The Electromaker Show · 26 Mar 2022 · 25m · Episode 76
The host discusses Arduino's new Portenta X8 Linux board and the Braccio Robot Arm, highlighting their industrial capabilities and educational value. He analyzes a recent OTA failure by AEG/Electrolux that bricked microwave ovens, using it to critique the fragility of consumer IoT. The episode also covers a Blues Wireless Note Card giveaway winner, a retro gaming LED display project, the LOLIN C3 RISC-V board, and a DIY bench power supply build.
makers and hobbyists
Other shows on the same ground, closest first.
Hackaday editors Mike Fish and Elliot Williams discuss the OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return, the new Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4, and a DIY Linux single-board computer shootout by Jay Carlson. They also cover a motorized HDMI CEC volume control for a vintage receiver, a 3D-printed SCARA robot arm, and a deep dive into fake and clone STM32 'Blue Pill' microcontrollers.
Jason Kridner of the BeagleBoard.org Foundation and Texas Instruments discusses the history and ecosystem of the BeagleBone Black, contrasting it with the Raspberry Pi and explaining the challenges of supply chain management for low-margin open hardware. He details the board's origins as a Linux developer platform, its role in advancing mainline Linux support through device tree adoption, and the importance of Google Summer of Code projects like BotSpeak for real-time programming. Kridner also highlights the board's suitability for robotics and industrial applications, while addressing the frustration of distributors running out of stock due to OEM demand.
Hackaday editors Mike Szczys and Elliot Williams review a week of hardware hacks, including a 3D-printed research robot that offloads motor control to a remote Linux computer via ESP-NOW, and a security analysis of the 'Bracktooth' Bluetooth vulnerabilities affecting chips like the ESP32. They also discuss automating fishing boats with GPS-controlled trolling motors, building a miniature Hoover Dam in a backyard, and the history of the Gopher internet protocol. The episode highlights the contrast between complex industrial engineering and accessible maker projects.
Hosts Elliot Williams and Dan Maloney review a week of hacks, focusing on Aaron Christophel’s hackable $20 smart ring, Matt Evans’s RP2040-based Mac 128 emulator, and the engineering behind abrasion-resistant climbing ropes. They also discuss Postmarket OS enabling Linux on old cell phones, the challenges of programming robots for non-experts, and the discovery of Earth's quasi-moons. The episode concludes with a look at the maintenance of the Battleship New Jersey and a 1979 homebrew digital sampler by Mitsuru Yamada.
Hosts Minja, Costillo, and Alvaro review their year, highlighting conferences like Supercon and DEFcon, and discussing the rise of edge machine learning on microcontrollers like the Arduino Nano 33 BLE Sense. They detail hands-on reverse engineering experiences, including using an X-ray van from True View to inspect PCBs and learning chip decapping with John McMaster and Nanographs. The conversation also covers the implications of deep fakes, the repeal of net neutrality, and future goals involving KiCad PCB design and open-source robotics.
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