3 ms·

$350 for the controller PCB is a bit high. Is the software even open source or not?

wtallis 6y ago
The $349 price shown at https://bps.space/shop/signal-r2 https://bps.space/shop/signal-r2 is for more than just the controller PCB. See the "IN THE BOX" section of https://bps.space/signal/ https://bps.space/signal/
marcinzm 6y ago
Seems to be a commercial product, given the small market the price seems reasonable since development cost doesn't go down but the number of units it gets spread across does.
- 542458 6y ago
  Is it a commercial product? I’m under the impression that what this enables (slow thrust vectored ascent of small rockets) is extremely cool from a hobby perspective as it’s more “accurate” to how large rockets work - but from a raw functionality perspective for small rockets you’re probably better off just using faster motors and fins to stabilize.
  - marcinzm 6y ago
    Commercial meaning it's being sold for profit and manufactured to be sold for profit. The market is die hard hobbyist but the product is a commercial venture selling to those hobbyists. edit: Versus an open source project or someone's hobby project just being sold at cost.
jcims 6y ago
That’s probably $.10 per hour for his time in it if the hardware was free.
showerst 6y ago
I can't seem to find a cite for this (may have been in a video) but I remember Joe being asked about open source, and he responded that he'd like to but rocket stability and especially guidance software is an absolute legal minefield in the US.
- bri3d 6y ago
  Yes, he mentions frequently that he's concerned about ITAR. Under a strict reading of the Munitions list and ITAR regulations, rocket guidance software is a Category IV Munition and can't be exported. Unfortunately (as we learned from the crypto wars of the 1990s, when strong encryption was also a Munition), the US government takes quite a strict view towards the consideration of online-available source code as "export."
  - noir_lord 6y ago
    Print it in a book and take the physical copy with you on a plane, iirc that was how they did it with GPG back in the day because 1st amendment protection. Been a while so I might be wrong.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]

The $349 price shown at https://bps.space/shop/signal-r2 https://bps.space/shop/signal-r2 is for more than just the controller PCB. See the "IN THE BOX" section of https://bps.space/signal/ https://bps.space/signal/

marcinzm 6y ago

Seems to be a commercial product, given the small market the price seems reasonable since development cost doesn't go down but the number of units it gets spread across does.

542458 6y ago
Is it a commercial product? I’m under the impression that what this enables (slow thrust vectored ascent of small rockets) is extremely cool from a hobby perspective as it’s more “accurate” to how large rockets work - but from a raw functionality perspective for small rockets you’re probably better off just using faster motors and fins to stabilize.
- marcinzm 6y ago
  Commercial meaning it's being sold for profit and manufactured to be sold for profit. The market is die hard hobbyist but the product is a commercial venture selling to those hobbyists. edit: Versus an open source project or someone's hobby project just being sold at cost.

jcims 6y ago

That’s probably $.10 per hour for his time in it if the hardware was free.

showerst 6y ago

I can't seem to find a cite for this (may have been in a video) but I remember Joe being asked about open source, and he responded that he'd like to but rocket stability and especially guidance software is an absolute legal minefield in the US.

bri3d 6y ago
Yes, he mentions frequently that he's concerned about ITAR. Under a strict reading of the Munitions list and ITAR regulations, rocket guidance software is a Category IV Munition and can't be exported. Unfortunately (as we learned from the crypto wars of the 1990s, when strong encryption was also a Munition), the US government takes quite a strict view towards the consideration of online-available source code as "export."
- noir_lord 6y ago
  Print it in a book and take the physical copy with you on a plane, iirc that was how they did it with GPG back in the day because 1st amendment protection. Been a while so I might be wrong.
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]