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EEV Blog 106 - Top 5 tips to bring your product to market
LumpyGravy:
Probably the biggest motivator for making a small low-volume product open source is that it goes hand-in-hand with selling in kit form.
Here in the EU, the electronics markets are very tightly regulated. Any new product needs to be certified EMC compliant, CE marked, ROHS compliant, and then if you're even thinking of producing a product for safety critical, automotive, medical markets or similar then there are a whole bunch of SIL type certification to go through as well (and you won't believe how intensive, laborious and expensive that is). It's just not worth the money, effort and tears.
I believe (but don't take my word for it) that some of this can be circumvented by selling in a kit form. Selling any safety critical stuff is still playing with fire though, don't even go there, it's a legal minefield.
Simon:
yea my idea being my friend will try my product out and extensively test it. after which his boss will buy if from us and at that point takes responsibility for it. Anyhow this is not a market that cares about regulation too much and vintage cars are exempt from many (they are allowed illegal powers of headlights)
mikeselectricstuff:
--- Quote from: LumpyGravy on August 22, 2010, 08:08:20 pm ---Probably the biggest motivator for making a small low-volume product open source is that it goes hand-in-hand with selling in kit form.
Here in the EU, the electronics markets are very tightly regulated.
--- End quote ---
In theory, but in practice it's complaint driven, and in the UK at least policed by council Trading Standards depts who have their hands full with dodgy takeaways, fake goods and rogue traders.
--- Quote ---Any new product needs to be certified EMC compliant
--- End quote ---
But can be self-certified
--- Quote ---CE marked
--- End quote ---
Add it to the PCB or panel artwork.
--- Quote ---ROHS compliant
--- End quote ---
No big deal, and anyway who's ever going to notice the odd bit of lead
--- Quote --- and then if you're even thinking of producing a product for safety critical, automotive, medical markets or similar then there are a whole bunch of SIL type certification to go through as well (and you won't believe how intensive, laborious and expensive that is). It's just not worth the money, effort and tears.
--- End quote ---
I don't think anyone's seriously suggesting marketing DIY medical devices out of their garage....
--- Quote ---I believe (but don't take my word for it) that some of this can be circumvented by selling in a kit form. Selling any safety critical stuff is still playing with fire though, don't even go there, it's a legal minefield.
--- End quote ---
A kit is just a bunch of parts, and you have no control over how it's asssembled. hard to say where a bunch of maybe pre-assembled PCBs and bits changes from a bunch of parts to a product, but in practice most niche stuff will be well below the noise floor unless you kill someone with it.
Zad:
I totally agree about patents being a waste of money for the "little guy", but I'm not sure I totally agree with the concept of making the design free and open. Arduino apart (and that was down mostly to Make taking it onboard - plus it hasn't generated much cash for the designer) pretty much all the products seem to be ephemeral "hey wow" products, and good ideas that don't really go very far. You would need several new ideas constantly being developed to pay the rent, let alone make a good living.
Don't bother making a multi-layer board to make it less copyable, that will slow them down by all of an hour or so. If you can make it 2-layer and knock 5% off the cost, do that instead.
Simon:
actually for EMC I should be compliant, because first off I don't want to kill my own project with spikes so in protecting itself it will also stop it making any EMC noise and will actually make the whole system better.
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