Medical Kits, They're The Future

The Amp Hour · 30 Mar 2020 · 1h 03m · Episode 486

What this episode covers

Dave Jones and Chris Gammell discuss the shift to home-based electronics work during lockdown, highlighting Gammell's transition to lead-free soldering using GC10 paste and the resulting reflow profile challenges. They analyze the regulatory landscape for medical devices, noting that while current regulations are loosened for DIY kits, the industry remains heavily restricted by long product life cycles and code review standards. The conversation also covers the ease of sourcing custom cables via Alibaba, the failure of the Solace graphene heater due to glass shattering, and the vast complexity of power supply topologies like resonant mode and phase-shifted bridges.

Mentioned

Companies
Contextual Electronics, EEVblog, DigiKey, Alibaba, Form Labs, O'Reilly, Analog Devices, Burr-Brown
Products
GC10, Solace

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • Global Medical Device Podcast · 36m

    #385: The Trouble with Home-Use Devices, Pt. 1

    Regulatory expert Mike Drues joins host Etienne Nichols to discuss the unique challenges of home-use medical devices, defining them by their intended use environment rather than just location. They analyze the Philips Respironics recall, the largest in industry history, highlighting how foam degradation and failures in post-market surveillance led to a $13 billion settlement. Drues argues that while technical failures might occur in hospitals, the lack of professional oversight in homes exacerbates safety risks and complaint handling difficulties.

  • Embedded.fm · 48m

    44: Light Up Strikes Back

    Josh Chan and Tarun Pondicherry, founders of Lightup, discuss the journey of their electronics education kit from a Kickstarter campaign to shipping the MiniKit. They detail technical hurdles including PCB redesigns due to battery supplier changes and supply chain delays for the Mel 32 U4 microcontroller. The founders also explain their strategy for securing retail partnerships with Makershed and their plans to expand the product line with microcontroller blocks for programming education.

  • Being an Engineer · 39m

    S5E9 Jon Montcrief | Medical Device Engineering Leaders 8

    Jon Montcrief, Director of Process Development and Sustaining Engineering at Becton Dickinson, discusses his career path from chemical engineering to medical devices and the specific challenges of leading engineering teams in a highly regulated industry. He details the impact of supply chain disruptions and regulatory hurdles, particularly regarding PFOA elimination and EU MDR compliance, which can delay material changes for years. Montcrief also explores the future of medical technology, highlighting the proliferation of surgical robots, the potential for 3D printed custom implants, and the use of AI to manage documentation and reduce repetitive engineering mistakes.

  • Hackaday Podcast · 46m

    Ep013: Naked Components, Shocking Power Supplies, Eye-Popping Clock, And The Hackaday Prize

    Hackaday editors Mike Szczys and Elliot Williams discuss the 2019 Hackaday Prize, focusing on product development and manufacturing readiness. They review several hacks, including a transformerless power supply build, automating a Nintendo Switch with a Raspberry Pi, and a complex servo-driven word clock. The episode concludes with an interview with Andy, a chip broker in the Huaqiangbei electronics market in Shenzhen.

  • 033 - All Over the Place

    Hosts Jen Castillo and Alvaro Prieto discuss their pandemic-era projects, including Alvaro's recreation of his father's 7400-series digital clock, a USB-C power adapter using a Cypress chip, and a t-shirt quilt. Jen details her reverse engineering of a greeting card chip, her exploration of Chinese manufacturing via Alibaba, and her choreography of a remote dance piece. They also cover the cancellation of hardware conferences like Hackaday Supercon and HackRF, and recommend movies such as 'Mood Indigo' and '3 Idiots'.

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.