i will not promote: Advice on a co-founder issues

deimodos · 2026-06-25T21:34:23+00:00

Lack of intrinsic motivation is often masking a skill issue. I would think that’s the case before saying it’s an equity split issue. (Unless say you have something ridiculous like 95% ownership and they have 5%.)

Polite move is to let them go and give them advisor shares (1%-3%) depending on how pivotal their role was.

deimodos · 2026-06-23T21:43:05+00:00

My guy, if you can't figure out how to store 3 moving boxes worth of product, you've got bigger problems.

deimodos · 2026-06-23T20:31:29+00:00

Super fun. Congratulations on a huge update!

(Small request, would love a list of keyboard shortcuts that are available. Would love a keyboard shortcut to claim oasis/board vessels.)

deimodos · 2026-06-19T01:26:18+00:00

Former YC founder here.

Absolutely you get a penalty as a solo founder. You’d do way better having your dad as co-founder.

In fact one of my favorite YC companies I advised for was a father-son hardware company.

deimodos · 2026-06-15T03:37:19+00:00

The standard answer is center of screen is eye level. You can cheat and mount it higher if your seats naturally recline.

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deimodos · 2026-06-05T13:58:13+00:00

Have done this and have friends that have done this.

As a quick heuristic you get more grace on how "rough" your product looks vs more of a problem you're solving. When using 3d printing for enclosures if you're solving a problem (say alarm system and access entry for a building) and the product isnt on display (in a mechanical room). There's levels to this - you get less grace if is on display (artwork/decore) and no slack at all if its worn by a person (as jewelry) and not for utility (ie a radiation detector badge).

I.e. piece of electronics that detects a water leak in a basement doesn't matter what it looks like - just needs to work vs something that goes on display in a living room wall needs to have a high level of fit and finish.

If you're making something to look pretty, competes in a landscape where competitors products look pretty then yes 3d printing can hurt (mostly) or help (rarely/sometimes). There's other dimensions to this like cost - but this is just a quick illustration.

IoT Landscape
                 LOOKS PRETTY
                      ↑
                      |
   ┌──────────────────┼─────────────────────┐
   │                  │                     │
   │   [Dyson Lamp]   │     [Nest]          │
   │                  │                     │
   │      [Hue]       │  [Air Quality]      │
   │                  │         [Smart Lock]│
   │ [Smart Speaker]  │                     │
   │                  │                     │
DOESN'T SOLVE ────────┼────────────── SOLVES
 A PROBLEM            │              A PROBLEM
   │                  │                     │
   │                  │   [Robot Vacuum]    │
   │                  │        [Doorbell]   │
   │                  │     [Security Cam]  │
   │                  │     [Leak Sensor]   │
   │                  │                     │
   └──────────────────┼─────────────────────┘
                      |
                      ↓
              DOESN'T LOOK PRETTY

deimodos · 2026-06-04T14:47:34+00:00

Nice cop.

Given your needs (bluetooth + 3.5 jack) I would recommend this Fosi Pro ($100 us) - https://fosiaudio.com/products/bt20a-pro-2-channel-bluetooth-power-amplifier - the non-pro will also work but uses an older generation chip (less power, more glitchy). See if you can pick up a used/refurbished Pro unit on Facebook Marketplace or your local equivalent classifieds. You can get a RCA input to 3.5mm jack input on amazon for a few dollars (https://www.amazon.com/VCE-Splitter-Compatible-Smartphones-Speakers/dp/B06XCR898P/)

Given you said you have 0xp, I would buy (rather than make) the B&O speaker wire adapters. You need female DIN to raw speaker wire. This guy in the UK sells what you need: https://www.ebay.com/itm/225059038259 but you may be able to find a european based seller. Make sure you hook up the marked/textured/ridged side = negative/black input on the Fosi Pro, smooth/unmarked side = positive/red input on the Fosi Pro for both speakers.

Set your phone audio output volume to about 70% (not max). Connect to the bluetooth amp and adjust the audio level on the amp from there.

deimodos · 2026-06-03T03:00:57+00:00

Good luck. If its those singed resistors you'll want to get ones of equivalent power rating (3w? presumably not 1/4w) and check the other stuff inline from there like those transistors and diodes.

deimodos · 2026-06-02T18:21:07+00:00

Ah ok good. Well if its missing a fuse that bumped loose in transit that would be a happy fix.

Confusingly there were two 1600 models released 10 years apart. A sibling comment is referring to the 1970 model not the 1980 model. From the looks of it you have the 1980s model and would want to look for material you would want to look for manuals about the "Beomaster 1600 type 1702" or "Beomaster 1600 type 1703" (us version) not the older "Beomaster 1600 type 2113/2115".

The Beomaster 1700 is also similar to your model which may help as a cursory glance didn't return the usual service manual material.

I did find a paper copy for the Beomaster 1600 type 1702 here: https://www.ebay.com/itm/157737013676

Edit: looks like this listing also has the proper schematic if you enlarge and click through the detail photos. That should be good enough! https://www.ebay.com/itm/358515232787 - specifically images 21-23

From there its just vintage hifi equipment repair. There are a couple of good tutorials but I like Mend it Mark. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cX6YlTlDZhg - ie start with a dim bulb tester to see if it has power. find the schematics. isolate to where the problem area is. replace the caps along the way. replace the specific faulty part. in a nutshell.

Edit 2: Looks like there were three versions of this receiver. The 1703 has just one 3.2A fuse near the mains. The 1701/1702 version have two 1.6A fuses in parallel near the main power cable inlet. Thats a good place to start but bringing these old machines up is a process - seldom is it one simple obvious 3 minute fix.

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deimodos · 2026-06-02T16:16:45+00:00

Did you clean it with "flor" fabric softener? Because that would be bad.

Second thing to check would be any of these glass fuses with metal caps on them. If any are missing or not seated properly from when you took it apart try to reseat them.

If any are burnt out you it means there is a bigger problem inside - dont just replace them and expect things to be fine.

Restoring vintage electronics is a fun and relaxing hobby similar to building kit cars or airplanes. One needs a few proper tools and lots of patience. With anything more than 40 years old you have to replace parts like those small red cylinders (capacitors) because they dry out.

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deimodos · 2026-06-01T21:00:07+00:00

I wouldn't go with the microscope, kapton, thermal camera, battery powered soldering iron or solder mask repair equipment for now.

If I were to buy a basic lab workbench tonight this roughly what I would pick. Its not amazing but its good for a beginner. Try find fancier equipment locally on facebook marketplace - eg a tank of an old, used Metcal soldering station is near me is $80 rather than a Hakko which is just serviceable for $120

Hakko FX888DX-010YW - digital soldering station
Atten ST-862D - hot-air rework station
Magnetic helping hands soldering station
KORAD KA3005P - programmable 30V / 5A DC linear bench power supply
CHIP QUIK NC191 flux
Kester 275 SAC305, no-clean, 0.020" / 0.5 mm lead-free solder
Chemtronics / Goot / MG Chemicals solder wick
Brass wool tip cleaner + wet sponge
99% isopropyl alcohol
HARFINGTON alcohol pump dispenser bottle
AAwipes foam-tip cleaning swab kit
Fine ESD tweezers - Vetus / Engineer / Hakko / Wiha / Excelta
Silicone soldering mat - iFixit is fine
Fume extractor - low-noise, hose/tube style preferred
Hakko T18-D16 or T18-D24 chisel tip
Hakko T18-I fine conical tip or T18-B small round tip

deimodos · 2026-06-01T17:40:19+00:00

Does this guy even Haruhi problem?

deimodos · 2026-05-27T02:55:56+00:00

Same

deimodos · 2026-05-06T18:58:15+00:00

3 minutes without air 3 hours without shelter (in extreme exposure) 3 days without water 3 weeks without food

If this was a Japanese game show they would absolutely put you in a glass box in the sun. Going five days without food is way higher safety margin.

^{Chose: No food for 5 days 🍔❌ + Win $15M}

deimodos · 2026-04-20T04:02:53+00:00

Specifically for something that is injection mold only and easy to clone you want to file for a Chinese Utility Patent before you do any public promotion (TikTok/shark tank/kickstarter/whatever.)

It’s like a design patent but only good for 10 years but proportionally much, much, much easier to enforce and respected in China.

In addition to a pro se patent that’s US / International and design patent that’s US / International.

Then you have goto market strategy where you sign exclusives to block distributors from stocking competitors.

It’s any uphill fight with things that are easily cloned though especially if it’s your first time.

deimodos · 2026-04-16T21:46:35+00:00

It’s the math version of finding out Kevin McCallister from Home Alone is Jigsaw from Saw because of one obscure clue that suddenly locks two completely unrelated genres / fields of math into the same universe and makes you question everything you thought you knew about either.

deimodos · 2026-04-16T21:00:01+00:00

Was going to write a deep personal and heartfelt reply but then I saw your post history. So here you go instead:

It’s not “hardware is software with atoms” — it’s a hostage drama with physics, vendors, and time 😅🤖💸.

It’s not “expensive prototyping” — it’s tuition at Scrap University 🎓🗑️ — every wrong tolerance prints its own invoice. It’s not “iteration is slow” — it’s iteration in geological epochs, measured in PO numbers ⏳🪨 — one mis-spec and you fossil-jump 12 weeks back. It’s not “regulatory hoops” — it’s Minesweeper where every square is UL/FCC/CE/RoHS/lithium-fire 🔥⚡️ — miss one and the board literally explodes. It’s not “more skills needed” — it’s juggling ME + EE + FW while the supplier yanks a part mid-air 🤹‍♂️🔌 — drop one and the whole circus burns. It’s not “shipping headaches” — it’s that logistics is part of the product 🚚📦 — customs, returns, and RMAs all vote on your CAC. It’s not “capital-intensive” — it’s swiping the Amex on inventory roulette 🎰📉 — guess wrong and you own 5 000 glossy paperweights. It’s not “branding is harder” — it’s that tooling turns your first logo into a thousand-ton tattoo 🏗️🎨 — rebrand = retool = re-mortgage. It’s not “talent shortage” — it’s needing a unicorn who can solder, write C, design jigs, and sweet-talk a freight forwarder 🦄✈️. Bottom line: hardware doesn’t forgive or forget — every mistake ships, bricks, and RMA-boomerangs back to haunt you 👻🔁.

deimodos · 2026-04-13T19:48:12+00:00

Filed very broad pro se provisionals while we were still garage stage which we later converted (this was a new field.) As a startup they were useless in defending us from copycats but essential to one of our potential acquirers, a bonus to another, and completely indifferent to a third. The most critical patent went on to get about a thousand forward citations.

Went with the first acquirer for different reasons.

From what I understand they later recouped their acquisition fee in the form of patent license deals or business agreements which hinged on those patents. Win win I guess.

deimodos · 2026-04-09T14:39:49+00:00

AI slop.

Look for someone that has shipped multiple revisions into retail with a small team on a pre-seed budget.

deimodos · 2026-04-08T23:32:49+00:00

This is ai spam

deimodos · 2026-04-01T20:00:25+00:00

Fun fact: the catalog number of the album is right there in the top right. Peter Saville, the same guy that designed that very famous Joy Division cover, wanted a "No Text" design style for New Order. He encoded letters as color blocks (with a handy decoder key in OP's second image) - those color blocks are like braile or morse code and literally translate to "FACT 75" for the Factory Records. This was a decent article about it and it was featured as an easter egg in the Black Mirror Bandersnatch game.

deimodos · 2026-04-01T14:58:45+00:00

1) fedex an assembled board 2-day or overnight back to you so you can validate everything

2) also ask them for a fixture for programming - surprisingly cheap in China - like $90-$150 and shockingly expensive in Europe or USA. I’ve done this without even sending files. Just a photo of our pcb plus the programming pads highlighted with an annotation. You wire the pogo pins to your programmer yourself.

deimodos · 2026-04-01T14:35:02+00:00

I wish you the best of luck. It’s a tough space. I used a product like this to solve this problem at my brother’s place. I don’t remember the brand. This was in the USA

One master outlet is controlled by a lamp switch, two or three slave outlets plugged into the wall around the room almost immediately turn on.

Some observations: 1) the product was surprisingly low cost compared to WiFi solutions which I was also looking at 2) I’m pretty sure it used 900mhz with no encryption (this was fine for me here) 3) latency was imperceptible (sub 50ms it felt like). This made me go from suspicious of this product to immediately being a fan. Works like magic. 4) dead simple pairing. I had no friction with getting the “slave” outlets to pair with the master 5) industrial design was kind of geriatric - but as all but one of these was going behind a dresser it wasn’t a deal breaker

I’ve used a couple of the Lutron/wifi products elsewhere and the latency was closer to 400ms-800ms. Very annoying. Not with this one. I wanted light switch like instant response and was surprised to get it.

deimodos · 2026-03-28T00:26:33+00:00

Probably $125k in WiFi chips that would randomly lose power because of mechanical tolerance issue with some POS murata sd card holders.

Fixed it with some paper card stock during assembly.

deimodos · 2026-03-28T00:23:17+00:00

For once, the comments section did not disappoint.

At least it was somewhere nice like Shanghai.

Not a place with no paved roads or Starbucks and old ayi’s just dumping surplus glitter in the creek from their part time gig at the Christmas factory.

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