# An Interview With Dave Young

- Show: [The Amp Hour](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour)
- Published: 2016-07-01
- Length: 1h 10m
- Episode: 305
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2016-07-01-an-interview-with-dave-young
- Listen: https://theamphour.com/305-an-interview-with-dave-young/

## Summary

Chris Gammell, founder of Young Circuit Designs and Blue Stamp Engineering, discusses his transition from corporate engineering at Keithley and AudioPack to running a consulting firm and an educational program. He explains how his experience with rigorous air and power budgets at large manufacturers contrasts with the rapid, low-volume prototyping required for startups, often involving manual PCB pickup to save time. Gammell also details the structure of Blue Stamp Engineering, a high school program that teaches students to build, modify, and innovate on electronics projects, emphasizing hands-on learning and troubleshooting over rote instruction.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2016-07-01-an-interview-with-dave-young#t=0) Introduction: Chris Gammell and Young Circuit Designs
- [1:47](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2016-07-01-an-interview-with-dave-young#t=107) Early Career at AudioPack and Keithley
- [12:11](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2016-07-01-an-interview-with-dave-young#t=731) Consulting vs. Corporate Engineering: Budgets and Risk
- [23:39](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2016-07-01-an-interview-with-dave-young#t=1419) Sourcing Contract Manufacturers for Startups
- [39:47](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2016-07-01-an-interview-with-dave-young#t=2387) Case Study: Motorized Wheelchair Project
- [44:43](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2016-07-01-an-interview-with-dave-young#t=2683) Blue Stamp Engineering: High School Electronics Program
- [54:37](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2016-07-01-an-interview-with-dave-young#t=3277) Program Structure, Tuition, and Student Outcomes

## Topics

- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)
- [Prototyping & iteration](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/prototyping)
- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies, founders before launch

## Mentioned

- Young Circuit Designs (company)
- Blue Stamp Engineering (company)
- Keithley (company)
- AudioPack (company)
- Ultra Electronics (company)
- SparkFun (company)
- Particle Photon (product)
- Google VR Cardboard (product)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [84: You Can't Make Money Taking Tests](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2015-01-14-84-you-cant-make-money-taking-tests) (Embedded.fm)
- [S2E51 The Hardware Academy | John Teel](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2021-12-03-s2e51-the-hardware-academy-john-teel) (Being an Engineer)
- [181: Work on It for Ten Years](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2016-12-30-181-work-on-it-for-ten-years) (Embedded.fm)
- [171: Perfectly Good Being Square and Green](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2016-10-12-171-perfectly-good-being-square-and-green) (Embedded.fm)
- [44: Light Up Strikes Back](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2014-03-26-44-light-up-strikes-back) (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/2016-07-01-an-interview-with-dave-young. 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.