Author Topic: tiq probe - did not fund on Kickstarter - but will be going into production!  (Read 55694 times)

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Offline markhenTopic starter

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Re: tiq probe - on KickStarter through June 1st!
« Reply #150 on: May 30, 2014, 01:08:28 am »
tiq featured with Mike S on Hackaday at the Maker Faire!

http://hackaday.com/2014/05/29/tiq-probe-is-more-logical-than-most/

Cheers -

Mark
 

Offline markhenTopic starter

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Re: tiq probe - KickStarter ends Sunday (June 1st) !
« Reply #151 on: May 30, 2014, 05:17:48 pm »
Thanks again to all the contributors here, and particularly the regular contributors and those of you who have backed the tiq KS campaign. We're into the final couple of days, the Hackaday publicity has brought a significant up-tiq (oohh - sorry - couldn't resist!) in pledges - but still a long way to go.... I'm not giving up until the countdown ends!

BTW, KS (and a couple of other sources) provide creators useful data that is very telling about why the pledges have been below goal. While the reasons mentioned above are certainly factors, the biggest "lesson learned" (and useful for any others considering a KS project) is that you have to get enough interested people to GO TO KICKSTARTER. Seems obvious, but the majority of folks are not cruising around KS, don't really know what KS is/does, don't want to sign up and give credit card info etc. etc. But you need visitors to your page at a 5x - 10x multiple of your goal, since even when they get there not everyone will pledge (but a reliable % have, for tiq). And there's the factor that if you tell people about your project on other sites (like this one), not everyone is going to hit the link and go to KS. So there's ANOTHER multiplication factor (like another 5x). In my case, I need ~600 pledges to meet goal, so I need ~6000 KS page visits and that's at least 30k unique people views elsewhere. I started publicizing tiq 2 weeks before the campaign started, and my estimate of unique viewers to-date is ~10k - so I just haven't exposed tiq to enough people  :-\ For others - START PUBLICIZING EARLY! For those doubting there's enough market, Arduinos alone sell at >10k/month, with well over 1m out there....

Regarding life after KS - I've got enough working tiqs to last my lifetime, so I'm ok  :-DD

JUST KIDDING - since tiq has come this far, and there are >250 people who've already demonstrated they'll buy this kind of functionality, I want to bring this to life. I'm able to continue with the "KS plan", however, with the inputs I've received, reduced production expectations, and some new ideas, I likely will make some changes and re-launch in the not-too-distant future. EEVbloggers will be the first to know ;)

But - it's not over until the fat lady sings (Sunday night at 6pm Pacific) - so please continue to support tiq on KS, and if you haven't pledged already, please help - if the goal isn't reached you are NOT CHARGED! (That's an example of something not everyone knows about KS...)

Thanks to all (and to Dave for hosting this great forum - good on yer, mate!)

Mark
 

Offline tvtech

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Re: tiq probe - KickStarter ends Sunday (June 1st) !
« Reply #152 on: May 30, 2014, 05:58:27 pm »
I have never seen a person try harder to get funding than you Mark. Don't worry if Kickstarter did not make it.......at least you are honest, upfront and genuine.

You believe in your product. And so do many backers too. Don't worry. If it does not all come together now....it will later  :)

I admire your honesty with everything. Brilliant product but hard to sell..

All the best,
tvtech
 

Online fcb

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Re: tiq probe - KickStarter ends Sunday (June 1st) !
« Reply #153 on: June 01, 2014, 01:30:17 pm »
Thanks for the effort Mark,

Look forward to tiq2!
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Offline markhenTopic starter

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Re: tiq probe - KickStarter ends Sunday (June 1st) !
« Reply #154 on: June 01, 2014, 08:29:47 pm »
@tvtech:

You are too kind, thank you for your comments, I really appreciate them. Feedback like yours makes me determined to continue with the development and launch of tiq - THANK YOU!

@fcb:

You're one of my earliest backers and supporters, really appreciate all your help and inputs. Yes, there will be a tiq - because of people like you!

@everyone else:

Every input, and every pledge, from EEVbloggers has been valuable, and will shape how this tool evolves in the near future. Thanks to all - and you haven't heard the last of tiq  ;)

Keep on tiq-ing!

Mark
 

Offline markhenTopic starter

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Re: tiq probe - KickStarter ends Sunday (June 1st) !
« Reply #155 on: June 01, 2014, 08:32:51 pm »
A HUGE THANK YOU TO ALL tiq BACKERS!!!

Here's to all the awesome and encouraging backers of tiq! I am truly humbled by all the support and interest in tiq.

After some great publicity by my new friends over at Hackaday (read it every day!) last Thursday, many more enthusiasts have been introduced to tiq, and many have pledged - even as it is clear the program won't meet the funding goal.... Thanks to everyone for the interest, the support and the great inputs on the product and the campaign.

Life after Kickstarter

A funded campaign would have meant it would be easier to commit 100% of time to the KS rewards version of tiq, and would have funded the injection mold tooling.

However, since a lot of the core development has been done, and with many inputs on the product received during the campaign, not having to deliver the KS rewards version does offer some new, and exciting, opportunities, some of which would not have been possible within the committed KS scope, time and budget.

BTW, Kickstarter (my first campaign) has been a huge, and invaluable, learning experience. Thanks to some great data the project creator is provided by Kickstarter, it's clear this campaign didn't succeed primarily due to me not getting enough interested people aware of tiq AND then heading over to Kickstarter. There are other factors, but they are dwarfed by this one. It's all about the pre-marketing, folks! I will definitely use the Kickstarter platform again in the future. It's really, really powerful. I'm going to write up the learning and make that available - and if you're considering your own campaign I'd be happy to share with you what I've learned.

tiq lives on!

Yes, I am going to continue with development of tiq, I am determined to bring tiq to life. I built tiq for myself originally, and it's my primary debug tool - I want others to be able to have the benefit of this new time-saving tool.

I'm taking a couple of days now to carefully consider all the feedback and ideas that have flowed in over the last weeks, along with the consequences of not having your KS pledge funding to work with.

I already have a new breadboard up and running to try out some of these ideas, and I want to close in on an updated spec for tiq very fast. I've had a few people approach me with ideas on platforms on which to re-launch tiq , and I have a couple of other ideas rattling around as well - plenty of options.

KS Backers will have first options!

To try to repay the support of my backers, folks who have pledged for tiq will be the first to get updates on the next version, and the first to have the option to have their own tiqs.


Mark
 

Offline idpromnut

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Re: tiq probe - KickStarter ends Sunday (June 1st) !
« Reply #156 on: June 01, 2014, 08:59:29 pm »
@markhen: I am also sad to not see this funded, but thanks to your update, I will be waiting to hear back from ya once you've got the details after day.

One thing about the pre-marketing: I don't know that it would have changed a huge amount other than getting a bit ahead of the curve at the start of the KS. I think the big thing is the expected number of backers. Other KS campaigns that I have seen that do the pre-marketing and/or get funded quickly often have an element of "impluse backing": this is what I call people that back not because they have a strong need for the item/service/thing that is being KS'ed but more that they find it cool/neat/handy etc and (especially in our area) potentially hackable and extensible. But this is just the ramblings of some random dude.

Cheers and I will be waiting to hear from you!
 

Offline markhenTopic starter

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Re: tiq probe - KickStarter ends Sunday (June 1st) !
« Reply #157 on: June 01, 2014, 09:08:17 pm »
@idpromnut:

Thank you for your kind words and continued encouragement!

Totally agree that something that can be an "impulse buy" to a wide audience has more chance on KS. There are a significant number of folks who spend time on KS regularly who will contribute readily to interesting new gadgets. tiq definitely has some backers in this category. For something a little more unusual, specialized, maybe requiring some thought/analysis (like specs) you have to get target audience over to KS, and have them interested enough to create an account and commit credit card info....

Like I said above, I have some real DATA on the campaign that will help me, and others, to be successful on crowd-fund platforms - I'm organizing that now and will be sharing it.

Cheers -

Mark
 

Offline PlainName

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Re: tiq probe - KickStarter ends Sunday (June 1st) !
« Reply #158 on: June 01, 2014, 09:10:36 pm »
Really disappointed this didn't make its funding target - I made space in my drawer for one, and even considered getting left and right hand versions so I wouldn't have to choose :)

Hope you sort something out, Mark. This is one kickstarter that really deserves to succeed.
 

Offline markhenTopic starter

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Re: tiq probe - KickStarter ends Sunday (June 1st) !
« Reply #159 on: June 01, 2014, 09:23:53 pm »
@dunkemhigh:

Thank you, you're one of the very early supporters of tiq. Please keep that space in the drawer open, there will be a tiq (or two?!) in there one day...!

BTW, I'm trying out a flippable display for a universal LH/RH product - RIGHT NOW  ;)

Mark
 

Offline miguelvp

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Re: tiq probe - KickStarter ends Sunday (June 1st) !
« Reply #160 on: June 01, 2014, 10:34:38 pm »
If you could get it manufactured for $20 with a $15 BOM and charge x2.5 hitting the $50 target you'll have a winner.

Get rid off the RTC connector and USB connector, add two AAA battery compartment (batteries not included).

Set the goal low, and use Stretch Goals to unlock features like others do.

X amount will add optocoupled serial communication for PC datalogging, optocoupled to USB cable sold separately ($15 or $20) using standard RS-232. Making it compatible with some software like http://sigrok.org/ contact them for helping development if needed they do have clients for a lot of platforms.

Y add-on for wireless communication (bluetooth module sold separately for $15-$20).

Z amount serial decoding (CAN bus module as some kind of expansion module?) SN65HVD230  chip cost around a couple of bucks maybe a dollar in quantities, sell it for $15-$20 for those who want to do CAN decoding. Edit: but you probably have the levels figured out without additional hardware, but only available if using the optocoupler option or the bluetooth option and only done on the client PC/droid/etc..

Other stretch goals as you see fit. Edit: like a programmer that will work with PSoC creator via JTAG directly to the 5LP.

Not trying to tell you what to do, just what I think it will help.

But hitting the $50 (not for the early bird but the final product) will make it an impulse buy for many.
« Last Edit: June 01, 2014, 10:58:02 pm by miguelvp »
 

Offline motocoder

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Hi Mark -

I was one of the early funders too (my kickstarter name is "Matthew Humphrey"). I admire your perseverance and still think Tiq will be a handy product. I'll be one of the early adopters if you continue outside of Kickstarter.

BTW - I did want to pass on the feedback I got from a few friends that I showed this too. They both felt the product would be more marketable if you could get the bulk down a little. So please consider that. In fact, I think the off-the-shelf case that someone here suggested might be a good form factor and a good option if you can make things fit in that.

Best Regards,
Matt
 

Offline markhenTopic starter

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Thanks to all the commenters and contributors - I am continuing with development of the tiq concept, and part of this is to go through this entire thread and take careful note of all the feature requests and inputs - hugely valuable, thank you.

I took a bit of a detour for a week on different displays and a radically different form-factor, it looks promising, but at the moment I'm thinking this might be "another model". More on this when it's presentable....

My biggest challenge remains the enclosure. My desire for this product was to have a custom enclosure so the size and ergonomics could be "appropriate". The development of the highly desirable pluggable probe tip for tiq pretty much ruled out use of an off-the-shelf case, too. Without KS funding the case tooling is out of reach, so I'm looking at a few options - and perhaps to offer (all) these options to users?

  • no case - some folks here, and elsewhere, have expressed interest in developing their own cases
  • off-the-shelf case - there are 2-3 decent "logic probe" cases out there - they'd need to be modified a little - inexpensive  (note they are ALL "bulkier" than tiq ;) )
  • 3D printed tiq case - all the features, 3D printed on a "maker" level machine
  • print-your-own tiq case - from the original STL files
  • 3D printed tiq case - all the features, 3D printed by Shapeways, possibility to remix the STL files, but more costly (like $25)

What do you think?

I'll post here, and to the KS backers, a list of most-requested features, and continue to update as tiq "part deux" develops.

Regards -

Mark
 

Offline idpromnut

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My first thought is this: if the tiq is going to be "closed source" (which is fine), then I don't know how much hack-ability would be needed/wanted in the case. So I would think the best options are to offer both of: 1) no case, or 2) the ShapeWays solution (especially since I don't have any 3D modelling ability).
 

Online fcb

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I found my old ryley logic probes.  They are round.

You could make a fairly nice case out a turned and milled tubular case, it might mean you need one of those little OLED displays, but could even be designed to take a single AA cell from the end.
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Offline Bored@Work

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Forget all options that include the phrase "3D printing", DIY or otherwise.
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Offline PlainName

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Myy thoughts are very similar to those of idpromnut:

Quote
So I would think the best options are to offer both of: 1) no case, or 2) the ShapeWays solution (especially since I don't have any 3D modelling ability).

But, in the no case case, I think it would be useful to have it designed for an actual off the shelf case so users can give up and use it when reality sets in. Those with the skillz can still wrap a nice custom job around it.
 

Offline purfield

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Not sure if anyone has mentioned this, but it seems like you might be able to free up some space on the board by using a Tag-Connect for the JTAG header. 
 

Offline markhenTopic starter

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Bored@work: why do you say this:

Forget all options that include the phrase "3D printing", DIY or otherwise.

??

Mark
 

Online tom66

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Too slow for mass production, produces ugly results unless you spend a lot on the machine. (I don't want rough edges all over my product due to the print layers not lining up.)
 

Offline Bored@Work

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Bored@work: why do you say this:

Forget all options that include the phrase "3D printing", DIY or otherwise.

??

Mark

Tom66 already gave the answer. It is just hype. It looks like shit and gets expensive quickly if you want it to look less shitty. Mechanically not robust enough. Electrical safety not guaranteed.

And the intersection of the group of people who have a 3D printer, the group who manage to operate one to get acceptable results, and the group who actually want a probe is rather small.

Use a commercial enclosure. If not a probe enclosure then one of those handheld "soapbox" style ones with some kind of probe tip attachment (which you have to figure out). Make sure is it widely available if the probe comes as a kit. First settle on the enclosure, then design the hole probe to fit the enclosure.
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Online tom66

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Have you considered maybe cases used for other applications? For example, a handheld probe could also use a case used for a thermometer for medical use. Perhaps you can find a supplier of these?
Currently the Tiq probe looks awkwardly bulky - it works, but I'd prefer something much thinner. With a battery built in too (;))
 

Offline soptea

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Can this probe check if xtal/crystal is working or only via clock ?
 

Offline tjb1

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Bored@work: why do you say this:

Forget all options that include the phrase "3D printing", DIY or otherwise.

??

Mark

Tom66 already gave the answer. It is just hype. It looks like shit and gets expensive quickly if you want it to look less shitty. Mechanically not robust enough. Electrical safety not guaranteed.



No, no, no, and no...baffles me the responses you get from people that clearly have limited experience with 3D printing.
 

Online tom66

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3D printing has applications and indeed can be done quickly and with a good end result, however you will pay a lot to get those results.
 


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