16 ms·

IoT devices [are] hard to prototype Here in Shenzhen, I would say no. They are cheap as chips. I have multiple friends doing consumer IoT devices (lots of BLE)

IoT devices [are] hard to prototype Here in Shenzhen, I would say no. They are cheap as chips. I have multiple friends doing consumer IoT devices (lots of BLE) with single-dimensional backgrounds (often software) who have been able to iterate through multiple prototypes and produce concepts within months. The chief problems for IoT products IMHO are marketing and replicability (low security for initial investment). The fact that hardware is expensive to tackle in SV just means SV is badly positioned in this sector, not that it's inherently difficult or expensive. BTW, we just had the Hacker Trip to China (by Noisebridge founder Mitch Altman) roll through town here.

spiffytech 9y ago
How does a software person get that far with hardware that fast?
- contingencies 9y ago
  It's really not that hard. A bit of electronics comprehension is the only requirement, and there are many helpful people about and hackerspaces for those who are new. For example this Wednesday my favourite hackerspace https://lab0x0.com/ https://lab0x0.com/ is offering a free introductory course in English for people totally new to arduino. There are tonnes of books and resources online, and a friendly 24x7 WeChat group for live help. A shopping trip to buy sensors and bits in town here can be completed in half a day and under $100 (including soldering equipment), two days of hacking and anyone motivated will be on top of the basics.
leggomylibro 9y ago
I mean, even outside of Shenzhen, if you want bluetooth the NRF52832 has fantastic hardware layout/design documentation and a frickin' Cortex-M0+ processor for core logic and communicating with the BTLE stack. The ESP32 has wifi and bluetooth and has dealt with all that FCC crap (but uses a weird MCU core.) Etc, etc. Living next door to a few factories probably reduces your iteration times from weeks to days, but IMHO - and maybe this is the 'H' part, I'm still learning - the time that you as an individual wind up spending on design and figuring out software issues are pretty sizable, even compared to a fortnight for a nice 2-4 layer PCB. Either way, we are certainly living in a wonderful time for rapid prototyping. Dropping the 'IoT' tag, embedded systems are super super exciting in all kinds of areas; telecommunications are just one of those.
sharemywin 9y ago
kind of off topic. but, how much markup is there compared to aliexpress? it seems prototyping using parts from there is pretty inexpensive. I heard about giant multi story marketplaces in Shenzhen, but I was curious if they were much cheaper or just a lot faster since everything you need is in one building.
- contingencies 9y ago
  There's more choice online but you have to pay shipping for everything. Quantities available, prices and discoverability are less attractive in the marketplaces but you can potentially save time and there are certain stores where you can get what amounts to nontrivial free in person implementation or product selection consulting. In general we buy online because we source so many things, but if you are starting out in electronics or just need some standard parts for cheap then the markets are pretty cool.

spiffytech 9y ago

How does a software person get that far with hardware that fast?

contingencies 9y ago
It's really not that hard. A bit of electronics comprehension is the only requirement, and there are many helpful people about and hackerspaces for those who are new. For example this Wednesday my favourite hackerspace https://lab0x0.com/ https://lab0x0.com/ is offering a free introductory course in English for people totally new to arduino. There are tonnes of books and resources online, and a friendly 24x7 WeChat group for live help. A shopping trip to buy sensors and bits in town here can be completed in half a day and under $100 (including soldering equipment), two days of hacking and anyone motivated will be on top of the basics.

leggomylibro 9y ago

I mean, even outside of Shenzhen, if you want bluetooth the NRF52832 has fantastic hardware layout/design documentation and a frickin' Cortex-M0+ processor for core logic and communicating with the BTLE stack. The ESP32 has wifi and bluetooth and has dealt with all that FCC crap (but uses a weird MCU core.) Etc, etc. Living next door to a few factories probably reduces your iteration times from weeks to days, but IMHO - and maybe this is the 'H' part, I'm still learning - the time that you as an individual wind up spending on design and figuring out software issues are pretty sizable, even compared to a fortnight for a nice 2-4 layer PCB. Either way, we are certainly living in a wonderful time for rapid prototyping. Dropping the 'IoT' tag, embedded systems are super super exciting in all kinds of areas; telecommunications are just one of those.

sharemywin 9y ago

kind of off topic. but, how much markup is there compared to aliexpress? it seems prototyping using parts from there is pretty inexpensive. I heard about giant multi story marketplaces in Shenzhen, but I was curious if they were much cheaper or just a lot faster since everything you need is in one building.

contingencies 9y ago
There's more choice online but you have to pay shipping for everything. Quantities available, prices and discoverability are less attractive in the marketplaces but you can potentially save time and there are certain stores where you can get what amounts to nontrivial free in person implementation or product selection consulting. In general we buy online because we source so many things, but if you are starting out in electronics or just need some standard parts for cheap then the markets are pretty cool.