How get a nice looking hardware (sorry if OT)?

[sarling]

Posted on March 06, 2009 at 21:41

How get a nice looking hardware (sorry if OT)?

[sarling]

Posted on May 17, 2011 at 13:04

Hi all,

I'm wondering how people do when they have finshed prototyping, and want to to make a custom made housing with printing and stuff that you see on electrical devices. Let's say I have finished compliance testing my ARM-hardware and have approval for market and want to sell a 100 pcs, where do I start? First I need a contractor to manufacture and assemble my PCBs, then I need a contractor for buidling a nice housing as cheap as possible. Can anyone point me in the right direction? Some companies with good repuation?

Kind regards,

Mattias

[sarling]

Posted on May 17, 2011 at 13:04

Hi,

thanks for your reply. These compliance tests are horribly expensive, do you know of any ''short-cuts''?

/Mattias

[st3]

Posted on May 17, 2011 at 13:04

Quote:

Wouldn't you need the casing design before you can gain ''compliance'' or ''approval for market''?

Also, your designer will have more options if you get them involved earlier...

[st3]

Posted on May 17, 2011 at 13:04

Quote:

I have finished compliance testing my ARM-hardware and have approval for market and want to sell a 100 pcs, where do I start?

Wouldn't you need the casing design before you can gain ''compliance'' or ''approval for market''?

Quote:

then I need a contractor for buidling a nice housing as cheap as possible.

No - you need to design the housing before it can be manufactured!

This requires a designer with both the technical skill & experience in materials & mechanical design to make it practical, and with the ''artistic'' or ''aesthetic'' flair to make it attractive.

You will probably find that local contract manufacturers may have an in-house design service, or can recommend or suggest a designer for you.

Otherwise search local directories for ''industrial designers'' or ''product designers'', etc

Unfortunately, ''nice'' and ''cheap'' are often mutually exclusive!

Especially at such low volumes.

For just 100 units, you are probably going to be stuck with just ''customising'' an off-the-shelf enclosure...

[jj_it]

Posted on May 17, 2011 at 13:04

The ''classic'' way around compliance testing is for you to NOT offer a finished product - but instead a ''component.'' (i.e. a preprogrammed STM32 & associated chips installed/tested on a pcb)

This would be sold - in turn - to (likely) a larger firm able to properly market/launch - mold a purpose-built enclosure - and gain economies of scale.

Always check with your attorney prior to adopting (even well-meant) advice...

[sarling]

Posted on May 17, 2011 at 13:04

Quote:

On 03-03-2009 at 14:15, Anonymous wrote:

The ''classic'' way around compliance testing is for you to NOT offer a finished product - but instead a ''component.'' (i.e. a preprogrammed STM32 & associated chips installed/tested on a pcb)

This would be sold - in turn - to (likely) a larger firm able to properly market/launch - mold a purpose-built enclosure - and gain economies of scale.

Always check with your attorney prior to adopting (even well-meant) advice...

Interesting, that would save an enormous amount of pain. Do you know what a typical amount/percentage for such a deal would be? Perhaps impossible to tell. I guess there are several ways todo this, licence etc.

/Mattias

[relaxe]

Posted on May 17, 2011 at 13:04

I suggest you take a look at www.sparkfun.com

They have a service for custom enclosure and tutorials to make your owns.

They also manufacture and resell various electronic boards/projects, and your may fit in their scope.

-Relaxe

[jj_it]

Posted on May 17, 2011 at 13:04

sorry - dreaded duplicate msg...

[ This message was edited by: jj.sprague on 03-03-2009 16:01 ]

[jj_it]

Posted on May 17, 2011 at 13:04

As you suspect - every deal is unique - depends upon the ''excellence, breadth, flexibility & security (patents/similar)'' of your device; the expected market size; and the skill/urgency of each side's negotiators.

(in a past life I co-founded - then took public - hi-tech (Lcd) firm - thus I have some experience. This is the technique we employed)

Suggest that you ''sharpen'' your focus - try to become really expert in ''hot, key'' areas - which exhibit high growth & meet profit objectives.

Building relationships with larger firms - then drilling down to their product ''roadmaps'' - should reveal what they feel will become ''hot.'' You then must compete with their internal staff - if you do have a ''durable, competitive advantage'' (credit W. Buffet) you can succeed handsomely...

[jj_it]

Posted on May 17, 2011 at 13:04

I failed to look closely enough at your time-stamp versus relaxe's - thought you were responding to him. (sorry - his post 1 min before yours)

Relaxe is good, clever poster - has helped many. But I strongly disagree with the suggestion that you ''master'' too many aspects! (i.e. learn to fab your own enclosure) Why? The time/treasure you invest will surely ''dilute'' your efforts in your ''niche/strength'' area!

I've sold > $30 million worth of Lcds - to giants, mid & start-ups. As such - visited several thousand clients - and observed the ''characteristics'' of those firms who went on to order ''production quantities!'' Very rarely did those who ''had too broad focus'' succeed - yet alone survive. This is why I suggest that most here ''zero-in'' on their area of specialization...

Wholesalers & Manufacturers who would benefit from your expertise are obvious targets. I was fortunate enough to ''win'' the order from IBM for the ''Centronix'' printer - we shipped over 3 million Text Lcds. (while I was the ''supposed'' Lcd guru - their guys ''told'' me exactly what features, functions, benefits should go into our new displays - only with TOTAL Focus did we achieve this - and Deliver!) We were the smallest, least funded Lcd supplier - NO production - yet by listening, again focus, some smarts and long, hard, detailed work we substantially ''out-performed'' our market - and went public.

Final point - this occured 2 decades ago. NO deal ''now'' will be so fast. My small, focused group ''found a way'' to make a much larger firm ''more effective,'' - even though we were 8,000 miles distant. And this is my wish for you - and others in our forum community.

With the power of the STM32 many here can and ARE building their own success stories. I hope that some find my writing of use...