# An Interview with Ian Lesnet - Bus Buccaneer Builder

- Show: [The Amp Hour](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour)
- Published: 2012-12-11
- Length: 1h 23m
- Episode: 125
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2012-12-11-an-interview-with-ian-lesnet-bus-buccaneer-builder
- Listen: https://theamphour.com/the-amp-hour-125-bus-buccaneer-builder/

## Summary

Ian Lesnet of Dangerous Prototypes discusses the evolution of the Bus Pirate and the company's open hardware business model, which relies on manufacturing partnerships with Seeed Studio in China. He details the technical challenges of developing the Bus Pirate version 4, including the switch to an open-source USB stack and the implementation of built-in self-test (BIST) for manufacturing quality control. Lesnet also explains the 'Sick of Beige' initiative to standardize PCB footprints for recyclable cases and the community-driven nature of their firmware development.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2012-12-11-an-interview-with-ian-lesnet-bus-buccaneer-builder#t=0) Introduction and Open Source Philosophy
- [4:16](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2012-12-11-an-interview-with-ian-lesnet-bus-buccaneer-builder#t=256) Origin of the Bus Pirate and Seeed Studio Partnership
- [9:32](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2012-12-11-an-interview-with-ian-lesnet-bus-buccaneer-builder#t=572) Business Model and Distributed Team Structure
- [18:37](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2012-12-11-an-interview-with-ian-lesnet-bus-buccaneer-builder#t=1117) Global Travel and Maker Faire Circuit
- [26:57](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2012-12-11-an-interview-with-ian-lesnet-bus-buccaneer-builder#t=1617) Manufacturing Process and Design for Manufacturing
- [38:11](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2012-12-11-an-interview-with-ian-lesnet-bus-buccaneer-builder#t=2291) Built-in Self-Test and Component Selection
- [52:46](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2012-12-11-an-interview-with-ian-lesnet-bus-buccaneer-builder#t=3166) Standardized PCB Footprints and Case Design
- [1:02:06](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2012-12-11-an-interview-with-ian-lesnet-bus-buccaneer-builder#t=3726) Bus Pirate Version 4 Firmware and USB Stack
- [1:09:10](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2012-12-11-an-interview-with-ian-lesnet-bus-buccaneer-builder#t=4150) Open Source Licensing and Community Management
- [1:16:23](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2012-12-11-an-interview-with-ian-lesnet-bus-buccaneer-builder#t=4583) 7400 Series Competition and Future Contests

## Topics

- [Open-source hardware](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/open-source-hardware)
- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)
- [Embedded firmware](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/embedded-firmware)
- [PCB design & layout](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pcb-design)
- [Microcontrollers & dev platforms](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/microcontrollers-and-platforms)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Dangerous Prototypes (company)
- Bus Pirate (product)
- Seeed Studio (company)
- Hackaday (company)
- Bus Blaster (product)
- FT2232 (chip)
- OpenOCD (tool)
- ATX Power Supply Breakout (product)
- Sick of Beige (other)
- Eagle (tool)
- KiCad (tool)
- PIC24 (chip)
- Microchip (company)
- SparkFun (company)
- Thingiverse (other)

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- [45: Yanking on a Cat's Tail Is the Only Way to Learn](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2014-04-02-45-yanking-on-a-cats-tail-is-the-only-way-to-learn) (Embedded.fm)
- [293: Skateboard Tricks (Repeat)](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2021-12-23-293-skateboard-tricks-repeat) (Embedded.fm)
- [044 - Scots Army Knife](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/unnamed-reverse-engineering-podcast/2021-01-03-044-scots-army-knife) (Unnamed Reverse Engineering Podcast)
- [Ep. 16 - Open Hardware with Thea Flowers](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/open-hardware-manufacturing-podcast/2024-03-14-ep-16-open-hardware-with-thea-flowers) (Open Hardware Manufacturing Podcast)

## 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/2012-12-11-an-interview-with-ian-lesnet-bus-buccaneer-builder. 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.