# An Interview with Ryan Brown - Effortless Equipment Extensibility

- Show: [The Amp Hour](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour)
- Published: 2013-03-27
- Length: 1h 14m
- Episode: 138
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2013-03-27-an-interview-with-ryan-brown-effortless-equipment-extensibility
- Listen: https://theamphour.com/the-amp-hour-138-effortless-equipment-extensibility/

## Summary

Ryan Brown of National Instruments discusses the FlexRIO platform, which combines LabVIEW FPGA with modular hardware to allow startups and engineers to bypass low-level interface challenges and focus on application-specific DSP or radio algorithms. He details the engineering trade-offs in abstracting FPGA logic for LabVIEW users, the rigorous design review culture at NI, and the company's history from GPIB cards to modern software-defined radio. Brown also highlights the vibrant Austin hardware ecosystem, including the local maker community, Tech Shop, and the Austin Hardware Startup Meetup he co-organized.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2013-03-27-an-interview-with-ryan-brown-effortless-equipment-extensibility#t=0) Introduction and FlexRIO Overview
- [5:27](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2013-03-27-an-interview-with-ryan-brown-effortless-equipment-extensibility#t=327) FlexRIO Architecture and FPGA Abstraction
- [17:51](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2013-03-27-an-interview-with-ryan-brown-effortless-equipment-extensibility#t=1071) LabVIEW FPGA Development Challenges
- [23:57](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2013-03-27-an-interview-with-ryan-brown-effortless-equipment-extensibility#t=1437) National Instruments Culture and History
- [40:45](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2013-03-27-an-interview-with-ryan-brown-effortless-equipment-extensibility#t=2445) Austin Hardware Scene and Meetups
- [56:08](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2013-03-27-an-interview-with-ryan-brown-effortless-equipment-extensibility#t=3368) Maker Projects and Tech Shop

## Topics

- [Fundraising & investors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/fundraising)
- [Microcontrollers & dev platforms](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/microcontrollers-and-platforms)
- [Chips, FPGAs & semiconductors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/chips-and-fpgas)
- [EDA & CAD tools](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/eda-and-cad-tools)
- [Maker community & events](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/maker-community)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)

## Most relevant to

large enterprises

## Mentioned

- National Instruments (company)
- FlexRIO (product)
- LabVIEW (tool)
- Xilinx (company)
- Vivado (tool)
- Arduino (product)
- SparkFun (company)
- Tech Shop (other)
- Waterloo Labs (company)
- Twine (product)
- Board Forge (product)
- GPIB (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [129: Atoms Not Bits](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2015-12-09-129-atoms-not-bits) (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)
- [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)
- [66: As Simple as Possible](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2014-09-03-66-as-simple-as-possible) (Embedded.fm)
- [100: Unintentional Radiator](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2015-05-06-100-unintentional-radiator) (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/2013-03-27-an-interview-with-ryan-brown-effortless-equipment-extensibility. 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.