Hardware Podcasts

Discussing The Open Hardware Summit With MightyOhm - Ostrobogulous Openness Occasion

The Amp Hour · 11 Sept 2013 · 1h 12m · Episode 162

What this episode covers

Jeff Keyzer of MightyOhm and Chris Gammell of Contextual Electronics discuss the Open Hardware Summit in Boston, visiting hardware accelerators like Bolt and Artisan's Asylum, and exploring the MIT Museum's robotics exhibits. They debate the merits of proprietary CAD tools like Altium versus open-source options like KiCad and Eagle, highlighting workflow differences and 3D integration. The conversation shifts to the impact of Software Defined Radio (SDR) and the HackRF on RF engineering, amateur radio, and the future of hardware design.

Most relevant to

makers and hobbyists and early-stage companies

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
MightyOhm, Contextual Electronics, Bolt, Artisan's Asylum, MIT, SparkFun, Flex Radio, L-Craft, Microsoft, Keithley
Products
HackRF, Makey Makey
Tools
Altium, KiCad, Eagle, Agilent, Epilogue, GNU Radio
Also
Open Hardware Summit, GitHub

Related episodes from other shows

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • Hackaday Podcast · 45m

    Ep108: Eulogizing Daft Punk Helmets, Bitcoin Feeling the Heat, Squeezing Soft Robots, and Motorizing Ice Skates

    Hackaday editors Mike Szczys and Elliot Williams discuss a range of hardware hacks, including motorized ice skates by Simon, soft robots by James Bruton, and Daft Punk helmet tributes. They review software tools like Kirimoto for CAM and Gerbalize for PCB art, while debating the trade-offs between speed and quality in prototyping, citing Christina Panos's article 'What if I never make version two?'. The episode concludes with an analysis of Bitcoin's energy consumption, highlighting Christian Hoschek's heat-exchanger mining rig.

    Prototyping & iterationPCB design & layout
    9 chapters

  • Embedded.fm · 56m

    35: All These Different Reasons Why You Might Want to Do Something

    Chris Gammell, co-host of The Amp Hour podcast and employee at a large industrial electronics company, discusses his new online course, Contextual Electronics, which bridges the gap between academic theory and practical hardware design. He explains the course's structure, which targets advanced Arduino users by teaching them to design, source parts for, and build a 'Bench Buddy' project using KiCad and open-source tools. Gammell details the logistical challenges of running a remote hardware class, including managing global time zones, version control via GitHub, and optimizing for low-cost, low-quantity component sourcing.

    Validation & product-market fitEDA & CAD tools
    8 chapters

  • Embedded.fm · 1h 08m

    100: Unintentional Radiator

    Hosts Amelia Cook and Christopher White reunite with guests Star Simpson and Jen Costillo to reflect on the evolution of the hardware hobbyist landscape over the two years since their first appearance. Star Simpson, who works at Orion, discusses her wearable device project and her open-source FPGA toolchain initiative called Balboa, while also recounting the challenges of crowdfunding the Octopart reference card. The group analyzes the shifting attitudes toward privacy and security in the Internet of Things, the rise of accessible prototyping tools like 3D printing and Crowd Supply, and the changing ecosystem of development boards including the Odroid and Arduino.

    Crowdfunding & preordersChips, FPGAs & semiconductors
    10 chapters

  • The Spark Gap · 42m

    The Spark Gap - Episode 24

    Hosts Carl and Corey discuss their 2015 resolutions, including revisiting basic electronics design and exploring open-source EDA tools like KiCad and Altium CircuitMaker. They announce a shift to a bi-weekly release schedule to allow for more guest interviews and higher-quality content. The episode then explores the topic of reverse engineering old hardware, citing examples like the original Xbox, cable modems, and Kinect sensors to demonstrate how discarded electronics can be repurposed or studied.

    EDA & CAD toolsDebugging & failure analysis
    5 chapters

  • Thoroughly Considered · 45m

    14: Top Tools

    Tom Gerhardt, Dan Provost, and Myke Hurley of Studio Neat discuss their top three professional and personal tools. Tom highlights Autodesk Fusion 360 for its integrated CAD/CAM workflow, while Dan praises the Olympus E-M5 camera for capturing memories and Myke recommends Apple's Notes app for its reliable sync and extensions. The conversation also covers physical tools like Exacto knives, calipers, and the Cricket knife, alongside software like the to.do app and OmniFocus automation.

    EDA & CAD toolsDirect-to-consumer & e-commerce
    10 chapters

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by The Amp Hour. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.