Jeri Ellsworth
Encyclopedia
Jeri Ellsworth is an American
entrepreneur
and self-taught
computer chip designer. She is best known for creating a Commodore 64
emulator within a joystick
, in 2004, called Commodore 30-in-1 Direct to TV
. That "computer in a joystick" could run 30 video games from the early 1980s, and was very popular during the 2004 Christmas season, at peak selling over 70,000 units in a single day via the QVC
shopping channel
. Ellsworth currently lives in Oregon.
, and grew up in the town of Dallas, Oregon
, where she was raised by her father, a local Mobil service station
owner. At a young age, she persuaded her father to let her use a Commodore 64
computer which had been originally purchased for her brother. She taught herself to program by reading the C64's manuals. While at high school, she drove dirt-track race cars with her father, and then began designing new models in his workshop, eventually selling her own custom race cars. This allowed her to drop out of high school to continue the business.
In 1995, at the age of 21, she decided that she wanted to get away from the race car business, and she and a friend started an early Intel 486-PC-based business, assembling and selling computers. When she and her partner later had a disagreement, Ellsworth opened a separate business in competition. This new business became a chain of four stores, "Computers Made Easy", selling computer equipment in towns in Oregon. She ran that chain until selling it in 2000, at which point she moved to Walla Walla, Washington
and attended Walla Walla College
, studying circuit design for about a year. She dropped out due to a "cultural mismatch"; Ellsworth said that questioning professors' answers was frowned upon.
In 2000, Ellsworth attended her first Commodore exposition, where she unveiled a prototype video expansion for the C64. This project later evolved to become the CommodoreOne, a.k.a. the C-One
, and C64-DTV
.
Ellsworth then began designing computer circuits that mimicked the behavior of her first computer, the Commodore 64. In this way, in 2002, she designed the chip used in the C-One
, a board which was co-designed and manufactured by Jens Schönfeld, as an enhanced Commodore 64 which could also emulate other home computers of the early 1980s, including the VIC-20
and Sinclair ZX81
. She displayed the C-1 at a technology conference, and she and Schönfeld received enough business to sell a few hundred units. This also led to Ellsworth receiving a job offer from Mammoth Toys, a company which hired her to design the "computer in a chip" for the Commodore-emulating joystick. She began the project in June 2004, and had the project ready to ship by that Christmas. It sold over a half-million units, in the USA, Europe, and elsewhere.
Ellsworth is a pinball machine expert and owns over 90 full sized pinball arcade games. She runs the business, Ricochet Pinball.
On May 30, 2009, Ellsworth demonstrated her Home Chip Lab at Maker Faire
Bay Area 2009.
Ellsworth was named "MacGyver of the Day" on February 25, 2010 by LifeHacker.
On December 3, 2010 she released information on how to build a TSA "naked" scanner using repurposed satellite antenna parts.
Ellsworth has published numerous technical articles online regarding subjects as diverse as homemade semiconductors (2009), homemade electroluminescent (EL) displays (2010), EL phosphor manufacture from common ingredients and ways to make transparent EL backplanes without using expensive indium-tin-oxide coated glass.
Ellsworth was a keynote speaker at the Embedded Systems Conference on May 5, 2011.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
and self-taught
Autodidacticism
Autodidacticism is self-education or self-directed learning. In a sense, autodidacticism is "learning on your own" or "by yourself", and an autodidact is a person who teaches him or herself something. The term has its roots in the Ancient Greek words αὐτός and διδακτικός...
computer chip designer. She is best known for creating a Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
emulator within a joystick
Joystick
A joystick is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling. Joysticks, also known as 'control columns', are the principal control in the cockpit of many civilian and military aircraft, either as a center stick or...
, in 2004, called Commodore 30-in-1 Direct to TV
C64 Direct-to-TV
The C64 Direct-to-TV, called C64DTV for short, is a single-chip implementation of the Commodore 64 computer, contained in a joystick with 30 built-in games. The design is similar to the Atari Classics 10-in-1 TV Game...
. That "computer in a joystick" could run 30 video games from the early 1980s, and was very popular during the 2004 Christmas season, at peak selling over 70,000 units in a single day via the QVC
QVC
QVC is a multinational corporation specializing in televised home shopping. Founded in 1986 by Joseph Segel in West Goshen Township, Pennsylvania, United States, QVC broadcasts in five countries as QVC US, QVC UK, QVC Germany, QVC Japan and – QVC Italy to 200 million households...
shopping channel
Shopping channel
Shopping channels are television specialty channels that present shopping related content, particularly for home shopping enthusiasts.-USA:* America's Store* Home Shopping Network* Jewelry Television* QVC* Shop at Home Network* ShopNBC...
. Ellsworth currently lives in Oregon.
Biography
Ellsworth was born in 1974 in Yamhill, OregonYamhill, Oregon
Yamhill is a city in Yamhill County, Oregon, United States. Located in the northern part of the county, it is situated at the intersection of Oregon Route 47 and Oregon Route 240. The population was 794 at the 2000 census. The 2008 estimate is 855 residents...
, and grew up in the town of Dallas, Oregon
Dallas, Oregon
The city of Dallas is the county seat of Polk County, Oregon, United States. The population was 14,583 at the 2010 census.Dallas is located on Rickreall Creek, approximately 15 miles west of Salem, at an altitude of 325 feet above sea level...
, where she was raised by her father, a local Mobil service station
Filling station
A filling station, also known as a fueling station, garage, gasbar , gas station , petrol bunk , petrol pump , petrol garage, petrol kiosk , petrol station "'servo"' in Australia or service station, is a facility which sells fuel and lubricants...
owner. At a young age, she persuaded her father to let her use a Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
computer which had been originally purchased for her brother. She taught herself to program by reading the C64's manuals. While at high school, she drove dirt-track race cars with her father, and then began designing new models in his workshop, eventually selling her own custom race cars. This allowed her to drop out of high school to continue the business.
In 1995, at the age of 21, she decided that she wanted to get away from the race car business, and she and a friend started an early Intel 486-PC-based business, assembling and selling computers. When she and her partner later had a disagreement, Ellsworth opened a separate business in competition. This new business became a chain of four stores, "Computers Made Easy", selling computer equipment in towns in Oregon. She ran that chain until selling it in 2000, at which point she moved to Walla Walla, Washington
Walla Walla, Washington
Walla Walla is the largest city in and the county seat of Walla Walla County, Washington, United States. The population was 31,731 at the 2010 census...
and attended Walla Walla College
Walla Walla College
Walla Walla University is a University offering liberal arts, professional, and technical programs located in College Place, Washington, just a few miles from Walla Walla. The current President is John McVay. It was founded in 1892 and is affiliated with the Seventh-day Adventist Church.The...
, studying circuit design for about a year. She dropped out due to a "cultural mismatch"; Ellsworth said that questioning professors' answers was frowned upon.
In 2000, Ellsworth attended her first Commodore exposition, where she unveiled a prototype video expansion for the C64. This project later evolved to become the CommodoreOne, a.k.a. the C-One
C-One
The C-One is a single-board computer designed by Jeri Ellsworth, a self-taught designer, and Jens Schönfeld from Individual Computers, who manufactured the boards themselves...
, and C64-DTV
C64 Direct-to-TV
The C64 Direct-to-TV, called C64DTV for short, is a single-chip implementation of the Commodore 64 computer, contained in a joystick with 30 built-in games. The design is similar to the Atari Classics 10-in-1 TV Game...
.
Ellsworth then began designing computer circuits that mimicked the behavior of her first computer, the Commodore 64. In this way, in 2002, she designed the chip used in the C-One
C-One
The C-One is a single-board computer designed by Jeri Ellsworth, a self-taught designer, and Jens Schönfeld from Individual Computers, who manufactured the boards themselves...
, a board which was co-designed and manufactured by Jens Schönfeld, as an enhanced Commodore 64 which could also emulate other home computers of the early 1980s, including the VIC-20
Commodore VIC-20
The VIC-20 is an 8-bit home computer which was sold by Commodore Business Machines. The VIC-20 was announced in 1980, roughly three years after Commodore's first personal computer, the PET...
and Sinclair ZX81
Sinclair ZX81
The ZX81 was a home computer produced by Sinclair Research and manufactured in Scotland by Timex Corporation. It was launched in the United Kingdom in March 1981 as the successor to Sinclair's ZX80 and was designed to be a low-cost introduction to home computing for the general public...
. She displayed the C-1 at a technology conference, and she and Schönfeld received enough business to sell a few hundred units. This also led to Ellsworth receiving a job offer from Mammoth Toys, a company which hired her to design the "computer in a chip" for the Commodore-emulating joystick. She began the project in June 2004, and had the project ready to ship by that Christmas. It sold over a half-million units, in the USA, Europe, and elsewhere.
Ellsworth is a pinball machine expert and owns over 90 full sized pinball arcade games. She runs the business, Ricochet Pinball.
On May 30, 2009, Ellsworth demonstrated her Home Chip Lab at Maker Faire
Maker Faire
Maker Faire is an event created by Make magazine to "celebrate arts, crafts, engineering, science projects and the Do-It-Yourself mindset".-Past events:The first was held April 22 – 23, 2006, at the San Mateo Fairgrounds...
Bay Area 2009.
Ellsworth was named "MacGyver of the Day" on February 25, 2010 by LifeHacker.
On December 3, 2010 she released information on how to build a TSA "naked" scanner using repurposed satellite antenna parts.
Ellsworth has published numerous technical articles online regarding subjects as diverse as homemade semiconductors (2009), homemade electroluminescent (EL) displays (2010), EL phosphor manufacture from common ingredients and ways to make transparent EL backplanes without using expensive indium-tin-oxide coated glass.
Ellsworth was a keynote speaker at the Embedded Systems Conference on May 5, 2011.
External links
- Jeri Ellsworth Dot Com Personal website and blog
- YouTube channel JeriEllsworth and her less formal companion channel JeriEllsworthJabber
- Flickr photostream JeriEllsworth
- Jeri Ellsworth on Twitter
- Stanford lecture, May 18, 2005 in video stream mirror
- Portland Linux Users Group, March 4, 2010, video stream presentation
- C-One Reconfigurable Computer website
- Interview with Leo Laporte and Tom Merritt - Episode 3 of Triangulation on TWiT.tv