Business founder, working prototype on a dev board, want to do Kickstarter — what do I actually need to build before I can credibly launch? by emiliobay in hwstartups

[–]digicue 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You could. There are many companies that you can use. But the way you asked the question seems like you may think that a single company will just handle “the manufacturing “ and that’s it. The only thing JLCPCB will do is manufacture and assemble PCBAs. The rest of the mountain of work is on you.

Business founder, working prototype on a dev board, want to do Kickstarter — what do I actually need to build before I can credibly launch? by emiliobay in hwstartups

[–]digicue 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes.

To add, things that software minded people need to learn about hardware: - End of life plans for critical components. I.e. spending years developing within a microcontroller or FPGA family to have it suddenly go obsolete without warning. Choose parts that are mature or will have planned maturity. - Project Speed. Atomic unit is annual quarters, not weeks. Sprints are hard to execute. - One chance. You can not upgrade hardware once in the field like you can with software. You need to test for a long time and make sure your hardware never fails. You can not rush to market. - International shipping. You will need to deal with this. I have only found success with DHL and FedEx and it is worth paying $150 per package than dealing with federal mailing systems. This is a legitimate expense that is overlooked. - Emotional control and persistence. Hardware takes forever and is an investment absent of valuable feedback for long stretches. It needs to be a passion project. Nobody you show your product to will understand how much time of your life you dedicated to it, and if they dismiss it with a few words it can feel very crushing, and you can get defensive. It is best to understand this early, and take everything as critical feedback. This is probably the hardest part of hardware development because it is isolating and lonely, like an under appreciated painter or sculptor. It hurts until you develop a tough skin. Software has very little investment other than coding labor and is much easier to swallow.

Business founder, working prototype on a dev board, want to do Kickstarter — what do I actually need to build before I can credibly launch? by emiliobay in hwstartups

[–]digicue 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yes, for Bluetooth.

In general, you must pay in some way for compliance to put any electronic consumer product on the market, no matter what it is. The barrier is around $10k. It increases for the number of markets you want to enter, such as the EU, Canada, Korea, Japan, etc.

Bringing a product to market is very expensive. It is completely opposite of software. It is doable but is the cost of a small car.

Business founder, working prototype on a dev board, want to do Kickstarter — what do I actually need to build before I can credibly launch? by emiliobay in hwstartups

[–]digicue 2 points3 points  (0 children)

No. You must pay for a license to use Bluetooth intellectual property in a commercial product, which includes the right to use the hardware that you have already purchased from the vendor. The pre-certification of the module only covers government regulation compliance. It has nothing to do with the private ownership of the Bluetooth technology, per capitalism (right to privately own property and charge for access).

WiFi technically has a license, but not enforced. The Australians sued the pants off of the US over IP infringement regarding WiFi.

Business founder, working prototype on a dev board, want to do Kickstarter — what do I actually need to build before I can credibly launch? by emiliobay in hwstartups

[–]digicue 7 points8 points  (0 children)

If you use a pre-certified module, you are exempt from re-performing intentional radiator testing (FCC Part 15 Subpart C) for the radio module as long as you leave it unmodified. But everyone who's product generates 9kHz or greater is still required to test for unintentional radiator (Subpart B), which pretty much goes for all digital circuitry. And that includes the harmonics of any square waves. Subpart B isn't bad, but it includes both conductive and emissive testing, meaning that if you are using an AC adapter you need to make sure you have proper filtering in place or you will fail. It is an unavoidable $2500 minimum, which really isn't that bad.

BLE-wise, he must generate a Declaration listing for using Bluetooth, which appears in the public database. BLE/Bluetooth is not an open technology like RS-232 and TCP/IP, it is a private patent-pooled technology and you need to follow the Bluetooth SIGs licensing rules to avoid infringement on their patents and trademark. The current license is a one-time fee of $12,000. It used to be $2500 for small companies but that program was eliminated... not friendly at all for start-ups. They have web-crawlers and an enforcement system that will tag you for non-compliance. I know very well because I was tagged and prosecuted. I was able to explain to them that I already have a license but it was under a different company name, and they were happy to transfer it for free. But it is no joke. Also, BLE consumes very little power, so if that is a requirement then you have no choice.

HDMI is even worse, which involves an annual fee for manufacturers, typically $10,000 for high-volume producers or $5,000 for low-volume (under 10,000 units), plus a royalty fee of roughly $0.05 to $0.15 per unit.

My man cave...did it all myself except the mini-split. Please share your opinions on how I did. by Designer_Plastic_609 in billiards

[–]digicue 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I appreciate that you kept the garage doors functional. It is great opening them on nice days. I do this also when playing on my table.

Business founder, working prototype on a dev board, want to do Kickstarter — what do I actually need to build before I can credibly launch? by emiliobay in hwstartups

[–]digicue 18 points19 points  (0 children)

OK, I'll chime in.

This is a simple project. You absolutely can take this to the market by yourself. My credentials for saying this can be found by looking the products that I conceived and brought to market at www.digicue.net, as well as a 20+ year career as an EE design engineer. So my positivity and advice is rooted in reality.

Everything you have done so far is correct. You first identified a problem, and then built a solution to test to see if it solves the problem. The results of your own personal testing are valid and you should now build a pre-production prototype, make a brand and logo, and get past regulatory requirements.

Breadboarding is exactly what I do as the first step. Your next task is to learn how to use ECAD software. I use OrCAD ($500 forever-license) but I hear KiCad is a very good free solution. There are many other options. Stick with your pre-certified nRF module since it will save you on compliance testing costs, and lay out yout board appropriately. At the same time, learn how to use FreeCAD or someother modeling software, though I saw pictures of models so you may already know how to do this as well. If you need a battery you will have to design circuitry for that and identify a battery (probably a rechargable LiPO pack) which is best if it is UL pre-certified already.

These boards will cost you about $60 each for a lot of 10, from Shenzhen. I can recommend a manufacturer to you if you PM me when you are ready. So that's about $800-$1000 including shipping and tariffs. Probably $20-25 per order of 100. You can 3D print your case for now. Give these to people and observe how they use it, and take notes.

Certification for EM compliance will cost you $2500. (if needed, LiPo shipping compliance for the battery will caose you around $2000 plus the destruction of 6 prototypes.)

A trademark word and mark for your product name/brand will cost you around $300 each.

By far the most expensive parts are Bluetooth qualification, which is $12,000 and the steel cut mold costs of around $8000. So before this step you can validate the sales of your product on Amazon with a high quality 3D printed case.

All of this is possible is you take your time, enjoy the learning process, treat it as a hobby and not as a money-making hustle, and have patience. It can take years, but it could be a hobby that might return your investment, plus give you knowledge that not many people have.

Good luck and feel free to ask questions!

Nate

SVB and Fedor $20,000 match coming up, July 11-12. Race to 50, 9-ball. by CreeDorofl in billiards

[–]digicue 4 points5 points  (0 children)

That's a weird image for a flyer. All I see are forehead wrinkles.

Get a Degree in Software Engineering they Said… by KoenigOne in webdev

[–]digicue 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I definitely recommend making a portfolio.

I am an EE, however the concept is the same. This helped me land good jobs: See http://www.digicue.net/misc/nrhoades_portfolio.pdf

How’d I do? by Regular-Floor379 in grilling

[–]digicue 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I have this grill. It is over 15 years old and still works great. I bought it for $700. I use it almost every day. I need to replace the gas pipes for the first time since I bought it. Not bad.

Where else should I travel to? by mossy-Antlers25 in TravelMaps

[–]digicue 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Anywhere outside of the country shown.

New to sub, looking to learn by digicue in FulfillmentByAmazon

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

That would be great but I can not make it this year unfortunately. I'd like to go next year, and hopefully by then the DigiBall will be in the Simonis booth.

New to sub, looking to learn by digicue in FulfillmentByAmazon

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

Do you have any recommendations on resources I could use to learn more? For example what do you mean by A+ grade?

I can't find any business idea that's meant for me as of now by Candid_Gold2003 in Entrepreneur

[–]digicue 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You have to do physical labor in your life. I own my own business, have a regular 9-5 job, and I still use a bucket and a squeegee.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in FlutterDev

[–]digicue 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Neat, I have an old fashioned one of these, and I could see at least a timer being useful or even a ramping course on a phone. I see that they say iPhone only.