What Do You Do With Your Projects When You Have Finished Them?

I came back to electronics & coding, after an absence of many years, when I read about the Arduino and soon after discovered and joined  Element14.

All of my projects have arisen because I have read something and thought "I wonder if I could do that and if I could, maybe I could then......"

I have learned a great deal by experimenting and making things work. Some of my efforts have been written up in my Blog, but many have not, usually because I have moved on to another idea and don't want to spend the time writing something up.

Almost everything has been dismantled and the components recycled, although a few small modules have survived and been used in later projects.

Element14 has been and is a great place to hang-out, share ideas, ask questions and help other people.

Neil

Hi Nico,

There are always reasons why one should not pursue monetization of an idea.  An entrepreneur’s  job is to decide if there are enough good reasons that they should. Obstacles can be addressed if that is the case.  I am quite proud of my modest “real“ product that was good enough for someone else to want to buy.  It is a good thing I don’t need to rely on it for income though.    if you think it is worthwhile, believe in yourself and start small if needed.

MMMhh - I suspect there's not too much joy to be had with the exercise.

That's like a hobby where nothing is fun .

A bootstrapped business however, where you make as you get orders, may be more satisfying.
Don't let this stop you.

Nico,

Don't be put off if the idea is good . However I'd recommend some indemnity insurance just in case something goes disastrously wrong once you've sold it and consumers bring a legal case against you.

Maybe it is easier to sell a kit in terms of not having to tick all the certifications?

Rod

ps, to answer the other part...

>My guess is that some of the projects actually are being used or may end up as a product on kickstarter?

I do have one project I'm considering expanding to be Kickstarter worthy, but I'm not sure yet. It would mainly be for the purpose of fulfilling a dream of creating a project that turns into a "real" product.

There are so many details to deal with though - including mass manufacturing of not just the electronics, but also the specialized hardware.

And also, how does one deal with certifications? and what about liability risks associated with selling a product? It seems I would need to spend a fair bit to set up a corporation first, pay for prototypes and certifications, and start manufacturing.

-Nico

Most of my earlier past projects were temporary and on breadboards, intended just for a learning experience.

Those were all disassembled shortly after completion.

One of my first projects that actually stuck around and received regular use is my greenhouse controller - I had big plans for data logging and watering control, but ran into silly issues with wires being too long and Bluetooth range too short, so this eventually got whittled down to being just a timer to regularly water the greenhouse. I think it started with an Arduino Nano, then went down to a Pro Mini, and now it's a tiny little Digispark controlling it. I'll probably switch that over to ESP8266 soon.

What I consider my turn-around project is my OpenSprinkler controller. It plays an important full-time role and runs for most of the year. I think after I built this my wife realized there was some real potential in this nerdy hobby I have   It saved us nearly $1000 over purchasing "the usual". OpenSprinkler.org deserves most of the credit of course, as the software was already built, and the schematics were all there. I modified the schematics to suit my specific setup, and to add a bit of extra safety. This was also my first custom PCB and my first intro into switching AC.

It runs on a Raspberry Pi, and makes my sprinkler control so much more convenient, using my smartphone now.

Recently I've also built a tiny WiFi temperature sensor and data logger that will likely be used for various different purposes - greenhouse in the summer, trailer, shed, and hummingbird feeders in the winter. I'll continue improving the data handling for this.

In the picture it's that thing in the tic-tac container.

I might have to do something about all those wires

Cheers,

-Nico

Most of my projects start out as a deliverable prototype for a customer.  As I am designing these, I will usually see a potential usage for a completely different function/project.  When ordering boards and parts, I will get enough for five devices, two deliverable prototypes, one debug/test unit and two additional units for future tests/prototypes.  One of my recent customer builds turned into a handy tool for sending/receiving I2C commands for logging/viewing bus activity (not it's intended function, but still a handy device for testing).

Gene

Ahhh, yes, yes, yes, yes, and.......

Yes.

This prototype mbed weather station I keep on my desk to show people.

Scott

Like everyone else some projects are still in use: 3d Bodge-o-matic printer, Pi temperature monitor are but two of the relatively few successes!

Some of my tinkerings broke and are awaiting a repair that will probably never happen.  To be fair they stopped working for a reason, generally they were hastily and poorly cobbled together to see if it would work in the heat of the moment.

Others got stripped for parts for other bodge job projects, which is probably what will happen to the things in the repair box. At least, due to their generally poor construction methods, they come apart and are re-purposed relatively easily!.

I do have some parts kept for use in demonstrations when I used to do some careers stuff in school.  At the moment I can't bring myself to get rid or pass the stuff on so it's just taking up space.

Dan.

mine got dismantled and used on other projects.