small-scale, profitable,

open-source hardware

or, how to sell hardware out of your garage and (probably) not lose money

David DeGraw

Disclaimer:

I know nothing

this is based on my experiences

Who am I?

Front-end developer at SimpleNexus

Father of (almost) 2

BYU student

Founder of Catskull Electronics

@xxcatskullxx

github.com/catskull

Catskull Electronics

catskullelectronics.com

"Founded" in 2015

Selling electronics kits for chip musicians

Sold thousands of kits to people all over the world

What's up with "catskull"?

I just thought it sounded metal 🤘

Who are you?

Electronics hobbyist

Maybe had a PCB made?

Want to start selling hardware

A random person?

Another disclaimer?

Hardware takes a lot of time!

Find a niche

My niche

chiptune

Arduinoboy

Fill a need

(Ideally your need)

Pricing

top-down VS bottom-up

Top-Down

What currently exists?
How much are they selling for?
How does my product compare?

Cost of goods is not as much as a factor.

Bottom-Up

How much does my product cost to build?

What would be a good/fair price to sell it for?

How much do I need to make for it to be "worth it" to me?

Caution!

?

!

10%

90%

"Speaking of customer support, isn't that a total nightmare?"

Not really!

Focus on the customer experience:

  • under-promise, over-deliver
  • under-promise, over-deliver
  • under-promise, over-deliver
  • focus on being a human
  • deliver things that "just work"
  • give people the benefit of the doubt
  • under-promise, over-deliver

How can I make a PCB?

Software

EAGLE CAD

KiCAD

Fabrication

OSH Park

Purple PCBs

3 for the price of....3?

Made in the US

2-3 week turnaround

Cheap for small boards

You don't have to export gerbers

PCB Way

Chinese fab house

Boards in any thickness or color (including purple)

~1 week turnaround

10 boards for $5

Shipping starts at about $20

Where to get components?

Tayda Electronics

No minimum quantities (order must be at least $5 though)

Cheap!

Ship from the US

Best for passives, special IC's, not so much

Pro tip: follow them on Facebook for discounts!

eBay

Good for one-off purchases

Cheap!

Usually free shipping

Most are in China so expect about 3 weeks for shipping

Secret weapon: NOS (or OS) parts

Digi-Key/Mouser

For a large production run (1,000+ units), this is the only option

Huge selection

Shipping isn't typically super cheap

Pro tip: buy your solder here!

Assembly

Through Hole

Surface Mount

My advice?

Just start!

What about the "tech"?

Jekyll

Github Pages

PayPal

Live Demo?

 

Questions?

Thank You!

catskull.net