Open Circuits with Eric Schlaepfer and Windell Oskay

The Amp Hour · 14 Nov 2022 · 1h 05m · Episode 609

What this episode covers

Eric Schlaepfer and Windell Oskay, authors of the book Open Circuits and creators of Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories, discuss their work in open source hardware and retro computing. They detail the design and production of kits like the discrete 555 timer and the Monster 6502, explaining how these projects serve as educational tools for understanding internal chip architecture. The conversation also covers the meticulous process of cross-sectioning electronic components for their book, highlighting the safety hazards and artistic effort involved in revealing the inner workings of electronics.

Mentioned

Companies
Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories, no starch press
Products
Open Circuits, Monster 6502
Chips
555 timer, 741 op amp, STM32, rp2040

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • Embedded.fm · 1h 10m

    317: What Do You Mean by Disintegrated?

    Lenore Edman and Windell Oskay of Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories discuss their business model of creating high-quality hobby electronics kits, such as the disintegrated 555 Timer and 741 Op-Amp, which are faithful transistor-scale replicas of classic chips. They explain how they design products like the AxiDraw pen plotter to ensure a successful user experience, often choosing to sell complex items as assembled units rather than kits. The conversation also covers the evolution of PCB aesthetics, the shift from gEDA to KiCad for open-source hardware design, and their personal hobby of studying seaweed through the Jepson Herbarium.

  • Embedded.fm · 1h 03m

    419: Fission Chips

    Eric Schlaepfer and Windell Oskay, authors of the book Open Circuits, discuss the process of cross-sectioning electronic components to reveal their internal structures. They detail the technical challenges of preparing samples, including resin impregnation, vacuum degassing, and hand-sanding with grits up to 10,000, as well as the macro photography techniques involving focus stacking and custom robotic rigs. The conversation covers specific components like the μA702 integrated circuit, tantalum capacitors, and cathode-ray tubes, highlighting the blend of engineering failure analysis and artistic photography.

  • Embedded.fm · 1h 15m

    124: Please Don't Light Yourself on Fire (Repeat)

    Windell Oskay, co-founder of Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories, discusses his annotated edition of the 1963 book 'Build It Yourself Science Laboratory' and the company's hardware projects like the EggBot Pro and the Dis-integrated 555 timer kit. He details the challenges of updating the book for modern safety and ethics, including correcting a flawed 'Simple Oscilloscope' experiment and adding modern sourcing notes. The conversation also covers the technical specifics of spherical CNC plotting, the history of electronic knitting machines, and the evolution of accessible scientific instrumentation.

  • Embedded.fm · 1h 15m

    124: Please Don't Light Yourself On Fire

    Windell Oskay, co-founder of Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories, discusses his annotated edition of the 1963 book *Build It Yourself Science Laboratory*. He details the process of updating safety guidelines, correcting flawed experiments like the 'Simple Oscilloscope,' and sourcing modern materials for classic physics and chemistry projects. The conversation covers specific devices from Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories, including the EggBot Pro and Dis-integrated 555 timer kit, while highlighting the educational value of hands-on experimentation.

  • Unnamed Reverse Engineering Podcast · 1h 28m

    058 - Technically Met the Specs

    Eric Schlaepfer and Windell Oskay discuss their book 'Open Circuits,' detailing the process of cutting components in half with sandpaper and grinding wheels to reveal internal structures, while Jacob Creedon, Spencer Moss, Ken, and Will McGuiness share their perspectives on reverse engineering tools like IDA Pro and Ghidra, and the legal and social implications of technology. The group debates the future of AI, the validity of NFTs, and the importance of right-to-repair legislation, with Spencer Moss from Google and Ken from Somerset Recon highlighting the increasing complexity of hardware security. Mike Ryan from Ice 9 Consulting joins to discuss Bluetooth security, the obsolescence of passwords, and the dual-use nature of technology in the context of government regulation.

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.