# Firmware, Netburner and Semiconductors - Chris's Capitalism Colloquy

- Show: [The Amp Hour](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour)
- Published: 2013-07-03
- Length: 1h 17m
- Episode: 152
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2013-07-03-firmware-netburner-and-semiconductors-chriss-capitalism-colloquy
- Listen: https://theamphour.com/the-amp-hour-152-chriss-capitalism-colloquy/

## Summary

Chris Gammell and Dave Jones discuss the high capital costs of hardware manufacturing compared to software, noting that tools like Kickstarter are necessary to fund upfront production expenses. They analyze the trend of system-on-chip integration, highlighting Dialog Semiconductor's Bluetooth SoC and TI's CC2500 series as enablers for rapid hardware iteration and IoT growth. The hosts also address the significant barriers to entry for chip design, contrasting the accessible nature of board-level electronics with the expensive, specialized nature of semiconductor fabrication.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2013-07-03-firmware-netburner-and-semiconductors-chriss-capitalism-colloquy#t=0) Introduction and Hackaday News
- [5:39](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2013-07-03-firmware-netburner-and-semiconductors-chriss-capitalism-colloquy#t=339) MakerBot Firmware and Tooling Frustrations
- [13:14](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2013-07-03-firmware-netburner-and-semiconductors-chriss-capitalism-colloquy#t=794) Software vs. Hardware Version Control Mindsets
- [21:42](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2013-07-03-firmware-netburner-and-semiconductors-chriss-capitalism-colloquy#t=1302) Hardware Capital Costs and Kickstarter
- [43:39](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2013-07-03-firmware-netburner-and-semiconductors-chriss-capitalism-colloquy#t=2619) The Rise of One-Person Businesses
- [48:13](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2013-07-03-firmware-netburner-and-semiconductors-chriss-capitalism-colloquy#t=2893) System-on-Chip Integration and Dialog Semiconductor
- [1:00:02](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2013-07-03-firmware-netburner-and-semiconductors-chriss-capitalism-colloquy#t=3602) High-Speed Silicon Germanium and Chip Design Barriers
- [1:13:37](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2013-07-03-firmware-netburner-and-semiconductors-chriss-capitalism-colloquy#t=4417) NYC Meetup and Community Engagement

## Topics

- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)
- [Microcontrollers & dev platforms](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/microcontrollers-and-platforms)
- [Chips, FPGAs & semiconductors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/chips-and-fpgas)
- [Crowdfunding & preorders](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/crowdfunding)
- [Embedded firmware](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/embedded-firmware)
- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)

## Most relevant to

founders before launch

## Mentioned

- NetBurner (company)
- Hackaday (other)
- MakerBot (product)
- AVR Studio (tool)
- AVR Dude (tool)
- Arduino (product)
- KiCad (tool)
- Altium (tool)
- Dialog Semiconductor (company)
- Texas Instruments (company)
- Nordic Semiconductor (company)
- IBM (company)
- Tektronix (company)
- Keithley (company)
- Agilent (company)
- Intel (company)
- Linear Technology (company)
- Mentor Graphics (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [322: Learn Assembly Code](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2020-02-28-322-learn-assembly-code) (Embedded.fm)
- [100: Unintentional Radiator](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2015-05-06-100-unintentional-radiator) (Embedded.fm)
- [Oxide's $100M Series B](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2025-08-09-oxides-100m-series-b) (Oxide and Friends)
- [Challenges in Hardware Development | HARDWARIO s.r.o.'s Pavel Hübner](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/iot-for-all-podcast/2022-06-21-challenges-in-hardware-development-hardwario-s-r-o-s-pavel-hubner) (IoT For All Podcast)
- [The Spark Gap - Episode 17](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-spark-gap/2014-10-08-the-spark-gap-episode-17) (The Spark Gap)

## 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/2013-07-03-firmware-netburner-and-semiconductors-chriss-capitalism-colloquy. 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.