Hardware Podcasts

Cassette decks have browsers?

The Amp Hour · 24 May 2021 · 1h 14m · Episode 543

What this episode covers

Dave Jones and Chris Gammell discuss the teardown of the Apple AirTag, analyzing its nRF52832 chip, U1 ultra-wideband transceiver, and asset-tracking architecture. They contrast this with Amazon's Sidewalk IoT network, the challenges of EV vehicle-to-load technology, and the complexities of repairing vintage surround sound receivers. The conversation also covers the acquisition of Supply Frame by Siemens, the lack of standardization in EDA library management, and the controversial acquisition of Audacity by Muse.

Most relevant to

large enterprises and companies scaling up

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Apple, Tile, iFixit, Maxim, Sidewalk Labs, Amazon, CNSA, Ford, Hyundai, Tesla, Supply Frame, Siemens, Altium, Parts Box, Keithley, Muse
Products
AirTag, Echo, Tianwen-1, F-150, Ioniq 5, FindChips, KiCad, Audacity
Chips
nRF52832, U1, nRF91
Tools
SVN, Tortoise SVN
Also
Colin O'Flynn, Jared Wolf, AWS, Jan

Related episodes from other shows

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • Hackaday Podcast · 1h 04m

    Ep 311: AirTag Hack, GPS Rollover, and a Flat-Pack Toaster

    Hosts Elliot Williams and Tom Nardi discuss David Cuartielles, co-founder of Arduino, who will keynote Hackaday Europe on compostable electronics. They analyze a research paper on hijacking Apple AirTag infrastructure by exploiting weak Bluetooth Low Energy address randomization, and detail how a flat-pack toaster by Casey Ho prioritizes repairability and user assembly over aesthetics. The episode also covers a GPS week-number rollover workaround using an RP2040, a fiber-optic display mapped via computer vision, and a review of hardware presence at FOSDEM 2025.

    Wireless & RFMechanical engineering
    10 chapters

  • Unnamed Reverse Engineering Podcast · 50m

    047 - The Sun, The Moon, The Stars

    Jen Castillo and Alvaro Prieto discuss recent reverse engineering projects, including Colin O'Flynn's teardown of the Apple AirTag, which revealed an nRF52 microcontroller and a vulnerability allowing firmware dumping via the Pocket Glitcher. They also cover a method to transmit arbitrary data through Apple's Find My network, a 70% reduction in GTA Online loading times by patching a slow JSON parser, and reverse engineering of Reolink IP cameras and eInk price tags. The hosts highlight past guests' work on the LPC55S69 microcontroller and the Asahi Linux project for the Apple M1 processor, noting a trend toward better security practices in hardware design.

    Debugging & failure analysisMicrocontrollers & dev platforms
    7 chapters

  • Unnamed Reverse Engineering Podcast · 1h 34m

    075 - Teleporting All Over The Timeline

    Nathan Emerick, creator of the open-source project DeskThing, explains how he reverse-engineered Spotify's discontinued CarThing hardware to keep it functional after Spotify bricked the device. He details the technical journey from discovering the Amlogic chip and ADB access to building a web-based flashing tool and a desktop app that turns the CarThing into a versatile desktop controller. Emerick also discusses the challenges of dealing with Spotify's MFi Bluetooth restrictions, the sudden viral growth of the project, and his current struggles in the software engineering job market.

    Debugging & failure analysisEmbedded firmware
    7 chapters

  • The Spark Gap · 1h 19m

    The Spark Gap - Episode 32

    Hosts Carl and Corey revisit topics from their first 31 episodes, discussing the NXP acquisition of Freescale, MakerBot's layoffs, and Tesla's certified pre-owned program and Powerwall. They also analyze the John Deere firmware ownership controversy, the performance trade-offs of No-OS and Lua on microcontrollers, and the evolution of the Raspberry Pi. The episode highlights specific components like NXP current-sensing MOSFETs and the PCA8550 I2C dip switch, while addressing software bugs in Boeing 787 generator control units and the importance of checking simple parts like LDOs.

    Microcontrollers & dev platformsBatteries & low-power design
    11 chapters

  • Hackaday Podcast · 53m

    Ep 127: Whippletree Clamps, Sniffing Your Stomach Radio, Multimeter Hum Fix, and C64 Demo; No C64

    Hackaday editors Mike Szczys and Elliot Williams review several hardware hacks, including a custom NFC antenna design by RevK using the PN532 chip, a 3D-printed whippletree clamp by Chris Borga, and a medical device sniffing project by James Wu. They also discuss a multimeter repair involving a crystal frequency mismatch and a Commodore 64 demo running on a floppy drive. The episode concludes with a discussion on the Audacity ownership saga involving Muse Group and grid restart technology.

    PCB design & layoutPrototyping & iteration
    9 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.