# An Interview with Colin Karpfinger - Blendling Bean Brio

- Show: [The Amp Hour](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour)
- Published: 2014-12-04
- Length: 1h 14m
- Episode: 226
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2014-12-04-an-interview-with-colin-karpfinger-blendling-bean-brio
- Listen: https://theamphour.com/226-an-interview-with-colin-karpfinger-blendling-bean-brio/

## Summary

Colin Karpfinger, founder of Punch Through Design, discusses the development and commercialization of the Light Blue Bean, a coin-cell powered Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) development board. He details the engineering challenges of low-power firmware, the strategic decision to use the TI CC2540 chipset, and the complexities of FCC certification. Karpfinger also explains their custom crowdfunding campaign that raised nearly $200,000, the manufacturing process involving a Korean factory, and the company's evolution from a consulting firm to a product-based business with 13 employees.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2014-12-04-an-interview-with-colin-karpfinger-blendling-bean-brio#t=0) Introduction and Punch Through Background
- [2:03](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2014-12-04-an-interview-with-colin-karpfinger-blendling-bean-brio#t=123) Light Blue Bean Hardware and Low-Power Design
- [6:05](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2014-12-04-an-interview-with-colin-karpfinger-blendling-bean-brio#t=365) FCC Certification Costs and Process
- [8:46](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2014-12-04-an-interview-with-colin-karpfinger-blendling-bean-brio#t=526) Product Strategy and Pricing
- [15:54](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2014-12-04-an-interview-with-colin-karpfinger-blendling-bean-brio#t=954) Custom Crowdfunding Campaign Results
- [26:31](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2014-12-04-an-interview-with-colin-karpfinger-blendling-bean-brio#t=1591) Manufacturing, Testing, and Supply Chain
- [33:43](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2014-12-04-an-interview-with-colin-karpfinger-blendling-bean-brio#t=2023) Bluetooth Module Engineering and Chipset Choice
- [50:37](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2014-12-04-an-interview-with-colin-karpfinger-blendling-bean-brio#t=3037) Software Stack, Latency, and App Development
- [1:03:28](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2014-12-04-an-interview-with-colin-karpfinger-blendling-bean-brio#t=3808) Company Culture, Hiring, and Future Plans

## Topics

- [PCB design & layout](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pcb-design)
- [Batteries & low-power design](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/batteries-and-low-power)
- [Wireless & RF](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/wireless-and-rf)
- [Crowdfunding & preorders](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/crowdfunding)
- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)
- [Embedded firmware](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/embedded-firmware)
- [Chips, FPGAs & semiconductors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/chips-and-fpgas)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Light Blue Bean (product)
- Punch Through Design (company)
- LBM 313 (product)
- Vegas Lounge (product)
- TI CC2540 (chip)
- Atmel (company)
- Misalu (company)
- Retronyms (company)
- Light Blue App (product)
- Fitbit (product)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [44: Light Up Strikes Back](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2014-03-26-44-light-up-strikes-back) (Embedded.fm)
- [389: Blobs Are Not Stressful](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2021-10-14-389-blobs-are-not-stressful) (Embedded.fm)
- [146: The Loyal Opposition](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2016-04-07-146-the-loyal-opposition) (Embedded.fm)
- [When our phones are just phones with Kai Tang and Joe Hollier of Light](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2023-08-10-when-our-phones-are-just-phones-with-kai-tang-and-joe-hollier-of-light) (How I Built This)
- [62: Costs a Penny to Go to the Bathroom (Repeat)](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2017-10-19-62-costs-a-penny-to-go-to-the-bathroom-repeat) (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/2014-12-04-an-interview-with-colin-karpfinger-blendling-bean-brio. 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.