Hardware FYI

👋 Happy Saturday! This week’s edition covers a global map of humanoid robotics startups and the infrastructure now supporting them, lecture notes from NASA on common PCB failure modes, and an interview exploring the idea of the “founder collective”. open.substack.com/pub/hardwarefy…

Full newsletter: open.substack.com/pub/hardwarefy…

A Closer Look at SpaceX’s Payload Stack Good morning, and welcome to the second week of December! This issue covers the payload stack from SpaceX’s recent Transporter mission, a primer on Blanchard grinding, SSD data-retention limits, and Finland’s heat-recovery model.

Coloring Metal With Lasers This week’s edition covers lecture notes on the fundamentals of systems engineering, a laser-based method for tuning oxide colors on metal, and a quick size comparison of different LED display technologies. open.substack.com/pub/hardwarefy…

Full newsletter: open.substack.com/pub/hardwarefy…

On Safety Factors and the Illusion of Margin This Tuesday's Analog covers - Richard Feynman's 1986 Challenger disaster analysis - A Haribo battery recall - 75 factory visits in 2025

A neat mindmap that lays out what embedded systems actually covers, and where hardware and software intersect.

In the spirit of the holidays, a solid desk gift or extra shop décor is the CNC Periodic Table of Elements that maps out the core elements of CNC machining. It’s laid out in three families across capabilities. A useful snapshot of how the CNC ecosystem fits together in practice.

A look at how U.S. households adopted new technologies from 1860 to 2019. Adoption happens much faster today than it did in the 20th century in many parts due to pre-existing infrastructure, though expensive technologies often see adoption stall during downturns.

From a 2017 CB Insights report, the brutal math of consumer hardware startups is that 97% of all startups fail.

A Roomba’s cleaning path starts with an initial tight spiral followed by randomized coverage patterns.

👋 Happy Saturday! This week’s highlights include a whitepaper on reliability stress testing, a residential battery pack built from 500 discarded vape batteries, and a visual on how the electromagnetic spectrum ties together modern communication systems. open.substack.com/pub/hardwarefy…

A new 'wearable' that straps to your toilet. Throne’s sensor analyzes stool and urine in real time, translating color, texture, and flow characteristics into daily ‘Gut Health’ and ‘Hydration’ scores.

Tesla has been known to use FDM 3D-printed parts as production stopgaps, like this printed appendage in an early Model Y HVAC system.

👋 Happy Saturday! This week’s highlights include a catalog of 110+ tips on design for manufacturing, a factory tour inside Rivian’s Illinois plant, and a chart on how semiconductor node names have diverged from physical dimensions. open.substack.com/pub/hardwarefy…

Street-Fighting Mathematics open.substack.com/pub/hardwarefy…

👋 Happy Saturday! This week’s highlights include an analysis of why so many consumer hardware startups fail, a look at the state of hardware agencies and their economics, and a video unpacking the concept of the “march of nines” in autonomous driving. open.substack.com/pub/hardwarefy…

More free DFM Education! This time for sheet metal. @hardwarefyi was lucky enough to work with @DrafterInc to make this free guide. Sheet metal has a lot of nuances that easily trip up the most senior engineer and have the ability to 10X your part cost with small overlooked details. This guide covers: •Typical sheet metal processes •K-Factor and how to calculate bend sizes •Rules for cuts, bend reliefs and hole sizing •Stiffening •Grain direction •And so much more!!

Tooling for the Höfner bass controller used in Rock Band, with each mold weighing several thousand pounds. And on the right, an operator running a drum kit through final test before pack-out.

Silicon Valley Wants to Build a City open.substack.com/pub/hardwarefy…