In this episode of the Uncertain Value podcast, I’m talking with Mario Zechner again. He shares how he designed and built a portable, Gameboy-like audio player for his son — motivated by the shortcomings he saw in the Toniebox and Yoto Player, the two biggest products in the market. Issues like unintuitive controls, underpowered speakers, the potential fire hazards of lithium-ion batteries, content limitations, and privacy concerns about the mandatory internet connection sparked his desire for something better.

Although this was Mario’s first real adventure into electronics, how much can someone who usually writes game engines and compilers really be held back by designing circuit boards, soldering, and 3D printing? Listen and find out!

Resources

• Mario's in-depth blog post on how he built the audio player.
• Book recommendation: Make: Electronics by Charles Platt
• Book recommendation: Electronics for Beginners by Jonathan Bartlett