Hardware Podcasts

Design Reviews Are Important - Habitual Hype Hebetude

The Amp Hour · 13 Aug 2014 · 1h 09m · Episode 211

What this episode covers

Chris Gammell of Contextual Electronics and Dave Jones of EEVblog discuss the recent DEF CON conference, highlighting Tesla's firmware hacking initiative and the broader security implications for IoT devices like the Nest thermostat. They critically analyze the U-Beam ultrasonic wireless charging Kickstarter project, arguing that its complexity and cost make it impractical compared to existing inductive charging solutions. The conversation shifts to engineering best practices, emphasizing the importance of rigorous design reviews and the risks of using low-cost components that may fail prematurely due to supply chain decisions.

Most relevant to

early-stage companies

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Tesla, MakerBot, Oculus, Texas Instruments
Products
Nest, U-Beam, HackRF

Related episodes from other shows

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • Embedded.fm · 1h 13m

    182: Sorry Little Diodes

    Hosts Elecia White and Chris Svec discuss a variety of embedded systems topics, including the use of the RTL-SDR dongle for software-defined radio and the challenges of low-quality Chinese Ham radios. They analyze the industry's need to 'grow up' regarding security and ethics, citing the ESA Schiaparelli lander failure as an example of integration testing gaps. The conversation also covers the utility of Compiler Explorer (Godbolt.org) for comparing assembly output and addresses the prevalence of imposter syndrome among engineers.

    Microcontrollers & dev platformsSecurity & privacy
    6 chapters

  • Embedded.fm · 1h 13m

    290: Rule of Thumbs

    Phillip Johnston, founder of Embedded Artistry, discusses embedded software consulting, the importance of upfront design to avoid costly rewrites, and best practices for code reviews and testing. He analyzes the Boeing 737 MAX crashes as a systemic failure driven by business pressures and poor risk analysis, and explains the challenges of retargeting C++ standard libraries like libc++ to RTOS environments such as FreeRTOS and ThreadX.

    Embedded firmwareDebugging & failure analysis
    9 chapters

  • Embedded.fm · 1h 13m

    192: Button Connected To Nothing

    Terry Dunlap, founder and CEO of Tactical Network Solutions, discusses the critical lack of security in Internet of Things (IoT) devices, citing the Mirai botnet, the TrendNet FTC lawsuit, and the St. Jude Medical defibrillator alert as key examples of failure. He explains that common vulnerabilities stem from insecure coding practices, such as buffer overflows and hardcoded keys, often exacerbated by outsourcing firmware development without source code visibility. Dunlap highlights the emergence of standards like UL 2900 and the work of organizations like CableLabs to enforce firmware evaluation, while noting that consumers often remain vulnerable due to poor router configurations and a lack of firmware update support. He advises manufacturers to implement secure coding practices, use source code auditing tools, and encrypt firmware images to reduce the attack surface before devices reach the field.

    Security & privacyEmbedded firmware
    11 chapters

  • Embedded.fm · 1h 03m

    53: Being a Grownup Engineer

    Jack Ganssle, author of 'The Art of Designing Embedded Systems' and long-time embedded industry expert, argues that firmware engineers must adopt disciplined engineering practices rather than relying on 'heroic' hacking. He discusses the necessity of requirements gathering, design reviews, code inspections, and rigorous testing to ensure safety and reliability, citing the Toyota unintended acceleration case as a failure of process. Ganssle advocates for measuring metrics like bug rates and lines of code to benchmark performance, and critiques the misuse of Linux in deeply embedded systems and the confusion between the maker movement and professional engineering.

    Embedded firmwareCareers & education
    10 chapters

  • TRADEOFFS · 40m

    T-26-012 : Founders From The Show Floor - CES 2026

    Chris and Nate interview founders from Eureka Park at CES 2026, including Rajeev Ramanath of Blueberry Technology, Cole Ashman of Pila Energy, and Scott Hickle of Throne. They discuss specific products like the autonomous Blueberry Go airport robot, Pila Energy's modular home batteries, and Throne's toilet health tracker. The episode highlights trade-offs in hardware design, such as Pebble's Eric Migicovsky choosing ODMs for speed over control, and Roam's Aaron Pollack accepting thickness for battery life. Other founders like Niclas Bertelsen of Naya and Michael Churchill of Kombu discuss modular ecosystems and material choices for fermentation.

    Prototyping & iterationDesign for manufacturing & NPI
    14 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.