Show customers your prototypes?

[PbFoot]

I'm in the process of developing a new product. It's off the breadboard and onto hand-built boards and off the shelf housings. I am considering showing it at an upcoming trade show, but the housing that it's in was hand worked. All of the openings were hand cut and drilled. It's not bad - the work is neatly done, but it does not look like something you get off the shelf at the local consumer electronics shop.

I don't have the budget to do a really pro-looking housing right now, and the form factor is certainly going to change once I have production PCBs. The final device will have a proper professional looking housing.

So, I have two options. I can show the "science-fair-ish" looking device, or just hand out leaflets and have no device on hand. Of course I would clearly label and explain to those looking at it that it is a preproduction prototype. I am afraid that people may judge a book by it's cover, but I also don't want people to think "vapourware". Maybe keep it out of view, and offer those who ask about it further after seeing the leaflet a peek?

What's your opinion?

-PbFoot

[HLA-27b]

Paint the enclosure an interesting (tasteful) color.
It will hide the scratches from the handiwork, change your own worried perception and intrigue your audience.

[Short Circuit]

does it work? if not then there's no point in showing
hand build boards can look identical to factory standards, or like an amateurish bunch of verostuff filled with solderblobs
what kind of visitors? I think you can expect a lot more slack on a geek or specialistic trade show than on a consumer/press oriented show like CES

[HackedFridgeMagnet]

I guess as ShortCircuit said you have to target the response to the audience.

If you showed your device, I would also have on hand drawings or mockups or photos or something that will show what the final production version will look like and its dimensions.

[Chasm]

What has been said. You have to do the paper stuff anyway.

[Bored@Work]

If the enclosure is just to ugly, consider just showing the boards, maybe mounted on some Plexiglas, and with a label "Early Prototype".

[JuKu]

Depends on your target audience. Showing ugly box to consumers gets "I don't want THAT" reaction; showing circuit boards (in a box or not, I don't think that would matter) to professionals (b to b) is 1000% more credible than just paper.

Btw, upcoming trade show that you don't have time to fabrivate a neat box... Are you talking about CEDIA, perhaps?

[mikeselectricstuff]

I'd suggest doing nice leaflets and only showing the proto to people who are interested, so you can explain the proto-ness before they see it.

[Uncle Vernon]

It all depends on your target audience, and upon how they will interpret your efforts.
Clever industry players know how to read your presentation and are probably well ahead of you in doing the sums on what dollars are needed for practical realisation of ready for sale units. If it's working partners and investor you are chasing I'd be showing as much of your best work as possible.

A hand worked enclosure can still demonstrate care to attention, workmanship etc. No one you want to do business with will be expecting one off prototypes to exhibit the finish of machined product.  Equally over-doing the spend on prototypes can suggest you have no clues about budgets or necessary compromise.

I wouldn't be afraid of putting prototypes out there providing the workmanship suggest ability. Hand drilled might not offer the tight tolerances but they can still be done neatly. Same goes for solder joints, crimps, PCB assembly etc. If it is quality work for the methods employed there is no need to be embarrassed. On the other hand, nothing says "out of your depth" more than jiffy boxes hacked away with hobby knife, holes that don't align, solder splatter and melted insulation and sticky tape.