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I'm currently working on a hardware startup. The barriers to being able to do this have definitely lowered thanks to CNC (moving to 3D printing soon), Arduino,

I'm currently working on a hardware startup. The barriers to being able to do this have definitely lowered thanks to CNC (moving to 3D printing soon), Arduino, and lower component costs - not to mention the fact that a lot of cell phone components now come bundled in modules and eval boards are easy to play with (all things that were mentioned). One thing that I think still needs to come a long way is the amount of shared knowledge on hardware design. My co-founder and I both went to school for Mechatronics Engineering, and one of the biggest obstacles we have run into so far is that there just isn't as much shared knowledge on the internet when we run into problems - unlike software.

robomartin 13y ago
Not sure what your specific issues might be, but, yes, in general terms you are correct. If the information is on the internet it can be hard to find. This is where experience working at a shop with older school folks can be invaluable.
- jacalulu 13y ago
  The experience gained from working in the industry is definitely useful. I'm looking forward to a time when it is as easy to learn hardware design as it is to learn how to program.
kanzure 13y ago
> My co-founder and I both went to school for Mechatronics Engineering, and one of > the biggest obstacles we have run into so far is that there just isn't as much > shared knowledge on the internet when we run into problems - unlike software. Funny, that's partly how I picked mechanical engineering to study in college. I figured I should pick something that I wasn't already familiar with (like software) and instead study something not easily found on the internet. But that's a double-edged sword, as you have discovered, because (in college) it means you are intentionally choosing a topic that doesn't greatly benefit from the wonders of the web. Well, at least there's cnczone. And mechatronics journals. There are a bunch of online marketplaces (including alibaba, mfg, or protomold or something), but that's not the same thing as institutional knowledge..
fest 13y ago
I think the EE part is pretty much covered on the net. As a software engineer I was able to create a prototype of hardware product I wanted to build with minimal EE knowledge- by searching how to implement specific subsystems in hardware- e.g. laser diode driver, light detector using LED, switching power regulator design, etc. I'm pretty sure such prototypes by people without EE background will fail in edge cases, but hey, it proves a point of whether try to build an actual product/company from it, or just throw in closet and forget about it.

robomartin 13y ago

Not sure what your specific issues might be, but, yes, in general terms you are correct. If the information is on the internet it can be hard to find. This is where experience working at a shop with older school folks can be invaluable.

jacalulu 13y ago
The experience gained from working in the industry is definitely useful. I'm looking forward to a time when it is as easy to learn hardware design as it is to learn how to program.

kanzure 13y ago

> My co-founder and I both went to school for Mechatronics Engineering, and one of > the biggest obstacles we have run into so far is that there just isn't as much > shared knowledge on the internet when we run into problems - unlike software. Funny, that's partly how I picked mechanical engineering to study in college. I figured I should pick something that I wasn't already familiar with (like software) and instead study something not easily found on the internet. But that's a double-edged sword, as you have discovered, because (in college) it means you are intentionally choosing a topic that doesn't greatly benefit from the wonders of the web. Well, at least there's cnczone. And mechatronics journals. There are a bunch of online marketplaces (including alibaba, mfg, or protomold or something), but that's not the same thing as institutional knowledge..

fest 13y ago

I think the EE part is pretty much covered on the net. As a software engineer I was able to create a prototype of hardware product I wanted to build with minimal EE knowledge- by searching how to implement specific subsystems in hardware- e.g. laser diode driver, light detector using LED, switching power regulator design, etc. I'm pretty sure such prototypes by people without EE background will fail in edge cases, but hey, it proves a point of whether try to build an actual product/company from it, or just throw in closet and forget about it.