# An interview with Akiba from Freaklabs - Dimissory Diagraphical Debt

- Show: [The Amp Hour](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour)
- Published: 2015-04-16
- Length: 1h 40m
- Episode: 245
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2015-04-16-an-interview-with-akiba-from-freaklabs-dimissory-diagraphical-debt
- Listen: https://theamphour.com/245-an-interview-with-akiba-from-freaklabs-dimissory-diagraphical-debt/

## Summary

Akiba, founder of Freak Labs and a researcher at Osaka University, discusses his transition from corporate IC design to running a rural co-living space called Hacker Farm in Japan. He details the technical challenges of building wireless stage control systems for the dance crew Wrecking Crew, including moving from 2.4 GHz to 900 MHz to avoid interference, and his work on low-current analog circuits for DNA sequencing. Akiba also shares his critical views on standards committees like Zigbee, the decline of Akihabara compared to Shenzhen, and the acquisition of a scanning electron microscope for the community.

## Chapters

- [0:01](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2015-04-16-an-interview-with-akiba-from-freaklabs-dimissory-diagraphical-debt#t=1) Introduction and Hacker Farm Life
- [12:52](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2015-04-16-an-interview-with-akiba-from-freaklabs-dimissory-diagraphical-debt#t=772) Corporate Burnout and Career Shift
- [17:57](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2015-04-16-an-interview-with-akiba-from-freaklabs-dimissory-diagraphical-debt#t=1077) Freak Labs and Zigbee Standards Wars
- [31:27](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2015-04-16-an-interview-with-akiba-from-freaklabs-dimissory-diagraphical-debt#t=1887) Wireless Stage Control for Wrecking Crew
- [41:41](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2015-04-16-an-interview-with-akiba-from-freaklabs-dimissory-diagraphical-debt#t=2501) Akihabara vs. Shenzhen and Tech Culture
- [1:13:30](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2015-04-16-an-interview-with-akiba-from-freaklabs-dimissory-diagraphical-debt#t=4410) Hacker Farm Equipment and DNA Sequencing

## Topics

- [Wireless & RF](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/wireless-and-rf)
- [Analog & power electronics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/analog-and-power-electronics)
- [Maker community & events](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/maker-community)
- [Chips, FPGAs & semiconductors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/chips-and-fpgas)
- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)

## Most relevant to

makers and hobbyists, early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Freak Labs (company)
- Hacker Farm (other)
- Osaka University (other)
- MIT Media Lab (other)
- Zigbee (other)
- Wrecking Crew (other)
- ESP8266 (chip)
- MediaTek (chip)
- Open Frameworks (tool)
- Arduino (product)
- Keithley (tool)
- OPA111 (chip)
- Safecast (other)
- Hitachi (company)
- Renesas (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [76: Entropy Is for Wimps](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2014-11-12-76-entropy-is-for-wimps) (Embedded.fm)
- [EP015: Going Low Frequency, Robotic Machines, Disk Usage For Budgets, And Cellphones Versus Weather](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2019-04-19-ep015-going-low-frequency-robotic-machines-disk-usage-for-budgets-and-cellphones) (Hackaday Podcast)
- [033 - All Over the Place](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/unnamed-reverse-engineering-podcast/2020-04-27-033-all-over-the-place) (Unnamed Reverse Engineering Podcast)
- [Ep046: Bring Us Your Nonsense, Hack NES Clones, Grasping FPGAs, Music Hacks, & Fish Tank of Random](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2019-12-13-ep046-bring-us-your-nonsense-hack-nes-clones-grasping-fpgas-music-hacks-fish-tan) (Hackaday Podcast)
- [70: Make Us All into Sherlock Holmes](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2014-10-03-70-make-us-all-into-sherlock-holmes) (Embedded.fm)

## Citing this page

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