# Magical Fire Bags

- Show: [The Amp Hour](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour)
- Published: 2016-12-09
- Length: 1h 11m
- Episode: 326
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2016-12-09-magical-fire-bags
- Listen: https://theamphour.com/326-magical-fire-bags/

## Summary

Hosts Chris Gammell and Dave Jones discuss the engineering failures behind the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 battery explosions, attributing them to insufficient physical tolerance for battery swelling in a rigid aluminum enclosure. They analyze the rise and fall of Pebble and MakerBot as cautionary tales of startup hype and the risks of relying on third-party IoT service layers. The episode also covers the enduring relevance of the 8051 microcontroller, the complexity of historical chip documentation, and Ben Krasnow's use of off-the-shelf eBay components for rapid prototyping.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2016-12-09-magical-fire-bags#t=0) Intro and Meetup Advice
- [46:27](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2016-12-09-magical-fire-bags#t=2787) Galaxy Note 7 Battery Failure Analysis
- [19:09](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2016-12-09-magical-fire-bags#t=1149) Pebble's Acquisition and IoT Service Risks
- [26:44](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2016-12-09-magical-fire-bags#t=1604) MakerBot's Rise and Fall
- [31:21](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2016-12-09-magical-fire-bags#t=1881) 8051 Microcontrollers and Documentation
- [58:57](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2016-12-09-magical-fire-bags#t=3537) Ben Krasnow and eBay Prototyping
- [1:03:27](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2016-12-09-magical-fire-bags#t=3807) Nikola Hydrogen Truck and VC Commentary

## Topics

- [Batteries & low-power design](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/batteries-and-low-power)
- [Growth, exits & acquisitions](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/growth-exits-and-acquisitions)
- [Connected products & IoT](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/connected-products-and-iot)
- [Prototyping & iteration](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/prototyping)
- [Microcontrollers & dev platforms](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/microcontrollers-and-platforms)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)

## Most relevant to

large enterprises, companies scaling up, founders before launch

## Mentioned

- Samsung (company)
- Galaxy Note 7 (product)
- Pebble (company)
- Fitbit (company)
- MakerBot (company)
- Brie Pettis (other)
- 8051 (chip)
- Maxim (company)
- Ben Krasnow (other)
- eBay (other)
- Nikola (company)
- Particle (company)
- ESP8266 (chip)
- WeMOS D1 mini (product)
- Bitsy (product)
- Blackmagic Probe (tool)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Ep 313: Capacitor Plague, Wireless Power, and Tiny Everything](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2025-03-21-ep-313-capacitor-plague-wireless-power-and-tiny-everything-cb8186ab) (Hackaday Podcast)
- [Tony Fadell on AI; hidden risks in batteries; revisiting the Galaxy Note 7](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/go-no-go/2025-10-07-tony-fadell-on-ai-hidden-risks-in-batteries-revisiting-the-galaxy-note-7) (Go/No-Go)
- [Ep 313: Capacitor Plague, Wireless Power, and Tiny Everything](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2025-03-21-ep-313-capacitor-plague-wireless-power-and-tiny-everything) (Hackaday Podcast)
- [Ep 313: Capacitor Plague, Wireless Power, and Tiny Everything](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2025-03-21-ep-313-capacitor-plague-wireless-power-and-tiny-everything-b56cece1) (Hackaday Podcast)
- [Ep023: Everything Breaks... Raspberry Pi, ADS-B, Hackaday Website, and Automotive Airbags](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2019-06-14-ep023-everything-breaks-raspberry-pi-ads-b-hackaday-website-and-automotive-airba) (Hackaday Podcast)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2016-12-09-magical-fire-bags. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to The Amp Hour.