# The Ben & Jeri Show

- Show: [The Amp Hour](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour)
- Published: 2011-01-18
- Length: 1h 03m
- Episode: 26
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2011-01-18-the-ben-jeri-show
- Listen: https://theamphour.com/the-amp-hour-26-the-ben-jeri-show/

## Summary

Hosts Chris Gammell and Dave Jones discuss the electronics community, focusing on Ben Heck's show on Element14 and Jeri Ellsworth's work with Adafruit. They analyze the business strategies of Element14 and Texas Instruments, specifically regarding Arduino board sales and the free distribution of MSP430 Launchpad kits as a marketing tool. The conversation also covers the impact of open-source hardware on pricing, the value of technical writing from Analog Devices, and the realities of engineering careers.

## Chapters

- [0:27](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2011-01-18-the-ben-jeri-show#t=27) Introduction and Workbench Planning
- [11:10](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2011-01-18-the-ben-jeri-show#t=670) Ben Heck, Element14, and Content Creation
- [25:30](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2011-01-18-the-ben-jeri-show#t=1530) Element14, Arduino, and Price Wars
- [30:25](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2011-01-18-the-ben-jeri-show#t=1825) Texas Instruments Launchpad and Marketing
- [35:06](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2011-01-18-the-ben-jeri-show#t=2106) SparkFun Free Day and Business Models
- [38:42](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2011-01-18-the-ben-jeri-show#t=2322) Laser Cutting PCBs and Manufacturing
- [45:16](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2011-01-18-the-ben-jeri-show#t=2716) Engineering in Politics and Analog Devices
- [55:15](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2011-01-18-the-ben-jeri-show#t=3315) Real-Life Engineering Careers and Advice

## Topics

- [Direct-to-consumer & e-commerce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/direct-to-consumer)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)
- [Marketing & brand](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/marketing-and-brand)
- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)
- [Open-source hardware](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/open-source-hardware)
- [Microcontrollers & dev platforms](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/microcontrollers-and-platforms)

## Most relevant to

makers and hobbyists

## Mentioned

- Jeri Ellsworth (other)
- Element14 (company)
- Adafruit (company)
- Arduino (product)
- Texas Instruments (company)
- MSP430 (chip)
- Launchpad (product)
- SparkFun (company)
- Analog Devices (company)
- Jim Williams (other)
- Walt Young (other)
- Walt Kester (other)
- Jeremy Blum (other)
- Nathan Seedle (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [293: Skateboard Tricks (Repeat)](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2021-12-23-293-skateboard-tricks-repeat) (Embedded.fm)
- [S2E51 The Hardware Academy | John Teel](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2021-12-03-s2e51-the-hardware-academy-john-teel) (Being an Engineer)
- [81: Two of Those People Can't Be Ducks](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2014-12-17-81-two-of-those-people-cant-be-ducks) (Embedded.fm)
- [293: Skateboard Tricks](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2019-06-27-293-skateboard-tricks) (Embedded.fm)
- [372: The Motivation of Creativity](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2021-05-06-372-the-motivation-of-creativity) (Embedded.fm)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2011-01-18-the-ben-jeri-show. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to The Amp Hour.