#67 Electronics + AI 101: Building an $8 Game Console From Scratch | Sam Beek, AI Hardware at Schematik

Samuel Beek (founder of Schematik, ex-VEED) joins me to build a tiny platform game from scratch: an ESP32, a $2 OLED, two buttons and a breadboard. We type one plain-English prompt into Schematik, it picks the parts, draws the wiring and writes the firmware, and then we wire it up on camera and flash it over USB-C. If you have ever wanted to try electronics but felt you needed a degree, a soldering iron or a 3D printer, this one is for you. No soldering. No prior experience. About $8 in parts.WHAT'S INSIDE• The exact parts, and where to get them anywhere in the world• What a breadboard is, and which jumper wires to buy (all three kinds)• Wiring straight from the generated diagram, including what GND means• The USB-C cable mistake that stops most first boards from flashing• Firmware, compiling and flashing, in plain words• The moment the game appears on the display• Why retro monochrome displays look better than you think• Schematik vs Cursor and Claude Code for hardware: where coding tools stop• Four things to build next with the same board: a desk buddy, a live flight radar, a receipt printer that prints your morning briefing, a private video doorbellPARTS (all widely available)• ESP32 DevKit (breadboard version) ~$5• 0.96" SSD1306 OLED display ~$2• 2 tactile push buttons• Jumper wires, male-to-male (get M-M, M-F and F-F in one pack)• A breadboard• A USB-C cable that carries data, not charge-onlyGUESTSam Beek, Founder of Schematik — the AI hardware IDE that turns a plain-English prompt into parts, wiring and firmware.Try it free: The Founder’s FoyerWebsite: @thefoundersfoyer Spotify: podcast: