I've been working with a designer who has been very helpful in getting our cosmetic prototypes designed and made. He's even helped source a supplier when our original supplier turned out to be not up to the task. He's very knowledgeable and willing to put in the time needed to make things happen. I would love to formally bring him onboard to lead the industrial design moving forward. However, there are a few things holding me back

1. His function isn't the most critical piece at the moment. We've taken the industrial design as far as we can at the moment. The vast majority of the remaining work will be on the electrical and software engineering side
2. He may not be in it for the long(ish) term. The only reason he has been able to help me so far is because he was laid off earlier this year and had some time to kill as he looks for his next opportunity. He also has a family he has to take care of so finding another role is a necessity. While that's not necessarily a deal-breaker, it does make me wonder if he would be able to continue contributing as much as he's had given his responsibilities as a family man
3. While he's very knowledgeable on the CMF side of things, his "artistic" side leaves a bit to be desired. While this isn't a huge deal, it does affect my opinion on his competency long-term just a little bit.

As additional context, we are currently in the angel/f&f stage. Given all that, how much equity should I consider offering him at this stage?

Curious - what does a day in the life look like for those of you running early stage hardware startups?

Hi everyone, I’m a junior in high school leaning toward a computer/electrical engineering future and im looking for a way to expand my knowledge of the field. Obviously im not some genius when it comes to hardware, but i guess I’m pretty knowledgeable when it comes to design CAD, embedded systems, and PCB design, and I’m looking for a way to contribute while gaining real-world experience in the field. I would love to assist with any aspect of the process, any design work, testing, or general support and I’m open to online/remote opportunities. My main goal is to learn from real projects and shadow while providing value wherever I can.

If anyone has advice, or knows of ways I could get involved in their projects, I’d greatly appreciate it and shoot me a DM.

Thanks in advance!

Just spent $800 on my first prototype. Had breadboarded and simulated to heck but finally had to bite the bullet. Feeling exhilarated but also nervous! What a feeling.

I’m working on bringing a hardware product to market (think wearable / IoT device) and I’ve been floored by how complicated compliance is.

Between FCC / CE / UKCA testing, battery UN 38.3, EMC, RoHS/REACH, packaging, labeling, retailer-specific requirements, and then the fact that every market has slightly different rules… it feels like an endless checklist with no single source of truth.

Startups like mine often don’t have in-house compliance people, so we’re juggling consultants, testing labs, and retailer portals. It’s costly, time-consuming, and honestly a huge distraction from building the actual product.

I can’t help but wonder:

• Is this just me, or do other hardware startups struggle massively with compliance?
• How do you all handle this without blowing timelines and budgets?
• Are there tools you’ve found that actually simplify this, or is it still mostly spreadsheets, consultants, and endless back-and-forth with labs/retailers?

Would love to hear how other founders or product teams deal with this part of launching hardware.

Hi everyone,

I’m working on an exciting early-stage (~TRL 1) sodium-ion battery solution aimed at affordable, sustainable energy storage—for EVs, grid, and home backup.

I’ve gathered solid insights and market research already, and I’m now looking for driven teammates who: • Have a background in electrochemistry, electrical engineering, or hardware prototyping
• Are curious, collaborative, and committed
• Want to be involved early (equity or co-founder potential available)

Let’s build clean energy solutions together! Feel free to DM for more details or collaboration ideas.

Thanks!

SCREEN IS FUNCTIONAL :)

Made some general updates to the second version of the firmware (v1.1) currently developing software to make this device compatible across all platforms! Gamer mode allows for the currently shown options and buttons: Discord, OBS, Twitch, Steam, Mute/Unmute, Screenshot/Screen Record, Mail, Spotify, and Xbox launcher. Future mode details will be revealed in updates to come. Screen includes tools like calculator, timer, counter, and more!

Cool 3D Printed Keycap Shorts for the MX Key: 3D Printing a Keycap for the GhostDeck

Source : GhostDeck Multipurpose Utility Deck

 I have completed the industrial design for a new consumer product and now need a high quality cosmetic prototype. I am not looking for something rough or 3D printed. I need a model that closely matches the weight, feel, and finish of the final version so it can be used in marketing shoots, investor presentations, and early retail pitches.

I am currently looking into Product Innov for detailed prototyping, finishing, and small batch runs for products that are past the concept stage. My priority is to get a sample that looks and functions like it came straight from production so I can validate market interest before committing to large scale manufacturing.

If you have gone through this process, did you use a specialized product development team or a local fabrication shop? Was the investment worth it in terms of presentation quality and early traction?

Hey fellow hardware founders and engineers,

I'm in the early stages of building a platform to bring some structure to the chaotic process of going from a final prototype to a shipped product. My focus is on solving the operational issues: supply chain visibility, managing manufacturing partners, and the final handoff to a 3PL.

I've created a short survey (~5 mins) to gather data from people who have been in the trenches. If you have experience bringing a physical product to market, I would be grateful for your feedback.

https://tally.so/r/wAga0e

Anyone out there? I’m a mechanical engineer working in defense/aerospace and looking to meet and connect with other entrepreneurial minded people in the Boston area.

Look, we've all been to those "networking" events where you spend 3 hours talking about what you're building and 0 hours actually building it.

BrahmWorks is opening their fully-kitted hardware lab in Yeshwanthpur this Friday (Aug 22, 2-10pm) for something different: **MakerHours: FounderMode**.

No demo day. No investor pitches. No "let me tell you about my startup" conversations.

Just you, your laptop/project, professional electronics equipment (oscilloscopes, soldering stations, measurement tools), and a room full of other hardware founders who get it.

Bring whatever you're stuck on. Debug that PCB. Test that prototype. Finally tackle that mechanical constraint you've been avoiding.

₹500 gets you 8 hours of focus time + access to equipment that would cost 10x that to buy.

Limited to ~40 people. Hardware founders only (seriously, we check).

Who's in?

Hey everyone,

I wanted to share something we’ve been working on that might be interesting to people here who design or manufacture parts. One of the biggest frustrations I’ve run into is re-ordering a part and getting back something that isn’t quite the same as the last one. Small differences can creep in when different shops or processes are involved.

To make that easier, we started attaching a QR code to each part we make. When you scan it, you can see the “DNA” of the part—drawings, 3D models, machining notes, material specs, even the shop and machinist who made it. That way, if you need another one down the road, you (or a colleague) can pull up the exact same recipe and reproduce it consistently.

It’s still early days, but I think this kind of traceability could save a lot of headaches, especially for people who care about long-term consistency or who are working with multiple suppliers.

Here's a photo of a part we made. I know. It'd be much better if we etch the QR code on the part. I'm working on it.

Curious to hear what you all think—does this sound like something that would actually be useful in your workflows?

I was under the impression that in order to sell any kind of hardware with WI-FI or Bluetooth, you needed to go through some rigorous and costly certification process. Are these startups just ignoring it? Or do I have it wrong? They all seem mostly ESP-32 based

Heya! I'm curious how y'all are finding beta testers? I made a nice landing page, wrote a blog post, shared with my network, submitted my startup to betalist, and plan to make a TikTok ad soon. I just want to prove my idea has value (or not), but I don't know how to get my idea in front of the right people without being annoying.

What I built is a little telescope attachment that helps backyard astronomers find and discover things in the night sky. It uses an IMU to help you align your telescope and an app to bring it all together.

It's perhaps an altruistic project, focused more on renewing interest in astronomy for those who got bored or didn't know how to find the really interesting things out there. Now, my idea may be worthless! I'm totally willing to accept that. But I feel like my problem is one of visibility more than anything else.

Curious to hear how others have gotten past this stage?

Hello
I am building a hardware targeting cattle farmers. I almost have the BOM with a rough prototype done (still have couple of things that need modifying and re-testing). I built a landing page with the option of registering an email. As expected, no traffic to my page.

My question is in regards to marketing. I am more of an introvert. I keep hearing that i need to start collecting emails for marketing. Start early they say.

But what do you want me to say to potential customers? please visit my website and register? I dont have a photo yet, but it is coming? I don't have a date yet, but trust me, I will make it work?

It is hard for me. I prefer to have at least a demo or a video of my product that i can show and then I will have something to talk about.
Are my thoughts correct?
I would really like the opinion of someone that did this? how early should i start talking about the startup or advertising it?
What do you suggest I do in this regard?

Last year I started a night vision startup; not the viewers, as the worth-your-money ones are still black magic, but rather the aiming and illuminator devices mounted on things to point/aim/illuminate/identify with. If you're familiar with these in military usage, the current issued models are called PEQ-15s, ATPIALs, or DBALs.

We have an MVP and 90% finished product, and have bootstrapped + family & friends'd it this far. My background is in aerospace and defense engineering and R&D so we were able to do most of the design in house, and the other team members have expertise in manufacturing and operations. The only thing we've truly had to outsource for design is an optical component used to turn a laser into an adjustable floodlight, which we're still trying to scrape together $15k for.

We've done our homework backwards and forwards, have early traction, good feedback, and letters of intent from small retailers and police departments. Having approached angel organizations and VCs, we just can't seem to get over the hump for finishing our R&D and capital expenses.

Is funding hardware startups unobtanium or are we missing something?

Comments, feedback, connections, or general interest (or disinterest? lol) is welcome! TIA!

https://www.toadworx.com

Working on my own early stage HW startup. I keep running into electronics manufacturers who rely entirely on their EMS provider to source every single part in their BOM. The EMS quotes the components, adds their markup, and the OEM just signs off.

What surprises me is how few companies take the time to separate sourcing. There is an opportunity to keep high volume or strategic parts with the EMS while cutting out the tail spend and sourcing those smaller, low volume items directly. In many cases you can get a better price from a distributor or broker without affecting the build schedule.

Instead, the default seems to be paying inflated prices for the sake of convenience. The extra cost can be significant and it adds up across production runs.

Is this just accepted as the cost of doing business or are more manufacturers starting to shop around for the tail spend instead of leaving it all to the EMS

I'm a veteran (survivor?) of 3 startups now: 1 med device, 1 rocket engine, and 1 satellite. I'm now working on a consumer cleaning product and am at the earliest stage I've ever seen. Like deciding on our part numbering and change control processes, while we're scoping out technology and testing out proof of concept for our product. My question is where is everyone getting information or ideas for things like their part numbering scheme. Or their other operating decisions at these stages? We have a CAD software chosen and a documentation/communication platform chosen, but we'll need to start thinking about inventory, and ECOs and the like. I can't seem to find any book or blog out there that addresses these decisions that we need now but will have to scale to some degree before we put our big kid pants on and get a full fledged ERP system. I keep asking my friends at various sizes of companies, just about their part numbering, and everyone just responds "oh ours sucks". There are good ways to do it, do we just not have any resources that teach that?

For background, I have a mechanical engineering degree but have lived on the operations side of things my whole career. So when a company has a "sucky" part number scheme or change control process, I see the pains of it. It's one thing to design and release hardware drawings all day, it's another to purchase, receive, inventory, pick, assemble, and ship them...I've seen the pain of not thinking these things through. I would love to create a blog or contribute to a blog to elaborate on this kind of stuff. I would just expect there's something out there already that has at least touched on it. I just haven't been able to find much yet.

Hey fellow Sysadmins, nerds and geeks,
A few days back I shared my disk price tracker that I built out of frustration with existing tools (managing 1PB+ will do that to you). The feedback here was incredibly helpful, so I wanted to circle back with an update.

Based on your suggestions, I've been refining the web tool and just launched an iOS app. The mobile experience felt necessary since I'm often checking prices while out and about—figured others might be in the same boat.

What's improved since last time:

• Better deal detection algorithms
• A little better ui for web.
• Mobile-first design with the new iOS app
• iOS version has currency conversion ability

Still working on:

• Android version (coming later this year - sorry)
• Adding more retailers beyond Amazon/eBay - This is a BIG wish for people.
• Better disk detection - don't want to list stuff like enclosures and such - can still be better.
• better filtering and search functions.

In the future i want:

• Way better country / region / source selection
• More mobile features (notifications?)
• Maybe price history - to see if something is actually a good deal compared to normally.

I'm curious—for those who tried it before, does the mobile app change how you'd actually use something like this? And for newcomers, what's your current process for finding good disk deals?

Always appreciate the honest feedback from this community. You can check out the updates at the same link, and the iOS app is live on the App Store now.

I will try to spend time making it better from user feedback, i have some holiday lined up and hope to get back after to work on the android version.

Thanks for your time.

iOS: https://apps.apple.com/dk/app/diskdeal/id6749479868

Web: https://hgsoftware.dk/diskdeal

Hi everyone, I’m no expert and I’ve never actually posted on reddit before so here we go haha.

CONTEXT

Over the last 9-10 months I have been developing a product and doing all my own organic marketing through that process I have been able to create a seriously passionate and strong group of followers. They are basically my co founders at this point haha. Which has proven to be a very important skill of mine.

THE QUESTION

Anyways I’m trying to figure out what to do. I’m only on my second semester into college for engineering and I feel like Im getting nothing from it. I feel as if the skill set I have now with marketing and product development is worth much more in practical experience than what I could ever get from school. Yet I don’t know if it’s worth leaving, I have lots of basic financial assistance from my family and of course they don’t want to see me be a drop out so that leaves me with a sense of guilt since they are helping me out a lot with that. I also can’t find anyone even close to me IRL who is remotely serious about entrepreneurship or even seems like they have a passion. Maybe I’m just over thinking this all but does anyone have any advice on a situation like this? Also where do you meet other founders IRL, my local incubator is a dumpster fire.

I’m IG handle is @midwest.moto.co so you guys know I’m not lyin

Where do you go to keep track of latest trends, HW startup news and general HW related news?

Just to keep in the loop and see what fun things people are launching recently (and how). I guess similar to Product Hunt or Hacker News, or attending CES.

I love reading about people’s unique stories on here, wondered if there was anything else like SW has.