Python, ChatGPT, Fortran, F-16, OpenSUSE, Tumbleweed

Related episodes from other shows

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • The Electromaker Show · 23m

    Raspberry Pi 500, Robot Roadies, Huge 3d Printers and Car Hacking!

    Host Ian discusses Christopher Barnett's 'Raspberry Pi 500' build, which repurposes an Atari 500 case for a Raspberry Pi 5, and announces Cooper Rox2 as the winner of the Arduino Nano 33 BLE Sense Rev 2 competition. The episode covers Dexterity Robotics' automation of truck loading, the WiSer wireless serial project on Crowd Supply, and Elegoo's massive OrangeStorm Giga 3D printer. Finally, Ian reviews a car CAN bus hacking project using Blues Wireless Note Carrier F and an Adafruit M4 CAN board.

    Prototyping & iterationMicrocontrollers & dev platforms
    1 chapters

  • The Amp Hour · 1h 01m

    Gremlins in the machine

    Hosts Chris Gammell and Dave Jones discuss the implications of AI on engineering careers, specifically questioning who will troubleshoot systems if everyone relies on prompt engineering. They analyze a high-paying 'prompt engineer' job listing from Anthropic and debate the future value of low-level skills like assembly and C. The conversation shifts to practical hardware topics, including the impact of Arm's pricing changes ahead of its IPO, the risks of buying counterfeit components on eBay, and the viability of using 3D printing services versus owning a printer like the Prusa Mini.

    AI & machine learningChips, FPGAs & semiconductors
    7 chapters

  • Embedded.fm · 56m

    351: Dextral or Sinistral

    Hosts Elecia White and Christopher White discuss the value of show transcripts, compare NumPy and MATLAB for computational work, and detail Christopher's 3D printed Star Wars lightsaber and Elecia's Python-based origami seashell modeling. They also address listener questions regarding career transitions into embedded systems, emphasizing the importance of internships, open-source contributions, and building tangible projects like using Rust or Linux tools. The episode concludes with commentary on the hardware ecosystem, including ARM Macs and GPU shortages.

    Embedded firmwareCareers & education
    7 chapters

  • Embedded.fm · 1h 01m

    144: Asking For Clippy

    Hosts Elecia White and Christopher White discuss the Hackaday Prize structure, the launch of the NPR podcast 'Embedded', and Christopher's recent success in obtaining his General amateur radio license. They compare the development experience of taking a Unity game engine course to embedded systems work, highlighting the superior tooling and rapid iteration times in game development versus the friction of bare-metal embedded toolchains like IAR. The episode also touches on the sale of Boston Dynamics by Google and offers a large batch of Atmel AT32UC3 microcontrollers to listeners.

    Embedded firmwareMicrocontrollers & dev platforms
    6 chapters

  • Embedded.fm · 54m

    446: World's Best PB&J

    Hosts Elecia White and Christopher White interview an AI language model, referred to as 'Christopher White' or ChatGPT, discussing its capabilities and limitations in embedded systems and software development. They explore the use of tools like Compiler Explorer (godbolt.org) and Google Colab for coding tasks, and discuss the complexities of using ArduPilot for drone projects. The conversation highlights the distinction between statistical language models and true artificial intelligence, noting issues with hallucination and lack of reasoning.

    AI & machine learningEmbedded firmware
    7 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.