# An Interview with Matt Ettus - Quality Quadrature Quidam

- Show: [The Amp Hour](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour)
- Published: 2012-06-25
- Length: 1h 16m
- Episode: 101
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2012-06-25-an-interview-with-matt-ettus-quality-quadrature-quidam
- Listen: https://theamphour.com/the-amp-hour-101-quality-quadrature-quidam/

## Summary

Matt Ettus, founder of Ettus Research (now part of National Instruments), explains the evolution of the USRP software-defined radio from a hobbyist project to a commercial product. He details the technical decisions behind the hardware, including the choice of Altera and Xilinx FPGAs, the integration of Analog Devices ADCs/DACs, and the rationale for the daughter board architecture. Ettus also discusses the company's acquisition by National Instruments, the importance of maintaining open-source software (GNU Radio) and FPGA code, and the strategic value of the UHD API for integration with LabVIEW and MATLAB.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2012-06-25-an-interview-with-matt-ettus-quality-quadrature-quidam#t=0) Introduction and Background
- [2:14](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2012-06-25-an-interview-with-matt-ettus-quality-quadrature-quidam#t=134) From GNU Radio to USRP Hardware
- [8:12](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2012-06-25-an-interview-with-matt-ettus-quality-quadrature-quidam#t=492) Building Ettus Research and Early Operations
- [22:54](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2012-06-25-an-interview-with-matt-ettus-quality-quadrature-quidam#t=1374) Hardware Design: FPGAs and ADCs
- [29:18](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2012-06-25-an-interview-with-matt-ettus-quality-quadrature-quidam#t=1758) MIMO, Daughter Boards, and RF Theory
- [33:56](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2012-06-25-an-interview-with-matt-ettus-quality-quadrature-quidam#t=2036) Open Source, Security, and Legalities
- [1:00:04](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2012-06-25-an-interview-with-matt-ettus-quality-quadrature-quidam#t=3604) Acquisition by National Instruments
- [1:02:12](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2012-06-25-an-interview-with-matt-ettus-quality-quadrature-quidam#t=3732) Integration, API, and Future Outlook

## Topics

- [Microcontrollers & dev platforms](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/microcontrollers-and-platforms)
- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Open-source hardware](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/open-source-hardware)
- [Growth, exits & acquisitions](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/growth-exits-and-acquisitions)
- [Wireless & RF](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/wireless-and-rf)
- [EDA & CAD tools](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/eda-and-cad-tools)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies, companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Ettus Research (company)
- National Instruments (company)
- USRP (product)
- GNU Radio (product)
- Altera (chip)
- Xilinx (chip)
- Analog Devices (chip)
- LabVIEW (tool)
- MATLAB (tool)
- open BTS (product)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [012 - Cheese vs. SDR](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/unnamed-reverse-engineering-podcast/2018-06-29-012-cheese-vs-sdr) (Unnamed Reverse Engineering Podcast)
- [057 - I Did Not Expect Sharks!](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/unnamed-reverse-engineering-podcast/2022-05-09-057-i-did-not-expect-sharks) (Unnamed Reverse Engineering Podcast)
- [197: Smell the Transistor](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2017-04-26-197-smell-the-transistor) (Embedded.fm)
- [293: Skateboard Tricks (Repeat)](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2021-12-23-293-skateboard-tricks-repeat) (Embedded.fm)
- [Arduino Plug and Make Kit, FPGA mixing console on 1990s OS/2, and much more!](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-electromaker-show/2024-07-26-arduino-plug-and-make-kit-fpga-mixing-console-on-1990s-os-2-and-much-more) (The Electromaker Show)

## 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/2012-06-25-an-interview-with-matt-ettus-quality-quadrature-quidam. 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.