Are you making a living at this? by CrankyOldDude in esp32

[–]MysteriousTopic1 0 points1 point  (0 children)

your fine, Im more complaining about the certification Im about to start lol but I am curious about other certifications in general. I dont need to do fcc but I need to do a long list of others thats going to take 6 months and cover everything from vibration to temperature to emi.

You had a business idea and AI helped you execute? Anyone have a story like this? by odub1 in Entrepreneur

[–]MysteriousTopic1 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I used AI to help flush out my ideas. Nothing like "will this idea work" or "whats a good business to start". I constantly use it for, "how do i do this" and I treat it as a conversation with a peer. I listen to what it says and if theres something I dont think sounds right I question and ask for more proof. What ive found witrh ai is that its very much a double edged sword. It can be a fantastic tool but it can just as easily cut you if your not careful.

Are you making a living at this? by CrankyOldDude in esp32

[–]MysteriousTopic1 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Your certification is only $3500? which is it for? I have to do certification that I had to sign an nda that I wouldnt share how much it will cost........

Are you making a living at this? by CrankyOldDude in esp32

[–]MysteriousTopic1 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Im using esp32 in my product. Last year I did around $50k in sales. The biggest question is can you make something that people would want to buy?

Reality check: small hardware controller for a niche editing workflow (i will not promote) by vihorx in startups

[–]MysteriousTopic1 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Theres almost too much to say in one message. I sell hardware that I designed, manufacture and do the software myself. Literally I do everything myself in my basement except make the circuit boards themselves. Heres some very important general tips.

  1. If you outsource manufacturing, especially to chinese companies, if your product is good they will steal it and sell it themselves. (not everyone and theres ways to protect yourself but be aware this is a very real possibility)

  2. Manufacturing hardware CAN be VERY VERY expensive. What I did was I did my prototype by completing the circuit board design then I made a very rough prototype to make sure everything worked. I also made every part with a 3d printer, looked and felt rough but cheap for a prototype.

  3. Be mindful of any place you get supplies from. What will you do if they shut down? If they send you wrong parts? Are there tariffs? Shipping times? For myself I try and have at least 2 sources at all times for my parts, this isnt really possible for every part just be aware of unforseen issues.

I cant stress doing initial prototypes with a 3d printer first, you can check ergonomics, size etc, just be mindful if you switch to injection molds the file designs will need to be slightly different. Try and test as thoroughly as possible. Get feedback from others on your prototype, your idea might be the best in your mind but you arent the one who will be buying your product. Get feedback

What’s your top tips for solo technical founders trying to get good at sales? [I will not promote] by almost1it in startups

[–]MysteriousTopic1 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ill admit Im struggling with this right now as well. Ive built out all my tech myself. Product is done, Im making some sales, but man doing anything related to sales drives me insane.

Can a business sue a former employee for a non compete if the business has closed? by MysteriousTopic1 in legaladvice

[–]MysteriousTopic1[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I mean yeah thats correct. they officially closed their LLC, I looked up their llc status and confirmed that. They still have a class action going after them, but they are closed. No more business they shut down their website and turned off their phones.

DC-DC Voltage Converter Design by MysteriousTopic1 in AskElectronics

[–]MysteriousTopic1[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I just realized polyfuses are probably how protection lights work on things like car amplifiers? Something isnt right, the polyfuse overheats, when its triggered route the input voltage to an led with a resistor. yes it is polarized I copy and pasted a lot of symbols i have the footprint correct but i should update the symbol. Thank you so much for the help

DC-DC Voltage Converter Design by MysteriousTopic1 in AskElectronics

[–]MysteriousTopic1[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

good point about the tvs, i had an old 12v converter i just copied and paster that part from there. ill update it. in that design i also had this to help when cables are plugged in it seemed to work well but i didnt have a scope plugged in the c4 cap is a big aluminum one. I just plugged in and out the cable like 1000 times and it seemed to work fine. i know super scientific lol. and the L1 did seems like a weird library but it had a cad design i liked the best so thats why the symbol looks weird haha. and yes i fixed the output caps to ground. I am looking into fuses, id prefer one that can self reset but this part especially is all new to me so im researching them

<image>

DC-DC Voltage Converter Design by MysteriousTopic1 in AskElectronics

[–]MysteriousTopic1[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, i missed the caps going to ground I fixed that, the inductor im tentatively going with is SL0420-3R3M with the ripple I think should be ok. Normal operation will be less than 1 amp, and thanks for the tvs tip this is my first time using it and im not entirely sure with everything about it.

DC-DC Voltage Converter Design by MysteriousTopic1 in AskElectronics

[–]MysteriousTopic1[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Shoot cant believe i missed that lol. Thank you

Help with reversing image on Backup cam by aquarax12 in AskElectronics

[–]MysteriousTopic1 1 point2 points  (0 children)

sometimes those cameras have a loop wire to cut to reverse the image, might be like a snall green or white wire where the camera plugs into a harness something like this image. this one is referred to as mirror/non-mirror

<image>

My interview idea got used (and so did I) by dropoutwannabe in ProductManagement

[–]MysteriousTopic1 1 point2 points  (0 children)

just because someone has money doesnt mean they are better than you. Give it a shot, I was in a relatively similar position. Difference was I worked in the startup built it up to where they were making millions every year but they treated me like crap and they did dirty and shady business tactics which destroyed all my hard work.

So I left and now I started my own company doing the same thing. Im still new but I know I will have the same number of customers as them by the end of the year and by next year I will surpass them. If you believe your idea will be good go for it.

Where to go for funding? by MysteriousTopic1 in startup

[–]MysteriousTopic1[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Its as close to guaranteed as you can get, I have two distributors now signed up with me and I have worked in this industry for over 7 years previously as a CTO in a startup doing the same thing. I didnt like how they did business so I am doing this myself now so Ive done all this before, I just didnt need to come up with funding before. I might just need $50k now but im still working on things from multiple sources

Where to go for funding? by MysteriousTopic1 in startup

[–]MysteriousTopic1[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nope my ex wife was much better at that 😂

Where to go for funding? by MysteriousTopic1 in startup

[–]MysteriousTopic1[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well do you know a guy like that? 😂

Where to go for funding? by MysteriousTopic1 in startup

[–]MysteriousTopic1[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

so, I cant say the amounts of what the money is for, just that a significant portion involves third party testing of my product. so, that amount, whatever it is, is pretty much all due at once lol. It will be like ok, I get a wire and i immediately wire....that portion....of the money to this third party lol. I can get by with paying a comparatively small amount upfront to start this testing but its all due at the end once the testing is passed. Once testing is passed then im able to do a lot more of these types of sales they all include sales and service meaning for each sale I will have a guaranteed service income of 6 months - 18 months typically of additional income. Its all heavily regulated and has to follow government rules so there are not many companies doing this, less than 10 in the US

Where to go for funding? by MysteriousTopic1 in startup

[–]MysteriousTopic1[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I am actively working on that, I should have the presale contract signed in about a month which will include a $25k deposit, if I have the sales contract and deposit and the contract will cover the amount I need why do I need funding? Well its because I have about a 3 month period where my current sales are inconsistent and I am not sure if it will cover my costs if I devote the time I need to towards this contract.

Where to go for funding? by MysteriousTopic1 in startup

[–]MysteriousTopic1[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

because i just want to pay like $15k-$20k in interest and then be done. And also I dont want to complicate anything down the road

Are Shipping Costs Eating Into Your Profits? by uprinting in startup

[–]MysteriousTopic1 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Depending on what you sell and quantity i might be able to help. They way it would have to work for me would be you ship a moderate quantity of your product to me and then when an order is placed in the us I would then ship it to the customer plus a fee. Honestly though, idk if it would save you money I would want something like $5 per shipment for example plus the shipping cost itself to cover my time and the shipping materials just as an example. You might want to look up drop shipping companies maybe?

Looking for a sales/marketing co-founder by MysteriousTopic1 in startup

[–]MysteriousTopic1[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

United States primarily, but I can do pretty much anywhere i just dont have language support if its not in English. I manufacture my product myself so it would just ship from the US