The Spark Gap
Activity Overview
Episode publication activity over the past year
Episodes
The Spark Gap - Episode 53
31 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Karl and Corey talk about projects they've been working on in their spare time. Corey discusses his ping pong scoreboard's progress and challenges.
The Spark Gap - Episode 52
01 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Karl and Corey discuss how to work with development kits, specifically on how to best transition from a dev kit to a custom design.
The Spark Gap - Episode 51
12 Apr 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Karl and Corey talk about various ways to protect a design from other devices that can pull too much power, reverse voltage polarity, and otherwise ca...
The Spark Gap - Episode 50
09 Nov 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Karl and Corey discuss various means of user input: buttons, rotary encoders, and resistive and capacitive touch sensing.
The Spark Gap - Episode 49
19 Oct 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Karl and Corey talk about their trip to Portland, Oregon and the 2016 Open Hardware Summit.
The Spark Gap - Episode 48
28 Sep 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Karl and Corey are back to talk about design choices you can make when creating schematics and PCB layouts that will make board bring up and debuggi...
The Spark Gap - Episode 47
27 Apr 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Karl and Corey discuss the issues with heat in an embedded design, how to prevent it, how to detect it, and how to deal with it.
The Spark Gap - Episode 46
09 Mar 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Karl and Corey discuss the CANbus protocol and the new CAN-FD specification.
The Spark Gap - Episode 45
10 Feb 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Karl and Corey talk about some of the lessons Karl learned (and remembered) at the Signal Integrity Boot Camp at DesignCon.
The Spark Gap - Episode 44
25 Dec 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Karl and Corey air some grievances about Raspberry Pi, "Hoverboards", and PCB layout practices in this grab bag/Festivus episode.
The Spark Gap - Episode 43
11 Nov 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Karl and Corey talk about how knowledge of electronics can cause headaches when looking at products and crowd-funding campaigns.
The Spark Gap - Episode 42
21 Oct 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Karl and Corey finishing talking with Chris Gammell about parts.io and selecting the right op-amp for a given application. (Part 2 of 2)
The Spark Gap - Episode 41
14 Oct 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Karl and Corey are joined by Chris Gammell to talk about how to pick the right op-amp. Part 1 of 2.
The Spark Gap - Episode 40
03 Oct 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Karl and Corey are back! Join them as they talk about design choices and gotchas involving connectors.
The Spark Gap - Episode 39
12 Aug 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Karl and Corey depart from hardware to talk about one of the more interesting bits of firmware, pointers.
The Spark Gap - Episode 38
29 Jul 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Karl and Corey talk about the gear they use to bring you this podcast.
The Spark Gap - Episode 37
15 Jul 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Karl and Corey talk about designing projects with the future in mind.
The Spark Gap - Episode 36
04 Jul 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Karl and Corey discuss a few submissions they liked from the Hackaday Prize 2015. Disclaimer: Neither Karl nor Corey are affiliated in any way with ...
The Spark Gap - Episode 35
17 Jun 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Karl teaches Corey about how cars work and how electronics fit into modern automobiles.
The Spark Gap - Episode 34
03 Jun 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Karl's going to Burning Man. Let's talk about some electronics you might want when camping in the desert.
The Spark Gap - Episode 33
20 May 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Karl and Corey explore the analog world a bit by discussing Analog to Digital and Digital to Analog Converters.
The Spark Gap - Episode 32
06 May 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Karl and Corey revisit topics from the past 31 episodes.
The Spark Gap - Episode 31
22 Apr 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Karl and Corey talk about different displays you can use in embedded systems.
The Spark Gap - Episode 30
08 Apr 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Karl and Corey discuss various ways to switch on power to circuits.
The Spark Gap - Episode 29
25 Mar 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Karl and Corey are joined by Fouad Kiamilev from the University of Delaware to talk about ASIC design and ways to be a more healthy and productive eng...
The Spark Gap - Episode 28
11 Mar 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Karl and Corey are joined by Andrew Retallack of Crash Bang Prototype to talk about his work with moving people past their reliance on Arduino.
The Spark Gap - Episode 27
25 Feb 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Karl and Corey talk about mess ups, disasters, and other horror stories from their past.
The Spark Gap - Episode 26
11 Feb 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Karl and Corey are joined by Bob Coggeshall of Small Batch Assembly to talk about designing PCBs that will go through SMT at a professional assembly h...
The Spark Gap - Episode 25
28 Jan 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Karl and Corey are joined by James Lewis of Kemet Electronics to talk about capacitors.
The Spark Gap - Episode 24
07 Jan 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Karl and Corey talk about their personal goals for 2015, the future of the podcast, and discuss a few topics on reverse engineering.
The Spark Gap - Episode 23
10 Dec 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Karl and Corey discuss projects they've left unfinished and wonder why this seems to happen so often.
The Spark Gap - Episode 22
03 Dec 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Karl and Corey finish their talk about PCB layout. This part talks about signal layout and some manufacturing details. Part 2 of 2.
The Spark Gap - Episode 21
26 Nov 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Karl and Corey talk about PCB layout and some tips for hobbyists. In this part, component placement and power layout. Part 1 of 2.
The Spark Gap - Episode 20
29 Oct 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Karl and Corey throw out some old boards and discuss lessons learned the hard way.
The Spark Gap - Episode 19
22 Oct 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Corey and Karl discuss the benefits of controlling your embedded product with smart software and simple firmware.
The Spark Gap - Episode 18
15 Oct 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Corey and Karl talk about the popular Serial Communications - Uart, SPI, I2C, and CAN.
The Spark Gap - Episode 17
08 Oct 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Karl and Corey talk about the fascinating topic of In-Circuit Programmers and Debuggers.
The Spark Gap - Episode 16
01 Oct 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Karl and Corey talk about the new Arm Cortex-M7 microcontroller.
The Spark Gap - Episode 15
24 Sep 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Corey and Karl discuss the origins and the future of the Raspberry Pi. They explore how a product with an imperfect beginning can still become a huge ...
The Spark Gap - Episode 14
17 Sep 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Karl and Corey discuss the operation of an Adjustable Constant Current Dummy Load.
The Spark Gap - Episode 13
02 Sep 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Corey and Karl talk about setting up your workbench.
The Spark Gap - Episode 12
02 Sep 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Karl and Corey talk about the advantages and challenges of adding Ethernet capability to an embedded system.
The Spark Gap - Episode 11
25 Aug 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Karl and Corey interview James Snyder about the eLua project.
The Spark Gap - Episode 10
20 Aug 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Karl and Corey wax poetic about the aspects of embedded electronic engineering that can can worsen your mood and waste your time.
The Spark Gap - Episode 9
12 Aug 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Karl and Corey discuss the practice of Manufacturers charging money to unlock built-in features of Test Equipment. They give their opinion on whether...
The Spark Gap - Episode 8
05 Aug 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Karl and Corey welcome guest Jacob Rosenthal to explain the Internet of Things.
The Spark Gap - Episode 7
30 Jul 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Corey and Karl welcome their first guest Rodney McGee to talk about his research in electric vehicles and Vehicle to Grid (V2G) technology.
The Spark Gap - Episode 6
20 Jul 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Corey and Karl explain the different ways to implement USB connectivity on an embedded device, from the physical layer to application layer.
The Spark Gap - Episode 5
14 Jul 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Corey inquires about Karl's hobby, CNC Machining. Karl discusses his CNC Router and the decision that went into it.
The Spark Gap - Episode 4
06 Jul 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Corey and Karl start off their first episode of "The Great Debates!" Corey takes the position that RTOSes for the most part don't belong in single co...
The Spark Gap - Episode 3
30 Jun 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Karl and Corey discuss the basics of how to power your electronic circuits. Linear Regulators, LDOs, and Switch Mode Power Supplies are explained. Tr...
The Spark Gap - Episode 2
23 Jun 2014
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode Karl and Corey talk about Corey's newest hobby, 3D Printing. Also, Karl gets the outcome of the 3D Systems vs. Form Labs lawsuit wron...
The Spark Gap - Episode 1
16 Jun 2014
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode Karl and Corey talk about the heart of many embedded electronics projects: The Microcontroller. They discuss their evolving feelings f...