# An Interview with Jeri Ellsworth - The Ternary Tussle

- Show: [The Amp Hour](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour)
- Published: 2011-03-22
- Length: 1h 04m
- Episode: 35
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2011-03-22-an-interview-with-jeri-ellsworth-the-ternary-tussle
- Listen: https://theamphour.com/the-amp-hour-35-the-ternary-tussle/

## Summary

Jeri Ellsworth discusses her background in the toy industry and chip design, contrasting cost-driven engineering with the 'grind' of large corporations. She details the 'bus fiasco' involving Protran One and Peter Bartek, where sexist comments on YouTube led to a public controversy. The conversation also covers the impact of the Japan earthquake on chip supply chains, the indictment of Tyco executives for white-collar crime, and the technical challenges of printable electronics and homebrew PCB fabrication.

## Chapters

- [0:15](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2011-03-22-an-interview-with-jeri-ellsworth-the-ternary-tussle#t=15) Introduction and Assembly Language
- [3:20](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2011-03-22-an-interview-with-jeri-ellsworth-the-ternary-tussle#t=200) Toy Industry Cost Optimization vs. Chip Design
- [5:33](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2011-03-22-an-interview-with-jeri-ellsworth-the-ternary-tussle#t=333) Code Reviews and Management Failures
- [16:05](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2011-03-22-an-interview-with-jeri-ellsworth-the-ternary-tussle#t=965) The Protran One Bus Controversy
- [24:48](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2011-03-22-an-interview-with-jeri-ellsworth-the-ternary-tussle#t=1488) Sexism in Engineering and Trade Shows
- [38:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2011-03-22-an-interview-with-jeri-ellsworth-the-ternary-tussle#t=2280) Japan Earthquake and Chip Supply Chain
- [42:17](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2011-03-22-an-interview-with-jeri-ellsworth-the-ternary-tussle#t=2537) Tyco Executive Indictment and White Collar Crime
- [45:29](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2011-03-22-an-interview-with-jeri-ellsworth-the-ternary-tussle#t=2729) Open Vizsla Kickstarter and Open Hardware
- [54:34](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2011-03-22-an-interview-with-jeri-ellsworth-the-ternary-tussle#t=3274) Printable Electronics and Homebrew PCBs

## Topics

- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)
- [Crowdfunding & preorders](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/crowdfunding)
- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)
- [Chips, FPGAs & semiconductors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/chips-and-fpgas)
- [Growth, exits & acquisitions](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/growth-exits-and-acquisitions)
- [Sourcing & supply chain](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sourcing-and-supply-chain)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Protran One (company)
- Open Vizsla (product)
- Tyco (company)
- TE Connectivity (company)
- Boing Boing (other)
- Make Magazine (other)
- Edmund Optics (company)
- Jameco (company)
- Adafruit (company)
- Bug Lab (company)
- Sony (company)
- Rigol (company)
- MakerBot (company)
- RepRap (product)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [033 - All Over the Place](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/unnamed-reverse-engineering-podcast/2020-04-27-033-all-over-the-place) (Unnamed Reverse Engineering Podcast)
- [026 - You Can Lose in so Many Colors!](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/unnamed-reverse-engineering-podcast/2019-08-31-026-you-can-lose-in-so-many-colors) (Unnamed Reverse Engineering Podcast)
- [Words to the Wise with Sally Ward-Foxton](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2022-10-07-words-to-the-wise-with-sally-ward-foxton) (EE Times Current)
- [The Circuit Ep:1 - Introductions](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-circuit/2022-12-21-the-circuit-ep-1-introductions) (The Circuit)
- [For Want of a Resistor](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2026-09-16-for-want-of-a-resistor) (Oxide and Friends)

## 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/2011-03-22-an-interview-with-jeri-ellsworth-the-ternary-tussle. 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.